David Papazian / Getty Images Portland is one big step closer to voting on sweeping changes to the city’s form of government and elections. The Portland Charter Commission unanimously approved a major package of reforms to the city’s charter on Thursday night, in a preliminary vote that triggers the city attorney’s office to begin drafting […]
City Hall
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Portlanders Overwhelmingly Desire New Form of Government, Poll Finds
Portland City Hall COSMONAUT / GETTY IMAGES A new poll suggests that an overwhelming number of Portland voters support sweeping changes to the city’s form of government and elections systems. The poll, commissioned by the racial justice nonprofit Building Power for Communities of Color and conducted by the Oakland-based firm FM3 Research, surveyed nearly 622 […]
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Civil Rights Groups Call For Investigation Into Police Misinformation Following Mass Shooting
A memorial for June Knightly, the woman killed by a mass shooter on February 19, in Normandale Park. Isabella Garcia Local civil rights organizations met Friday morning to decry city leadership’s response to the mass shooting on February 19, which targeted Black Lives Matter and anti-fascist activists. “We are urging law enforcement to call out […]
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“It’s Not Perfect”: City Council Approves Police Union Contract
MATHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND Portland City Council voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to ratify a new contract with the Portland Police Association (PPA), the union representing rank-and-file officers. All commissioners appeared relieved to move past the years-long negotiations, yet acknowledged that the end result didn’t accomplish everything they had hoped. “Yes, it’s not perfect,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler […]
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Hall Monitor: Why Homelessness Experts Have Rejected Mayor’s Shelter Plan
Shelter beds at Portland’s Wy’East Shelter. Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County Portland’s homeless shelter providers will be the first to tell you that building more shelters is not the solution to ending the city’s homelessness crisis. “It doesn’t end homelessness. It relocates it,” says Andy Miller, director of nonprofit shelter provider Human Solutions. “We always […]
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Portland’s Proposed $56 Million Police Union Contract Funds a 37% Increase in Officers
Officers standing outside Portland City Hall on October 12, 2016. Doug Brown On Thursday afternoon, Portland City Council will hear testimony on a proposed labor contract between the city and the Portland Police Association (PPA), the union representing rank-and-file Portland officers. The draft contract itself contains several victories for the city, including a clear discipline […]
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How Could A Proposed Change in City Government Change the Composition of Portland City Council?
Mercury Staff You may have heard that Portland has an outdated style of city government. You might not know just how outdated it is. Of the 30 largest American cities, Portland is the only one that still uses a commission form of government in which a small group of city commissioners are responsible for both […]
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Portland City Workers Agree to New Labor Contract, Averting a Major Strike
Portland Water Bureau is one of the many city bureaus staffed by members of DCTU. Portland Water Bureau A union representing more than one thousand city of Portland workers reached a contract agreement with the city Wednesday, narrowly avoiding a strike that was set to begin Thursday morning. The union approved a contract that they […]
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City Reaches Tentative Contract Agreement With Portland Police Union
A scene from within City Hall the last time PPA and the city agreed on a contract. Dirk Vanderhart Two years after first meeting at the bargaining table to hash out a new labor contract, the city of Portland and Portland Police Association (PPA)—the union representing rank-and-file members of the Portland Police Bureau—have reached a […]
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Resentment, Unaddressed Bias, and Leadership Failures: Report Unpacks Flaws Within PPB Culture
Mathieu Lewis-Rolland A long-awaited analysis of the internal dynamics of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has revealed a culture hampered by distrust, accountability issues, and poor leadership. The 80-page report, which the city will share with the public Monday, was authored by an independent law enforcement investigatory agency called the OIR Group, which the city […]
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A Short History of Portland’s Long Road to Police Body Cameras
A body camera on a police officer’s uniform. artas / Getty Images This week, Portland City Council will discuss the selection process for a vendor to operate the city’s first police body camera pilot program. The council decision is only the latest step in a years-long debate over the program’s future. Unlike in the past, […]
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City Workers Authorize Strike Over Contract Impasse
Portland Water Bureau is one of the many city bureaus staffed by members of DCTU. City of Portland The majority of city employees represented by the District Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) have voted to authorize a strike amid a standstill over contract negotiations with the city. “After nearly two years working through a global […]