Senator Cleave Simpson is Colorado's Senate Minority Leader. In this episode of UNLOCKING CHANGE, Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) hosts Herbert Alexander and Ryan Conarro sit down with Senator Simpson to talk about everything from water rights and climate change in Colorado, to his journey from his boyhood farming in Alamosa to state office, to questions of criminal justice reform and mitigating extreme sentencing in Colorado. It's all a question, says Simpson, of leaning into the nuances.

UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

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00:00 Unlocking Change Introduction
01:49 Meet Cleave Simpson
02:48 Running for Senate District 6 Office
04:11 The Role of Senate Minority Leader
05:44 The Infuence of Compassion
07:16 Every Senator Represents Their Constituency
07:43 "Raising the Floor": A Moment of Unalignment with the Party
11:03 Perspectives on Extreme Sentencing
12:14 Root Causes & Crime Rates: Auto Theft, Bank Robberies, & More
17:13 The Aguilera-Mederos Case: CO Governor Reduces a 110-Year Sentence
20:45 Simpson's Experience with Criminal Justice Policy
23:06 Snapshot of this Colorado Legislative Session
25:06 CDOC's Requested Budget Increase
26:07 Workforce and Housing in Rural Colorado
26:41 Climate Change and Water Issues
27:15 Additional Prospective Bills
27:39 "A Knot to Untie"