Change.In Action.
Monica Martinez doesn't promise change — she's already delivered it. Affordable housing, safer streets, and small businesses that survive and thrive on East Colfax.
Órale. Change. In Action
"¡Órale, Denver!" That's how Monica always introduces herself — the restless, hopeful energy she learned from her father. In English, she just calls it Change.
Monica's father, Lauro — "Ledd" to everyone who knew him — came to this country at ten years old without proper documentation, arriving with his father and sister and leaving his mother and eleven brothers and sisters behind in Mexico. He came with just hope, and órale. He earned his GED while living at a YMCA in Chicago, picked fruit alongside his father in the fields of central California, and eventually put himself through Cal State Long Beach with a degree in math — where he met Monica's mother, a public school teacher who taught bilingual classes across the Latino communities of southeast Los Angeles County.
That same hope — that same órale — carried into Monica's life, and she still has it today. After a literature degree from UC Berkeley and a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Texas, she arrived in Denver in 2003 knowing only the person who'd hired her. Two years later, working for the City, she bought her first home — that little 2nd floor condo — back when a person still could.
This is our city, and this is our moment. Monica's delivered on housing, transportation, and the affordability Denver families need — and she'll get it done on city council.
See the problem. Fix the problem. That's how Monica works.
She has always helped Denverites get the most from their government, whether by establishing Denver's 311 service or helping individual small business owners navigate city and state permitting. Monica created actionable affordable housing strategies such as purchasing East Colfax motels that she converted to shelter, and even helped build the first LEED-Gold residences in Denver.
Outside of work, Monica is married to a fellow Denver public servant — her husband spent years as Director of Economic Development under Mayors Webb and Hickenlooper — and together they're raising a Denver Public Schools high schooler. It's one more reason she's fighting to keep this city livable for families like hers.
Monica in Action
She's spent years in service to making Denver a better place
- Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
- Mi Casa Resource Center
- Vibrant Denver Bond, Chair of the Public Facilities Committee
- Stimulus Investment Advisory Committee
- Denver Women's Commission
- Bus Rapid Transit Task Force
- Advancing Equity in Rezoning Task Force
- East Area Plan Steering Committee
- Colorado Access Social Determinants of Health Committee
A track record of getting things done
On the issues that matter most to Denver families — Monica doesn't just talk policy. She's built it, block by block, on East Colfax and beyond.
Too many Denverites are struggling to live in the city they love.
- Created 37 homes in East Colfax serving those most in need by purchasing and renovating two East Colfax motels.
- Worked on the team that created the nation's first LEED-Gold apartment building, delivering attainable and sustainable housing.
- Fought residential displacement by securing critical funding for rent and utility support for community members in need.
- Champions gentle infill — duplexes, triplexes, and ADUs — to help close Denver's estimated 50,000-home housing gap.
Transportation is a family's 2nd highest household cost.
- Advocated for improved public transit, serving on the BRT policy team.
- Distributed $1M in grants for business support during construction.
- Led the fight to increase housing on transit lines.
- Helped the City of Denver acquire two East Colfax properties — resulting in 160 new units of housing.
- Co-created the East Colfax Cultural District to increase foot traffic.
Denver small businesses are the fabric of our community.
- Created a permitting support program through her nonprofit to help businesses obtain the permits they need to operate, and co-created a cultural district to increase foot traffic.
- Secured over $100,000 in safety grants for small businesses on East Colfax, improving their bottom lines and making the community safer.
Families deserve safe neighborhoods to raise their families.
- Worked to address the root causes of crime by providing 37 units of shelter to those exiting the justice system to begin their path to recovery.
- Created quarterly safety meetings with community members, local nonprofits, and District Two police to increase partnership and improve accountability.
- Champions wraparound care — coordinating with Denver Health and expanding STAR's mental health response — so leaving the streets means staying off them for good.
"She is a woman of action, who makes things happen."
— Lindy Sinton, Retired Vice President, Volunteers of America Colorado
Monica is someone who is always working to make the East Colfax community a better place. She has helped my business improve through access to loans and improved signage and even brings her car in for detailing. All communities could use more folks like Monica.
My husband and I have worked closely with Monica since her nonprofit bought the Sand & Sage motel, where we have been living as property managers since 2020. Monica leads with her heart and is always working to make the world around her a better place.
Monica recognized the need to preserve East Colfax for its businesses and residents before gentrification was "a thing". Her 11 years' effort as Executive Director of The Fax Partnership have made a substantive impact for the people and businesses of East Colfax.
A major project before I retired from VOAC was negotiating a complex partnership with Monica's nonprofit. Monica knows how to advance innovative projects that serve our communities. She doesn't just talk about improving the lives of Denver residents; she is a woman of action who makes things happen.
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