Issues

Clean air, land, and water, and climate justice

Climate justice is a human right. Erika will continue her work to make Pittsburgh an environmental leader in the region, state, and country — promoting sustainability, conservation, and a clean energy economy that works for everyone. She will work to ensure everyone has access to safe, affordable drinking water, and keep our water system publicly-owned and operated.

Erika’s signature plastic bag ordinance and comprehensive lead safety legislation represent major steps to keep Pittsburgh’s streets and rivers clean and our children free of toxic contaminants, but much work remains. In another term, Erika plans to get Pittsburgh back on track to meet its 2030 Climate Action Plan goals— further promoting sustainable stormwater management that reduces flooding and sewage pollution, creating more workforce opportunities in the green economy, retrofitting our homes, offices, and everywhere in between to be more energy efficient and healthy, and catching up to our peer cities in helping residents cut down on the amount of waste that is sent to landfills or ending up as litter on our streets.

Equitable, inclusive, and growing economy

Building a strong and inclusive economy is imperative in an effort to protect the future of every Pittsburgher. This includes crafting a housing policy that boosts supply and affordability for people at all incomes in all of our neighborhoods. This also means making Pittsburgh a better place to build, to work, and to do business— particularly for our locally-owned small businesses— where businesses can start up with minimal friction and residents can expect speedy approvals for permitted improvements to their homes.

Erika will continue to call for diversity in its employment base and on the City’s boards, authorities and commissions. She will continue to work to ensure Pittsburgh’s minority, women-owned, and LGBTQ+-owned businesses have access to all of the resources and contracts they deserve.

An accessible and safe Pittsburgh for all

No Pittsburgher should have to worry about the integrity of their physical environment. This means reinvesting in our built and geological infrastructure, making our streets, sidewalks, bridges, trails, hillsides, river districts, and parks as safe as possible. Whether 9 or 90 years old, folks should have the ability to walk, bike, roll, gather, and learn freely in every neighborhood in the city. As the chief sponsor of an automated red light camera bill in City Council that will help reduce dangerous driving and a participant in and promoter of the City’s Vision Zero Task Force, Erika will continue to prioritize the safety of all Pittsburghers.

Erika is also committed to continuing the support for the Office of Community Health and Safety, violence interruption efforts, and other programming that steers vulnerable youth away from crime, as well as properly staffing and equipping our EMS units so that we have enough medics and technicians on the streets in vehicles that won’t break down.

Erika believes that safety isn’t just about physical security–-it also means preventing attacks on people’s dignity as human beings. Whether you’re an immigrant, a queer person, a teen in an opportunity-scarce neighborhood, or anybody else, Erika is committed to making Pittsburgh a place where nobody feels empowered to mess with you – especially in this harsh national environment.

A Pittsburgh where all residents are empowered and engaged

In order to forge a more perfect union, our processes must be transparent and our citizens engaged. Erika will foster a government that is transparent, allowing citizens to be involved in the decision-making process and Pittsburgh as a whole is responsive to the needs of its citizens. She will work to empower businesses and neighborhood associations to work cooperatively with City officials and residents to address local projects and issues. Residents and advocates, especially women and people of color, must be integrally involved in the operating and capital budget process, providing their thoughts and input to shape priorities and investments. She will be a strong voice in favor of continuing to improve the City’s budget process to ensure it is transparent and open to all, and reflects the City’s commitment to creating safe, healthy, productive lives for all residents.

A prosperous educational system for every student

The success of our schools and the success of Pittsburgh go hand in hand. Investing in good schools is an investment in our neighborhoods, our communities, and our future. Excellent schools not only provide opportunities for students to excel, they also keep neighborhoods vibrant, attract and retain families in the city, and increase property values. Erika will fight for passage and funding of quality, affordable, inclusive, universal pre-k, which will help level the playing field for all students. It’s critical that, as a city, we address the ways in which poverty and racism have led to an unacceptable opportunity gap for too many Pittsburgh children.