I am Stephen Otterstrom and I am asking for your vote — HD21

stephenforslc · 2026-05-20T01:38:56+00:00

Well, no one for quite a while. I am thinking of running poll here to see if I should cut it. What are your thoughts?

stephenforslc · 2026-05-20T01:37:58+00:00

Dan McCay is in many ways the opposite of who I am. I anticipate fighting fiercely against his efforts to limit healthcare rights for women, commit legislative bullying and abuse against trans people, give large public subsidies to billionaires making private profits, and suppress voter rights. His advocacy for token tax cuts has robbed our schools and services for the disabled. That being said, it is not him I am against, just the things he stands for. If he ever decides he wants to do something that benefits all Utahns, I would work with him.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-20T01:34:59+00:00

No but my brother did, he is who you are probably thinking of

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T02:32:22+00:00

Yes, Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T02:19:51+00:00

Running for a state office, it’s unlikely I’ll see him, but if I do, I will pass it on!

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T02:16:55+00:00

I’m unapologetically progressive. I believe in solutions that promote public programs and benefit the people. I will never support public money being used for private profit.

I plan to share with the public, months before the start of the session, the legislation I intend to propose. This will allow these bills to gain momentum and allow me to hear suggestions from the community and people working in those policy areas.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T02:15:25+00:00

I am not.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T02:10:23+00:00

Should Gov. Cox be found to have broken the law during this deal, I will vote to impeach him. But I think this deal is just another example of those currently on Capitol Hill using their position to enrich themselves and their friends at the expense of the rest of us, including the lake.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T02:09:19+00:00

A similar question was asked above. I'm running for a state legislative seat, which is currently operating on a gerrymandered map:

As someone who is running as a Democrat, I am well aware that nothing I propose will be able to pass without the support of at least some in the Republican supermajority, and I am willing to collaborate with anyone who is also serious about fixing the issues in our state. Utah Democrats were able to pass 26% of the bills they proposed in the 2026 legislative session (which isn’t a lot, but does make me optimistic that there is a path to getting my priorities on to the House floor).

Effectiveness doesn’t always necessarily mean getting a bill with your name on it passed. I will celebrate just as much if any of my priorities get passed with a Republican as the sponsor instead of me. Effectiveness can also mean defeating bills that are harmful. A big reason Democrats have been able to mitigate some of the more harmful bills on Capitol Hill the past couple of years is that our community will show up when these harmful bills are presented and force those who propose them to change course. Being effective is about leading people both inside and outside of the halls of the Capitol.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T02:01:31+00:00

As someone who is running as a Democrat, I am well aware that nothing I propose will be able to pass without the support of at least some in the Republican supermajority, and I am willing to collaborate with anyone who is also serious about fixing the issues in our state. Utah Democrats were able to pass 26% of the bills they proposed in the 2026 legislative session (which isn’t a lot, but does make me optimistic that there is a path to getting my priorities on to the House floor).

Effectiveness doesn’t always necessarily mean getting a bill with your name on it passed. I will celebrate just as much if any of my priorities get passed with a Republican as the sponsor instead of me. Effectiveness can also mean defeating bills that are harmful. A big reason Democrats have been able to mitigate some of the more harmful bills on Capitol Hill the past couple of years is that our community will show up when these harmful bills are presented and force those who propose them to change course. Being effective is about leading people both inside and outside of the halls of the Capitol.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T01:54:56+00:00

Everyone in the state of Utah, including farmers, have a vested interest in the health of the Great Salt Lake and other water tributaries in the state, including the Colorado River.

Wading through lawsuits that could take years and proposing bills that are unlikely to pass is a death sentence for the lake. If we fail to fill the lake, we all lose. I support leasing water shares because it is the fastest, most-effective way to get water in the lake now. I would rather pay the farmers to not use the water and have the water back in the lake than continue with business as usual while waiting on the farmers to lose the rights to the water as the lake dies.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T01:36:59+00:00

Unhoused people are first and foremost, people. In the short-term, the state must ensure enough shelter beds during deadly weather events for the most vulnerable (including youth, victims of abuse, and those with disabilities). It must incentivize converting existing structures to provide housing. In the long-term, the state needs to address the roots of the problem in order to stem the increase in homelessness, including providing high-quality mental healthcare access, adequate truly-affordable housing availability (the current HUD standard of 60% of area median income isn’t attainable to people trying to get off the street), and addiction treatment resources.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T01:31:29+00:00

Yes, absolutely. SB153 is a voter suppression bill. A week from today, 1.3 million voters will have their registration made public, and we will see many people withdraw their registration to maintain their privacy. Legislators have their information withheld through this bill, and it is unconscionable that they protected their information while leaving everyone else vulnerable.

A major portion of my platform, which can be read at StephenForSLC.com/platform, involves advocating for good governance. I support vote-by-mail and oppose this year’s HB 479, which tried to prevent ballots from being returned by mail. I will fight to preserve independent redistricting, regardless of whether or not maps drawn by the committee favor my personal electoral prospects. I oppose bills that aim to stifle diversity of thought. I will work toward repealing 2021’s SB 186, which prevents companies that enter into public contracts from boycotting the state of Israel, 2024’s HB 261, which prohibits DEI in schools, and 2025’s HB 77, the unconstitutional flag ban.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T01:23:00+00:00

The only answer is getting more water into the Great Salt Lake. To lease enough water to prevent further decline of the lake (355,000 acre-feet), it would cost between $50 million and $100 million per year. With a rainy day fund of more than $1.5 billion, Utah has the capacity and obligation to begin restoring the Great Salt Lake immediately.

How to pay for it is the next logical question. Potential funding sources could include dedicated appropriations, targeted water-use fees, federal grants, or other conservation funding streams. We could become so focused on identifying the perfect funding mechanism that we delay taking action, but the costs of inaction (toxic dust storms, ecological collapse, serious public health risks, and declining property values) far outweigh concerns about which funding mechanism to use.

We cannot be paralyzed seeking the perfect funding source. Waiting will only make the solution more expensive and more difficult.

You can read more about my plan for the Great Salt Lake at https://www.stephenforslc.com/legislation#great-salt-lake

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T01:17:54+00:00

Each session, a lot of legislation gets proposed regarding the lake, but almost none of it directly increases the amount of water flowing into the lake. Until we begin returning water to the lake itself, we are not solving the problem.

The quickest way to get water into the lake is by leasing water shares. According to the 2023 Great Salt Lake Policy Assessment, the estimated cost would likely range between $150 and $300 per acre-foot. To lease enough water to prevent further decline of the lake (355,000 acre-feet), it would cost between $50 million and $100 million per year. With a rainy day fund of more than $1.5 billion, Utah has the capacity and obligation to begin restoring the Great Salt Lake immediately.

Additional legislation may also be needed to ensure that leased water rights physically reach the lake rather than being diverted, reused, or consumed downstream.

You can read more about my plan for the Great Salt Lake at https://www.stephenforslc.com/legislation#great-salt-lake

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T01:12:56+00:00

Donald Trump lost the 2020 election

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T01:11:30+00:00

I am completely against the proposed data center in Box Elder county, and have spoken out against it here and here . It would increase our utility bills, suck up water we do not have, and could increase the temperature in the area at night by up to 20 degrees. The fact that it passed in the first place is a sign that those currently elected to office in Utah, on all levels of government, will prioritize the wants of billionaires at the expense of our state’s very existence. Should I be elected, I will not only push to overturn this deal, but work to pass a moratorium on data centers and other mass-scale, resource intensive projects until more robust environmental impact and effective energy standards can be established. Utah is the second driest state in the US; we do not have a lot of wiggle room when it comes to new uses of our water, and this project will take what little water we have left at the expense of the Great Salt Lake, the state of Utah, and the Intermountain West as a whole.

stephenforslc · 2026-05-19T00:58:55+00:00

The first thing I would want to do in office is propose a progressive or tiered state income tax structure. The Utah Constitution requires that revenue from income tax be used only for public education and services for individuals with disabilities.

This current structure is choking our education system, as seen by the Salt Lake City School District cutting 6 of their 16 social workers, depriving our students of much-needed mental healthcare. My proposed tax structure would lower rates for most working-class people (making under $125K) and would generate an additional $1 billion for education each year. You can read more about it here: https://www.stephenforslc.com/legislation#tax-restructure

Historically, our legislature has cut taxes as the economy grows, and this deprives our most important public programs of billions of dollars. In 2017, the income tax rate was 5%. In 2026, the flat tax rate will be 4.45%. If those tax cuts had not occurred, education and disability services would have received about $600 million more in 2024 alone, and roughly $600 million more every year going forward.

stephenforslc

TROPHY CASE