Housing and Homelessness

My top priority is housing. We are never going to solve the homeless crisis without more housing. We have not built enough housing for decades – we need to build more low and middle-income housing. The shortfall has contributed to housing costs going up faster than incomes and creating a housing affordability gap. We need to reduce permitting times and building code conflicts – this will reduce costs. I support increased density, which will offer affordable housing types and also benefit alternative modes of transportation, such as transit, biking and walking. The other side of the housing affordability gap is incomes. We need a thriving local economy so small businesses can flourish and family-wage jobs are available to all Portlanders.

Although more people are moving from homelessness to housing, we have not stemmed the tide of more and more people becoming homeless. Prevention approaches such as rent assistance and eviction prevention assistance are both effective and humane, as they help people avoid the trauma of homelessness. Programs for preserving and maintaining existing naturally occurring low-income housing should be supported and enhanced. These efforts can achieve housing stability at a fraction of the cost of new housing and reduces the need for additional new housing.

When evaluating programs, I will use a lens of what helps people long-term in their recovery from the trauma of homelessness into stable secure housing. I believe housing is a right and is essential for health and wellness. Housing security affects all other systems. We need to provide a continuum of housing options to meet people where they are. Temporary shelter where people have privacy, wrap-around services, addiction and mental health services, job training where applicable are all part of the need. It’s important to recognize that needs may differ for different groups and individuals and at different stages of recovery from the trauma of homelessness.

Public Safety

Everyone should feel safe in our community. I support Portland Street Response, faster emergency response times, gun violence prevention programs, and safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists. The increase in hate crimes is concerning and should be a special focus for public safety. Our public safety bureaus should work together in a collaborative and transparent way. We need to have systems to ensure accountability for police.

Climate and Environment

I support Portland Clean Energy fund, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, zoning changes to increase density, more tree canopy for shade and habitat. I support the Climate Emergency Workplan and further actions to address resiliency. Often our most vulnerable residents experience the harshest impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. We need to make sure all our programs address environmental justice. Clean air and water are essential to our community. We must act to protect our natural resources.

Small Business

Our small local businesses are the heart and soul of Portland. But they are struggling. There are more than 30 vacant business properties and storefronts in St. Johns and Kenton alone!! Vital to success are the neighborhood business districts including St. Johns, Kenton, Soul District, Alberta and culturally specific groups such as Hacienda, NAYA, APANO and the Black Business Association of Oregon.

We can implement a program like San Francisco’s Vacant to Vibrant program, for pop-ups in vacant storefronts, run by a non-profit with public and private funding.

We can lean into programs such as Bricks Need Mortar, which announced partnerships this year with Powell’s Books and Travel Portland.

We can activate spaces with artists and performers such as this year’s successful Music Portland City Sessions or Tacoma Artscapes .

Fundamentally, we need to improve how we provide basic services – street cleaning and public safety. We need investments to prevent vandalism, theft and break-ins. We need to make permitting easier and more streamlined. Programs offered by Prosper Portland and other city agencies need to be more user-friendly. Let’s get to work supporting our vital small businesses. I will be your small business champion in City Hall!

Transparent and Accountable Government

As a member of the Charter Commission, I worked alongside my fellow commissioners to propose reforms to our city government to increase transparency, accountability and responsiveness. Portlanders deserve a more effective government.

I am committed to making sure District 2 residents have a voice at City Hall. I commit to meeting with residents from throughout the district on a regular basis and having office hours regularly in the district. I am collaborative and will work to establish better working relationships with other cities, the county, Metro, state and federal partners. We all need to work together to solve our biggest problems.

Resilience

We can’t stop natural disasters but we can be prepared. And we need to recognize that vulnerable populations are often the most impacted so we need to keep in mind the needs of everyone. Several issues are of concern for District 2.

One urgent issue is the Critical Energy Infrastructure [CEI] Hub along the Willamette River and Hwy 30. The CEI Hub is the storage location for most of the fuel used in the state. I support the recommendations of environmental groups and neighborhood associations who have advocated on this issue for years. Their recommendations include:

• The fuel tanks should be moved to safer locations and spread throughout the state so fuel will be available to meet communities’ needs.
• While fuel tanks are still here, measures like these can reduce life-safety dangers at the Hub:
  • Prevent the release of toxic gasses that are likely to spread deadly plumes into the air in an earthquake or accident.
  • Reduce the amount of flammable fuel that is stored at the Hub.
  • Remove unused, out-of-service fuel tanks that can collapse, ignite fires, and contaminate the river.
  • Require facilities to install operational shutdowns to stop cascading events in a disaster.
  • Hold facilities financially responsible now for the risks they pose. This is the best way to avoid costly and time-consuming litigation later.

A major issue for North Portland is transportation access in the event of an earthquake. Two railroad overpasses in North Portland (Lombard and Columbia Blvd) are not earthquake ready. If there is a major earthquake, it is likely that 30,000 residents in North Portland would be stranded and unable to get to emergency provisions or services. We need to work with Metro and state and regional partners to replace these overpasses to protect residents.

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