VOTER'S GUIDE

Climate Science-Based Policy

1. Do you agree with climate scientists that we are facing a climate emergency?

   1. Yes

2. Do you agree with climate scientists that the brunt of the impacts we face due to climate change will be put on those who contributed the least emissions? (The global South, Indigenous, and low-income communities)

   1. Yes

3. Do you agree with climate scientists that greenhouse gas emissions must be reversed within 6 years in order to achieve carbon neutrality in time to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees and to avoid catastrophic runaway climate disruption? https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/ - IPCC Report

   1. Yes

4. If elected, what specific policies will you initiate in your first year of service to begin transitioning our state economy from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy within the timeframe set by the world's leading scientist?

   1. Priorities and solutions come from community and have an ear in the ground to see how solutions will work out and make them better collaboratively. Getting these perspectives at the table. Policies of the 1 mile setback is something he likes, maybe one mile isn't enough. Any extractive industry that comes in really needs to reconcile that the sacrificize and harm that has been done before. Solutions come from community. More accountabilikty for industry and thinking ways of using more alternative sources. Should be health impact assessments with communities before industry come in becuase we see a lack in baseline data and increased rate of cancers. Industry should combat that with health studies. Just had a spill of the train derailment.

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Community Engagement Questions

1. What are the current needs or issues you see across the state, city, or county and how do you plan on addressing those issues if you are elected?

   1. As a health council coordinator, touch on social determinants of health, not so narrow perspective. Come across people who may be suffering from domestic violence or wage theft, lack of transportation, child and maternal health. Helping community have a multi-faceted perspective and see how climate change and how it seeps through the things. Worried about the heat in the summers and those who are unhoused and seeing how they are risk, especially with the El Niño cycle. Need better plans for when El Nino cycle comes in and water management and preservation.

2. What is your vision of the ideal relationship between communities and environmental/climate justice?

   1.  

3. What role do you believe communities actively play in policy development? Especially when addressing issues that have been inherited and faced for generations?

   1.  

4. What changes will you propose so that community driven solutions have equitable influence over policy-making, and are valued as much if not more than private profit driven solutions?

   1.  

5. How do you plan on engaging communities and youth in policy development or proposals?

   1. Youth should take leadership positions and have more people like us in office

6. Describe your previous experience working on social/health/environmental justice issues, do you have experience working with impacted communities to co-develop solutions?  How will you use this experience to tackle the climate crisis?

   1. Public Health background

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A Just Transition

1. What connections do you believe exist between our state/local economy and budget and environmental and climate impacts? How will you work to ensure that the state/local budget fosters economic, environmental, and climate justice?

   1. Majority of the budget by state law goes to education and the other half goes into medicare; rest is left over for DOH, wage dept. dept of transportation. Legislators say there is not a lot flexibility in the budget but never talk about collaboration of the budget; for example community members have to fill one document in the dept of workforce and then fill one out for medicare; this goes for economics. Healthy work policies and looking to change our structure for 4 day work weeks and 30 hour weeks. No longer in the factories and working smarter and importance

2. How do you see the role of oil and gas corporations in New Mexico’s future as a result of the climate crisis?

   1.  

3. Define environmental racism in your own words and provide an example in NM.

   1.  

4. How will you be playing a role in a just transition away from fossil fuels for NM?

   1. Halting what's going on now; reclamation work of cleaning up the sites and question of how to adequately clean up without impacting other communities. Uplifting immigrants and folks who have been doing the work in the frontlines. Industries have lost a lot of trust in the community. Figuring out the appropriate science that is there and exists and figure out what that transition looks like, right now its a question of jobs. Like the ideas of high speed rails, for example in Navajo Nation so people can go grocery shopping and have access for fresh foods. Transportation and how to process things, where more local economies can better beefed up and tax incentives for small businesses.

5. Do you believe climate action is an issue of intergenerational justice? What is the responsibility of your generation to the youth and future generations if elected? Explain.

   1. Fighting against that doesn't want that transition. communities need education to get where they need to

6. How can pollution and contamination impact our youth and communities?

   1.  

7. How will you include Traditional Land Based Knowledge when developing policy?

   1.  

8. If elected, will you support investing some of the money from oil and gas revenues to fund A) dedicated resources for a Just Transition Study to model alternative economic pathways for our state including oil and gas revenue replacement and phase-down B) create a just transition fund to invest in community-driven climate planning for local economies to divest from harmful industries and build alternative economic visions and investments that effectively contribute to climate mitigation and community health?  Explain.

   1.  

9. Name specific alternative sources for state/local revenue that you'd pursue and propose if elected

   1. Specialty care for elders in the community; support cultural economies; counties in dire straits to double down on an economy; boost an economy around healthcare for more nurses and doctors

10. Do you support the development of Hydrogen energy, nuclear energy, and/or carbon capture and sequestration in NM? Why or Why Not?

    1. Seems as though as they are not viable solutions.

11. Do you support community ownership of energy where Cities/Counties/Indigenous Nations are able to own, produce, and sell electricity to residents and keep energy dollars local?

    1.  

12. What do you believe is the fossil fuel industry/utility’s responsibility for cleanup and how as an elected official in the public office for which you are running do you plan to hold industry accountable for pollution and cleanup?

    1. Industry needs to be held accountable.

13. Do you support the State Land Office’s moratorium/prohibition on new oil and gas leasing on state trust lands within one mile of schools or other educational facilities? https://www.nmstatelands.org/2023/06/01/commissioner-garcia-richard-bans-new-oil-and-gas-leasing-within-one-mile-of-schools/ Would you support legislation to create  a public health buffer zone prohibiting oil and gas drilling within one mile of schools on ALL NM lands?

    1. Yes

14. Have you accepted any donations from fossil fuel companies or utilities? 

    1. No

15. Can you commit to not accepting donations or funds from fossil fuel companies if you are elected?

    1. Yes

16. What are your ideas to loosen the grip of industry on the state legislature and strengthen our democracy?

    1. We need justice and power. Love, power, and justice "power that is not associated with love cannot be just.."