Housing affordability is the number one reason people leave Portland. The city’s Housing Needs Analysis shows there is enough buildable land to achieve housing abundance. We also have neighborhoods that serve as examples of how communities thrive when they are not subject to zoning restrictions that cause individuals to live further from the people, places, and things they love. The HNA correctly emphasizes building, “healthy complete neighborhood[s] with safe and convenient access to the goods and services needed in daily life” (p. 49).

I will pursue an agenda that dramatically increases the number of homes inside Portland. This agenda prioritizes:

• Increasing zoned capacity for housing

• Amending height restrictions for affordable housing

• Zoning neighborhoods for mixed-used, mixed age, and mixed ability

• Expediting permits and reducing system development charges for affordable housing

• Waiving fees for multi-family housing developments

• Encouraging home sharing and other measures that help seniors age in place

• Reducing barriers for converting ADUs and spare rooms into long-term rentals

• Assisting with the conversion of office buildings to residential buildings

• Collaborating with other government jurisdictions (especially County and Metro) to create a new funding stream for the creation of affordable housing

• Creating a social housing program

• Encouraging the development of Community Land Trusts

• Monitoring and adjusting as needed TIF districts and inclusionary zoning

The homelessness crisis cannot be fixed overnight, but it can be fixed over time if we make a commitment to evidence-based policy. Thriving communities do not leave their poorest residents sleeping on sidewalks or inside automobiles, nor do they warehouse them indefinitely, invisibly, and unsafely in mass shelters or encampments.

The overwhelming majority of people living in tents and automobiles would gladly transfer to shelter if it was available, greatly reducing the burden on emergency response teams. However, the city currently does not have enough beds to offer, and the beds it does offer are often less safe and less sanitary than living outside.

I will advocate for the construction of pod villages and motels shelters that are safe, sanitary, and respect the dignity of the people they serve. This means making reasonable accommodations for pets, cohabitation, belongings, and freedom of movement.

Because temporary shelters are more expensive and less effective in the long-run than permanent supportive housing, they must be conceived as temporary in two senses–both as a temporary place for residents to stay as they transition to permanent housing, and as a temporary solution for a city that is rapidly moving toward housing abundance.

Ending unsheltered homelessness is essential to Portland’s identity. We have the opportunity to once again be an affordable city in which every person can live with dignity. Housing abundance is within our reach.

Despite record budgets, Portland still faces acute labor shortages for paramedics, dispatchers, and patrol officers. These shortages become especially pronounced during the hours in which Portland Street Response is not operating. Portland Street Response is a nationally recognized program that assists people experiencing mental health and behavioral crises. An independent evaluation found that PSR’s activities led to a 18.7% reduction in police responses to non-emergency welfare checks and unwanted person calls during the hours in which PSR operated (8:00am to 10:00pm). This reduction comes despite restrictions imposed by city leaders on the kinds of situations PSR is allowed to address. I support expanding PSR to become a 24 hour service that serves people indoors and outdoors. I also support continued knowledge exchange between PSR and peer organizations such as CAHOOTS in Eugene.

Further actions can be taken to shorten emergency response times. Public Safety Support Specialists (PS3s) have proven capable at handling non-life threatening calls for service that do not require an armed officer. Hiring more PS3s makes the community safer by freeing patrol officers to respond to life-threatening emergencies.

The 2022 Portland Insights Survey shows that 72.1% of Portlanders do not feel safe walking in their neighborhoods at night. These fears are largely due to the presence of people openly in need of detox and shelter.

The absence of detox centers and shelters for people suffering from substance abuse and mental health disorders causes police officers to spend an inordinate amount of time doing jobs better suited to other kinds of emergency responders. Getting people into homes and expanding detox facilities and recovery housing will greatly reduce the strain on our emergency response systems.

These measures will go a long way toward increasing PPB’s capacity for stopping violent crime and theft. However, the challenge to police cannot be overstated, and there is no budget increase large enough to overcome a failure to invest in eliminating addiction and homelessness. Though exact statistics are difficult to come by, retail theft is largely fueled by ringleaders who exploit those who suffer from homelessness and addiction. The convicted leader of a retail crime ring states, “I would find people who were on fentanyl, who were on drugs. I would exploit that. I would recruit them. They’d be running around with me.” Though this problem is not unique to Portland, it has had a big impact on businesses operating in the city.

I strongly support the oversight recommendations of the Police Accountability Commission. If implemented faithfully, these recommendations have the potential to create the strongest relationships between police and community in the nation. I believe that within this broad framework there is room for the voices of people with experience in police work. I support the inclusion of non-voting technical consultants from the police community who have not been previously employed by the bureau they are appointed to oversee.

Our campaign brings a clear plan for putting an end to public drug use, preventing deaths, and treating addiction. Public programs should be highly focussed on achieving two sets of measurable goals:

Minimizing harm to individuals. Preventing death, homelessness, joblessness, social isolation, injury, and illness.

Minimizing harm to communities. Preventing crime, violence, blight, and enhancing community quality of life.

Using the best evidence available, our platform prioritizes the following:

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). MAT is a comprehensive way to address the needs of individuals that combines the use of medication (methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone) with counseling and behavioral therapies (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Long-term use of methadone and buprenorphine cuts the risk of death from opioid addiction by more than 50 percent and is the only approach proven to significantly reduce the death rate from opioid addiction (Svalavitz, 2022, 146, 254). MAT is one of only two proven methods of treating opioid addiction (the second method is permanent housing).

Early clinical trials suggest it may also be helpful for treating users of methamphetamines (National Institutes of Health).

Investment in MAT in Oregon has historically been among the lowest in the nation. As investment has increased, we are beginning to see the potential of a future in which evidence-based treatment is universally available.

Housing. Long-term housing subsidies combined with voluntary services are an effective way of reducing substance abuse and crime (Shinn and Khadduri, 2020, 90). Housing subsidies alone can be as effective at reducing drug use and criminal behavior as treatment-first programs. Research suggests that individuals and society benefit most when housing and treatment are administered by separate providers rather than being conditioned on one another (Shinn and Khadduri, 2020, 90). Further, programs that require sobriety in order to enter housing have no demonstrated effect on lowering substance use when compared to those that make treatment voluntary (Shinn and Khadduri, 2020, 85).

Overdose Prevention Sites (OPS). OPS provides a safer alternative both to public use and to private use, dramatically improving outcomes for individuals and for communities.

The Oregon Health Authority recorded 955 opioid overdose deaths in 2022. Overdoses occur in part because street opioids–unlike pharmaceuticals–vary in purity and dose (Svalavitz, 2022, 251). One well-studied OPS administered over 3 million injections with zero overdose deaths. In addition, it provided help securing housing, mental health care, and “practically eliminated their participation in crime” (Svalavitz, 2022, 286-288). OPS can be even more effective if the medical professionals who staff them are allowed to prescribe pharmaceutical substitutes to street drugs.

Sobering Centers. For many people, sobering centers can be the first contact with a continuum of care, giving them the opportunity to begin medical detox. They also play a public safety role in removing intoxicated people from dangerous situations. Portland City Council must site and permit a sobering center which will in turn be operated by Multnomah County.

Detox Centers. The absence of detox centers and shelters for people suffering from substance abuse and mental health disorders causes police officers to spend an inordinate amount of time doing jobs better suited to other kinds of emergency responders. And while new detox centers are gradually coming online, there is currently no place for emergency responders to bring someone they find incapacitated. Expanding the continuum of care from detox facilities to stable housing will greatly reduce the strain on our emergency responders.

This list is illustrative rather than exhaustive. The CDC outlines complementary evidence-based approaches with demonstrated effectiveness.

The City of Portland’s Climate Emergency Workplan for 2022-2025 identifies transportation as responsible for 44% of carbon emissions in Multnomah County, the largest source of carbon of any sector.

The best way to reduce the carbon impact of transportation is by making it safer to walk, bike and take public transit. More than 60% of Portlanders say they would ride public transportation and more than 70% would ride bikes, ebikes, or scooters if doing so was safe and affordable. Portlanders are ready to commit to transportation if leaders will support them doing so safely. The Climate Emergency Plan adopted by the City sets clear priorities: “For more Portlanders to use climate-friendly travel options, our streets must prioritize people biking, walking and taking transit” (p. 8).

Though Portland Bureau of Transportation’s staff has been working toward “rapidly reducing the amount of driving in our community” (p. 6), those who lead PBOT have wasted public resources by attempting to spend money to remove infrastructure necessary both to public safety and to our climate goals.

Wasteful spending could not come at a worse time. PBOT is in a budget crisis that has worsened over several years. It has already lost 60 staff positions and is facing an additional $30 million in cuts. This is occurring against a backdrop of record numbers of traffic fatalities.

I will enact city policies that prevent special interests from rolling back improvements to transportation safety and carbon reduction. Specifically, I will propose legislation that prohibits the removal of infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit before (1) the completion of comparable alternatives and (2) validation that these alternatives function as well or better than the infrastructure being removed.

The underlying cause of PBOT’s budget crisis is dependence on fossil fuel consumption. PBOT is funded through gas taxes and downtown parking fees. Gas taxes are declining due to increased fuel efficiency, while downtown parking revenue is decreasing for a number of reasons.

Modest increases in hourly parking fees in highly congested areas can help reduce curbside crowding and increase revenue.

Entertainment districts experience crowded curbs in the evenings, making it difficult to access nearby businesses. The city can help small businesses and generate substantial revenue by expanding time-limited parking in these designated areas from 7:00pm to 12:00am.

Portland must have a long-term plan for the way it funds transportation. As revenues derived from fossil fuel consumption dry up, PBOT will likely return to prior proposals for either a transportation utility fee or utility rate increases. I will make sure that any changes to our collective tax obligations do not place an undue burden on low-income residents or any other specific group.

Arts and culture give people a reason to come together as a community. Investing in arts and culture doesn’t just support people who create art. It supports the hotels, restaurants, and other businesses that benefit from increased traffic in our neighborhoods. Increased traffic has a proven benefit to public safety. Eyes on the street reduce both property and violent crime.

Arts and culture help make Portland unique. Whether it is our grassroots comedy scene or world class bookstores and authors series, Portland is a destination for people who value creative work.

The City of Portland recently terminated its contract with the Regional Arts and Culture Council, which provides us an opportunity to rethink how to invest the millions of dollars of arts tax revenue in a way that is inclusive and fair. Our campaign is initiating talks with leaders in the creative community to use part of these funds to create a world class event modeled after the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

This may also be an opportunity to think of a more efficient and equitable way of funding arts and culture. As it currently operates, the arts tax is highly regressive, hitting residents with low-incomes much harder than their wealthier neighbors. We will explore the possibility of replacing the arts tax with a more equitable and sustainable form of funding.

Outdoor recreation is central to Portland's identity. The City's Off-road Cycling Master Plan identifies opportunities for urban off-road cycling trails that bring people closer to nature while minimizing impact to other users and the local ecology.

The City of Portland Climate Emergency Workplan for 2022-2025 calls for a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and complete carbon neutrality by 2050. Current leaders made a backroom deal with political lobbyists working on behalf of a Texas oil company to expand an oil pipeline running between Forest Park and the Willamette River. This is both a net increase in carbon production and an existential threat to the natural areas through which the pipeline runs. City leaders also attempted to increase traffic volume and speed at the cost of pedestrian and bike safety when asked to do so by special interests, violating the city’s Transportation System Plan. If elected to city council, I will refocus the city on achieving the goals outlined in the climate plan.

The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund allocates $750 million over the next five years. A substantial portion of this funding can be leveraged to win matching state and federal dollars. PCEF is managed by the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and was approved by 65% of voters in 2018. One of the key challenges to implementation is a severe labor shortage. A recent report argues convincingly that this labor shortage is best met by expanding recruitment to better include historically underrepresented groups in the building trades, especially women and people of color. It is critical that these substantial investments not be undermined by other projects that increase carbon emissions.

Sellwood, Eastmoreland, Reed, Woodstock, Brooklyn, Ardenwald have needs and concerns that are distinct from neighborhoods West of the Willamette River. I understand and recognize the close ties these neighborhoods have with the rest of Southeast Portland. As a city councilor, I will ensure that the interests of these communities are considered equally with those on the Westside. I will advocate to preserve membership in Southeast Uplift and establish a regular, fixed, and permanent constituent service presence in the Eastside portion of the District. I will take special pride in promoting events, businesses, and accomplishments from people in parts of District 4 east of the Willamette River.

I refuse to take my campaign manager’s bait on this highly divisive issue.