Mitch Green's Questionnaire Answers

Running for Portland City Council District 4

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Question 1: In your view, what are the primary causes of the housing crisis?

The housing crisis is a direct and inevitable result of the for-profit housing model. The way we develop and build housing, and the way we set prices and rents are all designed to generate profits for developers, investors, and landlords, rather than providing the kind of housing that people actually need. These systemic problems have been further compounded by a local political environment that has been dominated by wealthy private interests for decades.

Question 2: What are the main policies that you would champion to address the current housing crisis?

I believe we need to do everything we can to address this crisis at the local level, which is why I’m pursuing a suite of policies to address housing affordability and tenant rights. These include:

Increasing funding for rent assistance, eviction defense, and rent buy-downs
Banning A.I. rent fixing
Strengthening Mandatory Rental Relocation Assistance policy
Requiring landlords to bargain with tenant unions
Changing zoning policies to encourage development of housing-dense mixed income neighborhoods
Shifting to a Social Housing model

Question 3: Provide an explanation of your work around the policies listed above, and why you believe they are important?

I successfully fought for increased funding for rent assistance, eviction defense, and rent buy-downs for existing affordable housing in the Keep Portland Housed package. But we need to go further. All of those programs are in dire need of additional funding.

I cosponsored an ordinance banning the use of A.I. algorithms to set rents.

My office is currently working on two policies that seek to address affordability in the short term. One is an ordinance to strengthen our existing Mandatory Rental Relocation Assistance policy by lowering the threshold to 5%. The other is a policy that would require landlords to bargain with tenant unions (more about this one below).

In the longer term, we need to rethink our entire housing ecosystem. We need to remove housing (or at least a whole lot of it) from the market. The best approach I’ve seen is the Social Housing model, specifically the one we see in Vienna, Austria. That model produces high-quality, permanently affordable housing for all who want it, and it’s made Vienna the most livable city in the world. I think we can do that here, too. That’s why I fought for and passed a Social Housing Resolution directing the Portland Housing Bureau to study that model and create a plan for how we can implement it here. I also secured $17.5 million to create a new revolving loan fund dedicated to long-term housing construction, affordable preservation, and—critically—the direct acquisition of properties for social housing and permanent public ownership.

Question 4: Do you rent or own your residence?

Own

Question 5: If you own, when were you last a renter?

I was last a renter in 2019

Question 6: In PTU’s most recent survey of tenants, harassment of tenants by landlords was one of the top issues faced by Portland tenants. What would you do to address harassment of tenants by landlords?

I think there are two main ways we can begin to address this problem. One is with policies that do things like make it harder for landlords to evict tenants, and give tenants more leverage in negotiations with landlords. The other is by using the bully pulpit to call out and shame bad landlords. For example, I would like to see a series of public forums like New York Mayor Mamdani’s "rental rip-off hearings" that can start to change cultural norms around acceptable landlord behavior.

Question 7: If elected, would you advocate to overturn the State of Oregon's preemption preventing municipalities from implementing local rent control, and work towards local rent control with a lower annual increase cap?

Yes

Question 8: Please share more about your thoughts on rent control.

Rent control is a proven and effective way to address our housing crisis. The data is clear on this. I would like to see rent control instituted at the national, state, and local levels. I am also a strong advocate for Social Housing, a model that would remove housing from the market and bake-in permanent affordability and renter protections.

Question 9: If elected, would you support the right of tenants to collectively bargain their leases?

Yes

Question 10: Please share more about your thoughts on tenants' right to collectively bargain.

I believe strong tenants unions are an essential part of addressing the housing crisis. That’s why I am currently developing a policy that would guarantee tenants the right to form unions, and require landlords to bargain in good faith with those unions. It’s basically a Wagner Act for tenants unions. This policy is currently undergoing legal review, and I look forward to debuting it publicly in the near future.

Question 11: Other local tenant groups have launched a Renter’s Bill of Rights campaign. Have you pledged to support the Renter’s Bill of Rights?

Yes

Question 12: Please share more about your thoughts on Renter’s Bill of Rights. What are two or three policies that you are particularly passionate about?

I’m pretty passionate about each and every policy outlined in the Renter’s Bill of Rights, but I’ll speak to two of the policies I’m actively working on. As mentioned above, I’m leading the fight to lower the Mandatory Rental Relocation Assistance threshold from 10% to 5%. I have also repeatedly called to direct city lobbyists to work toward lifting the statewide preemption on rent control, and will continue to do so.

Question 13: How would you ensure that policies and processes which affect tenants meaningfully include impacted renters, and reflect the diversity of the tenants affected?

When I ran for office, I promised to bring the movement for tenants rights into office with me. In the first few months after taking office, I formed a series of policy workgroups, including one on housing and homelessness. This group includes tenants rights advocates, leading academics, and policy experts like Dr. Lisa Bates, Colleen Carrol, Molly Hogan and Lauren Armony from the Welcome Home Coalition, and Rebekah Markillie, a leading proponent of Social Housing.

All of my housing policies have come out of a collaborative process with this working group that includes diverse and directly-impacted voices.

I also make an effort to regularly meet with the active tenants union in my district, like those at Wimbledon Ct Apartments, and the Yards at Union Station. You can read about some of the work I did with PTU members at the Yards here. https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/eviction-of-disabled-veteran-halted-after-intervention-from-neighbors-and-a-city-councilor-48006962/

Question 14: Would you refuse or return campaign contributions from Multifamily NW's Equitable Housing PAC, The Good Landlord PAC, More Housing Now! PAC, or similar real estate industry PACs?

Yes

Question 15: Are there other ways, besides those you have already mentioned, that you will champion housing affordability, expand tenant rights, and fight displacement?

I think I covered most of them already, but I’m always open to new ideas when it comes to standing up for renters.