Pasadena City Council District G Candidate:

 

I have a deep sense of responsibility to serve my community, as is evident in the work I have done over the last 20 years. I was born and raised in Pasadena, educated by Pasadena schools, and I have raised my children and educated them in Pasadena schools. I am deeply invested in my community and the success and well-being of future residents. As an engineer, I am interested in the technical aspect of things and leadership is no exception. I have extensive formal leadership training, with IMPACT Pasadena through the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce being one of the fellowships I completed to develop myself further as a leader. Through IMPACT Pasadena, I learned more about our history and what Pasadena needs to reach the next level of prosperity. The Chamber of Commerce launched IMPACT as a call to action to develop leaders in Pasadena, and I am running for Pasadena City Council District G to answer that call

 

• 20+ years experience in Oil and Gas, the industry that drives our city’s economy
• 2025 American Leadership Forum Class 62 fellow.
• 2022 Pasadena Chamber of Commerce IMPACT fellow
• 2020 Leadership ISD fellow
• 2019 Latinos for Education Fellow
• Pasadena Little League (PLL) as a team mom, coach and board member
• Founded PLL Annual Share and Scare Event
• Founder/CEO of CLEATS Inc. 501c3, for children in Pasadena
• President of the Harris County Department of Education.
• I oversaw HCDE response to the Pandemic

• I preside over HCDE which prevents crime through disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline with restorative practice for at-risk populations in the county, successfully nurturing children into recovery and on to major universities
• Oversaw HCDE 130 MM+ budget, comprised of taxes, federal grants and revenue from services
• I lowered taxes while increasing services yearly, since I took office, returning $5 in value to constituents for every $1 paid in taxes.
• Launched a $150k campaign for addiction awareness (Recover Together) throughout the county.

 

Permitting
I am very interested in the ongoing efforts to launch a digital tool for permitting. I am a subject matter expert in designing, building, and implementing digital tools. I have created two digital global workflow processes for Chevron, which I personally designed and led a team of user experience experts and developers to release. Both are in use today across business units around the world, with AI innovation incorporated for efficiency and standardization. 
Education
I want to explore how City Council interfaces with our local education entities. As the city plans for economic development, our local academic/labor community should be aware of how plans will impact future workforce demands. This interface can help shape and inform city and academic priorities and initiatives.  
Business Support
I support continuing and strengthening partnerships with the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and the PEDC, to work together in supporting innovation and economic growth in our city. 
Representation
I would explore citizen advisory committees to improve the Council’s awareness of community needs. For example, how aware is City Council of the invasive ducks in a portion of District G and the impact they have on the daily lives of those residents?

 

As a council member there are expectations of authority and of leadership. Authority does not equal leadership. Within my authority as an elected official, I am expected to provide direction, protection, and order for the city. Leadership however, is required when change is needed, and that is where constituents begin to feel concern because change inherently brings some disorder.  
Implementing innovative solutions to the challenges we face as a community will require change that is sure to bring about discomfort. For example, the anxiety around using a new digital tool for the permitting workflow. My job as a leader, is to usher in that change and the accompanying distress with clarity around why we are making the change and at a rate people can handle. That is how you build trust. People do not struggle with change, they struggle with the loss that is brought about from the change. Leaders must identify the loss and help people manage it. 
Throughout the process of change, we as a council must keep the problem in the center of all that we do. As soon as egos or personal agendas are placed in the center, we become divided, and we lose trust. 

 

As a non-zoned municipality, navigating regulations to obtain permits can be challenging for developers. There is a very public ongoing dispute over a parking ordinance. None of this is good for attracting and supporting new businesses. Again, the path forward lies in understanding the problem. The worst thing a leader can do is propose or implement technical solutions to a problems they do not fully understand. It seems we do not understand the problem or we would have solved it by now.

Our current and future water supply is a major issue we are facing in Texas and has been a major legislative focus for our State. The Texas Water Development Board is offering financial assistance for water conservation and aging infrastructure remediation, for which Pasadena qualifies with a population greater than 10k and just-under 150k. We must stay informed on legislative developments and opportunities for assistance through the Texas Water Fund, and advocate across the aisle with our legislators to work with everyone that wants to help Pasadena. 

Texas was awarded $3.3 billion by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to expand high speed internet across the state. The Texas Broadband Development Office will begin a selection process for grantees across the state in May 2025 and we should explore if/how Pasadena qualifies. 

My experience in public safety is in crime prevention through restorative practices for at-risk youth, and a $150k campaign I initiated for addiction awareness (Recover Together) throughout Harris County. I am very much dedicated to seeking out and addressing the root cause of crime while supporting mitigation practices through law enforcement. 
For this, I would rely on the expertise and experience of our emergency and law enforcement leaders as well as feedback from citizens and business owners. We need to make sure the job of public safety in Pasadena is an attractive proposition and continues to be well-compensated. Further, our emergency responders and law enforcement officers must be equipped with the resources they need to do their job safely and effectively. I also understand the importance of maintaining trust in the community. Specifically for Pasadena, many people in our community are afraid of deportation. This will make people (documented and undocumented alike) afraid of our police force, which in turn will make their jobs more difficult and dangerous. This is a reality we will all face, regardless of varying opinions on federal deportation efforts. We will need to work together to build trust and find a solution for this challenge. 

 

 

Healthcare accountability can be maintained through partnerships and healthy relationships with local healthcare agencies, hospital systems, and mental health providers.  This requires collaboration with the county, state, and federal government. Governing in the education space at the county level gave me first-hand experience tackling large issues through intergovernmental cooperation.