I taught urban studies at UT for 18 years and worked with community groups on issues including labor, displacement, food access, housing, and tenants’ rights, preparing me to make informed decisions.
We need to stop overburdening police with tasks they are not suited for and are more appropriate for EMS or mental health workers. Research shows that the best way to prevent crime is with programs that keep people housed, healthy, and fed, such as deeply affordable housing, eviction prevention, and jobs. We need to think holistically about public safety as building healthy, stable communities.
We need to ensure that new development pays the direct costs of upgraded or new infrastructure and does not create new financial burdens on the city. We need to stop giving tax breaks to wealthy corporations, thus freeing up money for new transportation projects, which will also require state and federal support, as well as bond funding. We also need more public investment in low-income housing.
We need to suspend data center development in Austin while we consider their impacts. Ultimately, I would support policies that ensure that data centers that are developed in the area have minimal impacts on our power grid, our natural resources (especially water), and our public budgets, while being transparent and supporting good, union jobs.
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I have 30 years of experience being of service to Austin as a civil engineer (PhD) & urban planner at the city & in the private sector, local business owner, and former Austin ISD science teacher.
Residents & businesses report frustration with repeat offenders, mental health & drug use incidents, hate & property crimes, & unauthorized camps. I will advocate for: public safety staffing & effective responses; the County to prosecute or commit repeat offenders to involuntary psychiatric stays; better data collection, transparency, & analyses to improve outcomes; compassionate camp clearing.
Through proactive neighborhoods-based planning & design of operations- & cost-efficient infrastructure. Replace traffic signals with roundabouts. Create lanes for low speed vehicles, golf carts, & e-bikes/trikes. Cancel Project Connect light rail; consider monorail for commuter routes. No highway expansions. Add affordable housing on underutilized parking lots/garages & city real estate.
I support moratoriums; need strict requirements for water conservation informed by water plan, 100% renewable energy, reduced sizes, siting away from homes, & noise control.
I’ve represented District 9 on Austin City Council since 2023, where I've fought to make Austin a city where workers, students, families, and longtime residents can afford to stay and have a voice.
I’ve fought for better EMS, mental health response and violence prevention while defending civil liberties and police accountability. I was the only Council member to vote against a $218 million police contract that threatened other essential services and weakened oversight. I believe public safety means being safe in your neighborhood and knowing help will come when you call.
Austin has grown enormously, but too many working people are paying the price through higher rents, longer commutes and worse traffic. I’ve fought to build more housing by passing HOME, eliminating costly parking mandates and reforming outdated rules. I’ve also fought for I-35 caps and stitches and better transit. Growth should make Austin better for the people who live here, not push them out.
Our water and power should serve Austinites first. I have publicly opposed new data centers that consume enormous amounts of those resources while ordinary families are being asked to conserve and pay higher bills. I've also supported stronger oversight of large water users by passing policies ensuring corporations do not get special treatment while residents pick up the tab.
As a state employee, student, educator, and lifelong Texan, my lived experience has prepared me to be a catalyst for the people. I will fight for our communities and everyday Austinites.
A safe city is a well-planned city. To ensure an Austin that works for locals and welcomes tourists, we need to integrate focused lighting in heavy foot traffic areas, complete pedestrian infrastructure, and rework police presence, as they are the most effective tools for protecting personal freedoms and delivering a safe and walkable city.
We need to make sure the city grows with its people and accommodates all of our needs. Proper growth means fixing our old mistakes and preventing new ones. This includes protecting our watersheds and focusing on an expanded drainage system to counteract the flooding caused by impervious cover.
AI infrastructure has no place within the city of Austin at the moment, as current infrastructure is loud, environmentally detrimental, and amasses strain on local resources. Until AI infrastructure becomes more efficient, low risk, and environmentally feasible the conversation on their development should be closed.
