Candidate for Minnesota House of Representatives - District 61A in 2024 Minnesota Primary Election.
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Get StartedI support constitutionally protecting abortion access, specifically through passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Learn more
Public Safety Aid: I will author legislation that delivers direct aid to the City of Minneapolis to help MPD recruit new officers to meet the staffing numbers needed, as well as support alternative public safety programs, such as Behavioral Crisis Response. Learn more
POST Board: I will work with the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board to ensure their training is set up in a way to keep the community and emergency responders safe when they are called to respond to calls. Learn more
Community focused approach: I vow to listen to every community member to hear their concerns regarding public safety, whether it be lack of officers or distrust in the criminal justice system. Learn more
Crime Prevention: Ensuring all Minnesotans have access to basic needs to reduce the root causes of crime before it happens. This means providing dignified, good-paying jobs; affordable housing; education; and access to transportation. Learn more
Restorative Justice: Working with the county and community stakeholders to invest in restorative justice programs that provide resources and support to victims, and hold perpetrators of crimes accountable for their actions. Learn more
Expanding Grants for Small Businesses: As we expand infrastructure through major business corridors, we must ensure that small businesses are financially supported through periods of construction. If we want to “bring back Uptown”, we need to INVEST in Uptown small businesses. Learn more
Funding our schools: Every kid in Minnesota despite their zip code deserves a world class education. We know that child development is imperative to a child's overall success and that means we need a robust pre-kindergarten system to prepare our children for the world. Learn more
Opposing school vouchers: School vouchers divert funding from our already underfunded public schools. This negatively affects those who most need quality public schools. I vow to support public education, rather than diverting resources to private institutions. Learn more
Higher Education: I support programs like the North Star Act that make higher education more accessible for low income students. But we need to expand the North Star Act to make sure everyone is able to get the degrees they need to succeed. Learn more
Supporting our teachers: Growing up I saw my teachers as an extension of family and trusted mentors. Our teachers spend every day with our future generations, caring for them and helping them learn. They deserve a government that cares for them like they are caring for our future. I will support efforts for teachers and support staff to unionize, and am committed to supporting existing unions, like MFT. Learn more
Cross subsidies: Filling the gaps in our English Learners and Special Education funding is necessary to take the burden off of our local districts who are still underfunded. Learn more
Expand Transportation Options: By increasing the usability and options of transportation, we make it easier for neighbors to get around the city independently. This lets older neighbors age in place, and lets younger generations learn independence. Learn more
Weatherization: We are already seeing the effects of climate change in Minnesota. Though it's important to make investment to slow it down, we also need to invest in climate resistant infrastructure. This means preparing for floods, heatwaves, and rapidly fluctuating temperatures. We need to bring our Union friends along with us as we build this clean infrastructure and provide them with any necessary training to learn the skills needed to help build a sustainable Minnesota. Learn more
Collaborate: We need to work with our neighborhoods and community stakeholders to understand what their needs are and how new transportation infrastructure impacts property taxes. Learn more
Electric Vehicle charging stations: As electric vehicles become more common in Minnesota, we need to ensure that they are an accessible product. To meet demand, we must use public charters to increase the number of public EV charging stations. Learn more
Climate change: As a young leader, it’s apparent that now is the time to act on the climate crisis or we will be too late. We need to make sure to monitor the implementation of 100% clean energy by 2040 and continue to invest in sustainable infrastructure as we move forward as a state. Learn more
Environmental justice: I will work with a broad coalition of underserved communities to center their voices in the climate conversation where they have been historically left out. I will ensure we move forward with sustainability goals, while keeping in mind the impacts that climate change have already had on our BIPOC and lower income communities. Learn more
Preserving what makes 61A home: Like many other people, I moved from my original home because of the allure of 61A. We have beautiful lakes, greenspaces, and wildlife by the water. We need to make sure our community taps into the Environmental & Natural Resources Trust fund and leverage grants for local areas to preserve the natural beauty in our communities. Learn more
Make sustainable transportation affordable: We should continue making investments in making sustainable forms of transportation affordable, such as the recent E-Bike rebate program to help people buy electric bikes. Learn more
Gun Control - The passage of “red flag” laws last year was a great first step. Now we need to keep going and pass safe storage laws and a ban on assault rifles. I’m also open to exploring legislation that tracks, records, and registers ammunition purchases. Learn more
Personal Care Assistants and Direct Support Professionals: Because of low-wages and a lack of benefits, we are facing a staffing shortage in the caregiving sector. PCAs and DSPs help aging and disabled individuals live full, independent lives. Care workers deserve to be respected and paid a living wage for doing vital work in our community. As a former PCA myself, I have seen firsthand how crucial this field of work is, and we need to invest in our caregivers for the sake of everyone. Learn more
Prescription drug prices: We have made progress in Minnesota addressing prescription drug affordability but we still have a long way to go. We must monitor the Prescription Drug Affordability Board as they operate to ensure that we are offering the best prices possible to Minnesotans for many life saving medications. Refilling a prescription shouldn’t be financially challenging, and I will work to make MNSure prices everyone’s prices. Learn more
Mental health: As someone with anxiety, I know that despite the destigmatization of mental health, it's hard to admit that you yourself might need help. I believe that we need mental health covered by insurance and readily available for children in schools. Learn more
Vision for Downtown: Revitalize and re-envision our downtown community by transforming vacant office space into multifamily housing. Learn more
Advocate for Anti-Displacement Funding: As our city modernizes and transit is expanded, we need to protect our communities from rising costs. It is desirable to live near transit, which makes property values go up. We need to ensure as we are building transit, we don’t price people out of the area, especially those who need transit access most. Learn more
Invest in the full spectrum of housing: We must encourage the construction of both deeply affordable and market-rate housing by working with the developers to dedicate profit to subsidizing affordable housing units. Learn more
Housing Shortage: Minnesota, like much of the country, is thousands of units short of meeting the housing needs of the state. I support policies that support the full spectrum of housing. As your State Representative, I will work towards increasing first-time homeowner grants, expanding inclusionary zoning, preserving naturally occurring affordable housing, and exploring options for vacant and abandoned office buildings. Learn more
Support Dedicated Bus Lanes: These lanes help mitigate traffic and reduce accidents from frequent merging on busy thoroughfares. Learn more
Coordinate: We need to coordinate our transportation infrastructure plans with our affordable housing infrastructure plans to address density, mitigate traffic congestion, and make homes accessible to low income residents without cars. Learn more
Partnering with Local and Federal Entities: We can use these partnerships to secure funding to improve timelines of sidewalk repair infrastructure. With 61A being a high traffic corridor for all modes of transportation, the district needs higher investment in our infrastructure. Learn more
Safe Infrastructure for Safe Biking: We need to invest in safe pathways for both leisure and commuting bikers. Learn more
Fair taxes: We need to ensure small and medium sized businesses are taxed at a rate where they can thrive. We know these businesses are central to our communities as they are the ones who are sponsoring little league teams, school events, and neighborhood meetings. I am committed to continuing Minnesota’s legacy of having the most progressive tax system in the country to protect the businesses that care most about us. Learn more
Protecting every worker: We cannot ignore the crisis of undocumented workers being exploited. We must build off of and expand existing protections and services for undocumented immigrants to reduce risk of abuse and trafficking. Learn more
Aid Family and Medical Leave: I am committed to working with legislators and agencies to oversee the effective implementation of Paid Family and Medical Leave to ensure that the rollout of this program is successful and delivering benefits to Minnesotans on time. Learn more
Supporting ALL public employees: Minnesota employers must follow the Public Employees Labor Relations Act in good faith and support public employees in their efforts to bargain, mediate, and unionize. Every worker deserves the opportunity to collectively bargain. Learn more
Tackling Labor Violations: We must collaborate with unions and labor organizers to ensure the Labor Standards Board is meeting the needs of workers and following through on reports of labor violations. Learn more
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