How does that change your planning moving forward?

No, it absolutely does.

I mean, when I was running, the three big issues that I was focusing on was the 287G coming into our jail system, working with ICE.

I know I don't have a lot of oversight over public schools, but not having local control of our public schools was a huge challenge for me and a lack of Medicaid expansion.

Those three issues, when we talk about the 287G and keeping ICE out, that's something we have to sign on.

you know ed gonzalez is an independent you know independently elected person but getting the unfunded mandate by governor abbott was a challenge the closing of our schools eliminates our future workforce and then the lack of expansion of medicaid forces us to continue to heavily fund here's health because we don't have the access to health care for a lot of residents I mean, I would say those three issues just there are not barriers anymore.

They are now conversations that we are able to have with with our new elected governor.

Now that you've won, will that still be on your agenda to help those over in Fifth Ward with the Cancer Cluster?

How does that change your planning moving forward?

No, it absolutely does.

I mean, when I was running, the three big issues that I was focusing on was the 287G coming into our jail system, working with ICE.

I know that I don't have a lot of oversight over public schools, but not having local control of our public schools was a huge challenge for me.

and a lack of Medicaid expansion.

Those three issues, when we talk about, you know, the 287G and keeping ICE out, that's something we have to sign on.

You know, Ed Gonzalez is an independent, you know, independently elected person, but getting the unfunded mandate by Governor Abbott was a challenge.

Now that you've won, will that still be on your agenda to help those over in Fifth Ward with the Cancer Cluster?

Absolutely,

absolutely.

We are, and from multiple spaces, I mean, not just on the healthcare end, but if you look at, you know, Houston specifically here as county, we experience more natural disasters and hurricanes here.

And you'll often find that the areas that flood the most are Black communities.

and then they don't have an opportunity to rebound, we're gonna find that they're not gonna be able to be insured.

As gentrification is happening, they're not gonna be able to stay in their homes.

And so the constant level of stress that our black communities experience, it makes us sick, it really does.

So please tell us, what can a county judge actually do to change funding, public health programs, hospital accountability, prenatal care, postpartum support, to make it better for not just black women, especially for black women, but for everyone?

So why was it important for Houston to be here in D.C., having representation here?

Thank you so much for having me.

This is exciting.

Anytime I can express the needs of our community, it's important.

So Fifth Ward is a historic community in the city of Houston.

And in the 1940s, early 1950s, they were using creosote to preserve the wood in our real yards.

And now, years, decades later, we find that that creosote entered the groundwater, created a plume underground, and those vapors have created an issue, a carcinogenic issue in that particular community.

little bit of love there.

And so what do you see, you know, what are your three or four issues that you believe will resonate with voters in Harris County?

So the number one thing is disaster recovery, preparedness and resilience.

We flood every single time it rains here.

And so making sure that we're putting infrastructure dollars in communities that struggle the most, looking at social determinants is something that we're focusing on.

The economic opportunities here.

spend billions of dollars in terms of procurement.

Oftentimes, the same corporations or companies get the bids every single time.

Where does Harris County currently stand?

What are you going to do differently when you take control in the world?

I think the first thing that has to happen is there's got to be a level of consensus on the diets, right? I believe that we've got to be more collaborative.

We have to respect each other.

And we have to have those hard conversations behind closed doors so that we're not having them on a diet.

When a disaster comes, because my main job is disaster recovery preparedness and resilience.

When a disaster happens, we all have to be a long step.

And I just don't think that our constituents in Pierce County feel that way right now.

many of the old guard would think about, will you actually, and that's one of the great thing about bringing in a younger person, a more talented person, a doctor who understands these policies, will you be trying to implement your version of things that make life better for your constituents?

that.

My mother is Yemeni and Persian.

My dad is Black American.

I was raised as a Muslim.

I come from a very, very diverse family.

And so they have already AI'd me in hijab and saying, I'm going to bring Sharia law to Harris County.

Listen, they could do all the things.

and tell Harris County why you're the best person for the job, and likely do not fall for the distraction or the posers.

What do you want to do as, you know, county judge? What do you think you can get accomplished?

Yes, we did transformational work as a city council member, and I plan on getting things accomplished as well.

I'm not a lifetime politician.

I'm a dentist by trade.

My job every single day talks about listening to my patients, understanding what the problem is, diagnosing it, and solving the problem.

I cannot get away with kicking the can down the road.

And so my expectation are multiple spaces.

What's going to be your response when they turn the heat on you on that?