If you appreciate the Mercury’s interesting and useful news & culture reporting, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. Your donation is tax-deductible. You can also subscribe and have our papers delivered! Good Morning, Portland: 🎶 “I can’t think what’s making this feeling be / Showing the tea that’s inside of me / […]
Jeremiah Hayden
Jeremiah Hayden reports on housing, homelessness, and other issues affecting Portlanders. He's lived in Oregon nearly all his life, and in Portland since 2001. jhayden@portlandmercury.com
Posted inNews
Proposed Detention Center Fee Yields Hostile City Council Meeting
Anti-ICE activists say the proposed code change falls short. Supporters say it could help prevent new ICE facilities and recoup ongoing costs.
Portland City Hall faced three competing demonstrations on Wednesday as the City Council considered a rental pricing ordinance and a change to city code that could slow the Trump administration’s local anti-immigration machine. The November 20 Council meeting was disrupted on several occasions and included multiple expulsions. On the agenda was the ordinance barring algorithmic […]
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City Narrows Search For Portland’s Next Top Bureaucrat
The city announced three finalists to serve as its next city administrator. Michael Jordan will retire at the end of the year.
Updated at 6:08 pm to include current and advertised salaries. Mayor Keith Wilson announced Monday that the city’s search for its first long term city administrator is down to three finalists, after sifting through nearly 100 applicants. “Portland’s new city administrator will lead on process improvements, helping our organization run better, faster, and leaner,” Wilson […]
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Good Morning, News: State Transpo Referendum, PSU Union Busting, Epstein Associate’s Prison Toilet Paper
If you appreciate the Mercury’s interesting and useful news & culture reporting, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. Your donation is tax-deductible. You can also subscribe and have our papers delivered! Good Morning, Portland: Ok, rain dogs. “Oh, how we danced away all of the lights. We’ve always been out […]
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Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Environmental Advocates in Zenith Energy Lawsuit
Environmental advocates celebrated the procedural win, saying the Land Use Board of Appeals has a better grasp on complicated land use policy
Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Environmental Advocates in Zenith Energy Lawsuit. Environmental advocates celebrated the procedural win, saying the Land Use Board of Appeals has a better grasp on complicated land use policy.
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Portland Budget Tweak Causes Heated Discussion on Homelessness
A failed amendment to put homeless sweeps funding toward rent aid brought fiery testimony from Portlanders. Mayor Wilson’s office lit the match.
Updated November 13 at 12:52 pm City Council found themselves in a tense standoff with Mayor Keith Wilson and angry Portland residents over a councilor’s failed plan to reallocate a portion of city dollars that have been used to sweep homeless encampments. At times, those defending Wilson’s plan sat side-by-side with community members who countered […]
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City Council Mulling $4.3 Million Cut From Homeless Sweeps Budget
Angelita Morillo proposed an amendment reallocating money from a city sweeps program, instead funding housing and food assistance, support for immigrants
“We’re in a position right now, where people are going to end up being unhoused for the long-term, and we have to take action,” City Councilor Angelita Morillo said, explaining a proposal to divert funds from homeless encampment removal to bolster housing and food assistance. If passed, a new budget amendment Morillo proposed November 7 […]
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City Council Caught in the Middle of Police Oversight Labor Strike
Councilors are avoiding City Hall while Portland’s Independent Police Review staff are on strike, bringing some Council operations to a halt.
Staff at Portland’s Independent Police Review (IPR) typically work out of a ground-level office at City Hall, but on Wednesday afternoon, they were setting up tents just feet from where they normally report to work. Wednesday marked the start of a three-day strike by IPR’s 11 union-represented employees. Despite wind and periodic bursts of heavy […]
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Multnomah County Pauses New Housing Vouchers After Losing State Funding
As Mayor Wilson pushes for more shelter beds, county resources for moving people to permanent housing are dwindling
Multnomah County is pausing new housing placements for hundreds of homeless residents after adjusting its budget to address the loss of state funding it had expected to receive. The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 October 30 to approve funding for 1,051 people to continue their housing process through rental voucher programs. But it […]
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Mayor Wilson Puts Portland Housing Bureau Director On Leave
Social housing expert Helmi Hisserich has been the Bureau’s director since 2024, but Wilson remains ‘laser focused’ on temporary overnight shelters
Mayor Keith Wilson has put Portland Housing Bureau Director Helmi Hisserich on leave, effective immediately. City Administrator Michael Jordan sent an email to city councilors and city leadership on October 30 announcing Hisserich’s leave, according to public records obtained by the Mercury. The letter names Michael Buonocore as the interim director while Hisserich is on […]
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City of Portland Begins Enforcement of ‘Public Camping’ Rules This Weekend
The same day federal SNAP benefits expire for over 15,000 homeless Multnomah County residents, Mayor Wilson piles on penalties for being homeless in Portland.
Note: This story has been updated to include comments from Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vazquez. This weekend, the city of Portland is resuming enforcement of its local laws governing when, where, and how homeless Portlanders can live in public spaces. Mayor Keith Wilson announced that enforcement would begin November 1, saying he wants people […]
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Introducing the Portland Mercury’s Newest Reporter, Jeremiah Hayden!
Hello, fans and haters of the Portland Mercury. My name is Jeremiah Hayden. If all goes well, this will be the last time I am the news and you can instead count on me to bring you some uncompromising journalism as the latest addition to the Mercury’s news team. You may be familiar with my […]