Street Wonk Double Header: September 13th-September 21st, 2023

Broadway bike lane battle brewing... Supportive Housing Services unanticipated revenue... Regional waste plan... Charter change update... Humor as survival strategy... City Council Bingo...

Sep 22, 2023

Dear Readers,

Last week was pretty dull on the local politics homefront, so I sent out the Zenith Energy call to action instead. Reader Matchu W. followed up and suggested I share BDS’s Notice of Land Use Proposal. I can’t believe I forgot to include that! You have until September 29th, 2023, 5:00pm to comment. I am loving the input and feedback I’ve been getting from readers. It lets me know that I’m not sending these missives into the void and helps me provide better information for everyone. Please keep ’em coming!

The week prior, Street Wonk subscribers Tony J. and Joe B. asked if I had watched the BikeLoud testimony at last week’s Council session. I have a confession—I rarely watch Council sessions. Most of my writing happens before them; honestly, I find them difficult to endure. From the excruciatingly boring minutiae that populate the agenda on an average week to the disingenuous drivel coming out of some of their mouths to the rampant mediocrity and ineptitude of our current Council, it’s almost unbearable.

However, it occurred to me that misery loves company and that some of you might enjoy some comradery during Council sessions! So, I’m planning a weekly online Wonk Out Watch Party for the Wednesday 9am session! If it takes off, I’ll also set up watch parties for Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. Since it’s too early in the day for a drinking game, I’m thinking a Portland City Council Bingo game is in order! Comment below with items you think are essential to include.

Lest some think I’m making a mockery of our political process, I want to clarify a few things. I value civility but reject the oppressive expectation of politeness in the face of threats to life and liberty and other fuckery from our elected representatives. In my opinion, respect is something you earn through your actions, not something you command by virtue of title or position. And it has been scientifically proven that humor is a vital survival strategy. The fight for progress is a long haul; laughter greases the wheels.

Keep laughing, keep fighting!

Chloe

P.S. I’ve included several items that are too big to get into in an issue of The Agenda—Cannabis policy, Flood Hazard Areas Code, Supportive Housing Services surplus funding, Metro’s Regional Waste Plan, Portland Clean Energy Fund, and Police Accountability. These items have been earmarked for future follow-up, but I encourage you to read up on them in the meantime. If any of them fall within your area of interest and expertise, I’d love to hear from you with questions, comments, or hot tips!

BikeLoud PDX Protest & Testimony

After one of the deadliest summers for pedestrians and cyclists in Portland, BikeLoud PDX organized a protest outside City Hall on September 6th to make the following demands (italicized sections are my comments):

1) SAFE STREETS: Respond to every crash with a commitment to implement physical protection that protects all road users. As transportation commissioner, I implemented a new protocol for traffic fatalities, including sending PBOT staff out to assess the sites for any possible short-term interventions, as well as permanent changes to improve safety and installing reader boards to alert the public.

2) FUNDING: We need to prioritize safe streets by funding programs that support Vision Zero right when PBOT is looking to cut funding to programs. Prioritizing Pricing Options for Equitable Mobility (POEM) and other revenue-building mechanisms is paramount to reducing traffic deaths and injuries. Pricing Options for Equitable Mobility (POEM) is a task force my team established after a trip my Policy Director and I took to London and Stockholm to learn about their approaches to traffic demand management and congestion pricing. As traditional revenue streams decline, we must create new and equitable funding sources to maintain and improve our transportation infrastructure.

3) ENFORCEMENT: Deploy speed-enforcing cameras every 1/2 mile on ALL high-crash corridors by the end of 2023. Employ 24/7 UNARMED traffic enforcement officers to patrol our most dangerous streets. Enact laws that remove driving privileges for people who kill and injure with their cars. The struggle to install speed cameras, even after funding was approved, was one of my most maddening experiences at City Hall. Speed cameras can be effective in reducing speeds if appropriately implemented. Since PPB has all but abandoned traffic enforcement, and re-engineering unsafe roads takes time and money, they’re a reasonable intervention in the short term.

4) CULTURE: We demand all elected leaders across Portland and Multnomah County prioritize programs that limit impaired driving: a common denominator in most crashes. Campaigns at bars, restaurants, and liquor stores to warn Portlanders of the dangers and consequences of driving under the influence. Enact these campaigns only if our other demands are met congruently: words alone do not change culture: action does. Education is critical to reducing traffic fatalities; there’s a lot of room for improvement and expansion here.

Following the protest, they attended the session support members providing public testimony during Communications:

Later in the session, BikeLoud PDX members also gave testimony on Item 747: Authorize contract with GardaWorld for Security Services for SmartPark, Portland Downtown Heliport, and Streetcar Facilities not to exceed $6,306,319. Reader Tony J. suggests watching Mapps and Wheeler’s closing remarks following public testimony:

Broadway Bike Lane Battle Brewing

I still remember my first meeting with Representative Blumenauer after I took my seat on City Council. One of the many pieces of wisdom he shared with me was no matter how good, correct, or proven your idea may be, you can never skimp on the public process—it’s the Portland way. And for better or worse, that’s doubly true for anything related to our bicycle infrastructure.

I guess Commissioner Mapps didn’t get that memo. Attempting to quietly undo a protected bikeway in the middle of a budget shortfall, rising traffic fatalities, and a climate crisis while running for Mayor may seem like a weird flex, but it makes sense to me, considering who he’s aiming to please, even as he attempts to distance himself from the decision by throwing his recently appointed PBOT director under the bus.

I don’t deny that bike lanes can create conflicts with other roadway users—bus stops and hotel zones are two examples—but this isn’t a Portland problem, and other cities have figured out a more peaceful coexistence. According to this recent New York Times article—Where Bicyclists, Doormen, and Tourists Battle for Turf—the locales to look to for inspiration include Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Mexico City. The answer can’t be to make cycling less safe to accommodate commercial interests.

Bike Portland is providing excellent unfolding coverage on the Broadway Bike Lane Scandal, and they’re on TikTok now!

@bikeportland Breaking news and it’s not great. Somethings afoot at PBOT with new Director Millicent Williams and Commissioner Mingus Mapps. Sources say they’ve hatched a plan to remove the NW/SW Broadway protected bike lane. #portland #portlandoregon #pdxbikes

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Wonk Out on Last Week’s Agenda

Here are the highlights from last week’s City Council, County, and Metro agendas, with some brief commentary from yours truly.

Portland City Council

764: Accept FY 2022-23 Disbursement of Cannabis Emergency Relief Fund Report (Report) and 765: Accept 2022 Annual Report by the Cannabis Policy Oversight Team (Report) For future follow-up.
774: Amend approved application under the Multiple-Unit Limited Tax Exemption Program under the Inclusionary Housing Program for Graham Apartments located at 325 W/ NE Graham St to increase the number of restricted units (amend Ordinance 191180) Once again, I question the value of what we’re getting for our forgone tax revenue. Also, the impact statement seems to be missing critical information and isn’t very reader-friendly. Finally, I see two clear issues with our current MULTE policy: average rents are based on city-wide numbers, resulting in “affordable” units built in lower-rent neighborhoods with rents at or above the neighborhood average (gentrification funded by our public dollars). Also, with the diminishing size of rental units, cost per square foot has got to be considered at some point. According to Rent Cafe, the average size one-bedroom apartment in Portland, Oregon, is around 750 square feet, while the average 1-bedroom apartment in this development is 360 square feet.
777: Amend Title 33, Planning and Zoning, and the Zoning Map to reduce the impacts of future flooding on the city and prevent the degradation of floodplain habitat for endangered and threatened fish species (amend Code Title 33 and the Zoning Map) (Ordinance) and 778: Amend Flood Hazard Areas Code to comply with Federal Emergency Management Agency National Flood Insurance Program requirements and modify compensatory excavation and removal requirements (amend Code Chapter 24.50 and 24.10) (Ordinance) For future follow-up.
779: Add Downtown Business Incentive Credit Code to encourage new and extended leases in core business districts (add Code Section 7.02.875) (Emergency Ordinance) City Hall’s latest effort to retain and attract downtown business owners only benefits businesses with 15 or more employees, excluding many small but big draw businesses. It’s not just employees we need to repopulate downtown; it’s visitors and customers. Do you have a business downtown? What do you think?

Multnomah County Board of Commissioners

Supportive Housing Services Unanticipated Revenue and Unallocated American Rescue Plan Carryover (ARP) Budget Proposal and Work Session For future follow-up.

Metro Council

7.1: Regional Waste Plan Outcomes and Council Priorities Discussion

The video isn’t available yet, but this is a discussion to keep tabs on as our region and waste continue growing. The stated priorities are:

Reduce garbage through waste reduction and recycling
Improve service quality and access
Keep services affordable
Minimize impacts on people and the environment
Improve economic opportunities and provide good jobs in the garbage and recycling industry

Portland City Council

Wednesday, September 20th, 9:30 AM

785

Appoint Jason Margolis as Creative Laureate for term to expire June 30th, 2025 and extend term of Joaquin Lopez to June 30th, 2024 (Report) Congratulations to our new and returning Creative Laureates!

Wednesday, September 20th, 2:00 PM

797

Amend Council Organization and Procedures Code to align with the amended City Charter approved by voters in Portland Measure 26-228 (replace Code Chapter 3.02) (Ordinance) This is getting exciting! Besides the expansion to twelve Councilors, more big changes are coming to Portland City Council! The new Council will elect a President and Vice President every year. It may establish “standing, special, or other committees to assist Council’s legislative function,” with four to six Councilors serving on any given committee. On our current five-person Council, a quorum is just three Commissioners, making collaboration extra challenging. The quorum for 2025 is seven, allowing six Councilors, instead of the current two Commissioners, to meet directly without triggering public meeting rules.