Culinary to press for state lottery, tenant protections
Members of the Culinary Local 226 wore bright red shirts with the messages “Workers to the front” and shouted, “We vote, we win,” one of the union’s rallying cries.
Rank-and-file members of Las Vegas’ biggest union gathered Thursday at a news conference at the group’s downtown headquarters where Culinary’s leaders detailed their priorities for the 2023 session of the Nevada Legislature.
The union will spearhead a campaign for neighborhood stability to combat mortgage and rent costs, and advocate for a state-run lottery with revenues used to create sustainable funding for youth mental health and education programs, Ted
Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer, said in the news conference.
“Our union has a long history of fighting and winning for working families in Carson City, and this year is no different,” Pappageorge said. “One job should be enough to have a roof over our heads and ensure that Nevada youth have quality mental health care access and education.”
A consistent source of funding is critical to establish and expand education and mental health resources for Nevada youths, Pappageorge said, citing research that the state had the most poorly funded public schools in the nation and was the worst for overall mental health and access to care.
Nevada is one of only five states without a state lottery — a sustainable, long-term source of funding that Pappageorge estimated could produce around $200 million to be used for training, recruiting and retaining mental health and teaching professionals in Nevada, Pappageorge said.
An amendment to the state’s Constitution, proposed by Assemblyman Cameron “C.H.” Miller, would allow a state lottery and allocate its revenue toward youth mental health programs.
As one of the largest organizations of parents in Nevada, the Culinary Union will engage with voters to rally support for the increased funding of mental health and education, Pappageorge said.
“To be able to access the mental support they need, we need to educate parents and children on the current mental health crisis,” Ivan Lopez, a casino porter on
the Las Vegas Strip and Culinary member, said during the news conference. “We also need more resources in school for children who lack access to mental health care.”
Lopez, who moved with his family to Las Vegas when he was in elementary school, talked about his own experience struggling with mental health issues and eventually seeing a therapist.
He has since come to realize that so many other young people are experiencing the same mental health issues, Lopez said, noting his support for an amendment to allow a lottery to raise funds for mental and behavioral health services.
“We have to take this crisis seriously and make changes now — before it’s too late,” he said.
The second issue the union said it would prioritize in 2023 is neighborhood stability and tenant justice, with Pappageorge calling for the Legislature to protect Nevadans by tying rent increases to the cost of living with a 5% cap.
“Institutional investors” are preying on Nevada’s market, Pappageorge said, and buying up apartments, single-family housing, Airbnbs and more. Their increasingly high rental rates put seniors, middle-class and young families who rent at the mercy of these investors, he said.
He pointed to some local apartment complexes, where the rents have increased by up to 92% in just a few years.
The union is coordinating with a slew of lawmakers to propose bills related to neighborhood stability, eviction reforms and more, Pappageorge said. He said they include Democratic Sens. Pat Spearman, Edgar Flores, Fabian Donate, James Ohrenschall, and Democratic Assemblywoman Shondra Summers Armstrong.
Carlos Padilla, a baker on the Las Vegas Strip and Culinary member, urged state lawmakers to pass neighborhood stability legislation, and for Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to sign off on it.
“I am proud that my union is fighting to make sure people can afford to stay in this town,” Padilla said. “And I know that we’re going to win this fight.”
Culinary will be idle while corporations destroy the American dream of owning a home, Pappageorge said, or while Nevada children are left behind in education and mental health care.
“We’re not going to stand for it. We’re going to fight that,” he said. “We don’t have any time for platitudes and aspirational goals. We’re not interested in hearing any of that. We expect results from this Legislature and our governor, and we’re very happy to work closely with both.”