Quotes from Michael Tubbs

I harbor no illusion that government and elected office is a panacea for all of society's ills.

We're not just designed just to work all day and run a rat race. We're designed to be in community, to volunteer, to vote, to raise our kids. And I think the more inputs and investments we can give in people to do those things, the better off we are as a community.

I've always been interested in political service and community advocacy.

For whatever reason, in this country we have a very interesting relationship with poverty, where we think people in poverty are bad people.

I know, for me, I want to live in a community where people's basic needs are met.

My father has taught me not to succumb to nihilism, and my mother has taught me the value of hard work and determination.

Growing up, I read all three of Frederick Douglass' autobiographies by the time I was 12.

We all aren't in government, we all aren't CEOs, but we all are somebody.

In college, I was so blessed to have relationships with those who did the civil rights movement.

The first time I saw my father, he was chained. Gone was the mirage of the invincible man, the man who would protect me once I found him. At the age of 12, I finally saw my father - in an orange jumpsuit, looking weak and vulnerable.

There had to be something more important than me being comfortable, me being OK, and me being that one person that made it from Stockton. That's why I decided to run for city council in 2012.

My mom was on welfare for the first five, six years of my life.

I thought I'd be a low-key producer or something, politics and film at the same time. But also, I'm not a big movie person - my girlfriend gets mad at me because I go to sleep whenever we go to the movies.

President Obama is an inspiration of mine, and interning with his administration in the White House opened my eyes to the possibilities of making change at the local level.

Diversity matters. You want your city departments to look like the city.

I do think that people deserve a basic economic floor so the bottom doesn't fall out under them.

Government can't do everything, but there is a role for government and smart policy, especially in equalizing opportunities for folks.

During the fall of my junior year, I interned in Intergovernmental Affairs in The White House with a focus on outreach to local elected officials. Although I hated the menial tasks the job required, it gave me a window into the power of local government.

Growing up in Stockton wasn't all doom and gloom.

In our economic structure, the people who work the hardest oftentimes make the least. I know migrant farm workers who do back-breaking labor every day, or Uber drivers and Lyft drivers who drive 10 to 12 hours a day in traffic. You can't be lazy doing that kind of work.

I'm committed to helping the residents of Stockton succeed.

Work does have some value and some dignity, but I don't think working 14 hours and not being able to pay your bills, or working two jobs and not being able - there's nothing inherently dignified about that.

I fully support accountability and transparency.

It's important to invest in our kids who are going to go to college or community college or a trade school.