🧭 My Vision

I believe that poverty is not a crime and everyone deserves access to safe, affordable housing. We must work together as a region to bring homelessness to functional zero and make housing affordable in Denver.

Denver continues to sweep encampments but the unhoused population continues to increase in Denver. Encampment sweeps are a costly, traumatizing, cosmetic approach that disperses people rather than meeting individual needs to reduce the number of people living unhoused. We need a compassionate solution for everyone.

Ending homelessness starts with advancing housing justice for tenants and homeowners, especially Black and Indigenous communities in Denver. We need to sustainably control housing costs, increase the supply of affordable housing, and combat systemic and historic drivers of housing inequality.

Everyone should have the opportunity to become a homeowner, and people should not have to worry about losing their shelter because of financial instability or health issues. Connecting people with housing and services reduces police interactions, improves public safety, and reduces demand and cost on publicly-funded emergency services.

Homelessness

🛏️ Built for Zero

• Recommit to Metro Denver Homeless Initiative existing Built For Zero framework that aligns by-name, real-time data with local planning and on shared measurable goals through regional coordination.
• Make targeted, data-driven investments in housing-first policies like supportive housing, master leasing apartments, and community land trusts.
• Scale the successful Safe Outdoor Spaces with mental health and substance abuse services to reduce unsanctioned camping. Also, implement car and RV spaces.
• Collaborate with landlords to accept housing vouchers which many are not being used.

🛎️ More Services

• Increase available case managers, including incentivizing formerly unhoused individuals to become case managers themselves.
• Increase resources to prevent people from becoming homeless.
• Open public bathrooms, and provide trash cans and other sanitation services to downtown encampments.

🚔 Decriminalize Homelessness

• Repeal the urban camping ban in order for organizations to find unhoused individuals to provide services, build trust, and place into housing in real time.
  • Arresting unhoused individuals for being homelessness will not solve homelessness. In addition, we can’t arrest people for being homeless or ill due to the 4th Amendment (freedom from unreasonable search or seizure) or 8th Amendment (cruel or unusual punishment).
• Continue to invest in the Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) Program to address 911 calls due to mental health, poverty, homelessness, and substance abuse.
• Build police capacity to address property crime and vehicle theft by ending Denver’s costly and ineffective policy of encampment sweeps and reducing unnecessary interactions with the unhoused.

Housing

🏘️ Dense, Affordable Housing

• Build dense housing near public transportation with specific requirements for affordable housing.
• Increase affordable housing requirements under the Expanding Housing Affordability policy.
• Create income-restricted areas in neighborhoods, particularly near schools, hospitals, and public transit.

🏗️ Zoning Reform

• Speed up permitting through:
  • Work with Community Planning and Development to remove barriers that are causing delays in the permitting process by implementing software and increasing staffing to process permitting faster.
  • Implement “Pattern Zoning,” pre-approved building plans for homes and ADUs.
• Allow more duplexes, triplexes, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), and mixed-use properties throughout the city.
• Offer zoning density bonuses in exchange for providing affordable housing on-site.

⚖️ Support for Residents

• Partner with community organizers and neighborhood associations to ensure new building projects do not worsen housing insecurity for existing residents, especially in parts of Denver historically impacted by redlining and segregation.
• Partner with housing and criminal justice agencies to connect formerly incarcerated people with housing and services and break the homelessness-jail cycle.

🧭 My Vision

I believe that a safe community is one where everyone feels protected and valued. For Denver, this includes working with law enforcement to ensure transparency and accountability to our communities, as well as investing in community-based programs that address the root causes of crime.

In the long term, we need to address the systemic issues that contribute to crime, such as lack of affordable housing, wages that have not kept up with inflation, and lack of resources for youth. While property crime, substance abuse, and car theft are serious issues and residents are rightfully concerned, criminalization alone is not the answer. We need to work towards real solutions that address the root causes of crime and promote equity and justice for everyone in our community.

🚓 Law Enforcement

• Increase police staffing to 100% from 90% by creating incentives to attract high-quality, diverse candidates with culture training effectively service Denver.
• Expand the Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) Program to deal with issues related to mental health, homelessness, and substance abuse without involving the police.
• Lobby the state to make car theft a felony again.
• Create a policy to increase the waiting period for gun purchases in the city.

🏘️ Community Engagement

• Work with neighborhoods, community organizers, and activists to increase awareness about crime prevention and participation in events.
• Expand access to services like rental assistance & low-cost legal representation in eviction cases by partnering with area nonprofits providing these services.
• Invest in after-school programs, mental health care, and job opportunities for our youth, prioritizing areas of Denver that have historically lacked this support.

🏫 Address Systemic Drivers of Crime

• Partner with housing and criminal justice agencies to connect formerly incarcerated people with housing and services and break the homelessness-jail cycle.
• End Denver’s costly and ineffective policy of encampment sweeps, reducing unnecessary interactions with the unhoused and freeing up resources to respond to property crimes and emergencies in progress.

🧭 My Vision

I believe that Denver needs to be a city leader on reducing its emissions for other city to follow.

It’s also important that everyone in Denver has access to safe, clean green spaces. Universal access to city parks, community gardens, and other green spaces is correlated with physical and mental health benefits for residents, and better air quality, less noise, and heat mitigation for neighborhoods.

🌎 Climate Action

• Commit to Denver’s 80×50 Climate Action Plan from 2018.
  • Optimizing energy efficiency in buildings
    • Obtain private funding to help subsidize green residential projects to accelerate the electrification of heating and cooling systems to improve energy performance and human health.
    • Educational marketing programs to homeowners about reducing energy costs
  • Enabling next-generation mobility
  • Improving waste management
• Expand Denver’s green business and workforce with a just transition focus.
• Support and implement the Green Denver 2023 Platform which includes:
  • Partner with Denver Public Schools (DPS) to change the narrative for our youth from climate crisis to one of bold action, innovation, and accountability. Recognizing that DPS represents the second largest entity in the City and County of Denver (by square footage), collaboration will be essential for Denver and DPS to achieve our collective climate action goals.
  • Support and champion the vision and goals of the Denver One Water Plan (2021 especially those related to implementing integrated water management solutions, increasing resilience and climate change preparedness, and interagency and organization collaboration.
  • Reduce water demand in City-managed properties and work with water providers and other partners to reduce water demand across the city by taking steps such as reducing irrigation of and replacing non-essential turf grass, and increasing use of recycled water in appropriate applications.
  • Achieve fishable, swimmable status in Denver’s waters and champion the South Platte River Project by committing and delivering the $350 million matching funds.

🌳 Green Spaces

• Employ regulations and policies that protect Denver communities from the harmful effects of ozone pollution.
• Explore and prioritize opportunities to make our denser, urban spaces greener and more climate resilient to support Denver’s human and ecological communities.
• Invest in, steward, and champion our treasured and unique Denver Mountain Parks in support of watershed health, wildfire risk mitigation, conservation, education, preservation, and recreation. (Green Denver 2023 Platform)

🧭 My Vision

I believe that cars should not be the only option for transportation.

Denver was built for cars. However, we are turning into a city where residents want to live without a car and be able to use trains, buses, bicycles, and sidewalks to get around. The plans to address our transportation issues have been developed by Denver with Blueprint Denver and Mobility Action Plan. We need to make the city agencies accountable and give them the support they need to make these plans happen.

🛣️ Safer Streets

• Commit to the platform put forward by the Denver Streets Partnership including prioritizing more sustainable, multimodal transportation for all and recommitting  Denver’s Vision Zero Action Plan of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by the year 2030. (Green Denver 2023 Platform)
• District 7 Transportation & Infrastructure Projects such as:
  • Alameda Underpass
  • Iowa Underpass Bicycle/Pedestrian
  • Jewell/Evans Station Bike/Pedestrian Bridge

🚲 Bicycle Infrastructure

• Increase bicycle infrastructure through Denver Moves: Bicycle Program projects and build a network of low-stress bike routes.

🚌 Public Transportation

• Prioritize transit-oriented development that provides more accessible and affordable housing and connection to schools, employment, nature, and vital services while preventing gentrification and displacement. (Green Denver 2023 Platform)
• Honor, implement, and fund the equity-focused and climate-smart Denveright plans that have already been formally adopted including Comprehensive Plan 2040, Blueprint Land Use and Transportation, Game Plan for a Healthy City, Denver Moves Transit, Denver Moves Pedestrians and Trails, and Denver Moves Bikes. (Green Denver 2023 Platform)

🧭 My Vision

I believe that government should work.

If a city can’t provide basic services, residents aren’t going to trust the city to do bigger projects. Let’s make Denver’s services reliable and bring trust back to government.

🛠️ Make Government Work

• Fill Denver staffing shortages by offering competitive salaries and benefits and create positive and purposeful work culture with strong leaders.
• Increase funding for more public restrooms and water fountains.
• Create a Resident Neighborhood Organization Agency (RNO) to support all Denver RNOs with funding and centralize and standardize information.

💪 Senior Support

• Increase resources or tax breaks for homeowners and tenants who are at risk of losing their housing, so that they can stay in the homes they’ve worked all their lives for.
• Expand access to reliable public transportation, including more frequent stops in more locations and supporting affordable fare programs.
• Expand and promote senior programs such fitness classes, social events, and adopt a grandparent program.

🧭 My Vision

I believe that your issues in District 7 need to be addressed.

If elected, I will listen to all constituents and be the voice of District 7 to Denver’s agencies, the City Council, and the mayor. I will be visible with my work to hold myself accountable. Last, I will be accessible to learn your concerns by showing up to events, hosting coffee hours, and scheduling meetings.

🛠️ District 7 Projects

These are the outstanding projects for District 7. I will lead the charge to get these projects to completion.