Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 2017)
Street Roots • Feb. 10-16, 2017 Page 3 E d ito r ia l Tina Kotek talks poverty, tenant protections treet Roots had the chance to ask Oregon legislator and Speaker of the House Tina Kotek some questions this week about poverty and the 2017 legislative session, which began Feb. 1. Here are her written responses. S Isra el Bayer: How are you m aintaining your sanity given the political climate we fin d ourselves in? Tina Kotek: I’m trying not to read too much national news. We’ve got such a long to-do list here in Oregon, I’ve been able to put almost all of my energy By Israel Bayer into the work here. That said, I’m ready and willing to respond when Oregonians are threatened by unjust policies coming out of D.G. D IR E C T O R 'S DESK Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots: You can reach him at israel@streetroots.org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. I.B.: The revenue forecasts fo r Oregon spell out clear pain for poor and working class Oregonians around our state - with a possible $1.8 billion deficit projected. Is there a silver lining somewhere on the horizon or should we all be prepared for. the worst? T.K.: I need your readers to help us create the silver lining. Oregon is 50th in the nation for corporate taxation, and it is time to change that. Go to oregonlegislature.gov to find out who your state senator and state representative are, and let them know you’re concerned about the impact that budget cuts would have on poor and w o r k in g -c la ss Oregonians. W ith all of t h e in c r e a s e d resources framework provides an opportunity to scrutinize agency budgets for savings, ensure we can meet our constitutional obligation to balance the budget, and encourage legislators and the public to wrestle with the difficult choices that our current resources create. In the weeks ahead, we want to hear directly from the public about what their priorities are. The budget-writing committee is kicking off a seven-city, statewide town hall tour on Feb. 10. In order to make long-term, game changing investments in our schools, health care and critical services, I believe that we need business tax reform. Whether you agree or disagree with that, we need Oregonians from around the state to share their priorities for the state budget now and going forward. I.B.: Affordable housing programs around Oregon have been underfunded fo r so long it feels like we’re never going to get to a place where we are actually scaling up our investments to prioritize meeting the needs o f Oregonians facing a housing crisis. W hat I mean by that, is it feels like every year in Salem housing advocates and elected officials spend an enormous am ount o f energy to get what feels like peanuts compared to the investments needed to support local communities. Is this perception real? W hat will it take to convince our current governor and future governors to prioritize affordable housing the same way we prioritize education and transportation? T.K.: First, I’ve got to say th a t G overnor Brown has been a champion for affordable: housing. She helped lead th e effort to create L IF T , a n a f fo rd a b le h o u s in g p r o g r a m t h a t h e l p s f in a n c e t h e c o n s t r u c t io n o f a f f o r d a b l e f o r inw-incom e hot^ehoidS<Tbe fibst cre a te a b e tte r fu tu r e ^ fo r ^ O r e ^ o ^ ^ a w ard ed in Jan u ary , w hich will h e lp build 12 p ro je c ts th a t w ill p ro v id e 9 6 5 O re g o n fa m ilie s w ith a p la c e to call h o m e . Still yo u ’r e rig h t - w e h av e to fig h t really h a rd , an d o fte n for sev e ra l y e a rs in o rd e r to m ake any p ro g re s s on I B • W hat is the answer in the short-term to fix Oregon s revenue shortfalls and what are the long-term solutions? » On Ian.19, oUr chief budget writers released a mework for the current, two-year budget^w le th a t» hin the bounds of current law revenues. This existing o f gindm ^ was., contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-228-5657, joanne@streetroots.crg. We ask that ail submissions include the author’s name and contact information, if available. : ' : ' I l See KOTEK. page 12 • • • : Street Reels 211 NW Davis S t Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax:503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon,-Fit, 7.30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and 7:30-1 p,m. Sum Advertising Interested in advertising in Street Roots? Contact Israel Bayer at i$rael<Mreetroot$.org Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer rsrael^skeetroots.orq Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl joanne@streetroots.org V e n d o r P r o g r a m D ir e c t o r a w a r e n e s s p o s t- M e a s u r e 9 7 ,1 th in k w e h a v e a w in d o w to .■ajpi a sa ■ - member of our reporting staff,. . Cote WSe^eI cofe^streeiroois:6fg O perations D ire c to r SarahBeecrofi Developm ent D ire c to r Sarah Cloud Program Assistant Meghann Van Pelt, Jesuit Volunteer Development Assistant Patricia Romero Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zaiokar,. Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Amanda Waldroupe, Stephen Quirke Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode Editorial Assistant Monica Kwasnik Canvasser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Brad Taylor Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Dan Jones Directors Rich .Rodgers, Michael Anderson, n,. i_. e __ u->kn tnhn Rrnuun MarCUS Volunteers PHOTO PHO I O COURTESY OF TINA .... KpTEK ,, District 44 North an d Northeast Portland. H er district. Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rathore, Zoe Klingmann, Dan Jones, Dennis Hogan, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buell Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoleymant, Jason Cohen, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning, Paul and Madeline Gefroh, Mary Anne Joyce, Anne Reif, Gillian Floren, Mark Oldani, Meg Holden, Bridget Brown, Cody Travels, Bianca Butler, Robb Hengerer, Alex Cherin,Tom Vandel, Grace Gallagher, Jenny Farres, Evan Firsick and Helen H i If you're interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots. org/volunteer. Or you can call for more information at 503-228-5657. ................. ...........
