From Lived Experience to Structural Change I have loved Multnomah County since the day I arrived. Moving here to attend Lewis & Clark College was a massive leap for an 18-year-old from a working-class family who had never even been on an airplane. Forty years later, I cannot imagine living or fighting anywhere else. My path to public service started with my own family’s struggle. My father was a bus driver, and my mother stayed at home until my parents divorced, upending our

A Track Record of Courage and Outcomes When I was elected to the County Board in 1998 at age 31 — the youngest woman and first Latina ever to serve on it — I took office fighting for access to healthcare, housing alongside services, and human rights. Instead of just managing the symptoms of regional crises, I focused on building long-term, structural solutions: Bridges to Housing: I launched Bridges to Housing, a landmark five-year initiative that integrated stable housing w

Building Community, Delivering Care Driven by a desire to expand affordable housing while protecting our environmental future, I co-founded Cityhouse Builders and Cityhouse Partners, with a focus on sustainably built affordable homes for first-time buyers. And, as if launching a small business wasn’t enough to do, I found myself issuing the first payroll the same week my daughter, Esperanza, was born. Partnering with the City of Portland and Proud Ground, we constructed Orego