Tuesday, February 22
6:00 p.m. — Portland Public Schools board meeting
Portland Public Schools’ school board will hold a regularly scheduled meeting. An agenda for the meeting is online and includes comments from the Portland Association of Teachers on the reduced staffing plans for the 2022-2023 school year. PAT is requesting PPS families attend the meeting, as well as contact board members. The meeting will be in person but it will also be streamed on YouTube. Those who wish to testify at the meeting will need to sign up in advance.
7:00 p.m. — Online vigil for June Knightly
Organizers are asking Twitter users to share tweets including flowers and other green emojis in remembrance of June Knightly.
Wednesday, February 23
9:30 a.m. — City of Portland council meeting
Portland’s city council meetings are broadcast live on YouTube. The agenda for this meeting is online and includes a vote on a settlement agreement between the City of Portland and AFSCME Local 189 regarding one of the multiple unfair labor practice complaints filed against the city during recent negotiations. Attendees who wish to testify must register before 4:00 p.m. today (Tuesday) and use Zoom for the meeting. At the time of writing this update, the only planned public testimonies relate to a prospective foie gras ban, iron tree grates, and immigration.
6:00 p.m. — The Link Between Us: How Technology Can Create (and Impede) Opportunity
Caroline Gao, a high school student and organizer based in Albany, Oregon, will share insights on technological equity research she’s conducted during the pandemic. The workshop will be held on Zoom and attendees must register in advance.
6:00 p.m. — Listening session on the contract between the City of Portland and Portland Police Association
City officials, including Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler (who also acts as Portland’s mayor), will hold a public listening session on the new contract. They will not be able to make specific comments or answer questions about the contract terms. Limited information about this event is available online. The listening session will be held on Zoom. https://www.theskanner.com/news/newsbriefs/32724-listening-session-february-23-the-city-and-portland-police-association-ppa/amp
Thursday, February 24
2:00 p.m. — City of Portland council voting session on new Portland Police Association contract
Portland’s city council meetings are broadcast live on YouTube. The agenda for this meeting is online and includes a vote on the new contract between the city and the police union. No public testimony will be accepted for this session despite concerns and unanswered questions shared during a public testimony period last week. Written testimony will be accepted until 12:00 p.m. on February 24 by email to cctestimony@portlandoregon.gov.
6:00 p.m. — Information session on Central Eastside Enhanced Service District
The City of Portland will hold a question-and-answer session about the Central Eastside Industrial District’s enhanced service district in preparation for the expiration of the ESD’s current contract in June. During the session, representatives of both the City of Portland and the Central Eastside ESD will answer questions about the program, which operates a private security force. Public listening sessions will also be held, starting March 1, before a draft of the new contract is publicly presented in April.
7:30 p.m. — Kishi Bashi with the Oregon Symphony
Kishi Bashi will perform electronically-influenced music with the Oregon Symphony, including “Improvisations on EO9066,” a multimedia piece inspired by Executive Order 9066. That presidential order authorized the incarceration of roughly 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. Attendees must purchase tickets in advance and provide proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test. Tickets start at $29.
Friday, February 25
8:30 a.m. — Jeremy Okai Davis in conversation with Paul Maziar
Multidisciplinary artist Jeremy Okai Davis will discuss his art with writer Paul Maziar at Creative Mornings PDX. The discussion will be hosted on Zoom and attendees must register in advance.
12:00 p.m. — Virtual town hall for Multnomah County with Ron Wyden
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will hold a virtual town hall for Multnomah County residents moderated by People’s Town Hall. The event will be streamed on Facebook. Attendees who wish to ask questions must sign up by tomorrow, February 23.
5:30 p.m. — Black Communities and Their Relationships with Infrastructure
The Interstate 5 Bridge Replacement Project will host a panel to discuss how major infrastructure projects have impacted Black people in the U.S. Panel members will include members of the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program Executive Steering Group. Forty participants will be able to attend through Zoom and ask questions, with seats reserved for Black and Indigenous community members. The event will also be streamed on YouTube.
Saturday, February 26
10:00 a.m. — Winter tree identification class
The City of Portland’s Urban Forestry program will provide a class on identifying local trees during the winter at Hoyt Arboretum. Attendees must register in advance and wear a mask throughout the event.
Sunday, February 27
Deadline — Applications for Youth Project Against Police Violence or Sexual & Dating Violence 2022 Mini-Grant
Multnomah County’s Youth Commission is accepting grant applications from county residents between the ages of 12 and 25. The grant will provide up to $5,000 to youth-led projects that reduce sexual violence or police violence in local schools and communities.
Monday, February 28
Deadline— Extended Applications for the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications User Board
The Portland BOEC has extended it recruitment period for a community representative position on the bureau’s advisory board. The board provides advice on most aspects of BOEC’s functions and requires a commitment between two and six hours quarterly. It is likely that the board will be responsible for planning a restructuring of itself in 2022, with the goal of expanding representation. The current open position must be filled by a community member residing in East Portland, between the Willamette River and 122nd Avenue. The application is online and includes general background questions, a conflict of interest disclosure, and four brief essay questions (answers should be less than 250 words).
Deadline — Applications for the Portland Police Bureau’s Training Advisory Council
PPB is recruiting up to eight new members for its training advisory council. The TAC advises the chief of the police bureau and leaders of the training division. Volunteer members are expected to commit between ten and fifty hours monthly. The application can be downloaded online and includes general background questions, a conflict of interest disclosure, and four brief essay questions (answers should be less than 250 words). While applicants should not assume they will be able to enact meaningful change, the council may provide opportunities to learn more about PPB’s internal functions.
6:00 p.m. — Portland Bureau of Emergency Management training on BEECN
The Portland Bureau of Emergency Management is holding a training on how its emergency communication system works. The BEECN system is meant to provide communications in the event of an earthquake. The training will be conducted over Zoom and attendees must register in advance.
Tuesday, March 1
Effective — Updates to the City of Portland’s zoning code go into effect
The City of Portland is implementing its Historic Resource Code Project, which creates new building codes for projects in historic and conservation districts. To permit a project under the current zoning code, permit packages must be submitted by the end of the day February 28.
9:00 a.m. — City of Portland council work session on FY 2022-2023 Budget
The City of Portland will hold its first council work session on the 2022-2023 budget. Bureau budget requests are available online. Listening sessions will start in early April. Portland’s city council work sessions are streamed on YouTube.
Looking forward
Deadline — Extended PPB comment period on investigations on public school property
Due to a technical error, the Portland Police Bureau is reopening its comment period for updates to policies covering investigations on public school property until March 3. This is a directive that PPB is planning to update, but that have not yet been updated. It impacts how PPB interacts with people under the age of 18. The specific policy is 0640.40, Investigations on Public School Property (which includes directives for Student Resource Officers). In 2020, Portland Public Schools announced they’d be ending their SRO program, along with two other districts serving Portland residents.
