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Christine Alonzo

190115-CHRISTINE-ALONZO-CITY-COUNCIL-DIS

Q1

The lack of affordable housing remains a top concern of Denver residents, and while we commend the city on increasing resources, more needs to be done. If you agree that more resources are needed to support affordable housing, what type of funds and how much are necessary to address this crisis, and how could you achieve this within the next two to three years? 

 

One of the main changes that need to be done is the City needs to lobby the State legislation to repeal the Telluride Bill that prohibits ant form of rent control. once that is dome I would propose "Inclusionary Zoning" which would require developers to set aside a percentage of all new development to be set aside for affordable housing. I would also expand the existing Transit Oriented Development from the current 15 million dollars to at minimum 30 million dollars, one change that I would make is to purchase the land in communities that are a food desert and include in that development a requirement of a anchor grocery store. In addition the current monies that developers pay in penalties would be used solely to help tenants pay their rent , and help those that are homeless get into transitional housing. If there are no transitional housing units available work with local non profits to establish housing.

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Q2

Transit and mobility remain a top city priority without a dedicated local source of funding. Would you support creating a dedicated source of annual funding for citywide investments in transit, mobility and Vision Zero safety improvements, and if yes, how much money do you think is needed to properly address this need, how would you allocate these funds and how would you propose to fund this?

 

I think the City and County of Denver should provide funding for their own transit system that is run by the City not by a private company. RTD currently is in partnership with a private company which seems to be more of a for profit model, we should work with other existing transportation players such as Lyft and Uber and develop areas in which they can work with the City for the aging population and in areas where there are food deserts, the money will come form Cannabis Surplus

 

Q3

In the November 2018 election, Denver voters approved a sales tax to increase the yearly investment in parks by more than $40 million. How would you ensure that acquiring land for new parks is done in an equitable way and does not compete with other pressing city priorities, such as acquiring land for affordable housing? 

 

I think that we could do both, purchase land for affordable housing,and include parks and open space in that development.

 

Q4 

All In Denver was formed to respond to concerns that racial and social inequity is growing in the city. What do you think are the reasons that we have become a less equitable city and what are your priorities for ensuring Denver becomes more equitable in the future?

 

I think gentrification is the primary reason we are becoming less equitable in the City of Denver. Raising wages that are in line with the cost of living, providing affordability in housing for all, along with affordable housing, and include better access to higher education and the trades to people in disadvantaged communities. By education I dont mean more charter schools. real investment in Public education, with concurrent enrollment to the trades and easier access to traditional colleges.

 

 

Q5

Running a city the size of Denver is a massive undertaking with a complex web of services, departments, budgets and trade-offs. From your understanding of the city and how it allocates its resources, are there areas of the city that you’d increase funding and if so, what are they? And likewise, are there areas of the city where you’d decrease funding?

 

 

As a City we need to invest more in Transportation, affordable housing, and City Government accountability. I would work with the City Auditor to to a cost analysis on all existing agencies within the City of Denver to see which ones are working and those that are not cost effective figure out a way to make them more functional and sustainable.

 

 

Q6

Let’s assume that the City of Denver ends the 2019 fiscal year with a budget surplus of $20 million. As a Councilmember or Mayor, please list up to three program priorities on how you would spend this money. Please provide specific line items and budget amounts.

 

 

Affordable Housing- expand the TOD program, lead on Inclusionary Zoning hold developers accountable to providing affordable housing units, and or increase those penalties when they dont.

10 million dollars Homelessness, repeal the camping ban,provide transitional housing for the homeless, and other wraparound services

5 million dollars Transportation provide Eco Passes for all City and county of Denver employees, develop a shared cost or free transportation program with Lyft Uber, or RTD for seniors, students, and underemployed people 5 million dollars.

 

Stacie Gilmore

Q1

The lack of affordable housing remains a top concern of Denver residents, and while we commend the city on increasing resources, more needs to be done. If you agree that more resources are needed to support affordable housing, what type of funds and how much are necessary to address this crisis, and how could you achieve this within the next two to three years? 

 

I agree that more resources are needed to support affordable housing. We must include transitional housing, community land trusts, accessory dwelling units, down payment assistance programs, and land acquisition along with programs to support those on fixed incomes. We need to create an additional funding stream that will generate at least $100 million dollars per year. I am very interested in exploring your proposed sales or property tax increases to begin to address the housing crisis. Housing stabilization and production are tools that we need to mitigate involuntary displacement.

 

 

Q2

Transit and mobility remain a top city priority without a dedicated local source of funding. Would you support creating a dedicated source of annual funding for citywide investments in transit, mobility and Vision Zero safety improvements, and if yes, how much money do you think is needed to properly address this need, how would you allocate these funds and how would you propose to fund this?

 

Yes, I would support creating a dedicated source of annual funding for citywide investments. I would allocate these funds to address equity gaps in infrastructure in neighborhoods such as Montbello to encourage multi-mobility options and Vision Zero safety improvements. I believe that we need to have an additional $50-$70 million per year to address immediate needs and to keep Vision Zero a top priority. I would be open to a discussion about a sales or property tax increase but would also want to make sure we are not widening the income gap with regressive taxes.

 

Q3

In the November 2018 election, Denver voters approved a sales tax to increase the yearly investment in parks by more than $40 million. How would you ensure that acquiring land for new parks is done in an equitable way and does not compete with other pressing city priorities, such as acquiring land for affordable housing? 

 

The new revenue created by the recently passed parks tax would fund additional parkland, open space, waterway restoration and reclamation, among others. The land acquired with the tax would be complementary to the above uses in Denver and in our mountain parks. Most of the land acquired for affordable housing is more likely to include infill property or improved property that wouldn’t be suitable for a park. If a parcel would be suitable for acquisition for either a park or affordable housing, I would have to weigh the appropriateness of the proposed use depending on the parcel in question.

 

Q4 

All In Denver was formed to respond to concerns that racial and social inequity is growing in the city. What do you think are the reasons that we have become a less equitable city and what are your priorities for ensuring Denver becomes more equitable in the future?

 

I believe that Denver has become a less equitable city because the cost of living has increased relatively quickly without wages keeping pace. Denver’s historic zoning and land use policies have also negatively affected low-income and/or neighborhoods of color. My priorities include workforce development, financial empowerment, stable housing, increasing homeownership and authentic wealth building within communities of color. In partnership with my community, my office has been working on anti-displacement strategies and financial empowerment through the “Montbello Speaks” speakers bureau.

 

Q5

Running a city the size of Denver is a massive undertaking with a complex web of services, departments, budgets and trade-offs. From your understanding of the city and how it allocates its resources, are there areas of the city that you’d increase funding and if so, what are they? And likewise, are there areas of the city where you’d decrease funding?

 

I would increase funding for the areas I believe are a top priority for the City - affordable housing, workforce development, and transportation. We are faced with significant shortages of affordable and attainable housing options. Workforce development enables residents to secure livable wage jobs that ensure working class families have opportunities to build their wealth through home ownership and financial security. We must address transportation infrastructure from building out our roadways to implementing multi-modal options in all communities, with high frequency transit a priority.

 

Q6

Let’s assume that the City of Denver ends the 2019 fiscal year with a budget surplus of $20 million. As a Councilmember or Mayor, please list up to three program priorities on how you would spend this money. Please provide specific line items and budget amounts.

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Anti-displacement and community land trusts would be the first priority that I would invest in to stabilize neighborhoods vulnerable to involuntary displacement. The proposed budget amount would be $5-6 million. Financial empowerment has been a priority based on community feedback and I would invest $3 million in expanding this very successful program. Lastly, I would fully fund a large-scale workforce development training center along the Tower corridor in Far Northeast Denver, in partnership with Adams and Arapahoe counties. The proposed Denver share would be $8 million.

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