October Newsletter

News Article

Civic pride, solidarity, and community resources

City leadership celebrates the unanimous passage of the Protect Portland Initiative and Councilor Sameer Kanal's Sanctuary City ordinance.

It's been an unbelievable month here in Portland: my fellow councilors and I, attorneys, faith and community leaders, and our neighbors came together with one unified voice to say that Portland is HOME, not a military target.

The unjust and unwarranted attacks on our community from the federal administration have reminded us just what Portland is all about - taking care of each other, and always having a little bit of fun in the process. I shared some of my thoughts about the protest we're seeing on the ground in Portland in a recent USA Today column.

While I am frustrated and angry that so many of our community members are facing fear and uncertainty, I am proud of the Portlanders who continue to stand together and prove that the President's unfounded claims are just that - untrue - and that Portland is not a warzone. This burst of Portland pride we're witnessing isn't just a response to Trump's threats, it's a reminder of who we've always been.

Important information to help our community

As Oregon attorneys are hard at work in the courts resisting Trump's unwarranted attempts to deploy the National Guard to Portland, community members can also stay involved and stand up for our neighbors. If you witness ICE activity in our city, call the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) hotline at 888-622-1510. PIRC is offering its next ICE Watch trainings on November 5 and 15.

Beginning Nov. 1, thousands of Portlanders lost access to their SNAP benefits, a necessary tool for folks who need a little extra help getting food on their tables. The rescindment of these benefits is already having massive consequences for families across our city, state, and country.

Once again, Portlanders have come together to fill in the gaps. Below, please find just a handful of the food resources available in Portland:

October in review

No Kings!

On October 18 - what turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL fall day in Portland - we saw our community come together in solidarity at the No Kings! rally, standing up against a president hell-bent on singling out our city in his attempts to drive our country backwards.

Portlanders don't stand for tyranny. We don't stand for violence. And we don't stand for hate. I'm honored that I get to walk alongside all of you in this ongoing work to protect justice and democracy. And I want to give a special shout-out to the frogs and other inflatable animals highlighting the absurdity of this administration's narrative about Portland. My kid and I were excited to stand with them in our small way during the rally and march!

Town Hall with Rep. Maxine Dexter

On October 7, I joined Congresswoman Maxine Dexter for a community conversation at Augustana Lutheran Church.

It was awe-inspiring to look out at a packed house, and it reminded me of the start of my career working with union leaders. One word you hear a lot from folks in the labor movement is "solidarity." That's an important word for this moment, and I felt it in that church.

Let's move forward in continued solidarity, ensuring our actions help to lift each other up, especially our targeted neighbors, and keep our community strong.

Lloyd Music Venue

On October 22, we celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Lloyd music venue, an absolute game-changer for Portland's live music scene and the Lloyd District as a whole.

Our city needs a mid-sized venue like this one and has for as long as I can remember. I can't wait to go to shows here with my family. Major kudos to Monqui Presents, AEG Presents and Urban Renaissance Group for partnering on this catalyzing project for our city!

Since City Council was in session during the groundbreaking, please enjoy this photo of our amazing Council staff doing the honors.

At the dais

Protect Portland Initiative

On October 15, the Protect Portland Initiative passed unanimously at City Council. This resolution aims to create a coordinated federal response framework, acting as a safeguard for Portlanders targeted by the Trump administration's aggressive federal overreach.

The work continues, and City Council is proud to stand alongside Portlanders as we use our collective power to show up for our communities and our democracy. Stay tuned this month as Councilors continue to bring forward legislation designed to protect our city's rights to thrive and self-govern.

Street Plaza Program

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is developing a permanent program for public street plazas, and on October 1, City Council voted unanimously to formalize it. This work ensures we continue to create vibrant plazas that all Portlanders feel welcome in.

Our public plazas are the beating heart of our community - bringing people together in a world increasingly hell-bent on keeping us apart. I'm a big fan of PBOT's program and everything it does for the neighborhoods surrounding our existing plazas, and I hope we have more of them in the future.

Urban Forest Plan

On October 22, Council voted unanimously to update our Urban Forest Plan. This plan guides City programs, services, and investments related to our urban forest - not just the trees in our city parks and forests, but those lining our streets and across our neighborhoods.

Up until now, Portland hadn't updated our Urban Forest Plan in 21 years. Not only were there inequities in our tree canopy that Council knew needed to be addressed, but over the last two decades we've received more data on both the severity of the climate crisis and the importance of trees across our city to combat it, and to improve health and wellbeing generally. It was high time for an update.

Thank you to the literally thousands of Portlanders who participated in this update through open houses, focus groups, surveys, and public comments. Your engagement and feedback made this plan better.

Council schedule

This month, the Council will hold regular meetings as follows:

November 12, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

November 19, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

City Council will not meet in Committee or as a full Council the week of November 24-28.

Find the most up-to-date information on all meetings, including executive sessions, work sessions, and committees, here. To submit public testimony, visit this link.

As we move forward, stay tuned for opportunities to engage with my office in-person this November, and as always, thank you for all of your dedication to our community! Wishing you all a warm start to your holiday season.