Tina Mueh

Environment / Energy Enhanced recycling. Environment / Energy Earth has (unofficially, but truly) entered a new epoch on the geologic timeline dubbed the “Anthropocene” (credit: atmospheric chemist, Paul Crutzen, 2000) - a time when human activity is significantly impacting global climate and environment. We are at a critical point as average yearly temperatures rise, the predictable patterns of deep ocean currents shift, and climate change is felt in the form of dramatic floods and fires in our own local community. We must address this crisis at every level of government. Environment / Energy Toward a clean energy economy. Environment / Energy Ensuring climate justice. Education I oppose any effort that diverts funding from public schools. I oppose the waivers that allow charter schools to operate in a way that increases the burden on public neighborhood schools. Education I support real change in the form of full and equitable school funding in our state, such that our professional educators are respected and well compensated. I support community schools where communities wrap their arms around their neighborhood schools to provide an array of services to students and families. I support families having options within our public schools about which schools best fit the needs of their children. I support increasing Career and Tech Ed opportunities, including programs like Pathways 2 Teaching that encourage more students of color to pursue careers as educators. I’m excited about high school concurrent enrollment courses in partnership with higher education and new ideas about high school end goals like seals of biliteracy and industry certifications. To continue all of these great steps forward, we need to take a serious look at improving the dismal education funding situation in our state, including for higher education. Furthering the education funding strides taken by our legislature in 2023 would be a step toward real education reform. Education University-based teacher education programs are the best way to foster and maintain high standards and professionalism in our education workforce. Educator pedagogy and practice can be improved through investment in professional development and training. Guns While I want to see major reductions in gun violence, and I do support a ban on assault-style weapons, I don’t want to ban all guns. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article II, Section 13 of the Colorado Constitution spell out rights to bear arms, and Colorado is a state full of people who responsibly and legally own firearms for hunting, sport, or self-defense. Wages / Job Benefits Low and middle income Colorado residents need good unions! Collective bargaining for all workers is a proven way to increase income and shift people from one income level to the next, allowing individuals and families to better deal with a high cost of living. Additionally, retirement security for Colorado workers, especially those in the public sector, is important so that aging residents can continue to afford to live in their Colorado communities. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Unlawful camping and criminal activity in our public spaces pose a danger to unhoused people as well as to the general public, and we must do more to address it for the safety of everyone. Criminal Justice / Public Safety The first duty of government is to protect citizens from harm. I support and respect the role of law enforcement in assuring citizen and community safety, and I also support the right of all citizens to be safe from inappropriate and illegal acts perpetrated by law enforcement individuals and institutions. Drug Policy I do believe that people of color are disproportionately punished for drug-related crimes, but the solution to that problem should be accomplished through sentencing guidelines, drug courts, professional development for law enforcement, and other strategies that seek to humanize historically draconian responses to these crimes. The solutions shouldn’t involve decriminalizing poisons that can have immediate and long-term dire effects. Abortion / Contraception This might go without saying, but I don’t support any limits, based on pregnancy duration or anything else, on a person’s right to an abortion. Housing I support the creation of new affordable housing units both locally and statewide, and I’m joined by the majority of Coloradans as evidenced by the recent passage of Colorado Prop 123 and Boulder County Issue 1B which both provide funds for affordable housing. I support regional discussions among local communities in Colorado (especially along the Front Range) about thoughtfully increasing their housing supply in ways that enhance their communities and protect surrounding lands. Not every community has the same carrying capacity (the number of people a community can support without degrading the local environment and quality of life), so a one-size-fits-all mandate isn’t reasonable. Housing I support a tiered sheltering/treatment system whereby those unhoused individuals experiencing substance use crises can first access an acute care facility, and later progress into housing that promotes further stabilization and ultimately longer-term transitional sober housing. This treatment continuum would not only save lives and give people an opportunity to flourish, but it also creates a pipeline into more permanent housing. Housing Population growth is almost certainly coming to Colorado, and it will take finding common ground to accommodate our new residents, families, employees, and students. It will be a balancing act, but I think many of us would like to protect open spaces and agricultural land, plus minimize air pollution and traffic congestion from lengthy commuting, as we grow. I support smart, thoughtful infill as opposed to sprawl, and I support local control as opposed to top-down mandates with carrots and sticks. Housing I support smart infill instead of sprawl. I like development that creates walkable neighborhoods and considers transportation access before planning the buildings. I grew up in Colorado Springs where multiple housing developers display ads for newly built homes at every major intersection, where sections of the city are dying and blighted areas proliferate because it’s much cheaper to encroach on the shortgrass prairie to the east than it is to revitalize dilapidated parts of the city. There are few constraints on development. It's not a model to emulate. Housing Housing is such a basic human need that it shouldn’t be completely at the whim of the market; the cost of housing shouldn’t be determined by what the market will bear. Incentives for landlords - perhaps very low-cost mortgages, etc. - to keep rents affordable for a certain number of years after purchasing a rental property could be part of the strategy. I support looking at fair approaches to rent stabilization as well. Municipalities should secure a certain percentage (perhaps 20%, which would more than double the amount in Boulder) of permanently affordable homes, a high percentage of which should be able to house families and seniors. Colorado communities might be able to benefit from good ideas that came out of Boulder, like our Housing Legacy Program and increasing the number of other deed restricted properties, partially through the linkage fees and affordable housing support fees charged to developers. Changes to occupancy limits seem a tempting way to increase affordability, but without stipulations requiring that affordability, it seems we’re increasing density and rental income for landlords without much community benefit. I support the creation of ADUs as a workable, reasonable way to increase housing supply without dramatically changing the character of our neighborhoods. Housing Access to mental health resources, or alternative placements for those experiencing both homelessness and acute mental health challenges, are also critical components for this system (and for all of us really since lack of access to mental health services in our state is increasingly problematic in general).