So welcome everyone. How are y'all doing? Awesome. Cool. So before I start with anything I always like to recognize whenever we're talking that we're on stolen land and I always think it's important to start with that before jumping forwards.
And recognize the sacrifice of the people who were a genocide agent.
Right because the Tejama stole it from the Shastan. There you go.
So right now, throughout the nation, wages are continuing to stagnate.
Well, the costs of basic services such as health care and rent continue to rise, threatening the livelihoods of our neighborhoods, families, and friends.
Rural Oregonians have fought really hard.
As the federal government told us that they were going to take away our health care, we answered with re-announcing no.
When ICE attempted to come into our state and take our neighbors from other homes and families, we took to the street to stand with our brothers and sisters against bigotry and hatred.
When the bosses, councils, and boards decided to cut the pay of our working brothers and sisters, we filled their offices and demand a fair wage for all.
Yeah!
Oregon is resilient and we are proud of that.
I have coworkers who travel from Medford, Grants Pass, and even Gold Hill to come to work.
And for those of us who are lucky enough to live in Ashland, we have to have two to three housemates or a partner who also works full-time.
And on the rare chance a single person can live in a studio bedroom or a one-bedroom apartment, they have to have one to two additional jobs to be able to afford it best.
Yeah!
I kind of got my brain going, right? I was like, what's this about? Let's do some research.
And in my findings, I have discovered that Jackson County, one out of three renters is extremely cost burdened.
What does that mean?
That means that more than 50% of their income goes towards rent.
And for residents who are among lower incomes, 75% of all renters pay that much.
So what does this mean? It means that we have a crisis.
It means that workers and families all across Southern Oregon are being displaced out of Ashland and out of the Rogue Valley.
And those of us that even buy our fingernails, scrape by, and survive here, we're hanging on for your dear life.
And you ask any maintenance worker, any library technician, any IT person over there at SOU, they're barely hanging on and they see the writing on the wall.
If we're losing 40% or more of our income to rent or utilities, that is a burden that we cannot sustain in the future.
We will not be able to survive here, will not be able to ever own a home, ever bring up a family here in Ashland.
Is that right?
No!
I hope not.
And is that the future even the folks who do live here who are enjoying all these property increases, all these property values going up,
probably enjoying the property taxes, but they think they're getting richer because their home price is going up.
But what are they seeing for the future of Ashland?
Is it a community where it's the rich and the retired get to have an aspen-like playground, while us migrant workers get to get bussed in from 10, 15, 50 miles away?
I know SOU workers who live in Grants Pass and Klamath Falls. Is that a sustainable future?
No!
I don't think so either.
Our brothers and sisters throughout the state and in our towns are now being attacked by out-of-state landlords,
hateful nationalists, and too big to fail banks.
We are being attacked by bigotry and by greed.
But together we are strong.
We are going to continue to fight.
Yes!
So I went to high school in Ashland and like most of you who did so or have been around for a long enough period of time,
I've watched the people I went to school with and my co-workers move out of this town first they go to talent and then the rents rise in talent.
Then they go to Medford.
The rents rise in Medford and they find themselves moving further and further away from the places that they work and the communities that they help to build.
Those who work in Ashland deserve to live here.
Those who built this community.
Those with disabilities.
Those who struggle into day-to-day life and those who study in our schools have a right to remain.
Yes!
This is our home.
And my research, I also found out that Ashland has a 30, the cost of living is 34 points higher than the national average.
As far as housing is concerned, Ashland's cost is double the national average.
Exactly!
And you know one more issue is that there's an issue about not just affordable housing, but livable housing.
My first rental here in Ashland when I moved here just about five years ago, I was in the middle of winter.
One of the coldest winters on record.
It got down to six degrees that winter.
All of a sudden I had no hot running water and no working shower in the middle of winter.
When I called up my elected representatives, my mayor, same mayor as an office, guess what I was told?
Unlike Portland, unlike even Medford, Ashland has no code enforcement to hold slum lords accountable.
Is that right?
And get ready for this one.
With a rental vacancy rate hovering between one to two percent, that means we can't live here.
That means the people who bag your groceries, who serve you food, who pump your gas,
and yes, the ones who make the theater across the street can no longer afford to live here.
And our affordability is worsening faster and stronger than any other place in the country, including San Francisco.
It's true, y'all.
So I was like, how does that happen? How are we worse than San Francisco?
More research would show to prove to tell me that our big property management companies are buying up everything and raising their rents.
They're also intimidating our small landlords and selling their properties and raising their rents.
It's time for this to end, guys.
And that means that we need our city council and our state legislators to take a stand on renters and working people.
I am sick and tired of seeing my friends, my families, my coworkers, my neighbors forced to make a decision between paying their rent,
buying groceries, paying their student loans, or anything in between.
That's right.
Each of you here today, I know each of you have a similar story. I am not alone in that.
And each of you here today love your town and you love your community, but we're being forced out of our homes.
And this is because the people with power simply do not care.
And in the 2017 legislative session, maybe you all know this, maybe you don't.
There is a bill to limit no-cause evictions and allow local jurisdictions the right to regulate their own rent.
That was defeated in the Senate.
And the landlord lobby fought it tooth and nail to kill it, and it's time for us to fight back.
Our city and county government needs to lead because our legislator is not.
Well, Pam Marsh, to her credit, voted for House Bill 2004 to allow communities to do something about rents.
What did Senator DeVore do?
He voted no.
Well, there's an election next year, and let's talk to Senator DeVore about his vote on HB 2004.
What do you think?
And what about the county? Jackson County, believe it or not, is supposed to afford affordable housing all across the county, inside cities and outside.
How much is Jackson County paying for affordable housing versus how much they're paying?
There are $400,000 plus CEO.
Let's ask some hard questions about what the priority is for our county commissioners.
To and ever for election next year, right?
And what about the city of Ashland? The city of Ashland.
I think they spent two, three hours at their meetings this year talking about public art.
Hey, I love artists. I love public art.
How much time have they spent talking about affordable housing?
None.
None?
They shut it down.
They shut it down?
Yeah.
Yeah, just the other night.
They said, we're not going to talk about that.
Well, that's emergency shelters for the homeless.
We don't want to talk about the homeless, and we don't want to talk about affordable housing.
But what are we talking about? Again, a playground for the rich and the retired.
So what is our mission to the city of Ashland?
Are we going to ever actually talk about affordable housing?
Yeah.
Yes.
Yes.
So, we want to thank you all for coming.
And again, we're in a renter state of emergency.
What are we in?
A renter state of emergency.
Thank you.
Stand up.
Fight back.
Stand up.
Fight back.
Stand up.
Fight back.
Stand up.
Fight back.
Fight back.
