The sixth of seven children, Julie was born on the San Carlos Apache reservation in Arizona and raised in the borderlands of south Texas. Her mom, Gloria, was an elementary school teacher and her dad, Mario, was a rancher. Together, they taught Julie the value of hard work, honesty, and the importance of lifting as we climb. Julie’s organizing career began while a student at Yale University. In 2005, she organized a 58-member coalition of working-class families, unions, community organizations, and environmental activists to ensure that tax dollars were spent on affordable housing, a clean environment, and jobs that paid a living wage.
Every Coloradan deserves clean, healthy air to breathe. But unfortunately, our air quality is often among the worst in the nation. Poor air quality disproportionately impacts working-class Coloradans and communities of color. Julie has worked to clean up our air and water by:
Establishing statewide monitoring and health-based standards for deadly air toxics
Eliminating dangerous “forever” PFAS chemicals from our water supply
Securing over $100 million for clean-air investments