Question 1

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN TO ADDRESS HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS?

Accepted Answer

So many of us are just one paycheck away from having our stability and housing taken away. After my parents divorced, my family relied on food stamps and government support while my mom, with no formal education, earned her GED and then an associate's degree. Those programs kept us fed, clothed and housed. That experience taught me how life-changing it can be to have the support you need when you need it most.The scope of the problemHomelessness is, at its core, a housing affordability crisis. And we're making progress: in the last four years, 11,000 people have been housed, and 83% of them are still housed two years later.For some of our neighbors, it's also a health crisis. About 9 percent of our Medicaid population is homeless and living with untreated mental illness or addiction. They cycle through hospitals, jails, shelters and housing, over and over. That cycle alone drives 40% of system costs, and it's the area of this problem that has the biggest impact on our neighborhoods. It's a policy failure, and it's one we can fix.My recordI've fixed these complex problems before. As County Commissioner, I led Bridges to Housing, aligning Clark, Washington and Clackamas Counties around shared outcomes for homeless families. Over five years, domestic violence reports dropped from 36% to under 10 percent. Kids meeting grade-level benchmarks rose from 55% to 73%.My planWe need that same alignment now, between the County, City and Metro. Too often we get finger-pointing instead of a coordinated response. I'll push for our highest-need neighbors to get behavioral health support that actually connects them from crisis stabilization to recovery housing to a home of their own, so they stop cycling through emergency rooms, jails, shelters and the streets.I bring both health care and housing experience to this work. I served on the executive team of the second largest federally qualified health center in the state, and I co-founded companies that built affordable, land-trust homes with the City and Proud Ground. My family made it because someone had the sense to invest in us. I want every family cycling through this system to get that same chance.

Question 2

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN FOR PRESCHOOL & AGING SERVICES?

Accepted Answer

I want Multnomah County to be the most family-friendly community in Oregon, for people of all ages. That means preschool that works for young families, and a county you can afford to grow old in.Preschool for AllPreschool for All is one of the most powerful economic mobility tools this county has built. It's growing fast: over 7,400 publicly funded seats for 2026-27, record applications, and a goal of universal access by 2030. That progress is real, and it's not guaranteed. As Commissioner, I'll fight for full, stable funding and work with providers to offer greater flexibility of hours. I'll also prioritize equitable access in District 2, so North and Northeast Portland families aren't left waiting.Aging servicesMy mom turns 90 soon. Like many of us, I've been taking on more responsibilities as she ages. The County plays a special role when it comes to aging because it runs Aging and Disability Services. A few months ago I sat down with AARP Oregon. They shared that many members are considering leaving Oregon because of property taxes are climbing, rents are rising, and incomes don't move. We talked about family caregivers holding together care for parents, spouses, even grandchildren, with almost no support. Multnomah County is aging faster than the state. And, by 2050, nearly half our older residents will be people of color. As Commissioner, I'll treat caregiving support, scam protection for seniors, providing culturally-appropriate services and affordability for older residents as core to the job, not an afterthought.Every family, at every stage, deserves a county that works for them.

Question 3

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN FOR FAMILY WAGE JOBS & A THRIVING ECONOMY?

Accepted Answer

A thriving local economy means a neighbor who can pay rent without choosing between that and groceries. It means a parent who can work full time and still make it to their kid's soccer game. It means a small business on your corner that can hire, and a family that can finally save for a home. When Multnomah County's economy struggles, it's not an abstract number. It's fewer job opportunities, thinner paychecks, and families getting priced out of the neighborhoods they grew up in.A vibrant economy is also what pays for the services families count on. Property tax and business income tax make up 72% of the County's General Fund, the most flexible dollars we have to respond to community needs. This summer, the County closed an $11 million budget hole. Even after those cuts, the structural deficit will grow to $33 million by 2030. We can't cut or tax our way out of this. The fix is for the County to partner in Portland's economic engine.As commissioner, I will prioritize four things: connecting County spending to family wage jobs, treating the Moda Center renovation as an economic development investment, advocating for higher density zoning along transit corridors, and delivering Preschool for All. I will require strong project labor and community benefits agreements on County-funded projects, and support every worker's right to organize.Connecting County spending to family wage jobsCounty spending can grow our economy. I will require strong project labor and community benefits agreements on County-funded projects, because they keep major projects on schedule, on budget, and staffed by a trained workforce. That predictability helps the businesses building those projects and the ones waiting on them to open. I support workers' rights to organize and bargain collectively. Workers earning family wages spend that money at the businesses in our neighborhoods.The Moda Center as an economic development investmentThe Moda Center is a major investment opportunity right here in District 2. I support public dollars to keep the Blazers and the Fire in Portland, because both are part of our region's identity and economy. As commissioner, I'll focus on securing a strong project labor agreement, a community benefits agreement that names Albina Vision Trust as a partner, at least a 20-year commitment from the Blazers to stay in Portland, and an annual payment in lieu of taxes, since the arena sits off the tax rolls.Housing development, transit ridership, and a bigger tax baseI will be a strong advocate for increased density where light rail already runs. On corridors like North Interstate, apartments cluster next to the freeway while nearby transit-rich blocks stay reserved for single-family homes. Changing that means more housing, stronger ridership, and a bigger tax base. Oregon can take meaningful steps to increase density along rail corridors in the 2027 legislative session, following Washington and California, and I will advocate for this important work.Preschool for All as an economic development toolAffordable preschool keeps parents working and building their careers, gives businesses the workforce they need, and helps families stay in the city their work sustains. That only works if Preschool for All achieves its promise of universal access, serving every family in the County.I've been an elected County Commissioner, the County's Chief Operating Officer, a nonprofit executive, and a small business owner who built affordable housing from the ground up. That's the background I bring to this work. The County can't rebuild Portland's economy alone, but it can help move that work forward through the contracts it signs, the investments it makes, and the workforce it trains.

Question 4

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE?

Accepted Answer

We can build a county that comes through the next heat dome, smoke season, or earthquake having protected the neighbors hit hardest. I'm the candidate with the record to get us there.My recordAs a two-term commissioner, I represented the County on the Columbia River Crossing committee and won support to set aside 1 percent of the project, $60 million, for environmental justice improvements in Albina, the historically Black community devastated by the original construction of I-5. Outside government, I co-founded a construction company that built Oregon's first land trust condominiums to Earth Advantage Gold standards. Affordable infill housing can and should be built green.A public health emergencySixty-nine neighbors died in the 2021 heat dome, and the harm fell hardest on people in redlined neighborhoods with less tree canopy, older housing, or no housing at all. As Executive Director of Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation during the pandemic, I watched vaccine access fail Latine residents until we partnered directly with trusted community organizations. The County's Climate Justice Plan is built on that same model, and every goal in it needs a named owner, a cost, and milestones the community can hold us to.Housing and climate resilienceHousing and climate resilience are bound together. I will protect rent assistance, expand renter access to heat pumps, and support financing for landlords who make energy upgrades. Cooling and clean-air investments should go first to neighborhoods with the least tree canopy, like Parkrose and Argay Terrace. I will hold the County to its 2021 fossil-fuel-free building resolution and extend it to resilience standards for emergency shelters. I support the County's lawsuit against oil companies and NW Natural over the heat dome, and any recovery should fund resilience in the neighborhoods that suffered most.Reducing pollution exposureCully, Sumner, and Parkrose carry disproportionate pollution exposure. I will push to lower the threshold for the County's Clean Air Construction Standard and press DEQ to keep permitted emissions as low as possible in these communities.The Critical Energy Infrastructure HubThe Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub, which stores the region's fuel on liquefiable soil across the river from St. Johns, is one of District 2's most pressing risks. The County doesn't permit or zone the site, but I will hold Zenith to its 2027 deadline to stop handling cruide oil, oppose any expansion, and push our state and federal legislators for stronger rules.

Question 5

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN TO REFORM MULTNOMAH COUNTY GOVERNANCE?

Accepted Answer

Most people judge county government by whether things work. They want to know whether the crisis line answers, whether families have access to quality health care, and whether the bridges will stand after an earthquake. Multnomah County manages a $4 billion budget, and residents have every right to expect results for it. Good governance is how you get them.The Board's jobI served two terms on the Board of County Commissioners, and later ran County operations as Chief Operating Officer. That gives me a clear view of what a commissioner is there to do. The Chair proposes the budget and runs the administration. Commissioners adopt and amend that budget, set policy direction, and hold departments accountable for results.Oversight means more than approving a balanced budget once a year. The Board has to ask whether a department's assumptions will still hold two years from now, before the crisis arrives. Commissioners have real tools for this: budget notes, public briefings, and the County Auditor's findings. I will use them to get clear answers, follow up when the answers fall short, and say so in public when a program isn't delivering, even one with strong supporters.Charter reform: an appointed County AdministratorUnder the current charter, the County Chair is both a voting member of the Board and the County's chief executive, expected to set the policy agenda, represent the County at every level of government, and manage daily operations across every department. Our employees are capable. The structure asks too much of any single office, and every change of Chair resets management priorities.That's why I support a charter amendment establishing an appointed County Administrator, the model Washington, Clackamas, and Lane counties already use. The Board, including an elected Chair, would keep setting policy. A professional administrator, hired by the full Board through an open search, would run daily operations against clear performance measures and report publicly on results. If they don't deliver, the Board replaces them. You would still elect the Chair and all four commissioners. The administrator answers to the Board, in public. The Board answers to you.

ISSUES

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN TO ADDRESS HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS?

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN FOR PRESCHOOL & AGING SERVICES?

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN FOR FAMILY WAGE JOBS & A THRIVING ECONOMY?

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE?

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN TO REFORM MULTNOMAH COUNTY GOVERNANCE?

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ISSUES

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN TO ADDRESS HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS?

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN FOR PRESCHOOL & AGING SERVICES?

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN FOR FAMILY WAGE JOBS & A THRIVING ECONOMY?

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE?

WHAT IS SERENA'S PLAN TO REFORM MULTNOMAH COUNTY GOVERNANCE?

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

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