Thirty years’ experience at major law firms in San Antonio, ten years’ experience in the Texas Legislature (Chief of Staff, District Director, Constituent Services Coordinator), and three terms in the Texas House of Representatives.
My colleagues selected me “Freshman of the Year”. I’ve advanced 427 bills in three terms. And, I've passionately fought to improve senior safety at nursing homes, protect kids in foster care, fully fund public schools, and invest state money to create local jobs.
This legislative session, I voted for SB6 “Data Center” regulations to lower residential ratepayer costs, improve grid reliability, and require efficiency standards. More regulations are necessary, especially in data processing, internet hosting, and data migration.
Important to data centers, I also co-authored HB150 to create the Texas Cyber Command in San Antonio. UTSA will play an important role in improving cyber security. Funded with $135 million, TCC will be an economic boom to SA.
I believe in local control. The State Legislature should have a limited role when it comes to district policies.
Unfortunately, Texas public schools once again found themselves at the center of political struggle. Modest increases to funding and efforts to improve early literacy and special education were overshadowed by the passage of a statewide private school voucher program and a series of ideological mandates.
State control of local schools will lead to more bureaucracy and more taxes.
SAWS loses 21 billion gallons of per year due to leaks. Therefore, I championed and voters approved $20 Billion for "Water Infrastructure & Conservation".
The money will go to replacing aging pipes and modernize our distribution infrastructure to prevent leaks; upgrade wastewater treatment plants to minimize pollution and maximize reuse; developing and increasing new water sources, such as desalination; flood mitigation projects; and supporting conservation efforts to help meet future demands.
In Texas, children go hungry. We lead the nation in the number of people facing food insecurity, with 1 in 5 children at risk of going hungry.
Former Gov. Ann Richards said “We have problems like Alabama, including child hunger; the difference, we have the resources to do something about it”. Unfortunately, state leaders are doing nothing about it.
We should increase the state's minimum wage, streamline SNAP application process, and fight federal tariff policies that make groceries expensive.
No. This would disenfranchise millions of United States Citizens. Instead of making it more difficult to register, we need to make it easier by introducing online voter registration, same day registration, and statewide voter registration.
Requiring proof of citizenship is one more attempt at voter suppression by rightwing politicians. They know “illegal registrations and illegal votes” are statistically non-existent but they preach the contrary to rev up their base and keep others from voting.
I am qualified to serve as State Representative because I bring both lived experience in District 119 and professional training in the law. I was born and raised on the Southeast side of San Antonio and graduated from East Central High School, giving me firsthand understanding of the challenges facing our community. I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and my law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law. As an associate attorney at a family law firm, I work daily with families navigating complex legal and government systems, which has prepared me to advocate effectively, understand legislation, and serve consituents with care and accountability.
As Texas continues to attract data centers, we need clear and responsible regulations. First, water use must be addressed, especially during droughts. Date centers should meet strict water-efficiency standards and use alternative cooling so they dont drain local supplies.
Second, job creation must be meaningful. If data centers receive tax incentives, they should provide good-paying jobs, invest in workforce training, and hire locally- not just build facilities with minimal employment.
Third, data centers must help protect grid liability by investing in renewable energy, on-site generation, adn infrastructure upgrades instead of shifting costs to taxpayers.
The state legislature should set fair funding standards, protect students' rights, and ensure equity across school districts, but it should not micromanage local school policy. Local school boards, educators, parents, and communities are best positioned to make day to day decisions for their schools. The legislature's role should be to fully fund public education, reduce unfunded mandates, and provide districts with the flexibility they need to meet local needs, while holding the state accountable for closing funding gaps and supporting student success statewide.
Ensuring Texans have affordable and safe water must be a top priority as our state grows. With the passage of Proposition four, the legislature has a consititutional duty to delicate sales and use tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund for water infrastructure and long term supply planning.
We must protect water supplies, especially during drought. Large users like industrial facilities and data centers should meet strong conservation and efficiency standard so growth does not come at the expense of residents' access to water.
Economic development must be responsible and sustainable, respecting local water capacity and preventing higher costs or shortages for communities.
With cuts at the federal level, Texas has a responsibility to step up and ensure no child goes hungry. No kid should suffer because political decisions made in Washington. As a state, we have the resources to act.
Texas currently has a $24 billions surplus. I believe that half of that should go back to taxpayers, especially as families are dealing with high prices and rising costs. The other half should be used responsibly to fill gaps left by federal cuts, including supplementing child nutrition programs so our kids continue to have access to meals at schools and in their communities.
Ensuring that children are fed is a basic responsibility of government, and Texas can and should lead this
No. I do not support legislation that requires additional proof of citizenship to register to vote. Such requirements risk creating unnecessary barriers for eligible voters, especially seniors, low income Texans, and people born in rural areas who may not have easy access to documents. Texas already has safeguards in place to verify voter eligibility, and we should focus on expanding access to the ballot na dmaking voting easier, not harder, for eligible Texans.
