Julián Castro served as Mayor of San Antonio from 2009-2014 before joining the Obama administration as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for the remainder of the president’s term.
Previous Work Around Poverty and Opportunity
- Implemented the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule, which required cities receiving federal money for housing to examine potential biases in housing access.
- As a mayor, implemented universal pre-school in San Antonio that was funded by sales taxes.
- Established the National Housing Trust Fund, which invested $174 million in affordable housing for low-income households.
On the Issues
Jobs: Argues that expanding affordable housing and investing in cities will create more job opportunities and better wages. Calls for federal funding to jump-start green jobs. Believes that investments in mass transit are crucial for improving employment opportunities.
Affordable Housing: Building off his experience as HUD Secretary, says he is looking to put housing affordability at the center of his presidential campaign.
Health Care/Insurance: Has voiced support for Medicare for All.
Education: Supports universal pre-K and wants to make the first two years of higher education free.
Criminal Justice: Has called the criminal justice system “racist” and has voiced support for ending the money bail system.
Minimum Wage: Supports a $15 minimum wage.
Safety Net: Has focused extensively on social net issues outside of health care and education during the campaign.
Children/Families: Claims that one of his greatest accomplishments was raising local sales tax rates to fund a pre-K program.
Taxes/Tax Credits: Wants to expand low-income tax credits.
News Articles
“Julian Castro: Everything You Need to Know About the 2020 Candidate” (Axios: 2/25/2019)
“As San Antonio Mayor, Julian Castro Started Program That Gave Millions to Developers for Luxury Downtown Condos” (Express News: 1/27/2019)
“Julian Castro Talks Affordable Housing, Immigration, and Education in Vegas” (The Nevada Independent: 2/28/2019)
“Julián Castro: The Candidate For Criminal Justice Reform” (Medium: 1/22/2019)