We can build a better Portland
A More Progressive Portland​
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Pause ALL Debt while most of us are not working
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Move to a 30 hour work week with full benefits
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$20/hr Minimum Wage
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Pass a Green New Deal & Create Food Resilience
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A Public Bank to keep our money local working for us
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Housing First and Affordable Housing for All
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Health Care for All
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Ample Sick & Vacation leave
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A more diverse and representative city council
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STAR Voting for more fair, democratic elections
A More Progressive Portland is Possible
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We know the way things were wasn't working for many of us. In addition to increasing risk factors for pandemics and global food instability, our economy failed to serve the needs of everyday people. Even the latest COVID-19 bailout contained numerous giveaways to the wealthiest in our society, and the unequal distribution of relief dollars favored large corporations over small businesses. The economy that is in crisis is an economy that wasn't working for us, and we have an opportunity to create something better, a society that focuses on meeting human needs as its top priority over the economic interests of corporations and the wealthy.
Let's create a society that prioritizes meeting basic human needs like housing and healthcare, where we work less and have more time for family and community and doing the things that keep us healthy and happy.
This crisis teaches us we CAN make major changes when life is on the line. With climate change, our lives are on the line, and we can act collectively to create a better future.
It’s time for a RESET to get through the crisis and move forward…
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Pause ALL debt while work is stalled.. no mortgage OR rent payments until people are working, then resume payments as normal
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Spread out work (and improve health) by redefining full-time as a 30 hour work week with full benefits and a $20/hr minimum wage.
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Portland Green New Deal & Food Resilience. Let's reserve some roads as dedicated bike streets to triple the number of bike commuters.
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Focus on Housing First for the homeless using housing pods and transitional housing with needed services provided on-site.
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Restore affordable housing through policies designed to treat houses as homes instead of commodities to stop driving up house costs & rents.
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Create a Public Bank for better loans while keeping our money local working for us rather than sending millions to Wall Street banks.
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Insist on Health care for ALL. With COVID-19, none of us are fully covered until all of us are fully covered.
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Provide ample Sick Leave & Paid Vacation so we can quarantine as needed and take vacations to stay healthy and better resist disease.
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Fix City Hall by electing council members from ALL parts of the city so every area is fairly represented in planning and budgeting.
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Use STAR Voting for fair elections so if your favorite candidate can’t win, your vote still goes to your next favorite.
Confronting the Coming Economic Crisis NOW
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The current health crisis is already precipitating a potentially more dangerous economic crisis. If we do not confront this crisis head-on with bold ideas and bold measures, that 2nd wave crisis could generate yet a 3rd crisis for democracy. We must prepare now for all three crises by staying steadfast in our approach to mitigating the current health crisis and being proactive in moving quickly to restore and strengthen our economy for everyday Portlanders. Additionally, we must also strengthen our democracy by expanding our city council, electing commissioners by districts to ensure all Portlanders are fairly represented in city affairs and employ voting reforms to ensure our commissioners are elected by the majority of voters. [More info]
The economic fallout from this crisis will be significant. Unless we rise to meet this challenge head-on, the magnitude of the financial crisis could be with us much longer. Tenants, small businesses and homeowners will all need assistance through this time. We must be prepared to continue the programs above for months or years into the recovery, and there is more we can do.
We city should ask the Governor to reconvene the legislature no later than July to pass emergency measures to shore up our safety nets, including additional funds and expanded coverage by Oregon Health Authority, and enabling legislation to allow Portland and other Oregon cities to establish public banks to facilitate better use of local resources in address the coming financial crisis.
Finally, even before this crisis hit, I have been calling for greater local food resilience. Public health officials have expressed concern privately about the potential impact of this global pandemic on food prices. Let's start planning now to strengthen our local food systems and create true local food resilience. f you're looking for something to do during these long days at home, I encourage you to plant a garden.
Council & Voting Reforms
Real solutions for today's challenges
I believe in what Portland can be.