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“Not a Rubber Stamp”: Portland City Council Questions Settlement in Bike Bill Lawsuit

The plaintiffs and city attorney expected quick agreement over a $6 million settlement. It appears City Council had other ideas.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

In a move lawyers called “highly unusual,” Portland City Council declined to accept the terms of a legal settlement over the city’s adherence to the Oregon Bike Bill, which had been negotiated by the city attorney. Now, the $6 million settlement—which would be used for bike infrastructure projects around the city—is in jeopardy.  News of […]

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Councilor Dan Ryan Breaks From Colleagues, Says “No” to Parks Levy

Ryan, who previously served as the commissioner in charge of Portland’s parks bureau, voted in July to refer the parks levy measure to voters. He now says he can’t support it. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

In an email newsletter last week, Portland City Councilor Dan Ryan came out against the ballot measure that would create a new, increased levy to help fund the city’s parks system. In the newsletter, Ryan—who oversaw Portland’s parks bureau for a period of time prior to the city’s government transition—said he supports the city’s parks. […]

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November’s Special Election Will Determine the Future of Portland Parks

Portlanders are being asked to approve a new, increased parks levy to fund the city’s parks system. If the measure doesn’t pass, the city will be forced to make major cuts.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Portland’s parks and natural areas are integral to the city’s identity, but the city’s parks system faces major financial challenges, including a massive maintenance backlog and generally unsustainable funding mechanisms.   In a special election this fall, voters will be asked to approve a new, five-year levy to stop the bleeding at Portland Parks & Recreation […]

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Portland City Council is Using City Codes to Fight Back Against Trump

A new ordinance will bolster local sanctuary law while a resolution aims to strengthen protections for immigrants and protesters.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

An ordinance and a resolution approved by Portland City Council on Wednesday aim to strengthen the city’s sanctuary status and use all available legal resources to resist deployment of any federal military presence. What was approved Councilors unanimously approved a Protect Portland Initiative, which prevents local police from being federalized, and creates a framework to […]

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Portland’s Most Effective Channel For Addressing Community Concerns is a Back Door

The city’s Public Environment Management Office runs frequent community meetings and gets quick results. You just might not know about it. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Portland’s new form of government, which went into effect this year, was designed to make it more accessible for all residents to participate in city policy discussions. Still, most Portlanders struggle to figure out how to cut through layers of local bureaucracy to make their voices heard, with limited time and opportunities available to speak […]

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Amended Budget Approval Underscores Rifts Among Portland City Councilors

Councilor Steve Novick says community centers are off the chopping block after Council agreed to divert $2M from police to parks. 
Avatar photoAvatar photo Courtney Vaughn and Taylor Griggs

With more than 120 proposed budget amendments and nearly 12 hours of deliberations, Portland City Council worked until midnight Wednesday to pass an $8.5 billion 2025-26 budget.  The budget, which is scheduled for final adoption on June 18, includes additional funding for homeless shelter beds and public safety, but it also relies on deep cuts […]

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With Vision Zero Resolution, City Councilor Wants Portland to Renew Traffic Safety Vows

Since Portland pledged to eliminate traffic fatalities in 2015, deadly crashes have hit 30-year highs. Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane wants the city to reaffirm its commitment to addressing the crisis. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Just about 10 years have passed since Portland City Council first adopted a Vision Zero resolution in June 2015, setting the goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on the city’s streets. At the time, city leaders said that even though it didn’t set target dates to accomplish its goals or dedicate funding to […]

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Councilor Mitch Green Suggests Borrowing Money from PCEF to Fund Parks

Green’s proposal comes as Mayor Keith Wilson floats deep cuts to Portland Parks & Recreation to fill a budget shortfall. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

As Portland leaders grapple with a major citywide budget shortfall, some have sought potential relief from one of the city’s most prosperous initiatives—the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF). The fund, which collects a 1 percent tax on local sales at large retailers to pay for carbon reduction projects, has found major financial success […]

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City Council to Overturn Hearings Officer’s Approval of PGE Forest Park Plan

All 12 members of the council indicated they would reject the plan at an appellate hearing last week. Their decision underscores the broader implications of the utility project to people on both sides of the issue. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Portland General Electric’s proposed utility project in Forest Park, which would require removing nearly 400 trees in order to make way for transmission upgrades, has been a source of controversy in the city since it was announced last year. A recent City Council move to reject the plan marks the latest snag for PGE’s project—and […]

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City Council Halts Vote on AI Rental Pricing Software Ban

Portland City Councilor Angelita Morillo says city attorneys are monitoring a lawsuit in California related to the algorithm-driven software 
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

An ordinance that would prohibit AI-driven rental pricing software in Portland was referred back to the Housing and Homelessness Committee as the city waits to see how a lawsuit over a similar ordinance in California plays out.

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Will Portland Police Cooperate with Trump’s FBI?

The Police Bureau’s relationship with a federal anti-terrorism task force triggered a broader conversation about illegal surveillance, racial profiling, and Islamophobia.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

For years Portland Police Bureau has cooperated with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), but with a new federal administration intent on broadening the JTTF’s scope and power, city leaders are uneasy about PPB’s arrangement. What seemed like a routine annual report to City Council sparked a broad discussion Wednesday about racism, immigration, surveillance, […]

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New Housing Committee Takes on Portland’s Affordability Crisis

City Councilor Angelita Morillo says she’ll introduce a policy to ban anti-competitive rental price-fixing software.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

Portland city councilors provided inklings of their first legislative work this week, signaling their intent to address construction permitting, rental pricing, and residential vacancy rates as key tools to address the city’s housing affordability crisis. The first round of Portland City Council policy committee meetings kicked off Monday, laying the groundwork for how the city’s […]

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