About Austin
My parents adopted my sister and me when I was just 1 year old, and I have called Modesto home ever since. We didn’t have it all, but we always believed in giving back. That commitment to our community inspired me to lead charity drives and tutoring sessions at Enochs High School, study politics and history at Fisk University, and receive my Master’s degree in Legal Studies from Humphreys University.
I have always been fiercely proud of my hometown. Modesto has big challenges, but I love to work hard, build bridges, and give back. I am proud to apply my legal training and represent Modesto on our first-ever Civilian Police Review Board, which empowers our citizens to build a better future for our police department. We are working to improve mental health services, increase police accountability, and maximize the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and officers. I also represent Modesto on the Equity Commission, which pushes our City government to meet the needs of every citizen, regardless of your neighborhood, background, or physical ability.
Moreover, as head of the Stanislaus County Medical Reserve Corps, I manage over 200 medically skilled volunteers, all to improve the health of our communities. We have built strong partnerships with our public schools, the Stanislaus County Veterans Center, the LGBTQ Collaborative, and other local groups, leading to countless families being vaccinated in time for the school year. I also have even more experience in cross-agency collaboration and leadership thanks to my career as an Emergency Preparedness Analyst for Stanislaus County.
Now, I’m running for City Council because Modesto deserves energetic and diverse leadership. Together, let's make Modesto a better home for everyone.
My Priorities
Building Strong and Safe Communities
As a founding member of the Civilian Police Review Board, the head of the Stanislaus County Medical Reserve Corps, and an Emergency Preparedness Analyst for our County government, I am proud to be a leader in making Modesto safer for our families. I’m running to bring that experienced and innovative leadership to our City Council. In addition to equipping our police officers with the resources they need, I will push for a robust public safety plan: PROTECT and PREVENT.
Protect our streets by expanding the Community Health and Assistance Team (CHAT) into a 24/7 service and doubling its staff, exactly as recommended by our Police Chief. By deploying social workers to non-violent crises, CHAT frees up our police officers to focus on serious crimes. Already, CHAT saves hundreds of lives every year – let’s turn that into thousands.
Prevent criminals from becoming repeat offenders and youths from falling into crime in the first place. Modesto already has some exciting initiatives (like Stanislaus State’s Project Rebound and the nonprofit Legacy Alliance) that direct offenders towards rehabilitation and education, and away from our overcrowded prisons. Let's build up strong partnerships between these and other programs, the City, and the County, so we can reduce crime and keep our families safe.
Increasing Fiscal Responsibility
The Measure H sales tax pumps $40 million into our City government each year – but we never know exactly where that money goes until after it's spent. The board overseeing these funds only has to do one annual report to the City Council. In 2023, it met only twice.
Taxpayers deserve to have a real say over our tax dollars. As one of Modesto’s Equity Commissioners, I am already pushing to increase the transparency of the City budget. As your City Councilmember, I will push even harder for accountability by expanding the Measure H Oversight Board. The Board shouldn’t just be nine people meeting in City Hall every few months: it should consist of multiple representatives from each district, with a commitment to conduct town halls, surveys, and other outreach efforts on a regular basis.
That way, we can have real input over where our sales taxes go – be it fixing sidewalks, improving our parks, supporting our first responders, or tackling our housing crisis.
I will also promote transparency right here in District 6. Through my social media accounts and other awareness projects, I will constantly update you about how government funds flow into our community. Most importantly, I will always be available to hear your feedback.
Together, let’s bring our government closer to the people.
Solving Our Housing and Homelessness Crisis
As the father of a beautiful young girl, I know all too well how hard it is to raise a family here in Modesto. We are making progress on our homelessness crisis, but with our cost of living constantly squeezing more people out of their homes, we clearly have more work to do. Here are just a few of the ideas that I want to bring to our City Council:
- Encourage the development of duplexes, accessory dwelling units (also known as ADUs or “granny units”), infills, tiny homes, and other affordable homes so our housing market becomes more stable.
- Update our zoning to promote planned communities that prioritize safety, sustainability, and affordability, such as mixed-use developments, land trusts, co-ops, and intergenerational housing.
- Increase awareness of tenant rights and financing programs, so Modesto families are not being unfairly evicted or denied opportunities for homeownership.
- Collaborate with state and federal agencies to secure motel rooms for housing-insecure community members, improve the conditions of our emergency shelters and subsidized housing complexes, and pursue other necessary solutions to our homelessness crisis.
Using my expertise as an analyst in our County government, I will work hard to turn these proposals – and so many other great ideas coming from our community – into reality.