My priorities are driven by what I am hearing is important to the communities of District 6. My work as City Councilor will be to align City systems with these community priorities.

• Poverty is the root cause of many of the issues facing our communities. Too many families in our district don't have what they need to survive much less thrive. I will work to implement a Guaranteed Income pilot that will provide families with the financial boost they need to change their lives. We can do that by building a robust Financial Empowerment Office that would house our pilot and the City’s existing Consumer Protection, Financial navigators, and Bank On Burque programs. I urge voters to look at the data around poverty and how it ties to public safety, addiction, and homelessness. To tackle generational poverty we have to talk about the racial wealth gap and begin to unpack what that means so we can get to solutions.

• Housing is a major concern for every single neighborhood I visited in the district. Data shows that we need housing across all income levels in Albuquerque and solutions for renters and potential and current homeowners. I will work to help build capacity and fund more community organizations capable of helping families overcome poverty to become homeowners with help in the form of financial education and down payment assistance. I will also work to hold organizations already receiving City funding accountable by ensuring they are helping the most vulnerable in our District.

• Public Safety includes a lot more than just the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). I heard from the community they want Albuquerque Fire & Rescue (AFR) and Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) funding increased. I will work to align the City’s budget to reflect this community priority and include APD, AFR, ACS, and City Security Division in proactive solutions-based conversations with the community. I will also focus on working with the City’s Violence Intervention Program to fully fund and implement the recommendations City’s Violence Intervention Program to fully fund and implement the recommendations that come from the Gun Violence Task Force. I was honored to serve as its Chair during my time at the City of Albuquerque.

• Healthcare is something I heard a lot about when visiting with our seniors. New Mexico is ranked 13th among all 50 states for the percentage of its population who are 65 and older. I know firsthand, working at UNM Hospital during the height of the pandemic how much our health care system is strained. Without access to fresh healthy food, quality primary care, and specialists our community will not thrive. The single factor determining your life expectancy is your zip code. We need to increase funding for mental health, addiction, workforce, and housing services. To do that we must collaborate more with our Health and Research Institutions to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable, our young and our elderly.

  “Place, race, and class shape how well, and how long, people live. However, state and local governments could play a role in increasing life expectancies. Research shows that where local government spending is higher, life expectancies increase among those with lower incomes.” ZIP Code Effect: Neighborhood Can Affect Life Expectancy by 30 Years
  

• Community Solar is needed in District 6. We have predatory solar companies knocking on our doors offering high-interest loans in exchange for access to renewable energy and it is not fair. All households and businesses should be able to share the benefits of community solar as a wealth-building opportunity that will help heal poverty. Read more to learn the benefits of community solar projects.

• Cannabis Equity has not been realized in the City of Albuquerque. During my time working in Equity and Inclusion, we worked with the community to develop a Cannabis equity program that would re-invest cannabis tax money back into the community in the form of business grants, expungement clinics, and Universal Basic Income (UBI). We need our current City Council to VOTE YES to give the $220,000 per month the City gets in Cannabis tax BACK TO COMMUNITY!