May 23, 2019

Dear Mayor Michael Hancock and Mayoral Candidate Jamie Giellis,

As the last week of the 2019 Mayoral election approaches, the Latino
Community must hear from you. After watching the Denver Mayoral debate
on Channel 9 for the run-off election; it was clear that issues pertinent to the
Latino community were not raised and have not been discussed. Thus, we
seek your response, no later than May 31 to the following questions:
st,

1. What do you believe to be the top issues impacting the Latino

community and what is your plan to address them?

2. The Latino community represents 31.2% of Denver’s population. If

elected will your cabinet reflect this demographic? We expect
monthly reports to city council from Human Resources on how the
city’s workforce reflects the diversity of Denver’s population,
particularly from the Latino community.

3. Denver equity maps show Latino communities suffer negative impacts

in the following areas:

a. Health care disparities exist and have not been addressed.

Latinos are at high risk of chronic liver and kidney diseases,
diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma, obesity, heart disease,
depression and other mental health issues;
b. Disproportionately high concentration of marijuana & alcohol
establishments;
c. Failure to reduce access to and impact from marijuana, tobacco
& alcohol among Latino youth;
d. Food deserts/lack of healthy food
e. Lack of access to community resources such as affordable
health care, training & livable wage jobs, affordable
housing, recreation, and quality education;
f. Too many Latino children fail to graduate from high school;
g. Poor transportation and connectivity options - including
inadequate access to multi-modal options;
h. Lack of basic infrastructure (curbs, gutter, sidewalks, bus
stops);
i. Insufficient assistance from Economic Development Office,
DEN, Denver Small Business Opportunities, and
Environmental Health to have access to resources and business
opportunities;
j. Lack of engagement with Latino communities regarding
community benefits agreements from projects impacting their
neighborhoods; and
 k. Latinos (youth and adults) are over-represented in the criminal
justice system.

4. How will your administration work with the Latino community on

these issues?
5. Will you commit to seeking genuine community input in a timely
manner on matters relevant to and impacting the Latino community
and neighborhoods?

6. What steps will your administration take to inform Denver’s

communities of color on your commitment to Race and Social Justice,
including the implementation of racial equity tools and the
expectation that all City departments will be accountable for
incorporation racial equity within their policies, programs, projects
and initiatives.
We thank you in advance for considering and responding to these questions
that deeply impact Denver’s Latino community. We are eager to receive
your response.

Sincerely,

Hon. Angie Malpiede, RTD Director

Hon. Debbie Ortega, Councilwoman At-Large
Therese Carpio
Debbie & Louis Gomez
Hon. Paul Lopez, Councilman
Hon. Ramona Martinez
Jess Ogas
Anthony Ortega, Professor Regis University
Armando Payan
Dr. Martha Urioste
Gayle LeRoux, GlobevilleFirst
Juana Bordas
Jude DelHierro
Joe Contreras, President/CEO Latin Life Denver
Maria Elena Rivera
Jessica Dominguez, Interfaith Alliance & Co-President of WeCan
Jennifer Malpiede