The Agenda: March 6th, 2024
National 311 Day... Public Monument Review Criteria... Gasoline leaf blower ban... Water Bureau rate increases... and will Multnomah County call for a ceasefire in Gaza?
Dear Readers,
Sorry for the false start earlier this year—my family demands continue to take up a lot of my time and energy, and I’m finding it challenging to focus on anything else. However, I’m determined to be as active and engaged as possible during this election cycle. Not only because of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to elect all new Council members and a new Mayor but the need to prepare ourselves as a city for the possibility of another term of he-who-shall-not-be-named. Last time around, we had a progressive leaning Council that took numerous stands to defend our principles throughout the rein of 45. The current Council is in retrograde to the one I served on, and the next Council is truly up for grabs.
Speaking of the 2024 election, here’s who has filed their notice of intent and their certification status as of February 23rd (certification began on February 1st). As you can see, although dozens of people have thrown their hats in the ring, only a handful have been certified. This either means they haven’t raised enough qualifying contributions to be certified—750 donations for Mayoral candidates, 350 for Council candidates—or they haven’t reported their contributions and expenditures and applied for certification yet. Candidates have until August 20th, 2024 to file their notice of intent, and August 27th, 2024 to apply for certification.
Keep in mind that while the above list may shrink, another crop of candidates will pop up, who are not participating in the Small Donor Elections Program, in June when candidates beging filing with the City Elections Office (which is a separate process).
Finally, due to the number of inquiries I’ve received from people interested in running for local office, I’m in the process of whipping up a who, what, when, why, and where guide for potential candidates. Look for that later this month!
Yours Truly,
Chloe
Portland City Council
Wednesday, March 6th, 9:30 AM
Communications
Communications is stacked this week! This week offers an array of timely and pertinent topics. Interested in talking about one of your burning issues, a project you want to champion, or a person you want to honor for three minutes? Sign up for communications here.
196
Request of Albert Kaufman to address Council regarding gas-powered leaf blowers (Communication) Already phased out of use by City bureaus and slated for a ban by 2025 by Multnomah County, later today Portland City Council is introducing an ordinance to phase them out by 2028.
197
Request of David Binnig to address Council regarding safer infrastructure on bike routes (Communication) Despite our 5th place ranking in best American cities for cyclists, we still need major upgrades in our infrastructure to make biking a safe and accessible option.
198
Request of Sarah Hobbs to address Council regarding follow-up care with naloxone pilot program (Communication) The Portland Fire Bureau received a grant to fund immediate treatment for opiate addiction following revival from an overdose, which includes a dose of oral buprenorphine and 90-day follow-up support.
199
Request of Erica Montgomery to address Council regarding ceasefire (Communication) Activists around the country have been calling on their City governments to call for a ceasefire in Palestine, and dozens of cities, including Seattle and Chicago have issued resolutions, as a result. There’s little hope that the current Portland City Council will follow suit.
200
Request of Mario Mastrangelo to address Council regarding responsibility for snow and ice removal (Communication) Did you know adjacent property owners are responsible for clearing snow and ice from sidewalks in Portland? Based on the treacherous conditions of most of our city sidewalks falling snow and ice storms, I have to assume most Portlanders don’t. The problem is there is no penalty unless someone is injured and brings a lawsuit against the property owner. This failure of civic duty endangers all of us, especially seniors and people with mobility challenges. We can do better!
Regular Agenda
206
Proclaim March 11, 2024 to be National 311 Day (Proclamation) This was an effort I spearheaded in 2018 in a bid to improve the City’s customer service, accessibility, and relieve pressure from emergency call responders. I don’t know how effective it’s been, as most of the implementation took place after I lost my seat. Think of 311 as a reference line for anything related to local government and related services.
209
Amend Public Art Code to establish public monuments policy and review criteria (amend Code Chapter 5.74) (Ordinance) Remember a few years ago when problematic monuments starting being taken down by community members? Well, the City has developed a Public Monument Review Criteria, and this is your chance to read it and weigh in.
Wednesday, March 6th, 2:00 PM
Time Certain
210
2pm: Add Leaf Blowers Code to phase out the use of gasoline leaf blowers to reduce public health impacts (add Code Chapter 8.80) (Ordinance) This is great, but why will it take five years?
211
3:30pm: Authorize the rates and charges for water and water-related services beginning July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 and fix an effective date (Ordinance)
212
3:30pm: Revise sewer and stormwater rates, charges and fees in accordance with the FY 2024-25 Budget (Ordinance)
Water rates are going up 7.9%, and sewer and stormwater are going up an estimated $4.44 a month for single-family residences. This is a bargain compared to PGE’s recent 17.2% rate hike, but it’s still going to pinch low-income residents.
Thursday, March 7th, 2:00 PM
No session scheduled.
Multnomah County Board of Commissioners
Thursday, March 7th, 9:30 AM
R.1: Resolution Expressing the Board of County Commissioners’ Concern for the Impacts of the War in Gaza and Calling for a Ceasefire (Resolution) The Portland City Council may not be able to get it together to call for a ceasefire, but the Multnomah County Commission might if they vote to pass this resolution brought by Commissioner Stegmann. You may recall there was some conflict among the County Commissioners immediately following the attack on October 7th as to how to respond. I appreciated Commissioner Stegmann’s remarks then and appreciate her efforts now.
Metro Council
Thursday, March 7th, 10:30 AM
Nothing of note for Street Wonk this week at Metro.
Wonk Out!
City Council Race (Portland Mercury) Shout out to the Portland Mercury for their ongoing coverage of who’s who in all four districts, plus the Mayor’s race!
More than 100 cities have banned gas leaf blowers. Will Portland be next? (The Oregonian)
Portland ranks fifth best big city for cycling in America (Bike Portland)
Portland’s first responders will give immediate opiate treatment after overdoses (OPB)
Revisioning the Future of Portland’s Monuments (Lewis & Clark College)
The fate of Portland’s toppled monuments hits a snag (OPB)
Multnomah County Commissioners Fail to Approve Statement on Israel Attack After Tense, Tearful Debate (Willamette Week)
US city councils increasingly call for Israel-Gaza ceasefire, analysis shows (Reuters)
Multnomah County Commissioners Poised to Vote on Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution (Portland Mercury)
Speaking Out Against Bigoted, Dehumanizing Rhetoric: What We Can Do (Western States Center and Bridging Divides Initiative) Opposing antisemitism and Islamophobia are not mutually exclusive.
Why journalists are speaking out against Western media bias in reporting on Israel-Palestine (Unbias the News)
We’re organizing for the long haul to end U.S. complicity (Jewish Voices for Peace)