I'm running to fight for equity, economic stability, and wellness for everyone in Colorado. And to make sure that all children can learn and thrive here. I've lived in Boulder County for 25 years and raised two sons here. And for just as long, I've been a leader and advocate, first in the business world and, more recently, in public education. Justice permeates everything I do in my work with BVSD and the community. It has to. As a Black-Latina worker and a mom to two brown-skinned boys, I have always fought for my rights, those of my children, and the rights of all marginalized communities because those with more privilege weaponize economic and social policies against people like me and my family. Whether it is due to low income, lack of insurance, or discrimination, I and other BIPOC women - especially those with intersectional identities - have never experienced justice. I can't change 400 years of history in one Senate term, but I will fight for everything people need to have stable lives in Colorado. And no one will fight harder for economic security and social justice than someone who knows what's at stake when we don't have it.

It is imperative that the sales and use tax which currently provides 70% of RTD's budget be de-bruced. Colorado's current ranking of 44th in the nation for state funding of public transit clearly indicates the urgency for more state funding for public transit. With maintenance and infrastructure requirements looming in the next 10-20 years, and without de-Brucing, RTD will be left with only half the budget to sustain current operations by 2050.

The interdependence of housing density, mixed-use neighborhoods, and public transportation is undeniable. Public transportation can only be cost-efficient and effective with denser housing and with people having jobs, services, and retail in close proximity. Initiatives such as allowing multiplexes in areas zoned for single-family homes, eliminating parking minimums, and expanding mixed-use zoning are all crucial steps toward making public transportation more sustainable.

Investing in more multimodal transit and designing streets to universal standards is not just a choice, but a necessity. These changes can significantly reduce our dependence on single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs). We must prioritize the needs of all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and those using mobility-assistive devices. With a rapidly aging population and a significant portion living with disabilities, making our built environment more accessible is a crucial step towards reducing car dependence and promoting sustainability.

SB20-217 took some initial steps toward accountability and transparency: mandating body-worn cameras; banning chokeholds and carotid control holds; reporting use of force and complaints against officers; removing qualified immunity and holding officers responsible for failure to intervene; creating a framework for independent investigations of shootings and incidents resulting in serious bodily injury; training on de-escalation, bias, and cultural competency; and more. We must monitor compliance so individuals and agencies are accountable for these changes and take corrective action as needed.

While SB20-217 addressed some aspects of accountability and transparency in police responses, there's a need to curtail often unnecessary police interventions. For instance, we can significantly reduce calls for mental health crises or wellness checks by implementing mental health first responder programs. Similarly, the use of traffic cameras can help in minimizing traffic stops that could be resolved without direct police involvement. Moreover, we need to address calls for service that don't result in a ticket or an interaction with police. Each time an officer is dispatched, they are compelled to look for and respond to potential criminal activity, thereby increasing the risk of negative police interactions in the area.

We can address this issue by requiring mental health first responder programs, moving code enforcement out of police departments, and working with advocates to change the criteria for dispatch, especially in areas with over-policed populations. We should also be working to expand and normalize “know-your-rights” training, such as ACLU Colorado’s PEAK program, to ensure everyone understands their rights during police interactions.

As a straight, cis-woman, my priority would be to partner with organizations such as Out Boulder County, One Colorado, and LGBTQ+ legislators and community leaders; they know better than I do what they need to be safe in our community and across Colorado. I would engage transgender advocacy organizations, community groups, and individuals to understand their needs and concerns and work collaboratively to address safety issues. I would support legislation that strengthens the rights of transgender individuals, such as anti-discrimination laws, hate crime legislation, and equal access to healthcare, employment, and housing. I would speak out publicly against anti-trans and homophobic violence, advocate for policies that promote inclusivity and tolerance, and work with advocacy groups to raise awareness and combat discrimination. I would support education and training programs to increase awareness and understanding of transgender issues among lawmakers, law enforcement, and the general public to foster a more inclusive and safe environment. I would support increased funding for support services, including culturally competent medical and mental health support, crisis intervention, and legal assistance. I would support more shelters and supportive housing for unhoused LGBTQ+ youth and emerging adults (e.g., those leaving the foster care system) and decriminalizing homelessness. I would support providing more culturally competent mental health resources in our schools, gender, and sexuality-inclusive school curricula, and support for LGBTQ+ community centers and organizations.

Affordability is a multi-pronged issue and addressing it requires a multi-pronged approach: increasing worker pay; providing more job training opportunities for workers to transition to higher-paying jobs; slowing the skyrocketing costs of housing by addressing exclusionary zoning laws and building regulations that incentivize car-dependent single family homes; removing the state ban on rent control; subsidizing the high costs of childcare and healthcare that have pummeled Boulder County households in recent years; investing in social housing; ensuring people who are eligible have access to federal benefits; decreasing barriers to qualifying for state and federal benefits; getting rid of the benefits cliff so more people can move from low- to middle-income; providing more emergency financial assistance including rental assistance to low- and middle-income households; providing free legal support to low- and middle-income families and individuals; providing free higher education and job training to all Coloradans; eliminating health disparities and investing in prevention by making sure everyone has access to clean air and water, healthy food, social connections, and safe shelter; and reducing other household expenses that hit lower income households the hardest by investing in things like public transportation, public childcare, and Medicare-for-all. We won't solve affordability in one state Senate term or even one lifetime, but these are the policies I will fight for as your state Senator. Legislators must hold a vision of the future they are trying to shape while fighting for changes that will help individuals and families struggling with affordability.

My top three priority areas are the outcomes I hear that residents of SD18 desire most: equity, economic stability, and wellness. These are the conditions that all of us need to thrive. By focusing on these outcomes instead of singular issues, I will continuously promote and support legislation with a holistic approach to meeting these larger-picture goals.

The specific bills I introduce in the next term will depend largely on what happens in the last few weeks of this legislative session, the outcome of the November elections, and conversations with fellow legislators, stakeholders, local elected officials, advocacy groups, and community members over the next six months. Like all collaborative work, successful legislation requires aligning the right people and organizations on the right issues at the right time and with the appropriate level of urgency.

In creating new legislation I will consider three aspects to each issue: addressing the problem at hand with relevant and effective solutions; creating preventive and proactive measures to mitigate future occurrences of the issue; and providing methods to measure progress and make adjustments as needed to ensure the solutions remain relevant and effective as the issues evolve.

High-level concepts for bills I may introduce include:

• Education Equity - Ensuring all children, especially the ~7,000 children living in poverty in BVSD, have what they need to succeed in their education (e.g., healthy food, mental health supports, culturally appropriate curricula, teachers who are appropriately paid and resourced). If HB24-1448 passes without amendments to protect services for low-income BVSD students, we may need to address unintended consequences that disproportionately fall on those children and the teachers and staff who support them.

• Economic Stability - We need to address the three costs that have increased far more than other household expenses in the past decade and are crushing the economic stability of many Boulder County households: housing, childcare, and healthcare. We need to continue the work of the past two sessions to slow the rapid increase in housing costs. We can do this by continuing to end exclusionary zoning and land use policies that promote car dependency. We can pursue additional tenant protections, such as ending the statewide ban on local rent control. These changes require political will rather than additional funding.

• We also need to invest more in people’s economic stability by strengthening emergency rental assistance and eviction prevention programs that keep people housed; providing more subsidized housing, healthcare, and childcare for low-middle income households; and creating more supportive and transitional housing opportunities for people for whom traditional housing is not ideal (e.g., those with serious mental illnesses or substance use disorders). TABOR is a massive barrier to our ability to adequately meet the needs of Coloradans. However, if we aren’t ready to ask voters to eliminate some of its key provisions, we can still work to de-Bruce programs like RTD and consider new taxes to support initiatives that voters have consistently favored, such as affordable housing and paid medical leave for workers.

To enhance resilience, we must focus on land regeneration, fire-resistant construction materials and hardened infrastructure systems, social infrastructure, local food production, and denser housing in mixed-use developments. Mitigation involves changing transportation systems, land use, building design and construction, and an economy prioritizing people's well-being over corporate profits. Vulnerable communities are resourceful and do not need legislators protecting us; we need equitable access to the knowledge, resources, and power to protect ourselves.

Resilience

We need to push communities to engage in comprehensive climate resilience planning that incorporates input from frontline communities, addresses infrastructure vulnerabilities, and prepares for extreme weather events and long-term climate impacts. Communities need reliable and sustainable access to local food systems, power, shelters, disaster management, and emergency services. We need systems that can withstand extreme weather and built and natural environments resistant to wind, wildfire, flooding, temperature extremes, and drought.

Mitigation

Transportation both contributes to and mitigates the impacts of the climate crisis. Mitigation involves transitioning to low-carbon and sustainable modes of transportation, efficient urban planning that prioritizes public transportation, cycling infrastructure, and pedestrian-friendly cities, and encouraging behavior changes, such as carpooling, telecommuting, and using shared mobility services.

The construction industry can contribute to mitigation efforts by embracing green building standards, promoting energy efficiency, water conservation, and reduced emissions in building design and construction; constructing energy-efficient buildings with high-performance insulation, efficient heating and cooling systems, and renewable energy sources; using sustainable and environmentally-friendly, recycled, and locally-sourced materials; incorporating green roofs and living walls in building design; and building resilient infrastructure that can withstand climate-related disasters, such as floods, storms, and heatwaves.

Our economic system often prioritizes economic growth and profit accumulation, leading to excessive consumption of natural resources, fossil fuels, and products with high carbon footprints. This relentless pursuit of profit contributes to environmental degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, contributing to climate change. It leads to overexploitation of ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, and degradation of natural habitats, further exacerbating the climate crisis. Transformative changes in economic systems, including sustainable and equitable models of production and consumption, are essential for effectively mitigating the impacts of the climate crisis and creating a more resilient and environmentally sustainable future.

Vulnerable communities

Vulnerable populations must have a voice in the decision-making process. We need to remove the barriers that keep vulnerable communities out of all levels of government, provide funding to communities to address their risks, and stop thinking that we know what is best for groups we are not a part of. We need to recognize the way that our reliance on energy from Suncor harms BIPOC and low-income communities in Commerce City and the way that electrification in Colorado means worker exploitation and massive environmental destruction in third-world countries. We keep repeating patterns of exploiting people and natural resources; we will not protect anyone or find a way out of the climate crisis until we break this cycle and start giving impacted communities real power in decision-making spaces.

People seen as having low levels of civic engagement are already engaged. They just face barriers to entry such as lack of access to information, financial constraints, and limited representation that are too often insurmountable given the socio-economic disadvantages many start with. They distrust government because they see how government is used as a tool by those with more privilege to keep others out. Elected officials and activists with the power, knowledge, and resources we need exacerbate this lack of trust when they fail to include many of us in the political process. At least until they want our vote or use us in a social media post to show how much they care about equity.

I am running for state Senate as a bilingual, Black-Latina, middle-class, single-working mom who grew up in poverty, has experienced homelessness multiple times, and works with some of the most vulnerable families and households in Boulder County. I am these constituent groups, bringing them all to everything I do. My experiences of poverty, homelessness, and working with vulnerable families have shaped my understanding of the challenges our communities face. Working closely with these groups is my life, not a choice or a hobby.

I've navigated the past 25 years as a woman of color in Boulder County. This navigation requires understanding many different perspectives, again, not because I have a choice but because my and my children's well-being and the well-being of all the children and families I serve depend on my ability to navigate systems that were made to keep us under-resourced, underpaid, and under-informed.

My personal and professional experiences have shaped me into a persistent advocate for understanding and acknowledging the diverse perspectives of our community. When working in new areas or involving new community partners, I don't just jump into solutions. I take the time to get to know them, to understand and acknowledge their existing efforts in advocating for change and voicing their concerns. I then build upon this understanding to engage in problem-solving, collaborative dialogue that centers on their experiences and priorities. Everyone's voice matters to me, and I am committed to hearing as many voices as possible.

Given my personal and professional experiences, I am acutely aware of the privilege often held by legislators, which can inadvertently bias policy-making. This bias can favor interactions with individuals and groups with similar backgrounds and experiences, excluding many communities from decision-making processes. I am committed to changing this. I believe in creating opportunities for meaningful engagement, amplifying marginalized voices, and actively dismantling systemic barriers to participation. Together, we can foster a more inclusive and representative state that genuinely serves all constituents.