April was an incredibly busy month, and I’m excited to share with you some of the work I’ve been doing, and uplift what’s been happening in Ward 10. Before I get into updates, I just want to take a moment to share that every single item at the May 1, 2025, City Council meeting was passed unanimously. The items that were passed included increasing Civil Rights protections for our residents, increasing funding for immigration legal services, increasing funding for housing legal services, and so much more. A lot of attention is given to when there are divided votes on the Council, and so little time is spent highlighting the work at the City that happens with unanimous consensus from all 13 Council Members. I’m proud that this week we accomplished so much together to serve the residents of Minneapolis. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to ensure that amidst all the uncertainty and fear in the Country right now, here in Minneapolis we are ready to work together for our residents.  

Below are some important policy updates that will make our communities more vibrant, more welcoming and more connected. 

Last week my colleagues and I unanimously passed an update to the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance. The Ordinance has gone years without an update, and the most recent changes made Minneapolis the eighth City in the country to outlaw discrimination in the workplace, in housing, or in public accommodations based on weight and height. It also prohibits people from discrimination based on their housing status – ensuring employers can’t dismiss someone for being unsheltered. The changes made history by making Minneapolis the third city in the country to implement protections for people who are justice impacted. Individuals with a conviction a decade or more old can’t be denied a job or housing without an individual assessment.  

I have always believed our local government should be the first line of service and the last line of defense for our residents, something that has become more important than ever as the Trump Administration continues to try and force our communities backwards. This Ordinance is just one way that Minneapolis is refusing to be cowed by the Trump Administration. Instead, we are stepping up to increase protections for our residents in every way we can.  

I’m so excited to announce that this week another critical milestone in developing the old K-Mart Site and reconnecting South Minneapolis! Last week, with my support, the Council approved the New Nicollet Redevelopment Framework, which will act as a guide to the private redevelopment of the site. The framework includes a concept that reflects community priorities and includes community engagement results, the analysis of market conditions, and diagrams for building while maintaining public space. 

This project has been years in the making, and I want to thank all of you who have engaged with City staff, neighborhood associations, my office, and each other in order to ensure that this site is rooted in a community vision. We would not be where we are today without your input and your advocacy. I’m looking forward to continuing to engage with all of you and hear your feedback as the project takes its next steps. 

Each year, the Minneapolis Health Department hosts the annual Local Public Health Heroes ceremony to recognize the individuals and organizations who work with dedication to our community's public health. The theme for this year’s awards was protecting, connecting and thriving – within that framework Council Members and many others were asked to submit nominations to a non-partisan committee who then chose recipients.  

I was proud to nominate the AVIVO Street Outreach Team and overjoyed that they were selected for an award. This team focuses on serving those who face the highest barriers to exiting homelessness, including our most vulnerable populations.  The Street Outreach Team is a reflection of the ways Avivo works to end homelessness in the future while also servicing needs and saving lives right now. They distribute life-saving Naloxone kits to combat the public health crisis created by opioids, are on site when encampments are evicted, and transporting people to shelter and connecting them with services. They work every day to foster trusting relationships that allow them to support individuals and The Street Outreach Team at AVIVO has become a critical part of the City’s infrastructure in addressing homelessness as a public health crisis and serving our communities with the dignity, respect, and care they deserve. It was an honor to see their work be recognized. 

This April my colleagues and I unanimously passed revisions to the Sidewalk Cart and Street Vending Program Ordinance. This was passed after over a year of work and collaboration with vendors, community organizations, and City staff. These revisions increased education for the community that will work alongside the funding we passed during the budget cycle last year to help people legally set up their businesses. Other changes include allowing for street vendors to operate in more neighborhoods and commercial corridors, requiring people holding a license have a permanent location within Minneapolis that they prepare all items sold on a cart, not allowing anyone to operate within 200 feet of a school or park without maintaining a daily permit from the Park Board, and extending operating hours to 6am to midnight or 7am-10pm in residential areas.  I’m proud that I, and every single one of my colleagues on the Council, came together to support our local entrepreneurs who are largely people of color and Immigrants. 

Meeting with Align Minneapolis and Street Voices for Change  

Recently some of my colleagues and I had an opportunity to hear from Minneapolis residents who are currently navigating homelessness or have lived experienced with homelessness, during a discussion with Align Minneapolis and Street Voices for Change. This important meeting was an opportunity to hear from directly impacted people about the need for stable and affordable housing options, community building that empowers and uplifts all residents regardless of housing status and creating safety net programs to support those still experiencing unsheltered homelessness. As we continue to advocate address the public health crisis of homelessness from humane responses to encampments to affordable housing work, it's critical we center the voices of the people most directly impacted by decision making. 

Moms Demand Action Monthly Meeting  

Last weekend I joined Moms Demand Action at one of their meetings. It was an opportunity for me to detail the important work that my colleagues and I have done to help address the systemic problem of all violence in our communities generally, but gun violence in our communities particularly. I spoke about disproportional impact that gun violence has on victims and survivors of intimate partner violence, I talked about the work of Group Violence Intervention and Youth Group Violence intervention happening in the city, and trauma informed models of gun violence response.  

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663  

I had the privilege of joining workers who are members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663 at their informational picket at the end of April. They’ve been standing together to combat short staffing with minimum hour requirements, fighting for store transfer protections so that people are not suddenly pulled from one store to another with minimal notice, and asking for increased wages, better healthcare, and pension opportunities. I will continue to stand in solidarity with UFCW 663 workers so they receive what all workers deserve – the ability to care for themselves and their families. 

We celebrated International Workers Day with an honorary resolution at this week’s City Council meeting, a holiday celebrated around the world as a day to honor workers and the working class as the generators of economic prosperity. In 2006 the immigrant rights movement brought May Day back to the streets of Minneapolis. I was so happy to see that yesterday thousands gathered at the State Capitol to support Workers and Immigrants rights. I hope everyone goes to our city’s unique celebration of spring and the return of the sun, while celebrating creativity, resistance to the growing threats against marginalized people, and being in community with one another. 

I hope to see you at the MayDay Parade this Sunday starting at Noon, along Bloomington Ave between 28th and 34th Street!