On October 24th, the Hennepin County Board unanimously passed the Board Action Request (BAR) that directs the HERC’s closure as early as 2028, which is only possible with energetic action from State and municipal partners, particularly from the City of Minneapolis.

As a North Minneapolis resident, I have advocated for closure of the HERC since long before I was in elected office. I am deeply committed to environmental justice and promise work towards a closure on the soonest timeline. I believe there is a path to stop burning trash as soon as 2028, but aggressive action is needed from government partners to achieve this timeline:

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Since 2019, my office and I have been closely involved with the planning and development process for the Blue Line Extension Light Rail Transit project. This effort has been underway for decades, and I am proud of the progress made in recent years towards ensuring fast, safe, reliable, and affordable transit service for the residents of North Minneapolis and our northwest suburban communities.

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On January 3, 2023, I took the Oath of Office for the second time and began a new term as Hennepin County Commissioner serving the residents of District 2 and Hennepin County. As I begin my second term in office, I am grateful for your partnership and am proud of all we have been able to achieve together. I also know how much more our communities need from governments, and I am dedicated to continue fighting to improve the lives of residents.

On January 3, 2023, during the first Board meeting of the year, my colleagues unanimously elected me to serve as Chair of the Hennepin County Board. At age 37 and a daughter to Filipino immigrants, I am proud to be the first person of color to ever serve as Chair of the Hennepin County Board.

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Transgender and gender non-conforming youth, especially youth of color, disproportionately experience homelessness, poor educational outcomes, involvement in the justice system and the child protection system, and are particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking. Further, research consistently shows dramatically higher rates of suicidality among transgender individuals, especially transgender youth. For these reasons, my office led on three separate actions this year that worked to codify protections and fund health care for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.

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On July 8, Minneapolis Councilmember Michael Rainville made racist and Islamophobic comments stating that Somali youth perpetrate an overwhelming majority of crime in our community, without any evidence supporting this harmful claim. He then made a subsequent trip to a mosque in Northeast Minneapolis to tell Muslim leaders that their children must stop this behavior, which is especially discriminatory to me since none of the individuals arrested the night he referenced were from Northeast Minneapolis. Today, I join numerous elected officials and community leaders in fully condemning the Councilmember’s disturbing and damaging remarks.

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Thank you to the numerous residents who have communicated with my office in the last few days. I am appalled by the recent media coverage related to Sheriff Hutchinson and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s office. In addition to past misconduct, the actions described in the articles related to creating a hostile work environment via racist and homophobic remarks and the misuse of his county-issued credit card with expenses over $17,000 in the 4 months after his accident are completely outside of the expectations of any Hennepin worker, and elected officials should operate at an even higher level of leadership.

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Earlier this month, Hennepin County Public Works staff released a recommended concept for the Hennepin Ave NE and 1st Ave NE roadway improvements project. The work on this project, which will stretch from Main St to 8th St, is scheduled for 2024. The District 2 office has received a significant amount of constituent advocacy related to this project over the last few months. This statement provides an update on the progress that’s been made on this important project.

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Today, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion,” which overrules Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. This is dehumanizing to women and birthing people who should be able to make their own healthcare decisions. It is a personal attack on the bodily-autonomy of so many of us, and it functionally takes away rights from millions of people who live in states that have not codified the right to an abortion. We must not only vocally oppose this ruling, but we must do so legislatively as well.

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On June 9, 2022, the Corridor Management Committee (an advisory group to the Metropolitan Council, made up of representatives from corridor municipalities, the Metropolitan Council, community voices, as well as Hennepin County and MNDOT) voted to accept the route recommendation report that revises the 2012 BNSF-aligned route. This vote allows the project to move forward in the federal review process. There will be over a year of further analysis, engagement, and feedback before the details of the final route are determined. This includes station locations and configurations, the connection between Target Field Station and West Broadway Ave, and how the line fits within specific areas.

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On April 18, 2022, Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council announced a new route recommendation for the Blue Line Extension Light Rail project. This decision comes after the need to modify the alignment, an 18 month process of community engagement, and extensive engineering studies. The new route, beginning in downtown Minneapolis at Target Field station, will proceed north towards Lyndale Ave, turn west onto West Broadway Ave, and continue northwest along County Road 81 until shifting due north onto Broadway Ave in Brooklyn Park, and terminating at the Target North campus located just north of Highway 610.

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Hennepin County has declared racism as a public health crisis, and it is against Hennepin’s mission to engage in or encourage racist behavior. We cannot tolerate conduct, especially from employees in leadership, that is in direct violation of those ideas and goals. Hennepin Healthcare management received information on this misconduct weeks ago — it is appalling that no one has faced consequences to date.

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Just before 7am on the morning of Wednesday February 2nd, Amir Locke was murdered while still under his blanket. This preventable tragedy occurred while Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers executed a no-knock search warrant, which was authorized for belongings and did not name Locke. After deliberately creating confusion and commotion upon entering, the MPD shot and killed Locke before he had the chance to fully wake up or hear officers’ instructions. In the hours after this death, MPD falsely claimed that Locke was a suspect in a homicide investigation and falsely claimed that he pointed his handgun at officers during the early morning raid.

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My office has received numerous communications related to an incident on December 8, 2021, which involved the Sheriff and Hennepin County property.

It is illegal to operate a motor vehicle or to carry a firearm with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, and it is inexcusable to do so while acting in an official capacity or while using County property. Elected officials should act and be held to a high professional standard. The information presented in media reports and the Sheriff’s statement indicate actions far outside of this professional standard.

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In recent months, the District 2 Office has received increased advocacy from community members regarding the future plans for reconstructing Lowry Ave NE. In particular, on September 23rd our office received a letter from the Our Streets coalition advocating for safer access to the corridor. This statement outlines the work that has happened to date, the current process, and what Commissioner Fernando is advocating for as the project moves forward.

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On March 11th, Hennepin County and Metropolitan Council staff leaders jointly released the alternative route options that have been developed to move the Blue Line Extension Light Rail Project forward. The alternative routes are categorized into three ‘zones’ to be most responsive to the unique needs of each community.

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This statement outlines my view on the approach being taken, as well as the limitations on Hennepin County Commissioners’ decision-making authority. There has been an immense emphasis placed on the security of buildings and physical spaces, and no clear emphasis placed on healing or community voices. I believe we must prioritize the safety of residents, especially those who are exercising their legal right for assembly.

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I am fully committed to advancing the Blue Line Extension light rail project because it serves racially and economically diverse communities and residents who rely on transit for mobility. While I am disheartened at BNSF’s unwillingness to cooperate on this project, I am also hopeful that we can utilize this opportunity to meaningfully engage residents in the process moving forward.

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Over the last few weeks, my office has received communications related to a specific shelter project, located at the Gordon Center in North Minneapolis. In today’s statement, I will:

1. Share the values with which I am approaching shelter conversations

2. Outline the shelter approach approved within Hennepin’s 2020 budget

3. Provide background and timeline on the Gordon Center project

4. Share upcoming actions and why I support the Gordon Center project

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Unsheltered homelessness at this scale requires scaled institutional responses that address root causes to homelessness, in a compassionate and resident-centered manner. This statement focuses primarily on the government responses needed at Powderhorn Park in South Minneapolis, and will:

1. Outline relevant policy areas, and respective governing bodies responsible for each.

2. Discuss my perspective on the current situation, and the values I’m rooted in.

3. Offer short-term, medium-term, and long-term solutions moving forward.

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On Friday June 19, 2020, Commissioner Angela Conley and I announced a Resolution that declares racism a public health crisis in Hennepin County. See the Resolution here (PDF) and our supporting materials here (PDF).

Today, our Resolution passed in Administration, Libraries and Budget Committee (4 in favor, 2 abstain, 1 absent) and will be before the Board for final approval on Tuesday June 30.

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