ACCOMPLISHMENTS

OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, OUR VOICE, YOUR ADVOCATE

SMART DEVELOPMENT & PRESERVED CHARACTER

My goal for development in Northwest Denver is smart growth that drives affordability, safety, community, and good quality of life.

During my first term:

I followed through on my promise to continue to create desirable zoning that preserves the character of Northwest Denver, encourages the development of walkable spaces, and creates opportunities for a growing community.
I listened to my community and led applications to rezone Chaffee Park, Sloans Lake, Regis, and West Highland neighborhoods to allow Accessory Dwelling Units. Legislative ADU rezonings save property owners time and money and benefit the city by providing gentle density and adding to our housing stock.
I advocated for 445 properties along Tennyson Street and other main streets to have a design that requires active use on the ground floor as redevelopment occurs.
I worked with the community to save a home set for demolition at 1571 Winona Court.

I have tirelessly advocated for more community input in city zoning processes. Part of that advocacy has been working with Councilwoman Robin Kniech on modernizing the Board of Adjustment, the body that oversees zoning variances.
My office helped fund the Latino/Chicano Historic Context Study. This is the first initiative in Denver that creates a technical historic preservation document used to guide preservation planning and help identify the significant historic places that exist to be recognized, protected and celebrated.
My office created “Ask A Planner” that helps my constituents understand the projects that are happening in our community. We are the first to give our community an opportunity to ask questions, get thorough answers about specific projects, and understand city processes and guiding principles.

In May 2022, I participated along with nearly 100 community leaders and representatives on focus groups to discuss key recovery areas for the American Rescue Act Funding.
I am a member of the Equity in Rezoning task force, working alongside city planners and community members, to review Denver's process for rezoning properties and recommend potential updates. The project aims to improve transparency and access to the rezoning process, consider the impact of rezonings on neighboring residents and properties, and explore how rezonings can lead to equitable outcomes that better serve all community members, including access to open space, public transportation, housing, and employment opportunities.

COMMUNITY WELL BEING

My goal for our Northwest Denver neighborhoods is to help maintain safe, healthy communities where we live, work and play.

During my first term:

We saw a pandemic that brought many challenges. While I was in office for less than a year when the pandemic struck, I worked tirelessly to address the community’s needs for masks, vaccines, food access, and testing sites.
We organized the first vaccine clinics in the city, focusing on vulnerable communities, including Servicios de la Raza, St. Cajetan's Church, Regis University, Lincoln High School, and Auraria Campus. More than 6,000 people were vaccinated at these clinics.
My office called Northwest Denver residents 65 and older to offer resources, including COVID vaccine appointments, food access information, and rides to vaccine clinics.

We provided Person Protective Emergency kits to small businesses in Northwest Denver and supported the Colorado Sewing Collation with mask distribution.
I hosted an elected official virtual town hall meeting with other elected officials for the community to come together to learn about different topics and voice their concerns. As the COVID epidemic ebbs and flows, I have continued to provide full access to my office, bring the community together for safe gatherings and support our community with access to mental health services.
My office hosts an annual “Movie in the Park” to safely offer the community a fun night under the stars.

I hosted more than 67 Virtual Community Office Hours during COVID to give my community face-to-face time with me to discuss solutions to a variety of issues.
We supported the Bienvenidos Food Bank to help get food to those in need.
I am the first woman in Denver’s history to chair the redistricting process which shapes the way our city council district lines are drawn impacting equity within the city. As chair, I made it a priority to make this process inclusive and accessible to all Denver residents.
I fought for the Interstate 70 Noise Wall Replacement Project between Tennyson Street and Pecos Street. The project has removed the existing timber noise wall, which was significantly degraded, and replaced it with a series of new precast concrete wall panels. The project improves the overall look of the highway, as well as continued noise reduction by blocking the direct travel of sound waves from the highway to the adjacent homes.

PUBLIC SAFTEY

My goal for public safety throughout our Northwest Denver neighborhoods is to make sure our police, fire and paramedics have proper funding in order to ensure those who protect us have the necessary resources needed to perform. My office works closely with these services and neighborhoods to address new and ongoing issues.

During my first term:

I celebrated the graduation of 36 new police academy graduates in January 2022 who will provide more resources on the streets and in the community. In addition, a new class of 22 graduating firefighters included six women and two naturalized citizens from Africa and China.
The Denver Sheriff Department welcomed 12 new deputies on March 11, 2022. They join a public safety team that oversees the safety and security of individuals within our jails.
As the high cost of housing grows, I worked with Regis University to help provide safe outdoor space for unhoused neighbors located in a vacant corner on the edge of the Northwest Campus. Since June 2021, the university has offered a 24-hour staffed and secured shelter for up to 60 individuals and families who are screened and selected by service agencies. This service offers residents shelter, cots, food, wellness checks, access to nearby bus routes, and assistance for finding permanent housing.

As promised, I focused on enforcement and rule changes to address recurring safety issues that result from sidewalk closures due to construction activities. I pursued an access ordinance requiring construction zones to maintain sidewalk access with overhead protection to ensure our sidewalks are open and safe for the duration of construction.
To address safer traffic for pedestrians, I have been pursuing increasing the use of traffic calming infrastructures. This helps improve safety at pedestrian and neighborhood school crossings and residential street speed limit reductions where needed. Using District 1 funding, I worked with Denver police to install four new speed monitoring signs in District 1.

I will support Neighborhood Watch programs, wherever sought, ideally throughout each of the District 1 neighborhoods of Chaffee Park, Regis, Sunnyside, Berkeley, Highland, West Highland, Jefferson Park, Sloan’s Lake, and West Colfax.
I will support juvenile and criminal justice reforms with the potential for a positive impact on the future generations of Northwest Denver residents.

HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY

My goal for housing, transportation and mobility throughout our Northwest Denver neighborhoods is to address housing needs for all economic levels and improve mobility for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians.

During my first term:

I provided area residents with information on the numerous homeownership initiatives the city offers, including the Metro Mortgage Assistance Plus down payment program and the Senior Citizen Tax Exemption.
I worked to secure federal and state funding to help create attainable housing opportunities (rentals and single-family homes) for Northwest Denver’s low-to middle-income residents.
I have worked to update the 41st & Fox Station Area Plan (2009). In 2021, the Next Steps study for the station included these goals: improving pedestrian connections, creating opportunities to add more housing, jobs, and services; incorporating plazas, parks, and open space into redevelopment areas; capitalizing on the station area’s proximity to downtown; and balancing the needs of new development and existing uses.
I voted to increase the minimum wage in Denver to $17.23 an hour, which began on January 1, 2023 and will increase annually based on the Consumer Price Index. This increase helps the working poor with increasing housing costs and other needs.

In June 2022, I voted to approve the historic “Expanding Housing Affordability” policy to increase access to affordable housing citywide. This policy complements existing affordable housing programs to ensure that as new homes are built in Denver, new affordable homes also are built both to rent and to buy.
I stay actively engaged in both the West area and Northwest area outreach processes advocating for easy access to food, improved street safety, and recognizing culture and diversity. This encourages community participation and engagement.
I advocated for $650,000 in Go Bond funding for transportation and pedestrian improvements on: 17th and Sheridan; 26th and Tennyson; 46th Corridor improvements from Sheridan Blvd to Tennyson; 52nd and Gray; and Lowell at I-70 and 48th Crossing.

I supported a new ordinance requiring a residential rental property license for any person to offer, provide or operate a residential rental property in the City and County of Denver.
I support restoring a historic tramway system that once linked Northwest Denver and downtown. I’ll work with RTD to realign priorities, and work with our next mayor to try and restore the Denver Tramway

I’m asking for your vote so we can continue to fight together:

I will continue to listen to your concerns and do the work to help ensure that our roadways, bike paths, and sidewalks are accessible, safe, and convenient for everyone.

ENVIRONMENT, PARKS & RECREATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

My goal for our Northwest Denver neighborhoods is to preserve and enhance the assets of our community, and fund the projects we want and need.

During my first term:

I was alarmed to read a Denver Post article that stated: “Green space in Denver is disappearing faster than in most other cities, with paved-over cover increasing from 19 percent of the city in 1974 to 48 percent in 2018 (not including Denver International Airport), federal and city data show. Up to 69 percent of the city is expected to be paved or covered by 2040. Only New York and a few mega cities exceed that level of what planners call ‘imperviousness.”’
This is an alarming statistic, especially because public parks and recreation centers effectively serve as “backyards” for residents that lack outdoor space of their own.
In response, I leveraged resources from development and large-scale projects to address existing infrastructure needs in our parks and support the increased demand for public open space.
I supported the adoption of the Parks and Recreation Strategic Acquisition Plan, which will help our park system grow and maintain an equitable, sustainable and resilient parks and recreation system. I will continue to push to find creative ways to provide more green spaces in District 1.

I advocated for District 1 to receive $17 million in GO Bond funding for parks projects. This funding has been used districtwide, including a newly renovated boathouse at Sloan’s Lake Park; athletic fields and court replacements in six parks; and a newly constructed maintenance yard. All of these were listed as priorities when I began my first term.
I led the community through the renaming process of Columbus Park to La Raza Park. My office paid for, dedicated, and installed a sculpture called “La Raza Unida” in tribute to La Raza Park and the city’s Chicano activists.I’m asking for your vote so we can continue to fight together:
I will advocate for improved studies to make sure our parks and recreation services fully address the needs of our children, including those needing wheelchairs, and senior citizens.

I will continue to advocate for replacement of outdated playground equipment and proper funding to support ongoing park maintenance deficiencies, particularly the need for more robust clean-up efforts in and around Sloan's Lake Park.
The city now has specialized vehicles for park waste management, and I will press for some preventative maintenance through additional trash and recycling containers throughout our District 1 parks.
I voted in favor of Denver’s fee on disposable bags that aims to reduce the number of disposable carryout bags used, littered and landfilled. The program went into effect in July 2021 and my office handed out reusable bags to District 1 residents to help with the transition. These bags also will be useful with the new plastic bags fee imposed by the state that began in 2023.