Where Cecelia Stands
From housing, health, safety and more. Pick an issue to see what Cecelia is fighting for in House District 4.
Affordability & Opportunity
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Colorado’s housing crisis has gotten out of control. People cannot afford rent or save enough money to buy a first home. Homeowners are faced with skyrocketing tax increases. As a result, working class people and those on fixed incomes are being forced out of their homes and our community.
To address the root causes we must change land-use laws, expand public/private partnerships, and incentivize the building of safe, affordable housing.
We must:
Invest in proven programs that support renters and minimize displacement
Repurpose abandoned or misused building
Stabilize taxes to keep those on fixed incomes from being pushed into homelessness.
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North and West Denver have some of the most amazing and unique small businesses in Colorado. From incredible food to beautiful art, our families sustain themselves through hard-work at small businesses.
We need to:
Provide incentives for expansion and training
Support our BIPOC business owners with tax credits
Raise the minimum wage.
I am a strong supporter of unions and believe that we need to make the process of unionizing a workplace easier and more accessible to protect our workers.
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House District 4 has many of the most dangerous streets in Denver. They include city and State roads. Because we are so close to the city center, we have opportunities to create effective solutions to meet the need of residents to safely transit in and through our neighborhoods.
We must:
Address the condition of these roads and expand opportunities for repair and other modes of transportation
Protect and expand RTD lines
Expand pedestrian and multi-modal methods of travel
Health & Families
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I believe that healthcare, including mental health, is a basic human right. I believe in the Colorado Option and want to see a robust state program to compete with insurers to keep costs down.
We must:
Increase access and lower prices
Recapture Medicaid eligible recipients who lost healthcare with the termination of the COVID emergency
Hold insurance companies accountable
Raise the minimum standard of care
Find ways to negotiate drug prices in order to help our working families access healthcare
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Our school system needs to successfully provide every student in Colorado with a world-class education. As a former educator, I know how critical it is that students are prepared for post-high school opportunities. Teachers need financial and emotional support, and Colorado owes it to our kids to make sure they have every chance to succeed.
We must:
Make the right investments in student success through technological innovations
Make sure our school buildings are modern and safe
Pay our teachers the salary they deserve
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The right to an abortion is under attack by conservative judges and legislators across America. Thankfully, Colorado has remained a safe haven for abortion rights due to the amazing work of our state legislature. Reproductive healthcare equity must allow everyone in Colorado the same ability to get the services they need regarding their reproductive choices.
We must:
Continue the work to expand access to all of our communities
Address the historical harms to women of color
Increase protections for providers who serve those fleeing Republican states to receive abortion services
Strengthen privacy protections of patients to keep their records secure, especially from Republican Attorney Generals who have been targeting medical records
Safety & Rights
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Gun Violence has inserted fear into our schools and public gatherings. Instinctively we all have to make plans for our safety when we enter our schools, places of worship, grocery stores and public venues. The threat of gun violence is a public health and mental health crisis.
We must:
Enact sensible legislation to prohibit the use of assault weapons
Expand services to those who suffer from the trauma of gun violence
Put an end to the rampant misuse of weapons
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I have spent decades working for immigrants in our community while interpreting and enforcing the Federal Immigration and Nationality Act.
As a prosecutor, I trained other prosecutors and defense attorneys about the adverse consequences to immigration status due to criminal convictions, and fought to require proper advisements of those consequences before defendants entered pleas.
As a law professor, I created experiential internships representing immigrants at the immigration detention center (which led to the creation of the immigrant serving non-profit RMAIN).
Serving as the first and only Mexican-American Appellate Immigration Judge, I know and understand the intersection of federal and state rights regarding immigration.
I am committed to:
Navigating solutions for DACA recipients and all immigrants who reside in Colorado
Ensuring that solutions consider the allocation of responsibility between the federal and state governments
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Attacks on our LGBTQI+ community from the right-wing are disgusting and dangerous. I have always fought against hatred, including opposing Amendment 2 in 1992. I will continue to fight for and uphold the rights of the LGBTQI+ community.
I support legislation that:
Protects gender-affirming care
Strengthens our hate-crime laws
Gives resources to LGBTQI+ youth who face discrimination and isolation
Environment
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The climate crisis is here and impacts Coloradans every day through more extreme weather events, more severe storms, and a changing climate that takes away consistent jobs in agriculture, tourism, or conservation. We also have to recognize this as an equity issue, as it is our communities of color and lower-income areas that are hardest hit.
We must:
Continue Colorado’s transition to renewable energy
Enforce our air quality standards
Continue our leadership in environmental efforts, because our children deserve nothing less
Invest in protecting communities of color and lower-income areas
Ensure clean air and clean water for all Coloradans