Bauer4Texas PolicyAction

09/04/2026

Rockets over Public transportation 🤔
Our community leaders can invest in rockets to Mars, but not public transportation so people have access to food. They can take land in the name of progress, but not allocate money for screw worm prevention; a year ago. They can close our beach, but not fully fund our schools. Let’s look at validated and reliable data to make equitable policies. Here’s an organization that is doing the real work by starting conversations of working together.

Thank you to Bread for the World RGVfor bringing nonpartisan organizations, community leaders, and policymakers to the table to discuss hunger, food insecurity, food deserts, and how policy shapes the non-medical drivers of health.

As a public health professional specializing in how policy impacts health, I believe it’s important to recognize: everything is public health policy. The policies we create influence where people live, work, eat, and thrive.

Grateful for the collaboration and commitment to building a healthier, more food-secure RGV

09/02/2026

This evening I was grateful to have the opportunity to spend the evening with former State Representative Larry Gonzalez and State Representative Col. Teri Wilson discussing civil discourse and free speech in higher education.

The conversation emphasized the importance of creating an environment where people with different perspectives can respectfully share ideas, listen to one another, and engage in meaningful dialogue.

Free speech is essential to our democracy, and higher education should encourage open discussion while promoting respect and civility. Additionally, lawmakers SHOULD respect subject matter experts in higher education and listen when we say their anti DEI laws are wasting our time.

It was an evening that reinforced the importance of being willing to listen, learn, and disagree respectfully.

Esta noche tuve el gusto y el privilegio de compartir con el exrepresentante estatal Larry Gonzalez y la representante estatal, Coronel Teri Wilson, conversando sobre el diálogo civilizado y la libertad de expresión en la educación superior.

La conversación destacó la importancia de crear un ambiente donde personas con diferentes perspectivas puedan compartir sus ideas con respeto, escucharse mutuamente y participar en un diálogo significativo. La libertad de expresión es esencial para nuestra democracia, y la educación superior debe fomentar el diálogo abierto, promoviendo al mismo tiempo el respeto y la cordialidad.

Fue una noche que reafirmó la importancia de estar dispuestos a escuchar, aprender y estar en desacuerdo de manera respetuosa.

08/31/2026

Most elected officials have never step foot in organizing spaces. But not the real MVP Ms Senator Molly Cook. Not only is she a public health professional but she is boots on the ground organizing.

Come join a virtual event to learn how to be a real advocate for our communities!

08/30/2026

After yesterday’s City of Brownsville meeting I am extremely disappointed in the City of Brownsville and the decision to speed up selling land process in the name of “growth.”

When Sunday mass and prayer couldn’t ease my mind I was able to spend a Sunday morning in Laguna Madre at the South Texas Ecotourism Center. I was surrounded by my children, tourist, and volunteers in the vast, diverse, beautiful landscape of our valley.

Watching my children experience nature, take it all in, and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us, I could not help but wonder what we are leaving behind for them.

That thought overwhelmed me.

Let’s call a spade a spade. When a company tells a community it is “all or nothing,” that feels less like partnership and more like a bullying tactic.

In the words of Obi-Wan, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.”

“All or nothing” is an absolute.

If that is truly the message, then maybe it is time to ask, whose loss is it really?

Because this is our community.
This is our home.
This is our land.
This is our environment.
This is our culture.
This is our history.

I believe in progress. I believe in economic opportunity. I want to see Brownsville thrive. But growth and preservation do not have to be enemies.

We should not have to choose between economic development and protecting the environment, culture, history, and natural beauty that make this place special.

There has to be a better way.

How do we move forward while protecting what cannot be replaced? How do we welcome opportunity while making sure the people who call this place home are actually heard?

We deserve a seat at the table.
We deserve transparency.
We deserve meaningful representation.
We deserve to have our voices respected.

If anyone should have the power to give ultimatums, it should be the constituents who live here, raise their families here, work here, and will live with the consequences of these decisions.

I am disappointed. I am angry. I am heartbroken.

But I am also hopeful.

Our community matters.
Our voices matter.
Our history matters.
Our environment matters.
Our children matter.
Our future matters.

We are not against growth.

We are asking for growth that includes us, respects us, and protects the things that make Brownsville home.

Because when I look at my children enjoying Laguna Madre, I cannot help but think about the responsibility we have to leave them something worth protecting.

This is our community.
This is our home.

And our future should not be decided without us.

May the Force be with Brownsville, but more importantly, may the voices of its people be heard.

08/29/2026

08/29/2026

🚨🚨🚨 TODAY, SATURDAY AUG 29 @ 4pm, the city of Brownsville will be holding a meeting to discuss using taxpayer monies for SpaceX projects. The community is asking for more information, time, and deny more access to land for this private company who has yet to give back to our community.

If you can be there to submit public comment please attend! If you can not please sign petition and submit online comment. ALSO SHARE, like, and comment to encourage others!

Saturday show up to City of Brownsville, TX - Municipal Government city meeting and tell the city commissioners to vote against giving away land to SpaceX. Sign up to make a 3 minute public comment bit.ly/bpcomment

Sign the petition online as well: bit.ly/elonlandgrab

08/28/2026

I had such a great time attending the Healthy Futures of Texas South Texas Summit. I always leave these gatherings grateful for the opportunity to spend time with so many fellow advocates, educators, researchers, and community leaders who are committed to reproductive health and justice in South Texas.

But I also left frustrated.

It is incredibly frustrating to see how our state and local policies can make it so difficult for schools to implement evidence-informed reproductive and sexual health education.

If you want to prevent unplanned pregnancies among adolescents, teach health education.
If you want to prevent dating violence, teach health education.
If you want to help prevent sexual exploitation and human trafficking, teach health education.

If you want young people to recognize unhealthy relationships, understand consent and boundaries, identify risks, and know where to go for help, teach health education.

Texas has some of the most restrictive policies in the country governing human sexuality instruction.

In 2024, Texas had a teen birth rate of 18.5 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19, compared with 12.6 nationally. That is about 47% higher than the national average.

if we are serious about prevention, we have to be willing to ask whether the policies we create are actually giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy, informed decisions.

Ask your local school board: How are you setting the foundation of health for the children in our community?
Ask your candidates how they plan to imrpove healthcare through education.
Ask about your district's health curriculum.
Ask about your School Health Advisory Council.
Ask what evidence informs the curriculum.
Ask how students are being taught about healthy relationships, dating violence, abuse, trafficking, consent, and reproductive health.

Because prevention should not start after a crisis.

Prevention starts with education.

08/26/2026

On Monday, I had the opportunity to attend the Texas House Committee on Natural Resources hearing in Weslaco, where Texas House Representatives and invited experts discussed one of the most critical issues facing South Texas: our water future.

The committee discussed oversight of the Texas Water Development Board, implementation of SB 1169, regional water planning, infrastructure, and innovative strategies to develop new water supplies; ncluding brackish groundwater desalination, seawater desalination, water reuse, and emerging technologies. A common theme from non-partisian subject matter experts was that Texas has known about the challenges facing our water resources for decades. We have had the data, the projections, and the warnings. What we cannot afford now is continued delay.

We do not have the luxury of waiting for a water crisis to force our hand. We need to implement evidence-based interventions, invest in infrastructure, support responsible innovation, and make long-term water planning a priority today—not decades from now. But investment and innovation must also come with accountability. We need legislation that establishes clear responsibilities and holds everyone involved—from state agencies and policymakers to regional planning entities, water providers, and other decision-makers, accountable for the decisions they make and the commitments they undertake. Texans deserve transparency, measurable outcomes, and consequences when our water future is not being responsibly protected.

For the Rio Grande Valley, this is especially important. Water affects our families, farms, businesses, economy, public health, and future growth. Decisions being made today will determine whether our communities have access to reliable and sustainable water tomorrow. As a South Texas native and member of a farming family, I’m grateful for the opportunity to listen, learn, and stay engaged in these conversations.

We know the problem. We have known it for decades. Now we need the political will, investment, and accountability to act.

08/24/2026

Dear haters (and crooked Paxton bots), Since my FB James Talarico post gave me your attention here’s more 💁🏽‍♀️

I think it’s important to explain WHY I support James, and honestly, why I support any politician I support.

As someone who works in policy research, I’m looking at the FACTS. I care about whether someone is willing to look at the evidence, make evidence-informed decisions, and actually put in the work.

Trust me, I do NOT support all Democrats. 😂 The ones I do support, I’ve made the effort to get out, meet them, listen to them, and actually explore their policy stances. I don’t just support someone because there’s a “D” next to their name.

I believe in access to education. I believe in access to healthcare. I believe in environmental safety, inclusion, non-medical drivers of health and I believe in this little thing called SCIENCE. 😂 (it just so happens most democrats support these issues)

You can absolutely disagree with my opinions. That’s part of having a conversation. But I’m not going to argue about facts.

If you want to have an actual conversation about policy, evidence, or why I support who I support; let me know. I’ll pull up. Have a blessed day.