I am the President of the Montgomery County Council and Chair of the Economic Development Committee. Before joining the Council, I was the Vice-Chair of the Planning Board and also a business owner managing a Public Engagement firm on social and environmental justice issues. My first job out of college was working for CASA, the immigrant rights group, as their advocacy manager on immigration and low-income workers' rights. I live in Wheaton with my husband and our 2 children, both MCPS students.
I have a strong record increasing housing supply in the county, particularly deeply affordable housing units. My first action when I joined the Council in 2022 was to champion the preservation of the 345-unit Westchester West apartments in Aspen Hill to prevent displacement. Furthermore, I was the author of the Rent Stabilization law, spearheaded the effort to expand housing types such as duplexes/triplexes along transit corridors, and ease half empty buildings-to-residential conversions.
Protecting the most vulnerable communities is a key budget priority for me to increase, this involves homelessness prevention as well as access to health-care and healthy food programs. Protecting the parks department is also crucial for me as this is part of having healthy communities with access to green-spaces. Regarding decreasing budget items, I'm looking into defunding non-essential vacant positions to reallocate funds to higher priority areas.
I'm proud to have voted - and championed - comprehensive/multi-sector approaches to deliver safety net services focusing on food security, housing, healthcare, and financial stability. Key initiatives include the Montgomery Cares program for uninsured health services, expanded food recovery networks, and emergency rental assistance. I have been a strong advocate for building urban farms in my district including on Loiederman Middle School, Glenmont Forest, and Kemp Mill Elementary School.
I led the County Council to pass the Trust Act, a bill that states that our local police cannot act as immigration agents. I have organized several public safety walks and townhall meetings with neighbors and the police department throughout my district; these efforts have been critical in building trust with our community and the police. I have also worked closely with Fire and Rescue teams, including organizing a youth townhall meeting on Public Safety to recruit the next generation.
Campaign Phone
(240)644-5351
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I hold a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine and built my career as a scientist+Program Analyst at the National Institutes of Health specializing in turning complex ideas into structured, equitable, actionable programs that align community objectives with real impact- keeping collaboration, communication, and community at the core. As a daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, a product of MCPS, and a lifelong Wheaton resident, I bring both lived experience and evidence-based leadership to the County Council.
I support preserving existing affordable housing and building new homes that working families can actually afford. This includes closing loopholes in housing programs, tying affordability standards to local incomes, and requiring strong anti-displacement protections. Development must also include infrastructure planning so growth does not overwhelm schools, roads, and public services while ensuring long-term housing stability across Montgomery County.
Montgomery County must prioritize fiscal responsibility, especially as federal job losses and economic uncertainty affect many residents. I will focus spending on infrastructure, schools, and essential services that provide clear public benefit. I will also review long-term tax abatements and incentives for developers that lack measurable outcomes to ensure taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and residents are not left footing the bill.
Safety net programs only work if residents know about them and can access them. I will strengthen multilingual outreach, partner with trusted community organizations, and improve coordination between County agencies. Services must be culturally competent and accessible to all residents, including seniors, immigrants, and working families. Government must meet people where they are and ensure support reaches those who need it most.
As someone born and raised in one of Montgomery County’s most diverse communities, I know public safety means both strong emergency response and prevention. I will support full funding for fire and rescue services and invest in infrastructure such as stormwater systems and safe housing. I will also work to strengthen trust between public safety agencies and the communities they serve so every resident feels safe and protected.
Campaign Twitter
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I am :
• an immigrant from childhood who loves our community
• lived most of my life in MoCo
• high school at Springbrook, Kennedy
• degree in Linguistics and Arts at UMCP
• experience in Fanancial, Green Energy, Natural Foods and Contract negotiation
• a salesperson who meets people in my community in person everyday and am in touch with what their wants and needs are
• a Volunteer VP at my HOA, at my local RWRC community groups
I am bless, GOD put the desire in me to help make MoCo better
Initiatives such as ZTA's, SLA's that have performance goals with measures build in for accountability are important because it appears initiatives in the past might have started with good intentions but results in people's lives here NOT benefiting then we need to hold the parties responsible accountable and get them to correct so we the People can be happy here. We need to keep traffic pattern, water, energy to serve the People first in mind when building.
Increase budget in helping:
•Small business
•Businesses who use resource from within Montgomery County
•First-time homebuyers
•Innovative composting
Decrease budget:
•illogical renewable energy stipend
•Incoherent transportation budgets
•credit for large businesses
All life saving food, shelter medical and mental health safety net services.
Policies that keeps Police and Hospitals well funded and educated with our Bill of Rights so they can protect us as our Constitution dictates. The beauty is our Bill of Rights and Constitution applys the same with a diverse population or otherwise as long as you are American.
