What if the way we write laws becomes the imprint that heals—not harms—the human soul? In this episode of And Now Love, host Cynthia Marks speaks with California Assemblywoman Sade Elhawary about the intersection of power, policy, and trauma in Los Angeles—especially Skid Row and the 57th District. Elhawary shares her path from South Central community organizing and education into the State Assembly, shaped by mentors like Mayor Karen Bass, and explains her office’s two pillars: wellness equity (mental health, substance use treatment, environmental justice, clean air/water/green space) and restorative justice (prevention, community intervention, alternatives to incarceration, parole reform, reentry, employment, and housing). She discusses foster care and family reunification through her experience as a foster mom to McKayla, arguing systems often remove children without adequately supporting parents’ underlying needs. Elhawary describes current challenges including state budget deficits, federal funding cuts, and threats to programs like Medicare and SNAP, emphasizing the human impact on families, childcare, students, immigrants, and farmworkers. She highlights the need for grassroots collaboration, revenue generation, and accountability for corporate greed and extreme wealth, and shares work on a bill addressing the mental health–homelessness intersection by centering Skid Row residents and service providers, including insights from the Skid Row Care Center. Elhawary also recounts the moment she decided to run for office after leaked racist LA City Council recordings, creating “I’m with the Blacks” solidarity t-shirts that led to her speaking publicly and being encouraged to lead. She closes by inviting community involvement in many forms and shares how to reach her on Instagram: @sadeelhawary Host: Cynthia Marks, creator/host of And Now Love. Featured Guests: Sade Elhawary, member of the California State Assembly representing the 57th district. Core ideas: Systemic erasure, Mother’s imprint, Internal wandering, Punitive legacy, Wellness equity, The biology of policy, Radical trust, Restorative justice, Zip code destiny, Community-centered government, Overwriting incarceration, Human dignity Episode length: 00:50:08 Follow our socials: Instagram / / andnowlove.podcast Facebook / / And Now Love Podcast Youtube / / @AndNowLovePodcast TikTok / / and.now.love.podc #AndNowLove #SadeElhawary #SkidRow #SouthCentralLA #RestorativeJustice #MentalHealth #Homelessness #CommunityOrganizing #FosterCare #FamilyReunification #PublicHealth #EnvironmentalJustice #CaliforniaPolitics #WellnessEquity #Reentry #HousingJustice Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Cynthia Marks, Dr. Bernard Bale, and “the mother’s imprint” 01:18 Meet Assemblywoman Sade Elhawary and the 57th District focus 02:10 Elhawary’s start: organizing in South Central and Mayor Karen Bass’s influence 04:40 From teaching to preventing the school-to-prison pipeline 06:34 Two pillars: Wellness Equity & Restorative Justice 08:52 State vs district work: budgets, resources, and centering community 10:35 Foster care story: McKayla, family instability, and system gaps 14:02 Why supporting parents matters and how reunification is shifting 16:40 Family court reforms and judges’ needed experience 19:00 Social safety net threats and federal priorities vs community needs 21:40 Childcare, education, and the real human toll 24:20 Fighting back at the state level: organizing, coalitions, and revenue 27:10 Skid Row: mental health supports, service providers, and scaling solutions 30:10 Skid Row Care Center and what collaborative solutions look like 32:10 Rejecting criminalization and addressing trauma cycles 34:05 Community involvement: housing, volunteering, rallies, and hard conversations 36:20 Why Elhawary ran: leaked LA City Council recordings and solidarity 39:10 “I’m with the Blacks” t-shirts and stepping into leadership 42:10 Closing reflection: legislating dignity, visibility, and agency 44:00 How to support: Instagram @sadeelhawary

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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