Our home. Nuestro hogar.

Every resident heard.

Because when your neighbor does better, you do better too!

Why I'm Running

I came to this country as an immigrant in 1990. I moved to Fairfax City in 2002 for its well-funded schools. I fell in love with the community and knew I had found the right place to raise my child. I served as a PTA president.

Today I serve as a director at SEIU Virginia 512, where our chapter represents nearly 12,000 Fairfax County employees. I've won them pay raises and more paid days off. I've spent my career at the bargaining table. My other job, professional interpreting, means making sure people get understood.

A lot of people in this city don't feel heard by their local government. Close to two in five residents speak a language other than English at home. I fought to get the City's website translated into multiple languages, because language barriers keep many of our neighbors from fully participating.

Fairfax City needs a lot more housing, including affordable housing, so students, workers, and disabled residents can live here and get around without a car. We need buses that come when you need them, and a local government that speaks your language.

I'm running for Fairfax City Council to make sure every resident gets heard.

Top Priorities

1. Build more homes in the Comprehensive Plan's five activity centers: Old Town, Northfax, Kamp Washington, Fairfax Circle, and Pickett & Main. Protect established neighborhoods, and put vacant office buildings back to use.

2. Keep CUE free, extend its night and weekend hours, and connect every bus stop to an accessible sidewalk and crosswalk.

3. Make City Council work faster for city residents by speeding up permits, avoiding delayed votes, and focusing on today's issues rather than old business. This saves Fairfax City money and helps grow our economy.

4. Keep taxes affordable by growing the commercial tax base and chasing every available state and federal grant before raising taxes.

5. Improve language access for residents interacting with government services, especially fire and police, and community services by expanding translated materials and the availability of trained interpreters.

Where I Stand

Housing

What would you do about housing costs?

Fairfax City doesn't have enough housing. The City's Affordable Housing Strategic Plan counts a deficit of 2,015 affordable homes. In 2023, 43.9 percent of renter households paid more than they could afford, and median gross rent reached $2,122, up 11.7 percent since 2018. The City holds only 102 dedicated affordable rental units. I'd create a housing trust fund with dedicated money, so we build and preserve affordable homes. Nobody should spend half a paycheck on rent to live here.

What would you change in our zoning to build more housing?

I'd protect our existing neighborhoods and focus new development in the areas the Comprehensive Plan identifies. I'd vote for more apartments near Old Town, Northfax, and the CUE line. The City requires two parking spaces for every townhouse and every two-bedroom apartment, and renters pay for those spaces whether they own a car or not. I'm open to cutting that requirement for projects that need relief to build more housing. I'd keep every accessible space for disabled residents. On the new activity center zoning, I'd keep the base density where it stands and give affordable projects extra height on top.

Where do you stand on accessory dwelling units?

I support accessory dwelling units. They add rental homes for students, young workers, and older residents without a large new building, and they let families keep relatives close.

What would you do about vacant office buildings?

I dislike vacant office buildings. They keep parts of the city from reaching a better use, and they hurt our tax base. The Comprehensive Plan points growth toward the activity centers, and I want that growth to fill empty offices with homes, shops, and jobs. Converting an empty office into homes adds housing without touching an established neighborhood.

Growth and Old Town

How should Fairfax City grow over the next decade?

I want to protect our schools and the neighborhoods around them. New homes belong where the Comprehensive Plan already puts them: in the five activity centers of Old Town, Northfax, Kamp Washington, Fairfax Circle, and Pickett & Main, and not in our established neighborhoods. Homes there let our children and grandchildren stay in Fairfax, and they let teachers, firefighters, and nurses live where they serve. New buildings should include accessible units, so disabled residents can live here and older residents can stay.

What works in the Comprehensive Plan, and what should change?

I like that the plan focuses growth on its five activity centers and protects our established neighborhoods. Residents helped write it, and Council should follow it. I'd decide faster and communicate better. Fiscal responsibility means deciding on time. Costs rise every month a project waits, and residents and small businesses pay for the delay.

How would you add life to Old Town?

I want more life in Old Town. I'd look into closing the streets of Old Town Fairfax to cars one day a week, so people can walk, shop, eat, and gather. I'd also look at turning some surface parking into storefronts or mixed-use buildings, and at adding more public art and color to our streets. A livelier Old Town helps small businesses, and it gives Mason students and graduates a reason to make their home here.

How would you help Mason students and graduates stay in the City?

The City could offer paid internships so Mason students can work in City government and with local businesses. Students who speak other languages could help the City reach residents, with the support of trained interpreters. Graduates need affordable housing and good transit if we want them to stay. Only about 490 Mason students live in the City. I want Old Town to draw more of them.

Transportation

Should CUE stay free?

I count CUE among the best things the City runs. Since fares ended in 2020, ridership has climbed about 60 percent above pre-pandemic levels. FFXnow reported that restarting fares would cost an estimated $225,000 to $365,000 in the first year and bring in $220,000 to $360,000 a year after that. Mayor Catherine Read said, “The juice is not worth the squeeze for a few thousand,” and warned that ridership could drop. I want to keep CUE free.

How would you improve CUE service?

I want longer hours at night and on weekends, and I want buses to come more often. After dark and on weekends, riders can wait an hour. That doesn't work for anyone coming home from a late shift or trying to catch a train at Vienna. A free bus helps only the people who know it costs nothing, so I'd carry that news to minority communities, in their own languages.

How would you protect riders' access to Metro?

Fairfax County voted in May 2026 to trim Fairfax Connector service. The City, the County, and Mason need to sit down together and protect the routes that get people to Metro. Both CUE loops already connect Mason to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Orange Line station, and I want to protect that connection.

How would you make walking and biking safer?

Getting to campus on foot or by bike shouldn't feel risky. I support safer crossings, lower speeds, and filling the gaps in our sidewalks. I'd also build an ADA accessible sidewalk and crosswalk to every bus stop. VDOT or the County controls some of the worst roads around here, so I'd push both, and I'd work with Mason on safer routes to campus.

Taxes, Budget, and City Workers

How can the City sustain its revenue and keep taxes affordable?

Our City's bills put too much pressure on homeowners, especially those on fixed incomes. Growing the commercial tax base would change that. When small businesses do well, the City collects more without reaching into residents' pockets. I support faster permits and redeveloping empty office buildings and underused parking lots into more useful buildings .

Do you support the sales tax referendum on the November 3 ballot?

Yes. I want our school buildings to be modernized. The referendum asks voters to approve a sales tax increase of up to 1 percent for school construction and maintenance. I want every dollar to go to our schools. As a former PTA president, I wouldn't cut school funding to lower taxes. If voters approve the referendum, I'll vote to implement the tax. If they vote it down, I'll respect their decision.

How would you help older and disabled residents with their tax bills?

Many older and disabled residents live on fixed incomes, and tax increases hit them hardest. I want to strengthen the City's tax relief program for older residents and disabled residents, so they can afford to stay in their homes and their community. I'd also make sure eligible residents know the program exists.

Do you support collective bargaining for City employees?

Yes. I've organized workers my whole career. City employees drive our buses, fix our streets, and keep our parks open, and they deserve a real say in their working conditions. As director with SEIU Virginia 512, I represent nearly 12,000 Fairfax County employees. I've sat at the bargaining table and won pay raises and more paid days off for employees, in deals that worked for both workers and taxpayers. I'd bring that experience to Council.

Reaching Every Resident

How would you support outreach to non-native English-speaking residents?

Nearly two in five Fairfax City residents speak a language other than English at home, and too many don't feel heard by their local government. Many of our neighbors speak Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Urdu. I fought to get the City's website translated into multiple languages, so all residents can understand the City’s actions. I would continue to share City information in multiple languages, including notices about development and budget decisions. The next step is to increase the use of plain language, access to trained interpreters, the translation of all City communications. As an example, I’d make sure we are communicating that CUE rides cost nothing in multiple languages.

How would you make sure first responders can best serve our residents?

I work as a professional interpreter, so I know what happens when first responders don’t speak your language. At best, crimes go unreported, people delay or go without essential care, and families may rely on children to translate in an emergency. I trained interpreters to field calls involving police officers, firefighters, and medics, in order to improve emergency services for Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Urdu speaking communities. Language should not be a barrier to emergency services.

Public Safety

Do police, fire, and emergency services have what they need?

Our police officers, firefighters, and medics need competitive pay and full staffing, and Council should ask the chiefs directly what they need. We also need to give them the tools to talk with every Fairfax City resident. I am uniquely equipped to help support these staff since I represent emergency service union workers.

How should the City address traffic safety, homelessness, and quality of life?

I support expanding sidewalks, so residents can get around safely. On homelessness, my work with the Fairfax County Health Department gave me experience with outreach programs that successfully move unhoused individuals towards housing security. I strongly support training police on physical, mental, and behavioral health. Over the long term, more affordable homes offer the best solution.

Where do you stand on Flock cameras?

I'm concerned about Flock cameras. They collect information on resident and a private company owns them. I oppose any use of Flock cameras with ICE, including data sharing. Flock cameras are not in the best interest of my neighbors and our privacy.

Environmental Stewardship

What should the City prioritize in environmental stewardship?

Fairfax City has little open land left, so the trees and streams we have need protection. Council adopted the Urban Forest Master Plan, and I want to carry it out. I support restoring the stream banks along Accotink Creek.

How should the City use the stormwater utility fee?

The fee should pay only for stormwater work, such as replacing old pipes, preventing floods, and restoring streams. Before Council changes the fee again, I'd ask whether we've applied for every state and federal grant and whether new development pays for its own runoff. Residents on fixed incomes need predictable bills.

How should Fairfax City help address climate change?

One of the best things a city can do for the climate is to support affordable housing, access to public transportation, and a robust local economy. The ability to live near where we work, study, and play will reduce vehicle traffic. I support more housing near transit and a CUE that stays free. I also support the Urban Forest Master Plan, which protects and grows our tree canopy.

Accessibility

How would you make the City work for disabled residents?

Plan for accessibility from the beginning instead of fixing it later. That means accessible units in new housing and City information in plain language. Retrofitting costs more, and people get left out while they wait.

How would you make our streets and parks accessible?

Every bus stop needs an ADA accessible sidewalk and crosswalk leading to it. Park paths need to work for wheelchairs and walkers, and we should build them without cutting mature trees. I'd also keep every accessible parking space for disabled residents.

The November 3 Ballot

How will you vote on Question 1, the reproductive freedom amendment?

I'm voting yes. Decisions about pregnancy, birth control, and abortion belong to patients and their doctors. I want Virginia's Constitution to protect them.

How will you vote on Question 2, the marriage amendment?

I'm voting yes. Any two adults should have the freedom to marry. Virginia's Constitution still carries a same-sex marriage ban that federal courts already struck down, and voters should remove it.

How will you vote on Question 3, the voting rights amendment?

I'm voting yes. Voting is how people get heard, and I want Virginia's Constitution to protect it as a fundamental right. The amendment also restores voting rights automatically when someone leaves prison.