Eric on the Issues

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Richmond's vision for a more equitable future is often met with concerns about affordability. Historically, Richmond has struggled with economic disparities and inadequate funding for essential services, perpetuating inequities and hindering progress toward a more inclusive city. At the heart of our approach lies the principle of fairness and shared responsibility. We believe that everyone should contribute their fair share to support vital community initiatives and services. To account for new expenses, we must create a tax system that prioritizes the needs and well-being of working-class individuals and families while holding property speculators and corporations accountable for their fair share of taxes.

• Shift to a replacement value property tax assessment model to protect homeowners from unpredictable tax hikes due to market speculation, providing stability for working-class families.
• Advocate for state legislation to implement a progressively-indexed city income tax capped at 1.5%, targeting higher-income individuals and large corporations to ensure fairness without overburdening homeowners.
• Introduce property productivity taxes on income-generating properties, such as commercial and speculative land holdings, to ensure high-value properties contribute fairly to the city’s budget.
• Push city departments to apply for more state and federal grants, bringing in additional resources for infrastructure, housing, and public safety that Richmond currently leaves on the table.
• Audit Richmond’s $3 billion budget to eliminate wasteful spending and redirect funds from bloated public safety budgets to essential services like housing, public safety reforms, and poverty reduction programs.

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To address the pressing issue of housing affordability and ensure that every Virginian has access to safe and affordable housing, we must implement a comprehensive set of policies. These policies include freezing housing demolitions of public housing units, granting the right of first refusal to tenants, reducing evictions, enacting stronger tenant protection laws, and amending our zoning code to promote missing middle housing and mixed-use development. By taking these steps, we can work towards achieving housing for all and create more equitable and inclusive communities in Richmond.

• Guarantee access to affordable housing for all residents, regardless of income level or background.
• Implement rent control policies to protect tenants from unjustified rent increases and ensure housing stability for low and moderate-income families.
• Strengthen tenant protections to prevent unjust evictions, improve housing conditions, and hold landlords accountable for maintaining safe and habitable living environments.
• Streamline the permitting and zoning process for affordable housing developments to remove barriers to construction and expedite the creation of new housing units.
• Increase funding for homelessness prevention programs and support services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, including access to temporary shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing.
• Engage with community stakeholders, including residents, housing advocates, developers, and local organizations, to develop comprehensive solutions to our city's housing crisis.
• Freeze housing demolitions of public housing units until the repeal of the Faircloth Amendment by Congress.

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Richmond's current tax system unfairly places the burden of funding the city's budget—around 70%—on homeowners through real estate taxes. This leads to unpredictable tax spikes driven by market speculation and does not reflect the city's values of equity and fairness. Our goal is to create a fairer system by ensuring that those who profit the most contribute their fair share while providing consistent, predictable taxes for homeowners and small business owners. Here’s how we propose to make this happen:

• Shift to Replacement Value Assessment: Homeowners’ property taxes will be based on the cost to replace their home, not speculative market value. This keeps taxes predictable and prevents sudden hikes when nearby developments increase property values.
• Taxing Property Productivity: Introducing taxes on properties based on their productive use, such as commercial and speculative land holdings, will ensure that high-value properties contribute their fair share to the city’s budget.
• Lobby for Additional Taxing Powers: We will push for new tools, like a progressively-indexed city income tax with a low cap of 1.5%, corporate income taxes aimed at the most profitable companies, and tax relief for low-income homeowners. This ensures that the city can maintain services without unfairly burdening homeowners. Eric has served as the Chief of Staff for Delegate Cole in the General Assembly and is very comfortable petitioning the House and Senate for tools to help Richmonders.
• Budget Accountability: We will audit Richmond’s $3 billion budget to eliminate wasteful spending and redirect funds to essential services that benefit the community—like housing, social services, and infrastructure.

Go down most streets in the East End and you will find things in a messy state: sidewalks under inches of soil and grass, potholes, leaking methane gas pipes, dead and dying trees, unfinished construction projects, the list goes on. Maintenance is the city's responsibility. It's unacceptable that the city council has not pressed our public works department on what resources they need to handle the upkeep of our city. While lived-on blocks are ignored for years on end, our city council has been distracted by picking the proverbial carpet color for shiny new corporate handout projects like the football training field, casinos, coliseum, and CarMax Park (formerly Diamond District—they've already sold out to the highest bidder) and stick us taxpaying citizens with the bill. Eric will prioritize getting the key matters done for you: a good street and a good block make for a good city.

• Ensure sidewalks on every block are maintained and free from overgrowth, soil, and grass buildup, giving residents safe and accessible walking paths.
• Press the Department of Public Works to allocate the necessary resources for regular street maintenance, including filling potholes, trimming dead and dying trees, and repairing leaking methane gas pipes.
• Demand transparency and clear communication from the city on the completion of the Government Road construction project, which has been under construction for nearly a year with no clear end in sight.
• Redirect city focus from corporate handouts and vanity projects—like the football training field, casinos, and CarMax Park—toward essential services that improve the quality of life for residents in lived-on neighborhoods.
• Hold the city accountable for ensuring that long-ignored neighborhoods receive the same level of attention as high-profile projects, creating cleaner, safer streets and stronger communities.

From its founding, many neighborhoods in Richmond faced systemic disinvestment, neglect, and oppression. Naturally, these anti-working-class and anti-Black policies resulted in disparities in infrastructure, housing, and economic opportunities. Today, these disparities persist, perpetuating inequities along racial and class lines. In response, our reparations plan focuses on comprehensive community investments, grants, and expanded public services to address these historical injustices and promote equitable development across the city.

Our reparations plan seeks to address these disparities head-on through bold and transformative actions. We recognize that repairing the damage inflicted by decades of disinvestment and discrimination requires comprehensive and sustained efforts to uplift and empower marginalized communities. To tackle this legacy of injustice and inequality, we must implement a comprehensive set of strategies aimed at ensuring housing affordability, stability, and equity for all Richmond residents:

• Prioritize infrastructure projects in historically exploited and displaced neighborhoods, focusing on improving roads, public transportation, parks, and community facilities.
• Provide grants to individuals and community land trusts to support home improvement, home buying, small businesses, and land acquisition in underserved areas.
• Implement community-centered public safety initiatives to reduce crime rates and promote community policing, focusing on employment opportunities, drug addiction treatment, and neighborhood revitalization.
• Foster economic development through targeted investment in co-ops, small businesses, and community-driven projects to retain capital within the city and promote local prosperity.
• Expand public services, including short-term housing assistance, addiction treatment and rehabilitation programs, employment opportunities through city-run initiatives, and enhanced library services covering basic needs like food, childcare, and tool borrowing. Decentralize city offices across libraries and city-owned facilities to improve accessibility and promote walkability.
• Implement targeted reparations for historically exploited and displaced neighborhoods, such as Fulton, Virginia, which was deliberately targeted for demolition by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) due to its predominantly Black population.
• Address the legacy of discriminatory housing policies by providing resources and support to neighborhoods with public housing, like Mosby and Creighton, which have been systematically neglected and allowed to deteriorate by both RRHA and the city.
• Challenge the hostile approach to public housing by advocating for policies that prioritize investment and improvement rather than displacement, ensuring that residents have access to safe, quality housing and the resources needed to thrive.

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Evictions in Richmond are not just a symptom of economic hardship; they represent a stark reminder of the systemic inequalities and injustices that have plagued our city for generations. From its inception, Richmond has grappled with policies that disproportionately marginalized working-class and Black communities, resulting in enduring disparities in infrastructure, housing, and economic opportunities. These inequities continue to reverberate today, perpetuating cycles of poverty and housing instability among our most vulnerable residents.

By investing in comprehensive community development initiatives, expanding tenant protections, and strengthening enforcement measures, we aim to create a more equitable and inclusive housing landscape for all residents. To confront this history of injustice and inequality, we need a multifaceted approach to ensure that every Richmond resident has access to affordable, stable housing. This means taking decisive action to combat the economic, logistical, and moral crisis of evictions:

• Establishment of a comprehensive landlord registry maintained by the city to monitor landlord behavior and property conditions.
• Implementation of stricter enforcement of building codes and regulations to ensure landlords maintain safe and habitable living conditions for tenants.
• Enactment of rent caps and rent-increase caps to prevent excessive and unjustified rent hikes that lead to evictions.
• Introduction of grants for renters facing eviction to provide financial assistance and prevent displacement, with a repayment program structured as a renter's trust fund.
• Granting tenants the right of first refusal in the event of building sales, allowing them the opportunity to purchase the property before it is sold to other buyers.
• Establishment of a dedicated hotline for tenants to report building code violations and illegal activities by landlords, ensuring swift and effective responses from city authorities.
• Increase enforcement of the Renter's Bill of Rights adopted by Richmond. Create penalties for failures to inform renters of this bill of rights and their rights as renters.

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In Richmond, Virginia, the lack of adequate shade and green spaces presents significant challenges to public health and environmental sustainability. The city's urban areas suffer from a shortage of trees and vegetation, exacerbating the urban heat island effect and contributing to poor air quality.

Richmond's densely populated neighborhoods are characterized by high levels of impervious surfaces like concrete and asphalt, which absorb and retain heat, leading to elevated temperatures. These urban heat islands not only increase energy consumption for cooling but also pose serious health risks, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and low-income communities. Here's what we'll do to address these issues:

• Implement city-wide tree planting initiatives, targeting areas with inadequate green spaces.
• Develop an urban greenway plan that is not centered around a sports stadium, but that connects all parts of the city providing pedestrian-friendly infrastructure for cross-town transit and recreation space in close proximity to all communities.
• Incorporate green infrastructure into urban planning, such as green roofs and permeable pavements.
• Deploy strategies to reduce the urban heat island effect, including increasing vegetation and installing cool roofs.
• Foster community engagement in tree stewardship programs to ensure long-term tree health and survival.
• Focus on carbon sequestration practices, such as planting trees and preserving forests.
• Monitor heat islands to ensure implementation strategies are working and tax dollars are well spent.

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No one deserves to go hungry. Yet, many neighborhoods face food deserts, depriving residents of affordable, nutritious options and perpetuating cycles of poverty. This injustice disproportionately affects low-income communities, exacerbating health disparities and hindering economic opportunity. We must ensure food for all to promote equity and well-being. Here's how we'll make access to food a universal human right in our city:

• Advocate for the recognition of food as a fundamental human right, ensuring that every individual has access to an adequate and nutritious diet.
• Promote an economic system that prioritizes equitable distribution of resources, including food, to address systemic inequalities and eradicate hunger.
• Implement government services that provide a public option for food, guaranteeing access to nutritious meals for all individuals, regardless of their financial situation.
• Establish publicly-owned and operated cafeterias across Richmond, utilizing a pay-what-you-can model to ensure access to nutritious meals for all residents.
  • These cafeterias will also serve as training grounds for Richmond residents in need of employment, particularly from underserved communities, nurturing the next generation of cooks and chefs.
  • They will be strategically located at government-owned properties such as public libraries, community centers, and city hall, prioritizing coverage area over service numbers to reach all communities.
• Address food deserts in Richmond by incentivizing grocery stores and markets to open in underserved communities, ensuring residents have access to fresh and healthy food options.
• Invest in urban agriculture initiatives, such as community gardens and rooftop farms, to increase local food production and provide opportunities for residents to grow their own food.
• Collaborate with local farmers, food producers, nonprofits, and community organizations to develop comprehensive strategies for addressing food insecurity and building a more resilient food system in Richmond.

Empowering unions is essential for creating a fair and equitable labor environment in Richmond. By protecting the right to organize and collectively bargain, workers can join unions to advocate for fair wages, benefits, and working conditions. Strengthening labor laws and implementing worker-friendly policies will further ensure that employers cannot interfere with union organizing efforts and that workers have access to essential benefits like paid family leave, affordable healthcare, and safe working conditions. Here's how we'll do that:

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In Richmond, traffic fatalities are not just accidents; they're tragic outcomes of inadequate planning and traffic engineering. Despite the "Vision Zero" pledge made in 2017, annual traffic fatalities have nearly doubled since then, highlighting the urgent need for action. Our city deserves streets that prioritize people's safety above all else, creating a walkable and livable environment for everyone.

Ultimately, our goal is to foster a culture of safety and sustainability in Richmond, where all residents can move freely and safely throughout the city. By adopting policies that prioritize multi-modal transit options and promote active transportation, we can create a more equitable and resilient urban landscape for generations to come. To achieve this vision, we must:

• Implement comprehensive traffic safety measures, including traffic calming techniques, to reduce fatalities and prioritize pedestrian well-being.
• Enhance infrastructure and traffic engineering to create safer streets and intersections, adopting better zoning codes to promote walkability and mixed-use buildings.
• Increase enforcement of traffic laws to deter reckless driving and ensure compliance with speed limits, addressing issues such as food deserts and urban heat islands for improved community health and safety.
• Revise directives for traffic engineers to prioritize safety over traffic throughput, decommissioning certain streets and focusing on developing superblocks.
• Adopt policies that promote multi-modal transit options, encouraging alternatives to private car use for sustainable urban mobility.

Ensuring access to high-quality early childhood education is paramount to the development and success of children. By establishing a universal pre-K program, we can provide equitable opportunities for all children, regardless of their socioeconomic status. This investment in early childhood education infrastructure, teacher training, and resources will create a nurturing and stimulating learning environment that sets the foundation for lifelong learning and success. Furthermore, by promoting universal childcare and early childhood education, we empower Richmonders to have and raise children, fostering a thriving and inclusive city for all families.

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Environmental sustainability is a pressing concern for Richmond, as we grapple with the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. Our city has a long history of industrialization and urban development, which has often come at the expense of the environment. Decades of reliance on fossil fuels, industrial emissions, and unsustainable land use practices have led to pollution, habitat loss, and ecological degradation. This legacy of environmental harm has disproportionately affected marginalized communities, exacerbating social inequalities and environmental injustices.

Our plan for environmental sustainability in Richmond is multifaceted and comprehensive. It includes transitioning to renewable energy sources, enhancing climate resilience, promoting sustainable transportation, implementing green building practices, and protecting natural ecosystems. By adopting these measures, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint, mitigate the impacts of climate change, improve air and water quality, and preserve biodiversity. To achieve these goals, we must take decisive action to prioritize environmental sustainability and build a greener, more resilient Richmond for future generations:

• Implement measures to reduce carbon emissions and methane gas leaks, transitioning towards cleaner and renewable energy sources.
• Adopt a moratorium on methane gas connections for new residential construction.
• Provide tax credits for using induction cooktops or heat pump units.
• Lobby the General Assembly to permit cities to adopt stricter building codes that focus on non-mechanical methods of temperature regulation, cooling, and heat retention.
• Enhance climate resilience and flood preparedness through infrastructure improvements and community-based initiatives.
• Promote sustainable transportation options, including the expansion of public transit, walking, and biking infrastructure, to reduce automobile dependency and mitigate emissions.
• Foster community engagement and collaboration to develop and implement sustainable practices and policies across all sectors of the city.

The fight against poverty requires a multifaceted approach that addresses the underlying causes and provides meaningful support to those in need. In Richmond, we can make significant strides by implementing comprehensive anti-poverty measures, such as expanding access to affordable housing, healthcare, and nutrition programs. Additionally, increasing the minimum wage and investing in job training and workforce development will empower individuals to secure stable and well-paying jobs, fostering economic security and creating a pathway out of poverty.

Creating walkable cities and towns is essential for fostering vibrant, sustainable communities in Richmond. By adopting zoning regulations that prioritize mixed-use development, we can encourage the integration of residential, commercial, and recreational spaces, making it easier for people to access their daily needs on foot. Investing in pedestrian infrastructure, such as sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and green spaces, will further enhance walkability, reduce traffic congestion, and promote healthier and more connected neighborhoods for all residents.

Protecting and upholding the unalienable civil rights of all individuals is essential for fostering a just and inclusive society. By strengthening and enforcing existing civil rights laws, we can ensure that discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other protected characteristics is prohibited and swiftly addressed. Furthermore, expanding anti-discrimination protections across various domains, including employment, housing, healthcare, and public accommodations, will guarantee equal rights and opportunities for all residents, promoting a more equitable and harmonious community.

It is time to reimagine our approach to public safety and prioritize proactive measures that address system issues at their roots. With this vision in mind, Richmond must adopt a series of reforms aimed at reallocating resources, ensuring accountability, and promoting the well-being of our communities. By reimaging how the state approaches law enforcement, we can ensure that those entrusted with public safety truly uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and equality. To achieve this we must:

Supporting co-ops and local businesses is essential for fostering economic resilience and community empowerment. By providing financial assistance, technical support, and education, we can facilitate the growth of cooperative businesses, empowering workers and promoting economic democracy. Additionally, offering incentives and grants to locally owned businesses that prioritize fair wages, worker benefits, and sustainable practices will bolster local economies, encourage entrepreneurship, and contribute to a vibrant and inclusive business ecosystem.

Building a 21st-century transit network is vital for creating a sustainable and efficient transportation system. By allocating funds to expand and improve public transportation options such as buses, trains, and light rail, we can enhance connectivity, increase frequency, and improve accessibility for all residents. Additionally, focusing on sustainable transportation modes like trains and prioritizing the development of bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure will help reduce congestion, lower emissions, and promote a greener environment while ensuring the safety of road users.

Investing in our public schools and our children is crucial for their academic success and overall well-being. By incorporating essential life skills education into the curriculum, we can equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate the challenges of the modern world. Additionally, expanding career and technical education programs and fostering partnerships with local businesses will provide students with practical skills and valuable hands-on experience, preparing them for the workforce and future career opportunities. Investing in mental health services and creating safe, inclusive school environments will ensure that students' social-emotional needs are met, fostering a positive and supportive learning environment for all.

Respecting tribal nations is essential for upholding justice, reconciliation, and honoring the history and culture of Indigenous communities. By establishing a meaningful government-to-government relationship, we can empower tribal nations to actively participate in shaping policies that affect their communities, lands, and resources. Recognizing and respecting their inherent sovereignty not only acknowledges their unique governance structures but also supports their efforts in cultural preservation and economic development, fostering a more inclusive and equitable future for our city and our commonwealth.

Richmond's legacy is stained with the historical enforcement of a segregated, apartheid system, perpetuating deep-rooted injustices and systemic discrimination. From segregated neighborhoods to unequal access to education and resources, the city's past policies have entrenched racial divides and perpetuated systemic oppression. To truly embody anti-racism, we must confront this legacy head-on and actively oppose systems of oppression, both locally and globally. This requires a commitment to challenging not only the historical injustices within our city but also standing against oppressive regimes and states that perpetuate discrimination, violence, and human rights abuses. Only by taking a proactive stance against oppression can we work towards a more equitable and just society for all. To do this, we must:

• Put forward a ceasefire resolution regarding the conflict in Palestine to put pressure on the federal government to acknowledge the Israeli bombing in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis. Richmond would join over 80 cities in the US who have passed ceasefire resolutions.
• Cease all cooperation with foreign states and their agencies actively committing war crimes or illegally occupying territory, as condemned by the UN for human rights abuses.
• Prohibit the transfer of funds, weapons, armor, or aid to such states, agencies, or their citizens involved in such activities.
• Refrain from engaging in any prohibited foreign policy negotiations as outlined in the US Constitution, Article I, Section 10, Clause 3, which requires the consent of Congress for agreements or compacts with foreign powers.

Promoting accessibility is a fundamental aspect of creating an inclusive and equitable society. By implementing and enforcing accessibility standards in public spaces, buildings, and transportation systems, we can remove barriers and provide equal access for individuals with disabilities. Allocating funds to support infrastructure modifications will not only improve physical access but also foster a more inclusive and welcoming environment, enabling individuals with disabilities to fully participate in all aspects of community life.