Yesterday, I was proud to stand with all of you and say, Portlanders, it’s time to give our small businesses tax relief, tackle economic inequality, and fund the services you deserve.

From accountants, to musicians, coffee and bagel shops, artists, business alliances, unions, faith leaders, and experts, we heard overwhelmingly supportive testimony for the Fair Share Tax today. It was loud and clear that Portlanders are ready for City Council to pass this, now let's get it done.

This is a moment for political courage. Working people no longer need lip service; they need action from City Hall. Keep making your voice heard to help us get this out of Committee. Tell your elected officials to put your needs before the billionaires who do not need their support.

Our message is simple: Pay workers more, rein in excessive CEO compensation, or pay higher taxes to support the city you profit from. This is about fighting inequality, leveling the playing field, encouraging higher wages, and generating an estimated $72M annually to protect vital city services.

The Fair Share Tax would raise the Business License Tax exemption to $500,000 in gross receipts, eliminating the tax for about 18,000 small businesses. It would also raise the existing CEO Pay Ratio Surtax on about 405 publicly traded corporations with extreme CEO-to-worker pay gaps.

Working families are struggling with higher rents, food costs, & bills that keep rising. Small businesses are doing everything they can just to keep their doors open. Meanwhile, publicly traded corporations reward CEOs with enormous paychecks as our city faces cuts to vital services.

Small business owners, accountants, business alliances, union members, policy experts, and workers spoke in favor. They called for a bold shift: lifting the tax burden from hardworking Portlanders and placing it on corporations stockpiling wealth across the nation.

Today’s Fair Share Tax testimonies were inspiring and reminded us that we can make progress when we unite to address economic inequality. We deserve an economy that empowers working families and small businesses and strengthens our neighborhoods, not one that benefits only those at the top.

More than half of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Starbuck's CEO took home $31 million - 1,794 times more their median worker. Live Nation's CEO made $33 million - 976 times the median pay. The system has been rigged against the working class, but the Fair Share Tax starts to change that.

A rally and press conference will be held at 9:00 am in front of City Hall before the meeting. My colleagues and I will join labor leaders, small business owners, and community members at the rally to support small-business tax relief and urge mega corporations to pay their fair share.

Austerity is a policy choice, and working families should not pay for it with their schools.

Working families already struggle with high housing, food, and childcare costs, and many cannot afford basic necessities. When public resources are limited, further cuts, closures, and reductions in essential services should not be the default response.

Austerity should not be the only solution for working people. I stand in solidarity with the students, educators, and families opposing these closures. Families deserve a real voice in these decisions, and educators need resources to support our students.