and we're back 2.0
3 *good* housing articles 🔍
I’ve been thinking about this newsletter a lot. I’ve been thinking about housing a lot but in new ways — aka, I got a new job.
This job is very different from what I was doing before. I work a lot more closely with the Oregon legislature, like, I actually had to register as a lobbyist with the state *intense shudder*. I’ve taken this job with a lot of excitement but also a healthy skepticism. Maybe it’s just my anxiety brain but I worry if I’m hurtling towards a villain arc.
Let me explain. I’ve been wrestling with what it means to be a communist doing state policy and how to protect, maintain, and nourish my revolutionary values while working in the belly of the beast.
I do feel like I am compromising my values every time I give testimony on a bill that kinda sucks, but I do feel like there are tangible benefits that make it worthwhile.
I don’t even think we’re even gestating an American leftist movement yet. I carry a lot of grief from my political hopes and dreams being dashed on the cold, hard rocks of reality from years of retaliation after Black Lives Matter and rising fascism. Now is that just me trying to rationalize the employment opportunities I’ve taken, or do I actually believe we need more eyes on the inside? More on that very soon.
Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing:
what I’ve learned in my first short session
and session wonk shit about the priorities/bills I’m tracking myself.
Here’s a quick little news round-up of *good* housing shit (good is very subjective here, it could be a tangible win, it could be interesting, it could be me relishing that I was right).
Portland Mayor is really out here saying that changing zoning laws didn’t bring in more housing.
This article is about a recent discussion in the Portland City Council to change regulations to supposedly make housing more affordable to build. One of the regulations on the chopping block was to protect birds from hitting windows (it didn’t get chopped). These discussions pitting housing against environmental issues are happening all across America at every level of government. If you need a refresher on why deregulating the housing market is a myth check out this gem.
Paying for rent with Medicaid? I love all of this creative problem-solving solving but please just fund housing already.
Intersectionality helps us understand who has power and who doesn’t and what those implications are. When applied to housing, it illustrates why an eviction leads to a reduction in job earnings and an increase in health problems even two years later. Issues are connected, baby! So while I do love seeing policymakers trying to meet the needs of the rent-burdened, I just don’t understand:
can’t we just give more money to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for more subsidized housing?
can’t we just tell landlords they can’t charge that much rent?
In a stunning Labor 🫱🏽🫲🏻 Housing partnership, Tacoma, Washington wins big tenant protections.
Housing is the site of reproductive labor, or the work that is needed to maintain your life (like cooking, cleaning and caretaking). And there is power when we combine reproductive labor and regular degular labor as shown by these wins from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) in Tacoma, Washington. They won some really cool shit like:
❗️Cold-weather eviction protections if you fall behind on rent from Nov. to April ❗️
❗️Mandatory relocation assistance for rent hikes❗️
❗️Landlords cannot raise rent or evict tenants if outstanding health and safety code violations exist❗️
AND!!! As I’m building back up my editorial calendar what kinds of stuff do you want to see? Letting me know will help me prioritize what comes next <3