The daughter of a single mother who arrived in this country with little from her native Honduras, Judith has spent her life fully understanding the struggles of the working class immigrants who make up the overwhelming majority of this diverse but economically disadvantaged community. Her empathy for their problems permeates all that she does. And, this personal background has given Judith a passion for public service, particularly for the underserved population in Chelsea, that is obvious and infectious. Judith is clearly the kind of committed public steward that government so desperately needs.
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As someone who saw her mom struggle to afford rent and mortgage, I understand the gravity of the housing crisis. To ensure people aren't pushed out, I will:
Create more paths to home ownership
Establish more protections for renters, including sealing records from cases in which the individual was an underage member of the household
Create a seed fund of $50,000 to help first-time homeowners afford a downpayment
Increase the state’s contribution to the Community Conservation Act Fund
Support legislation that promotes sustainable and affordable housing construction
Provide a greater amount of local aid to those communities with inclusionary zoning ordinances and more than 10% affordable housing unit levels
Empower non-English speakers by providing more multilingual rental assistance resources
Climate change is actively altering our lives. Our summers are hotter, our winters are harsher, and our health is suffering. I plan to address these issues by:
Holding polluters accountable. Big corporations like airlines and factories are currently free to pollute our air, but with stricter regulations and fairer taxes, we can change that
Sourcing our energy from renewable sources such as wind, hydro, and solar
Investing in public transportation to reduce emissions from daily commutes
Ensuring new construction meets clean energy standards
Building infrastructure to minimize flooding
I am a product of Chelsea public schools. I experienced firsthand the inequities in funding and support that students, teachers, and families in Chelsea and Everett face. My plan to make sure our students are thriving includes:
Establishing universal early education. Not only will this ensure that more kids have access to educational resources, but it will even the playing field for working parents who can’t afford private childcare
Expanding access to higher education. I supported funding that provides tuition to Bunker Hill Community College for Chelsea High graduates with academic achievement, and it is time to take that statewide.
Diversifying our schools by investing in more educators of color. Our students need to see themselves represented in the people they look up to
Funding the Student Opportunity Act so that kids from places like Chelsea and Everett don’t get left behind based on geography and socioeconomic status
As a daughter of a factory worker, I saw my mom, like many other families, work tirelessly for below living wages. A thriving economy relies on essential workers, so I promise to:
Collaborate with unions and support their efforts however I can–be it marching on the picket lines, attending their rallies, or introducing legislation that responds to their needs
Ensure that the new off-shore and solar energy jobs go to local residents
Invest in vocational training opportunities for Massachusetts residents of all ages
Pass legislation to protect against wage theft – similar to the Wage Theft Ordinance that I advocated for on the Chelsea City Council
Chelsea and Everett have been neglected for a long time. With this historic opportunity to finally have one of our own representing us on Beacon Hill, I will:
Expand routes, increase service times and better MBTA service which will make commuting easier and decrease the fumes that give Chelsea one of the highest asthma rates in the commonwealth
Prioritize securing funding for open spaces and for public infrastructure repair
Take action to end the rat infestation by holding contractors accountable and providing free exterminations
Push affordable healthcare so that no one has to decide between paying for medical care or paying rent
Fight to keep ICE out of our communities so that our families can live and work in peace
Despite risking everything to protect our nation, many military service members face poverty, homelessness, and a convoluted bureaucracy after finishing their contracts. Chelsea, Everett, and Massachusetts itself are home to many veterans, who I hope to support by:
Expanding healthcare to fill in the gaps that the VA leaves
Improving services at soldiers' homes. We need to increase resources and funding in veterans’ homes to provide our heroes with the quality of living they deserve
Promoting legislation to protect veterans in the event of a state of emergency. We must never allow what happened with COVID to happen again
Facilitating the process of veterans buying houses and establishing homes in our communities