Portland City Council AM Session 01/28/26

5:56We ready to get going?

5:58Keelan, ready?

6:05Good.

6:08I'm going to turn that up.

6:10There we go.

6:10Welcome to the Wednesday, January 28th morning session of the Portland City Council.

6:18Keelan, could you please call the roll?

6:19Roll call.

6:22Present.

6:27Aye.

6:27Pirtle-Guiney.

6:28Here.

6:32Commissioner Ryan might be joining online, but okay.

6:38Uh, Koyama Lane.

6:42Here.

6:43Here.

6:44Here.

6:46Here.

6:47Here.

6:48Zimmerman.

6:48Here.

6:49Dunphy.

6:50And I am here.

6:53And will the city attorney please read the code of conduct statement?

6:57Good morning.

6:58Welcome to the Portland City Council.

7:00To testify before council in person or virtually, you must sign up in advance on the council agenda at www.portland.gov/council/agenda.

7:10Information on engaging with council can be found on the council clerk's webpage.

7:15Individuals may testify for 3 minutes unless the presiding officer states otherwise.

7:19Your microphone will be muted when your time is over.

7:22The presiding officer preserves order.

7:24Disruptive conduct such as shouting, refusing to conclude your testimony when your time is up, or interrupting other— others' testimony or council deliberations will not be allowed.

7:35If you cause a disruption, a warning will be given.

7:38Further disruption will result in ejection from the meeting.

7:41Anyone who fails to leave once ejected is subject to arrest for trespass.

7:45Additionally, council may take a short recess and reconvene virtually.

7:49Your testimony should address the matter being considered.

7:52When testifying, state your name for the record.

7:54Your address is not necessary.

7:56If you're a lobbyist, identify the organization you represent.

7:59Virtual testifiers should unmute themselves when the council clerk calls your name.

8:03Thank you.

8:05Thank you very much.

8:06Colleagues, our first item is agenda approval.

8:09Are— is there any, uh, request to amend the agenda or change in any way?

8:14I do not see anybody getting excited to change the agenda.

8:18Uh, so do I have unanimous consent to approve the agenda?

8:21I see some nods.

8:22The agenda is approved.

8:28Keelan, can we please call item number 2, public communications?

8:34Item number 2, public communications.

8:37First up, we have David Pearl.

8:43Welcome.

8:44Please, uh, make sure to introduce yourself for the record, and time is yours.

8:51Name for the record, David Pearl, District 1.

8:55What we are witnessing is the Stanford Prison Experiment playing out in real time against our people, providing no accountability or consequence to those with no moral compass and a desire for sadism.

9:06ICE is shooting our people in broad daylight, brutalizing, gassing, and maiming protesters, abducting people from their homes and vehicles, ripping children out of schools, and sending our family and neighbors to foreign detention camps with no due process, whose conditions are so egregious, inhumane seems like a compliment.

9:24Councilmember Herbold.

9:26And yet our mayor and city council continue to treat this as business as usual, providing Susan Collins-esque statements of being deeply concerned.

9:34Instead of fighting for your community, you have devoted more time to bickering and quarreling over who will be the leader of your chamber.

9:41Ironic, as not a single fucking one of you has actually shown what it takes to lead.

9:46I do not give a fuck what your title is.

9:48I do not care what your salary is.

9:49Order, could you please?

9:50Yeah.

9:51We are broadcasting.

9:52We have language requirements.

9:54Please keep it professional to the extent possible.

9:57Thank you.

9:58What I care about is your ability to stand and safeguard your constituents' rights, liberties, and well-beings in a time of crisis.

10:05I was arrested by ICE back in June, and not a single agent of any of the 7 reports was even from Oregon.

10:12The reality is there is a very good chance that Jonathan Ross and the other murderers masquerading as ICE were in our city— sorry, were in our state not too long ago to properly learn how to cull dissent.

10:24Let it be known that this is blood on the hands of anyone in a position of power that has refused to actively listen to the warnings and cries of its constituents.

10:32Revoking the ICE permit should be without question a priority, but our Mayor Keith Wilson needs to step up, have town halls, and start showing that he has the necessary resolve to fight this regime.

10:44Renee Goode and Alex Preddy's murders cannot just be a statistic.

10:47Their deaths cannot just be a tragedy.

10:49This needs to be a call to action to actually step up and fight for your people.

10:53Thank you.

11:00Next up, we have Mark Porras, Portland Cop Watch.

11:04Good morning.

11:05Can you hear me?

11:06Yeah, go ahead.

11:07Fantastic.

11:08Good morning, Council.

11:09My name is Mark Porras.

11:10I use he/him pronouns, and I'm a member of the group Portland Cop Watch.

11:13Since 1992, Portland Cop Watch has been working towards a police bureau that's free of brutality, corruption, and racism.

11:19As we are part of a peace group, we believe that when there are interactions with police, everyone should be able to go home safe at night, civilians and police officers.

11:26That's what we wished for the 2 officers who were shot and wounded last week, and for the suspect who PPB took into custody on Monday.

11:33I'm here to follow up on a letter we sent a couple weeks ago to Mayor Wilson, the 5 members of the Community and Public Safety Committee, and the Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policing.

11:41The gist of our letter was that we learned from Assistant Chief Hughes at the last Community and Public Safety Committee meeting that bargaining between the city and PPA began on January 12th.

11:49Thank you.

11:49As far as we know, there has been no community engagement around these negotiations.

11:54We attached a copy of a January 2020 Bureau of Human Resources report summarizing public input the city received at 2 listening sessions, one in November and one in December of 2019.

12:04Each of the listening sessions was attended by 75 to 100 people, and the community input was then presumably used to inform PPA contract negotiations.

12:12We pointed out that the director of independent police review is stepping down, and his last day was on Friday, January 16th.

12:18Thank you.

12:18We stated that the new Community Board for Police Accountability, CBPA, is not yet meeting, and the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability, OCPA, does not yet have a director since that person is going to be hired by the community members who make up the CBPA.

12:32Since the last PPA contract was fully bargained, the PPA attempted to put forth a ballot measure that would have stripped the vast majority of power from the Community-Based Police Accountability system.

12:40Their effort failed because the language they proposed for the ballot measure was extremely misleading.

12:44Thank you.

12:45When a judge ruled that they needed to change the language, the PPA abandoned their effort.

12:50This afternoon, you'll have a work session with the folks from the OIR group who recently submitted their 9th report on officer-involved shootings and critical incidents.

12:57The report covers incidents from 2019 to 2022, but leaves out 2 shooting deaths of men who were in mental health crisis, Robert Delgado and Michael Townsend.

13:06For the first time in 15 years, the city refused to provide cases to OIR that were still being litigated.

13:11This is maddening, and OIR made that clear in their report.

13:15To tie this back to PPA contract negotiations, recommendation number 8 in the OIR group's 2012 report was that the city should work with PPA and PPCOA to remove the 48-hour rule restriction on interviewing involved officers in shootings and in-custody deaths.

13:29We hope that at least some of you have read the 2020 BHR report.

13:33If the city is not planning on providing ample opportunity for the community to share their thoughts on how they want to be policed, In order to inform PPA contract negotiations, please at least consider this suggestion from us.

13:44Please implement the OIR group's 14-year-old recommendation and help the Bureau become the learning institution that it claims to be by ensuring that it has the most timely and important information it can get from officers in order to avoid future loss of life, their perceptions of what happened as soon as possible after using deadly force.

14:0248 Hours is too late.

14:03Thanks.

14:04Thank you.

14:06Thank you, Mark.

14:08Next up, we have John Hollister.

14:32My name is John Hollister, and I'm from District 4.

14:40Um, so the couple things I want to comment on is first the, um, the breakup of the Peacock Caucus and, and what that means to me.

14:57The, um, what it means to me is that, and I'm very happy about it, that you all agree to no longer have secret illegal meetings.

15:05Um, and Mitch, you may agree to not be any secret illegal meetings going forward, but the fact that you're part of DSA and everything I've read about that, they control your messaging.

15:19Um, A few things that I'm waiting for is there was a vacation, a trip with wives to Vienna, and $47,000 was spent.

15:36And I've seen no report.

15:37I've seen nothing written of the findings of that.

15:42But what I did is I did a Google search for free and found out that the key element that makes the Vienna social housing, which I'm now an absolute proponent for, What makes it successful is they have 2.5 times the police per capita that Portland does.

16:00So when I'm hearing you say you're pro-social housing, I'm hearing you are pro-police, and that makes me excited.

16:11And yet the— you've reduced— you voted to reduce the police force.

16:18The— before the 2022 cuts, The 911 response time was under 7 minutes.

16:26Today it is over 20 minutes.

16:29When I'm having my worst day in my life, I want to have, I want to have quick response, and that does not provide quick response.

16:36We simply do not have a large enough safety, large enough safety officers.

16:45One thing that I also noted on Was your comment about Big Pink that when it sold for 10 cents on the dollar?

16:55Here's something I saw.

16:56Dunphy, it also potentially makes us less attractive to new development because these moneyed interests who would buy new, who would build, are instead just going to buy old.

17:11I think the sale of Big Pink at such a discount relative to its previous valuation is a really good thing.

17:17I'm not sure what type of economist would think that.

17:22And Mr. Zimmerman, I just want you to know that I'm running a pro-District 4 campaign and for all of you.

17:32And it is a Mitch Green out program.

17:37Thank you very much.

17:42Next up, we have Sage Joyce.

17:54Good morning.

17:55Thanks for being here.

18:01My name is Sage Joyce.

18:03On January 3rd, 2026, ICE murdered Geraldo Lunos Campos at a detention camp in Texas and lied that it was suicide.

18:10On January 7th, 2026, ICE shot and killed Renee Goode in Minneapolis and lied that it was self-defense.

18:17On January 8th, 2026, CBP shot Luis David Nino Moncado and Yorelenis Betzabet Sombrano Contreras here in Portland, claiming self-defense.

18:26On January 14th, 2026, Victor Manuel Diaz died at Camp East Montana with ICE claiming suicide.

18:33On January 20th, 2026, ICE agents in Minneapolis detained 5-year-old preschooler Liam Conejo Ramos.

18:40He is currently being held at the inhumane daily detention facility in Texas.

18:44On January 22nd, 2026, ICE agents in Minneapolis detained 2-year-old, 2-year-old Chloe Renata Tipan Vilacis and flew her out of state.

18:52On January 24th, 2026, CBP shot and killed Alex Pretty in Minneapolis and lied that he was armed.

18:59These inhumane acts just in the first 4 weeks of 2026 are not even almost the beginning of ICE's atrocities.

19:05And if you think that ICE will not kill people and detain children in Portland, you are a fool.

19:09Thank you.

19:10I am an early childhood educator here in Portland, and I have taken unpaid time off work this morning to urge you to pursue the legal avenues that have been presented to you time and time again by your constituents, the people whose constitutional rights you have sworn under oath to protect, to revoke the conditional use permit for the McAdam ICE facility.

19:28Yesterday's letter from Councilor Green and Councilor Murillo urging the mayor to enforce detention facility impact code is a step in the right direction, and I am grateful.

19:36Having said that, it is not enough.

19:37ICE's use of chemical weaponry in Portland is a symptom of a much larger problem, which is that there is a federal agency authorized to use full force to kidnap as many people as they can get away with, to kill, shoot, mace, gas as many people as it takes to scare the community into silence, to lie, deflect, wrongfully accuse as much as they can in an attempt to justify their inhumanity.

19:58ICE doesn't care about the laws.

19:59ICE doesn't care how many people they have to kill.

20:01They have military weapons and a fascist administration defending them and encouraging them.

20:05In the so-called sanctuary state of Oregon, they operate out of their home base in Portland Our city is under attack, and it will take more than fines to protect it.

20:16Portland City Council failed its constituents and the entire state of Oregon in 2011, and today the violence that ICE is carrying out in Portland constitutes an emergency, but you, City Council, are failing us once again.

20:25You should be combing through every piece of city code, calling every contact you have, pulling every string you can get your hands on to get ICE out of Portland.

20:32You should be pounding on Permitting and Development's door demanding the commencement of the reconsideration process.

20:37You should be storming into the mayor's office demanding that he collaborate with City Council to pass emergency legislation to stop ICE from building a new facility in Woodlawn.

20:39Councilwoman Johnson.

20:41Legislation shutting down the facility.

20:43You have power.

20:44Your hands are not tied.

20:45It is your job to protect the city of Portland.

20:47Your hands are not tied.

20:49You are cowards.

20:50You are afraid to stand up to ICE.

20:51You are afraid to stand up to your community.

20:52But the people of Portland are not too afraid to act.

20:54We are the ones in the streets.

20:55We are the ones getting tear gassed on the weekends and showing up to work on Monday.

20:58We are not too afraid to fight for our neighbors, to fight for your constituents.

21:02We will get ICE out of Portland.

21:03We will not rest until the McAdam ICE facility is shut down, and neither should you.

21:07How much Portland blood has to be on your hands?

21:11Thank you for being here this morning.

21:16Next up, we have Deborah Heyman.

21:25Good morning.

21:26Thank you for being here.

21:29Good morning, councilors.

21:30My name is Deborah Heyman, and I'm a resident of District 1.

21:33I'm here today because I and many others have repeatedly reached out to each of you regarding our serious concerns about the McAdam Ice Most of you have not responded, and those who have allege that you have no authority to influence a process already underway with the Portland Permitting and Development Department and the city administrator.

21:51That response is troubling.

21:52You are treating this as if it is a private business matter.

21:55It is not.

21:56When a facility operates through city permits, relies on city infrastructure, and causes documented harm to residents, it becomes a public safety issue.

22:05Thank you.

22:05PP&D and the city administrator are not elected officials.

22:09There is no clear way for community members to contact them, no transparency around timelines, and no opportunity for public accountability.

22:18You are the elected representatives of the people of Portland.

22:21It is your responsibility to ensure that our voices are heard within city government and to provide clear, timely information about matters that directly affect our safety.

22:30Creating a page on the city website does not count as effective action.

22:34Thank you.

22:34The McAdam ICE facility presents a clear and ongoing danger to our community.

22:39This has become even more evident since federal agents shot 2 Portlanders earlier this month, and since we've seen ICE's escalation of violent tactics in Minneapolis over the past few weeks.

22:49Federal agents at the McAdam ICE facility have consistently violated the 12-hour detainment limit legally set by this body.

22:57ICE officers have assaulted people peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights.

23:01And federal agents have repeatedly deployed tear gas, poisoning nearby residents, especially those living in the Grays Landing affordable housing complex.

23:10Portland City Charter, Chapter 2, Article 1, Section 2-105, which outlines this council's specific powers, explicitly grants the council police, safety, and regulatory powers.

23:22These include the authority to protect public health and safety, regulate buildings and land use, prevent and abate nuisances, Keep public spaces safe, and regulate dangerous materials and activities that pose risk to residents.

23:35According to the council's own governing document, addressing the dangers posed by the McAdam Ice Facility is not outside of your authority.

23:43It is squarely within your responsibility.

23:46I am asking you to stop deflecting responsibility to unelected departments and to act as the representatives you were elected to be.

23:54Use your authority to demand transparency and timely and effective action.

23:58Thank you.

23:58Do your duty to intervene to protect the health, safety, and civil rights of your constituents.

24:04This is urgent.

24:05Thank you.

24:09Thank you for being here this morning.

24:11That completes communications.

24:13Thank you.

24:16Colleagues, item 3 on our agenda is committee referral report.

24:20For colleagues and for folks watching at home, my office has referred several items to committees this last week.

24:25They are listed on our agenda on there.

24:27Some of these items have already been heard.

24:29Those items are listed in the committee referral report, which is available online, portland.gov/auditor/council-clerk/committee-referral-list.

24:42Can we please move to the first, uh, to item 4, the time-certain item?

24:46Are we at time for that?

24:48Yeah.

24:48Okay, great.

24:49Uh, item 4, 2025 Steve Lowenstein Trust Award.

24:55Colleagues, this morning we're welcoming representatives from the Steve Lowenstein Trust to present their annual award for distinguished service to those in the community most in need.

25:04Here to present the award are Joe Herzberg, board president, and Margie Harris.

25:09Margie or Margie?

25:10Margie.

25:11Cool.

25:11Margie Harris, board member of the trust.

25:14Joe, Margie, welcome.

25:15And oh, I'm sorry, there's a third person whose name I did not call.

25:18I apologize.

25:20Welcome.

25:20Please introduce yourselves.

25:22Hi, I'm Joe Hertzberg.

25:26Lainie Tepper.

25:27Margie Harris.

25:28Thank you.

25:30And this is the 34th time that we've presented the Steve Lowenstein Award at a meeting of the Portland City Council.

25:38I hope that you come to see this as past councils have, as an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of Portland and affirm the true riches of our city.

25:49Um, could we have the first slide?

25:55Okay, I'm gonna, uh, just take a minute to talk about Steve Lowenstein because I don't think any of you knew him personally.

26:03Maybe Steve.

26:04Um, Steve packed a remarkable career into 52 years on the planet.

26:12He helped create the Peace Corps, worked with the Ford Foundation in Ethiopia and Chile, He was the father of legal services in Oregon, founding both the Oregon Law Center and the Oregon Law Foundation.

26:26He wrote the definitive history of Jews in Portland—.

26:30In Oregon.

26:32But we're here because he spent 6 years in Portland City Hall as Mike Lindberg's chief of staff.

26:39He was universally liked and respected because he was trusted as a straight shooter, A consensus builder and a passionate champion of social justice.

26:49Next slide.

26:53When Steve died, he endowed a trust fund to annually recognize, in his words, that person who demonstrated the greatest contribution to assisting the poor and underprivileged in the city of Portland.

27:06This year, Laney joins a distinguished group of local treasures, many of them unsung.

27:12Thank you.

27:13It's been an honor and a privilege to give them just a bit of the recognition they deserve.

27:18You certainly recognize some of the names on this list, but you might not have at the time that they received the award.

27:26And just an interesting little footnote, our 2022 honoree, Eric Knox, is featured on the front page of the Oregonian this morning.

27:38Selecting the honoree is the most humbling and rewarding thing I do all year, along with my fellow trustees.

27:45Uh, Jamal Folsom and Destiny Magaña-Pablo are here today.

27:51Other trustees are Art Alexander, Monica Geraki, Michelle Harper, Paul Kelly, Mark Jolin, Adrian Livingston, Shelley Romero, and Charlie Williamson.

28:04Adrian and Mark are past recipients of the award.

28:08Could we get the last slide?

28:10Just want to put our web address and CLEAR Clinic's web address on there for a moment.

28:19And Margie Harris will introduce Lainie Tupper, the recipient of the Steve Lowenstein Award for 2025.

28:26Thank you, Joe.

28:27Thank you to the council for hosting us this morning.

28:30It is a tradition that we are here to present this award.

28:33And this, as Joe said, is the 34th award.

28:38I am also a member of the board.

28:41I think Steve wanted his friends to continue meeting and serving in this capacity.

28:47I'm pleased to introduce and to honor Lainey Tupper, director of the CLEAR Clinic.

28:55And following my brief remarks, Lainey will make her own.

28:58And share more about the clinic.

29:01Prior to this time, we presented Laney with a $10,000 honorarium, which is part of the recognition through the trust.

29:11Laney, as an immigration attorney, you have chosen to use the law as a tool to obtain social and racial justice for others.

29:22You and your staff and the volunteers of Clear Clinic, many of whom are here today, recognize the inherent inequities and barriers of our legal system, and you work tirelessly to relieve people of their legal burdens, to right historic wrongs, and to facilitate change for the better.

29:45Founded in 2020, Clear Clinic is a nonprofit collective of legal workers and every day provides legal services to people who need them the most.

29:56And who otherwise would not be able to access or afford them.

30:01This legal assistance gives second chances to our most vulnerable Oregonians and extends a lifetime—a lifeline—to them that helps to protect, defend, and enable all members of our communities to live safer, more stable, and full lives.

30:21Clear Clinic protects the legal rights of tenants, provides services to the LGBTQ community, and importantly focuses also on our immigrant neighbors.

30:35I feel like the stage was set for that in the prior comments today.

30:41As Lainey has said to me, Clear Clinic is focused on protection and It's not just, Laney, your ability to envision what needs to be done.

30:53It's also your ability to actually do what needs to be done.

30:59I think of you as a person who is compelled and propelled to do good for others.

31:05Your nature is humble and your advocacy is tenacious and fearless.

31:12One person identified you as the spiritual center of Clear Clinic.

31:18I think that is because this— of the shared views people have of your generosity, your commitment, and your tireless work on behalf of those who are most vulnerable.

31:33You are a person of true character and integrity, a beacon for those who need it the most.

31:40That is how you are made, and that is how you operate in the world.

31:45I want to thank you on behalf of the Lowenstein Trust, and we hope that our support, which is small in comparison, helps you to continue the work that you do every day.

32:00Thank you so much, Margie.

32:02That was really overly kind, and I appreciate it so much.

32:06You can rest assured that the honorarium will go straight back to assisting our clients and the residents of Portland in relieving some of the legal barriers that you mentioned.

32:18Good morning, councilors and friends.

32:21On behalf of the entire team at the CLEAR Clinic, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the trustees of the Lowenstein Trust and to City Council for this honor and for hosting us today.

32:35We founded the CLEAR Clinic in 2020 as a scrappy, all-volunteer crew out of Portland Community College.

32:43Would folks from the CLEAR Clinic raise your hand?

32:53Many of us, myself included, started as volunteers, and many of the people you see today have been with us since our very beginning in 2020.

33:03We began with a simple but radical premise that every single member of our community has inherent value.

33:11And we believe that no one deserves to be held back by legal barriers or by the cycles of instability created by criminal records, eviction histories, and the complex immigration system that prevents our neighbors from participating fully in our community.

33:27Our work feels especially relevant to today's City Council meeting given, as Margie mentioned, the ongoing pressure to protect our, our Portland residents from ICE and from ICE enforcement actions, brutal ICE enforcement actions, and the continued discussion of slowing the inflow into homelessness, which I'm also on deck to testify about later.

33:59Although I didn't have the pleasure of meeting him, I understand that Steve Lowenstein believed that the law should be a tool for the many, not just for the few.

34:08Thank you.

34:09At CLEAR, we share that belief, and we therefore prioritize keeping our legal assistance free and open access as a meaningful form of community care.

34:20Uh, two— incidentally, two of our main, uh, grants that allowed us to move from an all-volunteer crew to what we are now, which is a staff of 30 legal workers, uh, came from the City of Portland, from the cannabis tax funds and from the Portland Housing Bureau, ARPA, and now rental registry funds.

34:40Whether we at the CLEAR Clinic are clearing a criminal record, preventing an eviction, or protecting our community from deportation, deportation and ICE detention, we aren't just filing paperwork or appearing in court.

34:54We're restoring dignity and strengthening our whole community.

34:59We believe that our work now is more critical than ever.

35:03In recent months, we've seen our mission impeded by cruel federal policies and enforcement actions that seek to dehumanize our neighbors.

35:13But they have fundamentally misunderstood the strength of this community and the depth of our resolve.

35:20This award goes to our staff, like I mentioned, of over 30 legal workers who are deeply dedicated to showing our community that they are priceless and cherished.

35:32This is also for the thousands of clients who trust us with their stories.

35:38As we look toward the challenges of 2026, we do so with a determination to continue tearing down the legal barriers created by oppressive systems, including our legal system.

35:50We are reminded again and again that to build a strong community, we need each member to be able to shine.

35:57Thank you.

35:59Our legal work aims to help achieve that goal, and we are honored to be here in community with all of you.

36:06Thank you for believing in our work and for helping us carry Steve Lowenstein's legacy forward.

36:13Thank you so much for being here this morning and all the incredible contributions you are leading in our community.

36:18We need it, and I'm so glad that we're able to recognize you right now.

36:22Vice President Clark.

36:24Thank you.

36:24Council President, I just want to say congratulations to you and appreciation to the board members that are here very much.

36:31Um, thank you so much for your determination.

36:33Thanks for everybody for showing up today.

36:35It couldn't have been better timed, and I really appreciate what you do.

36:39It's vital right now, and your determination is so important to us.

36:43So thank you so much for being here.

36:45Thank you.

37:11We have traditionally offered a picture to be taken by the— for the council and others.

37:18If you're interested in that, we can take a few minutes.

37:21Otherwise, those who are here who are part of the representatives from Clear Clinic will simply assemble outside and we'll take a photo there.

37:29Yeah, we're going to take a 3-minute recess, come out here and take a photo.

37:34Okay.

37:34Thank you.

37:35We'll take a picture.

37:36Oh yeah, let's go out in the— Yeah.

37:37Okay, great.

37:38Fabulous.

37:39Back in 3.

43:32And we are back.

43:34Welcome back.

43:34Thank you, everybody, for that quick break.

43:39Welcome.

43:40Keelan, can we please move to the consent agenda?

43:43Is there anything on the consent agenda that has been pulled?

43:46No, nothing.

43:47Nothing's been pulled.

43:48Okay.

43:49Colleagues, do I have unanimous consent to adopt the consent agenda?

43:53Oh, oh, sorry, Council President.

43:54We will need to do a roll call vote for consent agenda.

43:57Oh, great.

43:57Yep.

43:59Okay, let me pull it up here.

44:03Aye.

44:04Smith?

44:05Aye.

44:06Kanal?

44:07Aye.

44:07Pirtle-Guiney?

44:08Aye.

44:09Ryan?

44:11Aye.

44:13Koyama Lane?

44:14Aye.

44:15Murillo?

44:18Aye.

44:20Novick?

44:21Aye.

44:22Clark?

44:22Aye.

44:23Green?

44:24Aye.

44:24Zimmerman?

44:28Consent.

44:32Aye.

44:33The consent agenda is approved with 11 yes votes and 1 absent.

44:38Can you please read item number 7?

44:44Exempt certain code requirements under City Code Chapter 17.93, Renaming City Streets, for the proposed renaming of a portion of Southwest Jackson Thank you, colleagues.

44:59This is the first reading of an ordinance.

45:01We have Claire Adamsick with Council Operations to give us a report of the bill that came out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

45:10Claire, please take it away.

45:12Council President and councilors, for the record, Claire Adamsick, Council Policy Analyst and staff to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

45:18The ordinance before you Document number 2026-008 was heard in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on January 12th, where it was referred to full council with a recommendation to pass.

45:30The ordinance waives 3 requirements in City Code Chapter 17.93, which is renaming city streets, as a component of the process to rename a portion of Southwest Jackson Street to Southwest Rose Hill Street.

45:42The ordinance would exempt the current street renaming proposal from Portland State University from the following code requirements.

45:50And there's 3 that I'll read.

45:52Subsection 17.93.010.a, which requires that the person after which the street will be renamed has been deceased for at least 5 years.

46:01Subsection 17.93.020, which requires that the name of any street must be the same for its entire length and does not permit renaming only a portion of the street.

46:12And finally, subsection 17.93.060, Which requires that an existing and newly proposed street name— a street name sign be posted for 5 years.

46:23Sorry, the existing and the newly proposed street name sign be posted for 5 years following the approval of the street renaming.

46:29The full impact statement on this item includes information on financial and budgetary impacts, as well as community impacts and community involvement.

46:36At the committee meeting, no one provided verbal testimony, and one person provided written testimony on this item prior to the committee action.

46:43Councilmember Herbold.

46:44I'll also note that 6 community members were invited to provide verbal testimony at the committee meeting on January 12th.

46:50The general themes of the testimony included acknowledging the harms and trauma caused by Andrew Jackson, after whom the street in discussion is currently named, an opportunity for community healing by honoring the contributions and legacy of Etowah Rose Hill, a member of the Indigenous community and Portland State University community, and concern regarding renaming the non-continuous portion of Southwest Jackson Street below 6th Avenue Thank you, Claire.

47:20Vice President Clark, you were— this came out of your committee.

47:23Anything to report?

47:25Thank you, Council President.

47:26I would just like to add that in addition to what Claire has offered about the technical side of this, this was a very moving day in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where we were actually able to do something that seems small but very meaningful, This is really only 3 blocks that we're changing the name of, and it was really the Native community that requested the name change.

47:51I want to also compliment PBOT at this point because they've had a temporary pause on processing street renaming because of resource constraints.

48:02But given the unique circumstances of PSU street naming and the tremendous community support which we saw evidenced As I discussed in our committee meeting, the former council had directed staff to process PSU's application, and it's a long, arduous process.

48:21But since then, PBOT staff have been working with PSU to help them complete the necessary steps to make this change.

48:28But it was a very moving day.

48:30It was absolutely the right thing to do, and we're very proud to be doing it.

48:34Thank you.

48:36Thank you, Vice President Clark.

48:39Um, colleagues, before we move to testimony, I want to open it to, uh, any technical or clarifying questions from councilors.

48:47I see that we have PBOT folks in the room if there's any.

48:51Seeing nobody jumping into the queue, Keelan, do we have folks signed up for public testimony?

48:59Yes, we have a couple people signed up.

49:01Let me pull it up here.

49:07First up, we have Modesta Mentone.

49:20Thank you so much for being here.

49:34Thank you.

49:35My name is Modesta Minthorn, and I am currently the executive director for tribal relations at Portland State University.

49:43Good morning, council— council folk.

49:47Um, I am here today to strongly support the renaming of Jackson Street to Rose Hill Street.

49:56Street names are more than just addresses.

49:59They are monuments we interact with every day.

50:02They tell us and our children who we honor and whose legacy we value.

50:07Currently, this street honors former President Andrew Jackson, whose administration was responsible for policies that caused immense suffering and displacement to Native communities and was also known as the Indian Killer.

50:21Continuing to honor this legacy sends message— sends a message that Indigenous pain is secondary to tradition.

50:28Conversely, Rose Hill represents the very best of our city.

50:30Councilmember Loretta Smith.

50:32As a leader in Indian education, Rose fought not for oppression of others but for the elevation of our Native students.

50:40They spent their life building bridges in Portland.

50:44Renaming this street is a small administrative change but a massive symbolic step towards healing and inclusivity.

50:51Let's align our city map— our city's map with our city's morals.

50:55I urge you to vote yes on this name change.

50:57Thank you.

50:58Thank you so much for being here.

51:05Folks, I unfortunately do need to note that we don't allow clapping in the chambers.

51:10Uh, if there are, uh, less audible versions of showing your appreciation, absolutely great.

51:14Thank you very much.

51:15Apologize.

51:17Next up, we have Anne Cudd.

51:23Welcome, President Cudd.

51:24Good morning.

51:25Good morning, councilors.

51:27My name, for the record, is Ann Cudd, and I serve as president of Portland State University.

51:33For years, students and elders have had to enter a space designed for Indigenous healing and success on a street named after Andrew Jackson, the architect of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

51:49By finalizing this change, we are not just updating a sign.

51:53We are aligning our city's physical geography with its stated values of equity and historical truth.

52:022 Of the 3 blocks we are asking to rename are located within the Portland State University campus, abutting the Native American Student and Community Center.

52:13The center, which at PSU we call the NASC for short, is a gathering space that celebrates and empowers student success through culturally relevant programming, academic support, and intergenerational community engagement.

52:29Preserving and perpetuating intertribal connection for Native American, Alaska Native, Pacific Islander students, and our allies through tradition, ceremony, and storytelling.

52:43This renaming effort has been a years-long advocacy campaign Led by Indigenous staff, community members, and students.

52:52While the city previously paused street renaming applications due to capacity constraints, the council's decision to make an exception for this 3-block section was the right one.

53:05It recognizes the unique significance of this location and the profound impact this change has had on the Indigenous community.

53:13Thank you, Mayor.

53:14Renaming Southwest Jackson Street to Southwest Rose Hill Street is an important step in making our city a place where everyone can feel that they truly belong.

53:27In tribal custom, the word Itway is used before the name of someone who has passed as a sign of respect when speaking about them.

53:36I had the honor of meeting Itway Rose Hill before she passed, And I was very impressed by her kind and strong presence.

53:45Renaming this street after Itway Rose Hill is a deeply fitting tribute.

53:51She was a cultural keeper and a former NASC student coordinator who served as a vital mentor to generations of Native students.

54:01She was a driving force behind the vision for the NASC, advocating for its creation.

54:07From the 1980s until it became a reality in 2003.

54:13Itway Rosehill's life work has been about cultivating a sense of belonging and representation in a city that sits on the traditional homelands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, and many other indigenous nations.

54:27It's exciting when our public spaces reflect the leaders who have worked to preserve and perpetuate these cultures.

54:35Lastly, I want to offer my thanks to PBOT and especially Cynthia Castro for working to ensure this renaming proceeds and receives the care and attention it deserves.

54:46Thank you, councilors, for your commitment to this historic transition.

54:50Thank you.

54:52Thank you very much.

54:54Next up, we have Xavier Stickler.

55:00Welcome, Xavier.

55:02Good morning, President Dunphy, Vice President Clark, and councilors.

55:07My name is Xavier D. Stickler, and I'm the Vice President of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, a student at Portland State, and a person of mixed race and Indigenous heritage.

55:16Today I'm representing the Downtown Neighborhood Association's enthusiastic and ecstatic support for renaming Southwest Jackson Street to Southwest Rose Hill.

55:24Presently named for President Andrew Jackson, Jackson Street in the downtown travels east from Southwest Park Avenue to 5th Avenue, Passing Portland State's Native American Student Community Center.

55:35It is the opinion of the DNA that is unacceptable and improper for our city's cornerstone space for members of the Native community to be on a street, the name of which honors a man who was instrumental in perpetuating systemic violence against First Nation people.

55:50To be memorialized in a street is a signifier of positive contribution to Portland.

55:55For President Jackson, slave owner, white supremacist, killer, This is simply not the case.

56:01For Itway Rose Hill, an educator, a guide, a creator, a champion of knowledge and community, this is emphatically the case.

56:09I can only describe the idea of replacing the name of a man with such a legacy with that of a woman who embodied love, charity, and dutiful advocacy for Native people as just, prudent, necessary, and in being in the spirit of what we hold dear as Portlanders.

56:25This segment of public right-of-way is only 3 blocks long, and renaming will affect only a few properties but will result in a tremendously positive symbolic impact to the downtown area, to PSU, to our Native neighbors.

56:38The Downtown Neighborhood Association urges City Council to approve these technical ordinances so that staff and the community may continue the work of completing the street renaming application procedure, gather signatures, and finish this process of healing.

56:51Thank you.

56:52This is a grassroots community-led effort which has the strong backing of the downtown neighborhood.

56:57By moving forward with these ordinances, you help create a place in our city that is for everyone, that honors the people who have been here since time immemorial and are still here.

57:08The Portland of tomorrow is one that elevates the voices and missions of people like Wayrose Hill, and with these votes, that tomorrow can start now.

57:17Thank you very much.

57:18Thank you for being here this morning.

57:24Next up we have Solen Herring.

57:28Good morning.

57:29Good morning.

57:30Thank you for being here.

57:30Go ahead.

57:31Thank you for having me.

57:33Honorable City Council members, my name is Solen Herring and I'm a student at St. Mary's Academy, located less than half a mile from the PSU Native Student American Student and Community Center.

57:44I have lived in Portland my entire life.

57:46Growing up, I spent time downtown with my father when he would bring me to work.

57:50Today, I travel downtown daily as a student and as a participant in World Oregon's Young Leaders in Action program, which is based downtown.

57:58Through these experiences, I have witnessed how downtown Portland has changed over time as its populations and needs have shifted.

58:05As a person commuting there daily, I experience it with a deeper understanding of both its challenges and its strengths.

58:11While downtown Portland has changed over the years, I have consistently seen how community remains the foundation that allows it to endure.

58:18Despite these changes, the one constant that has remained is the strength of community.

58:23Downtown neighborhoods, regardless of the challenges they face, are sustained and uplifted by the people who live, work, and learn there.

58:31Feeling safe and supported in one's environment is essential.

58:35Especially for students and community members who rely on these spaces every day.

58:40I'm fortunate to attend a school where I'm supported by a strong, safe community located within the Clean and Safe District.

58:47This experience has shown me how meaningful safe, intentional spaces can be and why they should be accessible to all.

58:54The PSU Native American and Student Community Center serves as an important cultural and community hub.

59:00It should Thank you.

59:05I believe that renaming Southwest Jackson Street to Southwest Rose Hill Street would be a meaningful step towards affirming that safety and strengthening the sense of community in downtown Portland.

59:15Street names carry history and symbolism, and this change would help affirm the presence— the importance of Native presence, culture, and community in downtown Portland.

59:25I respectfully submit this testimony in support of exempting certain code requirements for the proposed renaming of a portion of Southwest Jackson Street.

59:33And ask for your consideration.

59:35Thank you for your time and your service to our city.

59:38Thank you very much.

59:42That completes testimony.

59:44Thank you.

59:46Colleagues, do we have any questions, comments, concerns, or short stories?

59:50Councilor Pirtle-Guiney.

59:53No short stories.

59:54I do have a question for PBOT though.

59:57Great.

59:57Do we have PBOT folks in the room?

59:58Oh, I see a lot of them.

1:00:00Come on up.

1:00:04And while they're coming up, I will just express my gratitude for everybody who is here today to testify and everybody who's worked on this.

1:00:13This is fantastic community building and community organizing work, and I appreciate seeing this before us today.

1:00:19I'm excited to support it.

1:00:21I do have a question about street names though, and this street name in particular.

1:00:26Yes.

1:00:27As I look at the map, I see the 3 blocks in the downtown area that are Southwest Jackson, and I see 3 blocks just on the other side of I-405 that are Southwest Jackson right now.

1:00:41Is there anywhere other than those 6 blocks, the 3 we're looking at renaming and the 3 just west of 405, that are jackson street in Portland?

1:00:52And I, I'll just I'm asking this because one of the things that I love about Portland is how easy it is to wayfind here because we do have consistency in our street names.

1:01:02I understand that before us we have 3 blocks, but I am wondering if this is something where we might want to suggest that folks look more broadly if there are only 3 other blocks of a Jackson Street within the City of Portland.

1:01:17Good morning, Council President, members of council.

1:01:19For the record, I'm Anthony Butek.

1:01:21Acting City Traffic Engineer, I think the 2 segments you mentioned are the only 2.

1:01:29So the blocks on the west side of 4 or 5 that you mentioned are the only ones that would not be renamed.

1:01:36Okay.

1:01:37I look forward to supporting this today.

1:01:38And Council President and Council Vice President, Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, if it is deemed appropriate by my colleagues to have the conversation at some point in the future once we do pass that 5-year mark.

1:01:52I think that in order to both uphold our values as a city and also maintain our ease of wayfinding, we might want to revisit those other 3 blocks at some point in the future.

1:02:04Thank you.

1:02:06Thank you, Councilor Pirtle-Guiney.

1:02:07Councilor Green.

1:02:10Yeah, thanks.

1:02:10I, I echo the I just want to thank the students and the organizers who fought really hard for this.

1:02:24I want to thank the Downtown Neighborhood Association for engaging these students.

1:02:29I think not every neighborhood association does the best work they can do to bring in young people into the work, and DNA has always done that as far as I have experience.

1:02:39So just thank you for that.

1:02:39Councilmember Herbold.

1:02:41Eatway Rose Hill was, was a visionary leader, and I think this is the bare minimum we can do as a city to honor the contribution.

1:02:49So thank you, President Cudd, for coming in and supporting this.

1:02:52And colleagues, I hope we support this ordinance.

1:02:56Thanks.

1:02:57Councilor Green.

1:02:58Councilor Novick.

1:03:00I just wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to everybody responsible for this, for giving me an opportunity to vote to take Andrew Jackson's name off of something.

1:03:09When I was running for US Senate in 2008, one of my platform planks was taking Andrew Jackson off the $20 bill.

1:03:17And I still hope that we will get there someday.

1:03:19But thank you so, so much.

1:03:21And I also think it's particularly important to take Jackson's names off thing now when JD Vance has argued that Andrew Jackson's defiance of the Supreme Court And sending the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes from the southeastern United States to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears.

1:03:43Vance said that Jackson's defiance of the Supreme Court should be a model for the Trump administration in defying court orders.

1:03:51So this is a particularly appropriate time to excise Andrew Jackson's name off something.

1:03:56And I thoroughly agree with Councilor Pirtle-Guiney that we should take his name off the remainder of the street.

1:04:01And if there's some way to expedite that process, I'd be excited about that.

1:04:06But thank you so, so much.

1:04:09Thank you, Councilor Novick.

1:04:10Councilor Kanal.

1:04:11Thank you, Council President.

1:04:12Uh, thank you all for being here.

1:04:15Uh, Edway Rosehill was a cherished community leader, and today I'm proud to honor her legacy by, in a few minutes, casting a vote aye to clip the red tape holding up the process.

1:04:22I want to, um, also praise Cynthia Castro and everyone who was involved in the community engagement.

1:04:27This is an example of community engagement done right, and in the city we don't have a lot of those, so we should praise them when they come.

1:04:33Um, I also want to thank, uh, Serena Fasthorse, Sandy B. Altman— for Altman, sorry— for community leadership and advocacy.

1:04:41And, and thanks to everybody who testified for being here.

1:04:43Um, I want to particularly shout out someone— always nice to see someone from World Organs Young Leaders in Action come here and be a young leader in action.

1:04:51So that's always great too.

1:04:53And I agree with Councilor Pirtle-Guiney that we should revisit the other 3 blocks.

1:04:57It's already been said, so I won't go into super, a lot of detail about it, but Andrew Jackson was a despicable president.

1:05:03He enslaved people, he attacked indigenous people, including dozens of policies, obviously the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

1:05:09And I think at a time when we're seeing our current president committing violence against immigrants and people of color, violence against indigenous people, continuing both from the federal government and within society at a time when educational funding is being slashed and DEI work is being scrutinized, hidden, or stopped, and at a time when that current administration praises Andrew Jackson, as Councilor Novick put it, uh, this is an act of solidarity and resistance that's, that's important, uh, for Indigenous students.

1:05:31Seeing community names and culture is an important signal that you matter, um, and that we support your academic success as well as your success beyond academics as well.

1:05:40Thanks.

1:05:42Thank you.

1:05:42Councilor Kanal.

1:05:45Colleagues, seeing no one else in the queue, this is the first reading of a non-emergency ordinance.

1:05:50It will move to second reading at our next hearing.

1:05:53Thank you very much.

1:05:58Keelan, can we please read item number 8?

1:06:00Assess property for sidewalk, curb, and driveway repair for the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

1:06:07This is the second reading of a non-emergency ordinance.

1:06:10Um, is there any discussion on the item?

1:06:16Seeing none, Keelan, can you please call the roll?

1:06:25Aye.

1:06:26Aye.

1:06:30Aye.

1:06:31Aye.

1:06:32Aye.

1:06:37Aye.

1:06:41Aye.

1:06:43Aye.

1:06:45The ordinance passes with 12 yes votes.

1:06:55Thank you.

1:06:55Can we please read item number 9?

1:06:59Establish City Council's priorities for the allocation of approximately $20,700,000 in unspent rental services office funds and urge the mayor to reflect these priorities in the proposed budget.

1:07:15Thank you, Keelan.

1:07:17Colleagues, this is our continuation of our conversation that we had last Wednesday.

1:07:24We are continuing this primarily today in order to be able to hear the remainder of folks who signed up to testify and were unable to on that Wednesday evening hearing.

1:07:32Additionally, it is my hope that we will be able to get to a discussion of amendments today and that the next steps following this will be that we— this is our bite of the apple, that this is— that we are going to have to have a conversation about the ordinance that will be coming forward to allocate these dollars.

1:07:52But I'd really like this to be the Yes.

1:07:54—At the time that we are having these discussions and we do not try and relitigate it in a couple of weeks when we have to approve the funding mechanism of it.

1:08:03To that end, we also have some additional legal advice from our city attorneys about what these dollars can or cannot be used for.

1:08:12First, though, I am going to turn this over to Councilor Avalos with regard to her amendment that was introduced last week and Councilor Avalos.

1:08:22Thank you.

1:08:23So you all have in your inbox a new amendment.

1:08:28And so procedurally, we first need to— the sponsors of last week's amendment want to retract that because we're gonna replace it with the new one that I'll introduce in a moment.

1:08:39But I believe that requires unanimous consent or a vote depending on—.

1:08:44Yeah, my understanding is that to withdraw an amendment that is open It would require unanimous consent.

1:08:51Is that— I do not consent.

1:08:53Okay, then we have to move to a vote in order to withdraw the amendment that is on the table.

1:08:59Thank you.

1:09:00Yeah, and to be clear, we are re— we are taking off the amendment from last week.

1:09:05I can explain in a moment what the new amendment has and why, but we need to do that.

1:09:10We need to remove the old one in order to talk about the new one.

1:09:12Correct.

1:09:13Kind of information.

1:09:15Could we please get the information about the difference before we take that vote so that I understand what I'm voting on?

1:09:21Fair, absolutely.

1:09:23Thank you.

1:09:24Yeah, so then, all right, I'll go ahead and introduce the new one.

1:09:26Does that—.

1:09:27Sure, yeah, let's discuss it and we won't move it yet, but let's introduce it.

1:09:31Okay, and then I'm gonna pass around a hard copy of it so folks can have it in front of them if that is desired.

1:09:37All right, so as far as the new amendment goes, first I want to start by acknowledging that this process has not been simple.

1:09:47At our last meeting and again today, we are hearing extensive public testimony and community members have made it clear how much is at stake.

1:09:54That kind of engagement is democracy at work, even when it's messy.

1:09:58My co-sponsors, Council President Dunphy and Councilor Smith, and I have taken time to consider the feedback raised by colleagues and to work with staff and community partners to bring forward a revised package to the original resolution and to last week's amendment.

1:10:11Now, this amended proposal before you today is a good faith effort to respond to what we heard.

1:10:17It seeks to balance the urgent need for immediate renter supports with housing priorities raised by other council members.

1:10:23It does not include everything that I personally would choose, but it is a package that I believe we can stand behind together.

1:10:30The revised package includes rent assistance, eviction prevention, affordable housing development, and down payment assistance.

1:10:36Thank you.

1:10:37Priorities our community has consistently asked us to address.

1:10:41The proposal responds directly to concerns raised by colleagues.

1:10:44And as far as I'm concerned, compromise is not about abandoning values.

1:10:48It is about finding a path forward that allows us to act with urgency while respecting the range of priorities on this council.

1:10:55I will always, of course, fight for what East Portland needs.

1:10:57And right now that means keeping people housed and preventing displacement.

1:11:01So this amended package here reflects listening, collaboration, And a commitment to move forward rather than delay.

1:11:07I will just point out the highlights of what are changed.

1:11:11So we are going to the original Slow the Inflow resolution, and we made the changes from there.

1:11:17It felt untenable to start that negotiation from last week's package, as there were a lot of issues that people had with it.

1:11:24And so we went back and we allocated the dollars from the, Emergency housing vouchers, which was totaled $9 million, and we reallocated that in a couple of ways.

1:11:36We put $5.6 million of it towards the Broadway Corridor Affordable Housing Project and added an additional stipulation that if matching funds are not secured by the December 31st date, that the funds will be returned back into items 1 through 3, which are rent assistance for tenants, individuals experiencing homelessness, and rapid rehousing.

1:11:58Thank you.

1:11:58We also added back in funding for $1 million in gap funding for the Williams and Russell project and $1.5 million in gap funding for the SEI project.

1:12:11And then with the remaining $900,000, I distributed that— we distributed that, apologies, as we increased the $250,000 for down payment assistance to $750,000.

1:12:23So $500,000 went there.

1:12:25And then we added $400,000.

1:12:27Thank you.

1:12:27Thank you.

1:12:29To Section 4, which is about eviction, and we changed the language a little bit.

1:12:35I changed it to model a bit of how Councilor Novick's amendment was structured that we were going to discuss last week.

1:12:42And so it is now for eviction defense services administered by the Housing Bureau for eviction defense contractors and new funding for— to launch the right-to-counsel pilot.

1:12:52So I increased that from $1.5 million to $1.9 million.

1:12:58Those are the changes.

1:13:00And then I think, Councilor Smith, are you gonna add some comments on that or Courtney?

1:13:04No, I support that.

1:13:05Okay, sorry.

1:13:05Then that is the change.

1:13:07Thanks.

1:13:08Thank you, Councilor Avalos.

1:13:09And I just will—.

1:13:10Oh, I have one more thing.

1:13:11Sorry.

1:13:12One last thing.

1:13:13On the last page, because last week's amendment included the section where we combined the 2 amendments to remove the section about the revolving loan fund, described last week, uh, it's just not feasible anymore.

1:13:27And so we have to remove that.

1:13:28So instead of making it a separate amendment, we just bundled it into this new one as well.

1:13:32So that's the change on the last page.

1:13:34You'll see that strikeout.

1:13:35Thank you.

1:13:36Thank you, Councilor Avalos.

1:13:37I just— I want to reemphasize that, uh, this truly is a compromise package based on what we as the, the original sponsors heard from both public testimony and from our colleagues.

1:13:47Um, I don't love everything in this at all.

1:13:49But I am eager to get as much help into the community as quickly as possible.

1:13:53And I think the compromise at this moment is a really good thing.

1:13:57Prior to jumping into our testimony, I would like, for the purposes to make sure that folks who are testifying understand the facts that we are dealing with, we have Adrian Delgado from the City Attorney's Office who has some legal review for us so we can understand some of the specifics of what these dollars can or cannot be used for, for testing.

1:14:17So if anybody— Adrienne, I don't know if you are able to give us a very brief overview, or if colleagues have any questions prior to hearing testimony.

1:14:29Good morning.

1:14:30Adrienne Delgado, City Attorney's Office, for the record.

1:14:33I'm just going to give a very broad overview of advice that's been circulated under attorney-client privilege to all of the council members.

1:14:42So the Rental Services Office is a fee fund, is based on a fee of rental registration fees.

1:14:51So while council can expand through ordinance what the money has and what the fund has originally been used for, which was Rental Services Office, it's still restricted as its use of a fee.

1:15:02So all of those expanded uses would need findings in an ordinance.

1:15:08And so, like, reasonably related.

1:15:15And so we can work on those in a subsequent ordinance, um, you know, if this amendment passes.

1:15:23Thank you.

1:15:24Thank you.

1:15:25Uh, Councilor Novick, is your question for legal counsel?

1:15:27Uh, no.

1:15:29Okay.

1:15:29Councilor Smith, is your question for our legal counsel?

1:15:31No.

1:15:32Councilor Clark?

1:15:33No.

1:15:33Councilor Sameer Kanal?

1:15:34No.

1:15:34Okay, any questions for our legal counsel at this moment, folks?

1:15:38No?

1:15:38Okay, before I will get to the, the 3 folks in the queue, thank you, Adrian, for being here in case there are other issues that do come up.

1:15:45Um, Councilor Novick.

1:15:47Um, I, I just have some questions.

1:15:50I, I, I found last week's proposed amendment, I found the dollar figures really easy to follow, and I find this proposal harder to follow.

1:15:57So, um, with— if what I'd like you to do is sort of go through last week's proposal and ask sort of step by step how it's been changed.

1:16:06Sure.

1:16:07So the first chunk of last week's proposal was affordable housing development that added up to $7.6 million.

1:16:16Is that still the same or has that been increased or decreased?

1:16:20Same.

1:16:21Same.

1:16:22Sorry, trying to get the other document in front of me so I can follow along.

1:16:26And then the next section is rent and financial assistance, a total amount of $8.5 million.

1:16:33Has that been increased, decreased, kept the same?

1:16:39So let me rephrase this because I think the point of this new amendment is that we did not start from that last amendment.

1:16:48We went back to the original slow the inflow resolution and changed from there.

1:16:53It's hard for me to make that exact one-to-one because that's not how we approached this new one.

1:16:58But in general, we were able to— I think it went up maybe just by $500,000 because we kept the $9 million for rent assistance programs that was in the original, and we didn't touch that.

1:17:08The only thing we touched was the $9 million for the emergency housing vouchers, and that's where we added the affordable housing projects.

1:17:14And then with that extra $900,000, we just dispersed it into defense and homeownership.

1:17:19Thank you.

1:17:19Okay.

1:17:20And then, um, well, last week you had under additional tenant affordable housing supports— I'm going to ask about these individually because they're really 3 separate things.

1:17:29Uh, last week it said $1.9 million to the tenant eviction defense, and then this seems to say it's changing $1.5 to $1.2 million, and this seems to say it's changing $1.5 to $1.9.

1:17:43Quite the same.

1:17:44How did we get from I actually like the idea of raising it to $1.9 million, but I just want to make sure that that is what we're talking about, an increase from last week of $1.2 million.

1:17:53Oh, okay.

1:17:54Now I figure I get it.

1:17:55Originally you started at $1.5 million, then you went down to $1.2 million, now you're going up to $1.9 million.

1:17:59And then the other difference is that originally it was $1.5 million just for the right-to-counsel pilots, but we added the $400,000 and then we made it both eviction defense contractors so that they have flexibility to offer it to common law, to Oregon Law Center, But also that they will still have money to do the pilot.

1:18:15Okay.

1:18:16Yeah.

1:18:17Um, and then, um, is, is the $1.4 million for affordable housing portfolio stabilization tactics still there, or has that been altered in some way?

1:18:26That's still there.

1:18:27That's still there.

1:18:28And it's still $1 million to down payment assistance loan programs?

1:18:33No.

1:18:33No.

1:18:34Oh, that's— okay.

1:18:34$750,000.

1:18:36$750,000.

1:18:37Yeah, because in the original it was $250,000, and so we added $500,000 to it and made it Okay.

1:18:43Well, we took money off from the $1 million.

1:18:47We took $250,000 off last week's amendment, and that's where that extra money came from.

1:18:53Okay.

1:18:55I have to say I'm still a little numerically confused because what I see is a $7.6 million that stays the same, an $8.5 million that goes up to $9 million, a $1.2 million that goes up to $1.9 million, And a $1 million that goes down to $750,000.

1:19:13So it looks to me, I mean, just looking at last week's document, that we've had like $1 million in increases and $250,000 in decreases.

1:19:25I think the biggest difference is that the original Slothian Flow didn't have any of these development projects.

1:19:31And so, and then the emergency housing voucher money that was going to go to Home Forward, that $9 million was, you know, a point of contention.

1:19:40And so we started from that pot to be able to fill back in some of the projects that we felt were, you know, we wanted to prioritize as well as, you know, once we got those projects down, like I said, there was this extra $900,000 and then we just put it into down payment and to eviction.

1:19:55So then everything else stayed the same.

1:19:57Okay, thank you.

1:20:00Thank you, Councilor Novick.

1:20:01And colleagues, we hopefully just this moment right now, we can do some more clarifying questions, but not statements because we do have still over 40 people to testify.

1:20:11Testify.

1:20:11So, um, Councilor Smith.

1:20:13Thank you.

1:20:13And I just wanted to follow back up.

1:20:16This was a, um, an amendment with— sponsored by the District 1 councilors.

1:20:22And what we thought was that this resolution urges the mayor to allocate approximately $20.7 million in available funds from the rental services offices.

1:20:34And this resolution includes an amendment added by the District 1 councilors.

1:20:39And so for me, this joint resolution is something that we wanted, that our constituents asked us for in District 1.

1:20:47And we understand why we didn't have any specific projects for District 1 for development, but we understand that affordable housing is very much needed not only in District 2 and District 3, but it is also needed Um, really badly in District 1.

1:21:07So for me, the slow— the inflow for homelessness, the struggle is real for a lot of folks.

1:21:15And we hope that collectively the resolution and amendment emphasizes upstream evidence-based investments designed to prevent displacement, stabilize renters, and respond to the scale of housing instability That everyone is facing here in Portland, particularly amid ongoing uncertainty around the federal funding.

1:21:38So Council President Dunphy and Councilor Avalos, we will continue to stand together on this last amendment, hearing those voices from the community last week and hearing from the voices of our colleagues.

1:21:54Thank you.

1:21:55We urge you to support this after this testimony is given because it is— it needs to be urgently put out onto the streets so that people can— who are facing eviction right now, that those folks are able to get funding that they need to stay in their homes.

1:22:13Thank you.

1:22:14Thank you, Councilor Smith.

1:22:15Councilor Clark?

1:22:16Vice President Clark?

1:22:17Thank you, Councilor President.

1:22:19Just 2 quick questions.

1:22:22This doesn't have anything going into the general fund, is that right?

1:22:25No, it doesn't.

1:22:26And was that— was taken out?

1:22:30Correct.

1:22:31Okay.

1:22:32And can I ask a question about 5B, this language that makes this appropriation contingent on state action?

1:22:41What's the thinking there?

1:22:43So when we talked with Prosper about what they needed for the Broadway corridor, One, it couldn't just be any amount.

1:22:50It had to be specifically $5.6 million because we were negotiating whether we could give them $1 million or $2 million.

1:22:56But without the $5.6 million, they can't use that as leverage to ask for the other $6 million that they are trying to ask the governor for, and also to access the revolving loan fund at the state to complete the rest of the amount of the gap, right?

1:23:10Because it's like $20-some million is the gap.

1:23:13And so the $5 million plus the $6 million Plus whatever else from revolving loan funds.

1:23:16So, but understanding that, you know, the state is broke and we're not really sure, uh, if that, uh, is going to come through, right, if the governor is going to keep that, um, part of the deal.

1:23:29And so we wanted to make sure that this wasn't just going to sit in a pot doing nothing if that deal doesn't come through.

1:23:35So we put it a contingency of the end of this year, and then if it does not go through, then it goes back into the first 3 pots, which are rental assistance those different 3, um, the rental assistance in those 3 categories for numbers 1 through 3.

1:23:48Okay, thank you.

1:23:52Councilor Green.

1:23:54Yeah, I want to move to testimony, so I'll just ask my questions and the sponsors can, um, think about it during testimony and then maybe be prepared to answer the question when we get into discussion.

1:24:04But, um, I'd like to know more about specifically which parcel at the Broadway Corridor is is proposing to be funded on this, what are the AMI levels, who's it for, those sorts of things.

1:24:16Some information about the capital stack, because I don't know any of that.

1:24:19So, and this is a lot of money.

1:24:21So I would like, if y'all could provide that information when we get into discussion, that'd be really helpful.

1:24:25Thanks.

1:24:25Point of order.

1:24:26Council President, excuse me.

1:24:32Cornell Wesley, the head of Prosper Portland, sent you an email this morning, and it It identifies where, where the monies are.

1:24:39So if you look at your email, um, that might help you out a little bit better.

1:24:45I don't see that.

1:24:46I did not receive an email from Cornell Wesley, but if you could forward that to me, that would help me out.

1:24:52Perfect.

1:24:53Thank you, Councilor Green.

1:24:55Councilor Ryan.

1:24:57Yes, thank you, Council President.

1:24:59Um, I just have a basic question, first of all, for the Chair Avalos of the Housing Committee.

1:25:05Who was this compromised with?

1:25:09This was a combination of public testimony that we heard, y'all's ideas, like $5.6 million for Broadway is definitely not my idea, you know, changing the eviction language so it could be more inclusive of how Steve Novick entered it.

1:25:25So it's a combination of all those things, wanting to make sure that District 2 got gap funding for their projects.

1:25:31Of Williams and SEI.

1:25:33So this was a combination of the voices that we heard.

1:25:38Okay, and so I see that some of the ideas from last week, Novick's legal amendment, I'm glad that we're actually back in our wheelhouse, which is building.

1:25:51So I'm very supportive of what's going on with the parcel down in Northeast, down in the Broadway corridor.

1:25:59And of course, down payment assistance is also in our wheelhouse to build generational wealth.

1:26:03I do have a question, but there was no compromise with the mayor's office on the request for general fund?

1:26:10We did not give him the general fund, but we did keep all of the money he asked for, for the shelter, people moving out of shelter.

1:26:19Yeah, so that is the mayor's piece, but no, not to the general fund.

1:26:23And part of that is because of the guidance that we got from the lawyer around the general fund.

1:26:27In point of order, um, what was that guidance?

1:26:30Maybe that should be— it was out on the public record at the last meeting and I don't recall.

1:26:38Sorry, Councilor, I missed your question.

1:26:39Say it again.

1:26:40The legal advice that you said you listened to about the general fund?

1:26:45Our city attorneys coming up to the dais to— I haven't heard anything about that, so in this meeting, of course, I want to ask that question.

1:26:52I assume others Might not know either.

1:26:55Thank you.

1:26:55And it's in your inbox as well, correct?

1:26:57We sent a memo.

1:26:58Yes, I sent you a memo, um, yesterday, uh, yesterday, Councilor Ryan, and I can resend it to you with detailed analysis.

1:27:08I'll find it.

1:27:09Uh, I've had some technical issues.

1:27:11I will, I will go back and look at it.

1:27:13And you're, you're the attorney for the Housing Bureau, correct?

1:27:16Right, correct.

1:27:17Um, for the record, Adrian Delgado is the Attorney for the Housing Bureau.

1:27:22Um, so are you seeking an answer just for clarification right now on general fund limitations?

1:27:27Made a point that it sounded like it suggested that the reason there's no general fund is because of some legal advice, so I just want to connect those dots based on what I thought I just heard.

1:27:38Yeah, absolutely.

1:27:39Um, it's the reason the money can't go into the general fund is because the rental Registration is a fee, and there are legal limitations on the use of a fee.

1:27:49It needs to be used in a way if it goes if we impose a fee as a city and it's used for general purposes that are unrelated to the purpose of the fee, which is rental registration in this case, it starts to look like a tax, an improper tax.

1:28:05And so we do have some legal parameters on the use, and general fund is one of those.

1:28:11And does this date back then to the original intention of the designation of these funds back when we received the ARPA money for rental assistance and for housing in general, and we chose, we chose certain buckets and rental assistance was one?

1:28:29I think it relates back to the original imposition, like when the fee was originally adopted, And so there's this series of— yeah, there's ordinances, a few ordinances where the fee was established, and it was limited for Rental Services Office at that time to keep it really narrow.

1:28:47It doesn't mean that there are not other related uses for affordable housing.

1:28:52In this case, the ones that are before council today would be legal with, with an ordinance expanding those uses.

1:28:58So some legal findings, but general fund starts And just to make sure that this is a case— I've been here long enough to know that there's a lot of smart attorneys in the city, and sometimes they don't always agree with each other.

1:29:14I think that's part of going to law school, correct?

1:29:17Um, is the city attorney in agreement with, with your opinion?

1:29:22Um, I have consulted Robert.

1:29:24I believe we're in agreement.

1:29:26Of course, I'd like to let him speak for himself, but we did, um, I did consult with Robert and his name is also on the memo that went out.

1:29:33Okay, just wanted to make sure we didn't have to backtrack on that.

1:29:36So this goes back to decisions that were made, I think it was 3 years ago, on the designations of these funds at that time.

1:29:45And so I, I'm just clarifying that.

1:29:47And then I'm hearing officially that the legal advice from the city is you cannot, uh, suggest to use this money in the way that that the mayor outlined in his email to all of us that made it to the media a couple days ago.

1:29:59Okay, is that— that's all.

1:30:01Thank you.

1:30:02Council President, I just have a point of order.

1:30:04Yeah.

1:30:05Given that information that was just said, and since the attorney's here, my point of order, I guess, is the administrative fee, or that was used as the calculus for that general fund before the administration Based on this statement, are we to presume that there is no ability for any department to take any administrative processing fee off the top of— in order to run the program?

1:30:32That seems like a major change in the way we budget this city.

1:30:38And if that's the new legal advice that's happening in real time on the dais, I feel like it's an important calculus.

1:30:45I was hoping to expand since we're in that realm right now?

1:30:48Is that a point of information then, not a point of order?

1:30:52Because that's a question.

1:30:53Sure, Councilor, whatever you want.

1:30:55Well, I want to follow the rules, that's all I want.

1:30:57So, Council President, um, Adrian, what is your reaction to this?

1:31:00Yeah, I don't— I don't— I mean, when we— yeah, thank you, Robert.

1:31:08I was going to say, I don't want to— I mean, the The analysis that we did was just on use of the rental services fee, and I think we did give a path forward for pulling an administrative fee into the general fund.

1:31:22If you want further analysis that really drills down into how much administrative— I mean, it really comes down to like, what is the use for administrative?

1:31:31And I think that I need to better understand, is it PHB's administrative fee?

1:31:35Is it going back to the general fund?

1:31:36Thank you.

1:31:36I don't want to suggest that this should be taken to apply to every fee and every administrative cost in the city.

1:31:50Hello.

1:31:56For the record, I'm Robert Taylor, the city attorney.

1:31:59I heard Councilor Ryan's question.

1:32:00For the record, the city attorney is not the city attorney.

1:32:03Ms. Delgado is an excellent lawyer.

1:32:06She prepared the memo at my direction.

1:32:09I reviewed it and approved it before it went to the full council.

1:32:13Um, and is there anything else I need to say to support you here?

1:32:18No, if you'd like to add anything with the administrative fee, but I—.

1:32:22So there is an issue where, and the budget office has, has talked about this, where Um, you could perhaps swap some of the administrative fee for general fund, and that would allow you to free up some general fund for uses elsewhere.

1:32:43But it would require the budget office to do the analysis of what exactly is available to do that swap.

1:32:49But that is another option that's available to council.

1:32:53Thank you for that clarification.

1:33:01Thank you, Council President.

1:33:02Um, just a couple of questions.

1:33:05First, is this the same document that was handed to us that was posted online just before the meeting this morning?

1:33:13Correct, yes.

1:33:13Okay.

1:33:15And am I correct in reading that we have returned, different from the Amendments 1 and 2 that you brought forward, to funding over a 3-year period, that this funding is again stretched over 3 years instead of used immediately?

1:33:31Correct, as was informed by Ruth that we were able to do.

1:33:35Okay, but the 1 and 2 that we had been looking at previously spent all the money immediately.

1:33:43Yeah, and to be clear, this original was put together with the help of the Housing Bureau, and we added those lengths of time specifically at their direction for what they felt was the way that they could get out the dollars.

1:33:54Because by putting it all in one year, they couldn't get it all out.

1:33:57So since we went back to the original, we didn't— the way that the other amendment last week was structured is— yeah, so we just were scrapping that.

1:34:05We're going back to the original and made the changes to that $9 million.

1:34:09Okay.

1:34:09And I understand that you don't want to compare to the 1 and 2, but that's what we all last saw.

1:34:14So that's kind of where my brain is going from.

1:34:16And there was a question about certain fund changes, and I don't I don't think the answer around the stabilization, the portfolio stabilization funds was clear.

1:34:27I heard one of you say that remains the same and one say it doesn't.

1:34:30By my reading, compared to, again, the D1, 1, and 2, that is cut back in half to $750,000 from the $1.4 or just over, just under in half from the $1.4 million that we saw last week.

1:34:45Is that correct?

1:34:46That is correct, yes.

1:34:46Yes, that is my mistake.

1:34:47I didn't have it in front of me when I was answering that and I couldn't.

1:34:50Okay.

1:34:50And then just a question on Broadway.

1:34:54The funding for Broadway expires at the end of the calendar year.

1:34:59Do we expect the legislature to take action on this in their short February session, or is it more likely that they would take action in the long session and we actually need that to expire at the end of the fiscal year to align with the opportunity for legislative dollars?

1:35:14We expect that it would happen this year, and if it does not, then the money goes back to rental assistance.

1:35:19That is the agreement.

1:35:22Okay, that— when you say that— That's what we wrote.

1:35:25When you say we expect that, have we had conversations with the legislature?

1:35:29Because my concern— and I'm not opining on whether Broadway should or shouldn't be in there— but if we think we are putting up the money to try to leverage state money and we don't think they are having that conversation in February, we are very close to the deadline.

1:35:43To that session already.

1:35:45My concern is that that's not actually a real proposal, and I want to understand what in here is a real proposal and what's not.

1:35:53Well, I think everything is a real proposal, and we talked to Cornell and Prosper, and that's why we came to that decision, because he said that they were going to push for it in this year.

1:36:02And then therefore I said, okay, if by the end of this year you do not get it done, then it has to go back to rental assistance.

1:36:09They're looking to do it this year.

1:36:11Okay, thank you, Council President.

1:36:12I'll have more questions later, but in terms of technical, those are my questions.

1:36:15I do just want to reflect on the fact that this is very different than what we had before us last week.

1:36:22And again, I know that for the folks who are bringing the proposals forward, this feels like a return to the original and not that different.

1:36:30But I, when we get to the point of voting on do we pull something off the table and all of that, I'm very interested in having everything open on the table and not pulling things off so that we can have a robust discussion.

1:36:44Thank you.

1:36:45Thank you, Councilor Pirtle-Guiney.

1:36:46Councilor Kanal— oh, I'm sorry, Councilor Smith, is that a legacy hand?

1:36:49No.

1:36:50Okay, Councilor Smith.

1:36:50No, and just to, um, Council President— uh, Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney, um, it is— it does revert.

1:36:58We do understand there's— there is an ordinance This is a resolution.

1:37:02So understand that there is an ordinance that will reflect what the, what the laws of the land will be.

1:37:09So, but this is just to level set our intention that we want— we would like to direct some of those resources, and we cannot mandate it, but we want to be able to direct to say this is where we wanted it to go, with the understanding That we can only do 1 year.

1:37:31And that's the reason why, you know, so no worries.

1:37:36We do recognize that we know that we can't appropriate over 3 years, but we want the intention to be known so that as we're preparing those out years, that the mayor, as he's preparing his budget, that he understands that these are the Ways that we wanted to spend money towards rent assistance and some of those other financial stabilization methods that you were talking about.

1:38:07Thanks for the response, Council President.

1:38:09Councilor, thank you for that clarification.

1:38:12I just want to note that my— the reason I asked the question is that I actually am very concerned about not spending all the money in the first I think we have many opportunities before us, and I actually preferred a proposal that had us spending all the money in one year, not for legal reasons, but for policy reasons.

1:38:32But I appreciate that explanation.

1:38:33And we came to a consensus between us.

1:38:35I mean, there are things that folks didn't want, that they wouldn't move on.

1:38:42As a person who knows how to count, That we have to make sure that everybody's— at least they get a little something of what, what they want.

1:38:54And, um, I was not happy with, with the, uh, notation about the Broadway corridor, um, but in order to get this through, they were not happy with the Broadway corridor, period.

1:39:08But they came to a consensus that we can do this if there is this note.

1:39:14So, you know, everybody has to come to the table being prepared to give up something, and I would have preferred to appropriate the entire amount in one year, but, you know, that wasn't my call.

1:39:30Thank you, councilors.

1:39:34Councilor Smith, do you have anything else?

1:39:35No.

1:39:35Okay, Councilor Kanal.

1:39:37Thanks.

1:39:37Just to— I will have questions for the attorneys later, but I want to make sure that I'm understanding correctly.

1:39:42So I have a procedural question first.

1:39:44We're in the middle of testimony right now.

1:39:45We paused prior to the beginning of testimony.

1:39:48There was an amendment, a sponsor amendment, that's Avalos, Dunphy, Smith 1 and 2.

1:39:54There was also Councilor Novick, and these were all just floated.

1:39:56They weren't formally made yet, right?

1:39:58Now there is a conversation about whether or not to withdraw that.

1:40:02Yes.

1:40:02In order to allow for subsequent introduction, again, probably at this moment floating it, of it.

1:40:09Is that correct?

1:40:10I'm not clear.

1:40:10Did we actually formally move the first amendments or were they just introduced for the purposes of discussion?

1:40:19I don't recall.

1:40:22So the first 2 amendments were moved and seconded last week, but there was no vote called.

1:40:28But we're, we're not currently discussing those amendments.

1:40:32We're still on the testimony and the underlying conversation.

1:40:35Is that correct?

1:40:37Yes.

1:40:37Then my understanding of Robert's Rules is that the sponsors can withdraw it without needing unanimous consent.

1:40:43And I wanted to ask that question because we shouldn't have to vote on it.

1:40:48We can just get to what we're getting to.

1:40:52So procedurally, last week, Amendments were moved and seconded.

1:40:58Those can be withdrawn by the sponsor at any time before the vote is taken.

1:41:03If you want to—.

1:41:03We don't need a vote.

1:41:04You don't need to— you don't need to vote to remove those pending items.

1:41:09Great.

1:41:10Okay, so then maybe just for ease of understanding what we're doing, uh, my suggestion to the council president would be to confirm that the 3 original sponsors of that amendment Avalos, Dunphy, Smith 1 and 2 are able to withdraw that, and then we can float the next amendment and get back to testimony.

1:41:27That sound appropriate, Robert?

1:41:28Is that right?

1:41:29The sponsors of those amendments can withdraw them at any time before a vote is taken.

1:41:35That's what we're doing then.

1:41:37We are withdrawing that amendment.

1:41:39Great, thanks.

1:41:41I will wait on the legal questions until we're actually post-testimony because folks have been waiting.

1:41:48Yeah, last 2 comments in the queue.

1:41:50Councilor Novick and then Councilor Zimmerman.

1:41:53Um, I— yeah, I wanted to get to public testimony, but I just wanted to say that I proposed, um, $4.14 million to the general fund based on my understanding that the administration was saying that that was legal.

1:42:05Um, and now it's not clear.

1:42:08You seem to be saying, well, it's not unless there could be some swap With, let's see, what was the language specifically?

1:42:19That if we were able to swap out general fund that's currently in the rental services fund, then maybe something could go to the general fund, but no statement about how much money that might be.

1:42:30So for one thing, Administrator Lee, I just wanted to ask you, is it still the administration's position that some of this money should go to the general fund in one way or another?

1:42:38Yes.

1:42:39Or do you think that, uh, um, or, you know, is the administration now, based on this legal analysis, withdrawing that suggestion?

1:42:47The administration at this current time is not withdrawing that, uh, recommendation at this point in time, no.

1:42:55Okay.

1:42:55Say that again, I couldn't hear you.

1:42:56The administration is not withdrawing that.

1:42:59Okay.

1:42:59I just wanted to get that out on the table because if the idea of money to the General Fund was off the table, then People who are testifying wouldn't have to think about that.

1:43:07But based on that statement and my inclination, I want to keep the idea of money to the general fund alive.

1:43:13So I want that to be something that testifiers, you know, have in mind and might react to.

1:43:17Thank you.

1:43:17Thank you, Councilor Novick.

1:43:19Councilor Zimmerman.

1:43:21Thank you, Councilor Novick.

1:43:23I would be supportive of that if you move that amendment.

1:43:27I appreciated last week's amendment.

1:43:32I thought it was very clear.

1:43:33And while I wasn't consulted on that, what you all came up with was more clear.

1:43:41This newest version is not something I think is as clear, and I think it does delay implementation of dollars.

1:43:47So at this point, I'm going to move Avalos-Dunphy-Smith 1 and 2.

1:43:50I'd like a second.

1:43:52Second.

1:43:56Can our own bill that we don't want be moved by somebody else?

1:44:00I'll rename it Zimmerman 1.

1:44:04I don't agree to that.

1:44:05So, Robert?

1:44:07Uh, it is a— it is appropriate for somebody to take— I mean, they— he can do what he's doing.

1:44:14Yes.

1:44:14Right, like he did last time.

1:44:15He can copy and paste and write it, do a different thing.

1:44:17Yeah.

1:44:17Cool, thanks.

1:44:18Got it.

1:44:20Okay, with that, let's move to public testimony, please, and we will debate amendments if we have time at the end of this.

1:44:31Wow, buttons.

1:44:33Can we call it 5 at a time, please?

1:44:35Yes.

1:44:35If you get a second for that, do we need to make sure we got a second for our new one?

1:44:39Because I don't think we did that.

1:44:40We haven't moved them, we just introduced them at this time.

1:44:43We can—.

1:44:43Well, you just gave a second to that last one.

1:44:45That's fair.

1:44:46You want to make sure if they're both on the table, then we need to be on the table.

1:44:50Okay.

1:44:51So could I have a second?

1:44:52Second.

1:44:53Thank you.

1:44:54I'm sorry, who was the second for—.

1:44:57Koyama Lane.

1:45:02Okay.

1:45:04Okay, um, and then, uh, Council President, to confirm, it's 90 seconds?

1:45:09Yes, we've reduced to 90 seconds.

1:45:10Thank you.

1:45:12Our first 5 testifiers are Skyler Cruz, Jonathan Greenwood, John Hollister, Michelle Ajami.

1:45:23Lily Burnett.

1:45:42Oh, go ahead, go ahead.

1:45:43Okay, uh, Council President Dunphy, city councilors, my name is Lily Burnett.

1:45:47I am a small business owner from D1.

1:45:51I'm also a parent and community member.

1:45:56I have written and rewritten thoughts on what to give for my testimony multiple times as the goalposts have moved.

1:46:04But as a small business owner, I think the essence of what I want to say is, given this one-time-ish influx of funds and given the given the amount of suffering we are likely going to see increase over the next 5 years or however long it would take to build some of these affordable housing projects, it would be imperative to invest this money now in keeping Portlanders who are housed housed and keeping them in that housing.

1:46:38It is not good for my business to have people entering homelessness faster than they are able to be receiving services from the city.

1:46:45Councilwoman Loretta Smith.

1:46:46And to put our money elsewhere right now feels like an irresponsible use of limited public dollars.

1:46:55I really hope that the money for Broadway Corridor gets removed from this ordinance because that's not what the money is intended for.

1:47:06I think building affordable housing is really important, but I think this money should be spread out across the city, not concentrated.

1:47:13Councilmember Loretta Smith.

1:47:17Thank you, Lily.

1:47:28Go ahead, John.

1:47:34I don't know how to do— I'm gonna— I want to say something before I say something, and, um, So in my first testimony, I was traumatized by Councilor Lane.

1:47:49With— Councilor Lane, I was traumatized by your thumbs down.

1:47:55That was incredibly unprofessional.

1:47:57I'm not leaving the caucus, so I wanted to make sure you knew that.

1:48:01Oh, so that— but no, so you have no idea of the trauma of my childhood.

1:48:05So doing that as a professional up there, as supposed to be a leader, was very, very unprofessional and it was very intimidating.

1:48:15And although I'm still here making this, I am shaking now and you're giving me a smug look and it is so bad.

1:48:25I— Get the timer started, please.

1:48:27This counts towards testimony.

1:48:43Do you want to take a break and come back?

1:48:58Yeah, I want to take a break and come back.

1:49:04Can I do that?

1:49:09Um, shall I call the next?

1:49:11Go ahead and call the next, please.

1:49:14Um, checking to see if Skyler Cruz, Jonathan Greenwood, Michelle Alajami, next up we have Maddie Garrison, Michelle Hornbeck, Ami Bigos, Jay Amechi, Joy Jackson.

1:49:47Thank you.

1:49:50All right, Crystal Otero, Sandra De La Rosa.

1:50:13Do I go now?

1:50:14Yeah, go ahead.

1:50:15Okay, hi, I'm happy to be here on different circumstances.

1:50:20My name is Crystal Otero.

1:50:22I'm a resident of Portland.

1:50:25Historically funding— excuse me— historically housing system funding for families has been prioritized for rent assistance over building out a family shelter system.

1:50:39In the coming In the coming years, I think data indicates we will see an increase in homelessness likely at— by 2 to 3% year over year for maybe the next 3 years.

1:50:51The current waitlist for a family shelter spot is 6 months.

1:50:56The scale of need for rent assistance is illustrated by 211 service data from 2021, which is the central line Anyone in the city can call and request rent assistance.

1:51:10In 2021, the line received 26,000 calls for rent assistance.

1:51:15That's an average of 71 calls per day.

1:51:18Our economic conditions currently are mirroring—they're the same; they look like—the volatility of the pandemic era.

1:51:28So the 2021 call data represents a likely.

1:51:31Baseline without the pandemic-level resources.

1:51:34Historical data reveals a racial divide in how residents interact with our housing system.

1:51:40White residents more frequently use emergency shelter, while BIPOC families rely heavily on rent assistance, making up an estimated 65% of recipients.

1:51:50In 2024, Black renters were more than twice as likely to get an eviction notice than white residents in Oregon.

1:51:57Um, I recommend the entire $20 million be dedicated to establishing a rent assistance sustainability fund, allowing for year-over-year rollover and interest accumulation.

1:52:09Thank you so much.

1:52:13Joy is joining us online.

1:52:15Welcome, Joy.

1:52:22Mom, I'm so glad you called.

1:52:25You can now get up to $30,000 in life insurance coverage for health insurance.

1:52:31This is amazing.

1:52:35All right, so next up, uh, let's see here, uh, Emily Comey.

1:52:59Welcome.

1:52:59Thank you very much.

1:53:00Good morning.

1:53:01My name is Emily Comey, and I'm an eviction defense attorney at the Commons Law Center here in Portland.

1:53:05I'm testifying today in support of the Slow the Inflow resolution, specifically in support of the resolution's proposed right-to-counsel pilot program.

1:53:11My team at the Commons already runs this type of program here in Multnomah County where we provide free representation for tenants facing eviction at our legal clinic.

1:53:19For over 3 years, we've done this— what, what this proposition aims to do.

1:53:23At both the downtown and East County courthouses, we represent unrepresented tenants facing eviction for free.

1:53:29While some programs are able to assist people before they have to appear at court for a hearing, the reality is a great majority of tenants still go unrepresented.

1:53:36While almost every landlord has a lawyer, very few tenants can afford one.

1:53:40We started this clinic in response to our community's very real unmet need.

1:53:45By far, Multnomah County's rate of residential evictions exceeds any other county in Oregon, and the vast majority of these evictions are filed for non-payment of rent.

1:53:53We've seen tremendous success through our model, namely that 75% of our clients are able to retain their housing.

1:53:59Our goal is to be as low barrier as possible when it comes to representation.

1:54:03We meet most of our clients on the morning of their first appearance, and we do not screen for income at the clinic.

1:54:08This allows us to help fill a huge gap in tenant representation, namely that many people are just over the income threshold to qualify for legal aid but do not make enough money to afford a private bar attorney.

1:54:18In a typical day at clinic, we inform tenants of their rights, negotiate on their behalf with landlords' attorneys, help them come up with contingency plans, and connect them to various social service programs.

1:54:29Above all, we provide our clients a chance to be heard and advocated for.

1:54:33Most of the tenants that I've met at our clinic are being evicted because of one or two negative life events that set them back.

1:54:39Maybe their loved one has died, they were laid off from their job, they got into an accident and were in the hospital, and more recently, they could not go to work for fear of abduction by federal agents.

1:54:49The truth is most of us renters are—.

1:54:50Sorry, we gotta have you wrap up.

1:54:52It's okay.

1:54:53Thank you for your time.

1:54:54Thank you.

1:54:55Okay, I'm just gonna do a quick last call for Maddie Garrison, Michelle Hornbeck, Nami Bigos, Jay Amici.

1:55:09Sandra De La Rosa.

1:55:11Crystal Magana.

1:55:14Okay, we'll move on to Andy Miller.

1:55:16Madison Moskowitz.

1:55:19Tanisha Renee.

1:55:24And John, do you want to— are you ready to give your testimony at this point?

1:55:29I'm going to give it a try.

1:55:29Okay.

1:55:35I apologize for my, uh, my severe reaction to, um, your behavior, Kamala Lane.

1:55:43And, um, apparently I still have some, uh, childhood trauma issues to work on.

1:55:48My mother used to do that same look to me.

1:55:51So, um, yeah, so that's maybe why I just— it just triggered me so hard.

1:55:55Um, The, the city is going to come up, you know, when the mayor puts his budget together, about probably $100 million short for next year.

1:56:06So the— I feel like you're a bunch of kids that found some money and let's go spend it.

1:56:11And the thought of having money go to the general fund and to be prepared for next year's unbelievable shortfall may be really, really a good thing to look at.

1:56:23Thank you.

1:56:24Um, so the, um, uh, just come on, Elaine.

1:56:31Just, just be aware of what you're— as an authoritative figure, uh, how you affect people.

1:56:38And the— and that type of leadership right there, I, I, I can personally blame you for some of the, uh, overtake of last— Thank you for being awake today.

1:56:51Oh, perfect.

1:56:51Good morning.

1:56:52My name is Tanisha Renee.

1:56:53I'm the Chief Operations Officer at Williams and Russell, where we are building 20 homes for purchase and 85 apartment homes for rent for displaced residents and their descendants from the Albina area, where 171 families and 36 businesses were displaced by Emanuel's expansion that never happened, and that land sat vacant for 50 years.

1:57:16Thank you.

1:57:18The journey for homeownership can be long and hard for so many of us.

1:57:22My personal journey took me 7 years with the support and resources of Portland Housing Center and the Preference Policy Depot.

1:57:30As an Air Force veteran, I live by our core values, which are integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.

1:57:38I particularly resonate with service before self because the kindness of strangers got me here today.

1:57:43Thank you.

1:57:44I currently live and purchased my home in historical Vanport.

1:57:49But more than that, I now dedicate my time on the Portland Housing Center board and the oversight committee to help others achieve their dream of homeownership.

1:58:00The money for homeownership, or the money that would be allotted for homeownership today, would not only help displaced residents purchase but return home where they work, They play and they send their children to school, but they rarely own.

1:58:14I thank you for your time and your consideration on this matter, and I hope you have a wonderful day.

1:58:19Thank you so much for being here.

1:58:21Oh, oh, I'm sorry, go ahead.

1:58:23Yeah, please.

1:58:24Councilors, good morning.

1:58:25My name is Madison Moskowitz, and I'm testifying as government relations manager for REACH Community Development, one of Portland's largest housing nonprofits.

1:58:34We help over 2,500 Portlanders afford homes in all 4 Districts, and I'm testifying in support of Slow the Inflow with some reservations.

1:58:43The preservation and stabilization proposal is crucial because persistent vacancies hammer properties' financial stability and imperil the continued existence of affordable homes.

1:58:53It's less expensive to preserve existing than to build new.

1:58:56We hope portfolio stabilization efforts can be expanded in the future.

1:59:00REACH strongly supports rent assistance and eviction prevention.

1:59:04We appreciate Councilor Avalos' focus on stabilizing renters before an eviction is filed, and we urge you to create a system that to connect affordable housing residents directly with rent resources.

1:59:16We also recommend connecting rent assistance to the mayor's housing strike team.

1:59:20We're working to fill vacant units, but residents need rent assistance and appropriate services to achieve long-term stability.

1:59:28You have an opportunity to align assistance.

1:59:29Assistance here to prevent evictions and reduce vacancies, which stabilizes properties and keeps home— homes affordable in the long term.

1:59:36Finally, it's grossly unfair for councilors to, in a non-public process, throw gap financing at specifically named projects, some of which could rent at up to 120% area median income.

1:59:50That's not affordable.

1:59:51As a key part of Portland's homelessness prevention and affordable housing system, REACH needs an opportunity to advocate for our residents to benefit from public dollars.

2:00:01There ought to be a competitive public application process through Portland Housing Bureau for those dollars, not backroom deals.

2:00:07Thank you.

2:00:08Thank you.

2:00:09Thank you for being here.

2:00:12Go ahead, Andy.

2:00:14Good morning, Chair Dunphy, President— Vice President Clark, members of the council.

2:00:21Good morning.

2:00:21For the record, my name is Andy Miller.

2:00:24I'm the executive director of Our Just Future.

2:00:26We work every day to improve housing security in East Portland, where, as you all know, rents are rising fastest, incomes are lowest, and far too many families are hanging on by a thread right now, especially families of color.

2:00:39I'm here in strong support of what was the compromise amendment from Councilors Avalos, Dunphy, and Smith, and may now be Councilor Zimmerman's amendment.

2:00:49Council's focus on slowing the inflow into homelessness is exactly right.

2:00:53Investing now makes sense.

2:00:55Eviction prevention, rental assistance, and affordable homeownership support will make an immediate difference for families who are one crisis away from losing their homes.

2:01:05These are the families we serve every day— seniors, immigrants, working parents, people with disabilities who want nothing more than stability.

2:01:13While the city is staring at competing budget needs, I want to remind the council that these dollars were intended to be restricted housing funds.

2:01:21The rental registration fee is legally required to go into the housing investment fund and to be used to help low-income Portlanders access housing.

2:01:29Using these funds to keep people housed is not optional.

2:01:31It's exactly what they were promised for.

2:01:34We strongly support the increased shelter-to-housing investment, especially after mid-year cuts destabilized providers like us and residents alike.

2:01:42Housing investments attached to shelter are what end homelessness for real people.

2:01:46And free up shelter capacity without having to expand beds additionally.

2:01:51The funding to stabilize existing affordable housing is also urgent.

2:01:54We ask council to direct PHB to work with affordable housing— affordable housers to structure a housing stabilization investment to stabilize the most challenged properties.

2:02:05Thank you.

2:02:06Thank you very much.

2:02:09We're going to go back to Joy Jackson.

2:02:18Joy, you're muted.

2:02:20Sorry about that.

2:02:21Hi everybody, thank you for having me.

2:02:23I would like to touch on the last-minute cut to rent assistance, um, in this resolution are deeply disappointing.

2:02:34Renters living on low income need intermediate solutions and We need the funds to be allocated to eviction defense, tenant education and empowerment, housing vouchers, and other homelessness prevention services.

2:02:52We are identified on original resolutions.

2:02:55So I am an employee with Community Alliance of Tenants.

2:03:00I've been there for 9 years.

2:03:03I enjoy helping people.

2:03:04Thank you.

2:03:05Um, and educating them on their tenant rights.

2:03:07So I just, um, want this to be right.

2:03:13And, you know, um, the last-minute cuts on rent assistance is, is deeply disappointing.

2:03:20Thank you.

2:03:21Thank you, Joy.

2:03:23Thank you for being here.

2:03:26Okay, next up we have Liz Foster, Mitzi King, Andrea Knight.

2:03:35Heather Riggs.

2:03:38Tanner Bellow.

2:03:40Go ahead, Mitzi.

2:03:44Okay.

2:03:44Hi, uh, my name is Mitzi King and I live in District 4.

2:03:48I own a business in District 3 and I'm a landlord.

2:03:52My spouse and I own multiple rental units across Portland.

2:03:56I support the the Slow the Flow resolution.

2:03:59We pay the fee to this fund, and we've had tenants use Section 8 assistance and know how important it is for people to have support.

2:04:08Um, every day I drop my kids off at school on my way to work, and it's devastating to see so many people in our community living outside.

2:04:16The fact that this city can do something to help prevent more folks from becoming homeless and help people get into housing and is considering putting that money somewhere else is inhumane.

2:04:28Anything that our city can do to help people from losing their housing, get rental assistance, get eviction support and protections should be done.

2:04:39Please, please pass this resolution for direct housing assistance.

2:04:43And I say no for the money going to the general fund.

2:04:46I also have lived in Portland 30 years, and even though affordable Affordable housing is an important venue.

2:04:52We know how long it takes to get that built, and people need help now.

2:04:56Times are so tough.

2:04:58OPB reports that 1,400 people enter homelessness a month in this area.

2:05:04It's awful.

2:05:05So please maintain our humanity, Portland.

2:05:08Um, so for this particular, you know, resolution, please pass it.

2:05:13Thank you so much, and thanks for everyone who shared their Thank you so much for being here.

2:05:22Go ahead.

2:05:23Morning, councilors, and thank you for your time.

2:05:25Morning.

2:05:26My name is Tanner Battle of District 3, and I urge you to vote yes on the proposed budget and fund a right-to-counsel program.

2:05:31For the past 18 months, I've worked as an eviction defense attorney with the Commons Law Center, and I can tell you that our program is the only one of its kind in the state of Oregon that is already providing a right-to-counsel model.

2:05:41Our clinic, working out of the courthouse 4 days a week, provides free legal services to those facing eviction for nonpayment.

2:05:47We do not screen people out of our program.

2:05:49If you're facing eviction for nonpayment, you qualify for our services regardless of income level or other factors.

2:05:56Within the span of our client's first appearance, we conduct intake interviews, consult with them on their situations, and help them achieve the best possible outcome.

2:06:04For many, this is just limited scope representation, as that's all that's needed to buy them more time or allow them to get out of the apartment Where resources and capacity allow, we work with clients beyond their first appearance, providing full-scope representation.

2:06:19All of this is our program's current operation with very limited funding.

2:06:23The funds in this budget proposal would allow us to dramatically scale up such that we could cover all first appearance days, help more clients at those days, and help more clients in a full-scope capacity, primarily expanding in East Portland, an area facing the highest eviction rate, with the highest number of homeless people.

2:06:36Thank you.

2:06:37Again, I urge you to pass the proposed budget and fund a right-to-counsel pilot.

2:06:41Thank you.

2:06:43Thank you very much.

2:06:45Andrea is joining us online.

2:06:51Hello, my name is Andrea Knight.

2:06:53I am a tenant education specialist for Community Alliance of Tenants.

2:06:58I work on the hotline talking with people facing evictions.

2:07:02The last-minute cuts to the City of Portland's housing program The cuts to the rent assistance in this resolution are deeply disappointing for many reasons.

2:07:10Renters living on low incomes need immediate solutions and support to prevent homelessness.

2:07:17We need the funds to be allocated to eviction defense, tenant education and empowerment, housing vouchers, and other homelessness prevention services that were identified in the original resolution.

2:07:28Thank you.

2:07:30As an example, a senior citizen I spoke with recently is in dire need of rent assistance.

2:07:35He fell behind because his Social Security check came in on the 9th while rent was due on the 5th.

2:07:40He had trouble getting the late fees paid, and the property manager refused to accept partial payment.

2:07:46He was unable to catch up over the next couple months.

2:07:49The late rent fees piled up and now owes over $700, which he cannot afford.

2:07:54Thank you.

2:07:55He is now facing eviction court and is in dire need of rent assistance to fill the gap.

2:08:01While we are in need of new affordable units, this fund is not the best way to move forward.

2:08:07Please focus on eviction prevention, housing vouchers, and tenant education services.

2:08:13The city of Portland absolutely needs help right now.

2:08:19Thank you so much, Andrea.

2:08:22Uh, last call for Liz Fostier, Heather Riggs.

2:08:27Next up we have Sandra Comstock, Riley Gombart, Diana Rempe, Lainey Tupper, Vivian Lyon.

2:08:41Welcome.

2:08:42Go right ahead.

2:08:44I wasn't up next.

2:08:45No.

2:08:46Well, you're sitting down first.

2:08:51My name is Riley Gombartz, and I work as an attorney at the Commons Law Center.

2:08:55I'm here today to explain why the courthouse-based limited-scope eviction defense model is essential to the success of a right-to-counsel pilot and why it has produced outcomes no other model in Oregon has achieved at scale.

2:09:07Before the Commons Law Center began operating its courthouse clinic, eviction representation in Multnomah County was extremely limited.

2:09:14In 2023, only 535 tenants facing eviction had legal representation, about 6% of all cases.

2:09:21After the clinic launched, representation increased to 1,875 tenants in 2024, a 250% increase.

2:09:29During that same period, default judgments dropped by 25% and eviction judgments dropped by 31%.

2:09:36Those changes didn't happen by accident.

2:09:38They happened because tenants were met in person at the courthouse At first appearance, when representation is most critical, traditional legal aid models generally offer two options: brief advice by phone or full-scope representation, and is only available for households below 125% of the federal poverty level.

2:09:55That work is important, but it leaves a large number of tenants unserved.

2:09:59In 2025, 30% of tenants assisted by the Commons Law Center had already tried and failed to obtain legal help before their eviction hearing.

2:10:07The courthouse clinic fills that gap.

2:10:09The Commons Law Center provides.

2:10:10In-person limited-scope representation to tenants who arrive at court without a lawyer, regardless of income eligibility.

2:10:18And if the goal of a right-to-counsel pilot is to increase representation, reduce evictions, and slow the inflow into homelessness, the courthouse limited-scope clinic model is already proving that it works.

2:10:28Thank you.

2:10:29Thank you.

2:10:29And just for the record, uh, you are not me.

2:10:32We look very identical.

2:10:33It's close, it's close.

2:10:35I get it.

2:10:43Sorry, I'm trying to bring some levity to the room.

2:10:45Appreciate everybody.

2:10:47Thank you guys for being here.

2:10:48Please go ahead.

2:10:52Hello, members of council.

2:10:54I'm testifying on behalf of my colleague Diana Rempe of Streetbooks.

2:10:59We are a mobile library working with folks on the outside and on the margins in Portland.

2:11:07They are on a library shift currently, so I'm testifying on their behalf.

2:11:12As I said, with Street Books, we strongly support the original Stop the Inflow resolution with its focus on rent assistance and eviction defense.

2:11:22We do not support the proposed amendments to the resolution.

2:11:26Looking at you, Councilor Zimmerman.

2:11:28It is critical that this money go into At Streetbooks, we have spent the last 15 years working out on the streets, and we have watched as the population of people experiencing houselessness has grown exponentially.

2:11:46And it is only getting worse.

2:11:48We are out on the streets 5 days a week in 13 different locations.

2:11:52Every shift we meet people who are newly houseless, people who tell us stories of job loss or sudden catastrophic health events.

2:11:58Councilmember Herbold.

2:11:59We hear stories of people's inability to make rent payments and their unsuccessful search to find a more affordable place to live.

2:12:06We meet them shocked and confused on the streets.

2:12:09This resolution offers a lifeline for people.

2:12:12We are not here to argue about whether we should build more housing.

2:12:15Of course we should, and the city budget should reflect that commitment.

2:12:19This resolution is about helping people right now, reducing the number of people falling into houselessness.

2:12:28Thank you so much.

2:12:34Go ahead.

2:12:35Hello, my name is Julia Wynette, and I'm an eviction defense attorney at CLEAR Clinic.

2:12:42I'm testifying in Lainey Tupper's place.

2:12:46As you know, Lainey was already here receiving an award but had to go back to running our organization.

2:12:52I was also previously an eviction defense attorney at the Commons Law Center, and I'm here today to testify on behalf of the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

2:13:01Our housing justice team at Clear Clinic is deeply committed to providing both legal services and financial assistance to our neighbors to keep them housed.

2:13:13We've been doing this for over 4 years now with funding from Portland Housing Bureau.

2:13:19These services are highly effective in keeping folks housed, benefiting the individuals, their families, our community writ large by preventing houselessness and increasing economic stability.

2:13:27Thank you.

2:13:28According to the council, the budget includes funding for the work of the council to support this work, to prioritize funding immediate rent assistance and eviction prevention services, which are essential to our clients' survival.

2:13:42We are disappointed about the shift of some of these funds away from immediate rent assistance and eviction prevention, but we're testifying today in strong support of specific items in the budget amendment for eviction prevention, rent assistance, and housing assistance.

2:13:55Assistance and eviction legal defense.

2:13:57We're proud to be a housing— Portland Housing Bureau eviction legal defense provider, but we know that we and all of our fellow PHB providers do excellent work to keep our neighbors housed and also that people fall through the cracks and end up in eviction court without any legal help.

2:14:13So I want to highlight the important safety net that the Commons provides, and that's all I've got today.

2:14:18Thank you.

2:14:19Thank you so much for being here.

2:14:20Thank you.

2:14:23Vivian Lyon online.

2:14:32Vivian, you're muted.

2:14:34Here we go.

2:14:35Can you hear me?

2:14:36Yeah, we can hear you.

2:14:38Okay, great.

2:14:39My name is Vivian Lyon.

2:14:40I'm in District 3.

2:14:41I'm the Legal Services Director at CLEAR Clinic Housing Justice Eviction Defense.

2:14:44Julia Winnett is one of my teammates.

2:14:47I've held this position since March of 2022.

2:14:49I was on the Rental Services Commission from 2020 to 2023.

2:14:51I'm honored to I had been planning to recommend that last week's amendment be largely replaced with a slightly amended version of the original proposal, uh, keeping the funding for the Commons Law Center rather than a right-to-counsel pilot project.

2:15:07The Commons Law Center has been on the ground at Multnomah County Eviction Court most weekday mornings for years now.

2:15:13They're already doing the work.

2:15:14We don't need to waste time getting a pilot project off the ground.

2:15:17The kind of fuller scope that we at the CLEAR Clinic and those at Oregon Law Center are proposing is a right-to-counsel pilot project.

2:15:21Thank you.

2:15:21And MPD do is indispensable, but there's clearly a need for legal professionals at the courthouse to provide legal advice to tenants facing imminent eviction who haven't yet been connected to legal services.

2:15:33The Commons has led the way in providing these services on a shoestring.

2:15:37They've done more than their fair share to empower tenants at eviction court in their very hour of greatest need.

2:15:44I urge you to remove— I, in addition to recommending that the Commons Law Center be, um, prioritized rather than simply a pilot project.

2:15:58I urge you to remove the Broadway corridor money and focus on using this money for, uh, to keep people housed and to provide eviction defense at all points of intervention, including at the courthouse.

2:16:13Please listen to tenants and those serving them Thank you, Vivian.

2:16:24Okay, next up we have, um, Squire.

2:16:31Squire, have you— did you— okay.

2:16:34Um, followed by Lou Church, Christian Rusby, Jeremiah Bullock, Edith Gillis.

2:16:48Hello again, members of the council.

2:16:51Uh, my name is Squire and I'm a librarian with Streetbooks, a mobile library serving people living outside and on the margins.

2:16:58I support the original Slow the Inflow resolution prior to the amendments that were made at the cost of low-income renters facing imminent evictions today.

2:17:08Every day we are seeing people lose their housing.

2:17:11Every day we are witnessing the inhumane sweep of our unhoused neighbors.

2:17:15Every day we are hearing the stories from our patrons of losing everything over and over and over again.

2:17:23These overwhelming losses are absolutely avoidable.

2:17:26Our current system is creating more houselessness than it is preventing.

2:17:30Preventing evictions before they occur is the most effective way to protect low-income renters.

2:17:36Rent assistance is so very necessary to support people close to houselessness As living costs continue to rise and funding for rent assistance continues to be cut, we must redirect funds to eviction prevention and rent assistance.

2:17:51Mayor Wilson, we do not need any more temporary shelters.

2:17:55We need permanently affordable housing now.

2:17:58And yet in the past 5 years, the city has spent $325 million solely on sweeps and shelters rather than help people stay in their housing.

2:18:07It's disgusting to see you engaging with bootlickers and right-wing provocateurs punching down upon the people of Portland.

2:18:11Councilmember Wilson, upon the most marginalized and vulnerable.

2:18:15Housing is a human right.

2:18:16Local funding is an investment in our future and in our reimagining of the future of our city.

2:18:22Everyone is fairly housed.

2:18:24Thank you.

2:18:25Thank you.

2:18:26Go ahead.

2:18:31I'm Lou with Portland Gray Panthers as a member group with Molly Hogan's Welcome Home Coalition.

2:18:36Gray Panthers absolutely Council allocating $21 million approximately to fight evictions.

2:18:422 Points today, Panthers generally and a specific anti-eviction campaign.

2:18:46First, we want to thank council members who've talked with Panthers at PSU or on Gray Panthers talk radio before and after the election.

2:18:53Thanks to Annalita, Alana, Mitch, Olivia, and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson.

2:18:57Some politicians so far, Dan Ryan, Eric Zimmerman, Loretta Smith, Steve Novick, have been MIA with Panthers On housing.

2:19:07Stop evictions, stop the sweeps.

2:19:09Panthers absolutely oppose the proposed eviction February 24th proposed by Ivory Matthews of Emma, a Gresham tenant, age 65, by the sketchy landlord outfit Home Forward, also known as Home Backward.

2:19:23For years, this quintessential sketchy landlord Home Forward keeps evicting Emma over time to tear down her building.

2:19:29Thank you.

2:19:29The mayor has been silent on this issue.

2:19:30Over and over again.

2:19:31Enough.

2:19:32For the current resolution, Panthers oppose efforts by what you might call submarine maneuvers, perhaps, by Zimmerman and Novick to take money away from rental assistance vis-à-vis sketchy amendments.

2:19:45Stop crypto— stop crypto-fascist evictions.

2:19:49Enough.

2:19:51Thank you, Lou.

2:19:54Okay, last call for Christian Raspi.

2:19:57Jeremiah Bullock, Edith Gillis.

2:20:00Um, we'll go back to Sandra De La Rosa.

2:20:07Sandra here?

2:20:10Ah, here we go.

2:20:16Okay.

2:20:17Good morning.

2:20:34Before I start, may I ask for reasonable accommodation, a little bit of patience and understanding due to neurological, uh, Absolutely.

2:20:50Stuff.

2:20:51Take your time.

2:20:51Um, I came here to, to tell you the testimony from last council meeting.

2:21:01However, that was traumatizing.

2:21:03You guys, you guys were all there.

2:21:06Um, shoot.

2:21:08Um, so I'm— I have a quick version, but I'll— I'm gonna I guess I'm asking before I start.

2:21:19I think it's crucial for me to tell you my testimony because I'm speaking to you now from this side of the table instead of that side of the table.

2:21:30And if I can say the whole thing, you'll understand.

2:21:35Absolutely.

2:21:36Do your best and you're doing great.

2:21:40Okay, uh, thank you.

2:21:44Okay, so what time is it?

2:21:47Yep, there's the timer.

2:21:49Oh, um, good afternoon, Council President Dunphy and Councilor Zimmerman.

2:21:58I'm here specifically to testify in support of Section 9 regarding the rental assistance allocation.

2:22:06My name is Sandra De La Rosa.

2:22:07I'm a peer support specialist in 97209, that is the Pearl.

2:22:12I speak to you as a former board member of Central City Concern, the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council, and Multnomah County Behavioral Health Advisory Council.

2:22:22I worked on the Housing is Healthcare with Senator Merkley in Washington, D.C., and I was highly involved in supporting HB 2001.

2:22:32Thank you.

2:22:32If it weren't for my care team, housing case manager, counselor, and peer support specialist, I would not be here alive today, right now.

2:22:46However, even though the best team cannot overcome a broken system, especially when management prioritizes rigid outdated rules, this is complete contrast and opposite of their own mission statements.

2:23:02I know why people drink, do drugs, and why they commit suicide.

2:23:06Nobody asks why they are homeless.

2:23:08It is because constant restarting is really traumatizing and it breaks people's spirits.

2:23:14Even as a stroke survivor, and I suffered a cardiac arrest due to this exact kind of stress, basically I'm asking It's a solution, okay?

2:23:26It's in the housing bill to have everybody use the FMRs updated to 2026.

2:23:33We're not living in 2022.

2:23:35That is why people are on the streets.

2:23:42And the fair access to housing, this just happened to me.

2:23:47The providers, they ignore the 3-year lookback.

2:23:50Councilor Smith.

2:23:51For misdemeanors, and they create permanent shadow ban or unhousing.

2:23:56The reality is it traps people in the cycle of homelessness indefinitely, regardless of the recovery or growth, and ignores the protection the City of Portland explicitly put in place for its citizens.

2:24:10I'm here today not as a disabled individual, but as a peer support specialist who sees how these barriers impact anyone trying to survive the housing system.

2:24:24When providers use the '22 rent standards instead of the '26 for grants or vouchers, they aren't just making a mistake.

2:24:33They are creating an impossible hurdle for every person in this city who relies on housing assistance.

2:24:42And also, I'm speaking for the, the people that didn't get to make it through the system.

2:24:50And I always— I haven't always been in the system.

2:24:54I was over there on that side.

2:24:57And, and for those who think that free housing or whatever, I used to, you know, judge too.

2:25:03But I want— I'm literally wanting to get into a swimming pool so I could rehabilitate myself, get on my feet, literally get my— on my feet and get out of the system.

2:25:13So I hope I have to get to the last thoughts here.

2:25:17Wrap this up if we could.

2:25:21Oh, oh, vulnerable people count.

2:25:24They count.

2:25:25And so do I. I am standing here today— well, sitting here today for every person who didn't survive the stress of the system.

2:25:33I am their voice today.

2:25:34I'm asking you to enforce the 2026 FMRs universally.

2:25:40I trust you, the council, on this because— well, it was to the mayor— because of his passion on the subject.

2:25:49I trust this committee will ensure these agencies live up to their missions.

2:25:52This will be your success and our success as a community.

2:25:58And if we work together, the city council and the community, then that's unity.

2:26:05And that's what— that's when we can truly say community is unity.

2:26:08Thank you.

2:26:09Thank you so much for being here today.

2:26:12Sorry.

2:26:13You're doing— you did great.

2:26:15Sorry.

2:26:23Uh, next up we have Leslie Kochan, Azalea Renfield, TJ McHugh, Lucas Von Hell Acheson.

2:26:41And Keelan, how many more folks do we have in the queue after that?

2:26:44Okay, about 7.

2:26:47Okay, um, I'm going to let, uh, these folks give our— give testimony, and then we're going to do a quick bio break for everybody.

2:26:55Whoever wants to jump in, please.

2:26:59Middle, you're up.

2:27:01Good morning, council members.

2:27:03My name is Lucas Angel Latchison, and I'm currently in District 4.

2:27:06I'm a paralegal at the Commons Law Center, a 503 nonprofit organization that offers assistance with tenant evictions.

2:27:14Our clinic's unique approach to limited scope and full scope representation enables us to assist numerous households in Multnomah County.

2:27:20Although we primarily help households through eviction clinic, we also represent communities through our eviction clinic hotline.

2:27:27We are unable— if we're unable to take on a community member on as a client, we refer them to other organizations offering eviction defense or rental assistance, many of which we have built close relationships or even developed partnerships with.

2:27:38Specifically, we have partnered with organizations like the Cupcake Girls, which offers assistance to community members in the sex industry or victims of sex trafficking, as well as organizations that offer eviction defense such as the Underdog Law and the CLEAR Clinic.

2:27:50We most recently partnered a— we most recently partnered with Blanchet House, We're offering assistance with eviction expungement, which is a major barrier that keeps our community members from being housed.

2:28:00We strongly believe that creating relationships and partnerships with— will help fill the necessary gaps that these households face in an FED action and help prevent them from being evicted.

2:28:12Once evicted, so the social services and aid that many of these households rely on to live and support can become much harder to obtain.

2:28:18This makes it a nearly impossible task for these community members to get back into housing and reobtain the social services and aid Keeping and making sure that our community members stay housed will not only help the city financially in the long run, but will also help clear up an already congested, overworked court system.

2:28:31I'm advocating for the Right to Counsel pilot program.

2:28:34Thank you very much for your time.

2:28:35Thank you very much.

2:28:37Also, great timing.

2:28:42Hi, good morning, councilors.

2:28:44Um, thank you for your— the work that you're doing during this incredible moment in time.

2:28:48My name is My name is Angelita Renfield.

2:28:49I'm the CEO of Williams Russell.

2:28:52I'm here in support of the resolution to support investments in all housing.

2:28:56It is evident here in this council chambers that housing continues to remain a matter of contemporary policy.

2:29:03It is here to stay.

2:29:04It is not going anywhere.

2:29:06There are simply not enough dollars to do all the work that we are charged to do, but we're doing it one chip at a time.

2:29:13Thank you.

2:29:14I also want to encourage us all not to see any type of housing assistance or housing down payment assistance or housing homelessness and shelters or rent assistance as competing priorities.

2:29:30It's all one and the same.

2:29:31We're all at various levels in need of housing.

2:29:35So not only is it a matter of contemporary policy, it's also Maslow hierarchies of needs.

2:29:41Shelter.

2:29:45Long before we come here, housing still was important.

2:29:51So when we hear people testify through emotions, passion, anger, it's because we're trying to do the best we can.

2:30:00And you all said it was such a large charge to make a decision that really impact hundreds, if not thousands, of people in this city limit.

2:30:11I stand by the resolution.

2:30:12It's not perfect, but it's getting us somewhere.

2:30:15I thank you all for coming together to help us get where we need to get.

2:30:19You have the dais.

2:30:20Thank you.

2:30:21Thank you.

2:30:22Thank you so much.

2:30:25Good morning, councilors.

2:30:26My name is TJ McHugh, here on behalf of the Portland Metro Chamber, representing more than 2,300 businesses Over 80% of them small businesses across every industry.

2:30:35We advocate for policies that support economic vitality, community health, and shared prosperity.

2:30:40I want to thank Councilors Zimmerman and Smith for refocusing this resolution on building more housing.

2:30:45The chamber strongly supports the Smith amendments providing gap funding for the Broadway Corridor, William and Russell, SEI's Northeast 13th Avenue Homeownership Project, and Urban Plaza.

2:30:54These investments will put shovels in the ground quickly, delivering housing, jobs, and private investment.

2:30:58Thank you.

2:30:59Thank you.

2:31:00Thank you, Mayor Wilson.

2:31:01Councilmember Herbold.

2:31:01Thank you, Mayor Wilson.

2:31:01Portland has been in a housing emergency since 2014, yet our actions do not reflect that urgency.

2:31:06Housing costs are roughly 30% higher than the national average, while new development here has nearly stalled.

2:31:12Housing costs are a primary driver for homelessness and economic instability, and they stem from a decade of underproduction.

2:31:18To spur growth, council must urgently remove barriers to restart housing production at a scale of at least 6,000 units per year.

2:31:24That means pausing new rental regulations, review existing regulations, modernizing parking rules, enforcing a 120-day permit deadline, restoring the multi-program at 120% AMI, and ensuring inclusionary requirements are fully cost offset.

2:31:39Housing supply is the foundation of affordability.

2:31:42Council must act and act now.

2:31:44Thank you.

2:31:46Thank you, TJ.

2:31:47Stephen is joining us online.

2:31:50Welcome, Steven.

2:31:59Yeah, good morning.

2:32:02It is still morning for 3 more minutes.

2:32:06Uh, my name is Steven Crawford and I am the legal director at Fair Housing Council of Oregon.

2:32:12Uh, we understand we're, uh, adding our voice to the chorus of disappointment That has been proposed in this fund.

2:32:25But we're also speaking today to encourage the council to adopt a modest revision to ensure equal access to housing in Portland.

2:32:33So FHCO is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to ending discrimination and housing discrimination in Oregon through education, investigation, outreach.

2:32:42We're already a grantee with the City of Portland.

2:32:44Thank you.

2:32:44And we're also a grantee with the Oregon Department of Housing and Under Urban Development.

2:32:44That grant, we provide housing education opportunities in numerous venues throughout the city.

2:32:49We process and investigate allegations of discrimination by housing consumers and community advocates.

2:32:55We provide audit testing of the Portland rental housing market and advocate on behalf of housing consumers, most of whom are facing housing instability.

2:33:03In Portland in 2025, we processed discrimination complaints for 430 complainants.

2:33:10Provided direct assistance to over 82 households.

2:33:13That assistance oftentimes results in retaining housing assistance.

2:33:17In 2025, we suffered some major cutbacks to our budgeting.

2:33:22We lost our federal funding for, frankly, political reasons, um, and that is forcing us to make cutting stuff— setback, uh, staffing cutbacks.

2:33:34We're requesting that As part of this package, the council consider a $200,000 investment to Fair Housing Council to ensure that housing stability is provided equitably to Portlanders in the city.

2:33:48Thank you.

2:33:49Thank you, Steven.

2:33:53That completes testimony for this panel.

2:33:55For this panel, we will be coming right back, but colleagues, I'm going to give us a 5-minute bathroom break, let our staff go and stretch their legs for a second, and we will be back Uh, let's call it 12:05.

2:34:06Thank you.

2:34:08Spring.

2:34:09Yep.

2:40:22We are at 12:06.

2:40:24We're coming back in.

2:40:25We got some folks online.

2:40:26We got quorum.

2:40:27We're coming back.

2:40:30We are back, ladies and gentlemen.

2:40:32Going to get the rest of our testimony done.

2:40:36Keelan, if you could please call up whoever is left, or I guess we had 7 left, so the next panel.

2:40:41All right, thanks.

2:40:43Um, just last call for, uh, Leslie Kochan.

2:40:48Um, Cameron Graham.

2:40:50Okay, moving on.

2:40:52Oh, sorry.

2:40:54Cameron.

2:40:54Cameron.

2:40:55Great, thank you.

2:40:57Thank you for being here, and thank you for waiting.

2:40:59Great, thank you so much.

2:41:01Am I ready to go?

2:41:02Jump on in.

2:41:03All right.

2:41:04Hi, I am Cameron Graham, Executive Director and Staff Attorney for the Commons Law Center, and pronouns are she/her/hers.

2:41:10Um, obviously I'm here to support, uh, the Slow the Flow amendments.

2:41:15Um, I was originally here to talk about how we fit into, um, the $1.2 million.

2:41:20Um, I would also like to talk about how We fit into the right of counsel— right for counsel, rights to counsel, excuse me.

2:41:27As my predecessors and colleagues have already said, we are already implementing that model.

2:41:31And when I've met with other people doing this work, there's no need to redo the model.

2:41:37We can hit the ground running.

2:41:39In fact, we again do this every day, as my colleagues have said.

2:41:44You've heard about our model.

2:41:46We are in-person, we are free, we are trauma-informed.

2:41:49We are on the front line, and I think our stats speak for themselves.

2:41:53I know we've had some testimony and also have sent packets to all of the councilors.

2:41:58The Commons is dedicated to access to justice and is evidence-based.

2:42:02We are dedicated to helping our community and to be flexible and responsive to community needs.

2:42:08Our model is based on community feedback data from the Oregon State Bar and the Portland State Urban Planning Department.

2:42:14Thank you.

2:42:16Both organizations have identified a gap between traditional legal aid services and private bar attorneys, which again is about 80% of those who need legal assistance.

2:42:26And we are collaborative and dedicated to helping the city of Portland and the people living in it to be able to maintain housing and to be able to fill their life goals and do that in the least trauma-informed way— in the most trauma-informed way.

2:42:40Thank you.

2:42:41Thank you so much.

2:42:43Next up we have Cecilia Powers, Felisa Higgins, Sean Perry, Noah Kone, Freda Walker.

2:43:00Uh, may I go?

2:43:04Wonderful.

2:43:05Yeah, good afternoon.

2:43:07My name is Sean Perry of District 3.

2:43:09I'm a paralegal with the Commons Law Center working in the Tenant Eviction Defense Program.

2:43:13Our mission is to provide access to justice for all.

2:43:15We hope to empower tenants, avoid evictions, and mitigate the long-term impact of evictions on a tenant's record.

2:43:22I'm here to advocate for the resolution generally and specifically for the funding the right to counsel pilot.

2:43:29What separates our firm from other nonprofits is our in-person clinic.

2:43:333 Days a week, we are at the Multnomah County Circuit Courthouse And one day a week at the East County Courthouse.

2:43:39We provide limited scope representation for tenants who are required to appear for the first appearance hearing facing eviction.

2:43:4675% Of our clients retain their housing.

2:43:50Last year, we assisted over 1,000 households facing eviction for mainly non-payment related issues.

2:43:56The work we provide for our clients does not end at clinic.

2:43:59Our team members perform 2 and 4-week post-clinic follow-ups.

2:44:02Thank you.

2:44:02We believe it's important to remind tenants of their legal rights, to provide more agency resources, or if needed, get them in touch with other legal representations.

2:44:13Unlike the many tenants our firm helps, landlords have more funds available to hire an attorney or agent to represent them and navigate the legal process on their behalf.

2:44:23There needs to be more resources for the people who are facing an eviction, whether that is to provide rental assistance, relocation assistance, Or to provide legal representation.

2:44:31If we do not allocate these funds properly, there will be more evictions and more tenants will be displaced from their homes and become houseless.

2:44:40I urge you to vote yes on the Right to Counsel pilot, and thank you very much.

2:44:43Thank you so much.

2:44:45Cecilia?

2:44:48Oh, Cecilia, go ahead.

2:44:50Thank you.

2:44:51Good morning, y'all.

2:44:52Good morning.

2:44:52I'm a resident of District— good morning.

2:44:55District 2.

2:44:56I work at Fair Housing Council of Oregon.

2:44:59I'm one of the 2 statewide enforcement investigators.

2:45:03HUD has gutted our main source of funding, and now I'm on the verge of being laid off.

2:45:07I accepted a layoff offer.

2:45:10Um, I've had a short bout of housing precarity about 15 years ago, and that alone was enough trauma to propel me into working in housing advocacy for The last 15 years.

2:45:24When I got to Portland, I helped launch a ballot measure to initiate a right-to-counsel movement.

2:45:30It was unsuccessful.

2:45:32Prior to that, a certain law center who is very smart and has their ears to the ground consulted with me and some of my comrades who had started a tenant union on building a program to help tenants at the courthouse.

2:45:45FHCO would be We get referrals from all the law offices who have spoken today, including Oregon CAT, which is not a law office, but, um, because we occupy a very important and nebulous space of advocacy within the safety net.

2:46:04I've helped countless tenants avoid eviction by providing discrimination-based defenses, I've even helped many tenants stay on their vouchers.

2:46:22I've also helped homeless tenants seek settlements that have gotten them the funds to get back in housing.

2:46:27I urge this council to support us by approving additional funds so I can keep doing this crucial work, because it's workers like me who make all these plans that are abstract actually work.

2:46:37Thank you.

2:46:38Thank you, Cecilia.

2:46:38Councilor Smith.

2:46:42Elisa.

2:46:43Hi, Council Chair Dunphy, members of the council.

2:46:46For the record, my name is Elisa Higgins.

2:46:48I am a registered lobbyist with the City of Portland for SEIU Oregon.

2:46:52We represent 85,000 members across the state and many in the Portland metro region.

2:47:01I have prepared some written testimony that I'm happy to send to your offices so we I don't have to take up the time, but I want to just say that I appreciate the difficult position that all of you are in because you have to do all of the things.

2:47:17And I believe that Amendment 2025-478 does do all of those things.

2:47:22You have to provide tenants protections through the legal system that we have.

2:47:27You have to give people eviction prevention.

2:47:31Thank you.

2:47:31And make sure that there is eviction prevention, especially given the cuts that have both happened at the state level, but as well as the continuous attack from the federal government.

2:47:41And you have to invest in building affordable housing and at the same time keeping a functioning shelter system running.

2:47:49I believe that this amendment accomplishes some of those things, not nearly enough in any of these areas.

2:47:57And I know that you're under very tight budget constraints.

2:48:00But we— I believe strongly that the money that is set aside for the development is a helpful protection for our future, especially when it comes to workforce housing.

2:48:10And I think that there's been a lot of discussion about the affordable housing capital stack, which we need all of the above.

2:48:17So I would just encourage your support, and again, I'm happy to submit written comments.

2:48:23Thank you, Felisa.

2:48:25Uh, checking for Noah Kone, Freda Walker.

2:48:31Okay, followed by Steph Ralph, Kimberly Horner, and Kurt Krieger.

2:48:37Go ahead, Steph.

2:48:39Hey, quick like a bunny.

2:48:41Uh, good afternoon, President Dunphy and members of council.

2:48:43My name is Steph Ralph and I come before you today as a resident of District 1.

2:48:47I urge you to support the Slow the Inflow resolution as originally proposed by all 3 of my District 1 representatives For which I thank them.

2:48:54It is a thoughtful response to our neighbors' immediate needs.

2:48:57I am primarily concerned that the recently proposed amendment redirects over one quarter of these funds, the largest line item in this resolution, to the Broadway Corridor Project downtown.

2:49:06I understand that the PROSPER funds are contingent on an ask to the legislature, uh, based on this morning's conversation, and if that request is not funded, it goes back to rental assistance at the end of the calendar year.

2:49:18Families receiving eviction notices don't have until the end of the year, and I respectfully submit to you that these funds have been sitting in been fallow for long enough.

2:49:26District 1 is the most diverse district in the city, and our median income is about $30,000 lower than the rest of Portland.

2:49:33That means rental assistance and other supports for low-income renters would be equitably distributed to our historically underinvested communities.

2:49:40East of 82nd Avenue is also where a strong plurality of Portland's school-aged children live, and housing instability has profound impacts on educational attainment.

2:49:48So, um, Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane.

2:49:50Thank you so much.

2:49:51Please pass the resolution with those funds redirected back to the programs that will help low-income families, uh, housed.

2:49:57Thank you for your time and your service to the city.

2:50:00Thank you, Steph.

2:50:01Kurt.

2:50:06Kurt, you're muted.

2:50:08Sorry.

2:50:09Hello, my name is Kurt Krieger.

2:50:11Good morning, or now afternoon, uh, Council President Dunphy, members of council.

2:50:16Uh, my name is Kurt Krieger and I am speaking for Hacienda CDF.

2:50:20I'm Councilor Mitch Green, a community of color based in the Cully neighborhood, 6700 Killingsworth, Northeast Killingsworth in District 2.

2:50:34I wanted to speak briefly about capital financing.

2:50:38There's been a lot of conversation about the Broadway corridor, and there are many projects that are of great need in the city.

2:50:45So I wanted to speak so briefly about capital financing.

2:50:46Thank you.

2:50:46I don't think it's appropriate to pick winners and losers here today, but I did want to speak on behalf of the, of the resolution as amended and ask that you consider a project that Hacienda is working on, which is a completed but vacant 8-story building in Northeast Portland, also District 2.

2:51:09It's at 5627 North Minnesota Avenue.

2:51:12The previous developer defaulted.

2:51:13Thank you.

2:51:14The, um, the bank and the investor have taken it back, and, uh, it can be placed into service this year.

2:51:23Uh, so instead of putting forth projects that are multiple years away from assisting people, Hacienda would very much like consideration for $3 million for what they call Monarca, something named for the, uh, the monarch butterfly.

2:51:38And I'd like to, uh, also support the Thank you, Kurt.

2:51:50Okay, um, last call for Freda Walker and Kimberly Horner.

2:51:59And with that, testimony is completed.

2:52:03Thank you.

2:52:04Um, I just want to start by thanking everybody who came and testified, both Thank you.

2:52:08Both last week and this week, it has been— required a lot of patience and flexibility from the public as we have figured this out.

2:52:14And colleagues, I also want to thank you for your patience and your flexibility in this process.

2:52:18Nothing about this is going how it should.

2:52:20We should never find $20 million that is dedicated to serving our people.

2:52:26And I want to let you know that the process around this also wasn't how I would have liked to have seen it go.

2:52:34It is unlikely, but certainly possible, that there is a couch cushion somewhere in the city that has other dollars sitting in it.

2:52:40And if that becomes the case, as we are checking every couch cushion and auditing every fund and determining where every dollar is supposed to be, it is my dedication to you that we will change the process and it'll be different if we do find those funds going forward.

2:52:55But we are doing the best with what we can right now.

2:52:58I think we can all agree And I think we've heard from both testimony and every amendment and every comment on this dais that we are in multiple crises right now, and there are countless problems that we could be solving with finite dollars.

2:53:12And let me be very clear, this $20.7 million will not solve any of these problems in a meaningful way, and it won't even meet the gap that we saw in budgets cut last year, and it certainly won't meet the gap that is likely to happen next year.

2:53:29But we have to do the maximum good with the minimum dollars that we have here.

2:53:34As we have said, this is a compromise, and I have deep concerns about some of the parts of this, but I'm ready to support the compromise package because we need to move this forward and we need to get these dollars out.

2:53:47I agree that there are conversations about getting the dollars out in year 1 versus year 3, and that we are going to need to have those conversations.

2:53:52Conversations.

2:53:54I also— I just will note that the Broadway corridor has units available up to 120%, which is deeply concerning to call that affordable because in most of the city, 80% is considered affordable.

2:54:05And in my district of District 1, 60% is considered affordable or considered market.

2:54:11I apologize.

2:54:13And lastly, I wish that there was some sort of callout in this for a District 1 project, but the reality is there There's not any construction on this scale happening in District 1 right now.

2:54:23We got to go where the dollars are, where the projects are.

2:54:26All of these projects should happen.

2:54:28All of them are amazing.

2:54:30All of them meet the different ways we are approaching the homeless and housing crisis.

2:54:36And the situation we are facing is deeply unfortunate.

2:54:41I, uh, before we, uh, move to councilors' debate, I would like to pull up— I had my staff, uh, pull together a document that we shared with everybody to try and compare the different amendments that are on the table because there's a lot of moving parts.

2:54:53And I'm hoping, Keelan, if we could pull that up on the screen for folks to see.

2:54:58We laid it out so that folks can see the original proposal, what is now being called the Zimmerman Amendment, the Novick Amendment, and the District 1 Councilor's Amendment, the new one that was addressed today, to try and lay out in the buckets sort of very clearly where are these dollars going and where Where have they moved across that?

2:55:21When we get that up on the screen, I will then turn it over to colleagues for debate.

2:55:26If folks want to jump in the queue, you're welcome to.

2:55:28I see there are already 2.

2:55:32I want to give just a second before we get this up, before I call on you, Councilor Koyama Lane, if that's okay.

2:55:39And again, patience.

2:55:40Thank you for the patience for everybody at home.

2:55:41Thank you.

2:55:41As we have figured out both technology and moving to our first virtual meeting and a whole lot of things through this.

2:55:48It's been a learning experience, friends.

2:55:52Yes.

2:56:07I know everybody up here also likes Excel, so—.

2:56:12As the music guy, I would like some transition music for future meetings, please.

2:56:16Working on it.

2:56:17I'm working on it.

2:56:40Just very quick, for the— to help frame the conversation, I've asked my aide, Eben Hoffer, to come up and walk us through the document that he created just to help everybody make sure we're all on the same page, including everybody at home.

2:56:53Eben, please take it away.

2:56:55Hello, everyone.

2:56:56I'm Eben, for the record.

2:57:00Ebenhofer.

2:57:00We have— so I've created a very rough rundown of allocations between these different versions.

2:57:08This is not considering some of the granular breakdown of which organizations may be providing rent assistance, and it's not considering the year 1 versus over year 3 considerations.

2:57:18It's really trying to just bucket things in a general way so that you can see it visually.

2:57:25So please don't consider this law.

2:57:27It's not and can't be.

2:57:29But hopefully it's an assistance to everyone to see where things are going.

2:57:35We are looking at the original resolution, the amendment now called Zimmerman 1.

2:57:41I believe— I'm not sure where we're at procedurally, but the amendment to Zimmerman 1 called Novick 1 Which can be considered if Zimmerman 1 is adopted, and the new District 1 Councilor Avalos-Smith-Dunphy 3.

2:58:00So the things that we had— is that clear?

2:58:03Yeah.

2:58:03Thank you so much.

2:58:08Are we able to share that?

2:58:09Is it working on it?

2:58:12In the interest of time, Councilor Koyama Lane.

2:58:15Oh, here we go.

2:58:15Hey, look at— see, that's all I have to do is I have to move on and then technology works.

2:58:21Okay, there we go.

2:58:27So colleagues can see we have, uh, as Eben said, we've re— uh, bundled the different types of funding that we were trying to, uh, compare like with like to give everybody a rough sense of where we started, where we went, and where we arrived this morning.

2:58:44And we— I'd like to just leave this up on the screen while we begin council conversation.

2:58:50So Councilor Koyama Lane, please kick us off.

2:58:53Thank you, Council President, and thank you so much to community.

2:58:57Thank you for showing up.

2:58:58It's not lost on me that many of you have taken time off work, time away from your families to be here.

2:59:04It means a lot.

2:59:05The goal should not be complicated.

2:59:08The goal in using this money should be keeping elders, families, people with disabilities, people at risk of eviction housed right now, this winter, full stop.

2:59:20That is what renter-paid dollars should do.

2:59:23And honestly, that's what our constituents are clearly asking for, and that's what, very importantly, evidence tells us works.

2:59:30I want to remind us that these are one-time funds.

2:59:33This is an opportunity to stabilize Portlanders during a very unstable Scary time.

2:59:39Let me be clear: something like rent assistance is not a permanent entitlement; it's a short-term intervention that gives Portlanders breathing room and some dignity.

2:59:49When you give people direct assistance, you allow them to make their own choices—to stay near their kids' schools, their doctors, their jobs, their community.

2:59:58That flexibility is not a flaw; it's literally the point.

3:00:02Prevention work.

3:00:02Works because it meets people where they are before the system has to pay far more to respond to the crisis.

3:00:10I want to speak about this Broadway Corridor project specifically.

3:00:15And as we're hearing some of this testimony now, other projects are reaching out because they too have funding gaps.

3:00:21So it is concerning to me why the Broadway Corridor project is being prioritized here.

3:00:26Our housing bureau has already committed Up to $37.5 million, I think that's right, plus another $4.5 million in TIF dollars for a total of about $42 million to this project.

3:00:41So why are we pulling dollars intended to help low and moderate income renters and redirecting, redirecting them to a development that is already heavily subsidized?

3:00:52Why are we doing this instead of housing vouchers, rent assistance, rent buydowns, or other proven interventions that directly support people instead of investors.

3:01:01Councilor Zimmerman, this proposal came out of the Finance Committee on January 12th.

3:01:06I want to ask directly, how does this prevent people from falling into homelessness right now?

3:01:10And do you have data to support that claim?

3:01:13People clearly are showing up to testify in force.

3:01:16I think like many of you, I have hundreds of emails in my inboxes— my inbox right now asking me to protect low-income renters.

3:01:24And overwhelmingly, constituents are concerned and very frustrated and angry that once again it feels like there are backroom deals that are made to benefit developers over everyday Portlanders.

3:01:36They're really tired of decisions being shaped behind closed doors and then presented as an accomplishment.

3:01:43I've heard from many constituents that that's what they're seeing, and they're saying this doesn't feel transparent, it doesn't feel fair.

3:01:50That frustration is justified.

3:01:51So if this council is going to decide that preventing evictions and keeping people housed is not the priority, then I want my colleagues up here to be honest about that.

3:02:02Put your name on it, councilors.

3:02:03Own it publicly.

3:02:04Don't just go to Councilor Avalos behind closed doors and pressure her.

3:02:09Don't ask renters to pay the price while pretending it's about balance and compromise.

3:02:14Thank you.

3:02:17Thank you, Councilor Koyama Lane.

3:02:18Uh, colleagues, I apologize, I clicked on something and my queue went out of order.

3:02:25I'm going to do my best.

3:02:25I believe it's Councilor Avalos next, or is it Councilor Green?

3:02:28Oh, Green.

3:02:29Okay, thank you.

3:02:30Councilor Green, please.

3:02:32Uh, thank you, Council President.

3:02:34Um, thank you to the volume of community members who have testified and waited a week, um, and sent hundreds of emails to our offices.

3:02:42I appreciate your input.

3:02:44I'm speaking today with 2 ideas in my mind.

3:02:52The first is I am speaking in support of the newly revised Avalos-Smith-Dunphy amendments with the reservation that I really do not like the sort of grand bargain, so to speak, as it were, for the money to go to the parks.

3:03:09Councilor Smith.

3:03:10To go to the new affordable housing gap funding proposals, and, and I'll tell you why.

3:03:15It's not because I don't think that we should do those projects.

3:03:17It's just that I know that with the economics of affordable housing in the city of Portland right now, I struggle.

3:03:24I struggle to think about how we can lease up a set of units that range from 60% AMI to 120% AMI when you can't even lease up units at the 60% AMI because they're so close to And in fact, at the range that we're thinking about in Parcel 6 at Broadway Corridor, I don't know how it's any different than market.

3:03:43It might even be, in fact, be higher than market.

3:03:46And there's still a capital stack to assemble.

3:03:50Meanwhile, we know that there are 1,800 units in the community that are in the regulated system that are lying vacant because they carry debts on their balance sheets that put them in a position where they can't And so they're stuck in a situation where those units are too close to market.

3:04:09And so with one-time money, I don't know why we're not taking that money and just buying down the rent on the existing units that we have, which, by the way, yields benefits for decades.

3:04:21And by my math, based on if we expanded what the Portland Housing Bureau is already doing, you can, you can cut rents for the renters in those units by 18%.

3:04:29Councilor Smith.

3:04:30Aye.

3:04:31One-time expenditure, 18% over the life of the regulatory agreement.

3:04:35That to me is the smart economics on this play.

3:04:37I'm going to support this amendment because I like everything else.

3:04:42And I like how hard y'all fought to assemble this.

3:04:45I think it's really— it shows the compromise at play.

3:04:48So if this passes, I'm going to move Green 1, which I've emailed to all of you, that does just one thing.

3:04:55Actually, technically 2 things.

3:04:56It just It zeros out all of the one-off by-name gap funding financing of a total of $8.1 million, and it adds it to— I guess in this spreadsheet it would look like affordable housing portfolio stabilization to the dollar, with the express purpose that it is for rent buydowns in any of our affordable housing providers anywhere in the city.

3:05:19And I think what you'll find is that's going to provide benefits to every single district.

3:05:23Thank you.

3:05:23And it allows us to show voters in the city of Portland that we're good stewards of our public dollars because we're willing to act right now with the dollars that we have to make people's lives better today.

3:05:34And so that way, when we ask them for money in the future, they might be willing to say yes.

3:05:39Thank you.

3:05:41Thank you, Councilor Green.

3:05:42Councilor Avalos.

3:05:44Thank you.

3:05:45So a couple of things, you know, to go back to where we started, I think it's important to remember that when this This Slow the Inflow resolution was first brought to my committee in December.

3:05:57Prior to that, we worked diligently with the Housing Bureau and other experts around what would be a package that could, uh, be feasible, realistic, uh, also done by the Housing Bureau.

3:06:10So, you know, the— I— everyone keeps saying there are things that we don't like in the packages and the amendments.

3:06:14The thing that I don't like is a lot of dollars being redirected outside of Councilor Smith.

3:06:17Thank you, Mayor.

3:06:17I just want to say that I'm very proud of the Bureau's jurisdiction that they have been able to implement and put directly back into the hands of Portlanders in various ways and how it was originally put together.

3:06:28And importantly, I talked at length with the Housing Bureau and with the Budget Office to discuss what it looks like to spread this out over a couple years.

3:06:38That's why it's like that.

3:06:40And specifically, it was requested to be that way because, again, it was not It's not feasible for dollars to be spent out immediately in this year.

3:06:49And now we're in January, we're in February, and now we have even less time than we did back in December for it to go out by the end of this fiscal year, which is June.

3:06:58And so, you know, and Michael is prepared to answer those questions about that if he is needed.

3:07:03But I just wanted to flag that that is the purpose of that.

3:07:07I think importantly, you know, the things that I was not in support of, I think me compromising was, again, recognizing the entire spectrum, realizing that clearly Clearly the first package did not have a lot of buy-in for more than one reason, not just about the Broadway.

3:07:21There were concerns that I heard from people about naming certain groups.

3:07:25There were concerns about how things were allocated on eviction, on the lack of general fund, all of that.

3:07:31And I think what we did is— and I'm also hearing this like, oh well, I wasn't consulted and I wasn't— well, I think we had a public debate, we had the public testimony, and the sponsors of this resolution went back You know, given our limitations with public meeting law that we can't just go ask everybody everything, that we went back and tried to incorporate what we heard from all of you and put it into another package that we could get to yes on.

3:07:58And so I appreciate the work that Councilors Smith and Dunphy did with me to find some kind of way forward.

3:08:06I think also we started back at the original bill because at the end of the day, that was always the first goal.

3:08:12Thank you.

3:08:12Councilor Smith.

3:08:13And I'll just note where you're— what you're mentioning, Councilor Green.

3:08:16I agree that I think rent buydown would have been great to have put in this package.

3:08:20I think we were limited because when we were looking at the original package again, looking at all the amendments— or I'm sorry, all the allocations that went to the rent assistance and all the other things that I definitely am advocating for it— and because the EHV money for Home Forward was a big point of contention, that felt like the most logical place to start and look at the— and because it was a big pot of $9 million that we could say, okay, what are the things that we're hearing?

3:08:46Let's reallocate to some of the projects that everybody seems intent on.

3:08:50Changing the language around eviction prevention.

3:08:52You know, we had this back and forth about is it the right to counsel?

3:08:55Does it go to common law?

3:08:56We clearly heard from common law and Oregon Law Center.

3:08:59And honestly, you know, we brought it back to a place where the housing bureau can make those decisions, right?

3:09:04And we added a little bit more.

3:09:05So that there can be contracts that go to all of those groups, as well as continuing the right-to-counsel pilot, which was something that I heard people had strong support for last time.

3:09:17And so, you know, just to give you some context as to why I agree that a rent buydown could make a big difference right now, we'll see what happens after this amendment package.

3:09:26Obviously, I would encourage folks to pass this new package, given that the sponsors of this resolution Councilmember Herbold.

3:09:32Councilmember Herbold, thank you.

3:09:32I just want to say that we as a commission are bringing this to you in good faith and trying to accommodate as many needs as possible, knowing that not everyone is happy, including the 3 sponsors are not happy about the ultimate outcome.

3:09:42And then, you know, we'll see what happens as far as Green One and whatever else.

3:09:47So I just wanted to put that additional context.

3:09:49And lastly, I'll just end with, you know, we heard a little bit from the testifier, Steph Routh.

3:09:55District 1, the reason that we combined our efforts in District 1 is because we have some of the most vulnerable households, right?

3:10:02$30,000 Less in annual income.

3:10:0540% Of the city's children.

3:10:0710-Year life expectancy less than the rest of the city, right?