Issues
Environment
There is no question that we must do more to protect our environment, from the global to the municipal level. Medford and Malden are specifically at risk due to rising sea levels, increased stormwater flooding, and rapidly changing weather. We also face tough challenges with contaminated soil and lead water pipes that serve some of our homes and schools. The purity of water we drink and the air we breathe are fundamental to our communities’ well being. It is an all hands on deck moment that requires every solution available to us.
Zayda’s Priorities
- Reach 100% renewable energy by 2035, seeking solutions that ensure no one is left behind in the transition to clean energy.
- Strengthen public transportation to reduce emissions and transition our state vehicles to electric.
- Invest in and empower local climate solutions by supporting home-rule petitions that take important steps on climate, particularly the important efforts being made in Medford and Malden to protect our neighbors.
- Replace the lead water pipes and improve outreach to vulnerable families and neighbors with programmatic and funding support
- Protect our waterways and green spaces by working with our communities to provide clean, safe recreation areas for our families while beautifying our cities and reducing heat islands.
Zayda lobbied on the local, state and federal level for funding to expedite the replacement of our lead water pipes. She has worked with environmental groups to move bills forward to fine polluters and switch to green energy.
Housing
We need affordable, safe and sustainable housing that is accessible to people at every stage of life. Seniors deserve to remain in our community where they have built deep roots, young families deserve homes where they can settle, and everyone deserves stable housing they can afford. This crisis demands a multi-level approach, keeping in mind that housing needs vary from city to city and across the state.
Zayda’s Priorities
- Invest in affordable housing by establishing a statewide housing production goal of 427,000 new units by 2040, including 85,400 affordable units.
- Create new housing in our unused space by removing barriers in converting vacant land and commercial buildings to multi-family housing and expediting the process for to create accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
- Promote more paths to homeownership by giving tenants the first right to purchase their units if the owners decide to sell.
- Giving cities and towns the tools they need to stabilize housing. The statewide ban on rent control and bureaucratic “home rule” procedures prevent cities like Medford and Malden from passing laws to address our housing crisis. We need to remove these barriers at the state level, giving communities more options for preserving, funding, and creating affordable homes.
Zayda was a critical part of the effort to create the Department of Housing Stability in Malden. She was selected for the City of Malden’s Household Support committee because of her work in Malden Neighbors Helping Neighbors during the pandemic. Last year, using COVID relief money and with the support of the city, the department was able to keep 1,800 vulnerable residents in their homes.
Infrastructure and Transit
We urgently need to invest in transportation and infrastructure to meet climate and economic needs. Expanding both the T and the commuter rail systems to incorporate new communities into the system will reduce frustrating traffic and get people out of cars and back onto public transit.
The MBTA is breaking down after decades of under-investment, and we are struggling to afford necessary roadway, bridge and tunnel repairs. There are no two ways about it: the state needs to fund efforts to fix our roads and bridges, and we need the T to be safe and reliable enough to be a desirable option for everyone.
Zayda’s Priorities
- Invest in the MBTA and increase oversight to renew focus on serving our communities and hold the MBTA executives accountable.
- Fully fund municipal road repairs and addressing underlying structural issues with roads and highways
- Fix unsafe bridges and culverts to protect our residents from dangerous, preventable failures.
- Create viable alternatives to driving by investing in bike lanes, safer pedestrian infrastructure, and a reliable public transit system, making it easy and safe to get around our district in a variety of ways..
Zayda’s Relevant Experience:
Zayda made Malden her home in the 90’s because of the variety of public transportation options available. She witnessed big infrastructure projects in our state face major problems finishing safely, on time, and on budget. Zayda organized with community partners to pass the Fair Share Amendment, securing much needed funding for transportation infrastructure across the state.
Reproductive Health
Growing up in Oklahoma, Zayda could never take access to reproductive healthcare for granted. As a woman who survived a non-viable, life threatening pregnancy, Zayda is deeply affected knowing that the life saving care she received is no longer available in all states.
She understands that even in Massachusetts, we need to do more to protect ourselves. That’s why she fought for legally protecting abortion access in the Commonwealth in the event that Roe was overtuned federally. That’s also why she supports improving sex ed and fighting misinformation about abortion and sexual health.
Zayda’s Priorities
- Promate accurate, appropriate sex education to protect our young people from dangerous myths and misinformation about reproductive health and promote safe, healthy relationships.
- Restrict crisis pregnancy centers that mislead women and girls about the services that they provide and the choices available.
- Reduce maternal mortality by updating the regulations governing birthing centers, expanding safer birthing options including Midwives and doulas, and incorporating mental health services into prenatal care, with special focus on Black and Latin mothers who still face elevated maternal mortality rates.
- Fund access to prenatal care by removing copayments and other charges from pregnancy care.
Education
Education is an investment in our future. Right now our schools are facing multiple crises at once: funding shortages, teacher and paraprofessional retention, students acting out, and there are no shortcuts to finding solutions. We must address the root causes of these issues. This includes fully funding our districts and creating space to assist students with their social and emotional needs, as well as their practical and education ones. We can foster an environment where our students have their needs met, our teachers are paid their worth, and our districts can thrive.
Zayda Priorities
- Fulfill our commitment to high-quality public education and make sure funding is distributed fairly so that communities like Malden and Medford are not overburdened when compared to neighboring communities.
- Increase support services within the schools by increasing teacher and paraprofessional staffing and access to support materials, safe spaces, and counseling.
- Ensure our schools serve all by removing the pressure of testing as a requirement to graduating and creating a pathway for local school systems to regain control from receivership
- Expand free and reduced college tuition for state residents through age 24 and ensure all residents can graduate from public college and trade school without taking on debt.
- Promote diversity in our teaching staff and curriculum because our students do better when they can see themselves in lessons and in the teachers and staff.
Zayda fought for the Student Opportunity Act, bringing more school funding to working class communities like ours. She advocated for Universal School Meals so that all our students have nutritious meals and are set up for a successful day of learning.
LGBTQ+ Rights
- LGBTQIA rights are under attack in our culture and across the country. There is a concerted effort to undo all the progress we have fought hard to achieve. Massachusetts was the first state to pass marriage equality, and 20 years later there is still more work to be done. We need to guarantee everyone enjoys the same rights and protections under the law no matter their sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, gender expression, or HIV status.
Zayda’s Priorities
- Guarantee all families are equally protected under the law by revising the legal definitions of a parent and how we become a parent to be inclusive of queer and blended families.
- Ensure access to necessary healthcare by removing barriers and ensuring coverage of PreP and gender affirming care across the Commonwealth.
- Protect elders from discrimination by prohibiting long term care facilities from denying or limiting care for LGBTQIA+ patients and residents
- Promote inclusive and accurate sex education so all our students can make responsible choices, navigate the challenges of growing up, and become healthy adults.
Zayda advocated during 2003 for marriage equality so her friends could have their unions recognized. When a ballot measure was introduced that threatened to repeal protections for trans people, Zayda joined the Yes on 3 campaign on the ground floor to fight back. As a community organizer she organized town halls and trained others to effectively advocate for trans rights.