"But the contest for assistant house majority leader split the caucus between Denver Rep. Leslie Herod, who is seen as being aligned with the more liberal wing of the party, and Lakewood Rep. Chris Kennedy, who is viewed as more of a behind-the-scenes lawmaker." "House Democrats ultimately went with Kennedy after he promised to help the large caucus better collaborate and communicate." “We need to be courageous,” he added. “This is a time when we are going to face obstruction

"While Colorado Rep. Jared Polis is making national headlines as the first openly gay man elected governor, other Colorado candidates are making history, too." "An unprecedented number of LGBTQ candidates ran in this election and Colorado is leading the way in what is being called a nationwide rainbow wave." "Six LGBTQ candidates ran for seats in the state house, and right now two have been declared winners, two are leading as ballots continue to be counted, one is waiting fo

"Approving multiple ballot measures Tuesday, Denver voters cleared the way for sales and property tax increases to raise funds for parks, mental health services and other initiatives." "Among the winning measures was an initiative to raise money for parks. The measure passed 61.32 percent to 38.68 percent." "The measure proposed increasing the cost of goods and services by 0.25 percent, or the equivalent of 25 cents per $100. It will provide more than $45 million per year for

"The Denver City Council is considering a pilot program to allow a legal drug injection site in the city." "Supporters of the plan say 1,000 people died of overdoses in Colorado last year. It's estimated emergency services respond to almost three overdose cases each day." "A supervised site, supporters say, would save lives and money when it comes to hospital stays and treatment." "We know people are publicly injecting outside in parks, in alleys," supporter Lisa Raville said

"So the question is where people go after using safely to get long-term help. The answer, for some, will be nowhere. They may repeat the cycle of using to avoid withdrawal, but better in the presence of people who can save their lives than in a bathroom somewhere, Raville said." "A measure known as “Caring for Denver” passed Tuesday to fund mental health. That gives Brooks confidence despite the lack of services." “While that’s an issue, there’s a lot of hope that I’m being g

"Denver ballot measures that will raise taxes to increase funds for parks and mental health services were headed toward easy victory Tuesday night." "As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, a proposal to raise money for parks was up 61.23 percent to 38.77 percent in early returns. So far, more than 145,744 total votes have been tallied for the proposal." "The measure proposed increasing the cost of goods and services by 0.25 percent, or the equivalent of 25 cents per $100. If approved, the me

"The two most prominent of the proposals were Referred Measure 2A and Initiated Ordinance 301." "Referred Measure 2A, whose chief proponent was Denver City Council President Jolon Clark, called for a .25 percent sales tax on everything other than groceries and prescription drugs, with the proceeds earmarked to acquire and improve parks. It collected more than 60 percent of the vote." "Initiated Ordinance 301, put forward by Representative Leslie Herod, also asked for a .25 pe

"Tuesday, November 6, is fast approaching, and Denver residents are now voting on various state- and citywide ballot initiatives. One such initiative is Caring 4 Denver." "Created by Representative Leslie Herod and endorsed by influential Coloradans like Wilma Webb and Cynthia Coffman, the initiative would raise Denver’s sales tax by .25 percent to bolster the city’s mental health resources and substance abuse treatment programs. If the initiative passes, 10 percent of the re

"Tuesday, November 6, is fast approaching, and Denver residents are now voting on various state- and citywide ballot initiatives. One such initiative is Caring 4 Denver." "Created by Representative Leslie Herod and endorsed by influential Coloradans like Wilma Webb and Cynthia Coffman, the initiative would raise Denver’s sales tax by .25 percent to bolster the city’s mental health resources and substance abuse treatment programs. If the initiative passes, 10 percent of the re

"She later served as a co-founder of Project Voyce and as a transit equity specialist for RTD, and since April 2017 has been the manager of public affairs for Denver Public Schools." “The criminal justice system is ugly, and it’s a machine, and it’s hard to get out of the claws of that,” she said. In Facebook comments, dozens of people, including state Rep. Leslie Herod, quickly affirmed their support for Lewis." Read full article #mentalhealth #coresponderunit #RTDcandidate