Jovita Schiffer is an independent education consultant. In her current role, she oversees learning centers within the Boulder Valley School District. She has said her work helps underserved children improve their educational outcomes.
Schiffer was born in New York to Puerto Rican parents and is a single mother of two sons. She lost her home to foreclosure in 2012. She said she spent eight years rebuilding her life and credit before buying another home in Superior.
Schiffer has said that her current home nearly burned down in the Dec. 30, 2021 Marshall Fire. She has said her top three priority areas are equity, economic stability and wellness.
Some of Schiffer’s major endorsers are Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Speer, City of Lafayette Mayor JD Mangat and Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin. Her endorsements from organizations include the Colorado Working Families Party, Boulder Progressives and Moms Demand Action.
Her opponent in the Democratic primary is Judy Amabile.
Why are you running for the state legislature?
As a leader in Boulder County for 25 years, I have significant experience improving the lives of everyday people. From my early days as a human resources director to my role as a small business owner and now as a manager for Boulder Valley School District, I’ve consistently created better outcomes for children and families in Boulder County through effective problem-solving and collaborative partnerships. I’ve served on numerous boards, including the Colorado Department of Education, where I’ve had the opportunity to shape policies that directly impact our children’s education. I’ve also collaborated with CU Boulder’s School of Education as a research partner and co-authored graduate courses on Compassion and Dignity with the Renée Crown Wellness Institute. My advocacy efforts have taken me to Washington, D.C., and the state level, where I’ve championed the well-being of children, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of countless children and families. As a Black-Latina community leader and working mother, I know how to create positive change in systems designed for only a few of us to thrive. As your Senator, I will fight for everything we all need to have stable lives in an increasingly chaotic and challenging world.
What distinguishes you from your primary opponent?
My path to becoming the first Black-Latina candidate for the Colorado Senate in Boulder County is a testament to my skills and experience in successfully navigating and challenging the systemic barriers resulting from laws and policies that consistently leave many of us behind. Despite the hurdles of classism, racism, and misogyny I have faced throughout my life, I have not just survived but thrived. My personal and professional success proves my ability to identify the barriers holding many of us back, collaborate effectively on solutions, and create better outcomes. As a bilingual, BIPOC, working single mom, I am acutely aware of what is at stake this November. As a seasoned leader, I know that change is always challenging and that meaningful changes require persistence because they are rarely successful the first time around. My personal and professional life demonstrates that we can forge a better future for ourselves and our families when we approach it with courage, compassion, and collaboration. I am committed to bold, courageous, inclusive leadership that fosters economic stability, equity, and well-being for everyone in Senate District 18.
The issue of homelessness played a central role in Boulder’s municipal election in 2023. Yet, homelessness is influenced by factors outside a city’s control, such as the high cost of living and lack of mental health treatment capacity. What would you do at the state level to address homelessness in cities like Boulder?
Homelessness varies in cities in Senate District 18. Boulder faces chronic, visible homelessness. Superior and Louisville experienced acute, “hidden homelessness” due to the Marshall Fire — families doubling up or people sleeping on couches. All three cities, in the face of rising housing costs, are also seeing a steady increase in hidden homelessness. Boulder and Boulder County are making significant strides in addressing homelessness, investing over $25 million in new initiatives. These efforts primarily focus on permanent supportive housing that provides mental health and trauma-informed services, recovery facilities, peer support, and a high-utilizer program to aid those who interact most with the criminal justice system. Some of these investments are showing remarkable success rates of over 90% in keeping people housed. While Boulder County is making significant progress with high-impact programs, other cities are not. The key to effectively addressing homelessness at the state level lies in aligning efforts, sharing information, and replicating successful programs. To end homelessness, we also must focus on prevention. This means ensuring people have access to comprehensive mental health support, jobs that pay a living wage, affordable housing, healthcare, and childcare, as well as proven prevention programs like emergency financial assistance and eviction prevention.
In the 2023 city election, Boulder elected its mayor using a form of ranked-choice voting. Proponents of this voting method want to extend it to elect candidates for the Boulder City Council. They argue that to do this, state lawmakers must mandate the Colorado Secretary of State to establish new regulations enabling the city and county to conduct elections using a multi-winner form of ranked-choice voting. Would you support such legislation? Why or why not?
Yes. Permitting cities and counties to innovate and problem-solve is critical when addressing persistent challenges. I include low voter turnout, negative campaigning, and underrepresentation of marginalized communities in that category of persistent challenges. When making decisions, I focus on outcomes, and multi-winner ranked-choice voting, where voters rank candidates in order of preference, has shown several exciting outcomes regarding voter turnout, negative campaigning and underrepresentation. Some studies have shown that multi-winner ranked-choice voting encourages more candidates to run and has the potential to boost voter turnout by offering a more inclusive and engaging electoral process. They also incentivize candidates to build coalitions and appeal to a wide range of voters, leading to more positive and issue-based campaigning. Multi-winner ranked-choice voting systems lead to more diverse representation, particularly for minority groups and women, while maximizing acceptance of election results from most voters. Voter education, outreach, and buy-in from the Secretary of State and local election officials would be crucial to any effort to change how we elect our leaders. It would also be essential to understand the cost-effectiveness of this type of change relative to other potential efforts, such as campaign finance reform, to reduce wealthy donors’ influence on elections.
Earlier this year, lawmakers passed the “just cause” eviction bill, marking a significant legal change in renters’ rights. Some lawmakers want to further these protections by repealing a Colorado law that prohibits cities like Boulder from capping rent increases, a measure they believe would improve housing affordability. What are your thoughts on repealing this law?
I would absolutely work to repeal the state ban on rent control, including control for pad rents in manufactured home communities. Skyrocketing rents are why we see high eviction rates and people needing emergency financial assistance. There have been some recent failed attempts to lift this ban due to opposition from property owners. Still, state legislators must persist in their efforts to give local governments more options for combatting the affordable housing crisis. Rent control could provide long-term tenants with stable and affordable housing, prevent arbitrary or excessive rent increases, and mitigate income inequality in high-cost areas like Boulder County. It could also be a tool for dissuading investors from attempting to profit from rent-backed securities, where corporations purchase large numbers of units and use rent payments and underlying mortgages as collateral for investment bonds. Those against rent control claim it will decrease the housing supply by disincentivizing development, reducing landlords’ investment in property maintenance and improvements, and increasing the need for monitoring and compliance. However, we need to allow local governments to experiment with regulating rental markets and find solutions that make it harder for larger, out-of-state investors to push out smaller, local landlords who invest in our communities.
Last session, lawmakers introduced a bill that would have required state regulators to stop issuing new oil and gas drilling permits by 2030, in line with global commitments to zero out fossil fuel emissions responsible for global warming by midcentury. Gov. Jared Polis and many Democratic legislators were skeptical of the bill, and it was ultimately voted down in committee. What are your thoughts on restricting oil and gas drilling in Colorado for climate and public health reasons?
I would have supported this bill, and as the Senator for SD18, I will work to restrict new oil and gas drilling in our state. Limiting oil and gas drilling aligns with our climate goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, mitigating the impacts of global warming, and supporting local and state efforts to transition to cleaner energy sources. It aligns with our public health goals by improving air and water quality and reducing associated health risks while conserving natural landscapes and wildlife habitats. And because drilling often disproportionately impacts marginalized populations, restricting new oil and gas operations furthers our equity goals. Opponents of this bill said it would lead to job losses and decrease funding for public services like schools, but this is already happening. The Marshall Fire was estimated to cost over $2 billion. The 2013 floods were estimated to cost over $3 billion. Colorado homeowners are paying an average of over 50% more for insurance this year, businesses and workers are losing revenue due to power failures, and local governments are paying more to offset climate-related infrastructure problems every year. Our communities are all already losing money. We need a just transition that prioritizes people over oil and gas profits.
