Oregon House District 28
Oregon House District 28 contains portions of Multnomah and Washington counties – covering Raleigh Hills, Garden Home, Hillsdale, and parts of southwestern and downtown Portland (including Portland State University).
Democrat Dacia Grayber of Portland was elected to the District 28 seat in 2022, replacing Wlvnsvey Campos who was elected to the Oregon Senate. Democrats have held the seat since 2002.
Grayber is challenged this year by Republican Charles Mengis.
Candidate Dacia Grayber did not respond to Street Roots’ questionnaire. Charles Mengis submitted this response: “Since you are a special interest group, I will refrain from filling out your questionnaire.”
Oregon House District 33
Oregon House District 33 covers portions of Multnomah and Washington counties, including parts of downtown Portland as well as most of the northwestern part of the city, including Forest Park.
There’s no incumbent this November, with previous state Rep. Maxine Dexter running for the 3rd US Congressional District. Democrat Shannon Isadore, Republican Stan Baumhofer and Libertarian Tom Busse are running against each other this November.
Republican Vic Backlund, running unopposed in 2000, was the last Republican to hold the seat. Since 2002, all the representatives have been Democrats.
Candidates Shannon Isadore and Stan Baumhofer did not respond to Street Roots’ questionnaire.
Tom Busse, Libertarian
State lawmakers have tremendous influence on state funding and programming to address homelessness. How will you advocate the Legislature addresses homelessness?
The job of the part-time Legislature is to give county commissioners, as agents of the state, the tools they need to do their jobs of ensuring Oregonians have access to shelter, but change is going to have to happen at the county level.
I do not think homelessness is underfunded. After all, Metro passed a huge housing bond and has a surplus in its homeless services tax, and it’s accomplished virtually nothing. The problem is we are spending money on ineffective programs.
HB 3115, or ORS 195.530, dictates all local laws governing the survival activities of homeless Oregonians be “objectively reasonable.” Some officials want to repeal the law, some want to strengthen it and/or make it more specific. What, if anything, do you think the Legislature should do with ORS 195.530?
This self-enforcing law responds to the Grants Pass decision, and I think it’s a good one.
The Legislature’s role is to be ready to respond to and correct any judicial overreach in its interpretation as well as vexatious litigation. The way the law will be implemented is that the most egregious local ordinances and activities will be challenged, and local jurisdictions will be mindful of the risk of judicial challenges when passing ordinances that go too far.
State laws currently limit local governments from addressing housing affordability, including a ban on local rent control. What would you do to ensure the Legislature is addressing housing affordability and skyrocketing evictions?
I lived in San Francisco for 20 years, and one of my jobs was as a part-time bookkeeper for a property management company with 157 units. I witnessed firsthand the inequality rent control creates, and nobody can say San Francisco’s rent law makes housing “affordable.”
The best studies of housing affordability show it is best addressed by incentivizing market mechanisms in the private sector such as using public banking to make easy credit for the construction of housing at affordable price points.
I can also imagine greater investment in legal aid as I work to fix Oregon’s public defense crisis.
Oregon House District 41
Oregon House District 41 covers portions of Clackamas and Multnomah counties, including Milwaukie and Oak Grove as well as the Eastmoreland, Sellwood and Woodstock neighborhoods of southeast Portland.
Democrat Mark Gamba has represented the district since 2022. He is challenged this year by Republican Elvis Clark. No Republican has represented the district since its current boundaries were drawn in 2000.
Elvis Clark, Republican
State lawmakers have tremendous influence on state funding and programming to address homelessness. How will you advocate the Legislature addresses homelessness?
I support greatly enlarging the land available for housing by expanding urban growth boundaries.
This would substantively lessen the bidding up of house prices and rents in the existing inner parts of cities. Land just outside the existing urban growth boundaries is much less expensive, and this will help spread housing demand and lessen bidding wars.
HB 3115, or ORS 195.530, dictates all local laws governing the survival activities of homeless Oregonians be “objectively reasonable.” Some officials want to repeal the law, some want to strengthen it and/or make it more specific. What, if anything, do you think the Legislature should do with ORS 195.530?
I support adjusting state housing programs to concentrate mostly on rental assistance vouchers for those Oregonians in financial difficulty facing homelessness. Government funded housing construction programs seem too expensive and slow. Rent assistance seems more effective.
ORS 195.530 should be modified considering the June 2024 U.S Supreme Court decision in the case of Grants Pass versus Johnson. The Supreme Court decision seems to give more discretion to cities to designate specific public areas where the unsheltered may camp and where they cannot camp.
“Reasonably objective” could be defined to allow cities to designate their camping areas.
State laws currently limit local governments from addressing housing affordability, including a ban on local rent control. What would you do to ensure the Legislature is addressing housing affordability and skyrocketing evictions?
Concentrate on raising the state funding for rent assistance. At the same time, make sure that home electric and natural gas utility bills do not surge as the state pursues cleaner energy. Lessen other costs of living. Loosen land use restrictions to ramp up house building, lessening price pressures on existing urban areas.
Mark Gamba, Democrat (incumbent)
State lawmakers have tremendous influence on state funding and programming to address homelessness. How will you advocate the Legislature addresses homelessness?
We have two bills we are working on. The first is our Housable Minimum Wage bill, which ties the minimum wage to the cost of the average one-bedroom apartment in a given region.
Once passed, wages will rise $2 per hour per year until they are commensurate with 30% of the minimum wage being equal to the average one-bedroom apartment.
The second bill is starting a social housing program here in Oregon. This is aimed at homeownership at workforce levels which should ease rents by reducing pressure on rental properties. Not sure this one will happen this year.
HB 3115, or ORS 195.530, dictates all local laws governing the survival activities of homeless Oregonians be “objectively reasonable.” Some officials want to repeal the law, some want to strengthen it and/or make it more specific. What, if anything, do you think the Legislature should do with ORS 195.530?
I think that law needs to be clarified so that we are all working from the same page.
State laws currently limit local governments from addressing housing affordability, including a ban on local rent control. What would you do to ensure the Legislature is addressing housing affordability and skyrocketing evictions?
See my first answer. Also, I co-chief-sponsored the bill that would allow local rent control. We may bring that back.
Oregon House District 52
Oregon House District 52 covers all of Hood River County and portions of Clackamas, Multnomah and Wasco counties, including the cities of Hood River and The Dalles.
Republican Jeff Helfrich of Hood River has represented the district for the past two years. A purple district, it has been represented by four Republicans and five Democrats since 1990.
Helfrich is opposed this November by Democrat Nick Walden Poublon.
Candidate Jeff Helfrich did not respond to Street Roots’ candidate questionnaire.
Nick Walden Poublon, Democrat
State lawmakers have tremendous influence on state funding and programming to address homelessness. How will you advocate the Legislature addresses homelessness?
Oregon’s criminal justice system has regressed, particularly in addressing addiction and homelessness.
Criminalizing addiction without recovery options and penalizing homelessness only worsens the cycle of incarceration. We need a transformative shift toward preventive and rehabilitative strategies with accountability, transparency and a data-driven approach.
Including previously homeless individuals in decision-making is essential for crafting effective solutions. Expanding mental health and addiction services is critical to reducing homelessness and incarceration rates.
Justice reform should focus on better training for law enforcement, improved legal representation, and restorative justice to reduce recidivism and stabilize our communities.
HB 3115, or ORS 195.530, dictates all local laws governing the survival activities of homeless Oregonians be “objectively reasonable.” Some officials want to repeal the law, some want to strengthen it and/or make it more specific. What, if anything, do you think the Legislature should do with ORS 195.530?
The Legislature should strengthen ORS 195.530 to ensure it fully protects the rights and dignity of unhoused Oregonians.
We must move away from criminalizing homelessness and ensure that survival activities – like sleeping or seeking shelter – are not penalized. Strengthening the law should center on making public spaces accessible to all while supporting the autonomy of unhoused individuals.
Legislators should commit to affordable housing, public health and lifting wages to address the root causes of homelessness. By empowering and including those directly affected, we can create lasting solutions rather than perpetuating cycles of displacement and poverty.
State laws currently limit local governments from addressing housing affordability, including a ban on local rent control. What would you do to ensure the Legislature is addressing housing affordability and skyrocketing evictions?
The Legislature must take bold, balanced action to address housing affordability and rising evictions.
I advocate for reconsidering the state’s ban on local rent control, allowing communities to craft solutions that fit their needs. We need policies prioritizing equity, particularly for marginalized communities, while supporting responsible landlords with fair, workable rent stabilization and incentives for maintaining affordable units.
Alongside rent control, we must invest in building affordable housing, expand rental assistance, and provide legal support to tenants facing eviction. Addressing housing affordability requires collaborative solutions that protect tenants.
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This article appears in October 16, 2024.