On the housing crisis, Delegate Katrina Callsen said Jones’ plan to “hold predatory landlords accountable for housing discrimination” will help build “an economy that works for everyone.”
On healthcare costs, Dr. Greg Gelburd said, “too many people have struggled to afford the medicines they need,” and that Jones will “hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for price-fixing and force insurers to deliver the coverage families deserve and already pay for.”
On protecting workers, Mr. Canahui-Ortiz of Carpenters Local 205 said, “under a Jay Jones administration, we will rebuild the Workers Protection Unit that was dismantled by AG Miyares,” and “union and nonunion workers will finally have a voice in the AG’s office next year.”
See the full plan and one-pager at JayJones.com, and coverage of the event below:
CBS19: Jones announces plan to lower costs for Virginians in Charlottesville
Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, was in Charlottesville on Wednesday to lay out his plan to lower costs in the Commonwealth.
“We certainly want to prioritize small businesses and small business owners. For far too long, large businesses, large corporations have been taking advantage of the little,” Jones said.
And he says, if he is elected, this plan will be centered around one thing.
“It all starts with accountability. Holding massive corporations accountable for artificially inflating grocery prices. Holding housing markets accountable for hiking up rent, and discriminating against residents. Holding the Trump administration accountable for gutting the exact agencies that are designed to protect consumers,” Jones said.
Jones says he already has a record of keeping big corporations in check.
“I fought to prevent higher grocery prices by stopping certain mergers. I held social media companies accountable for misleading consumers and allowing political consultants to steal personal data,” Jones said.
29News: AG candidate Jones stops in Charlottesville, unveils consumer protection plan
Jay Jones, the Democrat vying to be Virginia’s next attorney general, made a stop in Charlottesville Wednesday morning to lay out his consumer protection plan if elected.
With early voting for Virginia’s statewide offices just about a week away, candidates are making their appeals to voters; for Jones, it’s a promise to lower costs.
“You can’t side with the big guy at the expense of the little guy,” Jones said. “Our client is the people of Virginia, and that’s always going to be my priority.”
According to a recent poll from Virginia Commonwealth University, the number one issue influencing Virginians’ votes is the cost of living.
“It’s something that we hear about time and time again as we move across Virginia,” Jones said. “It doesn’t matter where you live… everybody is concerned about costs at this particular moment.”
Jones says he’s zooming in on lowering healthcare costs by cracking down on pharmacy benefit managers, aggressively prosecuting pharmaceutical companies for price-fixing and other “predatory practices,” and preventing private equity firms from purchasing hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes.
Gregory Gelburd is a retired family physician in Charlottesville who continues to work with patients at Family Downtown Healthcare.
“Which introduces me to many working people who are living on the fringe economically,” Gelburd said at Jones’ press conference. “Too many of these people have struggled to afford their medications. They need to stay alive.”
Other ideas on Jones’ list include protecting small business owners against large corporations, getting rid of “abusive” non-compete agreements for low-wage workers, and rebuilding Virginia’s Workers Protection Unit.
“This is something that is going to help workers not only in the union… but workers throughout the Commonwealth,” said Neri Canahui-Ortiz, a representative for the Eastern Atlantic States’ Regional Council of Carpenters. “We need more protections for workers, not less.”
Jones has also laid out his public safety plan, which includes various efforts to prevent violent crime, create a Child Safety Unit to fight against predators, and support more restrictive gun laws.
“We released our public safety plan just a couple weeks ago, and getting illegal guns out of our communities was one of the three major pillars,” Jones said.
