Jonathan Tasini for Portland

Candidate for Portland, Oregon City Council District 2.

Jonathan Tasini for Portland City Council

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"Portlanders care about their neighborhoods. The people are the core of a great city!"

<h2></h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/417105b1-9dd9-458d-9ed3-5e65458bb72b/d63a17ba-de5d-4499-b8ea-552a7b7ef5ed/d63a17ba-de5d-4499-b8ea-552a7b7ef5ed.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1224%2C1632&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed"><h3>I thought, here, I'd talk about a few things I have done and what I learned from that shows what I could bring to the City Council. When we meet up on the streets, ask me about any of this!</h3>What I Did: I was president for 13 years of the National Writers Union, which was affiliated with the United Auto Workers (UAW Local 1981).What I Learned: How to manage budgets, supervise staff, build coalitions, analyze economic and legal issues, and lobby at the local, state and federal level. In other words, I got you-know-what done.What I Did: I've been a Multnomah County Democrats Precinct Committee Person (PCP) for four years.&nbsp;What I Learned: By knocking on hundreds of doors in my community to encourage folks to cast their ballots to support vital issues, I've heard what people are thinking about and their daily concerns. A secret: I love canvassing any neighborhood—I've knocked on tens of thousands of doors, in driving snow or sweltering heat, during my many years of community involvement. That will be the core of my campaign.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/417105b1-9dd9-458d-9ed3-5e65458bb72b/935aff38-0b88-40fb-b26e-489e324dc604/935aff38-0b88-40fb-b26e-489e324dc604.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C966%2C1288&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">What I Did: I’ve been a member of Portland’s Neighborhood Emergency Team since 2014. I’ve trained in search-and-rescue, fire suppression, wilderness first-aid, incident command systems, CPR and, alas, active shooter response.What I Learned: the incredible number of people who care about Portland communities. With fellow NET volunteers, I deployed during the pandemic to support vaccination sites, during storms when power lines came down and have taken time to provide first-aid support during city parades. I've seen, through the NET community, how many Portlanders do care about their neighborhoods. They are the core of a great city!What I Did: What I Learned:&nbsp;What I Did: What I Learned:&nbsp;<img src="https://run.imgix.net/417105b1-9dd9-458d-9ed3-5e65458bb72b/456cad57-3b9a-4231-96e4-0a9e135f312b/456cad57-3b9a-4231-96e4-0a9e135f312b.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1632%2C1224&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">What I Did: lobbiedWhat I Learned: understand why people don’t trust politicians.<h4></h4>

We can solve every challenge our city faces—and save money for every working person, improve our quality of life and deliver equity—if we embrace one principle: the people come first. Here is the first wave of my plan &amp; vision for our city (a lot more to come!). Tell me your thoughts through our website, or in person when we meet in the district.

Our Campaign’s Vision: The People Come First

Our neighborhoods are the core of our city—where we live, where we raise our families, where we socialize daily with friends and where we spend our hard-earned money. Putting our neighborhoods at the center of our policy and strategy is the place to start answering our city's challenges.Too much of the conversation from elites, the wealthy and business leaders has focused on hand-wringing about empty office buildings downtown—and the current City Council, without a strategy, is rushing to throw away your money via ill-advised tax breaks for business (Red alert! Business tax cuts come out of your pocketbook and are almost always a loser for the community).I have a different vision.We must start with the core question: what will we do to revitalize and bolster our neighborhoods?Here is a rough yardstick of the way I will look and act on the issue:<ul><li>Top line: boosting neighborhood capacity in every aspect (transportation, schools, parks and other services).</li><li>Making sure neighborhoods have local voice and power, including via the long-time neighborhood associations;</li><li>Workers who are earning a fair wage can contribute to community life so our city policies—and vocal advocacy—must place the highest priority on making our neighborhoods richer by lifting up the economic security of every resident;</li><li>People who are locked in insecure circumstances—income, housing or personal safety—are our neighbors, and we need to implement solutions to spread security to all, imbued with a sense of solidarity.</li><li>A vibrant downtown is vital to any city. But, "vitality", first and foremost, must be measured by how it serves the people, not by real estate statistics alone.</li><li>When people choose to come downtown, what experience do they have and what is our vision for the future of a downtown that serves people from across the city?</li><li>Workforce strategy—the pros and cons of working remotely must look at the entire picture for neighborhoods, including: what does it cost for a worker to travel downtown (or other locations) to an office (time spent traveling and out-of-pocket expenses); what is the cost for child care (and, if employers insist on in-office presence, how can mandatory childcare be provided/funded?); how do we value the dollars people who continue to work remotely spend at local businesses around the corner, not just downtown?</li></ul>

Our neighborhoods are the heart-and-soul of the city. Our neighborhoods are where we live, where we raise our families, where we socialize daily with friends and where we spend our hard-earned money.

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What Makes A Great City? Neighborhoods!

We can never have a democratic society without a strong labor movement.Unions ensure fair wages and benefits for all, a powerful voice on the job and a higher standard of living for the entire community.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/417105b1-9dd9-458d-9ed3-5e65458bb72b/ab8f4d68-9fbe-4a3d-9233-edfe37cfa415/ab8f4d68-9fbe-4a3d-9233-edfe37cfa415.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C390%2C390&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">I have been a proud union member for 40 years, working as a union leader, campaign and legislative activist, and rank-and-file member.I've often made a simple point when I've debated various CEOs and "free market" folks on national TV: As the hard-nosed Henry Ford believed, you have to pay your workers enough money that they can spend at the store or on basic life needs to have a functioning economy, especially when 70 percent of our economy is based on consumer spending. Rich people can only buy so many yachts but most of us spend our dollars at the local grocery or at the gas pump.Every statistic tells us one fact: Only unions can ensure good wages, benefits and a strong voice on the job.I will not waver in supporting:<ul><li>Union organizing in every sector of our city's economy because that is people-based economic development. I will do everything within the power of my office to broaden union organizing rights, ensure "high wage" collective bargaining outcomes and hold accountable abusive employers. When workers need to strike, I will join their picket lines as I have done throughout my life.</li><li>Raise wages. The metro minimum wage in our city is $15.45-an-hour. Which means that a person working 52 weeks a year and 40 hours a week, with no vacation, would earn a gross income of $32, 136. That is LESS THAN the federal poverty level for a family of four. That is immoral, not to mention a wage that cannot pay for the cost of living in Portland. I will propose a significant hike in the city's minimum wage.</li><li>Project labor agreements (PLAs). I support PLAs 100 percent. When companies like Amazon want to set up shop in our community, we cannot allow them to bring in non-union construction or service companies to undercut our workers.</li><li>Prevailing wage laws. Prevailing wages laws are fundamental standards to ensure every worker earns a fair wage and benefits and is safe on the job AND the surrounding community benefits from the fair wages workers earn, and, then, spend at stores and businesses&nbsp; (the second point about the broad economic benefits strong wages and benefits bring to the community is too often ignored by elected officials).</li><li>Apprenticeship programs: I fully support apprenticeship programs and will work to continue securing appropriate funding to support the programs and make sure any funding benefits union programs and does not indirectly undermine the programs. &nbsp;Apprenticeship programs are the most successful training programs for workers in the union space. The mentorship program instills high levels of solidarity as expert teachers pass on their skills to a new generation. Finally, the programs are valuable to employers who are seeking qualified workers, and, as well, a diverse workforce.</li><li>A "high bar" Just Transition for workers whose jobs are effected by climate change. You can see my full vision on this topic in my climate change positions (linked in the issues menu on the left hand side of this page).</li></ul>

Everything we love about our city was built by workers and their families. Decades of experience in campaigns for justice have shown me that solidarity is the anchor for union and community power to achieve a better quality of life for all people.

Workers' Rights

This is a simple idea: every person should work a 32-hour, four-day work week for the same pay.I will propose that the city, with agreement from all municipal unions, set a 32-hour, four-day work week for the same pay for its employees. Once passed, the City Council should, then, press private employers to do the same.It would improve the quality of life for every worker. It would mean less commuting, which would help the city's climate change fight.It's already being tried around the globe, with such success that <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/30/business/4-day-work-week-results/index.html">even companies are sticking with the idea</a>. The benefits of technology, especially artificial intelligence, should mean every person can work less. It's an old idea. FDR proposed a 30-hour work week and, back then, economists even thought we would see a 15-hour work week by the 1980s.What killed the idea for decades? Corporate greed. We've been insanely productive over the past 40 years—which, if greed wasn't a factor, would mean the federal minimum wage would be $23-an-hour. It's time. For our peace of mind. For our health. For our families. For our communities.

This is a simple idea: every person should work a 32-hour, four-day work week for the same pay.

A Four-Day Work Week

We have plenty of money to pay teachers a fair wage, build housing, set up social services of every type—and still have money left for a rainy day.If... we stop giving away huge riches to the wealthiest people in the state. That's what the current "kicker" does.I have opposed the structure of the "kicker" for a long time. It's even more obvious in 2024—$5.6 billion will be turned back in tax rebates, with the vast majority going to the richest one percent. According to the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ocpp.org/2023/03/09/working-families-kicker/">Oregon Center For Public Policy</a>, "The average member of the top 1 percent, who averages more than a million dollars in a single year, is forecast to get $44,600 under the current kicker law. Some ultra-rich people are expected to receive kicker rebates well in excess of $800,000."That's crazy.So, I strongly support, and will campaign if elected to office, reforming the kicker and, specifically, to adopt the OCPP's "Working Families Kicker": "Under the current kicker, the typical Oregonian – the Oregonian in the middle – would get an estimated $980. But under the Working Families Kicker, that same Oregonian would receive about $2,100. For the lowest-income Oregonians, their kicker would rise from an estimated average of $70 to $2,100. This is an amount that can make a meaningful difference in a family’s life, such as catching up on the rent or bills."This better policy would mean, per OCPP, "the top 20 percent would go from receiving an estimated 67 percent of the kicker to a rational 20 percent. The lowest earning 80 percent of Oregonians would shift from sharing 33 percent of the kicker to 80 percent of the kicker."And we'd have the money we need to make our city, and the state, a model of smart economic policy where the wealthy pay a fair share.

We have plenty of money to pay teachers a fair wage, build housing, set up social services of every type—and still have money left for a rainy day.If... we stop giving away huge riches to the wealthiest people in the state. That's what the current "kicker" does.

A Kicker For Workers, Not The Wealthy

I have a simple principle for governing: corporations should cover all the real costs for the privilege of doing business in our city. That’s especially true when it comes to the risk put on every Portlander by the fossil fuel industry.If elected, I will be proposing immediately that the city enact a fossil fuel risk bond program (FFRB). Here is the basic idea:&nbsp;<ul><li>The fossil fuel industry,&nbsp;not taxpayers, should bear the full cost of damages potentially caused by transporting and storing fossil fuels, explosions, leaks, spills and pollution of air and ground water;</li><li>A fossil fuel risk bond program would require fossil fuel companies to post bonds to cover these damages as well as the costs of cleaning up and restoring polluted sites in the event they declare bankruptcy or skip town;</li><li>A fossil fuel risk bond program would also levy a surcharge on fossil fuel transactions to create a fund to help Portland pay for the enormous costs of climate change adaptation. The money would be invested in public debt securities until projects – like massive stormwater retrofits – are ready for implementation.</li><li>The bond program would, thus, support job creation by ensuring funding for retrofit projects and recovery efforts.</li></ul>The risks to the entire city, and especially people living in District 2, are real: we already know that the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub (CEI), which contains 630 tanks of petroleum-based liquids and stores over 90% of Oregon’s liquid fuels, poses a serious safety threat in the event of a magnitude 8 or 9 Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) quake, an event long overdue for the Pacific Northwest.Even without the specter of a quake disaster your city government should be acting now so the fossil fuel industry doesn't shove its costs onto YOU, your families and community.

Corporations should cover all the real costs for the privilege of doing business in our city. That’s especially true when it comes to the risk put on every Portlander by the fossil fuel industry.

Big Oil, Not YOU, Should Pay The Bill

Every Portlander should have access to affordable public broadband as a basic right and equity for all. For so many people, this is a matter of economic survival. Instead, The big cable monopolies like Comcast are robbing people blind—and delivering bad service.I will be proposing a multi-year plan to build out public broadband—which will mean every adult and child will be able to afford access to high-quality broadband. In addition, I will propose a plan to build a citywide free Wifi network.This will mean real savings for every family in the city.

Every Portlander should have access to affordable public broadband as a basic right and equity for all. For so many people, this is a matter of economic survival.

Public Broadband For All

I am working on a plan, with union partners in our city and national non-profit investors, to stand up a major affordable housing project. I hope to roll out this plan in 2024 once we have finalized the financial numbers and other key details (e.g., infrastructure build-out).I think about affordable housing with the following economic and race lens:<ul><li>Making sure that new housing is, in fact, affordable and does not gentrify or price-out working- and middle-class residents;</li><li>Making sure any housing project is executed with union, high-wage labor; </li><li>Making sure that new housing doesn't replicate long-standing racial disparities and, in fact, changes policies, practices, systems, and structures. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.raceforward.org/projects-programs-%26-initiatives/housing-justice">Race Forward</a> articulates this goal precisely: "We envision a housing system in which racial hierarchies have been eliminated, housing is a public good and a human right, and therefore, everyone, regardless of their race, has affordable and dignified housing. &nbsp;exposing and changing policies, practices, systems, and structures that currently worsen long-standing racial disparities and harm us all."</li></ul>

I am working on a concrete proposal, with a large investment, to create a significant project to build affordable housing

Affordable Housing

We can't save the planet if we don't dump the current economic system. The economic system—the so-called "free market"—is the source of both environmental devastation and poverty, low wages and inequality. As the voice for workers, I want to ensure that every environmental initiative in our city includes a "high bar" Just Transition for every person whose job is effected by the urgent need to save the planet:<ul><li>All workers effected by decarbonization must be made whole in overall income and benefits, and, at the same time, communities must be robustly financed to encourage job creation that will benefit men and women equally and spark economic development that makes up fully for any decline in losses to the tax base or other income that decarbonization-related activities contribute.</li><li>Where new jobs are created, those jobs must offer at least 100 percent equivalent wages to disappearing good-paying, union-wage jobs and offer every worker full-time, good-paying work, not precarious, low-paying, irregular work.</li><li>Smart economics should drive “high bar” Just Transition: workers who lose incomes will not be able to spend at their local stores or keep up with monthly bills, thus, undercutting overall demand for goods and services, which will sap the economy of its vitality. This guarantee should be reinforced with a global “green” minimum wage and a reduction in work hours as society re-imagines labor in the future economy.</li></ul>To read more about a "high bar" Just Transition, check out <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://justtransitionforall.com/">Just Transition For All,</a> the global project I launched in 2022.

We are all environmentalists. Every person wants to live on a healthy planet—and wants that for their families and future generations. With a proven track record, my focus will be to support workers who face the threat of job losses or income declines as we all collectively work to battle climate change.

Workers &amp; Climate Change

UPDATE: WE WON! The current city council recently passed the ordinance, thanks to the hard work of activists over a long time. Now, it will be up to a new City Council to make sure the ordinance is fully implemented and enforced—and I pledge to ensure that happens!================================================Peace-and-quiet for every neighborhood in the district, and citywide, is an important part of supporting our general mental and physical health. Yet, our music, conversations and just plain silence are shattered regularly by the noise of gas-powered leaf blowers.I support, and will propose, that the City Council ban such equipment citywide.Importantly, such a ban must include a city-funded replacement program for those small businesses—often, a one- or two-person operation—to support the transition to battery-electric powered leaf blowers. While the health benefits of a ban for the workers in this industry are clear (no more toxic fumes and progressive hearing loss), we should ensure, as a community, that workers are not saddled with a hit to their pocketbooks.I fully endorse the campaign by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.quietcleanpdx.org/">Quiet Clean PDX,</a> which has carried this issue for so many years and now is on the brink of success! A heartfelt "thank you" to this group of community activists.

This should be a no-brainer for every corner of the city. Banning gas-powered leaf blowers is a quality of life issue for every resident AND the workers who use this equipment—especially because great alternatives exist!

Peace &amp; Quiet: Ban Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers!

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<h3>NWOLC Endorsements</h3>A great moment with endorsement by citywide labor movement and Jonathan explains the connection to the UAW's organizing victory in Tennessee!

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One principle has guided me during 40 years of leading organizations, managing campaigns to improve the lives of people, advancing effective public policy and working for a better world:Solidarity is the anchor for people and community power.Solidarity will be at the heart of the very specific proposals our campaign will talk about with voters as we campaign door-to-door and speak to peoples’ concrete needs.Solidarity is not simple. It’s hard. It takes a lot of work.I will, and have always been, guided by what Nelson Mandela said:&nbsp;“It always seems impossible until it's done.”

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Jonathan Tasini

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Latest Campaign Developments

We are so pleased to announce the April 22nd endorsement, in a unanimous vote, of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council."Rarely does a candidate come along who understands the fundamental economic proposition of the labor movement as well as Jonathan Tasini," says Laurie Wimmer, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the NorthWest Oregon Labor Council. "He will make a great city councilor because he understands that to rebuild Portland, we must focus on closing the wage and wealth gap." "It's quite humbling and a great honor for me to receive this endorsement," says Jonathan. "As a 40-year union member and a current proud UAW member, I’ve walked countless picket lines, organized new union members, championed laws to empower workers and been a voice for labor in the media. I hope to take that experience and passion to the Council, and along with other endorsed Council candidates, advance the most pro-worker agenda in the nation." Our campaign has the most individual labor union endorsements of any candidate running in the city: Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council;&nbsp;IBEW Local 48; Iron Workers Local 29;&nbsp;IUPAT DC 5; Laborers Local 737;&nbsp;Operating Engineers Local 701 and the UAW.

We are so pleased to announce the April 22nd endorsement in a vote, of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council."Rarely does a candidate come along who understands the fundamental economic proposition of the labor movement as well as Jonathan Tasini," says Laurie Wimmer, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the NorthWest Oregon Labor Council. "He will make a great city councilor because he understands that to rebuild Portland, we must focus on closing the wage and wealth gap."

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Wow! What An Endorsement

Kevin&nbsp;Lux, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council informed Jonathan that he had been endorsed by the Council, which represents approximately 20,000 workers. We are thrilled!

Kevin&nbsp;Lux, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council informed Jonathan that he had been endorsed by the Council, which represents approximately 20,000 workers. We are thrilled!

Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council Endorses Jonathan

And yet another union joins our worker-powered campaign: On March 1st, the executive board of Operating Engineers Local 701 voted unanimously to support Jonathan's bid to represent the people of District 2 on the Portland City Council.

Operating Engineers Local 701 Climbs Aboard!

Just moments ago, Workers United let the world know that a long campaign against Starbucks—a company that used some of the worst union-busting tactics—reached an important juncture... which is laid out in the statement below. "Congrats to all the workers who stood together in solidarity and fought as one!," Jonathan said immediately on hearing the news. "This shows that we can win for workers if we raise expectations of what we can do—and that's precisely what I plan on doing as a member of the City Council. Beware to any employer that exploits Portland's workers. And, of course, we must, as supporters, remain vigilant that the company in fact lives up to the statement."Workers United statement follows:"Workers United and Starbucks share a commitment to developing a productive relationship in the best interests of Starbucks partners. During mediation discussions last week over ongoing brand and IP litigation, a constructive path forward emerged on the broader issues of the future of organizing and collective bargaining at Starbucks.To build on that path, Workers United and Starbucks have agreed to begin discussions on a foundational framework to achieve collective bargaining agreements for represented stores and partners, the resolution of litigation between the union and the company, including brand litigation, and a fair process for workers to organize.As a sign of good faith, Starbucks has agreed to provide workers represented by Workers United with credit card tipping and benefits announced by the company in May of 2022.While there is plenty of work ahead, coming together to develop this framework is a significant step forward and a clear demonstration of a shared commitment to working collaboratively and with mutual respect.release text here."

Just moments ago, Workers United let the world know that a long campaign against Starbucks—a company that used some of the worst union-busting tactics—reached an important juncture... which is laid out in the statement below. "Congrats to all the workers who stood together in solidarity and fought as one!," Jonathan said immediately on hearing the news.

Starbucks Workers Take Big Step!

Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 737 today announced its support for Jonathan's campaign to be the voice for working people in Portland.In his endorsement letter, Business Manager Zack Culver wrote: "The Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 737 is pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive an endorsement. This decision recognizes your commitment to working on Portland City Council to advance good labor standards and serve as a strong voice on issues vital to workers.This LIUNA endorsement means we are confident you will be a strong continuing supporter of Construction Craft Laborers and public sector workers when considering critical policy issues that are important to our professions, and which will create an economy that works for all. release text here." [emphasis added].In receiving the endorsement, Jonathan noted that he has worked with the Laborers union for many years. "I'm truly humbled to get the backing of a union whose members are a core piece of the labor movement in our great city, and across the nation," Jonathan remarked.

Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 737 today announced its support for Jonathan's campaign to be the voice for working people in Portland.

The Campaign For Workers Rolls On! Laborers Throw Support to Jonathan.

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 5 announced its support for Jonathan's campaign, noting his long history advocating on the part of working people.District Council 5 represents thirteen local unions across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. "IUPAT's important nod is just one more piece to building our one-of-a-kind campaign to be the voice for working people," Jonathan said. "This is now clearly the most broadly-based, labor-supported campaign throughout all four new City Council districts. As a 40-year union member, I walk-the-walk 365 days a year."

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 5 announced its support for Jonathan's campaign, noting his long history advocating on the part of working people.

IUPAT Adds Another Labor Voice To Jonathan's Campaign

Jonathan Tasini today submitted the following testimony to city staff in support of the proposed ban on gas-powered leaf blowers:To the staff of the City of Portland:As a candidate for City Council, District #2, I have strongly endorsed the ban on gas-powered leaf blowers (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.jonathantasini.com/issues?id=c7964231-13fe-4694-be60-a4d5512b17cf">https://www.jonathantasini.com/issues?id=c7964231-13fe-4694-be60-a4d5512b17cf</a>)&nbsp; and am fully committed, should I be elected, to either pursuing the ban on gas-powered leaf blowers and/or supporting the full implementation of a ban should it pass prior to January 2025. In doing so, I want to give full credit and praise to Quiet Clean PDX, which has carried this issue, on behalf of all Portland, for a very long time and is a model of community activism.I am submitting this testimony largely framed by the expertise and insights provided by Quiet Clean PDX.Timing for phase-out: Since the impetus for the proposed ordinance is an understanding that gas-powered leaf blowers create health hazards for the community and operators of the devices, why delay the roll-out of the ordinance until 2026? The roll-out should be implemented quicker, and take effect in 2025.Full implementation: the technology exists right now—and prices on the relevant equipment are continuing to decline—to handle all leaf clearing, in all seasons. There is no logical reason to delay the full year-round implementation. It should begin January 1st 2026, not 2028 as the draft ordinance proposes.Enforcement: in my experience in urban affairs generally, where we often fall down is in the enforcement aspect of quality-of-life standards. Too often, general community ordinances are loosely enforced—which, rightly, generates community frustration and a lack of trust in elected officials. Thus, I strongly urge the city to strengthen the enforcement aspects of the ordinance.&nbsp; Contractors and property managers must be included as potential responsible parties or “violators” at the discretion of the health enforcement authority because those entities have the most direct, daily hand in the operation of gas-powered leaf blowers. I applaud the notion of education but penalties for repeat offenders must come into play much quicker and with greater force.Worker Support: I strongly support a robustly financed program, either through the city or county, to support the individual workers whose livelihoods currently depend on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. We must stand up a generous buy-back/rebate program that encourages workers in the industry to quickly adopt the technologies that exist today to make community-friendly leaf clearing a reality. I would suggest, indeed, engaging with the companies that produce such equipment to explore providing alternative, non-gas-powered equipment at cost or below cost to a city/county sponsored program to dramatically lower the cost of transition.&nbsp;

Jonathan Tasini today submitted the following public testimony to city staff in light of a proposed ordinance to ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers:

Jonathan Submits Testimony on Ordinance to Ban Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

Jonathan Tasini, 67, lives in North Portland’s Boise-Eliot neighborhood. Tasini is a well-known figure in the labor activist community, having served as the president of the National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981) from 1990 to 2003. During that time, he was the lead plaintiff in a Supreme Court case (New York Times v. Tasini), and won, helping set a precedent for freelance writer rights.&nbsp;Tasini is also a longtime labor and economics journalist, writing from a progressive angle— though he told the Mercury the word “progressive…is a term that has almost lost meaning.”&nbsp;“Voters want and deserve more than rhetoric,” he said. “We need competent people who know how to read a budget, have managed people, have actually worked to pass legislation, understand taxation so they can effectively oversee policy implementation, and won’t get snowed by powerful economic interests.”&nbsp;In addition to successfully running for union office, Tasini ran for political office against then-New York Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2006 Democratic primary, citing her vote for the Iraq War as the motivation behind his campaign. He cited active involvement in his Neighborhood Emergency Team as another example of his civic involvement.&nbsp;“There’s a great opportunity, with a clean slate, to create a fantastic, working city,” Tasini said. &nbsp;“I am deeply-versed in key worker-focused economic issues (wages, pensions, labor rights), climate change and civil rights that would come before the City Council, as well as having a strong background in the broader political, legal and administrative issues in public policy.”[Original article is <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.portlandmercury.com/city-council-race-2024/2023/11/21/46784692/portland-city-council-candidates-district-2">here</a>]

Jonathan Tasini, 67, lives in North Portland’s Boise-Eliot neighborhood. Tasini is a well-known figure in the labor activist community, having served as the president of the National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981) from 1990 to 2003. During that time, he was the lead plaintiff in a Supreme Court case (New York Times v. Tasini), and won, helping set a precedent for freelance writer rights.&nbsp;

Portland Mercury Chats With Jonathan

IronWorkers Local 29 has endorsed Jonathan Tasini's campaign for City Council District #2."I had the chance to see first-hand the incredible work IronWorkers Local 29 does with its apprenticeship program and so I'm especially honored to receive the endorsement of a union that works so hard to train its members and to raise living standards for working people," said Jonathan Tasini.

IronWorkers Local 29 Gives Nod To Jonathan Tasini

Today, Region 6 of the United Auto Workers announced its endorsement of Jonathan's campaign for City Council."It's my pleasure to inform you on behalf of UAW Region 6 we have given our sole endorsement for your campaign for Portland City Council in D2. Feel free to mention publicly that UAW has endorsed you" wrote Region 6 political director Emily Myers."As a 30-plus year proud member of the UAW, I am especially thrilled to receive the union's sole endorsement for this race," Jonathan said.

UAW Endorses Jonathan

In a unanimous vote December 4th 2023, the political action committee of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ibew48.com/">Local 48</a> of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers endorsed Jonathan Tasini's campaign for City Council."I am honored to have the endorsement of the IBEW," said Jonathan Tasini. "The IBEW has set high wage and benefit standards for workers and defines the kind of expectations every worker should have for a decent standard of living. I look forward to being a strong voice for the IBEW on the City Council."

In a unanimous vote December 4th 2023, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ibew48.com/">Local 48</a> of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers endorsed Jonathan Tasini's campaign for City Council."I am honored to have the endorsement of the IBEW," said Jonathan Tasini.

IBEW Supports Jonathan Tasini's Worker-Centered Campaign

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<h2>Election 2024—The Basics</h2>I wanted to give a short background on what is about to change in 2024—for all the voters in District 2, for Portlanders everywhere and, as well, for my many friends and colleagues in other communities who are supporting the campaign. This is important FOR EVERY VOTER in District 2: please sign up at our website so we can update you about any changes in the election rules AND assist you with any questions right up to Election Day!Until now, we've elected four City Commissioners citywide who, together with the mayor, served as our legislative body. Commissioners were assigned to oversee city agencies by the mayor—a set-up that, charitably, has not worked.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/417105b1-9dd9-458d-9ed3-5e65458bb72b/73902432-e282-4d1f-aa67-136804b7c324/73902432-e282-4d1f-aa67-136804b7c324.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1600%2C800&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">In 2022, voters approved, by a wide margin, a significant change. Starting in 2024, 12 people will be elected to the City Council, three from each of four districts (you can see the rough outlines of the district in the map to your left).In addition, the mayor will no longer be on the City Council. Finally, Portland will hire a city manager to run the departments day-to-day—which is how most medium- to large cities operate.The election will employ ranked-choice voting (RCV)—<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z2fRPRkWvY">here is a basic explanation of RCV</a>. Note: the caveat for us in Portland: with three candidates being elected out of each district, a candidate who receives 25% plus 1 in the first round is automatically declared a winner.

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Jonathan Tasini (PDX City Council District 2)

“…Because I was not a trade unionist 
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left 
To speak out for me” #ColumbiaUniversity #campusProtests

“First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist 
Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out…” #ColumbiaUniversity /1

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