Coloradans and HD-49 have lived through the impacts of climate change - drought, floods, wildfires and poor air quality. We must take action now.

Colorado should transition to 100% renewable energy and net zero carbon emissions. We should start by electrifying all state-owned buildings, requiring the oil and gas industry to reduce their emissions, and holding polluters accountable if they break the rules.

Colorado has some of the worst air quality in the nation with dangerous levels of ozone and pollution. We must improve our air quality.

Coloradans love our mountains and public lands. I will continue to fight to protect these treasures, which are important to our Colorado quality of life and our economy.

Every year, wildfires in Colorado grow larger and become more destructive. Our brave firefighters and community members save our homes and take care of one another, but it’s time we become more proactive. We must take action to reduce wildfires, and make sure our communities and public lands are more resilient to extreme weather.

Colorado and the West face historic droughts. We must immediately reduce our water consumption, protect our rivers and outdoor recreation economy, and ensure our water is safe and available for generations to come.

As an educator myself, as well as having served for 8 years on the Boulder Valley School Board, and currently serving as CU Regent at-Large, I understand the tension between funding for K-12 and higher education. We need to better fund public education in Colorado, which sits at the bottom of the barrel nationally. We cannot continue to balance the state’s budget on the back of higher ed. Our state’s economy depends on a well-educated workforce. We must fight for better funding of education, support educators and staff, prevent skyrocketing tuition increases, and increase student safety.

The working class is getting priced out of the communities where they work, being forced to commute long distances or spending more than 30% of their income on rent. I will focus on improving housing affordability, passing protections for tenants and allowing local governments to consider rent control.

Health care is out of reach for too many Coloradans. Fifteen years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer during a routine mammogram. I had good health insurance that covered the costs of my treatment. I can’t imagine how devastating it would be to hear this news and not have the insurance to cover treatment. Worse yet, not being able to afford a routine mammogram or other diagnostic tests to discover health issues. As state representative, I will work to make health care affordable for every Coloradan regardless of income.