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<h2>BAN STOCK TRADING</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Members of Congress help write laws that move markets while owning stocks affected by those laws.This creates conflicts of interest, erodes trust, and allows officials to profit from decisions made in office.The scope<ul><li>100+ members have traded individual stocks while serving</li><li>At least 75 traded during major national crises.<ul><li>COVID response</li><li>Energy policy changes</li><li>Defense contracting</li><li>Semiconductor subsidies</li></ul></li></ul>Documented abuses<ul><li>Dumping stocks after classified COVID briefings</li><li>Buying defense shares before contracts were awarded</li><li>Purchasing pharma stocks ahead of drug policy votes</li><li>Punishment is typically a small fine, if anything.</li></ul>Not partisan<ul><li>Both parties participate</li><li>Nearly 80 percent of voters across parties support a ban.</li></ul>Weak enforcement<ul><li>Late disclosure filings are common.</li><li>Ethics enforcement is internal and ineffective.</li><li>Public financial reporting is outdated and hard to track</li></ul>Result:Members appear to legislate for their portfolios rather than for constituents. <h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Prohibit individual stock ownership and trading</h3>Require members of Congress, senior staff, and immediate family to:<ul><li>Divest individual stocks or</li><li>Move holdings to genuine blind trusts.</li></ul>Result: Conflicts are eliminated at the source. 2. Allow only low-risk holdingsPermitted:<ul><li>Broad index funds</li><li>Mutual funds</li><li>Federal retirement accounts</li></ul>Not permitted:<ul><li>Individual equities</li><li>Sector-specific ETFs tied to committee jurisdictions</li></ul>Result: Officials can save for retirement without betting on regulated industries. <h3>3. Real enforcement with real consequences</h3><ul><li>Modern, public reporting systems</li><li>Automatic financial penalties for late disclosures</li><li>Criminal penalties for concealment or insider trading</li><li>Oversight by an independent ethics body, not Congress</li></ul>Result: Enforcement replaces trust-based compliance. 4. Extend guardrails across governmentApply the same restrictions to:<ul><li>Cabinet members</li><li>Federal judges</li><li>Senior agency regulators</li><li>Create longer cooling-off periods before entering the private industry.</li></ul>Result: No backdoor influence or revolving-door corruption. 5. Eliminate profit from federal contractsBan financial interests in companies receiving federal money tied to:<ul><li>Defense</li><li>Pharma</li><li>Fossil fuels</li><li>Tech/data</li><li>Private prisons and immigration detention</li></ul>Result: Public spending cannot be used for personal profit. Bottom LineBarring elected officials from trading stocks:<ul><li>Restores trust</li><li>Removes conflicts of interest</li><li>Reduces corruption</li><li>Aligns Congress with voters—not investors</li></ul>A government that regulates Wall Street should not be playing on it.

AFFORDABILITY CRISIS

PUBLIC CORRUPTION

Dozens of local organizations and leaders are standing together!

Community Endorsements

I want leadership that will fight alongside us against the rising fascism in this country. It's why Jessica is the only option for Oregon 3rd Congressional district. Rep. Dexter not only takes money from AIPAC but has stood firm in her belief that there are some good ICE agents. Lemme reassure you there are no good fascist gestapo. So, this May vote Maxine out. Vote for Jessica Salas. Someone that will actually have our back against fascism.

portlander of the year: og anti fascist frog

Seth Todd

Oregonians need progressive, leftist candidates with policies that protect and enhance our rights and quality of life - Jessica Salas is that candidate. We have waited too long for representatives who understand a community is only as strong as our weakest citizen, and who have the guts to try new things to reach our goals. Jessica is unafraid to champion necessary changes like taxing extreme wealth, banning stock trading for congress, providing affordable healthcare for all, free childcare, and a host of other policies that support the working class, immigrants, marginalized communities, and our unhoused neighbors. I think Jessica Salas has what it takes to help us achieve a more just and equitable future, and she has my vote.

Hood river Chair of city planning commission &amp; chair of urban renewal advisory committee

Kate Hoffman

*(Titles and affiliations are for identification only. This endorsement is made in Devon’s personal capacity and does not represent the views of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission or the State of Oregon. No public resources were used in connection with this endorsement.)

Member, Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission*

Devon Lawson

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UNIONS AND LABOR

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<h2>TERM LIMITS</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Congress was designed to reflect the people, rotate leadership, and stay accountable.Instead, decades-long incumbency and donor-driven politics have turned seats into lifelong careers.The consequences:<ul><li>Over 90 percent of House incumbents are reelected every cycle.</li><li>Nearly 90 percent of sitting Senators win reelection.</li><li>Competitive elections are disappearing.</li><li>Median American age: 38 Median Senator age: ~65 Median House age: ~58</li><li>Millennials and Gen Z are nearly half the population but hold fewer than 5% of congressional seats.</li><li>Lobbyists build decades-long access pipelines to the same lawmakers.</li><li>Legislators drift away from working-class reality the longer they serve</li></ul>Public opinion is overwhelmingly clear:Around 75 percent of Americans support congressional term limits.A healthy democracy cannot survive stagnant leadership, donor capture, or locked-in incumbency.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Term limits for House and Senate</h3><ul><li>Cap House service at 12 years (six two-year terms)</li><li>Cap Senate service at 12 years (two six-year terms)</li></ul>Impact: Creates rotation, curbs careerism, and keeps leadership grounded.<h3>2. Break congressional power monopolies</h3><ul><li>Reform seniority systems</li><li>Rotate committee chairs and leadership assignments on a fixed schedule.</li></ul>Impact: Prevents entrenched power brokers from controlling committees for decades.<h3>3. Make serving in Congress accessible</h3><ul><li>Public campaign financing</li><li>Paid internships and staff pipelines from working-class communities</li><li>Income protection for candidates who must take time away from their jobs to campaign</li><li>Remove barriers for:<ul><li>Young people</li><li>Parents and caregivers</li><li>Service workers</li><li>Disabled and chronically ill candidates</li><li>First-generation Americans</li></ul></li></ul>Impact: Seats become competitive for ordinary people, not just insiders.<h3>4. Pair term limits with democracy reforms</h3><ul><li>Automatic voter registration</li><li>Ranked-choice voting</li><li>End partisan gerrymandering</li><li>Ban dark money and rein in Super PACs</li><li>Strengthen lobbying bans and the revolving door.</li></ul>Impact: Term limits work as part of a broader push to return political power to voters.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>Congress should be a service job, not a lifetime appointment.Term limits:<ul><li>Break up entrenched power.</li><li>Reduce lobbyist influence</li><li>Create space for new leaders.</li><li>Bring working-class and younger voices into government.</li><li>Help restore trust in democracy.</li></ul>A rotating Congress is more representative, more energetic, and more responsive — and democracy thrives when fresh leaders step forward while others step aside.

BIPOC HEALTHCARE

BAN STOCK TRADING

BIPOC COMMUNITY

VOTING 16

<h2>HEALTHCARE FOR ALL</h2><h2>Problem</h2>America spends more on healthcare than any wealthy nation—and Americans pay the price with poorer health.<h3>The reality</h3><ul><li>17–18% of U.S. GDP goes to healthcare</li><li>That’s nearly double what our peer nations spend—and results are getting worse.</li><li>Life expectancy lags behind that of nearly every other wealthy country. The gap is growing.</li><li>100 million people carry medical debt</li><li>Medical bills are the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy</li><li>1 in 10 is uninsured; millions are underinsured</li><li>People delay essential care out of fear—costs force dangerous choices daily.</li></ul><h3>Who suffers most</h3><ul><li>Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities</li><li>Immigrants</li><li>Low-wage workers</li><li>Rural families losing hospitals</li><li>Children and elders</li></ul><h3>Where the money goes</h3><ul><li>Insurance companies</li><li>Private hospital monopolies</li><li>Pharmaceutical giants</li><li>Billing bureaucracies and denial systems</li><li>CEOs, administrators, and investors</li></ul>We pay top dollar for a system engineered for profit—not for our health. Every day, this costs lives. <h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Cover everyone — automatically</h3><ul><li>Lower Medicare eligibility to zero, expanding enrollment year by year</li><li>Add missing benefits:<ul><li>Mental health</li><li>Addiction treatment</li><li>Dental, vision, and hearing.</li><li>Long-term and home care</li></ul></li><li>Phase out premiums, deductibles, copays, and networks</li><li>Ensure care is free at the point of service for all.</li></ul>Impact: No more coverage gaps. No more bankruptcies. No one is left behind by the delay. <h3>2. Take profit out of essential care</h3><ul><li>Ban profit-seeking corporate insurance in essential care.</li><li>Cap hospital prices in monopoly markets</li><li>Enforce charity care requirements.</li><li>End medical debt lawsuits against low-income patients.</li><li>Penalize predatory drug and equipment pricing.</li><li>Break up mergers that shrink access.</li></ul>Impact: Decisions must follow patient needs—not Wall Street’s timetable or bottom line. <h3>3. Reduce costs by simplifying the system</h3><ul><li>Consolidate billing and reimbursement into a single public system.</li><li>Decrease the size of billing departments and reduce authorization and denial bureaucracy.</li><li>Require transparent pricing for hospitals, insurers, and drugmakers.</li><li>Use administrative savings to fund universal coverage.</li></ul>Impact: Act now—save hundreds of billions without higher spending. Relief is possible immediately. <h3>4. Lower drug prices with federal power</h3><ul><li>Allow Medicare to negotiate prices for all prescription drugs.</li><li>Cap insulin and lifesaving medications</li><li>Block price hikes above inflation</li><li>Break up pharma patent games.</li><li>Support generics and public drug manufacturing</li></ul>Impact: Make critical medicines affordable and accessible—every delay denies care. <h3>5. Build and support a strong healthcare workforce</h3><ul><li>Raise wages for frontline workers:<ul><li>Nurses</li><li>Home care workers</li><li>Paramedics</li><li>Mental health providers</li></ul></li><li>Tuition-free pathways in nursing and behavioral health</li><li>Debt forgiveness for clinicians serving high-need communities</li><li>Safe staffing ratios</li><li>Protect unions in healthcare settings.</li></ul>Impact: Patients get high-quality care. Workers stay—if we make these changes now. <h2>Bottom Line</h2>Every wealthy democracy except the United States provides universal healthcare — with better outcomes and lower costs.The U.S. can do the same by:<ul><li>Covering everyone automatically</li><li>Eliminating profit from care</li><li>Simplifying the bloated insurance system</li><li>Using public leverage to lower drug prices</li><li>Investing in the people who actually deliver care</li></ul>Universal healthcare is the norm globally—what’s stopping us? We must act now.We’re already paying for it.We’re paying the wrong people—Americans can’t wait any longer for real change.

LGBTQIA PROTECTIONS

<h2>UNIONS &amp; LABOR</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Working people built America, yet today they face an emergency: they are earning less, working harder, and being denied the wealth they generate.The last fifty years have exposed the urgent reality.Union collapse<ul><li>Union membership has collapsed—from over 33 percent in the 1950s to just 10 percent today, undermining worker power.</li><li>Only 6 percent of private-sector workers are unionized.</li></ul>Workers produce more but receive less<ul><li>Productivity up 60+ percent since the 1970s</li><li>Wages up only 17 percent</li></ul>Corporate profits soar<ul><li>Record profits every year for more than a decade</li><li>CEO pay has increased by over 1,200 percent since 1978</li><li>Workers' pay has only increased by 15 percent.</li></ul>Illegality is normal<ul><li>In 40 percent of union drives, employers illegally break labor law and face little consequence.</li><li>Retaliation is routine</li><li>Powerful corporations like Starbucks and Amazon routinely delay, intimidate, and fire workers to crush union efforts.</li></ul>Union advantage<ul><li>Union workers earn 10–20 percent more.</li><li>Far more likely to have healthcare, retirement, paid leave, and safety protections</li></ul>Workers of color benefit most<ul><li>Black, Latino, and immigrant workers gain the largest wage boosts from unionization.</li><li>Yet they are heavily excluded from union-dense sectors.</li></ul>The system is rigged to weaken workers' power and escalate wealth extraction upward.<h2>Solutions</h2>1. Pass the PRO Act<ul><li>Ban retaliation for organizing.</li><li>End captive-audience meetings</li><li>Force fast elections and require first-contract arbitration.</li><li>Raise penalties for union-busting Outcome: Organizing is protected, less risky, and practical for workers.</li></ul>2. Guarantee labor rights for all workers<ul><li>Extend bargaining rights to gig workers, farmworkers, domestic workers, contract workers, and public employees.</li><li>Close loopholes that allow corporations to dodge employer status Outcome: Labor rights stop being optional.</li></ul>3. Make unionizing simple and scalable<ul><li>The majority sign up (card check)</li><li>Neutrality agreements for federal contractors</li><li>Portable union membership across jobs</li></ul>Outcome: Worker power extends across industries, not just individual workplaces.4. Raise wages and benefits across the economy<ul><li>$20 federal minimum wage tied to inflation</li><li>Paid family and medical leave</li><li>Universal sick leave</li><li>Pension and retirement guarantees</li><li>Universal healthcare to remove employer leverage Outcome: One job becomes enough to live on.</li></ul>5. Protect safety and dignity at work<ul><li>Expand OSHA enforcement and triple penalties.</li><li>National heat and wildfire smoke protections</li><li>Ban forced overtime except in emergencies.</li><li>Strong whistleblower protections</li><li>Enforce safety in restaurants, warehouses, timber, retail, food processing, and healthcare Outcome: Workers stay alive and healthy.</li></ul>6. End wage theft<ul><li>Make wage theft a criminal offense.</li><li>Joint liability across franchises and supply chains</li><li>Rapid-response enforcement teams</li><li>Mandatory restitution with damages Outcome: Stealing from workers becomes risky rather than the standard practice.</li></ul><h2>Bottom Line</h2>America will not survive on low wages, broken unions, and unchecked corporate power.Rebalancing power toward workers means higher wages, safer workplaces, stable families, and stronger communities.Unions built America's middle class. Only urgent action and rebuilding worker power will save our future.

<h2>AI &amp; ENERGY</h2><h2>Problem</h2>AI and data centers are rapidly accelerating their massive electricity and water consumption, posing urgent challenges for Oregon's infrastructure, environment, and communities.Electricity<ul><li>Globally, data centers use about 415 terawatt-hours annually, with U.S. use reaching 176 terawatt-hours.</li><li>In the U.S., use hit 176 terawatt-hours in 2023 (4–5 percent of national demand).</li><li>Energy demand is projected to double or triple by 2028.</li><li>In Oregon, data centers already use about 11 percent of statewide electricity.</li></ul>Oregon’s power mix:<ul><li>42 percent hydropower</li><li>38 percent natural gas</li><li>15 percent wind</li><li>The remainder is solar, geothermal, and biomass.</li></ul>Result: Without rules, more data centers = more gas plants, higher rates, grid strain, and pressure on rivers.Water<ul><li>U.S. data centers used ~17 billion gallons per year for cooling.</li><li>The Dalles example: Google consumed so much water that the city tried to hide usage through NDAs and lawsuits.</li></ul>Model Training + Use<ul><li>Training one GPT-scale model required about 1,287 megawatt-hours and 500–550 tons of CO₂.</li><li>Inference — everyday user requests — now consumes most of the energy, estimated at 60 percent of total AI use.</li><li>A single AI query uses multiple times the energy of a standard web search.</li></ul><h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Mandatory transparency</h3>Require large AI companies and data centers to publicly report:<ul><li>Annual and peak electricity use</li><li>Energy sources and emissions</li><li>Total water withdrawals and cooling needs</li><li>Environmental impact of large training runs</li><li>Estimated energy per user/inference on public models </li><li>Tie the federal incentives to no NDAs with local governments.</li></ul>Result: Communities can plan — and say no to harmful projects. 2. Clean energy requirementsCondition future data center projects on:<ul><li>New renewable generation added to the grid (not just credits)</li><li>Independent emissions verification</li><li>Real decarbonization timelines</li></ul>Use federal funds to:<ul><li>Expand transmission</li><li>Add storage</li><li>Enable flexible load shifting.</li></ul>Result: AI growth does not cannibalize Oregon’s clean energy progress. 3. Water protectionsEstablish:<ul><li>Federal water efficiency standards for cooling</li><li>Drought and watershed risk disclosures</li><li>Consultation with tribes and affected communities</li><li>Community benefit agreements for federally supported projects</li></ul>Result: Protect water basins, agriculture, households, and salmon-bearing rivers. 4. Energy-smart AISupport:<ul><li>Efficiency benchmarks and labeling (AI “Energy Star”)</li><li>Public funding only for models with energy budgets and reuse plans</li><li>Research that reduces energy per task</li><li>Smaller, open models that local governments and schools can run without mega-facilities. Result: Innovation serves public needs — not just large, compute-hungry corporate systems.</li></ul> 5. Shield communities and workersRequire:<ul><li>No rate hikes on households and small businesses to subsidize AI</li><li>Fair property taxation</li><li>Local reinvestment in grid upgrades, housing, and cooling centers</li><li>Union labor and apprenticeships on publicly supported projects</li></ul>Result: Communities benefit — not just data center shareholders. <h2>Bottom Line</h2>AI can solve real problems — but without rules, it becomes:<ul><li>A drain on power and water</li><li>A driver of higher bills</li><li>A fossil-fuel growth engine</li><li>A burden on working families and small communities</li></ul>To ensure AI supports innovation without sacrificing Oregon’s grid, rivers, or ratepayers, we must regulate to require transparency, clean-energy standards, water safeguards, and labor standards. Oregon can scale AI responsibly — supporting innovation without sacrificing our grid, rivers, or ratepayers.

<h2>WEALTH INEQUALITY</h2><h2>Problem</h2>The United States is the richest nation in history — yet the gap between the richest few and everyone else is the widest it has been since the Gilded Age.This crisis is not natural. It is the predictable result of policy choices that concentrated wealth at the top while stripping working people of power, wages, and assets.The reality<ul><li>The richest 1 percent own more wealth than the bottom 90 percent combined.</li><li>The bottom half of Americans own just 2 percent of national wealth.</li><li>Billionaires grew from fewer than 15 in 1983 to more than 750 today.</li><li>U.S. billionaires now control over 5 trillion dollars</li></ul>Working people are falling behind.<ul><li>Productivity has increased by 60 percent since the 1970s</li><li>Wages up only 17 percent</li><li>Median workers have lost tens of thousands of dollars in income that should have existed if pay had kept up with output.</li></ul>Pandemic acceleration<ul><li>The bottom half lost income, jobs, and stability</li><li>The billionaire class gained over $2 trillion in 2 years.</li></ul>Tax injustice<ul><li>The average billionaire pays under 9 percent in federal income tax.</li><li>Many Fortune 500 companies pay zero.</li><li>Workers pay more in payroll taxes than the ultrarich pay in investment income.</li></ul>Racial wealth gap<ul><li>White households hold 8 times the wealth of Black households.</li><li>Indigenous and Latino families have the highest rates of asset poverty.</li><li>Black homeownership rates are lower than they were in 1968, when discrimination was legal.</li></ul>This is not a free market — it is a rigged economy built to lock in wealth at the top and lock out everyone else.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Tax extreme wealth and close loopholes</h3><ul><li>Billionaires' income tax and progressive wealth taxes.</li><li>Close dynasty trusts, shell corporations, and offshore loopholes.</li><li>End write-offs for luxury assets like jets, yachts, and art vaults.</li><li>Require annual transparency reporting for high-net-worth households.</li></ul>Impact: Significant revenue raised and economic power redistributed.<h3>2. Raise wages and restore worker power</h3><ul><li>National $20 minimum wage tied to inflation.</li><li>Sector-wide bargaining and union protections (PRO Act)</li><li>Automatic overtime enforcement.</li><li>Portable benefits for workers who change jobs.</li></ul>Impact: Workers reclaim earnings, and the middle class grows again.<h3>3. Make foundational needs universal</h3><ul><li>Free universal healthcare.</li><li>Tuition-free public college, trade school, and apprenticeships.</li><li>Universal childcare and paid leave.</li><li>Large-scale affordable housing development.</li></ul>Impact: Families gain security and mobility instead of debt and instability.<h3>4. Stop price gouging and break corporate concentration</h3><ul><li>Enforce antitrust laws against dominant conglomerates.</li><li>Break up Big Tech, Big Ag, Big Pharma, and fossil fuel monopolies.</li><li>Ban or heavily tax stock buybacks.</li><li>Require corporations to justify price increases.</li></ul>Impact: Stabilizes cost of living and tempers inflation.<h3>5. Invest in communities stripped by policy</h3><ul><li>Redirect subsidies from major corporations to:<ul><li>Rural towns</li><li>Tribal and reservation communities</li><li>Black and brown neighborhoods</li><li>Immigrant communities</li><li>Areas hit by deindustrialization</li></ul></li><li>Expand community banks and credit unions.</li></ul>Impact: Growth radiates outward instead of accumulating at the top.<h3>6. Democratize ownership</h3><ul><li>Support worker cooperatives and employee-owned enterprises</li><li>Provide buyout loans for workers when companies are sold.</li><li>Prioritize federal contracts for co-ops.</li><li>Establish public banking options nationwide.</li></ul>Impact: Wealth is built collectively, not hoarded privately.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>Wealth inequality at this scale is a deliberate outcome of policy decisions — not an accident, not a law of nature, and not inevitable.We can reverse it by taxing concentrated wealth, empowering workers, breaking up monopolies, and investing in the public good.A fair economy means:<ul><li>Workers earn what they produce.</li><li>Wealth circulates through communities, not tax havens.</li><li>Families thrive without generational inheritance or billionaire luck.</li><li>Democracy is shaped by the many, not purchased by the few.</li></ul>If we want shared prosperity, we must beat back a rigged system and build one designed for all of us — not just the wealthy few.

IMMIGRATION REFORM

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<h2>TAXATION</h2><h2>Problem</h2>The U.S. tax system currently favors wealth over labor.Individuals and entities with greater resources have a lower overall tax contribution, while working families and small businesses bear a disproportionate share.What the data shows:<ul><li>The wealthiest 400 Americans pay an effective tax rate of under 9 percent.</li><li>Middle-class households pay significantly higher rates.</li><li>Dozens of profitable corporations pay zero federal income tax.</li><li>Corporations avoid an estimated $100 billion annually through loopholes and offshore accounting.</li><li>The U.S. loses over $1 trillion per year to tax evasion, avoidance, and giveaways — money that could fund healthcare, housing, clean energy, and childcare.</li></ul>Working families pay:<ul><li>Payroll taxes</li><li>Sales taxes</li><li>Property taxes</li><li>State and local taxes</li></ul>Meanwhile, billionaires avoid:<ul><li>Payroll taxes</li><li>Capital gains until they choose to sell</li><li>Estate and inheritance taxes</li><li>Corporate tax responsibility</li></ul>The system deepens inequality and starves public goods, rewarding hoarding and corporate extraction.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Tax the ultra-rich and dynastic wealth</h3><ul><li>A billionaire minimum tax on annual unrealized gains</li><li>Wealth tax on fortunes above $50 million</li><li>Close dynasty trust and foundation loopholes</li><li>Restore estate taxation for ultra-large inheritances.</li></ul>Impact: These measures ensure the ultra-wealthy pay tax each generation, preventing long-term tax avoidance and promoting greater tax fairness.<h3>2. Make corporations pay their share</h3><ul><li>Raise the corporate tax rate with carveouts for small businesses.</li><li>Minimum tax on massive firms regardless of accounting tricks</li><li>End write-offs for offshoring jobs</li><li>Ban shell companies in tax havens</li><li>Require country-by-country transparency of corporate profits.</li></ul>Impact: These actions ensure large corporations pay taxes regardless of loopholes, supporting fair competition for local businesses and funding for public priorities.<h3>3. End preferential treatment for income from wealth</h3><ul><li>Tax capital gains like wages</li><li>Close the carried-interest loophole.</li><li>Tax stock buybacks and massive executive compensation</li><li>Treat extremely large inheritances as taxable income.</li></ul>Impact: Equating taxes on income from wealth and work brings equitable tax burdens, ensuring both labor and investment face the same standards.<h3>4. Reduce tax burdens for workers and small businesses</h3><ul><li>Expand Earned Income and Child Tax Credits permanently.</li><li>Zero federal tax liability for low-income workers</li><li>Deductions and credits for co-ops, gig workers, and independents</li><li>Simplified filing and free public e-file</li><li>Portable benefits across jobs</li></ul>Impact: These reforms lower taxes for working families and small businesses, increasing disposable income and supporting entrepreneurship.<h3>5. Redirect tax dollars from extraction to public good</h3>Shift funds away from:<ul><li>Fossil fuel subsidies</li><li>Corporate welfare</li><li>Bloated defense contracts</li></ul>Into:<ul><li>Universal healthcare</li><li>Affordable housing</li><li>Free preschool and community college</li><li>Public transit and green infrastructure</li><li>Tribal, rural, and frontline community investment</li></ul>Impact: Redirecting tax spending toward public priorities delivers noticeable benefits to infrastructure, education, and community well-being, improving Americans' daily lives.<h3>6. Enforce the law</h3><ul><li>Restore IRS capacity to audit high-wealth filers.</li><li>Aggressively prosecute evasion among the top 1 percent.</li><li>Limit lobbyist and corporate influence in the drafting of tax law.</li><li>Publish transparent annual reports on where tax expenditures go.</li></ul>Impact: Enhanced enforcement boosts tax compliance and trust in the system, ensuring the wealthiest contribute fairly and deterring evasion.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>The primary issue in the American tax system is not revenue, but fairness.When billionaires and corporations opt out, families and small businesses pay the price.We can build a system where:<ul><li>Work is rewarded</li><li>Wealth contributes</li><li>Communities thrive</li><li>Public goods are fully funded.</li></ul>Taxation is a civic responsibility in a democracy, and the wealthiest should be included.A fair tax system promotes a more inclusive and broadly beneficial economy.

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WEALTH INEQUALITY

<h2>HOMELESSNESS</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Oregon has one of the worst homelessness crises in the country — and it keeps growing despite record spending.<h3>What the numbers show</h3><ul><li>22,875 people experiencing homelessness in 2024</li><li>48 per 10,000 residents, more than double the national rate</li><li>60–65% unsheltered (tents, cars, outdoors), vs ~40% nationally</li><li>Homelessness increased 20% since 2015, while many states saw declines.</li></ul><h3>Drivers we already know</h3><ul><li>Rents are rising faster than wages.</li><li>110,000+ affordable units are missing statewide</li><li>Eviction and medical or debt-triggered displacement</li><li>No safety net during job loss, illness, or crisis</li><li>Lack of treatment access for mental health + addiction</li><li>Discharge pipelines:<ul><li>Prisons</li><li>Foster care</li><li>Hospitals</li><li>Treatment centers</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Disparities are stark</h3><ul><li>Native Hawaiian &amp; Pacific Islander: 277 per 10,000</li><li>American Indian &amp; Alaska Native: 152 per 10,000</li><li>Black Oregonians: 2x the white rate</li></ul><h3>Where Oregon gets it wrong</h3><ul><li>Too little permanent housing</li><li>Fragmented, slow systems</li><li>Emergency response that manages misery instead of solving the cause</li><li>Police filling roles meant for housing providers, caseworkers, and clinicians</li></ul>Homelessness is not mysterious — it is the predictable result of a system that refuses to build, house, or treat at scale.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Housing First at scale</h3><ul><li>Large federal block grants for thousands of supportive housing units</li><li>Expand voucher eligibility so that all eligible individuals and families receive vouchers, not just lottery selectees.</li><li>Preserve existing affordable housing and prevent demolition and predatory buyouts.</li><li>Track success by the number of people moving into permanent housing, not by shelter occupancy.</li></ul>Impact: More people exit homelessness than enter, leading to a steady reduction in overall homelessness rates over time.<h3>2. Prevent homelessness before it begins</h3><ul><li>Emergency rental assistance that stops eviction filings</li><li>Free legal aid for tenants</li><li>Cash assistance for families facing short-term crises</li><li>Tie income supports current local rent and wage levels.</li></ul>Impact: Eviction rates drop sharply; children maintain school attendance; shelter capacity rises, enabling more people to access needed resources.<h3>3. Treat root causes with care — not jail beds</h3><ul><li>Mobile mental health + addiction teams</li><li>Sobering, respite, and stabilization centers outside ERs</li><li>Guaranteed housing upon discharge from:<ul><li>Jail/prison</li><li>Foster care</li><li>Hospitals</li><li>Rehab</li></ul></li></ul>Impact: Upon discharge from public systems, all individuals transition directly into stable housing instead of living unsheltered.<h3>4. Stop criminalizing poverty</h3><ul><li>Prohibit use of federal homelessness funds for sweeps or forced displacements.</li><li>Fund and expand unarmed street response teams such as CAHOOTS and Portland Street Response.</li><li>Provide sanitation, water, and trash services as basic public health services.</li><li>Shift dollars from police response to housing placement</li></ul>Impact: People experiencing homelessness achieve stability more quickly, cities save on emergency costs, and traumatic encounters decrease for both individuals and communities.<h3>5. Close racial gaps on purpose</h3><ul><li>Federal dollars contingent on reducing racial homelessness disparities</li><li>Invest in culturally specific and tribal-led housing and support programs.</li><li>Support Native nations in building and owning their own housing and service systems.</li><li>Track outcomes by race, ethnicity, and community — and enforce accountability</li></ul>Impact: Communities with higher homelessness rates receive proportionate support and tracked benefits, ensuring interventions are distributed based on actual need rather than averages.<h3>6. Include rural and small-town Oregon</h3><ul><li>Fund housing, treatment, and transit hubs outside cities</li><li>Construct long-term rural shelters and supportive housing for underserved communities.</li><li>Expand telehealth, mobile care, and develop farmworker housing across rural Oregon.</li></ul>Impact: Homelessness rates fall across all regions, ensuring rural and small-town areas experience the same improvements as urban centers.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>Homelessness results from policy choices—not personal failure.We can end mass homelessness by:<ul><li>Building deeply affordable and supportive housing</li><li>Preventing eviction and crisis displacement</li><li>Treating addiction and mental illness with dignity</li><li>Ending criminalization</li><li>Closing racial disparities with intention</li><li>Ensuring rural and tribal communities are never an afterthought.</li></ul>Oregon already spends enough on homelessness — it just spends it in the wrong places.Redirect spending from temporary fixes to affordable housing, care, and prevention. Homelessness becomes solvable—not permanent.

<h2>BIPOC COMMUNITY</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Arab, African, and immigrant communities helped build this country, yet continue to face systemic exclusion across wealth, housing, education, safety, and political power.<h3>Wealth</h3><ul><li>White households hold ~84 percent of national wealth.</li><li>Median Black household wealth is ~15 percent of white wealth; Latino wealth is ~20 percent.</li><li>At the current pace, racial wealth gaps may persist for centuries.</li></ul><h3>Housing</h3><ul><li>Redlining, biased appraisals, and exclusionary zoning still shape where families live.</li><li>Rent burden is higher in communities of color, limiting wealth building.</li><li>BIPOC people experience evictions and homelessness at far higher rates</li></ul>Oregon homelessness disparities<ul><li>Native Hawaiian &amp; Pacific Islander: 277 per 10,000</li><li>Such housing instability is often compounded by criminalization, adding further barriers to stability and opportunity.</li><li>Nationally, Black Americans are incarcerated ~5x white Americans.</li><li>Oregon: Black residents incarcerated ~4x white residents; Native &amp; Latino residents also overrepresented</li></ul><h3>Education</h3><ul><li>Schools serving students of color face:<ul><li>Higher turnover &amp; fewer experienced teachers</li><li>More suspensions &amp; expulsions</li><li>Less access to advanced classes and career pathways</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Political Power</h3><ul><li>BIPOC communities are underrepresented in elected office, boards, and decision-making</li><li>Voting barriers disproportionately affect people without stable housing or flexible work.</li></ul>Throughline: These gaps exist because of past and present policy choices. Policy can reverse these disparities, just as it created them.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Build wealth and economic power</h3><ul><li>First-generation down payment assistance + renter-to-owner pathways</li><li>Zero-interest loans for BIPOC small businesses, co-ops, and worker-owned enterprises</li><li>Support community land trusts and anti-speculation housing models.</li><li>Enforce fair lending and appraisal laws.</li><li>Federal economic support for Tribal sovereignty and development</li></ul>Impact: Families and communities build wealth and gain control of local resources.<h3>2. Justice and safety rooted in community</h3><ul><li>End mandatory minimums and three-strikes sentencing.</li><li>Decriminalize survival behaviors when shelter and care are unavailable.</li><li>Scale community-led safety models: street response, violence interruption, youth mentorship</li><li>Abolish private prisons and detention contracts.</li><li>Implement automatic record expungement.</li><li>Independent oversight + public reporting of policing</li></ul>Impact: Communities are safer, and incarceration is reduced through prevention rather than punishment.<h3>3. Schools that expand opportunity</h3><ul><li>Fully fund Title I schools</li><li>Invest in bilingual education, tribal language revitalization, and ethnic studies.</li><li>Replace exclusionary discipline with restorative and supportive systems.</li><li>Add counselors, mentors, and mental health services instead of policing.</li><li>Guarantee dual-credit + pre-apprenticeship pathways</li><li>Partner with community groups and tribes to shape curriculum</li></ul>Impact: Students succeed, and future opportunities expand, with fewer children pushed into the juvenile system.<h3>4. Housing justice and anti-displacement</h3><ul><li>Right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.</li><li>Permanent emergency rental assistance</li><li>Prevent predatory corporate acquisitions in BIPOC neighborhoods.</li><li>Build deeply affordable housing in cultural hubs.</li><li>Support Native-led housing and Tribal land reacquisition when requested.</li></ul>Impact: Families remain rooted, culture thrives, and displacement is slowed.<h3>5. Representation and political power</h3><ul><li>Automatic voter registration and restored voting rights for all except those currently incarcerated</li><li>Ban partisan gerrymandering</li><li>Expand multilingual ballots and civic education.</li><li>Fund BIPOC-led civic organizations</li><li>Require public boards and commissions to reflect population demographics.</li></ul>Impact: Government reflects and responds to all people it serves.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>These disparities are neither accidental nor inevitable. With targeted investment and just policies, Oregon can become a place where families of color own homes, run businesses, and lead their futures.A state where everyone belongs is a state where everyone thrives.

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HOMELESSNESS

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Elected Endorsements

As the first Latina elected official in my community, I know how powerful representation truly is. That’s why I’m proud to endorse Jessica for Congress. She’s working to become the first Latina in District 3 to congress — and that matters. Lived experience shapes policy. Perspective shapes priorities. And diversity in leadership strengthens democracy. Jessica has been an attentive listener, a people-first leader, and a voice for working families who too often feel unheard. She understands that real change starts with community, not special interests. It’s time Oregon’s congressional delegation reflects the strength, resilience, and diversity of our communities.

hood river city council president

Gladys Rivera

Jessica takes the time to listen to individuals in order to understand and address the large range of critical challenges facing diverse groups of Oregonians in the 3rd district. Her empathetic and agile approach to combatting the issues threatening the health of our democracy is sorely needed in order for the Democratic Party to be efficient and effective going forward. We need dedicated progressive leadership in Washington in 2027 and Jessica is ready to fight for us.

hood river city council member

Doug Stepina

I endorse Jessica Salas for Congress because she walks her talk, and will represent us, the working class, in Washington. She is a true grassroots progressive, in touch with her constituents and their values and needs. She is out there on the ground, doing the work to fight for what she believes in, and will continue to do this in Washington. I’m ready to vote for someone who has my and my neighbors’ back, not someone who will just keep feeding this corrupt, broken system. It’s time for real change, and Jessica is that change.

Amanda Goeke

Elected

ABOLISH ICE

AFFORDABILITY

AI &amp; ENERGY

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BAN STOCK TRADING FOR CONGRESS

BIPOC COMMUNITY

BIPOC &amp; HEALTHCARE

CLIMATE ACTION

DATA &amp; PRIVACY

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FARM PROTECTIONS

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HOMELESSNESS

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IMMIGRATION REFORM

LGBTQIA+ PROTECTIONS

MENTAL HEALTH

MONEY IN POLITICS/CAMPAIGN REFORM

PALESTINE

PETS ARE FAMILY

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PUBLIC CORRUPTION

SEX WORK

SMALL BUSINESSES

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TERM LIMITS

TIMBER INDUSTRY/LOGGING

TRANS RIGHTS

TRUMP

UNIONS &amp; LABOR

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<h2>BIPOC &amp; HEALTHCARE</h2><h2>Problem</h2>BIPOC communities in Oregon and across the country experience devastating health consequences because healthcare systems were built on exclusion, neglect, and racism.<h3>Disproportionate Harm</h3><ul><li>Black women die during pregnancy over 3x more often than white women.</li><li>Native American and Alaska Native life expectancy remains about 11 years lower than that of white Americans, underscoring a critical and urgent disparity.</li><li>Black infants in Oregon are more likely to be underweight and face lower survival rates.</li><li>During COVID, BIPOC Oregonians saw higher infection and death rates.</li><li>A 2024 survey found BIPOC Oregon residents:<ul><li>Skipped care more often</li><li>Held more medical debt</li><li>Reported more discrimination in clinics</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Systemic Underfunding &amp; Barriers</h3><ul><li>Indian Health Service: ~$4,078 per person U.S. average spending: &gt; $13,000</li><li>BIPOC communities are underrepresented across licensed healthcare professions.</li><li>Language, cultural relevance, and trust remain major barriers.</li><li>Bias and racism drive mistreatment and gaps in prenatal care, pain management, and emergency response.</li></ul>Result: Maternal deaths increase, chronic illnesses go untreated, life expectancy plummets — and trust collapses. <h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Treat racism as a public health driver</h3><ul><li>Require federal health agencies to track and close racial health gaps.</li><li>Tie funding to measurable progress on equity.</li><li>Protect and expand diversity and equity programs instead of defunding them.</li></ul>Result: Equity plans ensure accountability, not just slogans. 2. End preventable Black &amp; Indigenous maternal and infant deaths<ul><li>Guarantee continuous Medicaid throughout pregnancy + 12 months postpartum.</li><li>Expand insurance reimbursement for doulas, midwives, and community birth centers.</li><li>Require hospitals to publish racial outcomes, correct bias, and protect reproductive and emergency pregnancy care nationwide.</li><li>Protect reproductive and emergency pregnancy care nationwide.</li></ul>Result: Safer pregnancies and lives saved. 3. Close life expectancy gaps for Native communities<ul><li>Fully fund the Indian Health Service — permanently, and at parity with other systems.</li><li>Support universal, no-cost coverage for American Indian and Alaska Native people.</li><li>Direct federal funds to tribal and urban Indian clinics for expanded care.</li><li>Tie healthcare funding to improvements in housing, clean water, and air.</li></ul>Result: Tribal communities receive promised care. ‘4. Make care affordable, accessible, and respectful<ul><li>Expand Medicaid/Medicare eligibility regardless of immigration status.</li><li>Ban aggressive medical debt collections for lifesaving care.</li><li>Expand culturally specific community clinics and mental health providers.</li><li>Enforce language access standards in any federally funded healthcare facility.</li></ul>Outcome: People get care when they need it—not when they can finally afford it. 5. Build a workforce that reflects the community<ul><li>Fund scholarships, training, and loan forgiveness for BIPOC students in healthcare; support college pipelines and publish diversity plans.</li><li>Support community college + tribal college pipelines into nursing, behavioral health, and midwifery.</li><li>Require health systems receiving federal funds to publish diversity plans.</li><li>Make interpreters + community health workers permanent, paid roles.</li></ul>Result: Care reflects patients' culture, language, and experiences.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>BIPOC communities are dying younger, facing higher maternal risk, and skipping basic care — not because of biology, but because the healthcare system was not built for them.Real equity requires:<ul><li>Targeted investments</li><li>Accountability</li><li>Funding Native treaty obligations</li><li>Protecting maternal health</li><li>Language rights</li><li>Workforce transformation</li></ul>A healthcare system that works for Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color is one that finally works for everyone.

<h2>Join Our <a href="https://discord.gg/uQWY6tF6DG" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: var(--color-text-accent-primary); text-decoration-color: var(--color-text-accent-primary);">Discord</a> Sever!</h2>We now use Discord for announcing events, staff Q&amp;A, community discussion, and volunteer activities!

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<h2>FOREIGN POLICY</h2><h2>Problem</h2>For decades, U.S. foreign policy has been shaped by private profit and power — not public well-being or global justice.<h3>Who benefits</h3><ul><li>Weapons manufacturers</li><li>Fossil fuel corporations</li><li>Authoritarian partners</li><li>Lobbyists and billionaires</li></ul><h3>Who bears the cost</h3><ul><li>Civilians abroad</li><li>Veterans and military families</li><li>Refugees and displaced communities</li><li>Americans are missing investments in care, housing, climate, and education.</li></ul><h3>Measured harm</h3><ul><li>$8+ trillion spent on post-9/11 wars</li><li>929,000+ people killed, including 335,000 civilians</li><li>37+ million people displaced by U.S. conflict zones</li><li>Pentagon budget: $886 billion, bigger than the next seven nations combined</li><li>Meanwhile, the U.S. ranks 30th–43rd globally on health outcomes, maternal mortality, and basic life expectancy.</li></ul><h3>Policy contradictions</h3><ul><li>Arming regimes that violate human rights</li><li>Backing coups and occupations</li><li>Fueling fossil fuel conflict while ignoring climate instability</li><li>Creating refugee flows, then criminalizing the people displaced</li></ul>Bottom line: Endless militarism isn’t keeping Americans safe — it’s draining our future.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. End forever wars and restore democratic control</h3><ul><li>Repeal 2001 &amp; 2002 AUMFs</li><li>Require congressional approval for any deployment.</li><li>Public civilian casualty reporting across all theaters</li><li>End unauthorized combat and drone campaigns.</li></ul>Impact: Ending blank checks brings accountability and transparency.<h3>2. Make diplomacy the first tool — not the last</h3><ul><li>Double staffing and training for the State Department</li><li>Invest in conflict prevention and peace negotiations.</li><li>Expand humanitarian and refugee assistance.</li><li>Elevate women, Indigenous movements, and civil society in diplomacy.</li></ul>Impact: Prevent crises, rebuild global trust.<h3>3. Stop arming human rights abusers</h3><ul><li>Condition all military aid on human rights compliance</li><li>Freeze arms transfers to states committing war crimes or suppressing democratic movements.</li><li>End support for apartheid systems, occupation, and regime-change wars</li></ul>Impact: Save lives; reflect U.S. values worldwide.<h3>4. Make climate the new national security</h3><ul><li>End U.S. financing of oil and gas projects abroad.</li><li>Build global partnerships on clean energy.</li><li>Support climate adaptation and disaster recovery.</li><li>Create humane pathways for climate-displaced families.</li></ul>Impact: Reduce conflict; promote global climate action.<h3>5. Replace corporate trade with fair trade</h3><ul><li>Require labor rights, environmental standards, and living wages in trade deals.</li><li>End secret investor-state courts that let corporations override democratic law.</li><li>Strengthen regional food and energy self-reliance.</li></ul>Impact: Workers benefit; corporate influence diminished.<h3>6. Align immigration policy with the realities we create abroad</h3>Most migration stems from:<ul><li>War</li><li>Land theft</li><li>Sanctions</li><li>Climate collapse</li><li>Exploitative trade</li><li>Government destabilization</li></ul>Policies:<ul><li>Expand refugee resettlement and legal work visas.</li><li>Protect families at the border.</li><li>Stop foreign policies that create forced displacement.</li><li>Treat migrants as community members, not threats.</li></ul>Impact: Safe migration paths replace chaos.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>Stop exporting instability—stand for true freedom now.A foreign policy rooted in:<ul><li>Diplomacy</li><li>Human rights</li><li>Climate cooperation</li><li>Fair trade</li><li>Demilitarization</li><li>Migration justice</li><li>Democratic accountability</li></ul>This serves people—reject war profiteers today.

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<h2>VETERANS &amp; THEIR CARE</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Veterans served their country.Yet they face barriers to basic care, stable housing, and support after service.The data is unmistakable.<ul><li>18 million+ veterans live in the United States</li><li>Nearly half report trouble accessing benefits or healthcare</li><li>35,000+ veterans are unhoused on any given night</li><li>Rural veterans often travel 50+ miles for specialty care.</li><li>17 veterans die by suicide every day</li><li>Veterans are 50 percent more likely to die by suicide than civilians.</li><li>PTSD and TBI rates remain high among post-9/11 service members</li><li>Women veterans face increased exposure to harassment and trauma during service.</li><li>Nearly 2 million veterans are stuck in delayed or backlogged claims and appeals.</li><li>Veterans disproportionately experience:<ul><li>Food insecurity</li><li>Unemployment</li><li>Medical debt</li><li>Homelessness</li></ul></li></ul>The bottom line:Veterans did their duty — but the systems meant to support them are failing.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Fully staff and modernize the VA</h3><ul><li>Hire more VA doctors, nurses, mental health staff, and caseworkers.</li><li>Expand clinics in cities and rural regions.</li><li>Use telehealth, mobile clinics, and extended hours.</li><li>End privatization pushes that siphon money away from VA services.</li></ul>Impact: Veterans gain faster access to care, reducing delays and unmet needs.<h3>2. Guarantee mental health support for life</h3><ul><li>Free lifetime mental health care for all veterans</li><li>Prioritize treatment for:<ul><li>PTSD</li><li>Combat trauma</li><li>Moral injury</li><li>Substance use</li></ul></li><li>Peer support networks staffed by veterans.</li><li>Suicide prevention programs with rapid-response capacity</li></ul>Impact: Early and continuous intervention lowers suicide risk and builds resilience.<h3>3. End veteran homelessness</h3><ul><li>Permanent housing-first programs tied to VA services</li><li>Rental support usable in rural and urban markets</li><li>Rapid rehousing and eviction prevention</li><li>Crack down on financial predators and unsafe landlords.</li></ul>Impact: Veterans achieve lasting housing stability, preventing re-housing.<h3>4. Strengthen support for women veterans</h3><ul><li>VA access to reproductive care, maternal health, and childcare</li><li>Trauma-informed services for survivors of harassment or assault</li><li>Dedicated women’s health clinicians in every VA system</li></ul>Impact: Women veterans receive tailored care that improves health outcomes and safety.<h3>5. Fix the benefits system</h3><ul><li>Automatic VA enrollment at discharge</li><li>Presumptive approval for:<ul><li>Toxic exposures (burn pits, PFAS, chemical exposure)</li><li>TBI-related injury</li><li>Serious mental health conditions</li></ul></li><li>Modernize data sharing between the DoD and VA.</li><li>Mandatory processing timelines to end backlogs</li></ul>Impact: Veterans quickly receive benefits essential to health and well-being.<h3>6. Support families and reintegration</h3><ul><li>Childcare, housing assistance, and mental health support for families</li><li>Job training and transition support after service</li><li>School stability programs for children moved between bases.</li><li>Caregiver compensation and respite services</li></ul>Impact: Entire veteran families achieve greater health, economic, and social stability.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>Veterans kept their promise to this country.Policy must keep its promise to them — with healthcare, housing, mental health, and benefits delivered without delay, without barriers, and without excuses.If we can fund war, we must fund care for our veterans.

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<h2>COMMUNITY RESOURCES</h2>PLEASE HELP YOURSELF TO THESE RESOURCES.

Migra Whistle

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<h2>TRUMP</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Donald Trump is not simply a former president. He tried to overturn an election, erode constitutional safeguards, and incite political violence.This is not mere partisanship, but a consistent pattern of attacks on democratic institutions.The record is public.Historic impeachmentsTrump is the only president impeached twice:<ol><li>2019 – Abuse of power and obstruction of Congress</li><li>2021 – Inciting an insurrection to overturn the election</li></ol>Criminal accountabilityAs of 2025, Trump faces 91 felony counts involving:<ul><li>Conspiracy to defraud the United States</li><li>Obstruction of an official proceeding</li><li>Mishandling classified documents</li><li>Georgia racketeering</li><li>Campaign and business fraud</li></ul>Multiple investigations continue into tax schemes and financial crime.January 6 and violent consequences<ul><li>Over 1,200 charged for the attack</li><li>More than 730 convictions or guilty pleas</li><li>Law enforcement injuries exceeded 140 officers.</li><li>Trump pressured officials to “find votes” and pushed Pence to violate the Constitution.</li></ul>Institutional damage<ul><li>Over 150 sitting Republicans deny the 2020 result.</li><li>Roughly 60 percent of GOP voters accept the stolen election narrative.</li><li>Election denial is now a deliberate strategy, not paranoia.</li></ul>Explicit threats if returned to powerTrump and advisers openly discuss plans to:<ul><li>Weaponize the DOJ against critics.</li><li>Deploy the military against protestors.</li><li>Mass-deport immigrants into detention camps</li><li>Remove career civil servants.</li><li>End birthright citizenship</li><li>Rule through loyalty replaces the rule of law.</li></ul>Democracy experts call this a textbook example of a slide toward authoritarianism.This is not ordinary politics. It is crisis politics.We face a visible, urgent democratic emergency.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Enforce the law — fully</h3><ul><li>Independent prosecution of:<ul><li>Attempts to overturn elections</li><li>Obstruction of Congress</li><li>Fraud and corruption</li><li>Political violence coordination</li></ul></li><li>Shield DOJ from political interference.</li><li>Increase penalties for those who undermine election certification.</li></ul>Impact: Accountability becomes real, not optional.<h3>2. Use impeachment and constitutional tools when required</h3><ul><li>Impeach again if violations occur.</li><li>Enforce subpoenas and contempt rulings.</li><li>Reject claims of presidential immunity.</li></ul>Impact: Congress reasserts power and prevents autocracy.<h3>3. Apply Section 3 of the 14th Amendment</h3><ul><li>Investigate whether Trump’s actions qualify as support for insurrection.</li><li>Pass the enforcement clarification legislation.</li><li>Pursue disqualification rulings through courts where warranted.</li></ul>Impact: Constitutional protections are enforced.<h3>4. Protect elections from interference</h3><ul><li>Strengthen the implementation of the Electoral Count Act.</li><li>Criminalize pressure campaigns on state election officials.</li><li>Prevent legislatures from overturning certified results.</li><li>Fund independent, nonpartisan election administration</li></ul>Impact: Election subversion becomes impossible.<h3>5. Stop political violence and intimidation</h3><ul><li>Criminal penalties for threats to election workers</li><li>Outlaw paramilitary presence at polling places.</li><li>Investigate extremist networks, including funding streams.</li><li>Expand security for officials and poll workers.</li></ul>Impact: Violence loses power; democracy grows safer.<h3>6. Expand democracy rather than contract it</h3><ul><li>Automatic and same-day voter registration</li><li>National vote-by-mail protections</li><li>Restore the Voting Rights Act</li><li>Ban extreme gerrymandering</li><li>Shrink dark money power.</li></ul>Impact: Authoritarians cannot win by restricting participation.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>Trump’s actions are an urgent, ongoing threat to democracy—not policy debate.Safeguarding democracy requires:<ul><li>Prosecution when laws are violated</li><li>Using constitutional guardrails before—not after—damage is done</li><li>Protecting elections from manipulation</li><li>Blocking political violence</li><li>Expanding participation rather than narrowing it</li></ul>A free country cannot risk trusting powerful individuals’ restraint.Laws, real accountability, and an active public are urgently required.Defending democracy is not a partisan agenda.It is the minimum requirement for a functioning republic.

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<h2>How to handle donations on your website</h2>Run does not process donations directly on our platform, as is standard with most political and advocacy sites.Campaigns are often required to comply with reporting requirements, donation limits, and other regulations, so using a donation processor that specializes in serving campaigns is generally a good idea. Sign up with a donation processor and then on your Pages sidebar, click the Link icon on the Donate page and add the link to your donation page. Some common options for donation processing include:<ul><li><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ActBlue</a></li><li><a href="https://www.campaigndeputy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Campaign Deputy</a> </li><li><a href="https://goodchange.app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GoodChange</a></li><li><a href="https://numero.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Numero</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ngpvan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NGP VAN</a></li></ul>

<h2>Contact us the traditional way!</h2><a href="mailto:TELLMEMORE@JSALFOROREGON.COM">TELLMEMORE@JSALFOROREGON.COM</a>We welcome letters from community members, supporters, and anyone who wants to be part of building something better together!11918 SE Division St. #142 Portland, OR 97266-1037Please send checks to:P.O. Box 1278 Lake Oswego, OR 97035

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<h2>Join our <a href="https://discord.gg/uQWY6tF6DG" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: var(--color-text-accent-primary); text-decoration-color: var(--color-text-accent-primary);">Discord</a> server!</h2>We now use Discord for hangouts, event planning, community discussion, volunteer coordination, and Q&amp;A!Our projects include volunteer days with<ul><li>SCRAP PDX</li><li>IPRC</li><li>Blanchet House</li><li>Q Center</li><li>Free Geek</li></ul>We also do grocery runs for people who are at risk or disabled, and would love to organize more people on Signal

FOOD WASTE REDUCTIONS

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<h2 style="text-align: center;">When ICE or Federal Agents Are in Your Neighborhood</h2><h3>What to Remember</h3>You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions.You do not have to let anyone into your home without a warrant signed by a judge.Ask them to slide the warrant under the door or hold it up so you can see it.You have the right to speak to a lawyer.You do not have to sign anything before talking to a lawyer.<h3>Important Local Info</h3>Portland Police Bureau does not enforce federal immigration law.To report ICE activity or get help: 1-888-622-1510(Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition)<h3>Safety Tips</h3>Stay in safe rooms away from windows if agents arrive.Quietly record from a distance — continuous video is better than snapshots.Don’t post real-time tactical locations of safe houses or vulnerable people.Upload or send your recording immediately to trusted contacts if possible.<h2 style="text-align: center;">Stay safe.</h2><h2 style="text-align: center;">We are stronger together.</h2>

<h2 style="text-align: center;">Join our <a href="https://discord.gg/uQWY6tF6DG" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Discord</a> server!</h2>We now use Discord for hangouts, event planning, community discussion, volunteer coordination, and Q&amp;A!Our projects include volunteer days with<ul><li>SCRAP PDX</li><li>IPRC</li><li>Blanchet House</li><li>Q Center</li><li>Free Geek</li></ul>We also do grocery runs for people who are at risk or disabled, and would love to organize more people on Signal

<h2>DIGNITY FOR SERVICE WORKERS</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Service workers keep Oregon running—preparing food, cleaning, caring for families, transporting communities, and supporting tourism—yet remain undervalued, underpaid, and underprotected.<h3>Low wages + insecurity</h3><ul><li>Leisure and hospitality workers in Oregon earn an average wage of $16–$18 per hour as of 2024, which is significantly lower than the current national median hourly wage.</li><li>In Oregon, 1 in 7 leisure and hospitality jobs pay under $15/hour (2024)</li><li>MIT Living Wage: ~$22/hour for a single adult in Oregon</li></ul><h3>Precarious schedules</h3><ul><li>Unpredictable hours, last-minute cancellations, and fluctuating income make it nearly impossible to budget, secure childcare, or attend school.</li></ul><h3>Lack of benefits</h3><ul><li>Most service workers lack:<ul><li>Employer-provided health insurance</li><li>Paid sick leave</li><li>Retirement plans</li></ul></li><li>Many rely on public support programs, such as Medicaid or SNAP, to survive.</li></ul><h3>Workers at greatest risk</h3><ul><li>Women, immigrants, and Black and Latino workers are disproportionately represented.</li><li>Surveys show higher rates of:<ul><li>Wage theft</li><li>Unsafe conditions</li><li>Harassment and retaliation</li></ul></li><li>Workers still face risks from heat, smoke, chemicals, and physical strain without clear federal protections.</li></ul>Reality:There is no labor shortage — there is a dignity shortage.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Raise wages to living standards</h3><ul><li>Raise the federal minimum to a true living wage, indexed to inflation and region.</li><li>Eliminate subminimum wages, including tipped and disability exemptions.</li><li>Enforce fair pay across service industries.</li></ul>Workers can meet basic needs, rely less on public assistance, and support local economies.<h3>2. Protect and grow unions</h3><ul><li>Pass the PRO Act to remove barriers to organizing.</li><li>Ban captive-audience anti-union meetings.</li><li>Enable sector-wide bargaining across restaurants, hotels, and retail.</li><li>Increase penalties for union-busting and unfair labor practices.</li></ul>Fair wages, predictable schedules, and safe workplaces become the standard.<h3>3. Fair schedules + strong workplace safety</h3><ul><li>Require:<ul><li>Advance schedule posting</li><li>Predictability pay for last-minute changes</li><li>Anti-retaliation protections for refusing sudden shifts</li></ul></li><li>Establish national OSHA standards for:<ul><li>Heat and smoke exposure</li><li>Safety in kitchens, warehouses, food service, and hospitality</li><li>Chemical and cleaning hazards</li></ul></li></ul>Healthier workplaces, lower turnover, and more stable incomes follow these changes.<h3>4. Affordable housing + reliable transit</h3><ul><li>Target housing funds to areas where service workers live and work</li><li>Support transit expansions for early morning, late-night, and rural shifts</li><li>Prevent long commutes caused by housing price spikes.</li></ul>Workers can live near their jobs, save money, and strengthen their communities.<h3>5. Pathways to advancement</h3><ul><li>Tuition-free community college for service workers seeking new skills</li><li>Paid apprenticeships in hospitality, healthcare, trades, and clean energy careers</li><li>Wage progression tied to training and experience</li></ul>Service jobs become career stepping stones, not poverty traps.<h3>6. Ban wage theft + end exploitation</h3><ul><li>Strengthen enforcement against:<ul><li>Unpaid overtime</li><li>Misclassification as contractors</li><li>Stolen wages</li></ul></li><li>Expand federal DOL staffing dedicated to service industries.</li></ul>Workers keep what they earn, and honest businesses compete fairly.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>Service workers hold up restaurants, hotels, hospitals, grocery stores, airports, and schools — yet policy treats them as replaceable.Raising wages, fair scheduling, strict safety standards, affordable housing and transit, expanded training, and strong unions will lift Oregonians out of crisis and boost economic growth.A fair economy means workers who make life possible live with dignity, not struggle.

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<h2>Privacy Policy</h2><h2>J. Sal for Oregon</h2>J. Sal for Oregon respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with our campaign. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard information when you visit our website hosted on the Run! Campaign platform, sign up for updates, volunteer, donate, or communicate with the campaign by email or text message.We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, such as your name, email address, phone number, zip code, and any other information you submit through contact forms, volunteer sign-ups, petitions, event RSVPs, or email subscriptions. This information is used to communicate with you about campaign activities, events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to support the campaign.When you make a contribution, donations are processed through secure third-party services such as ActBlue. J. Sal for Oregon does not store your full credit card or banking information. Donation information is collected and reported as required by federal and state campaign finance laws, including Federal Election Commission reporting requirements.We also collect certain information automatically when you visit our website. This may include your IP address, browser type, pages visited, interactions with the site, and general location data such as city or state. This information is collected through cookies or similar technologies and is used to improve website functionality, analyze traffic, and support lawful campaign outreach.If you provide your phone number, you consent to receive campaign-related text messages from J. Sal for Oregon, including updates, event notifications, volunteer opportunities, and donation requests. These messages may be sent using automated technology. Consent to receive text messages is not required as a condition of making a donation or otherwise engaging with the campaign. Message frequency may vary, and standard message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile carrier and plan.You may opt out of receiving text messages at any time by replying STOP to any campaign text message. You may request assistance by replying HELP. Once you opt out, you will no longer receive SMS messages from the campaign unless you choose to re-enroll. Your phone number will not be sold or rented and will only be shared with trusted service providers who assist with lawful campaign communications and are required to protect your information.We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information. We may share information only with trusted service providers such as Run!, email and text communication platforms, analytics providers, and donation processors that assist with campaign operations. Information may also be disclosed when required by law, including campaign finance disclosure requirements, or when necessary to protect the rights, safety, or integrity of the campaign or the public.You may opt out of campaign emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in those communications. You may also request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information, subject to legal and reporting obligations.We take reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, or misuse. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.This website is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is used, please contact:J. Sal for Oregon Email: tellmemore@jsalfororegon.com

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PRIMARY ELECTION: MAY 19, 2026

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<h2 style="text-align: center;">When ICE or Federal Agents Are in Your Neighborhood</h2><h2 style="text-align: center;">What to Remember</h2>You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions.You do not have to let anyone into your home without a warrant signed by a judge.Ask them to slide the warrant under the door or hold it up so you can see it.You have the right to speak to a lawyer.You do not have to sign anything before talking to a lawyer.<h2 style="text-align: center;">Important Local Info</h2>Portland Police Bureau does not enforce federal immigration law.To report ICE activity or get help: 1-888-622-1510(Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition)<h2 style="text-align: center;">Safety Tips</h2>Stay in safe rooms away from windows if agents arrive.Quietly record from a distance — continuous video is better than snapshots.Don’t post real-time tactical locations of safe houses or vulnerable people.Upload or send your recording immediately to trusted contacts if possible.<h2 style="text-align: center;"> Stay safe.</h2><h2 style="text-align: center;">We are stronger together.</h2>

MONEY AND CAMPAIGN

Maxine Dexter

<h2>SMALL BUSINESSES</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Small businesses are the backbone of the economy — yet policy treats them like disposable scenery while catering to multinational corporations.The reality<ul><li>Over 99 percent of all U.S. businesses are small businesses.</li><li>Nearly half of all private workers rely on them.</li><li>They create two out of every three new jobs.</li></ul>But survival is fragile:<ul><li>20 percent fail within a year</li><li>Half close within five</li><li>Pandemic disruptions wiped out more than a third, temporarily or permanently.</li></ul>Barriers are structural — not personal failure.<ul><li>80 percent of small business loan applicants at big banks are denied</li><li>Black- and Latino-owned businesses face:<ul><li>Higher denial rates</li><li>Smaller loans</li><li>Fewer banking partners</li></ul></li><li>Women-owned and rural small businesses face the steepest hurdles.</li></ul>Meanwhile, consolidation accelerates:<ul><li>A handful of corporations dominate retail, shipping, logistics, and hospitality.</li><li>Chains secure tax breaks and subsidies unavailable to local owners.</li><li>Low-margin pricing by tech giants undercuts small operators.</li><li>Community dollars leak to corporate headquarters instead of circulating locally</li></ul>The result:<ul><li>Neighborhoods lose character and economic anchors.</li><li>Workers lose independence and bargaining power.</li><li>Entrepreneurs struggle to build generational wealth.</li></ul>This is not a lack of talent. It is a lack of fair rules.<h3>Solutions</h3><h3>1. Expand access to capital</h3><ul><li>Create national lending programs through community banks and CDFIs</li><li>Guarantee low-interest loans up to $250,000 for working-class entrepreneurs</li><li>Offer grants and microloans for:<ul><li>First-time owners</li><li>Women, BIPOC, and immigrant-led businesses</li><li>Rural and tribal communities</li></ul></li><li>Ban discriminatory lending and enforce transparent criteria.</li></ul>Impact: More entrepreneurs get the funding needed to start, sustain, or expand their businesses, resulting in increased business survival and job creation.<h3>2. Enforce antitrust and protect fair competition</h3><ul><li>Break up monopolies in tech, shipping, food, and distribution.</li><li>Ban predatory pricing below cost to wipe out competition.</li><li>End sweetheart subsidies and public land giveaways to large corporations</li></ul>Impact: Fair competition gives small businesses realistic opportunities to grow, thrive, and contribute more to their local economies.<h3>3. Simplify regulation for small operators</h3><ul><li>Create one-stop federal portals for:<ul><li>Licensing</li><li>Payroll and taxes</li><li>Compliance requirements</li></ul></li><li>Offer multilingual compliance support.</li><li>Create micro-exemptions for the smallest firms to avoid unnecessary red tape.</li></ul>Impact: Entrepreneurs devote more time to running and growing their businesses, thereby increasing productivity and customer satisfaction.<h3>4. Take healthcare off small employers’ backs</h3><ul><li>Move toward universal healthcare coverage.</li><li>Allow small businesses to buy into public plans during the transition.</li><li>Expand sick leave and workers' benefits without forcing small owners to absorb all costs.</li></ul>Impact: With healthcare costs lifted, small businesses can hire and retain skilled workers, improving growth and job stability.<h3>5. Invest in community business ecosystems</h3><ul><li>Fund community incubators, shared kitchens, co-ops, and commercial maker spaces.</li><li>Support public markets, night markets, and pop-up retail.</li><li>Partner with workforce development programs at community colleges</li></ul>Impact: More startups can launch, sustain growth, and remain anchored in their communities, boosting local economies.<h3>6. Strengthen workers as partners</h3><ul><li>Raise wages to stabilize industries like retail, food, and hospitality.</li><li>Offer tax credits for skills training and apprenticeships.</li><li>Allow targeted visas for key workforce shortages.</li></ul>Impact: Better-trained, fairly-paid workers help small businesses succeed and compete, creating resilient industries.<h3>Bottom Line</h3>Small businesses are not asking for special treatment — they are asking for fair rules.If we invest in local entrepreneurs and foster competition, communities keep their identity, workers keep their jobs, and wealth stays where it is generated rather than flowing to corporate headquarters.A thriving small business economy is how we revitalize main streets, rebuild local wealth, and bring economic power back to everyday people.

Issues

Jessica Slas

DOPAMINE TAX

Read below for some of our top priorities

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TAX THE BILLIONAIRES

WORKING-CLASS PROTECTIONS

CIVIL SERVICE REFORM

<h3>FIGHTING FOR OUR COMMUNITY!</h3>TOP PRIORITIES FOR A PEOPLE-POWERED GOVERNMENT

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DATA PRIVACY

EDUCATION

HEALTHCARE FOR ALL

FARM PROTECTIONS

AMERICA CAN'T AFFORD BILLIONAIRES!

<h2>FOOD WASTE REDUCTIONS</h2><h2>Problem</h2>The United States generates more food waste than any other nation, even as hunger increases.<h3>The scale of waste</h3><ul><li>30–40 percent of all U.S. food is wasted annually</li><li>60–80 million tons, or roughly 325 pounds per person</li><li>Households throw away 20% of the groceries they purchase.</li><li>Cost: ~$1,500 per family per year</li></ul><h3>Hunger persists</h3><ul><li>44 million Americans, including 1 in 5 children, face food insecurity</li><li>Nearly 1 in 8 Oregonians rely on food assistance.</li><li>Tribal, rural, and immigrant communities are hit hardest.</li></ul><h3>Climate impact</h3><ul><li>Landfilled food releases methane — a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO₂</li><li>If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third-largest emitter.</li></ul><h3>Farmers carry the burden</h3><ul><li>Billions of pounds of edible produce are plowed under when:<ul><li>Prices crash</li><li>Storage is full</li><li>Distribution fails</li></ul></li><li>Specialty crops spoil because processing capacity is inadequate.</li><li>Farmers lose profit while families go hungry.</li></ul>Current policies permit food waste even though sufficient food exists.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Make wasting edible food the last resort</h3><ul><li>Require grocers, wholesalers, and major kitchens to donate before disposal.</li><li>Expand liability protections for donors.</li><li>Tax credits for farmers and stores that donate</li><li>Ban landfilling of edible surplus where donation or processing is feasible.</li></ul>Result: More food donations, lower methane emissions, and incentives to donate surplus.<h3>2. Build the infrastructure to move food</h3><ul><li>Grants for:<ul><li>Refrigerated trucks</li><li>Community cold storage</li><li>Food hubs in rural, tribal, and coastal regions</li></ul></li><li>Support shared community kitchens that turn rescued produce into meals.</li><li>Invest in composting + anaerobic digestion for scraps.</li></ul>Impact: Reduced food spoilage, increased food availability, local job creation, and significant landfill methane reductions.<h3>3. Prevent waste before it happens</h3><ul><li>Adopt one national food labeling standard:<ul><li>“Best if used by” = quality</li><li>“Use by” = safety</li></ul></li><li>Fund education on storage, planning, and minimizing spoilage</li><li>Support tech tools that help grocers/restaurants track inventory</li><li>Incentives to:<ul><li>Sell “ugly” or imperfect produce.</li><li>Expand gleaning networks</li></ul></li></ul>Result: Less unopened food waste, lower grocery costs, and less fresh food disposed of.<h3>4. Support farmers and pay for surplus</h3><ul><li>Create national farm-to-food-bank purchase programs.</li><li>Fund gleaning crews that rescue crops left in fields.</li><li>Grants for value-added processing:<ul><li>Drying, freezing, canning, milling</li></ul></li><li>Expand local processing and distribution so Oregon products feed Oregonians.</li></ul>Impact: Farmers maintain income during downturns; communities access fresh food; fewer farms are displaced.<h3>5. Feed people where they are</h3><ul><li>Universal free school meals</li><li>Stronger SNAP + WIC, tied to real food prices</li><li>SNAP match at farmers' markets and CSAs</li><li>Mobile food delivery in rural + elder communities</li><li>Support community fridges + mutual aid networks.</li></ul>Result: Reduced hunger, improved educational outcomes, and better distribution of local food to households.<h2>Oregon Strategy</h2>From Congress, prioritize:<ul><li>Food hubs in Hood River, The Dalles, Hermiston, Bend</li><li>Cold chain infrastructure statewide</li><li>Support for:<ul><li>Oregon Food Bank</li><li>Tribal and immigrant food justice groups</li><li>Small farms, orchards, fisheries, and processors</li></ul></li><li>Stop the USDA rules built only for corn, soy, and giant agribusiness.</li></ul>Coordinate efforts among farmers, food banks, workers, tribes, and schoolsto achieve a food-secure, low-waste Oregon.

AI GDP

<h2>VOTING AGE TO 16</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Millions of 16 and 17-year-olds work, pay taxes, care for siblings, drive, and contribute to their communities — yet they are excluded from the right to vote.The result:<ul><li>A major segment of the population lives under laws they cannot influence</li><li>Decisions about climate, education, policing, and economic policy are made without the voices of those most affected.</li><li>Young people are told to participate in democracy while being structurally blocked from doing so</li></ul>The data<ul><li>Over 1 million 16–17-year-olds work and pay taxes every year</li><li>High school students take history, civics, government, and economics before age 18</li><li>Cognitive research shows that 16-year-olds have adult-level reasoning when making planned decisions, such as voting.</li><li>Places that allow 16-year-olds to vote show strong turnout:<ul><li>Austria saw increased participation immediately after lowering the age.</li><li>Takoma Park’s 16–17 turnout was double that of older first-time voters.</li></ul></li><li>Starting voting earlier builds lifelong habits; first-time voters at 18 often skip voting because of moves for college or work, or due to instability.</li><li>Countries already voting at 16 include Austria, Scotland, Brazil, Wales, Argentina, plus U.S. cities such as Takoma Park and Hyattsville.</li></ul>Young people are contributing but are locked out of the democratic system.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Lower the federal voting age to 16</h3><ul><li>Pass legislation or a constitutional amendment enabling voting at 16 for:<ul><li>Local elections</li><li>State elections</li><li>Federal elections</li></ul></li><li>Provide grants to states and counties to help them transition smoothly.</li></ul>Impact: Millions of young people gain political power that they already earn every day.<h3>2. Automatic voter registration at 16</h3><ul><li>Enroll students through DMV visits, public schools, and online platforms.</li><li>Ensure easy address updates for students who move.</li></ul>Impact: Removes paperwork barriers and makes participation universal.<h3>3. Tie civics education to active participation</h3><ul><li>Require updated civics, media literacy, and electoral education.</li><li>Encourage schools to host:<ul><li>Ballot drop sites</li><li>Mock elections tied to real ballots</li><li>Candidate forums</li></ul></li></ul>Impact: Students vote while learning how democracy works.<h3>4. Protect youth voters from suppression</h3><ul><li>Ban restrictive ID requirements that block students.</li><li>Require polling places accessible to:<ul><li>High schools</li><li>Community colleges</li><li>Technical schools</li></ul></li><li>Make voter intimidation of minors a federal crime.</li></ul>Impact: Voting becomes a right, not an obstacle course.<h3>5. Ensure youth voices shape policy</h3><ul><li>Establish national youth advisory councils to testify on legislation.</li><li>Encourage school board and local advisory seats for students.</li><li>Require agencies creating climate, education, or technology policy to consult youth groups.</li></ul>Impact: Youth influence the laws that govern their future.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>Young people already work, study, pay taxes, and live with the consequences of political decisions.Letting them vote:<ul><li>Strengthens democracy</li><li>Increases lifelong participation</li><li>Brings real voices into policy debates</li><li>Aligns the law with lived reality</li></ul>If you are old enough to work, drive, and pay taxes —You are old enough to vote.

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<h2>VETERANS &amp; DISABILITY</h2><h2>Problem</h2>Disabled Americans and veterans are denied the care, access, and stability they deserve—not because of vague needs, but because systems are chronically underfunded, understaffed, and designed to fail.The crisis in the numbers<ul><li>Nearly 61 million Americans live with a disability — 1 in 4 adults.</li><li>Only 19 percent of disabled Americans are employed, compared to 66 percent of nondisabled Americans.</li><li>Over 50 percent of Fair Housing Act complaints involve disability discrimination.</li><li>25 percent of disabled adults live in poverty</li><li>More than half forgo medical care due to cost.</li><li>30 percent of veterans live with a service-connected disability</li><li>Disabled veterans are twice as likely to experience homelessness as their nondisabled peers.</li><li>VA waitlists stretch for months or years.</li><li>17 veterans die by suicide every day</li></ul>Systems punish people for working, delay care until crisis, and push disabled Americans into poverty, homelessness, or early death.<h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Universal access to healthcare and support</h3><ul><li>Full medical, mental health, dental, vision, and rehabilitation coverage</li><li>Eliminate copays, deductibles, and all out-of-pocket costs for disabled Americans and veterans.</li><li>Guarantee access to prescriptions, medical devices, mobility tech, and treatments</li><li>Fully fund rural, telehealth, and mobile provider networks.</li></ul>Impact: Disability and income no longer block access to care.<h3>2. Modernize SSI and SSDI so benefits don’t punish work</h3><ul><li>Raise or eliminate income and asset caps. a meaningful threshold before benefits adjust</li><li>Remove marriage penalties</li><li>Expand eligibility for chronic illness, long COVID, neurodivergence, and episodic disability.</li><li>Automatic cost-of-living adjustments tied to real inflation</li></ul>Impact: Disabled people can earn and save without jeopardizing benefits.<h3>3. Build accessible, affordable housing</h3><ul><li>Federal funding to retrofit homes and build new ADA-standard housing</li><li>Require a universal mandate for universal design in all federally funded housing, or vouchers usable regardless of disability status.</li><li>Fully accessible shelter systems and supportive housing for veterans and disabled unhoused people</li></ul>Impact: Housing becomes a right, not left to luck.<h3>4. Create real employment pathways</h3><ul><li>Tax credits and wage subsidies for employers hiring disabled workers and veterans</li><li>Guarantee remote and flexible work accommodations, college, trades training, apprenticeships, and licensing support</li><li>Federal enforcement of ADA employment provisions with meaningful penalties</li></ul>Impact: Disability is compatible with work and income.<h3>5. Treat mental health like life-or-death care</h3><ul><li>Fully fund PTSD care, crisis treatment, and long-term therapy.</li><li>Peer support and crisis response programs in every county</li><li>Expand addiction treatment and recovery housing.</li><li>Trauma-informed services for:<ul><li>Veterans</li><li>Disabled youth</li><li>Survivors of violence</li><li>Rural and Tribal communities</li></ul></li></ul>Impact: Suicide, homelessness, and overdoses drop.<h3>6. Independent living, autonomy, and community support</h3><ul><li>Expand home- and community-based services (HCBS)</li><li>Pay family caregivers living wages.</li><li>Strengthen public transit, paratransit, and mobility systems.</li><li>Fund accessibility upgrades in public buildings, schools, parks, and workplaces</li></ul>Impact: Disabled people live independently, not isolated.<h3>7. Stop neglect and retaliation through accountability</h3><ul><li>Enforce timelines for VA disability claims and appeals.</li><li>Increase staffing for Social Security, VA, and oversight agencies.</li><li>Whistleblower protections for case managers, hospital workers, and disability advocates</li><li>Data transparency on wait times, denials, and treatment outcomes</li></ul>Impact: Systems address delays rather than hide them.<h2>Bottom Line</h2>We know what works — income security, universal care, stable housing, and freedom to work without punishment.Disabled Americans and veterans do not need charity or pity. They need systems designed to empower their lives, not obstruct them. Liberty and dignity are guaranteed; people thrive—and the nation does too.

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ABOLISH ICE

<h2>ABOLISH ICE</h2><h2>Problem</h2>ICE targets families, not criminals<ul><li>Roughly 70 percent of people arrested by ICE have no criminal record.</li><li>In some regions, that number rises to 90 percent.</li><li>Most are workers, caregivers, parents, and longtime residents.</li></ul>ICE wastes money<ul><li>ICE + Border Patrol receive $29–31 billion per year.</li><li>Detention costs about $150 per person per day.</li><li>Community programs cost about $7 per day.</li><li>Detention spending is up 500% since 2001, with no proven safety benefit.</li></ul>ICE breaks communities<ul><li>~16 million people live in mixed-status households.</li><li>Raids separate parents from their children and can lead to trauma, anxiety, and academic challenges.</li><li>Police chiefs across the country report crime reporting drops when ICE operates locally.</li></ul>ICE fuels exploitation<ul><li>Raids remove workers but leave abusive employers untouched.</li><li>Impacts farming, hospitality, construction, and logistics.</li><li>Fear keeps wages low and abuse hidden.</li></ul>ICE is redundant<ul><li>CBP handles borders</li><li>USCIS handles visas</li><li>DOJ/FBI handle crime</li><li>ICE’s role overlaps with other agencies and serves primarily to enforce internal immigration laws.</li></ul><h2>Solutions</h2><h3>1. Phase out ICE enforcement</h3><ul><li>End ICE Enforcement &amp; Removal Ops</li><li>Cancel private detention contracts.</li><li>Shift remaining admin functions to civilian agencies.</li><li>Outcome: No workplace/neighborhood raids, reduced duplication</li></ul><h3>2. Redirect ICE’s $8-9 billion to solutions that work</h3><ul><li>Expand immigration court staffing to cut the backlog.</li><li>Replace detention with case management (99 percent hearing compliance)</li><li>Fund housing, legal services, and asylum support</li><li>Outcome: Families stay together, cases move faster, costs drop dramatically</li></ul><h3>3. Modernize legal pathways</h3><ul><li>Work permits for asylum seekers and longtime residents.</li><li>Citizenship paths for Dreamers, DACA, TPS, and long-term community members</li><li>Expand visas for farmworkers, caregivers, and climate-displaced people.</li><li>Outcome: Stability for families and employers, less underground labor</li></ul><h3>4. Stop using fear as policy</h3><ul><li>End police-ICE collaboration</li><li>Protect schools, clinics, shelters, and churches as safe zones.</li><li>Stop data sharing that allows ICE to track families.</li><li>Outcome: Survivors report crimes, traffickers lose power, communities get safer</li></ul><h3>Bottom Line</h3>Abolishing ICE:<ul><li>Saves billions</li><li>Protects families</li><li>Strengthens communities</li><li>Respects due process</li><li>Improves public safety.</li><li>Adopting efficient legal systems and case management offers a more effective approach.</li></ul>

Business Endorsements

At Solera we work hard for our customers and our community and we deserve a Representative that will do the same. I believe Jessica is that person.- John Hitt, Owner