Elizabeth Velasco represents House District 57 in western Colorado. She is the first Latina to represent the western slope and the first Mexican-born immigrant in the state legislature. Velasco grew up in the Vail Valley working in the service industry to pay for her education and support her family. She understands first-hand the struggles and dynamics of the rural resort working class. Before getting elected, she ran an interpretation and translation agency for almost 10 years and became a wildland firefighter and public information officer. The lack of action from previous representatives to solve the ongoing challenges in her community led her to run for office. In her first term, she passed groundbreaking and challenging legislation to protect residents of mobile home parks, expand language access in emergency response, improve wildfire resiliency in the state, and advocate for indigenous communities in Colorado. She co-chairs the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus and chairs the Wildfire Matters interim committee. Velasco is a strong voice for supporting working families, protecting natural resources, and adapting to a changing climate in western Colorado.