April Newsletter

Published

May 1, 2026 5:27 pm

In this article

Hi everyone,

Councilor Pirtle-Guiney's Monthly Newsletter

Happy May Day! Today is about power - people power.

I grew up in a working-class family where public service was everything. My mom was a park ranger. My dad was a member of Service Employees International Union. I learned early that work should come with respect, safety, and a fair wage - and that it's our job to make things a little better for the next person.

Speaking of making things better, you may have heard a little buzz this month about a policy I'm working on with Councilor Steve Novick to ensure fair-wage protections for rideshare drivers. Our proposal would create a system that ensures a fair share of the cost of each ride you take in Portland goes to both drivers and the rideshare companies, while ensuring all parties, including you as the rider, can see where your money goes.

Pictured here are some of the many hardworking rideshare drivers in our city!

When Uber and Lyft came to town, Portlanders were promised a system that would make ride-hailing cheaper and faster than taxi service, and create flexible, meaningful jobs. What we've seen develop over the years is rising profits for the corporations, rising costs for riders, and drivers who don't make enough to afford to live in our community.

Under a take-rate model, like we're proposing, companies still have flexibility to set rates and respond to the market. But when costs go up for you, you'll know your driver is getting a fair cut. That means they'll be able to pay their bills and cover their costs. And when your cost goes down, the company and the driver will split the decrease, too.

We are currently at the table with both rideshare workers and rideshare companies to find a balance that covers the cost of doing business for everyone. Because a system that relies on constantly replacing drivers because the economics don't work for them is not a stable system. It's not good for drivers, it's not good for Transportation Network Companies, even if they're currently making record profits, and it's really not good for Portlanders who rely on these rides.

I've been lucky to spend my career organizing with unions, fighting for pro-worker policies, and standing with working people across Oregon. And it's been my honor to do so on City Council, too, because our City can and should lead - on raising wages for workers, strong workplace protections, and ensuring that the people who make Portland work can afford to live here.

April in review

Earth Day activities

The week of Earth Day was filled with activities with our youngest D2 residents!

I had so much fun at the James John Elementary School Earth Day Bike Bus, where students met at the St. Johns Community Center and walked and rolled with their principal, Mr. Castillo, to school. James John Elementary School is even teaching kids safe bike-riding skills in their PE class!

In the middle of the week, I had the chance to pop out of City Hall for an hour to spend some time at MLK Jr. School for their Earth Day Pollinator Party. Portland Parks & Rec staff are planting 500 pollinator-friendly plants around the school - with the help of some of our young friends. This was such an amazing opportunity for these students to spend some time outside, learn about plants and pollinators, and make a difference for the habitat around their school!

Finally, I attended Vernon Elementary's Earth Day celebration just this past weekend! Many of our elementary schools had events like this, and it's so great to see families learning about their kids' school gardens and finding plants they can grow at home.

These are the kinds of events that make Portland such a special place to raise a family, and why I continue to work to ensure all families can grow here.

Workers Memorial Day

Every year, on April 28, thanks to the advocacy of unions and the hardworking people who make our community work, we recognize Workers Memorial Day.

In just the past year, 37 working Oregonians died on the job. No child should go to bed thinking their parent is just going to work and wake up to find out they're never coming home. No job should cost anyone in our community their life.

Workers Memorial Day is a somber day, but it is also a day to commit to making changes that ensure our workplaces are safe for everyone. It is easy in the 21^st century, when workers' compensation systems and protections in our most hazardous industries are well-enshrined in our laws, to assume that our work is done. But as long as our list of names reads as long as it did this year, the work is not done. I'll continue to identify places where we can bolster our City policies and make this city safer for workers in our community.

Meet Faisal

Faisal Osman has joined our team as Outreach and Engagement Advisor - working with communities across North and Northeast Portland to strengthen relationships between residents and City Hall, support community-informed policymaking, and ensure that the voices of District 2 are reflected in the work of our Council and your needs are addressed by the City Administration.

Faisal was born and raised in Northeast Portland. Passionate about public service and advocacy, he's been a community organizer since the age of 14, and graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Public Policy. Most recently, Faisal worked as constituent relations coordinator for Mayor Wilson, connecting Portlanders with information, resources, and problem-solving opportunities.

In his free time, Faisal loves exploring Portland's local restaurants and coffee shops, spending time with his kitties, and being the fun uncle to his many nephews and nieces.

Make sure to give Faisal a warm welcome when you see him out in the District!

At the dais

First City Life Committee meeting

April 14 was the first meeting of Portland City Council's new City Life Committee, which focuses on the day-to-day lived experiences of Portlanders and advancing policies that define what it's like to live, work, and play in our city.

Our committee is not starting this work from scratch. That's why, at our first meeting, we invited leaders representing a broad range of backgrounds and fields to share the work that's already being done, the direction we're already heading, and what the community is focused on - and, where it's helpful for our City government to lean in.

I'm honored to be Chair of City Life, and immensely optimistic about the group of Councilors on this committee and the work ahead of us. I know we all care deeply about this city and our constituencies, and we all bring important, unique lived experience to this work. I'm so excited to be diving in.

Future Vision

The Future Vision Commission is an Oregon Metro-led effort charged with developing and recommending a 50-year vision for the greater Portland region. This work will be foundational to future regional plans, policies and programs, and it's an honor to serve as on the Commission and help represent our city. On April 16, Metro Councilor Juan Carlos Gonzales and Metro Regional Planner Jessica Zdeb joined me to share about the work of Future Vision with my City Council colleagues.

We all want our region to be a fantastic place for our kids and grandkids to live, but we don't get there by accident. If we do our work right, reaching out to everyone across the region, hearing what you want our community to prioritize over the next 50 years, and synthesizing all the many ideas across our region, we will get to set the framework for the place we want to live. We will get to offer a better future to our neighbors.

And I want your help, as well. Visit this link to take a Future Vision survey, which will ask you to share what makes this region special to you, the things you want to preserve, and the issues you are concerned about. Your responses will inform regional values and guiding principles that are the foundation of our Future Vision work.

Transportation Utility Fee

On April 29, Council established a new Transportation Utility Fee. You all have asked us to ensure the services in Portland live up to what a city should be offering its residents. Right now, when it comes to the quality of our roads - which is directly tied to safety for bicyclists, pedestrians, drivers, and our children - we're not meeting the standard. We know that also leads to cost concerns for individuals as we see more crashes, popped tires, and injuries. The TUF will help us keep up with our road repairs.

But I also know that there are a lot of people struggling with rising costs on all fronts in District 2, and our City costs are a part of that. That's why we need to ask the businesses creating some of the most acute damage to our roads to pay their share at the same time, which starts with a street damage restoration fee for when utility companies dig up streets as part of their work. I was clear with my colleagues that needed to be part of any change that includes a transportation utility fee. I also supported amending the TUF to make sure we can offer a discount for all low-income community members (previously, we only provided these discounts to Portlanders in houses, not in apartments).

We, as a community, have to build our future in a way that's responsible to our children and grandchildren and doesn't put off costs any longer. There's not an easy answer when costs are going up too fast and service needs are also. I can't fix the fact that services and repairs were put off before. But I can make sure we don't do that again.

Community events and engagement opportunities

District 2 Joint Budget Listening Session

Neighborhood association meetings

In May, I will attend the following neighborhood association meeting(s):

• May 11: Boise Neighborhood Association, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for an office hour later this month to connect with members of my staff in a more casual setting! Details to come.

I appreciate you all staying engaged and committed to our city's prosperity, especially as we wade into an unprecedentedly difficult budget season. Despite the difficult decisions ahead of us, I am heartened by the people I have the honor of representing, and I am committed to maintaining our city's momentum this year and for the years to come.

In solidarity,

Elana Pirtle-Guiney

District 2 City Councilor