Policy
What We've Achieved
As YOUR Boston City Councilor At-Large, Julia has passed over 20 pieces of legislation through her community-centered, data-driven, approach to governance.
Civic Engagement & Information Justice
1. Language Access Ordinance: requires the City to release all official information in languages spoken by at least 5% of the population at the same time as English documents.
2. Ranked Choice Voting: Our office co-sponsored and passed a home-rule petition to implement Ranked Choice Voting in Boston municipal elections.
3. Closed Caption Ordinance: requires closed captions on public TVs to make community more accessible for people with hearing loss.
4. Lowering the voting age to 16 in Boston: Our office sponsored and passed an a home-rule petition aimed at lowering the voting age to 16 for Boston Municipal Elections.
5. Digital Democracy Ordinance: Our office sponsored and passed an ordinance codifying the need for the Boston City Council website to remain resourceful, accessible, and up to date.
Education Justice
6. Elected School Committee Home Rule Petition: Our office co-sponsored a home rule petition to reinstate an elected school committee for Boston Public Schools. This decision was driven by our commitment to representing the 78% of Boston voters who favored returning to an elected school committee.
7. Resolution to Stop the Re-location of the Obryant School from Roxbury to West Roxbury: Our office passed a resolution to halt the re-location of the O'Bryant due to concerns of transportation inequity exacerbating educational outcomes.
8. Establishment of a Literacy Task Force: Our office sponsored an ordinance to create a Task Force to address the Literacy Rates in the City of Boston.
Immigrant & LGBTQIA2S+ Protections
9. Resolution Declaring Boston a Sanctuary City for LGBTQIA2S+ Residents: Our office sponsored a non-binding resolution declaring Boston a Sanctuary City for LGBTQIA2S+ residents, and are actively working to craft binding legislation to follow.
10. Codifying the Office of LGBTQIA2S+ Advancement: Our office co-sponsored the ordinance to guarantee that the Office of LGBTQIA2S+ Advancement exists regardless of whoever holds the Mayoral seat.
11. Codifying the Office of Immigrant Advancement: While the Office of Immigrant Advancement was previously created it was never established or codified into law, our ordinance ensured its preeminence by writing it into the City Code.
12. Establishing the Office of Cultural Affairs: Our office filed and sponsored an ordinance to address the specific needs of our communities. Cultural Advisors now advance the needs of historically excluded populations, such as Latinos, Caribbeans, Cape Verdeans, Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and other growing diverse populations.
Racial Equity & Economic Mobility
13. Establishment of a Reparations Task Force: Our office filed and passed an ordinance establishing a task force to study reparations.
14. Fair Chance Act: Our office filed and passed an ordinance formally codifying a Chief Diversity Officer position who will work with all City agencies to develop a detailed plan for the hiring of minority, women, LGBTQ+ employees, and employees with disabilities; a detailed plan for the promotion of said employees; and a detailed plan for improving workplace culture, preventing harassment, intimidation, and bullying.
15. Retail Residential Kitchens: Our office sponsored an ordinance to create permits allowing residents to cook and sell certain foods. This ordinance: eliminates barriers to access for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners, allows people to safely buy and sell products in their own communities, and empowers low-income, women and BIPOC entrepreneurs.
16. Establishing the Office of Black Male Advancement: Our office sponsored an ordinance to create a commission for Black Men and Boys in Boston. This ordinance lead to the creation of the Office of Black Male Advancement in the City of Boston. During the budget season, our office helped secure an operating budget of: $1.8 million.
17. Juneteenth: Our office co-sponsored an ordinance to make Juneteenth, on June 19th, a citywide holiday.
18. Establishing the Office of Police Accountability & Transparency: Our office co-sponsored an ordinance to create a new office to promote transparency in the BPD as well as to create a Civilian Review Board for the department.
19. Alternative to 911: Our office co-sponsored an ordinance to establish an unarmed, trained alternative to 911 crisis response system.