LISA’S policIES

It’s time that we reject the false choices we’ve been fed by the political elite over the past 20 years. We can reimagine what’s possible in our communities by leading with our values and proven solutions.

We CAN have social housing and green space. We CAN have community safety and hold the police accountable. We CAN make Denver a more affordable city for everyone.

I’m running for mayor because I know we need change — desperately — and that I have the values, experience, and political will necessary to disrupt politics as usual, decentralize our “strong mayor” system, and truly create a Denver that works for everyone.

We are in a housing crisis and need publicly-funded social housing and more accessibility. As Mayor, I will:

  • Repurpose brown and grey space to introduce dense, affordable, and social housing in Denver

  • Support renters by developing a tenants' bill of rights

  • Create community land trusts which prioritize the needs of residents before corporations

  • Include community members in new development planning by implementing participant-public-private partnerships

  • Legalize Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, which let homeowners build rental units on unused space and avoid displacement

  • Require new developments to offer housing for low- and moderate-income families at or below 50% average monthly income

  • Eliminate the red tape around permits that slows homeowners and builders from completing projects

Our Homeless Crisis is solvable when we invest in proven solutions that solve the root cause of the issue. As Mayor, I will:

  • Support a data-driven, housing-first approach to providing services to our unhoused neighbors, shifting away from a shelter-first approach

  • Use city funds to acquire affordable housing, hotels, and commercial offices for housing-first policies

  • End the costly, ineffective sweeps that perpetuate the harms of homelessness

  • Create accessible services to help people shift back into permanent housing

  • Make services more timely and efficient so no one has to wait months to get the services they need

  • Provide Safe Outdoor Spaces and Safe Parking Sites to all who need it

Improving public transportation in Denver means building a city that de-centers cars. As Mayor, I will:

  • Make public transportation as safe, pleasant, and convenient as driving

  • Revitalize downtown Denver by encouraging people to walk, bike, roll, shop, and live there

  • Shift valuable downtown space from parking lots to more efficient uses like shops, housing, bike lanes, and sidewalks

  • Develop a city transportation system that works with RTD and city schools

  • Integrate e-bicycles, e-scooters, and other micro-mobility tools into transportation networks safely and conveniently

  • Expand the presence of protected, and sufficiently connected, bike lanes

I reject the false choice between over-policing and public safety. As Mayor, I will:

  • Invest in proven preventative methods like community safety initiatives, crisis responders, and mental health care

  • Implement preventative and rehabilitative practices that get to the root of crime

  • Reject reactionary punitive systems and invest in restorative systems that stop recidivism

  • Fully invest in the STAR Program so that it is expanded and can operate 24/7

  • Invest in economic opportunity in under-served communities to address the hopelessness that leads to crime

Denver can achieve the goals set forth by the Green New Deal. As Mayor, I will:

  • Center marginalized and working families in our transition to a green economy

  • Expand green spaces that are critical to our local environment and livability

  • Work with experts to transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources

  • Create good-paying green jobs

  • Develop a comprehensive program to protect us from dangerous air pollutants that disproportionately affect marginalized communities

  • Encourage equitable land use and housing policies that meet both climate and affordable housing goals

Protecting workers and ensuring everyone has access to good-paying jobs is a top priority. As Mayor, I will:

  • Fully support the right to unionize, and the right to strike, including for city workers

  • Strengthen unions, create an even playing field, and protect workers’ rights

  • Bring labor to the decision-making table as collaborators

  • Use Project Labor Agreements for publicly funded construction projects to ensure funds are being used responsibly with equitable hiring and the well-being of workers in mind

  • Listen to current and former city employees as they ask for support and help in their work

As our economy grows we must ensure we bring our small businesses with it. As Mayor, I will:

  • Give procurement preferences to employee-owned companies and co-ops

  • Support growing the Denver Economic Development and Opportunity Department to help create worker-owned businesses

  • Create reliable funding streams for Legacy Businesses with historical and cultural ties to the community

  • Consider pay, benefits, and employee satisfaction when giving out contracts

  • Actively engage with Business Improvement Districts across the city

  • Encourage more mixed-use development that gives priority to small, Denver-based buisnesses