As a fourth-generation San Marcos native, I graduated from San Marcos High School before earning my bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Texas State University. During my final semester, I interned with Democratic State Representative Jarvis Johnson in the Texas House, where I later served as Legislative Assistant, Legislative Director, and Interim Chief of Staff. Over five years, I led staff, worked across the aisle, collaborated with stakeholders, and helped turn ideas into legislation. That experience, combined with organizing locally, gave me the skills and confidence to run for City Council. For the past two years, I have had the privilege of serving my community and working relentlessly to make San Marcos a better place for everyone.

1. Strengthen and expand our social services.

San Marcos currently provides more social service funding than any other city in the county, which has made our community a regional resource while placing significant strain on local providers and their staff. I want to strengthen our social safety net while making it more sustainable. I will work to improve how we allocate city resources, identify gaps and unmet needs, and engage surrounding communities in sharing responsibility for regional social services. Our providers should have the resources they need to serve residents without being pushed to burnout.

2. Invest proactively in critical infrastructure.

We cannot wait for growth to create problems before addressing them. I want to prioritize infrastructure projects that protect our roads, water systems, drainage, public spaces, and environment while preparing for the growth already coming to our community. I will continue to work to identify long-term infrastructure needs, prioritize projects based on community impact and safety, and pursue responsible funding strategies that allow us to address needs before they become crises.

3. Make affordability a priority in every decision.

San Marcos is an incredible community, but many residents are struggling to afford to remain here. Affordability extends beyond housing, it includes transportation, utilities, childcare, access to services, and the overall cost of living. I will continue asking how each policy, project, and budget decision affects our most vulnerable residents and environment, and work to ensure that growth and investment do not come at the expense of the people who call San Marcos home.

Yes. In fact, I introduced the Right to Organize ordinance, which is now in effect thanks to the support of my colleagues on City Council. I am currently working with City staff to finalize an ordinance establishing a Tenants Bill of Rights. Both the Right to Organize and Tenants Bill of Rights originated from an idea raised by our San Marcos Civics Club, and they are incredibly important to me. Nearly 70% of our community rents, yet renters have historically had few comprehensive protections - that must change. I also believe passing these protections is only the first step. I want to ensure City staff have the tools, resources, and authority necessary to enforce these protections and hold landlords accountable when they interfere with tenants' rights or fail to meet their responsibilities. Renters deserve not only rights on paper, but a city that is equipped to protect and enforce them.

Affordable housing is a difficult challenge because the housing market operates far beyond the control of city government alone. However, state preemption has forced Texas cities to get creative, and I believe San Marcos must be willing to use every tool available to us. Other Texas cities have explored approaches including dedicated local affordable-housing funds, affordability incentives, community land trusts, preservation programs, and financing through Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones. I want San Marcos to seriously evaluate these tools and determine which can have the greatest impact locally, particularly for working families, renters, and younger residents who increasingly find homeownership out of reach. I was recently selected to serve on our Workforce Housing Committee, where I am working alongside colleagues and City staff to develop meaningful housing affordability policies for San Marcos. I plan to continue that work by identifying creative financing opportunities, expanding partnerships, and supporting policies that preserve and create housing that residents can actually afford. At the same time, we cannot ignore the limitations placed on cities by the state. I will continue advocating at the state level for greater local authority to implement proven housing policies that Texas cities are currently restricted from using.

Yes, and I have been relentless in that fight. Please see my response to the third question for information on how I would approach social service funding for more information.

Yes. While I am not privy to the specific discussions Kyle is having about the Vybe Trail, I am familiar with our community’s desire for better pedestrian and mobility infrastructure. Connectivity is a deep priority of mine, and I would work toward making our city safer and more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists, and those who cannot or choose not to rely on a car. As our climate continues to warm, communities are recognizing the challenges of designing neighborhoods primarily around vehicles. At the same time, vehicle ownership is increasingly out of reach for many people. Investing in connected sidewalks, trails, bike infrastructure, and safe crossings improves quality of life and gives residents more freedom in how they move through their community. I would support thoughtful investments that prioritize safety, accessibility, connectivity, and the needs of our residents because our community depends on it deeply.

No. I would not support our local police departments participating in 287(g) or any other policy that targets our neighbors based on immigration status. I support abolishing ICE. Our nation cannot present itself as a place where opportunity and safety are attainable while creating instability and killing people for seeking both. I have opposed collaboration with ICE amongst my colleagues and city staff. Tangibly, that has meant removing Flock from our community and opposing other surveillance tools that could provide ICE with an apparatus of harm. I have also urged us to scrutinize state and federal contracts that could bind our city to cooperation with ICE. I recognize that this is not enough. More must be done to protect our neighbors, and having colleagues on the dais willing to join that fight is critical. Being in the minority on this issue has never been enough for me; I will continue pushing for a community where everyone can live without fear of their local government becoming an extension of federal immigration enforcement. What ICE is doing and has done is horrific and should have no place in our community.

No. I joined my colleague, Councilwoman Garza, in fighting against the use of mass surveillance technologies in our community. We worked alongside residents and city leadership to remove Flock from our community and to determine where the State stands on this increasingly litigious issue, with the goal of preventing future ALPR contracts indefinitely. We were among the first cities in Texas to take up this fight, and I am proud that we stood with our community to defend their privacy and Fourth Amendment rights. I plan to continue fighting to ensure our city retains the authority to make these decisions locally, rather than allowing state or corporate interests to dictate how our residents are surveilled.

No, I do not support the development of AI data centers or similar projects in our city. I was directly involved in the effort to stop a data center that our community was facing and was proud to be one of the leaders in that effort. That experience reinforced for me that decisions about development must prioritize the long-term health, character, resources, and environmental well-being of our community. Since then, I worked with residents to comprehensively prohibit data centers within our city limits. I have also spoken publicly about this issue whenever given the opportunity, not only because of the significant environmental and utility impacts these facilities can have, but because this fight came from a community coming together to make their voice heard. To be clear, this was a people-led fight. Residents organized, showed up, spoke out, and made clear that they wanted a meaningful say in the future of their community. I will remember that experience for the rest of my life. There is nothing more important than preserving the community we call home and protecting the environment and resources that sustain it. I will continue standing with residents to ensure that our city retains the authority to make responsible land-use decisions and that our community's voice remains at the center of those decisions.

Water is one of the most important issues facing the future of San Marcos, and I believe every decision we make must account for its impact on our water resources and environment. I would continue prioritizing critical water infrastructure projects, including the creation of our new wastewater treatment plant, as well as the modernization of our current plant. This investment is essential to protecting public health, but it also creates an opportunity to expand water reclamation and reduce our reliance on new water sources as our community grows. As we plan for future development, we must also find ways to require or incentivize green building practices that reduce the strain on our natural resources. This includes encouraging rainwater collection, HVAC condensate recovery, water-efficient landscaping, and other conservation measures in new construction and redevelopment. I also want to strengthen our partnership with the Edwards Aquifer Authority and rely on their expertise as we evaluate municipal policies that can better protect our aquifer, springs, rivers, and other natural water bodies. Conservation cannot be an afterthought, we need to incorporate it into how we approach development, infrastructure, and long-term planning. Ultimately, growth and environmental stewardship cannot be treated as competing priorities. If we want San Marcos to have a sustainable future, protecting our water resources must be at the center of how we build and govern our community.

Unequivocally. I was one of two members who brought this resolution forward because our community demanded that we take a position. I believe the evidence and findings from international human rights organizations and experts provide compelling grounds to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, and I believe we have a moral responsibility to speak clearly about that reality. I have received significant criticism for listening to our residents and bringing this resolution forward, but I have no regrets. Local government should not ignore the concerns of the people we represent simply because an issue extends beyond our city limits. Our residents deserve to have their voices heard, particularly when they are concerned that state and federal resources, including taxpayer dollars, contribute to policies they believe facilitate mass atrocities. While our primary responsibility is to our local community, I do not believe that responsibility requires us to remain silent about profound human rights violations occurring elsewhere. I will continue to listen to our residents, stand for human rights, and use the authority of my office to advocate for peace, accountability, and an end to the suffering of Palestinians.