The City of Portland convened a charter review commission to update the city charter in 2020. The charter is the document empowers city officials to do their work and outlines what that work should be. On June 14, the charter review commission voted to send a single ballot measure to voters that includes three major changes to local government:… Continue reading What’s next in the Portland City Charter Review Process
Tag: Jo Ann Hardesty
Early summer election nuts and bolts
Early summer can seem like a quiet time for political campaigns. The primary season is over and campaigns for the general election are only just getting started. But while there may be fewer visible campaign activities going on right now, there’s a lot happening on the procedural level — steps that must be completed as… Continue reading Early summer election nuts and bolts
Voters’ Guide — May 2022 Election
If you’re a voter in or around Portland, you may have already received your ballot for the May election. If you’re ready to sit down and vote, here are some recommendations on candidates and ballot measures. This guide is intentionally surface-level: over the election period, I’ll be publishing articles on specific races and issues that… Continue reading Voters’ Guide — May 2022 Election
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
Digest: Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Portland Street Response expands Portland’s unarmed street response team has expanded their coverage across the city as of yesterday. Portland Street Response can now take 911 calls without needing to check a map. The program responds to calls about crises that don’t involve criminal activity, usually related to an individual’s mental health. Team members also build… Continue reading Digest: Tuesday, March 29, 2022
March State of the Ballot, Part One
We passed two major deadlines for the May primary last week: March 8 was the last day candidates could file to run in the primary. March 11 was the last day candidates could withdraw from the primary. With those two dates behind us, we now know who is actually on the ballot and which races… Continue reading March State of the Ballot, Part One
Digest: Friday, March 11, 2022
Seven Portland-area Starbucks are unionizing Starbucks locations all over the U.S. are unionizing, including multiple locations here in Portland and even more throughout Oregon. At the time of writing, the following Starbucks locations have filed paper work with the National Labor Relations Board: SE 28th and Powell U.S. Bank Tower / SW 5th and Oak West… Continue reading Digest: Friday, March 11, 2022
Digest: Thursday, March 3, 2022
Police officer Brian Hunzeker fired for leaking investigation details Portland Police Bureau officer Brian Hunzeker was fired earlier this week due to violations of bureau directives against the dissemination of information and retaliation. Hunzeker leaked reports in March 2021 that City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty was a suspect in a hit-and-run crash. While Portland Police Chief… Continue reading Digest: Thursday, March 3, 2022
February State of the Ballot
There’s just over a month left until the March 8th deadline for candidates to declare for or withdraw from the May primary. This feels like a good time to take a preliminary look at what’s likely to be on the May ballot. Remember, though, that there will be plenty of changes in the next four… Continue reading February State of the Ballot
Public election finance, political contributions, and other money mechanics in the state of Oregon
Money matters in elections. Even if a candidate has significant community support, they need a serious amount of money to run a successful campaign. But the amount of money necessary to participate in Oregon’s political processes is unusually high — and rising. The 2018 gubernatorial race between Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Knute Buehler set… Continue reading Public election finance, political contributions, and other money mechanics in the state of Oregon