Portland’s failure to learn from the 2021 heat dome

Portland set a new record for the city’s longest heat wave last week: we experienced seven consecutive days with recorded temperatures at or above 95° Fahrenheit from Monday, July 25 to Sunday, July 31. The State of Oregon is currently reporting at least 15 related deaths, with at least seven deaths in Multnomah County alone. That number is… Continue reading Portland’s failure to learn from the 2021 heat dome

Impending deadline for ballot petitions

Voters in Oregon can send initiatives to the ballot without going through the state legislature, a county commission or a city council. Instead, someone wanting to propose a change to existing laws can collect signatures to send a measure directly to voters. The deadlines to collect those signatures for the upcoming general election are fast approaching: July… Continue reading Impending deadline for ballot petitions

Primary Ballot Review: How Metro fits into Portland politics

If you live in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, you have something on your ballot that no one else in the U.S. has — a directly elected regional government in the form of Metro. Metro is also the only directly elected metropolitan planning organization in the U.S. While knowing our local government is unique can make… Continue reading Primary Ballot Review: How Metro fits into Portland politics

Calendar: April 13 to April 20

Wednesday, April 13 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 settlement for property damage due to a motor vehicle collision involving the Portland Police Bureau, approving a request to the U.S. Department of Justice for $2 million to outfit PPB… Continue reading Calendar: April 13 to April 20

Calendar: April 6 to April 13

Wednesday, April 6 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 proclamation by Mayor Ted Wheeler and City Commissioner Dan Ryan that April is Fair Housing Month. Wheeler will also proclaim April as Food Cart Month. The agenda also includes… Continue reading Calendar: April 6 to April 13

Calendar: March 30 to April 6

Wednesday, March 30 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 authorizing a new agreement with Clean and Safe Inc and a proposal to extend the housing emergency declaration by City Commissioner Dan Ryan. 6:00 p.m. — City of Portland Noise Review Board Special Session The… Continue reading Calendar: March 30 to April 6

Calendar: March 23 to March 30

Please note that calendars will be published on Wednesdays moving forward, rather than Tuesdays. Thursday, March 24 12:00 p.m. — Strike at Artifact: Creative Recycle Workers at Artifact: Creative Recycle will hold strike actions Thursday through Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. They’re asking that the store’s owners put anti-discrimination policies into place, provide equal pay for… Continue reading Calendar: March 23 to March 30

Digest: Thursday, March 17, 2022

Emergency rental assistance deadline extended The Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program will accept applications through midnight on March 21. Applications were previously scheduled to close on March 14. The extension is due to new funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury that came through late on March 14. That funding will likely cover an additional 2,200 households. Renters in Oregon… Continue reading Digest: Thursday, March 17, 2022

Digest: Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Oregon’s expiring COVID emergency declarations The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance in February suggesting that most healthy adults can reduce wearing masks in many situations. They also released new metrics for assessing risks in specific communities. The new metrics shift the CDC from looking at how COVID is actually spreading to how many… Continue reading Digest: Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Calendar: March 8 to March 15

Tuesday, March 8 DEADLINE — Candidate registration for May primary Today is the deadline to register as a candidate in the May primary for local, state, or federal office. At the time of writing, all of the races I’m following have at least one candidate registered to run. Wednesday, March 9 DEADLINE — Applications for Multnomah County’s… Continue reading Calendar: March 8 to March 15