The three major issues defining my campaign are affordable housing, access to good paying jobs, and engaging disenfranchised voters.
New construction projects often have a very small percentage of rentals available for affordable housing because of current city and state requirements, perpetuating the housing crisis because truly affordable housing will always be scarce. I support 100% affordable housing projects where every rental would be for qualifying low-income individuals or families.
Housing displacement is an immediate crisis facing Santa Cruz, and it is inflicted by market policies. 86% of houseless people in Santa Cruz became homeless at the time that they lived here. Setting up and supporting long-term stable housing, mental health support, and living-wage employment for the unhoused in our community is our moral duty as citizens and our job as City Council members.
Workers Rights
My campaign is centered and will continue to be centered around the needs of working people and the security of their jobs– this is why I am endorsed by local workers unions such as SEIU 521 and the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council.
Living wages, healthcare plans and benefits: There are proven and direct ties between stable income with benefits and healthcare and long-term employment. While fair wages and benefits is a multi-faceted issue and demands careful consideration of impact on local business owners– workers protection is a priority of my campaign: every worker has a basic rights to a living wage and healthcare.
Engaging disenfranchised voters
I continue to bring together community members of all backgrounds in support of one another, uplifting values of social equity and democracy and building voter representation. As real estate and development lobbies grow in power in Santa Cruz, it is important we support independent minded, young voices in local politics to protect the interests of those that are not represented by private industry or high affluence. Low living wages and unstable housing markets require frequent moves for students and low-income constituents, putting their voter registration stability at constant risk. All of these issues exist in the same ecosystem, one that I hope to make symbiotic as District six city council representative.
To watch interviews featuring Gabriella Noack, click here
To learn about Gabriella’s stance on surveillance technology, click here