Tuesday, January 18
10:00 a.m. — Multnomah County Board Briefing
Multnomah County’s board of commissioners’ briefing are broadcast live on YouTube. The agenda is online and includes two briefings. One covers planning by TriMet and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office for a transit crisis response team, while the other is an update from the Joint Office of Homeless Services on the Metro Supportive Housing Services Measure.
7:00 p.m. — Responding to Natural Disasters
Four elected officials are holding a panel discussion on emergency response in Oregon. The panel includes Jamie McLeod-Skinner (Jefferson County Education Service District Board Member and candidate for the US House of Representatives for OR-5), Phil Chang (Deschutes County Commissioner), Dacia Grayber (Oregon State Representative for District 28 who is currently running for reelection), and Libra Forde (North Clackamas School Board Member and candidate for Clackamas County Commissioner). Attendees must register in advance for the panel, which will be held on Zoom.
Wednesday, January 19
9:30 a.m. — Portland City Council Meeting
Portland’s city council meetings are broadcast live on YouTube. The agenda for this meeting is online and includes discussion about a planned settlement for police violence against a protestor and amending parking codes to raise parking costs near Providence Park during events. Attendees who wish to testify must register in advance and use Zoom for the meeting.
Thursday, January 20
1:00 p.m. — Oregon State Hospital advisory board meeting
The Oregon State Hospital’s advisory board meetings are public and conducted on a conference line. The agenda for this meeting is online and includes a discussion on the hospital’s COVID-19 response. The Oregon State Hospital is a public psychiatric hospital and is used to house people with mental illness who would otherwise be incarcerated, as well as patients not currently in the carceral system. COVID outbreaks and other capacity issues have shut down admissions to the hospital several times. The advisory board is seeking applicants, including family advocates of people receiving mental health services.
1:30 p.m. — Oregon Health Forum 2022 Legislative Preview
The Oregon Health Forum is hosting a panel discussion with state legislators about healthcare priorities during the upcoming legislative session. The discussion will be held on Zoom and attendees must purchase tickets in advance. The cost of attendance is $30.
6:00 p.m. — Misinformation, Fake News, and Political Propaganda Workshop
The Washington Library is hosting a workshop with civics educator Donna Cohen which will cover how to assess the truth of political ads, news headlines, and other media. The workshop will be held on Zoom and advanced registration is required. Attendees do not need to be members of the Washington County Library.
Friday, January 21
6:00 p.m. — GLEAN Portland’s Artist-in-Residence Exhibition Opening
The GLEAN artist residency program gives artists access to the Metro Central Transfer Station (the primary waste disposal site for the Portland area) to gather materials to create art. This year’s artists are Caryn Aasness, Colin Kippen, Jessica Mehta, Malia Jensen, and Willie Little. The event is in-person and COVID-19 precautions include requiring masks and proof of vaccination, as well as social distancing and limiting capacity.
Monday, January 24
DEADLINE — Community Priority Survey for the Portland Charter Review Commission
The Portland Charter Review Commission is conducting a survey to learn about community priorities around changes to Portland’s form of government and voting systems. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Vietnamese. The survey takes less than 30 minutes to complete.
Wednesday, January 26 to Friday, January 28
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY — Point in Time Street Count of Homelessness
The Joint Office of Homeless Services in partnership with PSU needs volunteers to help conduct this year’s street count. This count is one of the only measures we have for homelessness in Portland and can determine what services are available where, so getting an accurate count is important. Volunteers partner with agency staff to talk to people who are unsheltered and fill out a survey form. Shifts last from two to four hours and are available at a variety of times. You can sign up for shifts through this form.
