u/HellyR_lumon

Brim-Edwards and Moyer dismissed these concerns out of hand. “There’s been testimony and assertions that there’s not needle debris left in parks and in areas near schools, and that’s just not accurate to say that there isn’t debris,” Brim-Edwards said. The Multnomah County Health Department’s needle exchange program safely disposes of many used needles, Brim-Edwards said, “but the reality is, there’s still a lot of needle debris out in the community.” Cleanup crews have reported massive upticks in drug litter in recent years

Public commenters’ concerns that the ordinance would limit SSP operations were unfounded, Moyer argued. Oregon prohibits cannabis retailers from operating within 1,000 feet of schools, she said, and there are no shortage of those. A similar limit on SSPs would have negligible effect. “If you are worried that there’s not going to be places that needle exchanges can happen,” Moyer said, “if you can easily buy cannabis near where you are, there can be a needle exchange there.”

“Councilors delivered a balanced budget for fiscal year 2026-2027, successfully closing a record gap of over $160 million. Balancing the budget required the council to make painful decisions as they considered more than 40 amendments. They may propose more amendments before final adoption next month.”

“Councilors restored some of the proposed cuts and in some cases provided additional funding for services by drawing further from contingency funds or reducing support for other programs. They approved more than a dozen amendments.”

The 12 amendments passed are included in this release. The Fire & PSR budgets were restored. The police budget was not. Write your councilors if you want it restored.

On March 19, Aaron Schmautz, president of the Portland Police Association, fired off a memo to Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, City Administrator Raymond Lee III, and other top city administrative staff, alleging District 2 City Councilor Sameer Kanal had interfered in the operations of the city’s new Community Board for Police Accountability (CBPA). By attending a CBPA meeting—which the councilor was invited to attend and give a presentation at—and offering his office’s support with logistics and administrative help, Schmautz says Kanal was overstepping. 

While the complaint primarily focused on the councilor’s meeting attendance, the PPA memo cited “continued and concerning evidence of overt bias and manipulation of the CBPA” and set the stage for what could be a future legal fight between the city and the police union over Portland’s new independent, civilian-led police oversight system. 

Preliminary results:

Sollman with 52% v Munoz 44.8%
Hartemyer Prigg 52.5% v Tammy Carpenter 47.2%
Daniel Nguyen 75.8% v Waz 24%

“Sollman’s apparent victory in Senate District 15 appears to be part of a broader voter renunciation of a drive by labor unions, the Working Families Party, the Democratic Socialists of America and others to elect a crop of lawmakers eager to tax the rich, reject tax breaks and other incentives to attract businesses and crusade for expanded public services such as free preschool or universal healthcare.

“If the preliminary results hold, it would mark a victory for mainstream Democratic elected officials who endorsed Sollman, Nguyen and Hartmeier Prigg and a loss for SEIU, the state teacher’s union and other traditional Democratic Party allies and donors who sought to elect candidates with stronger anti-business, pro-worker and pro-tax stances.”

“It would also mark a blow for both the Oregon Working Families Party and the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, both of which boast of their strong ground games. They both said their volunteers knocked on tens of thousands of voters’ doors.”

I can’t stop laughing. This is hilarious and an extremely accurate take. Not just on Mitch Green, but the City in general.

Idk if the mods will let me keep this up but this commercial is so spot on for Portland. I also laugh to myself every time I see that Spencer Pratt from Laguna Beach is running for mayor.

In 2019, the county spent $1.66 million on contracted security services, county data shows. By the end of the 2026 fiscal year, that spending is expected to total over $14 million, including $364,000 for a security detail for Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.

Spokesperson Denis Theriault said in a statement that “increased acuity of disruptive and threatening public behavior” has warranted a larger security presence.

“I strongly believe that in a time when we’re reducing services and cutting budgets, that we need to take a hard look at that,” Brim-Edwards said. “Is that the necessary level of resources that need to be devoted to that?”

Passed 9/3

No: Zimmerman, Ryan, Smith

Aye: Avalos, Dunphy, Pyrtle-Guinney, Koyama-Lane, Novick, Morillo, Kanal, Green, Clark

Novick made sure to congratulate everyone on “taking an act that has been vitally needed for 40 years,”

$12 to monthly water bills for individuals. 3-4% added to business water bills.

The vast majority of written testimony opposed. Under 15% supports with changes. Very few supported the ordinance as is and the ones that did include Oregon Walks and The Street Trust.

I’m sure there will be an article out soon.