City Representative Chris Canales, District 8, El Paso, TX Videos

The Community Cleanup event at the new El Paso Animal Services Westside Adoption Center was a great success! 🎉⛏️🧹 Around 20 volunteers cleared some outdoor areas on Saturday morning to allow Rescue Runners to expand their route for walking and running the shelter dogs on Sunday morning 🐕🏃‍♂️Thank you to everyone who came to help!

Earlier this week, the City Council considered an agenda item regarding adjustments to water impact fees in the far Northwest, far Northeast, and far Eastside areas of El Paso. This adjustment is essential to cover the costs of new water infrastructure needed to support new developments at the edges of the city, ensuring that ratepayers don't bear the burden of urban sprawl on their water bills. These impact fees haven't been updated in 15 years, leading to a situation in which El Paso's ratepayers subsidize around 88% of the cost of the infrastructure needed to serve these new developments. The Council action, which passed in a 4-3 vote, marks the initial move towards a more equitable distribution of infrastructure responsibility within our city. There will be a final decision made at the City Council meeting on May 7.

Last week, the City Council considered an agenda item that I co-sponsored along with Rep. Hernandez and Rep. Salcido directing the City Manager to review, research, and consider a more robust paid parental leave policy for City of El Paso employees, to include no less than four weeks paid prenatal leave and twelve weeks postpartum paid leave. This policy change is crucial for fostering a supportive workplace that prioritizes the well-being of the City’s employees, ultimately leading to happier employees who provide better service to the public. Watch the video to hear my comments during the meeting.

My comments on the Enhanced Library Card Municipal I.D. pilot program — October 24, 2023
The implementation of a Community ID program, in the form of an Enhanced Library Card pilot program, was approved by the El Paso City Council on October 24, 2023. Here are my comments during discussion before the vote.