Like almost everything else, Danny became active in Albuquerque politics by way of bicycling.

In the late 80’s Danny organized a bike tour in the East Mountains called “Hell of the East.” He sent a friend and her son to mark part of the route and the 10 year old got a little carried away with marking “Hell of the East” in surveyor’s paint.

On the Monday following the ride, the State Highway Department threatened to sue Danny over the markings. When trying to appease the Highway Department didn’t work, Danny went on the offense. He wound up winning the admiration of both Highway Department bureaucrat and the bicycling community. That’s how he established a positive, long-standing relationship with the NM State Department and met now Secretary of Transportation Rhonda Faught (then Rhonda Martinez). .

Not long afterwards, Danny lobbied both Governors Bruce King and Gary Johnson to create a bicycle coordinator position for the Highway Department as per Federal ISTEA requirements. The position was created shortly after Johnson was elected.

Around the same time, Danny successfully lobbied to make it lawful to ride on rural interstates and to do away with the State’s mandatory sidepath law. As Chair of the Greater Albuquerque Bicycle Advisory Committee, Danny helped to bring bike racks to Suntran Buses. He also couched several bike racers including a women’s team and a youth team.

From 1992 to 1997, Danny published a regional sports magazine called Zia Sports. It covered non-motorized (silent) non-spectator sports like cycling, running, hiking, climbing, in-line-skating, soccer, softball . . .

During that time, Danny became involved in neighborhood advocacy and organizing political campaigns. He found that the same skills he used to organize sporting events transferred to community organizing.

After working on a Jim Baca’s mayoral campaign in the late 90s’, a friend suggested that Danny should run for office. He agreed and thought nothing more about it until that same friend suggested that Danny run in the special, court-ordered AMAFCA election to be held on January 12, 1999 (Danny’s 40^{th Birthday). He agreed because, as a bicycling advocate, he knew that most bike trails ran along AMAFCA channels and because it would give him a seat at the table when it came to how Albuquerque developed. He also soon discovered that AMAFCA had been neglecting the North and South Valleys – which was, in part, the reason for the lawsuit that resulted in the court-mandated election.}

On January 19, 1999 (the election had been moved), Danny became the first Hispanic to be elected to the AMAFCA Board of Directors. 

He immediately immersed himself in learning all he could about water and about drainage. He involved himself in a new organization called the Middle Rio Grande Water Assembly and became one of the founding members of the Middle Rio Grande Council of Governments (now MRCOG) Water Resources Board.

He also helped to get the AMAFCA Board to start addressing Valley drainage issues, work toward more multi-use facilities, reduce developer subsidies and design better water quality treatment facilities. He has been elected to AMAFCA twice, is currently the Board Chair for the second year in a row and is running for his third term.

Danny is currently back in school working toward a Masters of Community and Regional Planning degree from the University of New Mexico.

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