DOCSLIB.ORG

Women, People of Color Surface As Top Candidates

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Women, People of Color Surface As Top Candidates Portland Weekend Fun Observer Cinco de Mayo Election to fill downtown Endorsements waterfront See story, page 8 See Opinion, page 11 ‘City of Roses’ www.portlandobserver.com Established in 1970 Volume XLVII • Number 18 Wednesday • May 2, 2018 Committed to Cultural Diversity Loretta Smith vows to make progress for underrepresented groups in her campaign Jo Ann Hardesty, a longtime activist and former State Representative is running for Portland City Council, wanting to direct more resources to aid homelessness for the Portland City Council on four issues: Increasing citizens’ access to local and housing, and calling for the city to do a better job of increasing economic government proceedings, housing and homelessness, green jobs, and police opportunities for people of color. accountability. Women,Historic people of color Midtermsurface as top candidates BY DANNY PETERSON reform, systemic inequity against people of ning for a sixth term soon after and will housing, and calls for the city to do a better THE PORTLAND OBSERVER color, a desire for improved mental health step down when his term ends in January. job of increasing economic opportunities As citizens cast their votes in the next services, affordable housing, and humane Hardesty, the former President of for people of color. two weeks on official ballots that have al- approaches to homelessness appear as the NAACP Portland chapter has been a long- “I’ve spent a lot of time protecting our ready hit mailboxes for the May 15 Prima- main drivers of interest for those seeking time local activist and former member of seniors and supporting our youth. And ry election, they will consider a diversity office this year. the Oregon House of Representatives. She also making sure that we direct funding to of candidates for what is shaping up to be Jo Ann Hardesty, who is running for Dan said she’s running for City Council on four homelessness and housing,” Smith told the a historic contest of city and county posi- Saltzman’s seat on Portland City Council, issues: Increasing citizens’ access to lo- Portland Observer. tions, particularly for women and people of said she became resolved to run when she cal government proceedings, housing and Although Smith’s campaign was fined color. attempted to testify on a police union con- homelessness, green jobs, and police ac- twice by the Oregon’s Secretary of State’s Following a trend nationwide, more tract negotiation in October 2016. Under countability. office for violating election laws, once for females and other politically underrepre- then Mayor Charlie Hales, she could not Another top candidate for that same seat asking county staff to work at a political sented groups are running for prominent enter City Hall due to it being barricaded is Multnomah County Commissioner Lo- event and another time for not updating fi- political seats in local, state, and national by riot police. Hardesty’s lawyer told her retta Smith, who boasts eight years of ex- nancial records, she and others have ques- elections this year. the barricades could have been dissolved if perience as the county’s second ever Afri- tioned whether the scrutiny was a distrac- All of the candidates in the Multnomah somebody on city council opposed it. can American commissioner. She also has tion from more important issues. County Commission, District Two race are “That was the day I knew we had the over 20 years of experience as an assistant A mayoral candidate from two years people of color and some of the top can- wrong people on Portland City Council,” under U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. ago, for example, Jules Bailey, a white didates that are running for Portland City Hardesty told the Portland Observer. Smith vows to continue priorities man, announced his candidacy while still Council are women of color, a position of Last year, Hardesty had a meeting with to make progress for underrepresented serving as a county commissioner, just as power not ever held by that demographic Saltzman, and let him know she would be groups in Portland, the motivation she said Smith had, but received little scrutiny at in the city’s 167 year history. starting a campaign for his seat. The in- inspired her campaign. She wants to direct CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Hot topic issues like police and justice cumbent announced he would not be run- more resources to aid homelessness and Page 2 May 2, 2018 VOTE > D. BORA HARRIS Cosby’s Spectacular Downfall MAY 15, 2018 MULTNOMAH COUNTY CHAIR Actor could face final years in prison (AP) — Bill Cosby was convicted Walk With Me; Thursday of drugging and molesting a woman, a spectacular late-life downfall Hold Hands With of a comedian who broke racial barriers in Hollywood on his way to TV superstardom Me in FAITH- HOPE as America’s Dad. Cosby, 80, could end up spending his fi- - COURAGE for nal years in prison after the jury in Norris- town, Pa. concluded he sexually violated SOLUTIONS Temple University employee Andrea Con- Bill Cosby arrives at the courthouse stand at his suburban Philadelphia home in prior to being found guilty of sexual 2004. He claimed the encounter was con- assault. (AP photo) sensual. jailed because he might flee. The judge de- Cosby listened to the verdict stoically, cided Cosby can remain free on bail while but moments later lashed out loudly at Dis- he awaits sentencing. uilding ublic rust trict Attorney Kevin Steele after the pros- B P T CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 ecutor asked that Cosby be immediately • OUR ELDERLY -- Renewed quality of life • OUR CHILDREN -- Protect their Environment, Education, Dreams • OUR HOMELESS -- “Livable” places to call home State University was approved by the col- • AFFORDABLE HOUSING -- In places where neighbors know your name The lege’s board of trustees last week. A larger Week increase of five percent had been scheduled Follow me on Facebook and Twitter! 503-936-8020 for a vote by the board on April 12, but was [email protected] – or- [email protected] in postponed after students threatened to strike. Review Korean Leaders Meet for Peace District Settles Harassment Suit North and South The Portland School Board voted last week Korean leaders to settle a racial harassment case leveled by met Friday to two black maintenance workers for $1.4 pursue negoti- million after attempts to overturn the award ations with the failed. The employees, Charles Morgan United States to and Jason Williams, will each get $400,000 officially end the as payment for an incident in which other Korean War and remove all nuclear weap- workers called them the n-word and a hung ons from the Korean Peninsula. The histor- a noose in their workplace. ic summit marked the first time a leader of North Korea entered the South and is the first Police Cars Doused with Paint step in a peace treaty the two leaders vow to Early Tuesday morning, 22 Portland Police negotiate to replace a 60-year-old truce. cars had paint dumped on them in a park- ing lot at the North Precinct on Northeast Shot Investigating Break In Emerson Street. Authorities hope soap and A man confronting someone trying to break water will clean the cars, the majority of into a shed early Monday morning behind which were assigned to youth services di- the El Burrio Loco restaurant on Northeast vision and not significantly damaged. 82nd Avenue was shot by the suspect who then fled, according to police. The victim Guilty of Child Pornography was taken to a Portland hospital in serious A former city employee who police say en- condition. ticed girls who were underage to send him nude pictures pleaded guilty last week to Sentenced for Killing Bicyclist child pornography charges. Thomas Zachary A 76-year-old man from Gresham who Rouse, 44, the former tennis program director police said challenged other motorists to a for Portland Parks and Recreation, is expected race and then drove his speeding vehicle to be sentenced to four years in prison. into a 21-year-old bicyclist, killing Robert Esparza, 21, was handed a two year prison PSU Tuition Increase term Monday. The driver, Alex Jacoby was A tuition spike of nearly 4 percent for full- travelling at 80 miles per hour just prior to time residential undergraduates of Portland the fatal crash, police said. Established 1970 ---------------------- USPS 959 680 ------------------ 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 PUBLISHER: Mark Washington, Sr. The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the news- EDITOR: Michael Leighton paper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Rakeem Washington the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, RE- PRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer--Oregon’s ADVERTISING MANAGER: Leonard Latin Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a member of the National Newspaper Association--Founded in 1885, and The National Office Manager/Classifieds:Lucinda Baldwin Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Paul Neufeldt CALL 503-288-0033 FAX 503-288-0015 REPORTER/WEB EDITOR: Danny Peterson [email protected] • [email protected] PUBLIC RELATIONS: Mark Washington Jr. [email protected] Postmaster: Send address changes to Portland Observer , OFFICE ASSISTANT/SALES: Shawntell Washington PO QR code PO Box 3137 , Portland, OR 97208 May 2, 2018 Page 3 This page INSIDE Sponsored by: The in Week Review page 2 Support for Housing, Police Mayor sets priorities with new budget Mayor Ted Wheeler announced his proposed general fund budget of $553 million Monday, which included increased monies for homeless services, affordable housing, police officers, and new small business support.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 3:20-Cv-1464-YY FABIYM ACUAY (A.K.A
    Case 3:20-cv-01464-YY Document 18 Filed 01/08/21 Page 1 of 84 Per A. Ramfjord, OSB No. 934024 [email protected] Jeremy D. Sacks, OSB No. 994262 [email protected] Crystal S. Chase, OSB No. 093104 [email protected] STOEL RIVES LLP 760 SW Ninth Ave, Suite 3000 Portland, OR 97205 Telephone: (503) 224-3380 Kelly K. Simon, OSB No. 154213 [email protected] ACLU FOUNDATION OF OREGON 506 SW 6th Ave, Suite 700 Portland, OR 97204 Telephone: (503) 227-3986 Attorneys for Plaintiffs Mark Pettibone, Fabiym Acuay (a.k.a. Mac Smiff), Andre Miller, Nichol Denison, Maureen Healy, Christopher David, Duston Obermeyer, James McNulty, Black Millennial Movement, and Rose City Justice, Inc. [Additional counsel for Plaintiffs listed on signature page] UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF OREGON PORTLAND DIVISION MARK PETTIBONE, an individual; Case No.: 3:20-cv-1464-YY FABIYM ACUAY (a.k.a. MAC SMIFF), an individual; AMENDED COMPLAINT ANDRE MILLER, an individual; NICHOL DENISON, an individual; (28 U.S.C. § 1332) MAUREEN HEALY, an individual; CHRISTOPHER DAVID, an individual; DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL DUSTON OBERMEYER, an individual; JAMES MCNULTY, an individual; BLACK MILLENNIAL MOVEMENT, an organization; and ROSE CITY JUSTICE, INC., an Oregon nonprofit corporation, Plaintiffs, Page 1 - AMENDED COMPLAINT 109205877.2 0099880- 01343 Case 3:20-cv-01464-YY Document 18 Filed 01/08/21 Page 2 of 84 v. DONALD J. TRUMP, in his official capacity; CHAD F. WOLF, in his individual and official capacity; GABRIEL RUSSELL, in his individual and official capacity; JOHN DOES 1-200, in their individual capacities; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; and UNITED STATES MARSHALS SERVICE, Defendants.
    [Show full text]
  • Ppr 78N-Final?
    issue #78 september www. PPB accuses anti- portlandcopwatch. 2019 fascists of throwing org tainted milkshakes- p. 4 TENTH DEADLY FORCE INCIDENT IN HISTORIC HEARING, IN TEN MONTHS COUNCIL VOTES TO Portland Police Level of Violence HOLD OFFICER Unheard of Since 2001 ACCOUNTABLE FOR ince our last newsletter, in which we noted Portland Police MISCONDUCT... had shot, shot at or caused the death in custody of seven people ...As the Entire Oversight Body Management Quits, S in 99 days, the PPB was involved in three more incidents. and Review Committee Continues Work All three suspects were shot and killed. On April 29, Sgt. James n May, Portland City Council voted for the first time since Mooney (#50526) and Officer Michael Gonzalez (#57135) killed the current oversight system was created in 2001 to find an Jeb Brock, 42, a suspect in the non-fatal stabbings of several I officer out of policy for his actions. The significance of this family members. On June 9, KPTV, June 11 vote is hard to overstate: our elected officials agreed with the Officers Jackson Oldham (#55188) Citizen Review Committee and Nathan Kirby-Glatkowski (CRC) that the officer (#56629) shot and killed David had retaliated against a Downs, 38, when they say he was community member, despite threatening a woman with a multiple Police Bureau knife in a downtown building’s employees including the stairwell. On July 30, Officer Gary Chief only conceding maybe Doran (#47826) shot and killed the cop was wrong. Mayor Lane Christopher Martin, 31,* Ted Wheeler, on the losing after he was reportedly swinging Oregonlive, June 4 end of the 3-1 vote, declared Appellant Kristin Bowling, a hatchet at people on the street.
    [Show full text]
  • Recipient Declines Award Over Mayor's
    The Oregonian Portland City Council Likely to Restrict Use of Plastic Straws By Gordon Friedman November 10, 2018 The Portland City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on an ordinance that would make plastic straws and utensils available by request only citywide. Officials at Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability came up with the proposal after the City Council directed them to in June, citing environmental damage caused by single-used plastics. To do that the bureau conducted a survey and convened a focus group with restauranteurs, business owners, a medical facility, people with disabilities and environmental advocates. The group recommended against an outright ban to single-use plastics because some people with disabilities rely on them to drink. It settled instead on the by-request policy to be considered Wednesday. If adopted, the new rules would take effect July 1, 2019. Portland has a long history of limiting the use of polluting products. It has restricted use of Styrofoam containers since 1990 and added a plastic bag ban in 2011. The Portland Tribune City Council Considers Plastic Straw Ban on Wednesday November 11, 2018 Portland may need to 'stop sucking' if a proposal to limit use of plastic straws is passed. The worldwide environmental campaign to ban single-use plastic straws arrives at the Portland City Council on Wednesday. City leaders will consider a new ordinance placing restrictions on those straws, as well as condiments packaged in plastic. Portland, city commissioners are slated to vote on a proposal advance by Mayor Ted Wheeler that would make plastic straws available only upon request by customers.
    [Show full text]
  • Nick Fish Wins Re-Election to Portland City Council
    The Oregonian Portland Auditor Wins Uncontested Re-Election Bid By Gordon Friedman May 15, 2018 Mary Hull Caballero, Portland's elected auditor, won re-election in an uncontested race Tuesday. Hull Caballero, 56, said in a statement Tuesday that she aims to use her next four years in office to work toward a "better, more responsive city government for the people who pay for it and are served by it." Hull Caballero said she also looks to "once and for all address the city's budget-setting process," by which the councilors, whose bureaus are subject to Hull Caballero's audits, control the auditor's budget -- a position she called "untenable." "The budget is the last bit of business left undone from my fight for increased independence from the bureaus we audit and investigate," Hull Caballero said. An Albany native and Lewis & Clark College graduate, Hull Caballero worked for more than a decade as a journalist before becoming an auditor for the Oregon Department of Transportation and later the regional government, Metro. She was first elected as Portland auditor in 2014, also in an uncontested race. Nick Fish Wins Re-Election to Portland City Council By Gordon Friedman May 15, 2018 Commissioner Nick Fish won re-election to the Portland City Council on Tuesday, besting three candidates who sought his ouster. Partial ballot returns indicate Fish, an attorney and housing advocate from a family that includes several former members of Congress, easily beat advocacy group organizer Julie DeGraw, Portland Commissioner on Disability Philip Wolfe, who is deaf, and Nicholas Sutton, New Seasons Market clerk.
    [Show full text]
  • Hardesty's Boots-On-The-Ground Campaign
    Aretha Franklin’s Family Powerful Legacy Holds PSU Funeral services Accountable planned for Pushes for undisputed disarming force; ‘City of ‘Queen of Soul” firing officers Roses’ See story, page 2 See Local News, page 3 www.portlandobserver.com Established in 1970 Volume XLVII • Number 33 Wednesday • August 22, 2018 Committed to Cultural Diversity BY DANNY PETERSON/THE PORTLAND OBSERVER Jo Ann Hardesty, the front-runner for a seat on Portland City Council, briefs her campaign staff on Saturday before they head out for door-to-door canvassing from her campaign headquarters at the Filipino American Association at 8917 S.E. Stark St. BY DANNY PETERSON answers my reporter questions while also THE PORTLAND OBSERVER keeping the potential voter in her orbit. There wasn’t a minute to waste as Port- As the decisive May Primary winner for land City Council Candidate Jo Ann Hard- a position currently occupied by retiring esty greeted supporters and reached out to City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, Hard- voters. The frontrunner to become the first esty is running confidently. Her optimism African American female city commis- shows just as it had the night before at a sioner was fully engaged in her signatory Focused Race Talks Forum which also featured boots-on-the-ground activist mode. Hardesty’s opponent, Multnomah County Meeting at the Bipartisan Café, just Commissioner Loretta Smith. down from her campaign headquarters in on Hardesty, 60, a former state representa- southeast Portland, Hardesty had the phone tive from Portland from 1995 to 2000, and to her ear. She thanked a union representa- a longtime grassroots political activist and tive who had just given her their endorse- former president of the Portland NAACP, ment.
    [Show full text]
  • PORTLAND, OREGON Dan Ryan, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, Commissioner Mingus Mapps, Commissioner
    CITY OF Ted Wheeler, Mayor Carmen Rubio, Commissioner PORTLAND, OREGON Dan Ryan, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, Commissioner Mingus Mapps, Commissioner May 4, 2021 Representative Janelle Bynum, Chair House Judiciary Committee 900 Court Street NE, HR F Salem, OR 97301 Dear Chair Bynum and Members of the Committee, The City of Portland strongly supports SB 204-A which narrowly expands the definition of “criminal justice agency” in ORS 181A.010 for the purpose of accessing criminal justice information from Oregon’s Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS). Independent access to LEDS is essential for investigating allegations of officer misconduct and reviewing police policies and practices in a timely manner. Currently, civilian oversight agencies are not included in the list of authorized agencies in statute for the purpose of accessing the LEDS system. SB 204-A will add a specific definition of civilian oversight agencies to the statute for the purpose of investigating allegations of officer misconduct and reviewing police policies and practices. This is a necessary step to improve the timeliness and efficiency of investigations through an independent process that is fair to officers and complainants. The current process of requesting these records through the Portland Police Bureau is inefficient and not a good use of limited resources. Direct, independent access to LEDS for the City of Portland’s Independent Police Review (IPR) and its successor will result in more efficient investigations and improved public confidence in the oversight process. The City of Portland strongly urges your support for SB 204-A. Sincerely, Ted Wheeler Carmen Rubio Dan Ryan Mayor Commissioner Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty Mingus Mapps Commissioner Commissioner .
    [Show full text]
  • The Pacific Sentinel, February 2019" (2019)
    Portland State University PDXScholar University Archives: Campus Publications & The Pacific Sentinel Productions 2-2019 The Pacific Sentinel, ebruarF y 2019 Portland State University. Student Publications Board Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/pacificsentinel Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Portland State University. Student Publications Board, "The Pacific Sentinel, February 2019" (2019). The Pacific Sentinel. 20. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/pacificsentinel/20 This Book is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Pacific Sentinel by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. VANPORT MOSAIC A storytelling experience of Black residents from Vanport as they were flooded out of their The Pacific Sentinel destroyed homes and moved to Albina GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN? What happened/is happening exactly? Volume IV Iss ue IV DR. KING HAD A DREAM February 2019 RECLAIM THE DREAM I~ CONTENTS 3 Dr. King Had a Dream, Reclaim the Dream 30 The Syria ~estion: Is Withdrawal Necessary? 8 Vanport Mosaic 312018 in Movies 10 Audubon Nature Night with Jo Ann Hardesty 34 Annhilation 15 Measels Weasels Its Way Into Portland 36 The Many Lives of Lincoln Hall 16 What's Up With the Microbiome? PSU Library Archives 18 Government Shutdown? 22 The Plastic Problem On the front cover: 24 Lilies of the Field, A Flower in the Hand Young activist Kofi Franklin speaks at Reclaim 26 Abhina Aher: ~eer Rights in India MLK March. photo by Brooke Jones Still Fighting For Stonewall Back cover: about us.
    [Show full text]
  • Reform Promises: Editorial Agenda 2017
    The Oregonian Proposal for neutered citizens' commission would betray police- reform promises: Editorial Agenda 2017 By The Oregonian Editorial Board August 5, 2017 Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is trying to sell the idea of a new citizens' commission as a positive step forward for rebuilding the community's frayed relationship with Portland Police. But neither the public nor the others on Portland City Council should buy it. Wheeler's proposal to replace the defunct Community Oversight Advisory Board with a neutered panel that regularly meets in private reneges on city leaders' promises five years ago to include the public in monitoring police reforms. Among its tasks, the commission, which would merely recommend ways to improve police and community relations, falling short of the expectations laid out in the 2012 settlement between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice. That agreement calls for a citizens board to "independently assess" the police bureau's implementation of police reforms in addition to filling a broad array of other roles. As community members made clear in heated testimony on Thursday, the proposed "Portland Commission for Community-Engaged Policing" doesn't come close, The Oregonian/OregonLive's Maxine Bernstein reported. The fact that it would meet privately with only occasional public meetings simply adds to the message of "thanks, but no thanks, for your input." Unfortunately, it's unclear how persuasive the public's comments are to Wheeler and the other city commissioners - three of whom were in office at the time of the 2012 settlement, which resolves Justice Department allegations that Portland Police used excessive force against those with mental illness.
    [Show full text]
  • Mayor Ted Wheeler Commissioner Amanda Fritz Commissioner Dan Ryan Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty Commissioner Chloe Eudaly
    Mayor Ted Wheeler Commissioner Amanda Fritz Commissioner Dan Ryan Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty Commissioner Chloe Eudaly October, 2020 Dear esteemed members of the Portland City Council, We, the neighbors undersigned below, demand significant change in the structure and operations of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). The Bureau’s iterations over the years have consistently evidenced an unrelenting preference to defend and serve itself and its own interests rather than those of Portland’s citizen communities. The current Bureau has used the following tactics in demonstration of this proclivity: ● The Bureau has used tear gas and other chemical weapons — ones that would be illegal during times of war — on peaceful Portland citizens protesting racial injustice. Beyond the immediate harmful effect of these chemicals, they have been shown to have adverse, long-term health impacts on all life forms, human, animal, vegetable. In addition, some peaceful protestors have had to seek hospital medical services as a result of Bureau actions. ● The Bureau has supportively aided incursions by various violent groups instead of defending our city from their invasion. The Bureau has provided escort into and out of Portland for white supremacist vigilante caravans brandishing guns, pepper spray, paint balls, and mace, while simultaneously allowing Portland citizens to be threatened and assaulted. ● The Bureau has failed to respond to incidents in a timely fashion. In one Concordia incident, a family was forced to wait 18 hours before a response was made after their home having been riddled with bullets. Despite the time passed since then, the Bureau has neither proved nor disproved whether the shooters were white militants.
    [Show full text]
  • The City That Works: Preparing Portland for the Future
    The City That Works: Preparing Portland for the Future League of Women Voters of Portland Education Fund September 2019 Contents Section 1. Introduction and Purpose of Report ................................................................................ 1 Section 2. Roles of a City Government ............................................................................................ 2 Section 3. Relationships with Surrounding Governments .............................................................. 3 Section 4. Criteria for Evaluating Governmental Effectiveness ...................................................... 5 Section 5. Types of City Government Structures ............................................................................. 6 Section 6. Brief History of Portland’s Government Structure ......................................................... 9 Table 1. Elective Attempts to Change City Structure ................................................................. 10 Table 2. Population Trends ......................................................................................................... 12 Section 7. Current City Bureau Structure ....................................................................................... 12 Table 3. Bureau Assignments as of July 2019 ............................................................................. 13 Section 8. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Commission Form ................................................... 14 Strengths .....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Oregonian Portland City Council Adopts $5.5 Billion Annual Budget, but Cuts Parks Services
    The Oregonian Portland City Council Adopts $5.5 Billion Annual Budget, But Cuts Parks Services By Gordon Friedman May 23, 2019 Portland’s mayor and commissioners approved the city’s annual budget on Thursday. It included controversial cuts to the parks bureau that will cause layoffs of parks workers and closures of community centers. The $5.5 billion budget, a nearly 6 percent increase over last year, funds the city government through June 2020. It includes annual rate increases of $44 for water and $26 for sewer services for typical households. Water rates rose 7.4 percent and sewer rates 2.95 percent. The vast majority of the budget pays for infrastructure and maintenance projects within the city bureaus overseeing transportation, drinking water and sewer systems. Most disagreement among the mayor and commissioners came over how to fund Portland Parks & Recreation, a bureau funded mainly by the discretionary general fund, an account that along with parks pays for police and firefighters and other services. A long-simmering budget deficit within the parks bureau came to a head this year as a $6.3 million gap grew between available funds and the amount needed to avoid program cuts. Officials in the city budget office said the deficit stems from flat revenues from parks services coupled with growing personnel costs. Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, the City Council newcomer, proposed two stop-gap plans to avoid cuts, but she had no support for those measures. One would have been a one-year pay freeze for the non-union employees who make $80,000 or more.
    [Show full text]
  • LWV Comments to City Council Regarding the Portland Police
    League of Women Voters of Portland PO Box 3491, Portland, Oregon 97208-3491 503-228-1675 • [email protected] • www.lwvpdx.org Board of Directors December 15, 2020 Debbie Kaye President To: Mayor Ted Wheeler, Commissioners Chloe Eudaly, Amanda Fritz, Marion McNamara Jo Ann Hardesty, and Dan Ryan 1st VP Chris Cobey 2nd VP From: League oF Women Voters oF Portland Debbie Kaye, president Nancy Donovan 3rd VP Debbie Aiona, Action Committee chair Don Brenneis Treasurer Re: Portland Police Bureau 2019 Annual Report (Agenda item #1004) Anne Davidson Secretary Dear Mayor Wheeler and Commissioners: Debbie Aiona Carolyn Buppert The League oF Women Voters oF Portland has been involved in issues Christopher Cobey related to police oversight since the 1980s. We regularly attend Citizen Review Committee (CRC) and Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing Judy Froemke (PCCEP) meetings. On Wednesday, you plan to accept the Portland Police Bureau Linda Mantel Annual Report For 2019. The League has concerns and suggestions to share with Amber Nobe you about the report’s presentation and public participation. The Settlement Margaret Noel Agreement with the U.S. Department oF Justice, Paragraph 150, requires the Audrey Zunkel- following action. deCoursey 150. Annually, PPB shall issue a publicly available PPB Annual Report, which shall include a summary of its problem-solving and community Off Board Leaders policing activities. A draft of the Annual Report shall be provided to the Adrienne Aiona PCCEP for review and comment before the report is finalized and Budget released to the public. Once released, PPB shall hold at least one Doreen Binder meeting in each precinct area and at a City Council meeting, annually, Nominating to present its Annual Report and to educate the community about its efforts in community policing in regard to the use of force, and about Mary McWilliams PPB’s policies and laws governing pedestrian stops, stops and Membership detentions, and biased-free policing, including a civilian’s Philip Thor responsibilities and freedoms in such encounters.
    [Show full text]