San Jose City Council candidate highlights issues local residents face

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America's Work Force Union Podcast Government Affairs and Policy

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Jake Tonkel

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San Jose City Council candidate Jake Tonkel discussed COVID-19 recovery strategies and having labor and environmental values when he appeared on America’s Work Force Radio Podcast on Aug 12.

As a current City Council candidate working towards being elected, Tonkel is focusing on how he can improve the lives of the constituents he is hopeful to represent.

With the COVID-19 pandemic putting many out of work, Tonkel said about 20 percent of Santa Clara County residents do not have more than $400 in savings. Once rent payments and other bills resume, Tonkel is worried many of his constituents will face an inevitable eviction.

Since the cost of living in San Jose is so high, the average family living in the area only makes about two-thirds of what is necessary to afford their bills.

With San Jose being a labor friendly area, Tonkel believes a Green New Deal is possible and will be beneficial to those living in the area. The good paying jobs will help residents find valuable employment and stimulate the local economy.

With the pandemic causing an economic nightmare, Tonkel discussed recovery plans for digging out of the current situation.

He said green values and a labor-friendly government will be the driving factors towards economic recovery. He added that any relief plan needs to be centered around racial justice and equitable, as minorities and disadvantaged communities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

San Jose City Council candidate highlights issues local residents face

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