Bakersfield, CA – Today, Randy Villegas, candidate for Congress in California’s 22nd District, joined advocates and labor leaders outside Republican David Valadao’s office to demand accountability for his deciding vote to cut healthcare for tens of thousands of working people in the Central Valley – the most of any district in the country.

Villegas joined local leaders and advocates from Social Security Works PAC, Working Families Party, California Alliance for Retired Americans, and United Domestic Workers ahead of the one year anniversary of the passage of the Big Ugly Bill, which took healthcare away from working people in order to give tax breaks to billionaires.

“As someone who grew up right here in the Valley on Medi-Cal and WIC, the anniversary of the ‘Big, Ugly Bill’ is personal for me. Over 68,000 people in our district are losing their healthcare because of David Valadao’s deciding vote,” said Randy Villegas, Candidate for Congress in California’s 22nd District. “These are the working people who keep our economy going. They care for our kids, they harvest the crops that feed the nation, and yet David Valado voted to rip away their access to healthcare. At a time when the cost of groceries, gas, and housing continue to climb, the Valley cannot afford a representative who sells out our healthcare to please his party and give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. In Congress, I’ll be focused on lowering healthcare costs, expanding affordable housing, and rooting out corruption that rigs the economy against working people.”

The Impact of Valadao’s Vote: 

• Cut healthcare for nearly 70,000 people in CA-22.

• Cut healthcare for 87% of children, and 82% of Latino constituents in the district.

• Threatened an estimated $90 million from district hospitals. 

• Threatened food on the table for over 60,000 households, where 1 in 4 families rely on SNAP benefits each month.

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Randy Villegas is a Central Valley native, auto repair shop owner, and a community college professor. Growing up in a working-class immigrant family, Randy worked hard to help his parents make ends meet. Randy’s family relied on the crucial federal programs like WIC and Medicaid that are now in danger of being cut. Randy worked his way out of poverty through education and has dedicated his life to public service. As a local and school board trustee Randy has delivered for working families by standing up for the best interests of our children. As the only Latino and only Democrat on the school board, Randy has worked across the aisle to get things done. Now, Randy is running for Congress to stand up for other hard-working families who he sees falling through the cracks on David Valadao’s watch.

Find out more at: www.villegasforcongress.com.