Positions

District 21 schools are greatly impacted and have been for decades. However, the test scores, school closures, news headlines are not actually indicative of the people that live in these communities. I have met these families, I have shaken the hands of grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles. I have talked through learning with countless youth. Children get one public school education and too much of their education has been spent by continual votes to decrease funding, over test students, and publicize scores without context and understanding.

I have stood with my coworkers, students and community to ensure that they have the ability to discuss their family, feel seen in what they do and have access to the health care that they need. No one deserves to live in fear and we need to center LGBTQ voices and protect trans people. Suicide is the leading cause of death for students in Colorado and trans individuals have the highest suicide rate of any particular group. That is not something we can ignore and something we need to all speak about in public spaces where our neighbors are under attack and being othered in the news daily. 

I have seen buildings continue to struggle and get replaced by chains all over District 21. Why is it necessary to build a Dunkin Donuts right down the street from a Winchells on Federal? Why are we tearing down sections of small businesses like the Zumba dance studio and Fred’s Breakfast Burritos to build an empty warehouse on 70th and Broadway. Why are there more and more gas stations popping up when people just need a neighborhood grocery store instead? I want Coloradans to feel like they can be ambitious in not only starting a small business that is very much needed in their neighborhood but also stay open and maintain their business over time.

I am a member of a union and I have seen the changes that we can make by coming together and working towards a common goal. This includes healthcare, livable wages, retirement plans, etc. I have been part of conversations around organization, I have been to the state capital, I have marched with CSEA this year, and I stand in solidarity with Sheridan School District Educators as they prepare for a strike. It’s important that unions are more accessible to more laborers because collective bargaining levels the playing field for workers.

As a former SNAP and Medicaid recipient I know the dehumanizing that comes with this process. I have listened to the news continually talk about restrictions on the foods and items that recipients can buy. But I would ask you to consider people’s dignity. I believe that community resources should be available to all who need them. The stigma does not need to be exacerbated by complicated and unnecessary regulations. It should not take healthcare providers months to qualify to serve Medicaid recipients when patients also are waiting for years to just see a primary care provider. These regulations waste everyone’s time and prevent people from receiving the care and support they need.

Data centers and artificial intelligence need more policy and regulation. We must hold companies accountable to the energy and water that they are using and know more about the health impact to our community. We also need to call in experts around policy concerning data and privacy in order to protect our constituents, their labor, our public goods, and the right to privacy. This is urgent and needs to be addressed quickly. District 21 is highly impacted by pollution, energy companies, and trash disposal. We need to be mindful and have systems in place like carbon taxing that hold companies accountable to their impact. This ensures we protect not just employees or neighbors of these companies, but also all of District 21, Colorado, and our planet.

I intend to visit every correctional facility within the district to see conditions firsthand and see conditions for myself. I am committed to the well-being of inmates but we need solutions that are more nuanced than just throwing money at the problem to make it disappear. Inmates are real people with real and diverse problems. They deserve dignity as they navigate rehabilitation. We need to rethink our overcrowded system and include constituents and experts in this discussion. The problem is not getting better and we need to get to the root cause rather than accepting the status quo or turning immediately to privatization.

We need to ensure that people are housed. Yes, temporary housing is helpful and renting is also something that many people choose. But many people do not want to rent for their entire lives and they no longer want to be victims of landlords raising rent year after year. Working people need long-term solutions that support them throughout each transition of their life: first-time purchases, growing family, multi-generational homes, and retirement. Homes need to be available to people that need them, not just private equity firms and landlords. We need to increase benefits to folks who want to live here permanently and those that need to reassess their needs. 

I teach multilingual learners, many of whom are new to this country or are first generation United States citizens. I see their fear around ICE operations and know that daily we all worry about what would happen. What would the day look like when ICE finally decides to come into our schools? What does it look like when our neighbors disappear off the streets? Do we even know it is happening? How are we still seeing the deregulation of the state of these detention centers? Our neighbors are people and deserve dignity. We have large-size detention centers and are now discovering small-size detention centers throughout the state. This entire department needs to be abolished and immigration process needs to be reformed.