Cecelia Espenoza knows a few things about being the only person like her in the room; for example, growing up in Utah, Espenoza said she was a "minority" in many different ways. But that didn't stop her from climbing up the success ladder.
She was the first Latina to graduate from the honors program at the University of Utah, the second Latina to be admitted to the Utah State Bar in 1982 and one of the first Latinas to teach law at the University of Denver in the early 90s.
As Espenoza puts it, she knows how to navigate spaces that typically aren't created with minorities in mind. She intends to use those skills at the statehouse, if chosen to fill the recently vacated House District 4 seat, which covers Northwest and West Denver.
"I've always been one of the first people who look like me that's sitting in the room. It really gave me the skills to be... a collaborator and a listener. I think that's the critical skill that you need so that you can hear where people are coming from in order to find consensus in legislation," Espenoza said.
Espenoza bought her home in the HD4 district, which covers Northwest and West Denver, in 1991 and has lived off and on in the area ever since, with minor stints in San Antonio and Washington D.C. over the years.
She's a retired appellate immigration judge and former counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice. She was chair of the National Hispana Leadership Institute and sat on the board member of the Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility.
For the past five years, Espenoza has served as captain with the Denver Democrats for HD4's Subdistrict 4B, recruiting new members to the party and working on achieving true diversity and inclusion. Espenoza said while serving and living in the district she's worked "extensively within this community and knows the issues and the struggles that we're facing."
Gun safety is one of the top concerns Espenoza said the community is facing and it's an issue she plans to address as soon as she steps into office.
Espenoza said she specifically refers to the issue as "gun safety" -- not gun control -- because she believes historically, Colorado's legislature has focused more on a "deny" approach to gun ownership, when the real issue is safety.
"I think it's important to recognize that what we want is responsible gun ownership and the safety of those guns so that they're not in the wrong hands," Espenoza said. "I'm very truly committed to reducing gun violence and eliminating the fear and the scourge of that violence in our community."
One measure, and the only measure Espenoza said she's currently committed to, would be creating tax credits for folks who purchase a gun safe or other lockable containers for firearms. It's a measure that recently passed in Virginia, which Espenoza said is equally divided on the various issues surrounding guns.
Espenoza said statistics show that locked away firearms prevent accidental shootings or, especially in Colorado, gun theft. Unlike Virginia, Colorado already has a law requiring guns be stored properly but Espenoza said tax credits would encourage people to actually follow it.
"We've done nothing to incentivize people and helping people with the tax credit would be a great way to increase the number of guns that are protected," Espenoza said.
Espenoza said the second issue she plans to focus on is education, taking a funding and accountability approach. Espenoza acknowledged that Denver Public School's Board of Directors controls the education of Denver kids but believes the state can ensure the schools, both public and charter, receive equitable funding and that there's transparency around funding mechanisms and decision-making.
Espenoza points to issues with the launch of universal Pre-K, the recent school closure of Fairview Elementary in Sun Valley and the eternal charter vs. non-charter debate.
All of these conversations center around equity issues and a lack of transparency.
Espenoza said she intends to increase awareness for parents on the difference between charter and non-charter schools because every child has different learning mechanisms which deserve to be recognized. She also wants to look into labor practices for charter school teachers who are currently not allowed to unionize.
Espenoza's third focus is on housing, specifically increasing density, housing options and renters' protections. She also wants to focus on alleviating the pressures of double-up households for both the folks needing housing and the family or friends who step in to provide it.
"In North and West Denver, we have a massive double up of housing which is often an unspoken issue and one that I have personal experience with," Espenoza said. "I know that that's an area where the state can continue to build out support for people who are under the federal definition of homeless but are really being taken care of by members of the community."
Espenoza would like to see more resources such as housing and emotional counseling for both providers and those in need.
She added that she also wants to focus on senior housing and ensuring that seniors on fixed incomes aren't pushed out of their homes. Espenoza said one way to do that is adding portability to the proposed Senior Homestead Property Tax expansion. It's a portion of Proposition HH that would allow seniors to transfer their discounted property taxes onto a new home if they decided to move.
Currently, residents had to live in their home for at least 10 years to qualify for the credit, and the law doesn't allow for a transfer. The change would let seniors downsize homes or move to new places that suit them without giving up their tax benefit.
"I think it's really one step that's an example of what the legislature can do when they focus on that group that's facing this fixed income limitation," Espenoza said.
Another one to ensure seniors, as well as truthfully low income residents, to stay in their home is to look at the "unintended consequences" of policies that use increased taxes and fees for city and state projects such as composting or sidewalks.
"As a state legislator and with my history of working in the government all the years that I've worked and working inside of systems as an institutionalist and outside of systems as an advocate, I believe the most important thing is to understand the unintended consequences or the long term consequences of any legislation that's passed," Espenoza said. "All of those things add up... There are people who are on fixed incomes who are getting hit with these kinds of bills, over and over and over again and then being forced out of our community."
Since former state Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez vacated the HD4 seat when she was elected to Denver City Council, a vacancy committee composed of Democratic precinct organizers will meet to choose her replacement. That selection will take place on Aug. 26.
Former state Rep. Rochelle Galindo and teacher and community organizer Tim Hernández are also vying for the vacant seat. Galindo previously represented House District 50 in Greeley. She resigned in 2019 after being accused of providing alcohol to a minor. She was later acquitted of any charges.
Once the committee votes, the elected person will serve in next year's session and could go on to run for the seat again in November 2024.
Espenoza said she is looking forward to using her experience to represent the whole of HD4 through collaboration, creating coalitions and understanding.
"I recognize having lived here since 1991 that the community has changed," Espenoza said. "I'm gonna represent all 100% of the constituents here. I know this community having worked here for five years...I know that having worked so often in the countercultural places that I'm comfortable doing that...When I looked around the field, it seemed clear that we needed someone who had the experience to take the seat immediately and I felt that I was the best person to do that."
