Let's convert the gas and electricity companies from private, for profit businesses to publicly owned utilities. Deregulation has led to higher prices, not lower prices for me. Making gas and electricity public owned utilities will lower the cost of those essential services for consumers and create a push to help individual residents and citizens to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution.

Let's enforce existing air pollution laws and other environmental
regulations in Houston. Since 1981 big businesses have been getting away with murder because the government hasn't been aggressively enforcing air pollution laws as well as other environmental laws. Self regulation by industry means no regulation.

We have proximity and regulatory influence over 1/3rd of the oil refining in the United States. By enforcing the laws not only could we improve the air quality for Houstonians but we could improve it for the state of Texas, the United States and the world.

Let's make sure that jobs in Houston pay a living wage. A living wage means that someone working full time at minimum wage can afford to rent at least an efficiency apartment. Many homeless people work full time but the minimum wage doesn't allow them to afford an apartment. The city of Houston had the power to create a living wage, based on measurable apartment rates, until the state legislature specifically took that power away from home rule cities. I want to aggressively lobby to take back that power for the people of Houston and I believe we can get a democratic vote in a city wide election that would pass a living wage law.