Issues

Public Safety

Tacoma is filled with hard working people who care about each other, their neighborhoods, and their ability to pursue their individual destinies. We all deserve to feel safe and included in our communities and neighborhoods and supported to make personal decisions about our mental and physical healthcare.

Enhancing Tacoma's public safety and preventing discrimination in all its forms have been priorities of mine from day one. Soon after my appointment, I worked fast to propose and pass Ordinances 28858 and 28859, effectively protecting a person’s right to an abortion and gender-affirming healthcare, while also and protecting Tacomans against discrimination based on an individual’s actual, potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes where other class statuses are protected.

I’m proud to have successfully voted for funding for our police department and alternate response models in the latest biennial budget. We now have a fully funded police department including retention incentives, lateral hiring bonuses to aid in recruitment for open positions as the department continues to build back after transitions and retirements, and equipment upgrades. Our budget also included funding for the first members of a Behavioral Health Crisis Response team and a Community Trauma Response Team through our partners at Tacoma Crease Fire.

Before my time on council, the city created the Community Police Advisory Committee (CPAC) to help inform and ensure transparency and accountability in the operations of the Tacoma Police Department. The work of transparency and accountability work remains ongoing but some major and exciting changes that have been adopted to date are as follows:

● Implementing a police worn body camera and a patrol car camera policy

● The collection of traffic stop demographic data as a means to identify racial and other disparities

● Complete assessment and overhaul of the TPD use-of-force manual and use-of-force policies to improve de-escalation tactics

● Creation and funding of a community trauma response team made of non-law enforcement professionals and community members.

Together, we’re upholding Tacoma’s status as an inclusive city where everyone can feel safe, secure and seen.

Neighborhood Vitality

Tacoma is at its best when our neighborhoods are well-resourced, affordable, and easy to get around. So far, we’ve invested $101 million toward affordable housing and homelessness relief – including $16 million for sheltering and $500,000 for down payment assistance. To make Tacoma more safe for children, walkers and bikers, we have allocated $4.5 million towards visibility to achieve our vision of a zero traffic deaths city, and $2.9 million to infrastructure improvements, like street calming and walkability.

When it comes to climate change, Black, brown, and low-income neighborhoods often see and feel the effects first. As a natural resources and open spaces enthusiast, I am passionate about increasing our urban tree canopy, especially in areas of the city with the highest needs as indicated but our equity index. During my time on council, there’s been substantial work toward achieving Tacoma’s climate action plan goals - including securing $60,000 for wildfire smoke filter fans for low-income households, $3.7 million for a new City Litter Crew, and $100,0000 for the Sea Level Master Plan development.

Economic Development

As the City of Destiny, our economy relies on the entrepreneurial spirit and small businesses expanding to meet our city’s developing needs. Tacoma thrives when local and small businesses can expand, create jobs that pay a living wage, and enact worker-centered policies that take care of the labor force.

I grew up in an immigrant, military and union household that valued hard work and opportunities to grow economically. It’s because of my upbringing that I have an unwavering commitment to supporting Tacoma’s small businesses, emerging entrepreneurs and job growth programs, like the Green Stormwater Infrastructure Program.

Local and small businesses can’t do it all on their own. From shopping local to incentivizing local businesses to grow locally, too, it takes support from the whole community. I plan on proposing an ordinance to promote business incubation licenses to stimulate business growth and address the growing frustration I hear from the Tacoma small business community of needing support to get their ideas off the ground.

Particularly in Black and brown communities, one of the best ways to support the entrepreneurial spirit is to offer support early on and create financial pathways and opportunities to save up and get established.