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<v Candace Avalos>Good afternoon.

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<v Candace Avalos>I call the meeting of the Housing and Permitting Committee to order.

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<v Candace Avalos>It is Tuesday, September 15th at 2:03 PM.

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<v Candace Avalos>Wendy, can you please call the roll?

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<v Unidentified speaker>Good afternoon.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Uh, Koyama Lane?

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Here.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Novick?

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<v Steve Novick>Here.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Green?

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<v Mitch Green>Here.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Pirtle-Guiney?

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<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Here.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Avalos?

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<v Candace Avalos>Present.

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<v Candace Avalos>Claire, can you please read the statement of conduct?

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<v Candace Avalos>Thank you, Chair.

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<v Candace Avalos>Good afternoon and welcome to the meeting of the Housing and Permitting Committee.

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<v Candace Avalos>To testify before this committee in person or virtually, you must sign up in advance on the committee agenda at portland.gov/council/agenda/housingandpermittingcommittee or by calling 311.

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<v Candace Avalos>Registration for virtual testimony closes 1 hour prior to the meeting.

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<v Candace Avalos>In-person testifiers must sign up before the agenda item is heard.

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<v Candace Avalos>If public testimony will be taken on an item, individuals may testify for 3 minutes unless the chair states otherwise.

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<v Candace Avalos>Your microphone will be muted when your time is over.

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<v Candace Avalos>The chair preserves order.

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<v Candace Avalos>Disruptive conduct such as shouting, refusing to conclude your testimony when your time is up, or interrupting others' testimony or committee deliberations will not be allowed.

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<v Candace Avalos>If you cause a disruption, a warning will be given.

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<v Candace Avalos>Further disruption will result in ejection from the meeting.

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<v Candace Avalos>Anyone who fails to leave once ejected is subject to arrest for trespass.

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<v Candace Avalos>Additionally, the committee may take a short recess and reconvene virtually.

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<v Candace Avalos>Your testimony should address the matter being considered.

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<v Candace Avalos>When testifying, please state your name for the record.

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<v Candace Avalos>If you are a lobbyist, identify the organization you represent.

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<v Candace Avalos>And finally, virtual testifiers should unmute themselves when the clerk calls your name.

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<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

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<v Candace Avalos>Thank you, Claire.

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<v Candace Avalos>We have 3 main items on today's agenda.

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<v Candace Avalos>We'll start off like we always do with some general public comments on housing and permitting issues.

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<v Candace Avalos>Then we will have a staff overview and update on the city's mandatory relocation assistance policy.

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<v Candace Avalos>Then we will hear from Portland renters on their concerns, ideas, or suggestions as, uh, for things that we should consider as a committee.

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<v Candace Avalos>Before we get into those items, we need to adopt committee minutes, and we are today approving our minutes from our July and August meetings.

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<v Candace Avalos>So the minutes are approved by unanimous consent.

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<v Candace Avalos>Are there any objections?

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<v Candace Avalos>Without objection, the minutes are approved.

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<v Candace Avalos>Wendy, please read item 2.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Item number 2, document number 2026-321, Housing and Permitting Community Feedback.

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<v Candace Avalos>All right, now we will hear from, uh, community members on any topics related to housing.

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<v Candace Avalos>Wendy, go ahead and call up our testifiers.

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<v Unidentified speaker>We have 2 people registered, uh, Terry McBride and Amber Cook.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Come on up.

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<v Candace Avalos>Welcome.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Thank you.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>My name is Terry McBride, and I developed this initiative from lived experience with homelessness and affordable housing.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>The problem is not always that resources do not exist.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>The problem is that residents in crisis often cannot successfully reach and use them.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Transportation, documentation, Disability, income, work schedules, childcare, and fragmented agency requirements can turn a manageable problem into housing loss.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>The community navigator model creates one continuing point of contact who helps the resident identify the right resources, complete the practical steps, make the warm qualified, uh, warm connection, and follow through towards resolution.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>I am not requesting a job or funding.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>I'm asking that the county have qualified people people evaluate whether this model deserves a limited pilot.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>The problem in plain language: availability is not the same as accessibility.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Residents may be sent to several agencies, asked for different documents, or expected to travel across the county while already in crisis.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>What appears to be a failure to follow through may actually be a process the resident could not realistically complete complete.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>A small unresolved barrier can escalate into arrears, an eviction filing, housing loss, and much greater public cost.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>The proposed solution, No Wrong Door, the first contact begins a pathway to assistance instead of another handoff, named Community Navigator.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Residents know whom to contact before the problem becomes a crisis.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Housing stability plan.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Significant or interacting barriers are organized into clear responsibilities, resources, deadlines, and how-to follow-up steps.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Warm handoffs and practical help support may include documents, applications, appointments, transportation, accessibility, employment benefits, glasses, hearing aids, work clothes, or tools.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Continuity.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Continuality.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Throughout residency, support can decrease after resolution, but relationship does not disappear while the resident remains housed.

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<v Nancy Thorington>This—.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>My specific ask is the county identify policy or program staff qualified to evaluate my model.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Convene a short—.

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<v Candace Avalos>You have 30 more seconds.

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<v Candace Avalos>Keep going.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Convene a short working discussion with appropriate residents, community organizers, service providers, and public partners.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Determine whether a manageable pilot is If the model is not feasible, explain the operational or policy reasons so the idea can be evaluated honestly.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Thank you.

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<v Candace Avalos>Thank you, Terry, for your testimony and for your one-pager.

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<v Candace Avalos>Uh, would you mind following up with my office?

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<v Candace Avalos>I can talk to you more about that.

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<v Candace Avalos>Sounds like we should connect you with some county folks as well.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>I do have the complete proposal available if any of you would like a copy.

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<v Candace Avalos>Yes, let's get in touch.

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<v Candace Avalos>Thank you, Terry.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Amber is joining us online.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Amber, go ahead and unmute and begin your testimony.

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<v Amber Cook>Yes, hi, greetings to members of the committee.

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<v Amber Cook>My name is Amber Cook.

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<v Amber Cook>Regarding RELO, I was a commissioner on the Rental Services Commission in 2022 when we recommended increasing relocation assistance and tying it to inflation.

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<v Amber Cook>Inflation increases.

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<v Amber Cook>I'm so glad to see it, you know, up for consideration here.

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<v Amber Cook>CoStar data was something forced on us by the Portland Housing Bureau under protest.

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<v Amber Cook>We were told we had to make our arguments based on the stats and figures in the rental housing data provided by these so-called experts.

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<v Amber Cook>And yet everyone involved knew that the data was not just off, but extremely off.

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<v Amber Cook>Claiming rents in Portland had only gone up 6% in the last decade.

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<v Amber Cook>Some of CoStar's major shareholders are Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street Corporation, real estate entities deep into RealPage, and other damaging practices that people in this country are trying to shut down.

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<v Amber Cook>So it's important not to tie RELO with that predatory source of data, but instead use local housing data combined with common sense to see that RELO must increase and continue to increase.

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<v Amber Cook>Thank you.

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<v Amber Cook>At a better rate than local rents increase or become practically useless to the renters it aims to keep from falling into homelessness for receiving a non— no-fault eviction from their landlord.

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<v Amber Cook>Groups like Multifamily Northwest have an openly stated goal to end RELO in the city.

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<v Amber Cook>Somehow the big landlords have enacted a campaign of misinformation that renters have a ton of protections in Portland to the detriment of the poor landlords.

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<v Amber Cook>Portland has a few good protections like RELO, but many more are needed to even begin to address the power imbalance and the mistreatment of renters, especially low-income renters, not only in, you know, providing the truly terrible while also unaffordable housing, but in how the renters are treated by their property management agents.

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<v Amber Cook>The small bundle of keeping RELO, increasing it, making it more effective, and untying it from CoStar.

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<v Amber Cook>Thank you.

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<v Amber Cook>Um, is an important step in fixing the ongoing, ever-worsening housing crisis.

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<v Amber Cook>Thank you.

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<v Candace Avalos>Thank you, Amber.

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<v Keelan McClymont>That concludes community feedback.

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<v Candace Avalos>All right, let's go ahead and move to the next item.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Item number 3, document number 2026-322, informational briefing on mandatory relocation assistance.

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<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

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<v Candace Avalos>As our guest presenters come up, I'll open us— I'll open up this discussion.

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<v Candace Avalos>So in 2017, in response to Portland's rental housing shortage, continued rent increases of 10% or more, and concerns regarding displacement of Portland residents, the council passed a mandatory relocation assistance policy specifically intended to support tenants who receive a no-cause eviction or rent increase of 10% or more within a 12-month period.

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<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

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<v Candace Avalos>Since it went into effect nearly 10 years ago, the RELO policy has been amended several times by council to create certain exemptions for certain landlords and tenancies, and also to align the policy with state law.

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<v Candace Avalos>So I have asked PHB staff today to share with us an overview of the city's current RELO policy, discuss the recommendations from the Rental Services Commission in 2022, and share an update on an upcoming evaluation of the city's tenant-landlord policies.

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<v Candace Avalos>Displacement is costly and incredibly disruptive.

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<v Candace Avalos>RELO is one of our only tools that directly addresses that reality, so it is important that we understand how the policy is currently working.

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<v Candace Avalos>With that, thank you, Interim Director Light, and Josh Roper are here to share their presentation.

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<v Candace Avalos>Take it away.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Good afternoon, Chair Avalos and committee members.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Um, if I might, given today's topic, before we begin with the presentation, I want to take a moment just to highlight Portland's 2nd annual Renter— Rental Education Week.

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<v Unidentified speaker>And it's hosted by PHB's Rental Services Office, and it'll be from October 5th through October 9th.

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<v Unidentified speaker>And each day we will offer free 1-hour online sessions from noon to 1:00 PM, topics including fair housing protections, requirements related to sale of occupied rental properties, conflict management, and other things.

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<v Unidentified speaker>So we just wanted to be able to share this and ask people, you know, to go onto our website.

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<v Unidentified speaker>You can go to portland.gov/phb and register for those events because it's a great opportunity to— for renters to get more information with that, I will turn to today's purpose— the purpose of today's briefing.

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<v Unidentified speaker>As Chair Avalos stated, we are here to provide you an informational briefing on the Mandatory Renter Relocation Assistance, sometimes referred to as MRRA or RELO for short.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Today, we'll explain how that policy works, how the regulatory environment has changed since Portland adopted it, and how our current landlord-tenant policy evaluation will inform future discussion.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Thank you, Deputy City Attorney Nancy Thorington.

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<v Unidentified speaker>I want to be clear that we're not making recommendations or asking the committee to take any action today.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Next slide.

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<v Unidentified speaker>So we'll cover the 4 areas mentioned.

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<v Unidentified speaker>We'll give this short overview of RELO, including its history, payment requirements, and exemptions.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Then we will describe the state laws that now shape the same rental market, and then we'll review the Rental Services Commission's 2022 recommendations.

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<v Nancy Thorington>Next slide.

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<v Unidentified speaker>And then finally, Josh will outline the broader landlord-tenant policy evaluation that the Housing Bureau is undertaking.

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<v Unidentified speaker>I want to distinguish this historical record from a current proposal.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Again, PHB is not asking the committee to adopt the 2022 recommendations today.

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<v Unidentified speaker>We are bringing the work— bringing that work forward as one source of information in connection with a more comprehensive evaluation.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Next slide.

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<v Unidentified speaker>So I'll begin with the purpose of the— of relo and the circumstances under which it applies.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Next slide.

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<v Unidentified speaker>As mentioned, Portland adopted MRRA in 2017 and made the policy permanent in 2018.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Under certain circumstances, it requires a landlord to make a direct payment to a tenant who must relocate.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The payment is intended to help with the immediate cost of finding and moving into another home.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Generally when the relocation results from a landlord's decision rather than a tenant violation.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Because the payment goes directly to the tenant before the move, the household can use it for expenses that matter most when they're facing displacement.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Next slide.

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<v Unidentified speaker>RELO grew out of Portland's 2015 housing emergency.

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<v Unidentified speaker>At that time, average rents had increased about 30%.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Over the previous 5 years.

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<v Unidentified speaker>City leaders were concerned that rapid rent increases and no-cause terminations were forcing households to move and contributing to homelessness.

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<v Unidentified speaker>And then in 2015, um, in, in the 2015 Point-in-Time Count, a metric intended to estimate the extent of homelessness in the community, one-third of people who were unsheltered reported that they had been homeless for less than 6 months, an increase from the prior year.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Council first adopted MRRA through an emergency ordinance in February of 2017, and that original policy covered tenants who received a no-cost termination or a rent increase of at least 10%.

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<v Unidentified speaker>And then the following month, PHB convened a technical advisory group of landlords, tenants, and social service providers.

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<v Unidentified speaker>That group reviewed the ordinance and recommended technical changes, many of which council incorporated later in 2017.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Council established the Rental Services Commission that October as a public forum for landlord-tenant issues.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The commission included several people who had served on the technical advisory group.

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<v Unidentified speaker>And then in March of 2018, council made RELO permanent, separated it from the housing emergency, and directed PHB to administer the policy.

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<v Nancy Thorington>Thank you.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The key context is that RELO predates statewide rent stabilization.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Portland developed it as an early local response to large rent increases and involuntary displacements.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Next slide.

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<v Unidentified speaker>So RELO generally applies to 5 types of events.

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<v Unidentified speaker>You have no-cause termination, no— non-renewal of fixed-term lease, termination for a qualified landlord reason, A rent increase of 10% or more within 12 months, and a substantial change in lease terms.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Qualified landlord reasons include circumstances such as demolition, major repairs that make the unit temporarily unsafe to occupy, occupancy by the landlord or an eligible immediate family member, or the sale of an individual unit to a buyer who plans to live there.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The landlord must notify the tenant about potential eligibility.

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<v Unidentified speaker>For a qualifying rent increase or a substantial lease change, the tenant must request the payment.

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<v Unidentified speaker>And if the tenant accepts relocation assistance, the tenant must move by the applicable date or repay the assistance.

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<v Unidentified speaker>For no-cause terminations, the payment generally reaches the tenant 45 days before the termination date.

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<v Unidentified speaker>That timing matters because it places funds in the tenant's hands while that household is searching for housing and before the situation becomes a court-ordered eviction.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Next slide.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The required payments— payment varies by the unit size.

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<v Unidentified speaker>So the current amount is $2,900 for a studio or single-room occupancy unit, $3,300 for a 1-bedroom, $4,200 for a 2-bedroom, and $4,500 for a unit with 3 or more bedrooms.

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<v Unidentified speaker>These amounts are intended to cover more than the physical move.

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<v Unidentified speaker>A reloading— relocating household may need to pay overlapping rent.

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<v Unidentified speaker>They may have a new security deposit, application fees, storage, moving supplies, and even childcare.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The payment standards have remained unchanged since the 2017 emergency ordinance.

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<v Nancy Thorington>Thank you.

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<v Unidentified speaker>So whether they still reflect actual relocation costs was one of the central questions the Rental Services Commission considered in 2022.

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<v Unidentified speaker>So under the code, there are 12 exemptions.

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<v Unidentified speaker>They address situations such as a landlord who shares a home with a tenant, an owner who temporarily rents a principal residence, certain family move-ins, regulated affordable housing, Rent adjustments and units scheduled for demolition or permanent conversion.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The administrative requirements differ.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Some landlords must apply to the Rental Services Office for an acknowledgment of exemption.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Other exemptions apply without a filing, and that distinction affects our data.

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<v Unidentified speaker>When we can count the acknowledgments PHB processes, but those records do not show the full use of exemptions across the the affordable housing exemption is also narrower than it may first appear.

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<v Unidentified speaker>It can apply to a rent increase that results from income or program eligibility requirements.

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<v Unidentified speaker>It does not eliminate relocation assistance for a qualifying termination, and it does not apply in the same way to a market-rate unit occupied by a voucher holder.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The family move-in exemption illustrates another implementation issue.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The family member must occupy the unit 24 months— for 24 months, but the city does not have a routine system to verify that continued occupancy.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Questions about documentation, verification, and the design of exemptions are appropriate subjects for the upcoming evaluation.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Next slide.

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<v Unidentified speaker>So this next section explains how state law changed the context in which RELO operates.

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<v Unidentified speaker>When Portland adopted RELO, Oregon did not have statewide rent stabilization, but in 2019, Senate Bill 608 established an annual cap for covered tenancies equal to 7% plus inflation.

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<v Unidentified speaker>During the early part of the pandemic, that cap stayed close to RELO's 10% trigger.

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<v Unidentified speaker>As inflation accelerated, the state formula allowed increases as high as 14.5%.

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<v Nancy Thorington>Thank you.

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<v Unidentified speaker>That created a wider gap between the statewide limit and Portland's relocation assistance trigger.

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<v Unidentified speaker>And then in 2023, legislature— and the legislature enacted Senate Bill 611.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The current formula uses the lower of 10% or 7% plus the annual inflation measure, so a 14.6% increase wouldn't be possible anymore.

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<v Nancy Thorington>Thank you.

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<v Unidentified speaker>The data on this slide show a sharp decline in notices of relocation payment tied to rent increases from 27 in fiscal year '22-'23 to 4 in fiscal year '24-'25.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Senate Bill 611 likely forms part of that context because, because it reduced allowable increases for covered tenancies.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Softer market increases may also have contributed, and the data show a change in reported activity, but they do not by themselves establish a single cause.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Thank you.

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<v Unidentified speaker>So now I'm going to turn it over to Josh, and he'll walk through the 2022 recommendations and the landlord-tenant policy evaluation work we're going to be kicking off here, or that we have kicked off, right?

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<v Josh Roper>Thanks, Quisha.

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<v Josh Roper>Good afternoon.

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<v Josh Roper>Josh Roper, Policy and Planning Director for the Portland Housing Bureau.

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<v Josh Roper>So Quisha walked us through the state context, and I'm going to turn to the 2022 Rental Services Commission recommendations.

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<v Josh Roper>And go through those in a little bit of detail.

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<v Josh Roper>So in October of 2022, the Rental Services Commission received 2 specific questions.

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<v Josh Roper>One, should the city increase the relocation payment amounts?

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<v Josh Roper>And should the city index those amounts to inflation?

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<v Josh Roper>The request reflected concern that post-pandemic inflation had reduced the purchasing power.

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<v Josh Roper>Thank you.

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<v Josh Roper>Uh, associated with payments that had been set in 2017.

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<v Josh Roper>It also followed a highly visible situation at the Prescott, a regulated affordable housing property in North Portland.

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<v Josh Roper>After a change in ownership, some tenants received very large rent increase notices.

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<v Josh Roper>Those increases triggered RELO and raised additional concern because the property's multiple unit limited tax exemption, or multi- Was nearing expiration.

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<v Josh Roper>Council responded to that immediate situation by extending the tax benefit for 5 years with county approval and being involved in arrangement of some additional rent support for affected tenants.

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<v Josh Roper>But this broader policy question remained.

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<v Josh Roper>To support its deliberations, the Rental Services Commission reviewed RELO's purpose and payment standards reviewed eviction filing trends, state rent laws, rents by unit size, and property tax changes.

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<v Josh Roper>So in November of 2022, the members present at a meeting of the commission voted 9 to 0 to recommend 2 changes.

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<v Josh Roper>First, they recommended increasing the payment standard to reflect inflation along with actual rent changes and the current cost of finding a new home.

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<v Josh Roper>And second, they recommended ongoing indexing of the payment standard over time.

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<v Josh Roper>The commission pointed to the Consumer Price Index and to rent data, and they suggested connecting the index to the framework that had been created by state law.

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<v Josh Roper>The recommendation expressed a clear policy direction, but it did not establish a new payment schedule or a complete indexing formula.

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<v Josh Roper>Commissioners also noted concerns about the accuracy and comprehensiveness of available data.

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<v Josh Roper>You heard mention of CoSTAR and its limitations earlier.

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<v Josh Roper>Those unresolved design questions matter because different formulas can produce substantially different payment amounts and administrative effects.

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<v Josh Roper>Council did not change the payment standards, and PHB is again not presenting the 2022 recommendations as a current status.

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<v Josh Roper>Proposal, more as historical context.

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<v Josh Roper>We will, of course, consider it— consider those recommendations alongside updated data, current market conditions, and other relevant information in connection with our broader landlord-tenant policy evaluation.

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<v Josh Roper>So now we'll talk a little bit about what is on PHB's docket.

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<v Josh Roper>In particular, the landlord-tenant policy evaluation.

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<v Josh Roper>So the Housing Bureau is undertaking a broader evaluation of Portland's landlord-tenant policies with support from a financial advisory services firm that has relevant policy expertise.

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<v Josh Roper>RELO is going to be an important part of that work, but the evaluation will consider the city's landlord-tenant policies and programs as a connected system.

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<v Josh Roper>The central questions with respect to existing policy are whether they achieve their intended purpose or purposes, how implementation can be improved, and whether the policies create unintended consequences for tenants, landlords, property management, or others.

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<v Josh Roper>The evaluation will place particular emphasis on how current policies serve low-income tenants, older adults, tenants with disabilities, and tenants of color.

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<v Josh Roper>It will also examine administrative burden and opportunities to make compliance easier.

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<v Josh Roper>Recommendations for new policy and programs and changes to existing policy and programs are all within scope.

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<v Josh Roper>PHB released the request for proposals in December of last year, received proposals in January of this year, selected the consultant in April of this year, and we are finalizing contract execution this month.

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<v Josh Roper>The evaluation has several overlapping work phases.

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<v Josh Roper>The core Housing Bureau team will meet throughout the engagement.

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<v Josh Roper>The consultant team will begin with evaluation design in coordination with the PHB team and then collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data to support the work.

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<v Josh Roper>Policy and comparative analysis will build on those findings, followed by synthesis and a final report.

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<v Josh Roper>The overlap is intentional.

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<v Josh Roper>Early data and stakeholder input can sharpen the questions we ask later, rather than waiting until the end to discover any gaps.

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<v Josh Roper>PHP staff will make up the core project team, and the evaluation design will establish how tenants, landlords, property managers, service providers, and other stakeholders one thing I really want to underscore is that we, the Housing Bureau, do not plan to wait for the final report before learning from the work.

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<v Josh Roper>So during the course of this engagement, we will collaborate with the consultant team to identify lessons for policy, data, and program administration as the evidence develops.

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<v Josh Roper>For RELO, excuse me, that means improving the administrative data available to describe how the policy operates.

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<v Josh Roper>It also means revisiting the 2022 recommendations in light of today's state law and rental market.

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<v Josh Roper>A recommendation made during a period of unusually high inflation may still raise a valid policy question, but the answer should reflect current conditions and updated evidence.

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<v Josh Roper>The evaluation also gives us an opportunity to ask questions that were not central to the 2022 review.

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<v Josh Roper>For example, do the current exemptions reflect the policy's purpose?

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<v Josh Roper>Are the filing and documentation requirements clear enough?

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<v Josh Roper>Where do tenants and landlords encounter recurring confusion or administrative burden?

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<v Josh Roper>Are there practical ways to improve compliance without weakening tenant protections?

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<v Josh Roper>The next 2 slides are just examples of administrative data that we expect to examine in connection with this evaluation work.

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<v Josh Roper>So in fiscal year 2026, no-cause terminations were frequently reported triggering events with 78 reports.

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<v Josh Roper>You can see the descending order of frequency that we hear about these issues.

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<v Josh Roper>Repairs or renovations accounted for 53, family move-ins accounting for 36.

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<v Josh Roper>The family move-in category in particular requires some careful interpretation.

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<v Josh Roper>Some payments appear in that category even though the code contains a family move-in exemption.

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<v Josh Roper>That can occur when the person moving in does not meet the exemption-specific criteria.

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<v Josh Roper>For example, because the person is the owner or a spouse or has an ownership interest in the property.

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<v Josh Roper>This is one of the reasons why the evaluation, we are expecting it to examine definitions and reporting practices, as well as these sort of top-line counts that are also important.

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<v Josh Roper>So one more example of the sort of data that we will be looking at, we have looked at and will continue to look at.

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<v Josh Roper>This is Rental Services Office help desk yes.

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<v Josh Roper>Contact, contact.

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<v Josh Roper>During fiscal year 2026, the Rental Services Office received 728 calls, emails, or in-person contacts about RELO.

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<v Josh Roper>Tenants commonly ask whether a rent increase or lease change triggered assistance, whether habitability problems qualified, what to do when a landlord did not provide payment, and whether a claimed exemption was valid.

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<v Josh Roper>Landlords commonly asked when an increase triggers what language a termination notice must include, how to apply for an exemption, and how the different notice periods work.

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<v Josh Roper>The volume and subject matter of these contacts can help us identify where the code or rules create confusion, where education would help, and where the program may impose avoidable administrative burden.

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<v Josh Roper>The evaluation can also test whether help desk information reaches the people who face the greatest barriers to understanding or enforcing their rights.

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<v Josh Roper>Thank you.

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<v Josh Roper>You'll see a link toward the bottom of the slide deck for anybody who would benefit from support from the help desk for tenants or landlords connected to RELO or other issues.

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<v Josh Roper>That URL is useful.

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<v Josh Roper>So to close, RELO remains an important tenant stability policy, but the legal and market context has thank you.

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<v Josh Roper>I just want to say we appreciate the committee's interest in the 2022 recommendations.

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<v Josh Roper>Again, not providing them as current recommendations, but appreciate the opportunity to discuss them.

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<v Josh Roper>PHB's evaluation work will help shape recommendations going forward about payment levels, exemptions, administration, and the broader policy framework, not limited to RELO.

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<v Josh Roper>Thank you.

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<v Candace Avalos>And we thank you so much for the presentation.

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<v Candace Avalos>Let's kick it off with Vice Chair Green.

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<v Mitch Green>Thank you so much, Chair Avalos, for programming this item, and thank you so much for coming here to brief us on this, Director Light and Deputy Director— is it Director or Deputy Director?

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<v Josh Roper>Policy and Planning Director.

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<v Mitch Green>Policy and Planning Director Roper.

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<v Mitch Green>Thank you.

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<v Mitch Green>I appreciate that.

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<v Mitch Green>Crucial conversation and really important for Portlanders to know what the Portland Housing Bureau is thinking about in the context of rental protections.

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<v Mitch Green>Just in the background, we're going to have a nice hearing this afternoon on hearing directly from renters.

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<v Mitch Green>I put my hand in the queue for a specific question that I had, although I'll probably have more as we go.

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<v Mitch Green>But thanks for the timeline on the On the sort of vendor process to help you study the landlord-tenant policy evaluation.

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<v Mitch Green>I'd like to know a little bit more.

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<v Mitch Green>I mean, maybe you can't disclose who they are at this time, but I think I just want to register some concerns because you haven't fully executed the contract yet, right?

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<v Josh Roper>That's right.

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<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Okay.

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<v Mitch Green>One of my chief concerns is, and I'm not saying that this is the thing that's going to happen, but It feels like from the outside looking in, when the City of Portland retains services with consultants, it often has a slant that might sort of not pay full— pay full attention or really sort of hold it— take at heart the concerns of the tenant.

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<v Mitch Green>And I just want to know that the consultant that we've hired is someone who understands what tenants go through.

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<v Mitch Green>Yes.

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<v Mitch Green>And has experience maybe even representing tenants or, you know, has some engagement with, you know, their own financial conditions that they face.

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<v Mitch Green>So I just want some assurance that when we've sought and secured this vendor, that this is a person who's entering it pretty dispassionately and really is trying to understand how to make this the best policy tool that we can and not necessarily take it apart.

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<v Mitch Green>Because that's the thing that I think is a feeling that might be in the room.

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<v Amber Cook>Thank you.

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<v Josh Roper>Yeah, I think that's a great point.

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<v Josh Roper>It's been on our minds throughout this entire process.

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<v Josh Roper>I can say who the firm is.

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<v Josh Roper>It's public, although we haven't, again, executed the contract yet.

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<v Josh Roper>It's Stout.

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<v Josh Roper>So it's a firm that has quite a bit of experience across a variety of topics, but including really deep expertise in the right-to-counsel context.

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<v Josh Roper>So that's where I was first exposed to them.

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<v Josh Roper>Yeah.

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<v Josh Roper>They've done quite a bit of evaluation work in that context.

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<v Josh Roper>So they have a really interesting combination of expertise that includes this very tenant-supportive angle and then a very deep financial expertise informed by landlord feedback and landlord perspective.

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<v Josh Roper>So it's kind of a, maybe not unique, but unusual in my experience combination of expertise.

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<v Josh Roper>And it's a very strong consultant team.

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<v Josh Roper>Happy to talk more about that though.

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<v Mitch Green>I appreciate that, and that's encouraging to hear, especially that experience on right to counsel.

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<v Mitch Green>That's a big priority for us.

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<v Mitch Green>Um, uh, thank you.

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<v Mitch Green>Um, I just want to go back a little bit.

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<v Mitch Green>The kind of policy timeline is really helpful for contextualizing where this came from and, uh, the interaction with state law, which is important.

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<v Mitch Green>Um, so As you guys have analyzed the interaction with the state, um, I think one of the things that I've always been a little concerned about was, you know, this 7% plus inflation as the lower bound.

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<v Mitch Green>I mean, that's always just going to be about 10% because inflation's not zero.

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<v Mitch Green>Um, we don't have— we don't have like deflation in the United States.

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<v Mitch Green>Um, and, uh, and so it's really just 10%.

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<v Mitch Green>I think this year it's 9 point 7.9% is what the Department of Administrative Services has published as its schedule.

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<v Mitch Green>And that means that rents, if that's the cap, and if rents do hit that cap, that means rents double in 7 years because that's the rule of 72.

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<v Mitch Green>72 divided by your rate of growth, and that's how many years it takes to double.

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<v Mitch Green>And for folks who are on fixed incomes, Social Security, they don't get a 10% per year increase generally, and so we're getting outpaced.

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<v Mitch Green>So from your standpoint, looking at how rents actually change in the city of Portland, um, do you have any comment on that?

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<v Mitch Green>I don't know if it puts you in an awkward position, but do you think that that state law is serving renters or not?

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<v Josh Roper>It's a complicated question.

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<v Josh Roper>I don't know if you want to say anything.

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<v Unidentified speaker>I would say that this is why we're doing the evaluation, right?

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<v Unidentified speaker>We want to have a better sense of all these things so that then you can, you know, is— you look at what other policies, what other legislation might be necessary.

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<v Unidentified speaker>But we need to evaluate before we can say any of that.

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<v Unidentified speaker>And so I think that's why we're doing the evaluation, because—.

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<v Nancy Thorington>I agree.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Yes, the numbers that you're— the way you're describing it, yes, that would be so.

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<v Unidentified speaker>But I think what it has done at least is somewhat kept that— you're not seeing the 14% increases at least, right?

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<v Unidentified speaker>So it solved one part, but you're right, on the lower end, it's still keeping it high.

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<v Josh Roper>And I think there's an opportunity for It's also highlighting a note that's probably worth making, which is coming out of this evaluation or during the course of the evaluation, right?

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<v Josh Roper>There are going to be policy and programmatic recommendations.

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<v Josh Roper>They might include state legislative recommendations, not just local or local policy or programs.

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<v Josh Roper>So that's worth mentioning too.

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<v Mitch Green>And I'm glad that you did because, you know, thinking about the cities the relationship with our legislative agenda with the state of Oregon is always on my mind.

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<v Mitch Green>And knowing that it's within scope potentially for this thing to come out and recommend that we adopt maybe a bold legislative agenda to change this law for the better, I think gives me a lot of encouragement.

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<v Mitch Green>It provides some backing to councilors who may wish to pursue that just sort of as a—.

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<v Mitch Green>Councilor Herbold.

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<v Mitch Green>As a values-driven thing.

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<v Mitch Green>Yeah.

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<v Mitch Green>I understand that that's not something you can snap your fingers and it probably doesn't make it into this legislative agenda 'cause you have to study it.

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<v Mitch Green>But thanks for speaking to that.

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<v Mitch Green>And it was a very measured answer, so I appreciate the care and I get it.

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<v Mitch Green>I guess my last question would be, you know, we have a sort of fabric of policies here and At the forefront for me is anti-displacement, is making sure that, you know, within the bounds of the law, that we are doing everything we can to keep tenants from being displaced.

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<v Mitch Green>And so is your study kind of looking at the broad interactions there?

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<v Josh Roper>Yeah, that is definitely within scope.

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<v Unidentified speaker>All right.

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<v Unidentified speaker>I guess even going back to your initial question, I think another way of being able to you know, we've been, even as we've been talking about this evaluation work, layered, we've brought in other pieces because we've said, oh, we need to make sure this is included too because this is having an impact.

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<v Unidentified speaker>So there are different policies that, there are some things that weren't included necessarily, but we've been having more and more conversations, hearing from providers, hearing from renters, and understanding that, oh, we need to go back and look at our scope.

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<v Unidentified speaker>And so just even—.

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<v Nancy Thorington>Yeah.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Making sure you have the right scope can guide your consultant in the right way.

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<v Mike Etterer>Thank you.

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<v Mitch Green>And, you know, I understand that rents are softer in recent years.

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<v Mitch Green>The rate of change for rents on average, it's a case-by-case basis, is softer than it has been when these were initially being conceived.

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<v Mitch Green>But I think for me, there's some asymmetry in the market where it's like when you have a tight market and things are, You have good growth, good population growth, there's strong economic growth, and rents ratchet up pretty quickly.

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<v Mitch Green>But they don't come down in the same measure when you have the opposite.

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<v Mitch Green>So they sort of go up and then they stay up, and then they maybe don't rise very much relative to that, but they don't really generally fall.

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<v Mitch Green>In some cases they might if they have a lot of overproduction and you have a broader economic collapse, which you don't want, right?

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<v Mitch Green>And so my interest is always sort of making sure that we are We are taking advantage of a moment that we have, which is that we can adopt policies today that get ahead of the next big growth period that will drive that cap, that statutory cap.

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<v Mitch Green>And so I thank you for looking at this, and I suspect we'll get into some good conversation up here.

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<v Mitch Green>But for my colleagues, like, that's generally my motivation when I think about the proactive policymaking is I want to get ahead of the next thing, even if we're not necessarily experiencing 10% per year rent growth, which we're generally not on average in the City of Portland.

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<v Mitch Green>So thank you, Chair, for letting me go a little bit longer.

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<v Mitch Green>I might have more.

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<v Josh Roper>Thanks.

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<v Unidentified speaker>Sounds good.

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<v Candace Avalos>Oh no, my computer's trying to restart at this moment.

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<v Candace Avalos>Let's not do that.

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<v Candace Avalos>Okay, um, thank you again so much for being here and sharing.

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<v Candace Avalos>As I said at the beginning, I asked for this briefing just so that we could get a sense of the conditions that have changed significantly since this policy was put into place.

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<v Candace Avalos>Because, you know, originally it was created to respond to rapid rent increases and involuntary displacement and obviously the connection between housing instability and homelessness.

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00:47:13.931 --> 00:47:26.250
<v Candace Avalos>And so the premise of it was pretty straightforward, that when a landlord makes a decision that forces someone to move, that move comes with real costs and tenants shouldn't necessarily be expected to absorb all of them.

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00:47:26.313 --> 00:47:31.768
<v Candace Avalos>So that, um, policy, uh, outcome or legislative intent is super important.

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<v Candace Avalos>Um, and, you know, as we know, those costs have not gone away.

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<v Candace Avalos>They've gone up, uh, in lots of ways.

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<v Candace Avalos>And a tenant, um, has just so many overlapping things that they're facing in a move.

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<v Candace Avalos>So they have to get a new security deposit, application fees, overlapping rent, movers, storage, uh, time away from work.

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00:47:49.702 --> 00:48:01.228
<v Candace Avalos>And that is all, um, while also trying to find another home that they can afford in a market that that we know is just tight and, um, not, uh, very diverse for the kinds of, um, rent that we need.

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00:48:01.998 --> 00:48:07.413
<v Candace Avalos>And so those realities, um, you know, have really changed, but our policy hasn't.

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00:48:07.572 --> 00:48:13.164
<v Candace Avalos>And so just trying to get a sense for, um, what might be some actions we can take as a council.

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00:48:13.742 --> 00:48:17.539
<v Candace Avalos>Um, there's also been, you know, some changes to state rent law.

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00:48:18.228 --> 00:48:24.967
<v Candace Avalos>Um, and then I'm curious to dig in a little bit because your data is showing that the number of relocation notices yes.

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00:48:26.655 --> 00:48:28.780
<v Candace Avalos>But I want to understand why.

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00:48:29.456 --> 00:48:38.514
<v Candace Avalos>And I think the 2 questions that I have are, are fewer people being economically displaced, or has the policy simply become less likely to reach them?

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00:48:38.579 --> 00:48:40.355
<v Candace Avalos>So that's what I'm trying to suss out.

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00:48:40.903 --> 00:48:44.306
<v Candace Avalos>And I think it's particularly important to East Portland.

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00:48:44.451 --> 00:48:46.367
<v Candace Avalos>I regularly meet people on the doors.

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00:48:46.480 --> 00:48:53.244
<v Candace Avalos>In fact, yesterday I met 2 separate people who, you know, I come and I'm like, Hey, I'm your government and I'm here to help.

404
00:48:53.710 --> 00:48:56.146
<v Candace Avalos>And they're just like, well, I'm about to lose my house.

405
00:48:56.851 --> 00:48:58.246
<v Candace Avalos>So it's very dire out there.

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00:48:58.438 --> 00:49:04.081
<v Candace Avalos>And I think we need to, like Vice Chair Green is saying, we need to start looking at the future.

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00:49:04.130 --> 00:49:13.619
<v Candace Avalos>We can't just look at the right now and start preempting that future where, again, it's only getting worse for Portlanders and East Portlanders are feeling it pretty heavily.

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00:49:13.699 --> 00:49:22.291
<v Candace Avalos>So also, I'll just say that I'm glad that, you know, PHB is beginning a broader evaluation of Portland's landlord and tenant policies.

409
00:49:22.340 --> 00:49:22.757
<v Candace Avalos>I think that's great.

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00:49:22.804 --> 00:49:22.996
<v Steve Novick>Thank you.

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00:49:23.110 --> 00:49:23.382
<v Unidentified speaker>Great.

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00:49:24.250 --> 00:49:33.420
<v Candace Avalos>And also glad that you all have said, you know, you don't intend to wait for the final report to start learning and improving these policies, and neither should council.

413
00:49:34.063 --> 00:49:39.217
<v Candace Avalos>So today I just want to understand more about what is RELO telling us now?

414
00:49:39.362 --> 00:49:40.760
<v Candace Avalos>What is the evidence that it's showing us?

415
00:49:41.434 --> 00:49:43.811
<v Candace Avalos>Is the policy not accomplishing its original purpose?

416
00:49:43.940 --> 00:49:46.284
<v Candace Avalos>And therefore, what are some changes we could consider?

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00:49:46.525 --> 00:49:48.630
<v Candace Avalos>So let's start with this.

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00:49:49.625 --> 00:50:01.965
<v Candace Avalos>I As it relates to the, what is it, the amount of people using ReLo going down, can you just talk to us a little bit about why you are seeing that?

419
00:50:02.081 --> 00:50:03.036
<v Candace Avalos>What could be the reason?

420
00:50:05.342 --> 00:50:19.164
<v Josh Roper>Yeah, we think, we don't know for sure, but we think it has to do with the state law change and the softening of rents where we're talking about the type of relo that is triggered by a rent increase.

421
00:50:19.710 --> 00:50:37.168
<v Josh Roper>So because there are fewer rent increases that are lawful due to the state law change that would trigger relo, we would expect to see fewer relo applications for the rent trigger variety of relo, if that makes sense.

422
00:50:37.586 --> 00:50:50.081
<v Josh Roper>And then the softening of rents also has sort of a, you know, downward pressure on how much you would expect to see in terms of units that trigger that, that exceed that threshold, that 10%.

423
00:50:51.239 --> 00:50:59.708
<v Candace Avalos>So if council's original concern was economic displacement, what evidence do you think we should use today to determine an appropriate rent increase trigger?

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00:51:02.443 --> 00:51:12.543
<v Josh Roper>I think there are a host of things we could consider, and I want to not step into I don't want to get into present-day recommendation territory too much, or maybe at all.

425
00:51:13.425 --> 00:51:31.704
<v Josh Roper>But I think, you know, asking rents, rent changes in rents, these are all the things that were considered by the RSC back in 2022 and that we would freshen the data to take another look at today if we were evaluating it or when we're evaluating it.

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00:51:32.668 --> 00:51:42.001
<v Candace Avalos>Do we have information though about whether the current amounts still reasonably reflect what it costs a Portland household to relocate today?

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00:51:43.730 --> 00:51:46.144
<v Josh Roper>We would update that information.

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00:51:46.257 --> 00:51:52.487
<v Josh Roper>So that calculation is based on old data, and that's where the payment standard came from.

429
00:51:52.617 --> 00:52:03.844
<v Josh Roper>But if we were revising that, we would use similar data, probably additional data, to update that, and I would expect it to go up based on the numbers.

430
00:52:09.460 --> 00:52:17.842
<v Candace Avalos>So, so, PHB, um, your evaluation raises the possibility of reconsidering the design and administration of the exemptions.

431
00:52:18.425 --> 00:52:26.387
<v Candace Avalos>Could you talk to us about what concerns or questions, um, have emerged around the exemptions as you've been implementing this policy over the last 10 years?

432
00:52:27.541 --> 00:52:32.447
<v Josh Roper>It has to do with the— well, in part, the volume of questions that we get through the help desk.

433
00:52:32.543 --> 00:52:42.706
<v Josh Roper>So that's a good rough estimate of how much confusion or administrative burden people are experiencing, both on the tenant and landlord side.

434
00:52:44.153 --> 00:52:47.248
<v Josh Roper>So, you know, there are 12 exemptions.

435
00:52:47.360 --> 00:52:48.818
<v Josh Roper>They're a little complicated.

436
00:52:49.304 --> 00:52:57.007
<v Josh Roper>So I think the evaluation question is, first, are these exemptions meeting the purpose of the policy?

437
00:52:57.853 --> 00:53:16.032
<v Josh Roper>And then, to the extent that they are, how do we streamline administration or simplify the exemptions or the documentation or, you know, fill in the blank implementation aspect to make it as easy as possible for tenants and landlords?

438
00:53:17.268 --> 00:53:22.001
<v Josh Roper>A good amount of this evaluation work I expect to be focused on administrative burden.

439
00:53:22.065 --> 00:53:39.597
<v Candace Avalos>I think easing administrative burden, including for landlords, is Do we know how often tenants who are legally entitled to relocation assistance actually receive it?

440
00:53:40.438 --> 00:53:41.440
<v Candace Avalos>Do we have any data on that?

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00:53:41.797 --> 00:53:44.173
<v Josh Roper>That we don't have great data on.

442
00:53:44.237 --> 00:53:51.061
<v Josh Roper>Part of that is by design because some of the exemptions don't require reporting to the Rental Services Office.

443
00:53:51.173 --> 00:53:56.795
<v Josh Roper>So we only by design get a slice, but also the data is imperfect.

444
00:53:57.519 --> 00:53:58.889
<v Josh Roper>So we don't have a great number for that.

445
00:54:00.885 --> 00:54:08.070
<v Candace Avalos>What are some of the most common questions or complaints that PHB receives as it relates to the relo assistance?

446
00:54:11.701 --> 00:54:21.454
<v Josh Roper>The feedback that was listed on one of the slides, I think, is a good summary, or at least intro to that question.

447
00:54:21.503 --> 00:54:26.364
<v Josh Roper>I can go through that again, but we can also put together a more comprehensive—.

448
00:54:26.860 --> 00:54:27.407
<v Josh Roper>Which slide?

449
00:54:27.599 --> 00:54:29.572
<v Josh Roper>This is slide 19.

450
00:54:29.684 --> 00:54:31.898
<v Josh Roper>Do you want me to share again?

451
00:54:32.331 --> 00:54:32.717
<v Josh Roper>Oh, I see.

452
00:54:32.878 --> 00:54:33.054
<v Josh Roper>Okay.

453
00:54:33.150 --> 00:54:42.889
<v Josh Roper>So these are some of the common questions, but we can go deeper and share additional feedback that we get from landlords and tenants.

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00:54:43.547 --> 00:54:45.266
<v Candace Avalos>You're saying you can follow up with us on that?

455
00:54:45.331 --> 00:54:46.134
<v Josh Roper>Yeah, exactly.

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00:54:46.519 --> 00:54:47.757
<v Candace Avalos>Okay.

457
00:54:48.786 --> 00:54:58.621
<v Candace Avalos>And then are there any populations or types of renters that PHB believes the current policy is particularly effective or ineffective at protecting from displacement?

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00:55:02.567 --> 00:55:06.552
<v Josh Roper>I think that's a— it's an important piece of the evaluation.

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00:55:06.617 --> 00:55:11.981
<v Josh Roper>I will say accessibility has come into focus as a major need.

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00:55:14.036 --> 00:55:25.980
<v Josh Roper>And I can't say one way or the other exactly what the data will tell us about accessibility and its connection to RELO, but that is an area where I think we will need to do more or could do more.

461
00:55:28.378 --> 00:55:29.275
<v Josh Roper>But that's not the only one.

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00:55:32.255 --> 00:55:32.952
<v Candace Avalos>Okay, thank you.

463
00:55:33.291 --> 00:55:36.759
<v Candace Avalos>I think I'll pause it there for now, and let's go to Councilor Koyama Lane.

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00:55:42.878 --> 00:55:43.750
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Thank you, Chair.

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<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Um, I am curious— thank you for your presentation, thank you for being here— um, are you experiencing, hearing about, hearing about situations where someone is clearly involuntarily having to move, being displaced, but isn't being covered by the current triggers?

466
00:56:02.018 --> 00:56:04.190
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>And If that's happening, is it coming up?

467
00:56:04.288 --> 00:56:05.565
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Are there certain situations?

468
00:56:05.630 --> 00:56:07.764
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Are there some patterns that seem to be coming up more?

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00:56:09.436 --> 00:56:16.650
<v Josh Roper>I think this is another one where we could follow up with more of an in-depth analysis of the help desk data that we get.

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00:56:17.324 --> 00:56:24.713
<v Josh Roper>We have a team that fields these requests, but they, they manage it via a database so we can pull relevant information.

471
00:56:26.036 --> 00:56:34.403
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>And I'm wondering if we collect data on what happens to tenants after they receive relocation assistance?

472
00:56:34.677 --> 00:56:37.851
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Do we know if they remain in Portland, leave the city?

473
00:56:38.829 --> 00:56:40.208
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Is there any follow-up?

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00:56:40.514 --> 00:56:41.300
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>If so, for how long?

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00:56:42.277 --> 00:56:46.896
<v Josh Roper>We don't have outcome data past— to that extent.

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00:56:47.025 --> 00:56:52.300
<v Josh Roper>I think it's an— it would be a really interesting thing to pursue via the evaluation.

477
00:56:52.396 --> 00:56:58.826
<v Josh Roper>And, you know, some of what we're going to be looking at administrative data improvements, like improvements around the data that we collect.

478
00:57:00.789 --> 00:57:09.313
<v Josh Roper>That kind of outcome data can be a little challenging to get and expensive in some cases, but not expensive, but resource intensive to get.

479
00:57:09.637 --> 00:57:10.702
<v Josh Roper>But I think it's a really interesting question.

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00:57:13.891 --> 00:57:17.393
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>And this question, if you have an answer, I'd love to hear.

481
00:57:17.474 --> 00:57:24.739
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>I'd also be interested if there are any advocates when when you testify, if you want to let me know what you think too, if you have seen the process of this.

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00:57:24.835 --> 00:57:40.711
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>But knowing what we've learned since this was adopted, if you were designing Portland's relocation assistance policy from scratch today, are there things that you would do differently that you wish PHB could do differently?

483
00:57:44.119 --> 00:57:47.809
<v Josh Roper>Well, again, I will step back from making recommendations.

484
00:57:47.873 --> 00:57:57.338
<v Josh Roper>I will say, you know, You could point me in the direction of any policy and I would probably design it differently if I were starting from scratch.

485
00:57:58.333 --> 00:58:02.920
<v Josh Roper>But this is exactly the kind of stuff that we want to focus on for this evaluation work, right?

486
00:58:02.967 --> 00:58:05.501
<v Josh Roper>It's not just about the outcomes that we're looking for.

487
00:58:05.630 --> 00:58:27.150
<v Josh Roper>It's also about really getting into the policy design and how that connects to our implementation and getting the best system and I think it's also the ability to ensure that we're able to capture the right data upfront, right?

488
00:58:27.197 --> 00:58:28.956
<v Unidentified speaker>We would know that going in.

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00:58:29.005 --> 00:58:40.396
<v Unidentified speaker>Here are the things we want to measure and be very clear about that, and so that we can capture that and see if that policy is having the intended impact or that it needs to have.

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00:58:40.445 --> 00:58:54.648
<v Unidentified speaker>And I think I think, you know, we can look across the city with that one where if upfront we could really think about that outcome and therefore the data that you need to see if you're having that outcome, that would be the thing for me.

491
00:58:55.016 --> 00:59:01.730
<v Unidentified speaker>Even outside of the policy itself, how are we going to measure what that— the outcomes that we said we're trying to deliver?

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00:59:03.043 --> 00:59:03.621
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>That makes sense.

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00:59:03.668 --> 00:59:04.085
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Thank you.

494
00:59:04.567 --> 00:59:06.009
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>And I didn't— there was no right answer.

495
00:59:06.072 --> 00:59:09.150
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>I was just curious if there's anything you're like, Wow, we should have thought of that.

496
00:59:09.215 --> 00:59:16.610
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>And it makes sense that you're— sometimes something has to play out to actually know what data you want to be looking at.

497
00:59:17.541 --> 00:59:19.050
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>And thank you all for your commitment to this.

498
00:59:19.594 --> 00:59:20.108
<v Josh Roper>Thank you.

499
00:59:21.391 --> 00:59:22.195
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you, Councilor.

500
00:59:22.291 --> 00:59:22.932
<v Candace Avalos>Councilor Novick.

501
00:59:24.295 --> 00:59:24.793
<v Unidentified speaker>Thank you, Chair.

502
00:59:25.885 --> 00:59:30.922
<v Unidentified speaker>So I just wanted to make a couple of historical observations, and correct me if you think I'm wrong.

503
00:59:30.971 --> 00:59:37.197
<v Steve Novick>I mean, as far as the effectiveness of the state law I think that, you know, we can—.

504
00:59:37.391 --> 00:59:41.757
<v Steve Novick>That there was a time when we were seeing routinely like 15-20% rent increases.

505
00:59:41.869 --> 00:59:46.976
<v Steve Novick>Maybe that wouldn't have happened because of the softening of the housing market, but am I right that that like really was a thing?

506
00:59:47.472 --> 00:59:48.356
<v Josh Roper>Yeah.

507
00:59:48.612 --> 00:59:48.773
<v Josh Roper>Yes.

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00:59:49.961 --> 00:59:59.659
<v Steve Novick>And also, I just wanted to say that I think that although I wasn't there when the city passed the RELO policy, I was part of conversations that led up to it in the previous couple of years.

509
01:00:00.257 --> 01:00:12.864
<v Steve Novick>And I do think that people were concerned about no-cause evictions, you know, in general, which is still the largest source of relo, not just increasing rent, but a variety of reasons people get evicted.

510
01:00:15.217 --> 01:00:17.715
<v Steve Novick>And it seems like people still are getting—.

511
01:00:18.298 --> 01:00:22.304
<v Steve Novick>There still are a chunk of people getting relo just because of no-cause evictions.

512
01:00:24.760 --> 01:00:37.135
<v Steve Novick>Those actually— have those numbers kept— I mean, have those numbers gone down or have they pretty much stayed you said the, the rent increase number went down, but have the no-cause eviction relo payments gone down too?

513
01:00:37.440 --> 01:00:40.621
<v Josh Roper>I'd have to pull the trend data, but it's another follow-up we can do.

514
01:00:40.782 --> 01:00:42.284
<v Unidentified speaker>Okay, thank you.

515
01:00:42.864 --> 01:00:44.527
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

516
01:00:44.722 --> 01:00:45.771
<v Candace Avalos>Councilor Pirtle-Guiney.

517
01:00:46.659 --> 01:00:47.175
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Thank you, Chair.

518
01:00:48.916 --> 01:00:59.532
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>This feels like one of the programs that we have at the city that depending on who you ask and how you ask, is trying to meet many different goals at once.

519
01:00:59.789 --> 01:01:03.563
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>And I, as you say, of course we would build the program differently from the ground up.

520
01:01:03.659 --> 01:01:12.186
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>I think that's often the case when we're trying to do a lot of different things, and we're not always clear on which we're optimized to.

521
01:01:12.956 --> 01:01:14.224
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>So I just, I want to note that.

522
01:01:15.525 --> 01:01:26.182
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Do we have data now, or are we going to find out through this report, How, um, how do I want to word this?

523
01:01:28.260 --> 01:01:38.056
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>I'm wondering if folks who do receive relocation assistance are finding equivalent housing, and if so, what we mean by that.

524
01:01:38.170 --> 01:01:46.481
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Are they finding housing that they can afford that's at a similar price point, that is a similar setup?

525
01:01:46.579 --> 01:01:46.724
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Yes.

526
01:01:47.148 --> 01:01:47.358
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Right.

527
01:01:47.489 --> 01:01:51.175
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Size, bedrooms, access to transportation.

528
01:01:51.920 --> 01:02:03.525
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Are they finding housing in the same general neighborhood that meets the convenience needs in terms of transportation, kids' school, proximity to work, things like that?

529
01:02:05.981 --> 01:02:20.449
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>If part of— if one of the many goals of relocation assistance is helping folks through that transition, Are we actually meeting that goal compared to, for example, people who don't receive relocation assistance?

530
01:02:20.512 --> 01:02:32.340
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>And this feels like something where, because there are exemptions, we could actually compare the experience of people who are receiving assistance versus not in finding some sort of equivalent housing.

531
01:02:32.547 --> 01:02:38.764
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>So I'm wondering if we have that information now, and if not, if that's part of what we're going to learn in this report.

532
01:02:39.599 --> 01:02:41.141
<v Josh Roper>I think it's a great question.

533
01:02:41.190 --> 01:02:47.568
<v Josh Roper>It sort of relates to Councilor Koyama Lane's post-payment outcomes question.

534
01:02:48.195 --> 01:02:48.998
<v Josh Roper>Sort of the same answer.

535
01:02:49.047 --> 01:03:17.451
<v Josh Roper>We don't have that data right now, but yes, I would say in connection with the evaluation, we should be looking at both how that consultant team can support in doing maybe a limited survey or some kind of outreach to determine outcomes after relocation payments, and then also thinking about Any potential changes that are feasible to how we implement the program to capture that data in an ongoing way.

536
01:03:19.119 --> 01:03:19.396
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Thank you.

537
01:03:19.702 --> 01:03:21.842
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>That would be great to see included.

538
01:03:23.900 --> 01:03:45.878
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Are we, again, as you think about changes that might come, proposals that might come out of the report, are you focused on optimizing the program for that are you thinking about optimizing the program to prevent folks from having to move in the first place?

539
01:03:46.728 --> 01:03:48.753
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Um, a deterrent?

540
01:03:48.994 --> 01:03:56.670
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Are you thinking about optimizing the program to help, um, prevent significant rent increases?

541
01:03:56.862 --> 01:04:01.021
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Though I know this interplays with that state law in a way where that's maybe less of an issue.

542
01:04:01.101 --> 01:04:01.728
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>I think that's a great question.

543
01:04:02.556 --> 01:04:04.596
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>What should we expect to see?

544
01:04:04.822 --> 01:04:07.833
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>I know you're not going to weigh in on specific policies.

545
01:04:07.898 --> 01:04:08.788
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>We have to see the report.

546
01:04:08.869 --> 01:04:12.489
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>But what's the direction to the consultant in terms of what we're trying to optimize?

547
01:04:15.489 --> 01:04:19.213
<v Josh Roper>We are— it's a great question.

548
01:04:19.407 --> 01:04:24.286
<v Josh Roper>I think we are— it's still flexible to some degree.

549
01:04:24.514 --> 01:04:28.052
<v Josh Roper>So we're going to enter into the sort of evaluation design phase.

550
01:04:28.786 --> 01:04:30.612
<v Josh Roper>After this contract execution.

551
01:04:31.355 --> 01:04:41.639
<v Josh Roper>The way I have thought about ReLo is largely around mitigating some of the harms that are associated with the displacement that ReLo responds to.

552
01:04:42.590 --> 01:04:45.735
<v Josh Roper>So that has been, at least in my mind, the primary framing.

553
01:04:45.992 --> 01:04:48.713
<v Josh Roper>Maintaining stability, not preventing moving.

554
01:04:49.389 --> 01:04:54.509
<v Josh Roper>With respect to ReLo, yeah, generally trying to soften the landing.

555
01:04:55.525 --> 01:05:04.355
<v Josh Roper>But that is just where my head is, and it doesn't need to be where, you know, where the evaluation goes necessarily, or it doesn't need to be locked into that.

556
01:05:06.090 --> 01:05:07.905
<v Josh Roper>We're going to be pulling in multiple perspectives.

557
01:05:08.083 --> 01:05:08.548
<v Josh Roper>Sorry, go ahead.

558
01:05:08.644 --> 01:05:09.626
<v Unidentified speaker>Yeah, no, sorry about that.

559
01:05:10.010 --> 01:05:17.039
<v Unidentified speaker>No, and I think it's also when you look across, we have these other bodies of work that are out there, right?

560
01:05:17.105 --> 01:05:20.726
<v Unidentified speaker>We've got Unified Housing Strategy, we have Social Housing Study Report.

561
01:05:21.048 --> 01:05:24.771
<v Unidentified speaker>I think this evaluation and all of that, this is an opportunity to say, let's look at all of this.

562
01:05:27.338 --> 01:05:29.840
<v Unidentified speaker>And are we creating housing stability?

563
01:05:29.985 --> 01:05:32.746
<v Unidentified speaker>And that gets to after and before, right?

564
01:05:32.954 --> 01:05:40.465
<v Unidentified speaker>And so I think we— it is the ability to take all of this input and say, what should we be structuring?

565
01:05:40.577 --> 01:05:50.288
<v Unidentified speaker>What are the right policies that will contribute to the housing stability that we ultimately say in our social housing report is what we're about, right?

566
01:05:50.465 --> 01:05:51.989
<v Unidentified speaker>It's delivering housing stability.

567
01:05:52.070 --> 01:05:58.362
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>And that means I really appreciate that.

568
01:05:58.443 --> 01:06:15.835
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>It gets perhaps to the answer of the next question I wanted to ask, which is, are you looking at this tool as the tool, in essence, to help create that soft landing, or are you looking at this as a tool within a broader ecosystem?

569
01:06:16.110 --> 01:06:18.742
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>And is the report going to reflect that broader ecosystem?

570
01:06:18.791 --> 01:06:18.889
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Yeah.

571
01:06:20.344 --> 01:06:34.119
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Meaning, if you see this as one tool in a broader ecosystem, but the report is just asking about how to optimize this tool, I fear we might get proposals that don't actually take into account the other work we do.

572
01:06:34.777 --> 01:06:44.737
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>On the other hand, if this really is the only tool you see us being able to use in the near future, we should make sure that the report is really looking at it with that lens.

573
01:06:44.800 --> 01:06:44.945
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Thank you.

574
01:06:46.559 --> 01:06:48.092
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>That level of need and power.

575
01:06:50.141 --> 01:06:51.887
<v Unidentified speaker>I don't think this is the only tool.

576
01:06:52.246 --> 01:06:55.068
<v Unidentified speaker>I think that's the one good thing that we have realized.

577
01:06:56.465 --> 01:07:04.766
<v Unidentified speaker>The heart of what you will see in that social housing study report, right, there are multiple tools, and we need to know when to use the right tool.

578
01:07:06.521 --> 01:07:19.963
<v Unidentified speaker>I think this is— the study gives you and I think if there's— I want to make sure that it's clear that this study is looking at multiple, all landlord-tenant policies.

579
01:07:20.141 --> 01:07:21.775
<v Unidentified speaker>I mean, most of our landlord-tenant policies.

580
01:07:21.840 --> 01:07:23.362
<v Unidentified speaker>It's not just RELO.

581
01:07:23.699 --> 01:07:24.500
<v Unidentified speaker>It's looking at FAIR.

582
01:07:24.644 --> 01:07:26.791
<v Unidentified speaker>It's looking at North-Northeast preference policy.

583
01:07:26.873 --> 01:07:29.003
<v Unidentified speaker>It's looking at a lot of things.

584
01:07:29.612 --> 01:07:30.800
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>So the report— I'm sorry.

585
01:07:31.215 --> 01:07:34.501
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>I think in the way this was put together, I missed that.

586
01:07:35.063 --> 01:07:36.873
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>So the report is looking at all of our tools.

587
01:07:37.130 --> 01:07:37.338
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Yes.

588
01:07:37.387 --> 01:07:39.518
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>We are just talking about this one tool.

589
01:07:39.760 --> 01:07:39.871
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Yes.

590
01:07:40.177 --> 01:07:40.432
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Today?

591
01:07:40.994 --> 01:07:41.155
<v Unidentified speaker>Yeah.

592
01:07:42.021 --> 01:07:42.213
<v Candace Avalos>Okay.

593
01:07:42.824 --> 01:07:57.777
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Um, and I think you said that the, the core team that is helping to create the questions, or that has helped to create the questions— the contract is almost executed— is internal staff to the Bureau.

594
01:07:57.842 --> 01:08:01.612
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>But you just said a moment ago there were a lot of people whose heads would be a part of this.

595
01:08:02.429 --> 01:08:06.280
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Is that all within the Bureau, or is there broader influence?

596
01:08:06.360 --> 01:08:17.916
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>It's helpful when we're going to get a report back with recommendations to understand what the starting place was in terms of the priorities for the people who set out the questions that were answered?

597
01:08:18.461 --> 01:08:20.403
<v Josh Roper>Yeah, the questions aren't solidified.

598
01:08:20.466 --> 01:08:27.143
<v Josh Roper>We're going to be going through this evaluation design phase, and we'll be pulling in various stakeholders to support in that work.

599
01:08:27.207 --> 01:08:32.407
<v Josh Roper>I think the social housing study actually might be a good sort of model for how to do that.

600
01:08:32.470 --> 01:08:39.552
<v Josh Roper>I think it was pretty successful in getting input from the community, from stakeholders.

601
01:08:40.541 --> 01:08:45.105
<v Josh Roper>I'll also just kind of piggyback on one note.

602
01:08:46.859 --> 01:08:56.604
<v Josh Roper>This evaluation work has been described, at least occasionally, as a FAIR review or an evaluation of FAIR.

603
01:08:56.703 --> 01:09:16.756
<v Josh Roper>And I just, I do want to underscore that it is, again, a broader effort to look at landlord-tenant policy existing and potential in Portland and really bring quantitative and qualitative data to the table and, you know, think deeply about the best version of the landlord-tenant policy landscape we can come up with for Portland.

604
01:09:17.720 --> 01:09:17.881
<v Steve Novick>Okay.

605
01:09:18.493 --> 01:09:23.479
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Councilor, did the former committee have any conversation about priorities in this report?

606
01:09:23.528 --> 01:09:26.984
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>It seems like this is a really big deal for our work.

607
01:09:28.586 --> 01:09:35.793
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>It was brought forward in a presentation about a very narrow thing, And I'm wondering if council has weighed in at all.

608
01:09:37.717 --> 01:09:39.692
<v Candace Avalos>We didn't talk about it in committee last year.

609
01:09:39.966 --> 01:09:42.797
<v Candace Avalos>I don't know that council has weighed in in a formal way.

610
01:09:42.895 --> 01:09:47.009
<v Candace Avalos>I mean, it seems like you all did this independently as a bureau, right?

611
01:09:47.090 --> 01:09:51.682
<v Candace Avalos>Was council— did council request it prior to us being here?

612
01:09:53.498 --> 01:10:08.427
<v Josh Roper>It's been discussed specifically around fare for a while, and then we sort of designed this, and it's been informed by both the unified housing strategy work and the social housing work, but more engagement will be coming once we get this thing executed.

613
01:10:11.408 --> 01:10:12.101
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Okay, thank you.

614
01:10:15.278 --> 01:10:23.115
<v Candace Avalos>Okay, I don't see anyone else in the queue, so last call to comment or add more questions.

615
01:10:25.734 --> 01:10:25.913
<v Candace Avalos>Great.

616
01:10:25.979 --> 01:10:27.814
<v Candace Avalos>Well, thank you so much for your time.

617
01:10:27.929 --> 01:10:40.712
<v Candace Avalos>I think importantly, what this conversation I'm hoping does is just enter this committee into this discussion because like you said, that report is about broad landlord-tenant policy.

618
01:10:41.289 --> 01:10:51.998
<v Candace Avalos>We all know as councilors that the rent is too damn high and people are really struggling and they are looking to us as policymakers to make decisions to support, to support them.

619
01:10:52.064 --> 01:10:54.006
<v Candace Avalos>And so this is a first step.

620
01:10:54.135 --> 01:10:54.215
<v Candace Avalos>Whoops.

621
01:10:55.658 --> 01:11:01.444
<v Candace Avalos>And, uh, with this forum that we'll have afterward, it's just to kind of get people thinking and talking about it.

622
01:11:01.765 --> 01:11:04.859
<v Candace Avalos>But expect that we'll have more of this in the coming weeks.

623
01:11:04.971 --> 01:11:10.597
<v Candace Avalos>And like you said, um, all of this is tying in with the social housing study, with the unified housing strategy.

624
01:11:10.742 --> 01:11:19.654
<v Candace Avalos>And so as a committee, when we— as we keep discussing that, um, this, this will be— bless you— this will be part of, of that discussion, RELO and that study.

625
01:11:19.960 --> 01:11:20.664
<v Candace Avalos>So thank you for your time.

626
01:11:20.712 --> 01:11:20.824
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Thank you.

627
01:11:21.228 --> 01:11:21.728
<v Josh Roper>Thank you.

628
01:11:22.936 --> 01:11:24.564
<v Candace Avalos>Okay folks, let's go ahead.

629
01:11:24.630 --> 01:11:29.904
<v Candace Avalos>We're going to do a quick break before we enter into public comment on the Renters Forum.

630
01:11:31.150 --> 01:11:36.150
<v Candace Avalos>I am going to give us until 3:20.

631
01:11:37.235 --> 01:11:37.850
<v Candace Avalos>Did I do my math right?

632
01:11:37.947 --> 01:11:38.690
<v Candace Avalos>Is that 12 minutes?

633
01:11:38.837 --> 01:11:39.403
<v Candace Avalos>That's 12 minutes.

634
01:11:39.483 --> 01:11:41.569
<v Candace Avalos>Okay, let's, uh, come back at 3:20.

635
01:11:41.762 --> 01:11:42.006
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

636
01:26:42.060 --> 01:26:43.296
<v Candace Avalos>All right, welcome back.

637
01:26:43.442 --> 01:26:45.418
<v Candace Avalos>We will call this meeting back into order.

638
01:26:47.600 --> 01:26:49.471
<v Candace Avalos>Um, Wendy, can you please read the next item for us?

639
01:26:50.603 --> 01:26:51.280
<v Unidentified speaker>Yes, thank you.

640
01:26:51.814 --> 01:26:57.635
<v Unidentified speaker>Item number 4, document number 2026-323, Renters Feedback Forum.

641
01:26:59.256 --> 01:27:00.163
<v Candace Avalos>All right, thank you.

642
01:27:00.503 --> 01:27:09.384
<v Candace Avalos>So we have invited renters in our city to share their concerns, ideas, or suggestions for policy changes within the committee.

643
01:27:10.268 --> 01:27:12.951
<v Candace Avalos>Uh, and so we've got how many folks signed up?

644
01:27:13.032 --> 01:27:14.252
<v Candace Avalos>10 At this point?

645
01:27:14.846 --> 01:27:16.470
<v Unidentified speaker>We actually have 11 people signed up.

646
01:27:16.774 --> 01:27:17.128
<v Josh Roper>Wonderful.

647
01:27:17.595 --> 01:27:27.315
<v Candace Avalos>If you are in the audience or listening online and you want a chance to speak and have not signed up officially, you can come up and speak to the clerk if you are in person.

648
01:27:27.395 --> 01:27:30.182
<v Candace Avalos>If they're online, is there a way, Clerk, No.

649
01:27:30.342 --> 01:27:30.520
<v Candace Avalos>Okay.

650
01:27:30.664 --> 01:27:33.957
<v Candace Avalos>So just if you're in person, you can come sign up and add yourself to the list.

651
01:27:36.110 --> 01:27:36.385
<v Candace Avalos>Great.

652
01:27:36.786 --> 01:27:39.792
<v Candace Avalos>So if we're ready, let's go ahead and call up our first panel.

653
01:27:40.942 --> 01:27:41.118
<v Unidentified speaker>Great.

654
01:27:41.265 --> 01:27:43.092
<v Unidentified speaker>I will call you up in groups of 3.

655
01:27:44.095 --> 01:27:53.735
<v Unidentified speaker>And the first folks are Benjamin G., Jamie E., and Heather H. Come on up.

656
01:27:54.529 --> 01:27:56.449
<v Unidentified speaker>And just a reminder, you have 3 minutes for your testimony.

657
01:27:56.500 --> 01:27:57.466
<v Unidentified speaker>You'll hear 2 chimes.

658
01:27:57.832 --> 01:28:03.287
<v Unidentified speaker>The first one indicating you have 30 seconds left and the second one indicating your time is up.

659
01:28:04.570 --> 01:28:08.742
<v Candace Avalos>I just want to note that I know there are some folks lingering outside that were— that you called.

660
01:28:08.935 --> 01:28:11.742
<v Candace Avalos>So if they come in later, we'll just make sure to call them back up.

661
01:28:11.854 --> 01:28:12.239
<v Keelan McClymont>Of course.

662
01:28:12.416 --> 01:28:12.560
<v Candace Avalos>Yes.

663
01:28:13.314 --> 01:28:13.443
<v Candace Avalos>Great.

664
01:28:13.699 --> 01:28:13.939
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

665
01:28:14.356 --> 01:28:14.597
<v Candace Avalos>Go ahead.

666
01:28:14.918 --> 01:28:15.336
<v Jamie Evenstar>Should I start?

667
01:28:15.784 --> 01:28:16.057
<v Jamie Evenstar>Okay.

668
01:28:17.244 --> 01:28:17.597
<v Jamie Evenstar>Hi, everyone.

669
01:28:17.645 --> 01:28:19.283
<v Jamie Evenstar>My name is Jamie Evenstar.

670
01:28:19.411 --> 01:28:23.085
<v Jamie Evenstar>And for the sake of transparency, I am running for City Council right here in District 1.

671
01:28:23.149 --> 01:28:23.534
<v Jamie Evenstar>District 4.

672
01:28:24.305 --> 01:28:36.229
<v Jamie Evenstar>But today I am here as a longtime renter and as the author of all of Portland's tenant protections, including FAIR and including the mandatory relocation assistance policy that you all just spent the last hour discussing.

673
01:28:36.823 --> 01:28:42.729
<v Jamie Evenstar>And I want to add some context to the numbers because I'm the one who created the formulas and negotiated the percentages.

674
01:28:43.420 --> 01:28:48.139
<v Jamie Evenstar>To start, a 10% rent increase to qualify for RELO has always been too high.

675
01:28:48.219 --> 01:28:48.492
<v Jamie Evenstar>Thank you.

676
01:28:49.069 --> 01:28:49.166
<v Jamie Evenstar>Aye.

677
01:28:49.726 --> 01:28:53.942
<v Jamie Evenstar>A healthy rental market sees an average of 2 to 3% increases in a year.

678
01:28:54.551 --> 01:29:09.985
<v Jamie Evenstar>In 2017, I did an economic analysis that showed that anything above a 5 to 7% increase would tip the average Portland renter into severe rent burden, meaning that they would pay over 50% of their income on rent.

679
01:29:10.337 --> 01:29:12.069
<v Jamie Evenstar>That was the metric that we used.

680
01:29:12.502 --> 01:29:17.438
<v Jamie Evenstar>But because of the state preemption on rent control, city attorneys were recommending a 25% increase.

681
01:29:18.127 --> 01:29:26.287
<v Jamie Evenstar>So 10% was the compromise we were able to negotiate, and unfortunately, it later became the basis for the statewide rent control cap.

682
01:29:27.087 --> 01:29:34.094
<v Jamie Evenstar>And as predicted, we were sued with the claim that RELO violated the rent control preemption, but we won all the way to the Oregon Supreme Court.

683
01:29:34.606 --> 01:29:36.257
<v Jamie Evenstar>RELO is not rent control.

684
01:29:36.930 --> 01:29:44.127
<v Jamie Evenstar>And that means now we should right-size RELO because the number of people severely rent burdened is much higher now than it was almost 10 years ago.

685
01:29:44.640 --> 01:29:49.643
<v Jamie Evenstar>We not only have the moral obligation, but the legal standing with which to lower the 10% RELO trigger to 5%.

686
01:29:49.690 --> 01:29:49.867
<v Jamie Evenstar>Thank you.

687
01:29:50.011 --> 01:29:50.701
<v Jamie Evenstar>To 5%.

688
01:29:51.117 --> 01:29:54.914
<v Jamie Evenstar>It's an easy and sound way to prevent more homelessness.

689
01:29:55.380 --> 01:30:04.322
<v Jamie Evenstar>I strongly encourage you to discuss this with Denis Valliere, the city attorney who successfully defended this policy in court, about what is possible here, because I have.

690
01:30:05.154 --> 01:30:15.331
<v Jamie Evenstar>There are lots of other ways you should update and right-size RELO, including increasing the payment amounts, which were based on a formula of the average rent per unit size multiplied by 3.

691
01:30:15.490 --> 01:30:15.603
<v Jamie Evenstar>Thank you.

692
01:30:16.453 --> 01:30:19.471
<v Jamie Evenstar>Those numbers have also increased over the last 10 years.

693
01:30:20.306 --> 01:30:26.472
<v Jamie Evenstar>But the truth is that RELA was always a workaround for the fact that the state has preempted the city from regulating rent.

694
01:30:27.211 --> 01:30:30.872
<v Jamie Evenstar>And that's the real hard work that you all need to prioritize.

695
01:30:31.449 --> 01:30:35.336
<v Jamie Evenstar>We must demand the state give us control over our rental markets.

696
01:30:35.801 --> 01:30:39.365
<v Jamie Evenstar>The needs for housing and the cost of housing varies across the state.

697
01:30:39.975 --> 01:30:46.895
<v Jamie Evenstar>Lifting the preemption would give us the ability to create our own local rent control board, as other cities have successfully done.

698
01:30:46.944 --> 01:30:47.104
<v Jamie Evenstar>Thank you.

699
01:30:47.764 --> 01:30:55.576
<v Jamie Evenstar>And set reasonable rates on an annual basis, because until that happens, the rent will continue to be unreasonable and too damn high.

700
01:30:56.189 --> 01:30:59.016
<v Unidentified speaker>Thank you.

701
01:31:02.166 --> 01:31:02.454
<v Candace Avalos>Go ahead.

702
01:31:03.354 --> 01:31:05.025
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Hello, um, my name is Heather Heatley.

703
01:31:05.283 --> 01:31:07.216
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>I am a lifelong Portland resident.

704
01:31:07.314 --> 01:31:11.221
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>I'm not currently a renter, thank God, um, and I'm also a medical practitioner.

705
01:31:11.658 --> 01:31:24.520
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>I'm speaking today in support of lowering the relocation trigger As our— my previous speaker said, it is too high, and the state has made it sort of an ineffective tool.

706
01:31:24.858 --> 01:31:33.990
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>In the last past 20 years, I've worked at clinics that serve homeless, low-income, and medically fragile people, and I have seen an increase in patients who don't have stable or safe housing.

707
01:31:34.649 --> 01:31:38.404
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>I urge you to help create a safety net for those most at risk of losing their homes.

708
01:31:39.319 --> 01:31:42.882
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>This is particularly important for those on fixed income, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

709
01:31:42.930 --> 01:31:48.228
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Councilmember those most at risk of homelessness and the health impacts from the stress of losing their homes.

710
01:31:48.890 --> 01:31:54.036
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>Moving is one of the top 10 stressors that can lead to increased risk of illness and premature death.

711
01:31:55.019 --> 01:32:00.126
<v Tiffany Koyama Lane>The relocation fee tangibly removes some of the stress of moving your home, although does not deplete it entirely.

712
01:32:00.979 --> 01:32:01.304
<v Elana Pirtle-Guiney>Thank you.

713
01:32:04.416 --> 01:32:05.275
<v Unidentified speaker>Benjamin, go ahead.

714
01:32:07.720 --> 01:32:09.438
<v Josh Roper>Hello, my name is Ben Gilbert.

715
01:32:09.922 --> 01:32:14.529
<v Mitch Green>I'm a volunteer lobbyist for the Portland DSA, and I'm a renter in District 4.

716
01:32:15.604 --> 01:32:22.328
<v Mitch Green>In November of 2025, Oregon reached a $7 million antitrust settlement with my landlord, Greystar Management Services.

717
01:32:23.243 --> 01:32:24.654
<v Mitch Green>The allegation was price fixing.

718
01:32:25.007 --> 01:32:30.432
<v Mitch Green>Greystar used algorithmic price— pricing tools such as RealPage to artificially inflate rent prices.

719
01:32:31.412 --> 01:32:37.077
<v Candace Avalos>The company was accused of sharing sensitive non-public pricing data with rival landlords to eliminate Market competition.

720
01:32:38.393 --> 01:32:48.582
<v Mitch Green>That's why I'm super grateful for Councilor Angelita Murillo's AI rental price fixing ban, co-sponsored by Mitch Green and Tiffany Koyama Lane, which passed with 8 councilors in support, but it should have been unanimous.

721
01:32:49.161 --> 01:32:50.283
<v Mitch Green>And it doesn't go far enough.

722
01:32:51.006 --> 01:32:53.381
<v Mitch Green>Over 50% of renters in Portland are cost burdened.

723
01:32:54.136 --> 01:32:58.260
<v Mitch Green>We need the city to demand the state legislature end their preemption on municipal rent control.

724
01:32:59.190 --> 01:33:07.479
<v Candace Avalos>And our existing AMI-based affordable housing paradigm isn't working We have affordable housing that isn't affordable and that doesn't provide tenants with stability.

725
01:33:08.088 --> 01:33:10.033
<v Mitch Green>We need social housing and cost-based rent.

726
01:33:10.595 --> 01:33:14.132
<v Mitch Green>We need housing that is permanently affordable, not just for 15 or 30 years.

727
01:33:14.639 --> 01:33:16.073
<v Candace Avalos>We need a renter's bill of rights.

728
01:33:16.922 --> 01:33:17.181
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

729
01:33:23.692 --> 01:33:30.363
<v Unidentified speaker>The next 3 people are Heather C., Nicole M., James L. Please come on up.

730
01:33:39.079 --> 01:33:40.229
<v Unidentified speaker>Call the next group.

731
01:33:40.650 --> 01:33:49.333
<v Unidentified speaker>We have Jordan Lewis, Councilor Canal, Michael E.

732
01:33:50.527 --> 01:33:52.912
<v Unidentified speaker>Thank you.

733
01:34:04.268 --> 01:34:05.186
<v Josh Roper>I'll let Mike sit down.

734
01:34:05.525 --> 01:34:09.555
<v Josh Roper>Um, yeah, uh, I'm going to take this opportunity to— my name is Jordan Lewis.

735
01:34:09.877 --> 01:34:19.207
<v Josh Roper>I'm a registered volunteer lobbyist with Portland DSA, and I'm going to take this opportunity to complain about some of the— just talk about some of the experiences I've had as a renter in this city.

736
01:34:19.868 --> 01:34:24.429
<v Josh Roper>Um, I've recently had to license a house cat To move into a place, which was kind of nuts.

737
01:34:24.782 --> 01:34:27.974
<v Josh Roper>I've been bombarded with like move-in fees.

738
01:34:28.470 --> 01:34:36.796
<v Josh Roper>I've never had people ask me for $100 plus multiple times in a row with like as little shame as has happened to me recently.

739
01:34:37.534 --> 01:34:43.166
<v Josh Roper>I've had to pay exorbitant pet fees, pet rent and pet deposit.

740
01:34:44.432 --> 01:34:56.168
<v Josh Roper>I've recently moved places and I've spent combined, Rent and deposits like three times what my rent is monthly, and that I didn't know that was legal.

741
01:34:56.297 --> 01:34:58.760
<v Josh Roper>But I've been asked, and I kind of just have to say yes.

742
01:34:59.304 --> 01:35:01.480
<v Josh Roper>To my knowledge, I'm not an expert on this.

743
01:35:02.689 --> 01:35:10.586
<v Josh Roper>I've had at previous places, I've had like the threat of a lease renewal like used against me.

744
01:35:11.137 --> 01:35:14.271
<v Josh Roper>I can complain about.

745
01:35:14.820 --> 01:35:18.344
<v Josh Roper>I have so much to complain about, but yeah, it's just ridiculous.

746
01:35:18.863 --> 01:35:21.948
<v Josh Roper>And I felt like I'd take this opportunity to talk about what I've experienced.

747
01:35:22.159 --> 01:35:22.337
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

748
01:35:25.163 --> 01:35:27.135
<v Mike Etterer>Yeah, my name is Mike Etterer.

749
01:35:27.506 --> 01:35:29.412
<v Mike Etterer>I live in District 4.

750
01:35:29.769 --> 01:35:34.475
<v Mike Etterer>I am actually a homeowner, also a member of the DSA Housing Working Group.

751
01:35:34.539 --> 01:35:40.341
<v Mike Etterer>But I'm— I want to talk a bit about the experience of my son who is disabled.

752
01:35:41.640 --> 01:35:44.670
<v Mike Etterer>And is schizophrenic.

753
01:35:45.426 --> 01:35:52.746
<v Mike Etterer>And the difficulty of him finding a place to live when he got stabilized.

754
01:35:54.689 --> 01:36:03.546
<v Mike Etterer>The first time he had an episode was back in 2008, and he was able to find good housing.

755
01:36:06.104 --> 01:36:09.265
<v Mike Etterer>By 2013, that housing was no longer available.

756
01:36:09.314 --> 01:36:09.363
<v Mike Etterer>Okay.

757
01:36:11.029 --> 01:36:25.492
<v Mike Etterer>He has, you know, through his condition, cost the counties of Multnomah, Clackamas, and Spokane a lot of money by being homeless.

758
01:36:26.545 --> 01:36:44.622
<v Mike Etterer>And when he was, you know, when he was able to get himself stabilized and through his own efforts, There was no— literally in 2017, after being homeless for several months, there was literally nowhere for him to live.

759
01:36:46.395 --> 01:36:48.479
<v Mike Etterer>By the grace of God, he can live with me.

760
01:36:50.516 --> 01:36:55.805
<v Mike Etterer>I no longer have another family in my house.

761
01:36:56.033 --> 01:36:58.734
<v Mike Etterer>I'm alone and I can provide housing for him.

762
01:36:59.349 --> 01:37:10.564
<v Mike Etterer>But I just think about But— All the folks on the street that don't have that option, and their families are going through hell.

763
01:37:10.751 --> 01:37:11.753
<v Mike Etterer>They are going through hell.

764
01:37:14.546 --> 01:37:29.612
<v Mike Etterer>And people can— and people are very brave and they get themselves stabilized and they take action to address their conditions, but they cannot afford to have a place to live.

765
01:37:32.479 --> 01:37:40.349
<v Mike Etterer>And the answer is not more police, although the police really literally saved his life 3 times.

766
01:37:41.529 --> 01:37:42.338
<v Mike Etterer>That's all they can do.

767
01:37:42.435 --> 01:37:46.076
<v Mike Etterer>They can just stop someone and they can just bring them somewhere.

768
01:37:46.399 --> 01:37:49.568
<v Mike Etterer>And so we have to have a where for folks to go to.

769
01:37:50.925 --> 01:38:01.680
<v Mike Etterer>So very important that we get a handle on this, that we have some actual rent control, and at the minimum that we have a change to the relocation policy.

770
01:38:01.743 --> 01:38:02.065
<v Mike Etterer>Thanks.

771
01:38:06.720 --> 01:38:07.122
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

772
01:38:07.604 --> 01:38:11.229
<v Candace Avalos>I just got word that Councilor Knoll is on the way, so we'll give them a moment.

773
01:38:11.327 --> 01:38:13.496
<v Candace Avalos>But if you want to call the other folks that weren't here.

774
01:38:14.725 --> 01:38:16.474
<v Unidentified speaker>We have Mariah joining us online.

775
01:38:17.315 --> 01:38:19.469
<v Unidentified speaker>Mariah, go ahead and unmute and begin your testimony.

776
01:38:20.940 --> 01:38:21.534
<v Jamie Evenstar>Hi, thank you.

777
01:38:21.582 --> 01:38:23.462
<v Steve Novick>Good afternoon, Chair Avalos and members of the committee.

778
01:38:23.685 --> 01:38:24.778
<v Steve Novick>My name is Mariah Hudson.

779
01:38:24.875 --> 01:38:25.951
<v Steve Novick>I live in Northeast Portland.

780
01:38:26.497 --> 01:38:27.588
<v Steve Novick>I was a renter for many years.

781
01:38:28.086 --> 01:38:34.783
<v Steve Novick>Um, I'm currently a small housing provider with just one rental, and my request really for this committee and for the council is simple.

782
01:38:35.569 --> 01:38:46.778
<v Steve Novick>Please just fully complete the city's landlord-tenant policy review before deciding whether renter— rental relocation assistance and whether changing that threshold from 10% to 5%.

783
01:38:47.854 --> 01:38:55.132
<v Steve Novick>We should really understand how the pieces of this puzzle interact before changing a policy and understanding how that's working.

784
01:38:55.806 --> 01:38:57.510
<v Steve Novick>And so I offer my experience here.

785
01:38:58.121 --> 01:38:58.956
<v Steve Novick>I have a rental.

786
01:38:59.421 --> 01:39:04.257
<v Steve Novick>It was my family's home for 12 years, and when we moved, I chose to rent it rather than to sell it.

787
01:39:05.287 --> 01:39:13.689
<v Steve Novick>And after maintenance and management fees, I don't make a lot on the property, and I know I could sell it and just put it, you know, the money somewhere else and avoid 2 AM calls entirely.

788
01:39:14.443 --> 01:39:15.404
<v Steve Novick>But that's not what I wanted to do.

789
01:39:16.190 --> 01:39:17.041
<v Steve Novick>It's a good family home.

790
01:39:17.168 --> 01:39:23.023
<v Steve Novick>It's in walking distance to 3 schools, and I want another family to be able to live there, not just somebody who can afford to buy it.

791
01:39:23.889 --> 01:39:30.703
<v Steve Novick>But I want to present that last year my fixed costs— property taxes, garbage, insurance, a little bit of landscaping— increased 4.3%.

792
01:39:31.842 --> 01:39:36.943
<v Steve Novick>Now, that doesn't get passed all on, and that's before mortgage payments or maintenance or repairs.

793
01:39:37.376 --> 01:39:43.453
<v Steve Novick>But I just want to offer this as an example, and I did put down $6,700 for new air conditioning and furnace repair.

794
01:39:43.680 --> 01:39:45.086
<v Steve Novick>Again, those don't get passed on.

795
01:39:46.814 --> 01:39:51.804
<v Steve Novick>But I've been a renter and a single parent, and I want to acknowledge moving's hard, especially with kids in schools.

796
01:39:51.981 --> 01:39:59.443
<v Steve Novick>I definitely support protections against unreasonable rent increases, but my rental is also a very small business.

797
01:40:00.213 --> 01:40:04.006
<v Steve Novick>It's my retirement someday, and over time it really has to pencil.

798
01:40:04.505 --> 01:40:11.918
<v Steve Novick>So when my fixed costs rise more than 4% a year, that That 5% threshold is very close and leaves little flexibility.

799
01:40:12.304 --> 01:40:20.774
<v Steve Novick>And I just ask that you keep other really, you know, it's city small businesses and small landlords primarily in mind when you're considering these policies.

800
01:40:21.529 --> 01:40:25.716
<v Steve Novick>Because this has only recently become a rental, selling is still an option for me.

801
01:40:26.984 --> 01:40:32.807
<v Steve Novick>If renting becomes riskier for small landlords like myself, I'm concerned that more people will choose to sell.

802
01:40:32.872 --> 01:40:33.048
<v Steve Novick>Thank you.

803
01:40:33.564 --> 01:40:39.956
<v Steve Novick>And take those homes and those opportunities for families and for people, um, to rent out of the market.

804
01:40:40.425 --> 01:40:42.511
<v Steve Novick>That only makes it tighter and perpetuates a problem.

805
01:40:43.172 --> 01:40:53.550
<v Steve Novick>I do want to keep this house as a rental, and so I ask before changing policy that could affect decisions like mine, please fully finish the study, understand what's in it, um, and take that in consideration.

806
01:40:53.841 --> 01:40:54.423
<v Steve Novick>Thank you so much.

807
01:40:58.046 --> 01:40:59.564
<v Unidentified speaker>Amber is joining us online.

808
01:40:59.823 --> 01:41:01.988
<v Unidentified speaker>Amber, go ahead and unmute and begin your testimony.

809
01:41:08.440 --> 01:41:08.777
<v Amber Cook>Yes, hi.

810
01:41:09.722 --> 01:41:11.902
<v Amber Cook>Hello again, my name is Amber Cook.

811
01:41:12.367 --> 01:41:28.599
<v Amber Cook>I want to appreciate this committee for hosting a renter listening session here in the Housing Committee meeting, and I also want to share my experience and how it would need to be done differently if you really want to hear truth from a host of renters in upcoming engagement sessions.

812
01:41:35.537 --> 01:41:43.884
<v Amber Cook>Openly recognize it's an act of bravery for a renter to speak out about conditions and violations when they may be retaliated against and have nowhere else to go.

813
01:41:45.051 --> 01:41:50.623
<v Amber Cook>Key things to set up: it has to be advertised to renters, not through standard government meeting channels.

814
01:41:51.899 --> 01:41:55.300
<v Amber Cook>Meet renter availability to show up without having to take off work and lose income.

815
01:41:55.349 --> 01:41:55.578
<v Amber Cook>Thank you.

816
01:41:57.063 --> 01:41:59.073
<v Amber Cook>Mitigate fear of landlord retaliation.

817
01:41:59.395 --> 01:42:12.581
<v Amber Cook>Publicly state expectations that tenants will not be punished for speaking their truth, and if they are, that they're generally eligible for legal protections due to the very public manner of these sessions, and provide access to the ORS.

818
01:42:12.791 --> 01:42:15.649
<v Amber Cook>Don't listen passively.

819
01:42:16.150 --> 01:42:18.399
<v Amber Cook>Ask questions and repeat back key issues.

820
01:42:18.997 --> 01:42:23.560
<v Amber Cook>Your silence says this is a waste of time, as their time has been wasted so many times before.

821
01:42:23.608 --> 01:42:23.786
<v Amber Cook>Thank you.

822
01:42:24.667 --> 01:42:26.894
<v Amber Cook>That it's well-intentioned but performative.

823
01:42:28.394 --> 01:42:36.778
<v Amber Cook>Say in advance what this could change—not big promises—but that predominant problems could shift X policy and/or Y practice more to their benefit.

824
01:42:37.505 --> 01:42:43.856
<v Amber Cook>Do not just ask them to come bear their trauma stories in the hope it might create some sort of change sometime down the line.

825
01:42:45.417 --> 01:42:53.823
<v Amber Cook>Show something of what you already know ahead of time, such as we understand that having so many PSH entered into housing without the S supportive services has created a hardship for the vulnerable.

826
01:42:55.810 --> 01:43:02.681
<v Amber Cook>Working poor, so we're considering putting more funds into supportive services, but need better understand how to do it effectively.

827
01:43:03.469 --> 01:43:07.884
<v Amber Cook>An offer to connect every renter participant to another agency or org to help them now.

828
01:43:08.622 --> 01:43:20.456
<v Amber Cook>Sign up properties for city or fire marshal inspections, city council property tours with tenants, have a relo one-pager and other info on low-income legal clinics, the Eviction Defense Project.

829
01:43:21.033 --> 01:43:27.104
<v Amber Cook>Um, Things like free therapy and counseling resources and suicide prevention.

830
01:43:27.618 --> 01:43:30.363
<v Amber Cook>Suicide in low-income housing is a lot more frequent than you know.

831
01:43:31.583 --> 01:43:36.962
<v Amber Cook>Make sure to have interpreters and actually consult low-income renters on how to run listening sessions.

832
01:43:37.588 --> 01:43:41.730
<v Amber Cook>Have a lot more of these and create data from them the public can access afterwards.

833
01:43:41.796 --> 01:43:42.036
<v Unidentified speaker>Thank you.

834
01:43:50.380 --> 01:43:51.314
<v Unidentified speaker>Councilor Knall.

835
01:43:58.456 --> 01:44:03.078
<v Samir Knall>Chair Avalos, members of the Housing and Permitting Committee, thanks for taking the time to listen to renters.

836
01:44:03.143 --> 01:44:04.109
<v Samir Knall>My name is Samir Knall.

837
01:44:04.657 --> 01:44:17.818
<v Samir Knall>I, in addition to being a city councilor from District 2, I am one of the 47% of the city of Portland who is a renter, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity to speak in that My experience is not 100% the same as everyone else's.

838
01:44:17.865 --> 01:44:24.921
<v Samir Knall>I've generally, in the city of Portland, rented single-family homes, and the rent changes there are a little bit different.

839
01:44:25.001 --> 01:44:29.345
<v Samir Knall>I— and when I rented in Seattle and New York, it was often very different.

840
01:44:30.051 --> 01:44:33.836
<v Samir Knall>Having the experience of being a renter most of my adult life, I've lived in a lot of apartments.

841
01:44:34.317 --> 01:44:49.296
<v Samir Knall>I've had landlords who were listed on alternative weekly newspapers as lists of top 10 slumlords In the past, and it showed inconsistently in the way in which those interactions happened.

842
01:44:49.925 --> 01:44:52.430
<v Samir Knall>I've had a lot better experiences in Portland, and I want to acknowledge that.

843
01:44:54.154 --> 01:45:01.628
<v Samir Knall>At the same time, I think there's a lot of things that could be done a lot better in Portland, and I'm really excited that you're taking this on.

844
01:45:02.472 --> 01:45:05.237
<v Samir Knall>I did want to mention, as it relates to the—.

845
01:45:05.382 --> 01:45:06.065
<v Samir Knall>Yes.

846
01:45:07.456 --> 01:45:10.920
<v Samir Knall>The possibility of looking at relocation and changing that.

847
01:45:11.260 --> 01:45:15.733
<v Samir Knall>My rent has gone up most years, but most of the time below 5%.

848
01:45:16.859 --> 01:45:29.984
<v Samir Knall>And what that means is that for many landlords in the city, capping or creating the trigger point at 5% instead of 10% would not actually change— have to affect their behavior or change their behavior in any way because they're already doing it.

849
01:45:30.409 --> 01:45:36.845
<v Samir Knall>So the— what the— a policy change like that would do is ultimately affect only the people who are raising it Higher, which is the point, right?

850
01:45:36.957 --> 01:45:40.168
<v Samir Knall>And so that's a good thing, and I wanted to, to get that on the record.

851
01:45:41.115 --> 01:45:47.202
<v Samir Knall>Um, the thing that I want to get across the most is inspections.

852
01:45:47.876 --> 01:46:03.386
<v Samir Knall>When I'm out and around and I talk to folks, the idea of sub— of low-quality housing below the level of what we consider a minimum standard of living that hasn't been seen by a city inspector in far too long is what I see and hear about the most.

853
01:46:03.435 --> 01:46:03.515
<v Samir Knall>Yeah.

854
01:46:06.597 --> 01:46:11.511
<v Samir Knall>So those are the things that I wanted to share from, from my experience.

855
01:46:11.720 --> 01:46:17.869
<v Samir Knall>I, I think that there's a lot here in the context of the Renters' Bill of Rights that deserves, uh, revisiting.

856
01:46:17.966 --> 01:46:22.654
<v Samir Knall>And I hope that in addition to talking about RELO and in parallel to all of that, those come up too.

857
01:46:22.783 --> 01:46:30.072
<v Samir Knall>I, I know that it's really important that we're protecting the most vulnerable people, and the most vulnerable people in the context of housing is renters.

858
01:46:30.810 --> 01:46:32.206
<v Samir Knall>And it's important to remember that.

859
01:46:32.270 --> 01:46:35.350
<v Samir Knall>That's why we have to protect people from evictions during the school year.

860
01:46:35.703 --> 01:46:38.046
<v Samir Knall>We have to protect people from evictions during extreme weather events.

861
01:46:38.286 --> 01:46:41.542
<v Samir Knall>We have to protect people from rent raises when there is a code violation.

862
01:46:42.056 --> 01:46:44.094
<v Samir Knall>And so, and of course, the lobbying at the state.

863
01:46:44.688 --> 01:46:47.479
<v Samir Knall>The last thing I wanted to mention is that we should help the whole person.

864
01:46:47.688 --> 01:46:57.314
<v Samir Knall>If they want to become a homeowner, that's great, but we can never pit homeownership programs that we absolutely have to fund against protecting renters and make those funding an either-or.

865
01:46:57.377 --> 01:46:59.800
<v Samir Knall>We have to find a way to do Thanks for the time.

866
01:46:59.900 --> 01:47:00.386
<v Samir Knall>Thanks for the consideration.

867
01:47:06.189 --> 01:47:19.230
<v Unidentified speaker>Okay, calling for a second time, Heather C., Nicole M., James L. Looks like that concludes public testimony.

868
01:47:21.405 --> 01:47:21.582
<v Mike Etterer>Okay.

869
01:47:25.315 --> 01:47:36.954
<v Candace Avalos>Um, if there are folks who walked in the room and wanted to speak, you have 10 seconds to come up to the clerk and sign up.

870
01:47:37.213 --> 01:47:38.475
<v Candace Avalos>So let me give you those 10 seconds.

871
01:47:39.298 --> 01:47:42.371
<v Candace Avalos>If you did not speak and you would like to, come on up.

872
01:47:47.130 --> 01:47:48.033
<v Keelan McClymont>Clerk, what would you prefer?

873
01:47:48.198 --> 01:47:48.987
<v Candace Avalos>Do you just need a name?

874
01:47:49.595 --> 01:47:54.412
<v Unidentified speaker>Yeah, if you could just give me your name and you can do it after you speak.

875
01:48:08.713 --> 01:48:10.081
<v Candace Avalos>Welcome.

876
01:48:12.300 --> 01:48:16.805
<v Candace Avalos>Hi, my name is Elizabeth Jones, and I can't live in Portland anymore.

877
01:48:17.323 --> 01:48:18.194
<v Candace Avalos>I've been priced out.

878
01:48:20.079 --> 01:48:21.622
<v Unidentified speaker>Well, honestly, years ago.

879
01:48:22.105 --> 01:48:34.453
<v Unidentified speaker>And the same is true for many of my close friends who don't necessarily have the luxury of being able to afford moving up to Vancouver and working and living there.

880
01:48:36.162 --> 01:48:44.828
<v Unidentified speaker>I've had too many friends who've been forced to go into dangerous housing arrangements or live in shelters.

881
01:48:45.149 --> 01:48:45.261
<v Nancy Thorington>Yes.

882
01:48:45.728 --> 01:48:47.367
<v Unidentified speaker>Because they just can't afford the rent.

883
01:48:48.219 --> 01:48:51.529
<v Unidentified speaker>And that doesn't— they work full-time.

884
01:48:51.833 --> 01:48:56.777
<v Unidentified speaker>They, they are doing their part and they're doing their best, and it is not enough.

885
01:48:59.118 --> 01:49:02.469
<v Unidentified speaker>Um, this shouldn't happen.

886
01:49:03.132 --> 01:49:04.475
<v Unidentified speaker>Uh, rent is too high.

887
01:49:04.832 --> 01:49:05.836
<v Unidentified speaker>It needs to stay—.

888
01:49:07.113 --> 01:49:08.431
<v Candace Avalos>It needs to go down if possible.

889
01:49:09.335 --> 01:49:12.694
<v Unidentified speaker>Um, And there's nothing more I can really say.

890
01:49:14.199 --> 01:49:15.252
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

891
01:49:15.350 --> 01:49:16.337
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

892
01:49:16.985 --> 01:49:18.979
<v Candace Avalos>Last call.

893
01:49:21.684 --> 01:49:22.088
<v Candace Avalos>Come on up.

894
01:49:22.960 --> 01:49:24.756
<v Candace Avalos>Why don't you go ahead and speak and then we'll get your name after?

895
01:49:25.032 --> 01:49:27.055
<v Unidentified speaker>Okay, is this the mic?

896
01:49:29.256 --> 01:49:30.914
<v Unidentified speaker>Hi everybody, my name is Madison.

897
01:49:31.511 --> 01:49:34.024
<v Unidentified speaker>Um, I was born and raised here in Portland.

898
01:49:35.136 --> 01:49:36.328
<v Unidentified speaker>I went to school downtown.

899
01:49:37.449 --> 01:49:44.502
<v Unidentified speaker>Um, and I have not really been able to afford rent very often in my adult life.

900
01:49:44.728 --> 01:49:45.195
<v Unidentified speaker>I'm 30.

901
01:49:46.261 --> 01:49:49.983
<v Unidentified speaker>I've had to live with roommates, um, in substandard conditions, I would say.

902
01:49:50.449 --> 01:49:55.668
<v Unidentified speaker>And as a college student, my first time around, I had to drop out because I couldn't afford housing.

903
01:49:57.067 --> 01:50:03.248
<v Unidentified speaker>Um, and last year I got laid off and it made it hard for me to afford rent and I had to move back in with family.

904
01:50:04.649 --> 01:50:08.939
<v Unidentified speaker>Uh, so I would say that I'm very concerned about the cost of rent.

905
01:50:09.002 --> 01:50:17.917
<v Unidentified speaker>When I was younger, I was hopeful that I'd be able to rent here and hopefully buy a house someday, but, um, it's becoming more and more difficult to do that.

906
01:50:18.078 --> 01:50:21.787
<v Unidentified speaker>And a lot of my friends have had to move out of the city because they can't afford rent either.

907
01:50:22.092 --> 01:50:33.188
<v Unidentified speaker>So yeah, it's really sad for me as someone who's local to the area to be from a poor family and most of my family can't afford to live here anywhere either.

908
01:50:33.637 --> 01:50:58.448
<v Unidentified speaker>Um, and yeah, I would say that my hope for our city moving forward is that we do more to combat the costs of new housing, because when I do look for new housing in nice buildings with appliances and safe living conditions, they're way higher than myself or anyone that I know at my income level could afford.

909
01:51:00.369 --> 01:51:08.306
<v Unidentified speaker>It's mostly reserved for people who make really over like $90,000 a year who can afford those types of new building apartments.

910
01:51:10.565 --> 01:51:18.761
<v Unidentified speaker>Any less than that, then they're going to be pretty broke trying to live in those buildings because the rent usually starts at like $1,400 for a studio.

911
01:51:19.404 --> 01:51:20.117
<v Unidentified speaker>That's what I've been seeing.

912
01:51:21.305 --> 01:51:27.962
<v Unidentified speaker>And I don't know about you guys, But I think that's way too high, and especially for renters.

913
01:51:28.091 --> 01:51:53.145
<v Unidentified speaker>If that was a mortgage, maybe it'd be worth it, but it's not worth it when it's, um, a private equity company who's price gouging you at every corner in a building that's in a part of town where all of the local buildings are being purchased and rented out at these rates, um, for people who are not even I don't know, it's— it just doesn't feel fair.

914
01:51:53.500 --> 01:51:58.337
<v Unidentified speaker>So, um, yeah, thanks for listening and thanks for having this meeting.

915
01:51:58.466 --> 01:51:59.527
<v Unidentified speaker>I appreciate all your time.

916
01:52:00.239 --> 01:52:01.015
<v Unidentified speaker>Yeah, thanks so much.

917
01:52:02.764 --> 01:52:03.376
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you.

918
01:52:06.530 --> 01:52:10.251
<v Candace Avalos>Okay, I don't see anyone else chomping at the bit here.

919
01:52:10.524 --> 01:52:12.363
<v Unidentified speaker>Excuse me, could you come back and give me your name?

920
01:52:12.463 --> 01:52:12.747
<v Unidentified speaker>Thank you.

921
01:52:12.814 --> 01:52:13.149
<v Candace Avalos>Yes.

922
01:52:13.819 --> 01:52:14.087
<v Keelan McClymont>Thank you.

923
01:52:16.506 --> 01:52:20.038
<v Candace Avalos>All right, folks, so thank you to everyone who came out today.

924
01:52:20.198 --> 01:52:22.270
<v Candace Avalos>I know that, uh, it is the middle of the day.

925
01:52:22.367 --> 01:52:27.664
<v Candace Avalos>I don't expect that we're going to get a groundswell of folks, uh, especially working folks who are struggling with their rent.

926
01:52:28.211 --> 01:52:30.170
<v Candace Avalos>Uh, they're not going to be able to come at 3:00.

927
01:52:30.217 --> 01:52:35.983
<v Candace Avalos>So thank you for those that could and for also representing the voices of the many Portlanders that are struggling.

928
01:52:36.560 --> 01:52:48.863
<v Candace Avalos>Um, you know, this is— this conversation we had prior to this was about just assessing our policies as a city, what we need to be doing to increase affordability and access to folks.

929
01:52:49.087 --> 01:52:56.604
<v Candace Avalos>I regularly, you know, as I go around and knock on doors, it's actually really difficult because that is the number one thing that I hear.

930
01:52:56.957 --> 01:53:00.475
<v Candace Avalos>And I know that the city needs to do better to provide resources.

931
01:53:00.572 --> 01:53:09.244
<v Candace Avalos>It really sucks, frankly, to be standing on someone's doorstep who's telling me that they are on the verge of losing their home and not having a tool right available to them.

932
01:53:09.565 --> 01:53:11.444
<v Candace Avalos>So that is my policy outcome.

933
01:53:11.509 --> 01:53:13.291
<v Candace Avalos>That is my goal as a legislator.

934
01:53:13.595 --> 01:53:14.912
<v Candace Avalos>What are those immediate tools?

935
01:53:14.961 --> 01:53:17.144
<v Candace Avalos>How can we get people that are right on the edge?

936
01:53:17.786 --> 01:53:30.501
<v Candace Avalos>So many of our resources are dependent on people already falling off the edge, and that is contributing to the broader instability and our inability as a city to get people ahead of that curve.

937
01:53:31.576 --> 01:53:34.193
<v Candace Avalos>This is the beginning of this conversation.

938
01:53:34.627 --> 01:53:50.750
<v Candace Avalos>I want to let folks know that we are going to be doing a series of rental rip- We're— we want to go around and hear not only about rent, but also what are your experiences in your rentals.

939
01:53:50.750 --> 01:54:01.270
<v Candace Avalos>For example, I had, uh, somebody who I spoke to on their door and said that, um, they reported rodents, and instead of fixing the problem, they got moved.

940
01:54:01.270 --> 01:54:07.869
<v Candace Avalos>And it's like, sure, maybe to the landlord they were like, I solved the problem, I gave them a new place to live, but now they're living in a place that has rodents.

941
01:54:07.869 --> 01:54:07.890
<v Candace Avalos>Yeah.

942
01:54:07.891 --> 01:54:10.572
<v Candace Avalos>Further away from their, their workplace.

943
01:54:10.925 --> 01:54:15.802
<v Candace Avalos>Obviously moving is not a fun thing for anybody, regardless of if you have the money to move.

944
01:54:16.220 --> 01:54:22.029
<v Candace Avalos>And so these are the kinds of things that add up and are creating this instability, not just economically too.

945
01:54:22.173 --> 01:54:34.643
<v Candace Avalos>So, um, these are the things that we want to hear in these rental ripoffs, and, um, hopefully from that, uh, put together a package of some, uh, actions that we can take right away, uh, in the coming year.

946
01:54:34.787 --> 01:54:36.112
<v Candace Avalos>So So keep an eye out for that.

947
01:54:36.161 --> 01:54:42.256
<v Candace Avalos>I'll talk more about it in committee in the coming weeks, but November, expect we'll do a round of rental ripoffs across the city.

948
01:54:42.935 --> 01:54:43.469
<v Candace Avalos>Vice Chair Green.

949
01:54:45.220 --> 01:54:46.103
<v Mitch Green>Thank you, Chair Avalos.

950
01:54:46.279 --> 01:54:52.512
<v Mitch Green>I didn't know if you wanted to use any time after this for councilors to sort of respond to what they heard.

951
01:54:52.560 --> 01:54:53.011
<v Mitch Green>Absolutely.

952
01:54:53.123 --> 01:54:55.277
<v Mitch Green>Um, okay, then I'll jump into that.

953
01:54:55.534 --> 01:55:03.838
<v Mitch Green>I, I want to thank everyone for coming today, and, uh, I know it's not easy to get here downtown at this time of the day.

954
01:55:04.625 --> 01:55:10.304
<v Mitch Green>And I know it's a risk if you're a tenant to talk about some of these issues.

955
01:55:10.416 --> 01:55:20.650
<v Mitch Green>And there are some specific properties that I know in my district in particular that I think tenants are acutely worried about retaliation.

956
01:55:21.163 --> 01:55:40.546
<v Mitch Green>And so I think I want to thank you for helping us be brave because part of the motivation for Councilor Avalos and I is, is to use our committees, and this one in particular, to make sure that we are validating that this is the people's house and this is the renter's house.

957
01:55:42.039 --> 01:55:49.350
<v Mitch Green>In District 4, 53% of my constituents are renters, which is greater than the average of the city overall.

958
01:55:50.234 --> 01:55:59.884
<v Mitch Green>And I think people sometimes forget that because District 4 is home to the wealthiest people in the city of Portland, but it's also home to 53% of renters, half of whom are rent burdened.

959
01:56:00.750 --> 01:56:06.927
<v Mitch Green>And so the stakes are very real, and what we want to do is make sure we use this committee as a place to raise up your voice and your power.

960
01:56:07.649 --> 01:56:20.439
<v Mitch Green>And so my office is particularly interested in bringing forward and developing policy that increases the power of tenants and not just sort of give a voice but increase your power.

961
01:56:20.551 --> 01:56:21.738
<v Mitch Green>And so stay tuned on that.

962
01:56:21.851 --> 01:56:23.434
<v Mitch Green>And if you have ideas, let's meet.

963
01:56:25.737 --> 01:56:33.359
<v Mitch Green>I want to provide some comments on the idea of rental housing as a sort of retirement plan.

964
01:56:34.595 --> 01:56:35.635
<v Mitch Green>And I just need to say this.

965
01:56:37.431 --> 01:56:45.625
<v Mitch Green>The only way that works out is if you're betting on the speculative price increase of housing over time and a pretty high cap rate.

966
01:56:45.673 --> 01:56:47.319
<v Mitch Green>So basically what that means is what is your yield?

967
01:56:48.082 --> 01:56:48.596
<v Mitch Green>Over time.

968
01:56:49.591 --> 01:56:59.171
<v Mitch Green>And that's incommensurate with stable rent growth and rent as a utility rather than a sort of speculative asset.

969
01:56:59.301 --> 01:57:06.265
<v Mitch Green>And the city that I'm trying to build, I think many of us are trying to envision, is a city where there is less, less commodification in housing.

970
01:57:07.725 --> 01:57:17.506
<v Mitch Green>And I think that's the only way we can get to a place where we're not pitting renters against homeowners against, you know, Everyone else, so we can all share in this together.

971
01:57:19.139 --> 01:57:31.909
<v Mitch Green>I'll note that the long-run average return for the S&P 500, even including the recession years we've lived through the last 20, 30 years, is 10%, 6 to 7% net of inflation.

972
01:57:34.016 --> 01:57:39.542
<v Mitch Green>I think it's better to put your money in the stock market to save for a rainy day, and you have fewer risks anyway.

973
01:57:40.421 --> 01:57:40.631
<v Mitch Green>I agree.

974
01:57:45.430 --> 01:57:54.182
<v Mitch Green>If you have to raise rents faster than the rate of inflation, then you're taking it from someone else who has earned a wage to pay that rent.

975
01:57:54.328 --> 01:57:55.497
<v Mitch Green>And I'll just leave you with this.

976
01:57:56.154 --> 01:58:01.637
<v Mitch Green>Adam Smith, everyone remembers Adam Smith as this sort of architect of capitalism.

977
01:58:01.765 --> 01:58:05.436
<v Mitch Green>You know, he's often quoted by libertarians.

978
01:58:06.255 --> 01:58:08.065
<v Mitch Green>But he famously said this in The Wealth of Nations.

979
01:58:08.113 --> 01:58:19.082
<v Mitch Green>He says, as soon as the land of any country has all become private property, The landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed and demand a rent even for its natural produce.

980
01:58:19.483 --> 01:58:30.533
<v Mitch Green>And so the meaning there is like when we, when we allow housing to be scarce and we allow that to be held by landlords to just do with that what they will, they're going to extract an unearned rent.

981
01:58:30.581 --> 01:58:32.216
<v Mitch Green>And that's what that means in economic terms.

982
01:58:32.265 --> 01:58:34.094
<v Mitch Green>So it also means we need to build more housing too.

983
01:58:34.173 --> 01:58:35.617
<v Mitch Green>We need to make housing not scarce.

984
01:58:36.418 --> 01:58:46.658
<v Mitch Green>So I think I think strong tenant protections, rent control, and a pro-housing production agenda that has social housing at its core is the future of our city.

985
01:58:46.722 --> 01:58:49.041
<v Mitch Green>And I, I hope that you help us build that.

986
01:58:49.202 --> 01:58:49.460
<v Mitch Green>Thank you.

987
01:58:53.469 --> 01:58:54.305
<v Candace Avalos>Thank you, Vice Chair.

988
01:58:55.980 --> 01:58:57.377
<v Candace Avalos>Any other comments from committee?

989
01:59:01.761 --> 01:59:07.134
<v Candace Avalos>Okay, then with that, um, let me give you a couple announcements.

990
01:59:07.181 --> 01:59:10.448
<v Unidentified speaker>So our next meeting is on On October 6th.

991
01:59:10.898 --> 01:59:17.564
<v Candace Avalos>At that meeting, we are going to have a presentation and committee discussion on climate and health standards policy development.

992
01:59:17.708 --> 01:59:23.060
<v Candace Avalos>I will share more to committee members about that, but there will be, uh, informational presentation.

993
01:59:23.717 --> 01:59:34.503
<v Candace Avalos>Um, and then we will also have 3 executive items, including a housing finance item, an ordinance to align the city's code with state land use laws, and the Central City 2035 plan.

994
01:59:35.176 --> 01:59:42.567
<v Candace Avalos>Uh, on October 6th, we'll hear a staff presentation and take public testimony, and we anticipate continuing that item into the second meeting of October.

995
01:59:43.636 --> 01:59:46.192
<v Candace Avalos>With that, I will adjourn this meeting at 3:56 PM.

996
01:59:47.271 --> 01:59:51.109
<v Amber Cook>Thank you.