Throughout this campaign, Jack Zika has riffed about being “the housing guy.” While said lightheartedly, Zika has indeed had some big wins for housing for both Bend and Redmond in the two years he’s served as representative. He was behind the bill establishing a state pilot program that carved out land outside both Bend and Redmond’s urban growth boundaries for hundreds of new affordable housing units. Zika, a Republican, partnered with House Speaker Tina Kotek, a Democrat, on HB 2001, which allows for more housing types, such as duplexes, in residential zones, and he serves on Oregon’s Task Force on Addressing Racial Disparities in Home Ownership.
As a real estate agent and the president of the Central Oregon Realtors Association, “the housing guy” may sometimes favor policies supporting types of real estate that don’t alleviate the housing crisis. COAR, for example, advocated for allowing vacation rental permits to follow with the sale of a property.
What’s more, Zika’s belief in pushing for “regional solutions” around Oregon land use law is overambitious and unrealistic. But by and large, Zika’s bipartisan work around addressing the housing issue makes it difficult for us to advocate for firing him this time around. His participation, as a freshman legislator, in the Republican walkouts was a big strike, but when we asked him about it, Zika assured us he is no climate-change denier.
Zika’s opponent, Emerson Levy, shows some promise as a future Central Oregon leader, but we believe she needs some more time spent in the region, diving into the issues before representing us. Vote Jack Zika for Oregon House District 53.
This article appears in Oct 21-28, 2020.
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It seems to me that the editorial board’s research of Jack Zika was limited to reading his campaign literature. He has not provided material or substantive leadership on the myriad of challenges facing all Central Oregon residents. You are giving him a hall pass for simply doing the right thing on affordable housing while looking the other way on the fact that he walked out on his job (representing all of us in Salem) by helping leading the Republican walkout over climate change! If any of us walked out on our job we would be fired and so should Jack Zika! I am truly shocked that the Source Weekly is comfortable selecting a Trump supporting member of the Republican Party Patriarchy over a working mom endorsed by the Democratic and Independent Party. Not sure if you all have lost your minds, your backbone or maybe both. If you are want leadership and representation for all Central Oregonians I urge you to vote for Emerson Levy in HD #53!
As a constituent of HD 53, I find this endorsement infuriating. Did you review the rest of his record? Or investigate his campaign financing? Zika’s housing bill was indeed a win and he deserves credit for it. But, the rest of his record also deserves a look. Jack Zika voted against children being vaccinated from preventable diseases. Jack Zika received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from tobacco corporations like Philip Morris, Altria, and other corporate PACS. Jack Zika voted against Senate Bill 608 which protects renters and makes housing more affordable. Jack Zika opposed giving all employees FMLA, exposing more people to illnesses like COVID. Jack Zika voted against HB 2013, a bill to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and subsequently applauded by the NRA for opposing common-sense gun laws to protect our kids. Jack Zika has voiced no support for the LGBTQ or BIPOC communities. Jack Zika is supported by the anti-abortion lobby. Jack Zika used his platform to reiterate his support for President Trump instead of sharing public health safety recommendations when Coronavirus first hit Central Oregon. All of this and I have not even mentioned the part where he walked out on his job. Wouldn’t most of us be fired if we did that? Jack Zika should be fired too. I will be discontinuing my subscription from The Source Weekly. And I will be voting for Emerson Levy for HD53!
Wow, clearly The Source has NOT done their homework. You only have to look at Jack Zika’s voting record to easily see HE IS ANTI-SCIENCE and bank rolled by outside of Oregon special interest groups. This includes climate change, education, and vaccinations. I did a little homework:
He voted NO on House Bill 4109, Prohibits aerial pesticide applicator from spraying or otherwise applying by aircraft pesticide product containing chlorpyrifos. A recent study connects autism and early brain damage in children with prenatal and infant exposure of chlorpyrifos. This stuff is banned other agriculture heavy states. Maybe he voted no because he took money from the company who makes chlorpyrifos.
In 2019, Rep. Zika voted AGAINST a bill that would have put an economy-wide limit and price on climate pollution from the largest polluters in the state such as companies owned by the Koch Brothers another Zika campaign contributor.
Oh and he probably doesn’t want you to know about it either because he voted NO on HB 2983, a bill that provided transparency into these independent expenditures by requiring organizations that make political communications in excess of specified amounts (e.g., $25,000 per legislative race) to disclose information related to donations that exceed $10,000. And again, Rep. Zika voted AGAINST HB 2714 to enact limits on campaign contributions that may be accepted by candidates and political committees.
Anytime a representative votes against school funding such as The Student Success Act clearly doesn’t value education. Knowledge is power and that’s how we’re going to close the wealth gap and better our community.
Either Jack knows exactly what he’s doing which makes him a slimy politician saying one thing like “I’m not a climate change denier” and then voting another way and WALKING OUT on the job or he’s just not doing his homework like the Source. Zika is a hard pass. VOTE EMERSON LEVY.