Portlanders desperately need well paying jobs that keep up with the inflationary costs of living. Companies with market caps in the millions like Schnitzer Steel Industries, Portland General Electric, and Columbia Northwest Natural Gas are a few of these companies based right in Portland. Sadly they do not pay living wages. Neither are companies like U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the nation with more than 10,000 employees, Intel Corporation, Precision Castparts Corp, Wells Fargo, and Adidas, all with more than 10,000 employees pay their employees living wages. While the wages they do pay are higher than the minimum wage, they can afford to pay living wages of $35 an hour to their Portland employees. I will introduce ordinances compelling these very profitable companies to share their profits through living wages, zero cost benefits like comprehensive healthcare, generous paid time off accruals and 401K matching programs along with retirement packages, and stock buy in options just to name a few.

My “Jobs Not Jails” agenda just starts here. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and other government agencies and departments are short staffed leaving so many aspects of government diligence and responsibility lacking if not entirely ignored. Why not take Multnomah County Corrections prisoners and fill staffing shortages to complete delayed projects like road repair, graffiti removal, street cleanups, parks upkeep and maintenance, as examples? They would be taught life changing employment skills, thus preparing them for a happier life, post-jail.

If we are to end the revolving door, we must give our at-risk population an opportunity to land on their feet and to be able to support themselves. The same applies to those with substance use disorders, camping out on our streets, injecting themselves out in the open... Jails and prisons are not for them, as they are not criminals. Many suffer from traumatic abuse and injuries, using drugs as a false coping mechanism. In order to assist and help them, mandated rehabilitation, also known as “involuntary hospitalization” must be used. Many addicts will not seek treatment willingly. They need to be compelled, even against their own autonomy, for their own personal safety as well as the publics’ well-being. I realize that mandated rehabilitation is a bitter pill, but doing nothing is never a solution. It’s inhumane allowing our fellow Portland Citizens to continue to suffer on our streets.

The addiction crisis and substance use disorders are city wide emergencies and must be declared as such (not just for a gimmicky 100 days). We must expand distribution and access to naloxone. Prevention and overdose education, access to treatment for substance use disorders, early intervention with individuals at highest risk for overdose are all critical. Increasing the enforcement against illegal drug production and dealing will be an integral part of my comprehensive war against fentanyl. Zero cost drug test strips are essential to detecting drugs laced with the deadly drug. While some argue, safe needle exchange/safe zones to use drugs are akin to endorsing/enabling, I believe these safety nets are necessary medical evils to be monitored and to intervene in the chance of an overdose on the road to recovery.

Once the addicts are weaned off toxic and lethal drugs, they can begin the process of true rehabilitation. Job training only goes so far. We need to place recovering individuals with job placement in agencies like PBOT (Portland Bureau of Transportation). They can learn to sustain themselves with meaningful work within our public infrastructure . Everybody deserves a second chance. Portland must lead the way in empowering individuals who are differently (en)abled. Individuals with physical and/or mental challenges should be given the opportunity to work, like others, without disrupting their benefits with the federal government. What this translates to, individuals can only work 10-15 hours a month, maximum. The City has chronically vacant administrative positions, many of these are customer service jobs that leave callers on extended holds due to inadequate staffing. These potential workers could step in, if only given a chance to contribute to society. There is no such program in the country that accommodates individuals with these hour specific parameters for job access and a healthy work/life balance.

Similarly, I want to give individuals with physical and mental challenges opportunities to work while keeping their benefits with the federal government. What this translates to is that these individuals can only work 10-15 hours max a month. The city has too many vacant administrative positions (many of these are phone positions that leave users on hold forever due to inadequate staffing) that these individuals could fill if only given a chance. I am aware that there is no such program in the country that accommodates individuals with these hour specific needs. There is no reason why Portland can’t lead the way in empowering individuals differently (en)abled.

When it comes to the unhoused camping out in tents on our streets dealing and using drugs out in the open, some people want to take the tough approach and not do anything to help them because many of them “chose” to be homeless. Many of them choose to do drugs, and I’ve talked to so many voters who don’t feel it is their responsibility or the city’s to continue to pour millions upon millions of dollars into helping them out of a mess they dug themselves into. On the other foot, there is the humanitarian angle. We can’t just leave these people rotting on the streets, bringing further harm to themselves and us hard working Portlanders.

I had the pleasure of meeting Brandon Farley (a journalist, videographer, and now a city council candidate) indirectly at the Portland State University candidate debate/forum hosted by mayoral candidate Durrell Kinsey Bey. Brandon himself survived 7 years on the streets of downtown Portland unhoused. He was gracious and generous enough to give me invaluable insight from his own lived experiences on addressing our houselessness pandemic plaguing the streets in our city. Those of us who have never been unhoused need to not only seek out success stories like Brandon’s but must continue reaching out for input and feedback from the houseless themselves.

Certainly, we cannot let them deteriorate in this condition. Even though many of them have lost the spark of life, there are ways to bring hope back to the community. More outreach is essential; meeting them where they're at. While I 100% support Portland Street Response (they’ve been immensely crucial in reaching out to the houseless with resources and medical care) and fully reinstating their budget, this formerly houseless advocates for more activities like Potlucks in the Park. That's where they come together in mass. They definitely need a seat at the table, so we can receive input from the very population we are working to help. We need to find leaders/representatives within the houseless community, or formerly houseless and pay them to do outreach. 24-hour shelter access, day and night, could and would provide more stability for them. There, they can get connected to broader resources.

We have the resources, already. They just don't know how to access them. Housing is necessary, of course, even if they can't pay rent, but then what do you do with them? If they are not taught the proper life skills, they are likely to be evicted within a few months. Nobody ever talks about building out a program for these people that will place them on the right path. He stressed the importance of job skills, meal preparation, financial education, laundry funds and access to clean presentable clothing, so their self-esteem can be lifted, and they can get ready to compete in the job market. Negligently overlooked are bathrooms downtown which we need more of, so they don't have to urinate and defecate everywhere.

Also, Basic Income for the chronically houseless who can prove they've lived in Portland for more than 2 years. To qualify, they must go through case management and have set goals to improve their lives. Of course, none of this would be that beneficial if they can't get off the highly lethal/toxic drugs. As a city government, we must take a strong stance against drugs and meet the homeless where they're at. They've been coddled way too much, in his opinion. The reason many of them have given up is because nobody tries to empower them or be real with them and tell them they're mucking it up in life. Accountability can go a long way. If we treat them as victims, they'll remain in a perpetual state of victimhood. If we give them the right tools to rise up out of extreme poverty, they will do exactly that.

  We can’t continue the unsustainable environmentally polluting gas-chugging, fumes-emitting vehicular madness. Let’s make Portland bike-able once more by reinstating the street cleaners and expanding safety distance to 6 feet for bikes all while protecting and defending the sanctity of the bike lane! The days of delivery/passenger service cars/trucks holding bike lanes hostage only ever intended for bikes are over. To increase city funding, any/all nonemergency/nonessential vehicles parked in a bike lane will receive a $600 fee on top a 10% fee based on the vehicles value brand new penalty with the penalties doubling per incident. To encourage walking and lessen the reliance on cars often with only one occupant, let’s improve accessibility of commuters on foot/bike by making TriMet fare free with more routes running 24/7.

  As a disabled or senior homeowner, one can borrow from the State of Oregon to pay his/her property taxes to the county. If one qualifies for the program, Oregon Department of Revenue will pay his/her county property taxes on November 15 of each year. To participate, a homeowner must file an application with the county assessor either by April 15, or file late from April 16 to December 1 and pay a fee. I want to introduce a similar measure for non senior/disabled homeowners who are low income to bring much needed/sought after property tax relief to these homeowners investing in their future financial security/wellbeing.

  Home prices in Oregon are undeniably sky high which presents a real challenge for first-time home buyers in Portland. I want to help many Portlanders go from being landlord serfs subsidizing landlords’ incomes to returning their hard earned money back into their own pockets. More Portlanders can be homeowners instead of paying outrageous price-gouging rents. In conjunction with the newly created Small Business Office, I will add to that office’s infrastructure the ability to coordinate with first time homebuyers with the home loan options, homebuyer programs, and first time buyer grants available in Oregon. The Small Business Office will help first time homebuyers navigate the nightmare that is the home buying labyrinth and maze of government bureaucracy and banking regulations and mind numbing policies and protocols. I also will explore tax incentives to help lower the costs of buying and owning a home in addition to the already available programs and resources/services.