Lesley Briones fulfilled a historic feat when she assumed office in 2023 as the Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 4.
She was not just the first mother to serve on the Commissioners Court in the third-largest county in the nation, but she was also a Latina woman, former teacher, civil court judge and daughter of educators from South Texas who never expected to enter politics.
Briones, who grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border, credits her educator parents for her passion for education, which has carried her from public school classrooms to graduating with honors from Harvard University and Yale Law School. Before becoming a lawyer, she returned to her hometown of Laredo to teach 8th and 10th-grade students before settling in Houston, a city she describes as resilient, diverse and full of opportunity.
“The education system, the juvenile justice system, the immigration system, the child welfare system were disserving my students,” she told the Defender. “I don’t even like politics, but what moves me is people and community and public policy and service.”
Political career
Before becoming the Precinct 4 Commissioner, she served as the judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4, the general counsel and chief operations officer for a national nonprofit organization, an adjunct law school professor at the University of Houston Law Center and an associate at Vinson & Elkins LLP.
Recalling her decision to run for the Commissioner, Briones called it an “unexpected blessing” and said she might run for a higher office if “God wants me to serve in another role.” Now, Briones is shaping policy, keeping her children in mind, especially in education and child care.
“I never thought I’d run for office,” she said. “I love it now that I’m here, because every day we get to serve people…my goal every single day is to give it everything I have and I have a tremendous sense of urgency because the people deserve that the government is working for them.”
Reforms
Under her leadership, Briones’ precinct started a pilot early childhood education and healthcare program across Harris County in June 2023, thanks to federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. The program aimed to provide free child care to families in high-need areas.
“Childcare costs are incredibly expensive and there are not enough slots or high-quality slots,” said Briones, while highlighting another initiative for teenagers and young adults to access free mental and reproductive health services at the Baylor College of Medicine’s Teen Health Clinic at the Bayland Community Center in Sharpstown.
The precinct also adopted the county’s first climate justice action plan, pledging a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030. Briones expressed concerns about residents’ lack of access to health care, calling the reluctance to expand Medicaid “unconscionable.”
“We know in many of our Black and Brown communities, our neighbors don’t have access,” she observed. “We’ve taken various steps in investing federal ARPA dollars, focusing on Black maternal mortality in particular.”
Briones says she has taken a similar urgency in addressing systemic failures in Harris County’s criminal justice system, highlighting that the Harris County Sheriff’s Office is the largest mental health facility in Texas, a reality she finds unacceptable.
“We have done several things, one of which is expanding the Holistic Assistance Response Team (HART),” she said of the program dedicated to connecting those experiencing addiction, homelessness, or mental health-related challenges with a professional. “Not law enforcement, because we don’t need that person booked.”
Briones also pointed to support for domestic violence (DV) services, including the “I’m ok. Are you ok?” campaign, funding for children exposed to DV, $5 million in the Domestic Violence Assistance Fund and $1 million to the Houston Area Women’s Center.
Responding to growing statewide restrictions on reproductive care, Briones’ precinct invested $6 million to expand access to contraception and essential health services across Harris County. Additionally, through the “Places 4 People” initiative, Precinct 4 invested $48 million in infrastructure, with roughly 80% of the 2023 and 2024 projects targeting high Social Vulnerability Index communities, which are often left out of public investment.
As Houston enters hurricane season and federal support through FEMA faces budget cuts, Briones said she is preparing her precinct with cooling centers, disaster response trainings and community-based partnerships. She also launched a portable A/C unit giveaway to support vulnerable residents during extreme heat.
Despite the political polarization that can define county government and the looming budget shortfall, she says she leans on her judicial background and civil temperament to navigate disagreements.
“I take my role as a fiduciary of taxpayer dollars extremely seriously and this comes from…growing up check to check. I believe transparency and accountability are key.”
Lesley Briones, Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 4
Legacy
Briones’ legacy, she hopes, is to occupy the “people’s seat,” going into communities, listening and delivering what they asked for.
“I hope my legacy is showing that the government can work, especially for communities that have long been not listened to, or are underserved,” she said, advising young girls of color never to say ‘no’ to themselves. “There’ll be many people in the world who will want to tell you no. But, you should not be one of them.”
