This questionnaire was first published for the June 2024 primary. It has been updated with additional questions, as noted.
Kyle Brown
kyleforcolorado.com
Relevant experience
Colorado House of Representatives, 2023-present
Louisville City Council, 2020-2023
Priorities
- Climate action
- Affordable housing and health care
- “Ensuring that every kid and family can thrive”
Most proud of from your most recent term?
Since joining the legislature in 2023, I have passed 34 bills regarding issues as diverse as climate change, affordable housing and health care, and Marshall fire recovery. Legislation I have led is helping to make it easier for families to add rooftop solar, while modernizing our electrical grid to accommodate the distributed sources of energy we need to fight climate change. I passed legislation to strengthen the state’s public option program and provide more funding for transitional housing and nutrition services for low income, working Coloradans. In response to the Marshall fire, I have passed eight different bills, bringing $13 million in financial relief to folks who lost their homes and were underinsured.
See Brown’s sponsored legislation for 2024 and 2023
Efficacy rating (as calculated by Boulder Weekly): 58%
15 of 26 bills on which Brown was a primary sponsor were sent to or signed by the governor
Lightning round
Please answer yes or no only. We will not print extended or explanatory answers
Do you support the state’s elimination of local occupancy limits? I voted for this bill.
Do you support ending the state’s prohibition on local rent control? Yes. Local communities need additional tools to support affordable housing. I voted for the bill to allow local communities to decide if this policy is right for them.
Do you support requiring more density in your jurisdiction as a way to address the affordable housing crisis? I support increased density in appropriate locations.
Do you support the Front Range train as the state’s highest priority for passenger rail? Yes.
Who are you supporting for president and vice president?* Kamala Harris and Tim Walz
Do you support local efforts to increase the minimum wage?* Yes
Do you support government interventions for human-caused climate change?* Yes. I have a long record of supporting and sponsoring legislation that will take climate action.
Do you support for SB24-157 which narrowed the definition of what constitutes a public meeting?* Yes.
As email, texting, and other methods of communication have advanced, our decades old laws regarding open meetings and open records have not kept up. I supported efforts to better define open meetings and open records in the era of modern communication while maintaining public access to documents and decision making at the state level.
*These questions were added for the November general election
When was the last time you paid rent? How much was it? And where?
2014; $1,200
Rent has continued to skyrocket in the last 10 years. We need to make sure that we have programs and appropriate regulations in place to make rent affordable while we work to appropriately balance supply and demand long term.
What would you say are the top issues facing District 12, and what are your plans to address them in a way that differs from the current approach?
Climate change: The Marshall fire brought into stark relief how the changing climate is putting our community at risk. We must continue to take climate action by accelerating the adoption of renewable energy as we make sure our communities are built in resilient ways that will help mitigate the impacts of future disasters. I have passed legislation to do this and will continue to make sure this remains among my top priorities every legislative session.
Cost of living and income inequality: Even in Boulder County, too many families struggle to make ends meet. I have supported property tax relief, the family affordability tax credit and expansions of the earned income tax credit so that working Coloradans get a much needed tax break. I will continue to work to make sure that every family has what they need to thrive and everyone pays their fair share.
Health and safety of every family: Every kid and family deserves access to a healthy environment and the health care they need. I have designed and passed important updates to our health care system that help expand health care access to more Coloradans. I passed legislation to make sure that every kid has access to free mental health care when they need it. I have also passed legislation to help protect our community from lead pollution from nearby airports and to keep firearms out of our preschools and off college campuses. I will continue to focus on legislation that keeps our families healthy and safe.
How do you plan to help evolve the transportation systems to meet Colorado’s climate goals, while balancing the realities of car dependency for those who must rely on personal vehicles?
Too many of our communities in Boulder county are not well served by transit. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, service levels have dropped such that East County communities like Lafayette are poorly served. We must continue to invest in our transportation infrastructure so that our community is better served by transit. I strongly support Front Range passenger rail and plans that would bring a train to Boulder County. In the meantime, I support providing additional funding to our transit system so that we can increase bus rapid transit throughout Boulder county.
Given the realities of a changing climate and limited government resources, how do you plan on balancing mitigation and adaptation for already-impacted populations in D12?
Homeowners should be empowered to protect their homes and neighborhoods against climate change. This means having a local electric grid that can handle rooftop solar as well as electric vehicle charging. I have passed legislation the last two sessions to make it easier to install solar panels on your home and to make sure individual homeowners don’t have to bear the brunt of updating the local electrical grid to accommodate climate friendly technologies. We also need to make sure that local covenants don’t prevent homeowners from making their homes and neighborhoods more resilient. This year, I passed HB24-1091 to make sure that HOAs and other restrictive covenants couldn’t prevent homeowners from installing fire resistant materials in their roofing, siding, fencing or decking.
How do you plan on balancing the need for additional housing in D12 with the limited availability of water?
We must make smart use of our scarce water resources. I supported efforts in the legislature this year to eliminate the installation of nonfunctional turf. Changing the way that we landscape and the way that we design communities can help reduce water use. But we must make sure that any new housing and development can be served by our limited water resources. Statewide and local planning efforts must take into account whether sufficient water resources exist to support additional development.
How does JEDI factor into your policy making?
I approach all policy making through an equity lens. Different communities and different individuals have different lived experiences that reflect different needs. I strive to connect with community leaders from different racial backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds, folks living with a disability and community members who are LGBTQ+. Whether in criminal justice, mental health, tax policy or other areas, I work to make sure the policies that I champion at the state house ensure that everyone has what they need to thrive.
What efforts do you make in your daily life to consider and understand people with different lived experiences from your own?
I am fortunate to work and live with a diverse set of colleagues, staff, and friends. I ask questions and engage with folks who have different lived experiences and those conversations enrich and inform my own experience. Whether we agree or disagree on any given issue, I always make time to try to understand their perspective. By listening to voices with different ideas and lived experiences, I am able to improve the policies and legislation that I champion at the capitol.
When’s the last time you changed your mind about something, and what was it?
The ability to change one’s opinions or approach in the face of new information and evidence is an important aspect of leadership. As a legislator, I am constantly faced with new issues and information that inform the policies I choose to lead on. Sometimes, well-intentioned programs don’t work as intended or laws have unforeseen negative consequences that must be mitigated. The state legislature must constantly evaluate the available evidence to determine where programs can be improved, where we need new approaches, and where existing laws or regulations need to be eliminated. I will continue to use evidence to make sure our policy is based on sound science and information that is guided by our community’s values.
What question would you ask a fellow candidate on the ballot?
With climate change threatening our community and more than 10% of Boulder County residents living in poverty, how will you work to make sure everyone in our community is healthy and can thrive?