Fun for all: Lizbeth's story

Lizbeth Ibarra loves to play and have fun. The 12-year-old particularly enjoys relaxing on a swing at a playground. But, for most of her life, finding an accessible playground near her home in the Pasadena area was challenging. Lizbeth's wheelchair couldn't go on the grass or wood chips at most playgrounds. Plus, the playsets weren't made for people of differing abilities.

In Precinct 2, that's changing. Since 2019, under Commissioner Garcia's leadership, Precinct 2 has invested $19 million to upgrade or replace 13 playgrounds to make them accessible so everyone can play. Lizbeth is proud to be part of Precinct 2 where she can swing and get around the playground with ease. Click here to hear her story.

Watch the "We are Precinct 2" series

Honoring our SHEroes

In honor of Women's History Month, we highlighted women who are making Precinct 2 a better place to live, work, and play by empowering others in their communities. Click on their pictures to read their inspiring stories!

Jessica Hulsey

Victoria Villanueva

Stella Mireles

To celebrate International Women's Day, Commissioner Garcia shares a loving tribute to a very special woman in his life. To read it, click here.

Prioritizing public safety with ARPA support

This month, we celebrated the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) anniversary. ARPA was signed into law two years ago with the goal of accelerating the pandemic recovery. Precinct 2 leveraged this funding to make strides in addressing public safety using a comprehensive approach. Here are some examples:

Employ2Empower

Thanks to ARPA, Precinct 2 transformed lives through the Employ2Empower by providing employment and support services to those impacted by homelessness. The program began as a pilot program in Precinct 2 in 2021 and expanded countywide last year. To learn more about the program and its impact, click here.

VIPER Taskforce

Commissioner Garcia led the charge for the Violent Persons (VIPER) Task Force in Commissioner’s Court. Since September 2022, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Viper Taskforce has cleared 859 warrants, including 21 murder warrants. To learn more, click here.

UT Health Trauma & Resilience Center

ARPA funding helped Precinct 2 provide mental health support for our first responders and survivors of domestic violence. To learn more, click here.

Behind the Scenes in Precinct 2

From celebrating a major milestone of Precinct 2's workforce development division to improving our programs for seniors, join Commissioner Garcia for another behind-the-scenes look at some of last month's important events.

Revive2Thrive: Change for West Gulf Bank Rd.

This month we marked the beginning of the West Gulf Bank Road reconstruction project! This investment will greatly improve the safety and accessibility of this area for drivers and pedestrians, including students who walk to Carroll Elementary and Keeble Primary schools.

The project includes:

Increasing lanes from two to four
Adding 8’ wide sidewalks to both sides of the road
Improving drainage
Construction of median and left turn lanes
Improving street lighting and more

Construction is expected to begin next month and be completed in October 2024.

Flood relief in South Belt

This month, we also celebrated the completion of the South Belt Stormwater Detention Basin, which holds approximately 505 million gallons of water!

This $35 million investment, completed in three phases, removes more than 150 homes from flooding.

For additional information, visit www.hcfcd.org/C-05

Addressing climate justice

Precinct 2 hosted the county’s first ever Climate Justice Planning meeting on March 11 at the Galena Park Branch Library. Residents from Aldine to Baytown gathered to develop strategies to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on our communities.

Representatives from Precinct 2, the Office of Sustainability, Environmental Public Health, Community Services, and the County Attorney’s Office engaged with residents.

The group shared insights into how the county can partner with the community to achieve a more just and sustainable environment. The event was sponsored by the Coalition for Environment, Equity and Resilience through grants from the Hershey Foundation and Partners in Places.

This meeting kicked off an effort that will result in a Community Climate Justice Plan. The Climate Justice Plan will incorporate the principles of social justice, equity, and inclusion into climate action and promote community resilience in the face of climate change. It will complement the Climate Action Plan the county adopted earlier this year for its internal operations.

Here2Serve: Meet Mercedes

Mercedes Sánchez

Precinct 2's Sr. Director of Policy & Community Relations

Q: What has been a significant milestone for you during your time at Precinct 2.

A: My most significant milestone has been launching Employ2Empower. It is not just because I got to join Commissioner Garcia at the White House to present the program (which was an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime experience, where Dr. Biden walked in front of me and smiled!). It's because of this program's real-life transformative impacts on the participants...READ MORE

Q: What does Women’s History Month mean to you, and how do you celebrate it?

A: It reminds me to strive for greatness and fight for a better world for my daughter. During this month, we remember the great trailblazers who came before us, who have been exceptional, opened doors for all of us, and left a mark in history. We all should feel empowered to improve things, whether big or small...READ MORE

This month, Commissioner Garcia led or voted in favor of the following items:

Funding for jail operations: Commissioners Court approved $7.4 million for jail operations, with $3.4 million coming from ARPA and the rest from General Fund. The funding will help in assisting partner agencies in safely reducing the jail population and improving jail infrastructure and technology.

Emergency rental assistance funds: The court unanimously voted to allocate an additional $1.1 million of federal funds granted to Harris County. These funds will enable the program administrator, Catholic Charities, to continue providing rental assistance throughout 2023 and serve approximately 188 households currently in the eviction process throughout Harris County.

Eviction defense legal services: The court approved $4 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support a network of housing and legal service providers to meet increased demand through funding for attorneys, paralegals, intake staff, interpretation, community outreach, and programmatic costs. Lone Star Legal Aid and Neighborhood Defender Service will provide these legal aid and eviction defense services to Harris County residents.

Reproductive Healthcare Access Fund: Commissioner Garcia approved $6 million for the Reproductive Healthcare Access Fund to support access to a full spectrum of reproductive healthcare options for low-income, uninsured Harris County residents so that individuals achieve their desired reproductive life goals.

Women’s Empowerment Center: Commissioner Garcia voted to approve over $565,000 to assist with program coordination and administration functions at the Women’s Empowerment Center, formally known as Little Baker. The Women’s Empowerment Center has been repurposed to house a maximum capacity of 500 minimum- and medium-security female Harris County Jail inmates.

Commissioner Garcia presented resolutions to:

Honor the Vietnam Combat Veterans Association of Houston. VCVA volunteers raised over $300,000 to build the Vietnam Fallen Warriors Monument and gifted it to Harris County and the City of Houston.
Honor the life of Deputy Darren Almendarez, Commissioner Garcia presented a resolution seeking support for the passage of Texas SB 957, which aims to name a portion of a highway after the fallen Deputy for his sacrifice and dedicated service to the residents of Harris County.
Support Texas HB 130 and any identical legislation creating six district courts in Harris County. The court’s caseload has more than doubled since 1984, the last time any significant number of new district courts were approved.