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StowellStowe farewell YOUR ONLINE LOCAL GM’s plan OBT artisticartist director goes DAILY NEWS Neil Olshey analyzes out with “The“ Nutcracker” www.portlandtribune.com Trail Blazers’ start Portland— See LIFE, B1 Tribune— See SPORTS, B8 THURSDAY,THUR DECEMBER 6, 2012 • TWICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPER • WWW.PORTLANDTRIBUNE.COM • PUBLISHED THURSDAY City may toss sick pay issue to state Council support slips as fi rms try to avoid patchwork of rules By STEVE LAW The Tribune Starting in January, the wait staff and kitchen work- ers at Northeast Portland’s Grain & Gristle restaurant will get paid when they’re too sick to work. Since Portland But other Portlanders who Streetcar Offi cer Ticole lack paid sick leave — about 40 Waller began checking percent of the private sector for fares in September, workforce — will have to wait. streetcar riders have A coalition pushing a city been changing their ordinance requiring paid sick habits and paying up. leave by all Portland employ- ers hoped to get it passed before a new City Council takes offi ce in never used to pay before they got those paid a dollar for his short streetcar trip across January. But “ guys.” the Broadway Bridge. He doesn’t always. And, he that appears William Barnes, well-dressed in tie and admits, he never used to. unlikely, and STREETCAR I sport jacket this Thursday afternoon, is Barnes says he paid today because he’s in a there’s some pointing down the streetcar rush. Normally, he looks for who want to aisle toward Ticole Waller. Waller or another inspector SALTZMAN take the idea Waller is Portland’s first Story by Petetr Korn and if he sees one on board, to the Oregon streetcar offi cer. He’s check- Photos by Christopher Onstott he waits for the next street- Legislature fi rst, after voters FARE CHEATS ing fares. car. granted Democrats majorities Barnes says he’s down to “A dollar is still a dollar,” in both chambers. his last dollar; he’s spiffed up because of an im- says Barnes, noting that he sees a streetcar offi - City Commissioner Amanda portant meeting he has to attend. And yet Barnes cer about every third streetcar trip he takes. Fritz, who is leading the TAKE A HIKE Originally, the Portland Streetcar was intend- charge at City Hall for paid ed to be free all around its downtown, Pearl Dis- sick leave, says she hopes to trict, Portland State University loop. The North- have a proposed draft ready west Portland neighborhood association object- for public review early next ■ ed to the free rides through its section, so for 11 month and have a City Council Has ‘Portland nice’ years the streetcar was free except for North- vote by late January. west. And the city never hired fare inspectors But there still are two ways fi nally prevailed? Fare with the authority to fi ne or kick off those who to go, Fritz says. One is to rode without paying fares — about one in four pass a city or- riders. dinance, as inspectors say (almost) Portland’s streetcar system is owned by the “I’m willing done in San city and operated by Portland Streetcar Inc. It is to look at Francisco and separate from TriMet’s light-rail system. Seattle, two of everybody’s paying for This fall, TriMet agreed to drop its decades-old a citywide the cities lead- Fareless Square, requiring fares for all rides on solution ing the way some sections of MAX downtown. In September, nationally on their ride the streetcar expanded to the east side of the only (if) the the issue. The Willamette River. The expansion cost money, so statewide $1 streetcar fares and easier-to-use pay other option is stations have encouraged more payments, to pass a reso- approach streetcar offi cials say. See STREETCAR / Page 2 lution saying fails.” the city will — Dan Saltzman, act if the Leg- city commissioner islature doesn’t pass a statewide law in the 2013 session. A similar strategy was used when the city fi rst took up ban- PPS balancing act confuses parents ning large single-use plastic bags in grocery stores. Beach K-8, undergo the same PPS’ enrollment balancing Supporters of a paid sick Parents and District’s complicated dizzying process. process for nine Jefferson clus- leave mandate all agree there community options stir public He’d just as soon Portland ter schools, now under way, is should be a statewide law members packed Public Schools leave them alone. set to wrap up by January or eventually. “The question is themselves into the anger, resentment “We feel fi ne as we are,” says February and be implemented how we get there,” Fritz says. Beach K-8 School Dearborn, who has a fourth next fall. “That decision has not been gymnasium to look By JENNIFER ANDERSON grader and kindergartener at Last week, PPS put six op- made.” over and comment The Tribune Beach, as well as a 2-year-old at tions on the table, all as compli- City Commissioner Dan on the different home. “Our middle school has cated as a game of chess. Saltzman, who had worked strategies for North Portland parent been getting stronger every Dearborn and about 200 other with Fritz on a potential city reorganizing the Bryn Dearborn has witnessed year. We’re getting crowded; parents who attended the Nov. ordinance, says he’s changed Jefferson cluster the changes to Jefferson High people have been busting their 13 “Jefferson PK-8 Enrollment his mind on the best way to ac- schools. School during the past de- asses to build a good middle Balancing Cross-Cluster Fo- complish the goal. TRIBUNE PHOTO: cade and is now seeing his school, but now they’re saying “My position at this point is CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT own neighborhood school, that’s just going to all go away.” See SCHOOLS / Page 7 that with a newly Democratic House in Salem and a Demo- cratic Senate and Democratic governor, we ought to take a shot at having all 40 percent of workers who don’t have sick leave have a shot at it,” Homebuilding crawls out of doldrums Saltzman says. “I’m willing to look at a citywide solution only homebuilders heard more good we’re trying to crawl our way (if) the statewide approach Annual forecast sees news that things are defi nitely out of it. We’re doing it, but it’s fails.” slow but sure growth looking up for the local housing a slow pace going.” Saltzman also fears a city market, according to speakers Potiowsky was joined by Rob- measure might pose a disin- ahead for housing at the annual Home Builders of ert Denk, assistant vice presi- centive for a business to locate Metropolitan Portland Housing dent for forecasting and analy- in Portland, among other con- By JON BELL Forecast Breakfast. sis for the National Association cerns. for The Tribune “To climb steep hills requires of Home Builders; Ken Perry, One key player, Joe Gilliam, slow pace at fi rst,” said Tom Po- president and chief executive president of the Northwest In the tough past few tiowsky, director of the North- officer of Broker Knowledge Grocery Association, says his years, Portland-area home- west Economic Research Cen- Group, a mortgage consultancy organization expects a sick builders have gone from a ter at Portland State University, and training provider; and hun- pay rule to be approved, but it pessimistic could-be-worse quoting Shakespeare during dreds of building and housing would like a statewide ap- attitude to one laced with his presentation at the Oregon industry professionals. proach, not a patchwork of lo- more optimism as the re- Convention Center. “That’s a Denk brought with him the cal ordinances. gion’s housing market slowly nice way of taking a look at it, bigger national housing pic- TRIBUNE PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT “I think it’s coming in some climbed out of the Great Re- because what we’re really do- ture, with a graph showing the A new single-family home is under construction on a divided lot in cession. ing is we’re in a very dark, Northeast Portland’s Alberta neighborhood. With a restricted urban See SICK PAY / Page 7 On Wednesday morning, deep, dank, horrible hole and See HOUSING / Page 6 growth boundary, urban density is becoming more important. “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune City trash ■ Changes to Portland’s trash and recycling pickups led to a 38 percent drop in garbage deliver balanced news that refl ects the pickup falls with collected during the past year, according to a new city report. Search: Trash. stories of our communities. Thank you Online for reading our newspapers.” new rules Read it fi rst at portlandtribune.com — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Thursday, December 6, 2012 Streetcar: Inspections keep riders on their toes him or her. The city could spend ■ From page 1 minimal resources on enforce- ment but nobody would take the early on it was decided that the chance. eastside line would have to be a That can’t be done, of course. pay zone. And because it didn’t Fairness has to enter the equa- seem fair that eastsiders would tion, which means less severe have to pay but westsiders penalties which can only be bal- wouldn’t, the city bid farewell to anced by more frequent inspec- free streetcar rides. tions. Now, everybody is supposed to Personally, Harbaugh favors a pay, and Waller’s primary job is fine of about $50.