(WALNUT CREEK, CA.) – From brewing beer to building a political campaign, Mitchell Maisler is vying for a seat in California’s 10th Congressional District.
Photo Credit: maislerforcongress.com // Mitchell Maisler
Born in San Francisco, Maisler has lived his entire life in the Bay Area. He moved to Walnut Creek when he was four years old, and graduated from Northgate High School. He attended Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill for a few years before entering the workforce, where he held a variety of jobs over time.
When Covid-19 hit, Maisler lost his job at Specialty’s Cafe & Bakery due to how hard the business was impacted by the pandemic. During that time period, he started home brewing beer as a hobby, which led to his job as a brewer at Epidemic Ales in Concord.
However, Maisler was doing more than brewing beer- he was also becoming more politically active.
“I started paying more attention to how a government could mismanage an incident and how it can spiral out of control,” Maisler said.
He attended protests associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, including one in Martinez.
Photo Credit: San Francisco Chronicle // Black Lives Matter Protest in Martinez (2020)
“A well-running government can make all the difference in the world, and I've had that feeling ever since,” Maisler said.
Maisler’s campaign is centered around three main issues- healthcare, housing, and childcare.
For healthcare, he proposes a single-payer system in which the government would serve as the sole insurer for everyone, negotiating prices and approving medical procedures.
“It cuts down on the complications. It cuts down on the secrecy on how much things cost,” Maisler said. “So much time is wasted on trying to find someone in your health network- you wouldn’t have to be dealing with that anymore, and it would make it easier for regular, everyday people.”
Regarding housing, Maisler pointed to Assembly Bill 2923, which authorizes the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) to build multi-family and mixed-income housing on land it owns, such as parking lots.
He supports higher-density housing and sees living space opportunities in unoccupied areas like the Concord Naval Weapons Station, which had its inland area officially closed by the federal government in 2007.
Moving on to childcare, Maisler is looking forward to seeing how New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to manage childcare in a densely populated area like NYC.
He believes that Mamdani’s management could serve as a model for major cities and different rural areas, and how a dedicated childcare system similar to how public schools are organized could ease the stress and financial burdens of families.
Photo Credit: The Hechinger Report // Zohran Mamdani
Maisler also emphasizes support for veterans and active duty military. In fact, his father was a veteran of the Vietnam War.
“I see a lot of good in the VA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs),” Maisler said. “A lot of the people that work for the VA love our country. They love our veterans, and they love their job, but the government makes it very difficult when they cut a lot of the funding.”
“A lot of the barracks and places where active duty people are living have gross living conditions,” Maisler said. “It's unfortunate that we train them and then give them inadequate gear with housing with plumbing that overflows, and molds that they're actively breathing and have to pay for later in their health care.”
Another key ideology of Maisler’s campaign is his belief in the younger generations having more representation in the government.
He contrasted himself with incumbent Congressman Mark Desaulnier, who has held office since 2015.
“I feel like I've had the regular, average American struggle, and I've been living it whereas Desaulnier has been in office for over 10 years,” Maisler said. “He doesn't know what it feels like anymore, necessarily. He believes the right things, but with his advanced age and health problems, he doesn't necessarily have the drive to go the extra mile to push progressive legislation over the finish line.”
Maisler believes that his experience in the workforce and firsthand confrontation with the deteriorating economy during Covid-19 has equipped him with unique skills and a special understanding of Californians and what they face in their everyday lives.
Michael Beal, who has been close friends with Maisler since high school, described him as extremely loyal and dependable.
“I really think Congress needs people who are willing to say what they mean and mean what they say,” Beal said. “Mitchell is one of the people that I put at the top of my list for someone who can go to Congress and truly live up to that.”
Beal added that Maisler stands out for how strongly he holds his convictions.
“For a public that's used to push-over politicians who will say one thing and then do another, he's a complete 180 from that,” Beal said.
Maisler highlights that he is deeply patriotic, filled with love for his country. However, he doesn’t appreciate the direction it’s been heading in.
“It's hard when the country you thought stood for something is doing the opposite,” Maisler said. “I'm not a politician. I'm not trying to do this for money or glory, I just really want to make a difference.”
To add to or correct any information in this report, please email me at yashi.s@lead4earth.org or leave a comment below.
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