Dignified Housing for All

The cost of housing has become unsustainable for too many people in our community. I will fight for legislation to lower the cost of housing, especially for the most vulnerable people such as senior citizens, the disabled, and people experiencing homelessness. We need direct investment to build dignified affordable housing in both urban and rural areas of the state. I concur with the recommendations from the National Coalition for Housing Justice, and I also support a Tenant’s Bill of Rights as outlined by Texas Housers.

Environmental Protection

Texas can be a paradise if we choose to take care of it. Unfortunately, industrial polluters have been able to use our state’s air, land, and water as a dumping ground for far too long. Excessive resource extraction coupled with extreme drought has put our state’s water supply in grave jeopardy. The environmental crisis we are living in is the result of lax or nonexistent enforcement of existing laws. If elected, I will hold polluters and our state agencies, such as TCEQ and the Railroad Commission, accountable for the mess they have created. I am not funded by the fossil fuel industry, like my opponent is. I am not beholden to the industry lobbyists who want to continue the status quo. I will fight for legislation to make fossil fuel companies plug abandoned oil and gas wells and to mandate recycling and reuse of contaminated fracking water.

According to the Yale Climate Opinion Maps, nearly 70% of Texans believe that global warming is happening and 65% support a transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050. If elected, I will introduce legislation to begin a just energy transition for Texas.

Public Education

State lawmakers under the influence of private entities have undermined public education in Texas. First by passing laws that favor privately run charter schools and now with the deceptively named Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA). I oppose the TEFA program because it undermines the goal of universal, high-quality, public education for all students. Public schools across the state are facing budget deficits, and rather than properly funding public schools, the legislature decided to devote $1 billion to the TEFA voucher program. Initial reports indicate that most TEFA applicants were already enrolled in private schools, and there has been little to no benefit for low-income or rural families. If elected, I support eliminating TEFA, and I will fight for fully funding high-quality public education for all Texas students. I support withdrawing from the state’s Rainy Day Fund in order to help fund public education.

Civil Rights

We are living through an unprecedented period of government overreach that threatens the integrity of communities. Our constitutional rights are not up for debate. I oppose the actions of the federal administration in its draconian immigration crackdown. I am also shocked at the habitat destruction occurring in Big Bend National Park for the construction of an illegal and unnecessary border wall. While some might argue that state laws cannot supersede federal laws, I will find ways to protect residents whose rights have been violated and support local governments’ right not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. I support ending mandatory 287g agreements and repealing anti-immigrant Senate Bill 4 that passed in 2023. I also oppose warrantless mass surveillance and support a ban on automated license plate readers (aka Flock cameras).