Episode 4 - Myrna Munoz - Oregon Senate District 15 Primary Candidate

Myrna Munoz is running for State Senate District 15. She's an educator, a UC Berkeley graduate, and the daughter of farm workers and warriors.

Her grandfathers came through the Bracero program to work the crops while American men fought in World War II. Her grandmother lived in a time when women weren't allowed to be educated. So she spied on a teacher, made a deal to do her laundry, and learned to read. That's the lineage Myrna comes from. That's who she is.

Now she's stepping away from her work as an educator to fight for all of us. Listen to why she's running, where her power comes from, and why the next State Senator from District 15 is already here.

Guest: Myrna Munoz, State Senate Candidate, District 15 

Hosts: Eric McGuire and Katherine Watkins

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:09

From the toes to the highlight line. We've been talking about the same old line. Big suits taking up all our time. While the ring clock and the kids at spot. Kitchen table feels like town hall. We don't fit in that shopping ball. So we built this show and we set it all.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Hello and welcome to Oregon Voices. I'm Eric McGuire and I'm here with Catherine Watkins. We have a very special guest today. We're joined by Myrna Munoz, who has recently entered into the Senate District 15 primary race against Janine Solman. Additionally, Myrna is the sister of District 22 State Representative Leslie Munoz, and I am very proud to say my sister-in-law. Myrna, welcome.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Thank you, Eric. It's such a pleasure to be here with you and Catherine today.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

And we're happy to have you. I was wondering to start with if you could just give us a little bit of your background, kind of what you know, what's important to you in terms of your background and how you've come to this place of um deciding to jump into a Senate primary.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

Yes, of course. Well, um, I'm proud to say that I am um an outcome of a farm working community. And from there, I'm also an outcome of a lot of civil rights rights we gained. Um I got to go to Head Start, I uh took advantage of grants, and I I've been a lucky, lucky girl because I I have a UC Berkeley education as an undergraduate and have been able to get a master's degree, get a license, and become a teacher and be a teacher. That's my favorite label as a person is educator. Um I think that that it's been hard to be courageous and come do this because I love children and I would rather be with the treasures in class, but it just felt necessary at this time. Okay.

unknown 2:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 2:05

Well, I I love that you um had a little stint at UC Berkeley because that's where uh my mother had um got her uh master's and PhD. So I did about eight years in the Berkeley area. Wow. Yes. I wonder if it was at the same time. Um it was between um eighty seven to ninety-four.

SPEAKER_02 2:25

Oh, yes. I was at Berkeley starting in 1993. Yeah. So we crossed paths.

SPEAKER_05 2:31

Yes, yeah. So I was yeah, I was there for another year before I ended up moving up to Idaho, but I just adored UC Berkeley.

SPEAKER_03 2:38

It was gorgeous.

SPEAKER_05 2:39

It's just such an experience.

SPEAKER_03 2:40

And the people there. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 2:42

All of the fun things happening on campus and just the classes that they offered. So I love that you were able to, you know, leave here to actually get that because it's just like such a multicultural hub, you know.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

Um, and so I actually lived in Southern California as a kid. So I left there to go. And it was it was not a positive thing for my family. They were like, what?

SPEAKER_04 3:05

You're leaving, you're not married.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

I was like, I don't even want to do that, mom.

SPEAKER_05 3:14

Yeah. So um, you know, you you really have an amazing background. And, you know, I've been your your sister's friend for about five, six years. And so I've heard of you. So I'm so glad that we actually get to meet. Um, and so I just wanted to talk a little bit about um just the the way that you were molded to be who you are, because your sister is a badass. And by hearing the stories of you, I know you're a badass. And so we got to go back to the original badasses, your grandparents.

SPEAKER_04 3:44

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 3:44

Um, and so your um grandmothers fought for you. Um, and so one protected your right to speak Spanish when teachers um said it would help um hold you back, and um the other made you a deal with you at nine to learn um to read in exchange for doing laundry. And your um grandfathers came from um came as um briseros to work um the grape harvest. So you said that um their their mess uh mission was me, my siblings, my cousins, the future. Now you're running for state senate. Connect those dots for us. What's the through um through line um from their fight to yours?

SPEAKER_02 4:24

You know, Catherine, I want to correct the record a little bit about one of my grandmas. So she made a deal with her, with a teacher. She spied on a teacher in our their little town in Mexico because she would not get educated as a woman at that time, right? This is like a long time ago. And she spied on this teacher and made a deal with that teacher to do her laundry in exchange for her learning to read. And that's how my my paternal grandma learned how to read, and she told me that story. We were really close, and she's probably one of my main role models. The other grandma defended our mother from being told that she couldn't speak English and that she shouldn't. And then my my other grandma, I guess, was famous for being like with the teachers, and then on the way home, being like, Yeah, this crazy lady, what am I gonna talk to you like? Like I only speak Spanish, so no, we will continue. So they were warriors, I think, that kind of made the imprint for the kind of warriors my sisters and I are.

SPEAKER_05 5:29

Yeah, which is phenomenal because I mean we're looking at like 1940s?

SPEAKER_02 5:35

Yeah, maybe. Well, they were born, they must have been born because uh when my grandpas came here, it was like early 40s, right? So this is we're talking 1920s, 19, you know, 30s.

SPEAKER_05 5:49

Just phenomenal.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

Yeah, so really close to like the history of colonization of our people, and it was part of the trauma impact, I'm sure this whole women won't be educated, they will be baby making machines. I don't know if you see some patterns there with our characters.

SPEAKER_05 6:04

Oh, definitely. Yeah. Thank you for that clarification because it just makes it even more powerful. You know, I thought this was like the fight for you, but the this is the origin, like you have no choice but to be who you are.

SPEAKER_02 6:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 6:16

That's just amazing.

SPEAKER_02 6:18

Yes, and I think that in many ways, this is a continuation of their work, of their farm work, of their investment in a better future. And I think when they were thinking of it, it was for us, you know, as like their children, their treasures. And I'm noticing that actually this has the potential to heal our entire American community right now.

SPEAKER_05 6:40

Absolutely. Yeah, and you know, one of the things that we want to do with the podcast is, you know, talking about the hidden um histories. And so knowing that your um grandparents, your grandfathers um came through the Bressero program, um I would love to just talk a little bit about that. Because you know, a lot of times people think that it was just Texas and California, but it's like where there were crops. Yes, you know, so if you want to share a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 7:03

Yes, of course. So the braceros were really American heroes. They came here to uh, you know, pick the crops while our American men were off fighting World War II. Um, so without them, we would not have been able to eat, which it's funny, but that history is still here today. Without farm workers, without farmers, we are unable to eat. And it sometimes it feels like the Korean culture has forgotten we all eat and we need to eat.

SPEAKER_04 7:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

Um, but that is like the legacy of the service of my grandpa. And it was a difficult uh program to kind of endure, is what I'm gonna say, because they had limited rights. Um, there was a lot of fights about how their their um benefits would come through. And at some point, the benefits of the braceros were just given to the Mexican government. And those people, some of them never saw the fruits of their like retirement funds, their, you know, but in our family, it's like you work hard, you give your service, and you do everything you can to move forward. So, I mean, we're fighters.

SPEAKER_05 8:09

Yeah. Well, and just the the insults of, you know, once um people were coming back from the wars, um, the thanks was Operation Wetback. Yes. And it's like you couldn't even give it some kind of decent name. You had to even be degrading in that name of your operation. And um, you know, I think it was maybe six years ago or something like that, but um Trump had said something about bringing back Operation Wetback. And I was like, one, I don't think most Americans understand what that was, and that it was this forceful removal of people who'd been here 10 years, 15 years.

SPEAKER_02 8:54

And many citizens as well. Yes, you know, I believe it was something like 50% of the people repatriated were American citizens and children. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 9:06

Yeah. And like, you know, all these parents were saying, My children are in the school system, they were born and raised here, and they were like, sucks for you. We're going to ship you back to we don't care, just not here. You know, and so there was just it's just the similarities of the repetition of history. And so here you are. And it's just like, who do you think you are?

SPEAKER_02 9:27

You know, I really appreciate you calling it what it was called, Operation Wetback. Uh, because earlier I was in a presentation about, you know, the history of our country. And the history books want to call it Mexican repatriation, which I'm like, I mean, that's cute and all, but that's not what it was being called when it was being done. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 9:50

You know, again, it's like that that rephrasing um when for the slave trade, the involuntary migrants. You know, it's like, why are we rephrasing these things to sound so pleasant? What are you doing? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:02

Yeah. And I think that um, you know, there's a phrase, I can't remember who's I who I quoted for this, but there's a there's a a phrase that Americans like history that's about nostalgia. So they like the good old times, and anything that's not good, there's they find another way to to say it that's very sanitized and neutral. So yeah, I appreciate that you're throwing that in there.

SPEAKER_04 10:26

Yes, I love it.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Um, so another question you have we have for you is um you say Senate District 15 deserves a senator who fights for working families. You've laid out three priorities civil rights, fully funding schools, and healthcare. Uh, but but here's what we need to know. How? Uh those are values. What are the specific policies, or how would you figure out how those things would be funded in a state that does not um apparently want to even recoup what's theirs, which is the the um the disconnect. You know, if we're getting$311 million back out of$900 million. So how how do you those are all great values, by the way. Yes. How do you how do you how do you make those come to fruition?

SPEAKER_02 11:14

Well, let me let me offer a bit of criticism I have, and this as an educator is going to resonate with the two of you because in schools we teach kids about democracy a lot. Yes. And that democracy means that you put in your vote and your voice is represented, right? And I believe in participatory democracy. It means actually the people that are representing us come out of their lovely homes, get off of their couches, and come out and talk to us about what's actually going on. So I'm noticing that a lot of the solutions or the bills that are proposed are disconnected completely from the reality that we're living on the ground. So I'm not gonna sit here and say, I have this great idea. I think we need to do this, this, and this, because I think that's the problem. The problem is that when you gain a seat, right? It like nobody thinks, oh, you now magic wand, have all the solutions and know everything, go on and put it out. Like our job as representatives is to find out what communities need and build solutions to respond to those communities strategically, right? Like knowing what the communities need. And I'll give you a really good example. Like during this session, I guess there was a lot about the kickback, taking some of the kickback and um being able to invest it in schools, I believe, in healthcare. And what I heard from people that I know, you know, was oh yeah, right. They're not gonna take like I need I want my money back. I nobody's gonna tax me. And and I think like who did people investigate before they brought this legislation up? Like, which people were were surveyed, who was interviewed, who was listened to? That's gonna be the theme that I bring out a whole lot before these solutions were made, because I don't have an expertise about this, but I know that we need to make sure that the general public understands that when we're talking about canceling kickbacks, we're not worried about their little$500. We're worried about the big corporations that are gonna get millions of dollars back while we are navigating, not having schools and healthcare systems. So, how do we organize people and actually educate people so they understand where the problem is? It's not working class people that we're trying to make justice for with things like that. It's the corporations. They need to pay their fair share. So I will start with that and say that I do believe people have to be the number one priority and not profits. So, how do we do that? That's I think a collaborative job that I'll have to do. Like one of the things I've been saying is that trust has been broken in my in my district by what things are happening right now. And uh it's not just the senator interactions, right? I think there's a lot of people that have been breaking trust in that district. So one of the primary things I'm gonna do as soon as I win the primary is go on a listening tour. I love it. And help to repair our community because we are hurting and we are angry about what's going on right now. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 14:35

Thank you for that. Of course, you know, I'm I'm in this district, you know. So I've been there for 24 years, and I remember when we had a lot of open spaces, and now it takes 30 minutes just to get across town. So, like we're just so rapidly growing, and I just always wonder who are they talking to? Um, some of these new developments that are popping up and they're just being jam-packed, but we're not seeing any new schools built, we're not seeing any uh roads widened. Um, and I know that you and your sister are door knockers. Like I just the moment I met your sister, oh I I can't do you know, can't do lunch because I'm going to be knocking on doors and I'm taking my sister with me, you know, and so it's like I've always heard, you know, year after year, you guys are just always talking to the people. And so I I just think that's what our district needs is someone who's actually on the streets listening, um, and that it fuels you.

SPEAKER_02 15:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 15:40

So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

All right. I'm getting better walking shoes too.

SPEAKER_05 15:44

Yes. All right. I want to get into this next question because it is near and dear to my heart. The dam data centers. Okay. So um I just recently learned um about what was going on in the back of Hillsboro and the plans for it. So um you said you got quite passionate about the data centers um Senator Solman was bringing in. And so Senate Bill 1586 would double property tax breaks for data centers from five to um from five to ten years, a 1700-acre Hillsborough land grab. 1,700 acres. Solman is lead is lead sponsor. Constituents are furious. Walk us through what made you passionate about this. Um, what specifically is wrong with SB 1586?

SPEAKER_02 16:46

Well, I want to say when I initially like signed myself up to run, I was mad about mainly civil rights, right? And what happened is right after I I enrolled, this article came out about how mad the farmers were because the promises made to them in the grand bargain were being threatened by this spill. And I I was a bit in shock about it, but what happened is that I started getting all this information, like the Hillsborough Herald covered it really well.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:21

Um, about the kind of soil that is. It's prime farming soil. And the people there in Helvetia, they all invested in farming there because they thought they could trust this government process, this promise that the government had made to them that that land would be respected because if they contaminate this land, this 1700 um acres, then all of them are affected and they they all cannot grow food. So uh one thing that's been interesting in this whole fiasco is what I'm gonna call it. Yeah, is that they keep saying, but what about the promise to us? And what about the impact on us? And the people that want this to happen, which for me are called corporate monsters, is what I'm calling them. Yeah, they don't even address the impact. When people bring it up, they just kind of go, but what about tech jobs? But we need tech jobs. I mean, one of the guys in the initial testimonies, by the way, the people that are testifying on this, of course, they do it from their couch at home. You know, they're doing it because their boss said they were gonna testify. Whereas the people from the community are all in the room, overfilling it, like wanting to speak. Um, anyway, one of the guys said, you know, just for him to illustrate how important the tax break was, right now in his little tech firm, he employed eight Oregonians in six-figure incomes, which is which is like a little key language for they're gonna make a lot of money, right? And if he had gotten the tax breaks that they're promising these people, guess what? He could have hired nine. A whole nother person could have been rich. Yeah, you know, it just is shocking to hear the language of profit over people. Yes. Every testimony, I challenge you to go look at those testimonies. They're available online. Every testimony from the side of what they call business interest, which is not what they are, because the business interest would have the little businesses in mind in the community, but they want us to believe it. It's really a corporate interest that they're defending. So, what happened is I started to get to know the members of the community that were opposed to this. And let me tell you, I've met some wonderful people. Some farmers that care about education that don't want these taxes to go through because we're talking about over a hundred million in tax revenue. At the same time that our schools aren't getting what they need. You're telling me you're gonna give these guys a hundred million dollars to come and make money here and do what data centers do, drain, ruin, and go.

SPEAKER_05 20:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

And I don't know if everybody saw it. I'm like, are we in the same Oregon? Because that there was that big article on the paper, in the paper about the nine gigawit problem, the nine gigawatt problem, which is about how those places come here, they take the electricity, make it expensive for everybody else, and then they're off. Yes. Why would we want that for our community?

SPEAKER_05 20:34

Yeah. And that's the thing that I don't think people are looking into is the the states that already have this. Exactly. And the complaints that they're making about their ground groundwater being contaminated, that their um utility bills are double, some in some locations, triple. Um, and that there's even like in the summer, um, because you know, these data centers are very hot and they require a lot of fresh water. So it's not even like you could take contaminated water. So you have these areas where they're getting brownouts. They don't have reliable electricity because during the summer, when it's really hot and then the data centers are hot, it's just glibbing. And so, and who's having to deal with that? The people who are living all around there. And so we're having 1,700 acres. We could make a whole new city and make it all affordable housing. I mean, we could do beautiful things with 1,700 acres, and we're going to be putting monstrous size data centers.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

Girl, I don't know if you heard this. I I hope I don't shock your pants off. But the other thing is, there's already data centers in Hisborough. There's 30. Like we're already doing the damage. Why do we want to do this on this prime soil?

SPEAKER_04 21:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:57

So we're already in a pick. And something needs to get done. And what I propose is that we go on a listening tour, we hear what people have to say, and we engage with conservation experts about how we're going to fix this now. Yeah.

unknown 22:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 22:14

And that's just what is really alarming with me is that Senator Solman was, you know, pretty much smiling about, you know, the potential of industrial growth. And it's like, yay, we have homeless children in Washington County. We have people who are like suffering to just pay their rent. Why are we caring about that? Is there a kickback that they're receiving? Like, what is the reward that you would abandon your people for industry?

SPEAKER_02 22:45

You should mention that because I challenge you to go see where Janine gets her funding for her campaign. Because PGE is on there, Amazon is on there. Like it's corporate money. There's a few things that aren't corporate money, but I don't know. Is it her mom and dad? I don't know. I'm I'm honestly very curious. Yeah. So good questions. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

Yeah. So we'll shift over a little bit here over to another human right. Um and a January 30th town hall with Senator Solman and Attorney General Ray Field. People from your community, farm worker families, came to explain their fears about ICE enforcement. And you said Solman's response was lacking compassion, that she was stoic and offered few solutions or emotion. What should she have said and what would you have said in that moment?

SPEAKER_02 23:36

If you haven't seen that video of that town hall, I urge you to go see it before you vote. Because it was honestly shocking. So as people shared stories of harbor, Senator Solman sent hard emojis into the auditorium. Oh my gosh. You could hear the people in outrage in there. They were very upset. Um I I honestly felt a bit bad for Senator Solman. I thought, who is advising her? Because the things she said made me angry, not at all feel seen, feel heard. When I'm having to like, I was born in this country. I'm a well-educated woman. I stay out of trouble. I should not be worried about where's my passport? Can I go to market? And just common, decent people that are working our butts off are having to be like, will I be okay? I was at Winco the other day, you guys, packing my apples when a group of men in uniform came in.

SPEAKER_03 24:39

Oh, geez.

SPEAKER_02 24:39

And I almost dropped my apples. I was so scared. Now I wasn't wearing my glasses, so partly it was, you know, my fault. Because as they got closer, I saw that they were like a team of firefighters. And I heard what they were talking about because my ear all of a sudden could hear all the way over there. And they were, you don't need that for guacamole. You do. I'm like, oh my gosh, this is a group of firefighters that's gonna make guacamole. I'm fine. But it is a horror to be living your life this way. And for her to show up and be like, I know I don't feel your fear because I have white privilege without any kind of how I'm gonna, what I'm gonna do to inform myself, what I can do as next steps, or honestly, real listening. Yeah. Because you have to be able to listen and know exactly what's going on before you can find solutions. And I don't know if you all saw um Leslie's Protect Your Door legislation 4114.

SPEAKER_03 25:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:36

Which I'll tell you what, I read it, and right then and there I started praying to the Virgen de Guadalupe. You know, I was like, please let this pass. If I could know that I would be safe to sue these people if they harm me, I could sleep at night. And I know it's not done yet, but even where it's at now, I'm just in celebration. You know what I know? That Leslie listened to people. Oh, yeah. Before she proposed any ideas, she listened to what was going on and what could provide some relief for the community going through it.

SPEAKER_05 26:08

Absolutely. Yeah, I mean, because there's just such a feeling of victimization that even if you are a citizen, your car can be vandalized, you could be whisked off and released in a day or two. And somehow that's just supposed to be like, oh, well, hey, at least we're being you know protected. But it's like I was just disrupted from my life. I've just been traumatized being, you know, institutionalized when I've never been in a prison. You know, so there's like all of this stuff.

SPEAKER_02 26:38

I just for no reason. Yeah. Just because you were brown in the wrong place. Absolutely. I don't know if you heard about it. There was a woman here in Oregon that um that the ICE people took her car keys and took them to the to the police station. She had to go pick them up over there and left her there.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

That was here. That was here.

SPEAKER_02 27:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

Salem.

SPEAKER_05 27:02

Wow. Yeah. And again, though, when I read the House bill, I was like, I can't believe we have to create a bill against criminal behavior. Someone like vandalizes your home. If someone steals the money that you had in your wallet because they are taking you off into a holding cell, and then there's no repercussions. So you're out, whatever your possessions were at that time of apprehension, and there's no recourse. They can bash in your doors, and there's no recourse, and you've got to somehow find money to repair your home.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

Yeah. And some of us are on medication that we need to survive. Uh-huh. And they don't mind killing us.

SPEAKER_05 27:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

Recently, Senator Solman attended a press conference with the governor and other state representatives and senators related to the immigration bills being debated in Oregon's legislature. Uh what relief did Senator Solman as an elected representative from Senate District 15 offer? Um, if you could share that with us and and also what would be your um solution to this or what would you have proposed?

SPEAKER_02 28:17

Well, I I was confused to see her at that event because uh I thought and I was excited that that meant that she understood that this was a big problem. And then the bits of legislation that she introduced all had to do with, you know, the SB 1586 to try to take that land from the farmers who are with their own money fighting her, like fundraising and fighting her for their rights that they had already agreed on. And the other one is SB, is it 1555? I want to say, which I don't know if you're familiar with that one. It's the one that proposes that a consultancy make the decisions for how we spend money in Oregon rather than the quality education model that we've been doing. Now, I understand we need better funding solutions, but I don't think handing it over to a consultancy because that was a great idea in her mind is a good idea. Um, I I again I I don't want to say this is what I would do, that's what I would do, because I I feel it's important to listen to the people in the narrow, right? But just looking at what has happened, right? One of the things that I had in my mind was that if something happened to me and I was being chased by ice, which for me to be imagining this, you know that I'm like lacking sleep. I'm like, what am I gonna do? I had told my husband, my idea is that if they start chasing me, I'm gonna find the closest police station because I'm spatially challenged, right? And I'm gonna go there for help. But then I saw on TV that several people had had that idea, and that when they called the police, got to the police station, there was just more witnesses watching them get harassed. So I do know something needs to be done, something can be done, and I don't have the solution yet. I feel that the perfect solution comes from collaboration, and that's what I think we hire senators and legislators to do. So that's what I'm thinking.

SPEAKER_05 30:34

Your opponent, Senator Solman, was targeted by a union-backed campaign to fully disconnect Oregon's tax code from the federal code. If they had done that, Oregon would have had nearly$600 million more for schools and drug treatment. Instead, Democrats passed a partial disconnect. Solman voted for it. One Democrat, Mark Meek from Gladstone, voted against it because it didn't go far go far enough. Where would you have been on that vote?

SPEAKER_02 31:05

Well, can we start with like the word targeted, that Janine Solman was targeted by unions?

SPEAKER_03 31:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:13

Um, because I think my people are being targeted on the streets with violence. I think that's the appropriate use of that word. When I saw the article come out that she was being targeted, like, so what that means is all the workers in the state agreed, why the hell aren't these people representing us, the workers, and invested money in putting out the message, hey, these people are not representing us. And I'll tell you what, I don't see any of these people scooting into a corner like scared kittens about this targeting. Whereas you can see my people on videos anywhere you would like to see, if you would like to see what targeted means, to see what it feels like, what it looks like to be targeted with violence. That's a violent thing. So I just wanted to say that because man, I was outraged when I saw that. But then back to this, right? I believe we're one of two or three states that are still tied up this way.

SPEAKER_04 32:13

Really?

SPEAKER_02 32:13

And I believe that it's gonna take courage for us to step up and do what's right and disconnect. Now, it doesn't just take courage because, as I said, people are mad about their taxes.

SPEAKER_04 32:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:26

So we really need to go out, listen to people, and find solutions that help them feel seen and heard and understand the bigger problem. I would say that nine out of ten people that I hear are just so worried about their taxes. They they cannot see past that worry into like how it affects everybody. Like, how do we help them see that we need a different plan for the millionaires and the billionaires and the corporations than we do for us?

SPEAKER_00 32:59

Your sister Leslie, my wife, is in the organ house. Uh, she has talked to you about what it's actually like in Salem and what she has told you about how the system works, the bill pools, the procedural rules that aren't taught, the secret texts between leadership. Uh because we're hearing that new legislators, especially legislators of color, are being set up to fail by a system that concentrates power and leadership. So moving into this position, if you win this position, um how are you going to navigate that in the Senate?

SPEAKER_02 33:36

Well, first I want to call you out for blushing when you when you talk about your wife. Like I wanna I want to contextualize that being in love with Leslie is new to you. It's just been a year, but I've been in love with Leslie my whole life, Eric. And she's a spicy one. Um, she's not gonna hold back on saying what she needs to say to defend the people of Oregon. Um, but she is quite kind and quite collaborative, and I feel represents the values in our home well. So I know it's been painful for her heart because as I uncover and scratch, I do feel pain about the things I discover. Like I just found out that Senator Solman is in charge of the environmental committee or the committee that's in charge of environment. And I'm heartbroken to hear that.

SPEAKER_03 34:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

Because how could that happen?

SPEAKER_03 34:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:30

And we be in the mist that we are in our district, right?

SPEAKER_03 34:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:34

There's just a mismatch there for me. And I'm sure that I'll that I'll find out more, you know.

SPEAKER_03 34:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:41

But I think it's good to be prepared with a connected mind and heart and to prioritize the people of Oregon. I think my sister does that. And I think many of her colleagues in the legislature see it, see the authenticity and help her. And they collaborate together. So, I mean, there's always a dark side. You know that I'm a Star Wars fan, right? Um, but you've seen the movies. The Jedi's always win.

SPEAKER_04 35:11

They do.

SPEAKER_02 35:11

And why? Because truth is on our side, because we're the people are on our side. Like, we are not wanting to do this to enrich ourselves. Like our, like my concept of richness is what I already have. My treasures, my children. The treasures are the children of Oregon. It's funny because people that know me will know this about me. I call the kids the treasures. I have been calling them that for 25 years, right? So when I had a little child in my class that was like, I want to be rich when I grow up, I'd immediately introduce them to, you know, there's lots of ways to be rich, not just with money. So I think it's really important that our values lead us, that we are not swayed by money, and that we don't plan to be swayed by money, which sometimes makes me feel like we're a little bit in danger.

SPEAKER_04 36:02

Right.

SPEAKER_02 36:02

Because people that are only looking out for money are only looking out for money. And really, it's why I support education so much, because I think education is the only way to peace until we have en masse critical thinking and understanding, connected minds to hearts, we're gonna be having this problem, right? We are a multicultural society. Half of the students in Oregon speak another language.

SPEAKER_03 36:32

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

We are a multilingual society, and we need to grow into acceptance, kindness, and love of that. So I know it's gonna be rough, and not gonna lie, I'd rather be on my couch watching movies, but the moment doesn't allow for that. The moment is demanding of me to fulfill my responsibilities to my people, is how this started. And what I'm discovering is it's for all of the people of Oregon. We're all not being represented or heard.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

Yeah, it's a wonderful answer.

SPEAKER_02 37:04

Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 37:10

All right, so we are doing this rapid fire question. So we just got a few questions for you. So um, if you could just answer off the top of your head. Um, who in Salem do you trust the most?

SPEAKER_02 37:23

Oh, that one's easy. Leslie and her team. I feel like they're educating me.

SPEAKER_05 37:29

Yes, absolutely. Um, biggest threat to Washington County in the next four years.

SPEAKER_02 37:35

Tech, big tech. They they're pretending they're here to bring jobs because that act, you know, was called the Jobs Act. And everything else in the universe is saying AI is coming for our jobs, for white-collar jobs.

SPEAKER_05 37:51

So absolutely. Yeah, I definitely when they're saying the jobs, I'm like, you're just going to have robots doing the stuff, and you're gonna need one person to be there to restart. You know, like what are you talking about? Just doing jobs. But I digress. Um, one thing you'd fund that isn't currently funded.

SPEAKER_02 38:15

Oh my god, I'm in love with preschool for all right now. I'm like, what? This guy made it happen in eight days? What are we doing? Yeah. Talk about a model. Wouldn't that be great? People need child care.

SPEAKER_05 38:29

I love that. Um, one thing currently funded that you'd um defund or cut.

SPEAKER_02 38:37

Oh, that's a good one. I know. I don't know about that one. I'm gonna that I'm gonna have to think on that one.

SPEAKER_05 38:45

Okay. Totally acceptable. Um and who's one person or organization in Senate District 15 that's going, um, that's doing the work um but not getting the credit.

SPEAKER_02 39:00

Oh my gosh, there's so many people doing the work over there. I mean, the first people that come to mind are these people I just got to know, just because I just got to know them. But the friends of um smart growth is who they're what they're called. But they've been fighting this data center thing for a decade with their own fundraising, their own door knocking, and they have a group of elders that are committed to the door knocking. They've already offered their help for my campaign, and I'm I'm excited because I mean, when the elders in a community stand up for you, I mean, for me and in our culture, that's like wisdom coming. Exactly. Yeah. So they're doing amazing work. I also am a big fan of Adelante Mujeres. Now they're a nonprofit, um, but they are doing amazing work with our community, and they're fighting back in a way that's quiet and careful um to make sure that people are well, you know. Um I there's just so many or little organizations, uh, doing amazing work there in Washington County. There's have you heard of a thousand friends? They're also um a nonprofit that's like advocating for the environment, advocating for the situation of people of color, for the fact that, you know, people that are have been minoritized are not being represented. The impact on us is not being considered. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 40:30

Those are awesome answers.

SPEAKER_00 40:31

Awesome. Great answers. Last question. Uh who would you who which person or group would you suggest that this podcast have on to interview?

SPEAKER_02 40:44

I if I were you, I'd really call these farmers, these people that are farmers. They're they're all into sustainability, into uh like that spot there, District 15, having their traditions, their cultures, and growing us food. I like food. Yeah. Um I would have them and I I would have Adelante Mujeres out here too. It would be so inspirational for you guys.

SPEAKER_00 41:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:10

You might cry. Right.

SPEAKER_00 41:13

Well, Myrna Magnos, thank you so much for coming in and taking the time today to visit with us. We really appreciate it and wish you luck in the coming weeks.

SPEAKER_05 41:23

Yay, thank you. You are just an inspiration. So thank you so much for your time. And I really look forward to all the great things you're going to be doing. And um, I'm behind you.

SPEAKER_02 41:32

Thank you so much. And for all the listeners and viewers out there, if you're ready to join a solidarity for the people campaign, this is the moment. We promise joy, we promise representation, and we promise you're you're gonna have a good time getting to know all of our neighbors.

SPEAKER_00 41:50

All right, and that does it for another episode of Oregon Voices.