PORTLAND DSA STATE LEGISLATOR CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

1. GENERAL & BACKGROUND

a. What position are you running for?

Oregon House of Representatives, District 42.

b. Have you ever run for office before? What position?

Yes, Corvallis City Council, Ward 5.

c. Do you consider yourself belonging to a political party?

Yes, I am a member of the Democratic Party.

d. Are you a socialist? Y/N Explain

Yes, I am a socialist and a marxist.

e. Do you want an official endorsement from Portland DSA?

Yes.

f. Do you own a business? Y/N

No.

i. If yes, what is it? Do you have employees? If so, how much do you pay them and what
benefits do you provide?
N/A.

Tell us your vision for Oregon:

2. CAMPAIGN FINANCE

a. What is your opinion on the way elections are run in Oregon and this country as a
whole? Would you like to see it done differently? How?
Elections in Oregon are chronically polluted by corporate interest and corporate money, and it
shows in the priorities of our representatives once they take office. ​This state is one of only 6
that allows unlimited corporate campaign contributions. 22 states ban them entirely​. In 2018,
Democrat legislators in Oregon on average accepted ​$223,318.81 in corporate and PAC
contributions​. This session we’ve seen the Democratic supermajority bargain away rights and
protections for poor, working class, and marginalized Oregonians to corporate interests. From
the absurdly high rent cap, and loopholes and exemptions in S.B. 608, the “rent stabilization”
bill, to the horrible betrayal of the 2019 public employee pension cuts. It’s clear that
establishment Democrats are all too happy to put corporate profits over working people.
Oregonians deserve a government that works for the working class, free from the influence of
corporate interest. We are a long way from that in Oregon, but together we can build a state that
truly puts people and planet above corporate profits.

b. Do you take/plan to take campaign contributions from corporations? Y/N

No.

c. Do you have a limit to how much campaign money you will take from any individual,
PAC, or other entity? Y/N
No. Due to the current campaign finance climate in Oregon, it would not be viable for my
campaign to set a limit on individual contributions. That said, I support Oregon law matching the
strictest contribution limits in the nation at $170 for state legislative races ​(Montana)​.

3. HOUSING

a. Oregon and many other states are experiencing a growing housing crisis. What do you
believe do be the cause of this is and how can Oregon address it?
Oregon’s housing crisis is one of the most pressing issues in the state. Unfortunately, the
solutions being put forward by the landlord funded Democratic establishment do not address the
root causes of the issue. In just the Portland metro area alone there is a ​4.6%-4.8% vacancy
rate on rental units​. That’s 16,000-17,000 empty homes. As of 2017 there were ​4,177 houseless
people in Multnomah county.

This is not a supply issue. This is an wealth inequality issue.

We have enough roofs to put over every single person’s head. The problem is that those roofs
are owned by only a handful of people. The solutions that have been put forward by the
Democratic establishment fail to address this issue. ​SB 608​, the “rent stabilization” bill set rent
caps at 7%+CPI annually (10.3% for 2019). That is absurdly high. Nobody on the edge of
houselessness can afford a 10% increase in rent. Assessed value property tax increases are
capped at 3% annually in Oregon. Why should landlords get 3 times the level of protection as
tenants?

How could this have happened under a Democrat supermajority? We need look no further than
the campaign finance reports. The landlord and realtor lobby has their handprints all over this
bill, and they give thousands and thousands of dollars every year to even the most progressive
Democratic legislators.

We must overcome this clear and present danger to our democracy, to our party, and to the
working class people of this state. That’s why I refuse to take a single dime in corporate
campaign contributions, because Oregonians deserve better.
b. Do you support reversing the statewide ban on local rent control? Y/N
Yes

i. Oregon has statewide rent control which limits rent increases to 7% per year plus
inflation. Is this rent control sufficient? What would you change, if anything?
No, it is absolutely not sufficient. Assessed value property tax increases are capped at 3% in
Oregon. The landlord class should not have triple the protections of tenants. No working class
family living in or on the brink of poverty can afford a 10% increase in rent. I know this first hand.
I’m a formerly houseless tenant, and never have I lived in an apartment for more than 1 lease
term. I have moved every single year of my adult life due to rising rents.

This is not acceptable in a state with so much wealth. Oregon families deserve to be able to
grow their family, and build a home, without having to move year after year under the burden of
ever increasing rent. Frequent moving destabilizes student success, family relationships, and
community building.

c. What non-market solutions do you have for addressing houselessness and affordable
housing?
This state desperately needs immediate action on housing justice. That means real, meaningful
rent control, housing stability commissions (like those proposed in HB 2540), relocation
allowance, and policies like the recently passed FAIR ordinance in Portland.. Ultimately though,
these are only bandaids that still do not address the underlying inequality of our for-profit
housing market. To truly liberate working families from the exploitation of the landlord class, we
must transition to high quality, green, dense, and affordable public housing, guaranteed as a
basic human right. That is a transition that will require a radical shift, at every level of our
society, but it is imperative that we meet that challenge head on. That’s why my campaign is
part of a surging democratic socialist movement across this country. I am confident that together
we can build a more just world, one where every child has a home, and no family lives in fear of
houselessness.

d. Are you a homeowner? Y/N Are you a renter? Y/N ? Are you a landlord? Y/N
I am a renter, and have never owned a home. I am not, never have been, and never will be a
landlord.

4. REVENUE
a. What are your thoughts on how revenue is raised for the state of Oregon? If you
believe there needs to be an increase in revenue, where should it come from?
There is chronic unwillingness to tax the wealthy in this state. Time and time again, corporate
funded Democrats refuse to tax the companies that write their campaign checks. That has to
change. ​Oregon has massive wealth inequality​, and it will not be addressed until we require the
rich to pay their fair share.

b. Do you agree with the ⅗ supermajority necessary in the Oregon House and Senate to
raise revenue?
No.

1. If no, how would you change that threshold?

Until we remove the supermajority requirement, state budgets will continue to be plagued with
watered down compromises to corporate and right wing interests. Removing the 3/5ths
supermajority requirement for the state budget must be a priority for our movement.

5. HEALTHCARE
a. Would you support any restrictions on abortion? Y/N
No. Abortion is healthcare, and healthcare is a human right. People with uteri deserve free
abortions, on demand, and in accordance with the full bodily autonomy that every human on this
planet is owed.

i. Should abortion be provided for free? Y/N

Yes, abortion is healthcare, and thus a human right. I believe that all healthcare should be
provided free at the point of service.

b. Do you support a Medicare For All, single-payer health care system at the national
level? Y/N
Yes.

i. Would you advocate for it as an elected official with Oregon’s U.S. Representatives and
Senators? Y/N
Yes.

ii. If the Medicare For All movement does not succeed should Oregon institute an Oregon
single-payer system?
Yes.

6. EDUCATION
a. By most metrics Oregon has a very low quality of education. What has lead to this,
what type of approach is needed to solve it, and how can you support this in your office?
Our education system is the backbone of our society, and Oregon’s students deserve to have
access to a quality, free, and equitable education. That means we must fully fund our schools.
The 2019 student success act ​(HB 3427)​ only came halfway to meeting the $4bn per biennium
increase in education funding that is needed to meet education standards established by the
2018 quality education model report​ from the Oregon Department of Education. The $2bn it did
raise was only enough to fund schools at its current level of funding, plus a little over
$200million, that thankfully included increased funding for school lunch programs. The bill also
included an amendment that bans local governments from taxing commercial activities, a clear
hand out to the corporate lobby, likely negotiated with ​Oregon Business and Industry in
exchange for not challenging the act at the ballot box​.

In future budget cycles we must fight to fully fund our schools, to the standards established by
the quality education model, without negotiating with the corporate lobby, who time and time
again hold the state hostage with the threat of ballot measure challenges. We can defeat right
wing ballot measures if we can just give the people of this state something to fight for,
something to believe in. Oregonians deserve that.

b. Do you support free, universal public colleges and universities in Oregon? Y/N
Yes.

c. Do you support free, universal trade schools in Oregon? Y/N

Yes.

d. Do you support free, universal pre-k in Oregon? Y/N

Yes.

e. Should charter schools play a role in a Oregon’s education system Y/N

No.

7. IMMIGRATION & RIGHTS OF NON-CITIZENS

a. What is your view on U.S. immigration policy over the past decade? What would you
like to see change and what would that look like in Oregon?
Borders exist as a function of capital. Capital can freely flow across borders, while labor can not.
The way that forces of capital defend borders in this country has led to countless human rights
abuses and humanitarian crises. I support nothing less than open borders.

b. Despite Oregon’s status as a Sanctuary State, ICE is actively intimidating and

deporting undocumented residents. What would you do to stop this?
ICE is the perpetrator of countless human rights atrocities and manufactured humanitarian
crises. ICE must be abolished. This is not an abstract debate with two morally equivalent sides.
Either we stand up for and defend the human rights and dignity of all people, or we allow ICE to
continue to terrorize our neighbors. Oregon must make the decision to be a true sanctuary
state, and join those on the right side of history, as a part of the movement to abolish ICE, and
defend our neighbors against systemic violence.

c. Do you support the rights of non-citizen residents to vote in elections in Oregon? Y/N
Yes.

d. Do you support amnesty for all undocumented immigrants? Y/N

Yes.

8. THE ENVIRONMENT

a. Would you advocate for an Oregon Green New Deal based on the DSA Ecosocialist
Principles and what would that look like to you? Or is there a different approach you
favor?
Yes. Market based solutions are not adequate to address our climate crisis. Nothing short of a
radical transformation of our society at every level will be enough to address our climate crisis.
That will take a massive values shift in this country. With the amount that we spend on war and
the military industrial complex, we could be building a more equitable world that puts people and
planet over profit, and secures the planet for future generations. That will mean a green new
deal.

b. Do you support a moratorium on all new fossil fuel infrastructure in Oregon?

Yes.

i. Do you oppose the Jordan Cove LNG Project? Y/N

Yes.

9. LABOR

a. Do you belong to a union or have you ever been in a union? Y/N

Yes, I am a board member for Portland Tenants United, the largest tenants union in Portland.

b. Do you believe every worker deserves a union? Y/N

Yes

i. Should all unions be democratic and member-led? Y/N

Yes

c. How can legislators help strengthen the labor union movement in Oregon?
I believe that movement politics and electoral politics are connected. It’s incredibly important for
our representatives to legislate in a way that defends workers. The failure to do so can have
incredibly dire consequences for the working class, as we saw recently with the 2019 PERS
cuts. I take no corporate contributions. My campaign is funded entirely by the working class,
therefor I have no temptation to serve any other constituent than the working class people of
this state. Unions are a critical part of civic life for any worker, and must be defended at all
costs.

d. What would be an equitable minimum wage in Oregon state?

An equitable minimum wage is a living wage. Every worker deserves to be able to sustain
themselves and their families without having to work more than 40 hours a week, or string
together multiple part time jobs just to make ends meet.

e. Would you support extending the minimum wage, overtime, breaks, the right to
collective bargaining, and other labor protections to cover domestic workers and farm
workers?
Yes.

f. Would you support the right of workers to mass picketing, secondary solidarity strikes,
intermittent strikes, card-check unionization, and oppose the permanent replacement of
strikers?
Yes.

g. What is your analysis and solution to the Oregon PERS “crisis”?

I was, and still am incredibly angry and disappointed after watching corporate democrats in
Salem turn their backs on public employees over this issue. This was a manufactured crisis that
could have easily been addressed through additional funding. In 2007 PERS was funded at
111%, then the recession hit, creating the issue we have now. That recession was caused by
the capitalist class, by the 1%. It is incredibly unjust to force working class Oregonians, our
public employes, to pay for the crimes of the rich. The rich created this problem, the rich should
pay for it. PERS should have been fully funded, maintaining its benefit levels by increases in
taxes on corporations, and the wealthy.

h. Very few workers in this country have any form of democratic control in their
workplace. Do you think workers should be the ones who have ownership of their
workplaces and make company decisions democratically, or do you think the current
system of companies being run top down by CEOs, Boards, etc. is the most effective
way?
All value under capitalism is created by labor. CEOs, boards, and bosses do not produce
commodities, do not work the docks, drive the trucks, make the trains run on time. We do.
Democracy must extend beyond the ballot box. Democracy belongs in our workplaces, in our
communities, and in every aspect of human life.

10. PUBLICLY OWNED SERVICES

a. In Oregon, some utilities are public (water, roads) while others are private (Portland
gas and electric utilities). Do you believe any currently privatized utilities should be made
public or any currently public utilities be made private?
All services needed to sustain modern quality of life should be publicly owned, and
democratically and equitably accessible to the communities that they serve.

b. Should water be free in Oregon? Y/N

Yes

c. Will you advocate for public broadband? Y/N

Yes.

d. What is your opinion on public banking?

Private banks are some of the most exploitative entities under capitalism. They are a direct
manifestation of the power of the capitalist class. Private banks directly uphold wealth inequality.
We must shift to a more just system of banking, one that is public, and democratically controlled
by the communities it serves.

i. Would you advocate for public banks or entities of equal function in Oregon? Y/N
Yes.

11. CRIMINAL JUSTICE

a. How should Oregon address mass incarceration and what is your vision regarding
incarceration in the state generally?
More people are currently incarcerated now in the US than in any other country at any other
time in human history. Prisons exist as a function of Capitalism, White Supremacy, the
Cis-hetero Patriarchy, Imperialism, and Colonialism. Together we can build a better system that
centers rehabilitation, and true justice for all.

b. Should there be any private prisons in Oregon? Y/N

No.

c. Should all drugs be decriminalized? Y/N

Yes, decriminalized, but not necessarily legalized.

d. Should all residents with prior marijuana charges have their records cleared of those
convictions? Y/N
Yes.

e. Should sex work be decriminalized? Y/N

Yes.
f. Would you accept an endorsement from a police union? Y/N
No.

12. INTERNATIONAL
a. Oregon Senate Concurrent Resolution 9 seeks to condemn the Boycott, Divestment
and Sanctions movement.

i. Would you support this resolution? Y/N

No.

ii. Would you support a resolution in support of the BDS movement? Y/N
Yes.

13. ECONOMIC INEQUALITY

a. The 400 richest billionaires in the U.S. collectively own more wealth than the bottom
64% of the U.S. population. Should billionaires exist? Y/N
No. It is impossible to accumulate that much wealth in way that is not extremely exploitative of
both labor and planet. We must build a world where the conditions that create billionaires do not
exist.

b. DSA believes that society and the economy should be run democratically to meet
human needs, not create profits for a few people. Currently, the profit model is the way
our economy is run. Which model do you believe is best and why?
As a Democratic Socialist, I believe in and advocate for a mode of production characterized by
worker owned, and democratically controlled means of production. That means a world where
democracy extends to all areas of life, into the workplace, and into the community. A world
where every head has a roof, every child has a teacher, every family has a doctor, every worker
has a job and a union, and every human being on this planet can live free from the exploitation
of a world long forgotten. Together we can build that world, and I can’t wait to get to work doing
it with each and every one of you.

Thank you for your thoughtful questions, and I look forward to further discussion at the
endorsement meeting.

In Solidarity,

Paige Kreisman