Dr. Lisa Calderón

- Quantify how crime prevention programs cost less than expanding the policing budget

- Predict that his billionaire tech friends can’t buy him the next election 😎 5/5

- Expand voting access instead of undermining the Clerk & Recorder

-Collaborate with City Council and the Auditor instead of bullying them

- Calculate that he can't "solve homelessness" by cutting eviction defense funds 4/

- Identify qualified leaders instead of political cronies

- State facts instead of lying about his “successes”

- Advise against retaliating against City workers and costly lawsuits 3/

- Manage Denver’s budget without scapegoating workers

- Forecast an economic downturn and stop overspending

- Save 170+ jobs instead of destroying their careers and livelihoods 2/

Denver embraces AI as mayor tries to shrink government The city is already using AI to cut its call center budget.

If Mayor Mike Johnston loves AI so much to replace Denver City workers, he should start with himself. 🤖

Here’s a list of things AI would handle better than Johnston:

Join us this Wed 9/24 for my house party for our friend Amie Baca Oehlert, former head of Colorado Education Association & candidate in CD8—one of the most competitive seats in the country!

Let's send a teacher & labor leader to Congress to represent working people. RSVP bit.ly/924hp

Mayor Johnston is nominating an unqualified ally to run Denver’s most powerful safety agency with the largest budget.

Political cronyism erodes public trust when we need accountability most.

We need experienced, accountable leadership that protects our communities, civil liberties & tax dollars.

As the new Co-Chair of the Colorado Working Families Party, I'm excited for our progressive endorsements!

These powerhouse candidates made it through our competitive process & represent our values of advancing racial, social, and economic justice through grassroots organizing & electoral action.

Laid-off City workers are showing courage. They are not walking away quietly.

They are demanding justice—not just for themselves, but for all City workers living in fear. They are not alone.

We see you.
We believe you.
We support you.

The resistance movement has begun. ✊🏾💜 8/8

Mayor Johnston promised transparency. Instead, Councilmembers were left in the dark, and dedicated city workers were blindsided and traumatized.

Career protections were stripped. Processes changed overnight. Workers were evaluated under new, secretive criteria. Just like DOGE. 7/

The appeals represent the tip of the iceberg.

Workers are organizing—challenging retaliation, discrimination & political targeting.

It's about more than budget cuts. It's about holding a millionaire mayor accountable for replacing dedicated workers with inexperienced cronies. 6/

These workers aren’t “disgruntled”. They are dedicated public servants. They were silenced—until now.

The City forced workers to choose: accept a severance agreement & stay quiet, or appeal & fight back.

These 10 chose the harder path. Their voices are just the beginning. 5/

9 of the 10 appellants allege age discrimination. Senior staff with institutional knowledge were targeted. That’s not cost-saving. That’s ageism.

These layoffs were not neutral or necessary.

They disproportionately impacted senior staff, women, people of color, and caregivers. 4/

The appeals list serious issues:

- Age discrimination (9 of the 10)
- Sex and race discrimination
- Disability discrimination
- Political retaliation for criticizing Mayor Johnston. This is whistleblower punishment.

These are not isolated grievances. This is a pattern. 3/

10 laid-off Denver workers have filed appeals alleging discrimination, retaliation, and political targeting for criticizing the Mayor.

They gave up severance pay to fight for justice.

That’s courage—and it’s just the beginning. 2/

Denver City workers are rising up & fighting back!

They're filing appeals, speaking out, and organizing after being unjustly targeted in mass layoffs under Mayor Mike Johnston.

This is just the beginning—and they’re not alone. We're meeting this week with even more of them. 1/

We need fighters rooted in working-class struggles, not corporate boardrooms.

We need movement builders, not political career seekers.

The best thing establishment Dems can do is pass the torch to a new generation of leaders who will fight for our future. 8/8

Bottom line: this poll isn’t just about billionaire-backed uninspiring politicians. It’s about the crisis of representation in Colorado.

People want leaders who fight for them—not status quo bureaucrats chasing careers and wealthy donors.

Colorado voters deserve better. 7/

Progressive candidates show what’s possible: leaders who will fight for affordable housing, fair wages, quality education, and justice at home & abroad.

They know that the people who are closest to the pain should be closest to the power. 6/

Billionaires aren't going to save us.

But now, Colorado has real alternatives for Congress:

-Amie Baca Oehlert, a lifelong educator & union leader running for CD8 to fight for schools, workers & families

-Melat Kiros, an attorney running for CD1 to root out corruption in politics, restore voting rights, & return power to the people 5/

Their refusal to stand up against the genocide in Gaza—and even voting to fund it is the height of hypocrisy: preaching democracy at home while ignoring justice abroad.

They should be ashamed of doing nothing while every day children are being bombed and starved to death. 4/

These “moderates” have built careers aligned with corporate interests, supported Trump nominees, while acting like they've been fighting for us.

They continue to fail up while working-class Coloradans fall further behind. 3/

Colorado voters don’t want Polis, Bennet, Hickenlooper [or Johnston]—and disdain both parties—68% negative versus 30% positive.

The Democrat Party’s strategy of propping up “safe” incumbents backed by wealthy donors who profit from the status quo isn't working. 2/

Not surprised.

Colorado’s corporate Dems are boring & out of touch—propped up by billionaires as families face job losses, soaring rents, & rising costs—while remaining silent about genocide in Gaza.

We deserve better. We need fighters for working people. 🧵

I'm old enough to remember when Mayor Johnston denied that Flock camera data is accessible to ICE for immigration enforcement purposes, stating the system was not designed to support such activities.

Either he was lying or completely clueless about DPD's data security failures.

There's nothing "compassionate or competent" about forcing workers to pay the price for Johnston's overspending & mismanagement. He initially stripped away seniority as a factor in layoffs until unions protested.

The mayor's race starts next year. Voters will remember.

Good riddance. A "nice guy" who covered up bad acts by top leaders.

With few exceptions, Denver’s safety managers have been products of cronyism and the Peter Principle.

The community has always had to fight for input and transparency in mayoral appointments—and we will again.

"Learned hopefulness" is a curious phrase to use when addressing Denver's budget crisis & economic distress.

When I worked with domestic violence survivors we used it to explain why abusive relationships persist, believing that things will get better. It's a form of gaslighting.

Demand to Mayor Johnston to turn off Flock cameras Monday 7/21 3PM, East Steps of Denver City and County Building.

This press event will address Mayor Johnston's ongoing refusal to turn off mass surveillance Flock cameras and release the audit logs, and his denial that Denver’s Flock data has been misused and shared with ICE and others. It will occur hours before his State of the City event.

Launch party for CD1 candidate Melat Kiros July 24 6 PM at Green Spaces, 2590 Walnut St.

I'm proud to endorse @melatkirosco.bsky.social! She's the bold visionary we need in Congress. Rooted in community, she's not beholden to the establishment. She's a fighter for working people.

Melat is the future of our movement and our democracy.

Launch party RSVP bit.ly/4eRA7h5