Blair Stenvick Four months after its celebratory kick-off, the campaign to recall Mayor Ted Wheeler has come to an unceremonious end. On November 3, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by the recall campaign (cleverly dubbed Total Recall), as requested by the campaign’s legal team. The lawsuit was the final attempt made by Total […]
City Hall
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Body Cams, Hiring Bonuses for Cops, and Other Police Programs Mayor Wheeler Wants in Fall Budget Package
MATHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND Body cams for cops. Hefty bonuses for new hires in the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). A new police training academy in Portland. These are just a few of the proposals Mayor Ted Wheeler will suggest City Council fund in the city’s upcoming budget adjustment talks. Wheeler highlighted these priorities in a Wednesday press […]
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Portland and Multnomah County Pledge Nearly $40 Million in Surplus Budget Dollars Toward Homeless Services
A homeless encampment alongside Portland’s Laurelhurst Park Alex Zielinski The city of Portland and Multnomah County are pooling their excess budget dollars to address the region’s homelessness crisis. On Monday, the jurisdictions unveiled a $38 million funding package to create more shelter beds, fund homeless outreach workers, and increase behavioral health services for people living […]
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City Attorneys Challenge Legal Request to Extend Wheeler Recall Campaign
Total Recall campaign The city of Portland doesn’t believe the campaign to recall Mayor Ted Wheeler deserves more time to gather signatures to prompt a recall election. In a Friday legal filing, the city essentially characterized the recall campaign team as sore losers for blaming the city’s election system for their inability to collect the […]
Posted inHousing
Funds From Metro’s New Supportive Housing Service Tax Reach Portland’s Homeless
JONATHAN FERREY / GETTY IMAGES After seven years living on Portland sidewalks, Anthony Hurt was ready for a change. It was 2019—nine years after his 2-year-old daughter’s death sent his life spiraling into a fog of depression, addiction, and homelessness—and the 36-year-old had reached a breaking point. “I was tired of waking up cold and […]
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Q & A with Jamila Dozier, the Portland Housing Advocate Running Against Dan Ryan
Jamila Dozier, outside of Portland City Hall Jamila Dozier Update, 12/30/21: According to the city’s elections division, Jamila Dozier has withdrawn from the City Council election. She explained her decision in a statement to the Mercury: “Portland has turned its back on the unhoused, people in need of mental wellness support, and communities of color—especially […]
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Recall Wheeler Campaign Makes Last-Ditch Legal Effort to Stay Afloat
Total Recall campaign The campaign to recall Mayor Ted Wheeler is making a last-ditch legal effort to qualify for a citywide recall election. With only 20,000 signatures amassed since the campaign’s July start, it’s clear that the Total Recall PAC will not collect the 47,788 signatures needed to qualify for a citywide election by its […]
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Study: Portland Street Response Effective at Resolving Non-Violent 911 Calls
Portland Street Response staff distributing water to unhoused Portlanders during a heat wave Portland State University The first six months of the Portland Street Response pilot project is meeting its lofty expectations, according to a Portland State University (PSU) study released Tuesday. “Based on the findings… we feel very optimistic about the future of Portland […]
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City Council Approves New Contract with Clean & Safe, Despite Public Opposition
Downtown Portland halbergman / Getty Images Portland City Council voted 4-1 to renew the city’s contract with Downtown Clean & Safe Wednesday, an organization that charges property owners located within its 213-block downtown boundary to fund additional, or “enhanced,” services not already provided by the city—like graffiti removal, expanded trash pick-up, and augmented police and […]
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City Funding for Community-Led Gun Violence Programs Off to a Slow Start
Gun casings scattered on the street at a crime scene. D-Keine / Getty Images As gun deaths surged this spring, Portland City Council moved quickly to make a significant investment in gun violence prevention programs. The emergency budget package of $6 million did something that past city measures to deter gun violence have not: It […]
Posted inCops
Hall Monitor: Risk-Averse
Portland Police—and Politicians—Have Given Protesters Little Reason to Feel Safe
Michelle Fawcett in 2019 Doug Brown Hall Monitor is a regular column on issues related to Portland City Hall and its influence on the community it serves.— It’s been three years since a Portland cop shot a munition into a crowd of people protesting a right-wing rally and struck Michelle Fawcett, leaving her with searing […]
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Portland Police Exempt from City’s Vaccination Order
STEVE DYKES/GETTY IMAGES Portland’s new policy requiring all city staff be vaccinated against COVID-19 doesn’t apply to the city’s police force, according to city attorneys. That’s because Oregon law prohibits city administrators from requiring vaccinations for police officers unless there’s a federal or state rule mandating vaccines already in place. In a statement shared with […]