Priorities

Loretta has dedicated her adult life to building a more inclusive economy in which everyone, regardless of zip code, race, gender, identity, age, religion, or status, can get a fair shot. During her time as a two-term Multnomah County Commissioner, Loretta advocated for the creation of SummerWorks, a paid summer jobs program for young people ages 16 to 24 from diverse, underserved backgrounds. What began as an initiative serving 25 young people has now helped more than 7,000 Oregonians across the region gain real-world work experience in just a few years’ time. The Obama White House recognized her leadership on workforce development as a model for the nation.

This moment calls for that kind of bold vision and ambitious action, so that every Portland family, worker, and child can achieve their fullest potential and get ahead. Loretta is laser focused on strengthening our local economy by helping small businesses grow and succeed, ending tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas, and investing in infrastructure, including modern transportation, broadband, and green energy, to build a healthier, more resilient Portland. By pursuing smart solutions in these areas now, we can create living wage jobs right here in our communities and build a stronger, fairer economy that will pay off for years to come.

These days, too many Portlanders are hurting. Rising prices on everyday necessities, from groceries and gas, to diapers and detergent, are squeezing working people, making it harder and harder to get by. The pandemic and resulting supply-chain issues have upended life as we know it.

Growing up the oldest of three, times were often tight for Loretta’s family, and she remembers the stress of sitting at the kitchen table with her mother and grandmother to discuss which bills to pay and when. That childhood experience extended to adulthood when she raised her now-adult son, Jordan, on her own.

Loretta knows the urgent threats to families’ health and well-being all too well, a perspective that drives her commitment to making living more affordable for Portlanders. She’ll get to work to reduce the prices of goods by taking on corporations that are inflating prices to unfairly profit off of working families as Portland's next City Councilor.

As a single mom, Loretta knows all too well the stress of costly premiums and copays —even with decent employer-based insurance— and not being able to afford life-saving prescriptions. Just a few years ago, she underwent emergency surgery as she had a grapefruit-sized tumor that was causing bleeding on her brain. That fight for her life only reaffirmed Loretta’s belief that access to quality, affordable health care should be a right, not a privilege.

Even before the pandemic, millions of Americans were without insurance or underinsured, and that was before so many lost their jobs and their insurance coverage. This dual crisis has only further shone a light on the inadequate health system in this country. That’s why she authored a Medicare for All resolution on the Multnomah Commission. Loretta firmly believes that every Portlander ought to be able to access quality preventive care regularly and receive the treatment and life-saving medication they need when they need it without going bankrupt.

Every human being deserves to live with dignity, and housing is critical to one’s health, safety, inclusion, and contributions within their community. As someone who experienced housing instability during adolescence and stayed with relatives when she had no place to call home, Loretta understands the impact housing has on Portlanders’ daily lives. On the Multnomah Commission, she secured funding for Oregon Project Independence to keep seniors in their homes and championed housing support and resources for the most vulnerable, including those experiencing times of mental health crisis and battling addiction.

Today’s housing shortage and affordability crises call for immediate action, including strategically building homes that meet the needs of communities and families, expanding entry-level homeownership opportunities, and preserving housing so legacy residents and seniors can stay in their homes.

From the food we eat to the waterways we fish to the trails we hike, our vibrant natural resources and ecosystems are integral to Portland's economy and our way of life. Loretta is a staunch defender of our environment and believes it is critical that we all must do our part to preserve our planet for future generations.

The climate crisis is the existential threat of our time — from extreme heat and more powerful storms, to flooding and polluters putting lives in danger, these all-too-regular occurrences hurt public health, infrastructure, and our economy. Low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected, and we must act with urgency by utilizing our abundance of renewable wind and solar resources, holding polluters accountable, modernizing our infrastructure and transportation systems, and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Ambitious action now will not only set us on a better long-term path, but we can build healthier, more sustainable communities along the way.

Like so many families, Loretta’s family made incredible sacrifices to open up the doors of opportunity, and as a result, she was the first in her family who had the chance to attend college — a dream increasingly out of reach for millions of families today.

That sacrifice made it possible for her to pursue her passion for public service and champion education as a core priority as she successfully brought federal dollars to Oregon for early childhood education and other key youth mentorship programs.

In the City Council, she will hit the ground running to set every child up for success by investing in early childhood education, giving educators and parents the tools and support they need to lift kids up, and making college more affordable.