Sunday, March 13, 2022

Courage to Change - Candidates

 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress

The housing crisis has become all the more evident.

In New York City, tenants are experiencing monthly rent increases anywhere from $500 to $1,000. There is a clear link between increasing rents, displacement, and homelessness. In New York City, a 5% rent increase has been associated with an additional 3,000 residents becoming homeless (Center for NYC Affairs).

Many politicians and the media work to equate crime with homelessness in order to make people’s knee-jerk reaction to homelessness more policing. Why? This keeps people from seeing and organizing against the larger powers driving the housing crisis, like private equity and real estate lobbies. It’s an easy sell to think that a number of police officers will “fix” the crises of housing or violence created by powerful interests, but, in reality, that serves to cover up the crisis that we’re all suffering from.

Crime and homelessness have many complex and contributing factors. The fact is, by the time the rate of crime and homelessness surges, a web of policies and decisions have already driven that result – housing costs, community disinvestment, real estate lobbying, etc.

Luckily, there is still a lot we can do and it begins at the local level. Local elections are extremely relevant to the housing crisis – especially when it comes to the rules on zoning. That is why Alexandria and her PAC, Courage to Change, are working to help identify and support local, pro-housing candidates across the country.

With your help, we can leverage our movement to build and elect a slate of local, pro-housing candidates who are committed to making housing permanently affordable, inclusive, and widely available.

Across the country, candidates who want to take on the real estate industry and other special interests face systematic disadvantages in our electoral system. The Courage to Change PAC is our answer to that broken system. We reward challengers and incumbents who display political courage. In order to receive our support, candidates have to commit to turning down any donations from corporate PACs, including real estate PACs or donations from executives of real estate companies.

Courage to Change has already identified 37 local candidates from across the country who are running in this election and are ready to fight for bold progressive housing reform. You can check them out here.

We know that local leaders have enormous power when it comes to housing – but that their elections rarely get the attention they deserve. We’re working to change that.

NEW YORK

We’re proud to recognize the following candidates for local and state office who have taken the Courage to Change pledge. The Courage to Change Policy Pledge Distinction is designed to help constituents identify candidates who are committed to social, racial and economic justice.

Candidates across all levels of government are invited to submit a questionnaire pledging their support to strong progressive values. The candidates below successfully completed the CTC Policy Pledge questionnaire, meaning that voters can cast their ballots knowing that these candidates demonstrate an unwavering commitment to:

  • ending the influence of special interests and corporations in campaign finance; 
  • expanding union power everywhere; 
  • increasing  investments for infrastructure projects that emphasize sustainability, equity and access for everyone; 
  • adopting the Green New Deal, and its principles of jobs, justice, and decarbonization; 
  • increasing public safety through education, jobs, healthcare, and community-based programs;  
  • making housing permanently affordable, inclusive, and widely available; 
  • healthcare as a right and not a privilege;  
  • making public colleges and universities tuition-free while canceling all student debt; 
  • treating all immigrants with dignity and respect while creating a pathway to citizenship; and 
  • expanding voting rights to protect our democracy.

Multiple candidates in the same race can receive the ‘Courage to Change’ Policy Pledge Distinction. The distinction does not serve as an endorsement from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or the Courage to Change PAC. We invite you to learn more about each candidate through their website below.

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