WEBVTT 1 00:03:22.018 --> 00:03:23.782 Hi, Keelan, this is Councilor Smith. 2 00:03:23.847 --> 00:03:24.513 I'm online. 3 00:03:25.424 --> 00:03:26.528 Thank you, Councilor Smith. 4 00:07:14.697 --> 00:07:15.334 Good morning. 5 00:07:15.398 --> 00:07:18.187 I am calling to order this meeting of the Portland City Council. 6 00:07:18.603 --> 00:07:21.826 It is 9:32 on Wednesday, October 28th. 7 00:07:21.891 --> 00:07:25.081 Keelan, can we please good morning. 8 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:30.531 Clark. 9 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:31.851 Here. 10 00:07:32.406 --> 00:07:33.108 Zimmerman. 11 00:07:34.689 --> 00:07:35.668 Avalos. 12 00:07:36.788 --> 00:07:38.343 Present. 13 00:07:39.072 --> 00:07:39.266 Here. 14 00:07:40.206 --> 00:07:41.600 Here. 15 00:07:42.961 --> 00:07:43.285 Here. 16 00:07:44.584 --> 00:07:45.285 Here. 17 00:07:46.538 --> 00:07:47.548 Here. 18 00:07:51.028 --> 00:07:51.139 Morillo. 19 00:07:51.187 --> 00:07:51.333 Novick. 20 00:07:53.641 --> 00:07:53.995 Dunphy. 21 00:07:54.367 --> 00:07:54.495 Here. 22 00:07:55.576 --> 00:07:58.562 And could we please have the attorney read the rules of decorum for the chamber? 23 00:07:59.660 --> 00:07:59.966 Good morning. 24 00:08:00.014 --> 00:08:01.351 Welcome to the Portland City Council. 25 00:08:01.562 --> 00:08:07.415 To testify before council in person or virtually, you must sign up in advance on the council agenda at www.portland.gov/council/agenda. 26 00:08:11.091 --> 00:08:13.826 Information on engaging with council can be found on the council clerk's webpage. 27 00:08:14.391 --> 00:08:18.059 Individuals may testify for 3 minutes unless the presiding officer states otherwise. 28 00:08:18.564 --> 00:08:20.697 Your microphone will be muted when your time is over. 29 00:08:21.242 --> 00:08:22.942 The presiding officer preserves order. 30 00:08:23.182 --> 00:08:31.536 Disruptive conduct such as shouting, refusing to conclude your testimony when your time is up, or interrupting others' testimony or council deliberations will not be allowed. 31 00:08:32.243 --> 00:08:34.134 If you cause a disruption, a warning will be given. 32 00:08:34.392 --> 00:08:36.861 Further disruption will result in ejection from the meeting. 33 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:40.710 Anyone who fails to leave once ejected is subject to arrest for trespass. 34 00:08:41.384 --> 00:08:44.447 Additionally, council may take a short recess and reconvene virtually. 35 00:08:45.273 --> 00:08:47.451 Your testimony should address the matter being considered. 36 00:08:47.884 --> 00:08:50.068 When testifying, please state your name for the record. 37 00:08:50.278 --> 00:08:51.788 Your address is not necessary. 38 00:08:52.366 --> 00:08:55.178 If you are a lobbyist, identify the organization you represent. 39 00:08:55.596 --> 00:08:59.147 Virtual testifiers should unmute themselves when the council clerk calls your name. 40 00:08:59.371 --> 00:08:59.677 Thank you. 41 00:09:00.255 --> 00:09:00.979 Thank you very much. 42 00:09:01.123 --> 00:09:05.011 Um, before we begin, I want to make a quick public announcement to anybody in the room. 43 00:09:05.076 --> 00:09:07.260 The 2nd floor women's restroom is closed. 44 00:09:07.325 --> 00:09:14.250 If, uh, anyone needs it, there is a single unisex bathroom over In this level, but there are also additional bathrooms on the 3rd and 1st floor. 45 00:09:14.313 --> 00:09:15.519 Apologies for the inconvenience. 46 00:09:15.985 --> 00:09:18.057 There's also bathrooms on the 4th floor, but that's a lot of walking. 47 00:09:18.265 --> 00:09:20.868 So, um, and before we dive in, Councilor Ryan. 48 00:09:22.346 --> 00:09:23.888 Thank you so much, Council President. 49 00:09:24.033 --> 00:09:25.976 Thank you for that very important announcement you just made. 50 00:09:26.668 --> 00:09:27.696 Um, good morning. 51 00:09:28.692 --> 00:09:38.394 Thousands of Portlanders are in conflict over the enrollment challenges at PPS, and the superintendent has proposed considering 14 school sites for closure. 52 00:09:39.467 --> 00:09:43.629 And yes, we are all hearing from our constituents, which makes sense. 53 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:59.089 On October 9th, I reached out to the mayor, to CA Lee, and at their request, I had more detailed conversations with Public Works DCA Williams about providing an infrastructure index report for PPS. 54 00:10:00.350 --> 00:10:04.850 In other words, what is the status of the city's infrastructure surrounding the 14 sites? 55 00:10:04.948 --> 00:10:05.096 Thank you. 56 00:10:05.456 --> 00:10:08.520 From PBOT, Parks, Water, and Sewer. 57 00:10:09.585 --> 00:10:22.548 Providing this objective information can only help the decision makers, the superintendent, and the PPS board, which is comprised of 7 elected officials, to make these very difficult decisions. 58 00:10:24.078 --> 00:10:28.378 I was on the school board in 2005, the last time such closure decisions were made. 59 00:10:29.897 --> 00:10:33.421 This infrastructure index report is what I would have wanted from the city. 60 00:10:33.469 --> 00:10:33.599 Thank you. 61 00:10:33.803 --> 00:10:34.357 At that time. 62 00:10:35.321 --> 00:10:39.480 As such, I'm taking this life experience and I'm playing it forward. 63 00:10:40.460 --> 00:10:47.299 I have a lot of appreciation for you, CA Lee, and for your responsive deputies, if you will, that have responded to this request. 64 00:10:48.246 --> 00:10:48.922 And thank you. 65 00:10:49.066 --> 00:11:01.462 I'm now getting word that it will be provided on Monday, this coming Monday, November 2nd, and it'll be shared with all of us, and it'll be shared, of course, with the superintendent and the board members. 66 00:11:01.510 --> 00:11:01.606 Thank you. 67 00:11:02.595 --> 00:11:03.488 And therefore the public. 68 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:19.947 So with deep compassion for the parents and families, the students and teachers, the superintendent, and all 7 members of the PPS board, in my faith that you will do the best for the students of Portland, thank you, colleagues. 69 00:11:20.010 --> 00:11:21.418 I just wanted to give you that information. 70 00:11:21.466 --> 00:11:22.875 I've been working on this for some time. 71 00:11:23.248 --> 00:11:27.131 I wanted to make sure that we could really deliver it and get a clear timeline. 72 00:11:27.471 --> 00:11:28.620 So I wanted to give you that update today. 73 00:11:28.668 --> 00:11:28.815 Thank you. 74 00:11:29.033 --> 00:11:29.956 Thank you, Councilor Ryan. 75 00:11:30.389 --> 00:11:31.014 Point of information. 76 00:11:31.511 --> 00:11:32.812 You mentioned a document. 77 00:11:32.892 --> 00:11:34.543 Can you just say again what it is that we're receiving? 78 00:11:34.736 --> 00:11:35.794 Yeah, I'll repeat. 79 00:11:35.923 --> 00:11:38.169 It's an infrastructure index. 80 00:11:38.506 --> 00:11:42.035 So you think of the public works section in general. 81 00:11:42.517 --> 00:11:46.206 So the city does investments around these 14 properties, correct? 82 00:11:46.768 --> 00:11:50.794 From pedestrian upgrades from PBOT. 83 00:11:51.340 --> 00:11:55.623 There's been sometimes water and sewer infrastructure updates around these sites. 84 00:11:56.654 --> 00:12:04.878 Parks might be doing some work, like a community center nearby, or what's the status of the parks and the, the infrastructure the parks provides near schools. 85 00:12:05.392 --> 00:12:13.682 And we'll also work with the county just specifically on libraries because a lot of the libraries are near our local schools at those 14 sites. 86 00:12:14.534 --> 00:12:20.062 So I thought, what could we do in our lane that would be helpful to PPS at this time? 87 00:12:20.576 --> 00:12:22.504 And in our lane, It's this. 88 00:12:23.210 --> 00:12:28.010 And so I wanted to make sure that we provided that objective information for the decision makers at PPS. 89 00:12:29.150 --> 00:12:35.957 And again, I give you my experience where I really wanted something like that back in 2005, and it was hard to get such objective information. 90 00:12:36.552 --> 00:12:39.698 So I just hope this will be helpful to them as they make these hard decisions. 91 00:12:40.149 --> 00:12:42.861 And is this something the city administrator comprised, or did you write it? 92 00:12:42.975 --> 00:12:43.585 Sorry, I'm just—. 93 00:12:43.681 --> 00:12:44.676 I, of course, did not write it. 94 00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:45.399 That's not my job. 95 00:12:45.462 --> 00:12:47.357 My job as a legislator was to propose. 96 00:12:47.485 --> 00:12:50.616 So I proposed it to the mayor and to CA Lee. 97 00:12:51.001 --> 00:12:51.966 We had some dialogue. 98 00:12:52.029 --> 00:12:53.490 They all thought it was a good idea. 99 00:12:53.917 --> 00:12:56.993 And then it moved forward with DCA Williams. 100 00:12:57.490 --> 00:13:00.014 Thank you for asking those questions. 101 00:13:00.142 --> 00:13:04.705 I would share one component of that too that will also be in there is some demographic information. 102 00:13:04.802 --> 00:13:09.605 How do we see future growth from a residential standpoint happening in the city? 103 00:13:10.054 --> 00:13:20.048 So that will also be a part of it as well too, because it doesn't make sense if we're evaluating closing a school where we have permitting coming in to add additional housing. 104 00:13:20.738 --> 00:13:21.395 In that area. 105 00:13:21.443 --> 00:13:31.269 So we just want to make sure they have that full picture that we have, what's happening from a development end as well, and the impacts that could have potentially with potential school closures. 106 00:13:31.462 --> 00:13:32.120 That's right. 107 00:13:32.183 --> 00:13:32.937 Thank you for reminding me. 108 00:13:32.985 --> 00:13:39.926 And I've also been in conversation with DCA Oliveira on such points, but I stuck at that level and then they've been working with their deputies. 109 00:13:41.321 --> 00:13:42.586 Can I ask a question? 110 00:13:43.548 --> 00:13:45.504 Councilor Herbold, thank you so much for doing that. 111 00:13:45.552 --> 00:13:47.957 I think that will be very, very helpful for us. 112 00:13:48.599 --> 00:13:53.182 I don't suppose this includes the seismic information about the schools, does it? 113 00:13:53.808 --> 00:13:57.639 No, that's PPS's job to deliver the information about their buildings. 114 00:13:58.153 --> 00:14:00.717 We have, as you all know, we do the public right-of-way. 115 00:14:01.101 --> 00:14:04.613 So we surround all buildings in this city and provide services. 116 00:14:05.190 --> 00:14:08.379 And so that's what they needed to have that information. 117 00:14:08.635 --> 00:14:09.004 Thank you so much. 118 00:14:09.052 --> 00:14:11.666 A great question, but that would be internal to PPS. 119 00:14:11.923 --> 00:14:13.380 Council President, can I say something quickly? 120 00:14:13.445 --> 00:14:15.432 Yeah, please, Councilor Koyama Lane. 121 00:14:15.721 --> 00:14:17.837 I didn't know we were going to be talking about school closures. 122 00:14:17.933 --> 00:14:24.361 It's obviously something that all of our offices are hearing a lot about and is something that affects all of our constituents and thank you. 123 00:14:24.586 --> 00:14:25.611 And the whole city. 124 00:14:25.788 --> 00:14:32.057 Things— decisions that happen to our schools directly affect the whole city, and vice versa. 125 00:14:32.201 --> 00:14:34.573 Decisions that we make as the city affect our schools. 126 00:14:34.638 --> 00:14:39.287 So we need to be making sure that we are having that data and that we have questions answered. 127 00:14:39.335 --> 00:14:41.580 And so thank you for bringing these forward, Councilor. 128 00:14:41.676 --> 00:14:56.229 I think it's really important that we are seeing what investments have we made as the city and in terms of you know, 2, 3-bedroom multifamily-sized housing in certain areas? 129 00:14:56.421 --> 00:14:58.552 Where have we invested in community centers? 130 00:15:00.027 --> 00:15:02.477 That data, we need— that needs to be part of the conversation. 131 00:15:02.671 --> 00:15:10.682 And we all are continuing to hear from many caregivers who are concerned that they have questions that are not being fully answered, that they're not getting the data. 132 00:15:11.388 --> 00:15:24.366 And so it is our job to be uplifting those questions and I know that there are many caregivers that are watching closely and are hoping that we're going to be able to do something. 133 00:15:24.495 --> 00:15:31.240 I think the thing is there's no one person that can save or solve all of this, but I think there are ways that we can be using our platform. 134 00:15:31.320 --> 00:15:39.621 And so I will say in the, in the coming days, I hope that you'll be able to hear from, from more councilors about ways that we can be engaging. 135 00:15:39.717 --> 00:15:46.285 What are things, what are ways where the city and the school district and the county all intersect, and how can we be working together on some of this? 136 00:15:46.431 --> 00:15:57.235 Councilor Loretta Smith, These asks are really reasonable from my fellow councilors and from other— from parents who are really desperate and are not getting the answers that they need. 137 00:15:57.395 --> 00:16:01.258 So I hope that we can have this conversation. 138 00:16:01.307 --> 00:16:02.845 I'm not sure if this is the right place. 139 00:16:02.990 --> 00:16:20.899 I'm looking to Council President, but I think we do need to find a way that we are able to have these conversations, maybe directly with school board members, with PPS leaders, and show and find ways that we thank you, Councilor Koyama Lane. 140 00:16:20.899 --> 00:16:23.200 Colleagues, I'm hoping to not have us completely get derailed. 141 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:26.250 We all have some very strong feelings about PPS closure of schools. 142 00:16:26.340 --> 00:16:29.860 I'm going to ask Councilor Smith, then Councilor Kanal, and we're going to move into our actual agenda. 143 00:16:30.019 --> 00:16:31.320 Councilor Smith. 144 00:16:31.389 --> 00:16:32.240 Thank you, Council President. 145 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:36.480 I just want to say to Councilor Dan Ryan, that is so smart, totally appropriate. 146 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:45.259 And as a mother of a student that was in Portland Public Schools who experienced the same thing in 2005, my son graduated in 2008, I would have loved to have this conversation with him. 147 00:16:48.039 --> 00:17:00.840 Thank you, Councilor Smith. 148 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:02.120 Councilor Kanal, last word on this? 149 00:17:02.259 --> 00:17:04.740 I just had a question, so actually it'll be your last word. 150 00:17:04.740 --> 00:17:09.980 There, there was a proposed, uh, piece of legislation on this, and I don't know what happened with it. 151 00:17:09.980 --> 00:17:12.180 Um, I just wanted to understand. 152 00:17:12.180 --> 00:17:14.000 I think there was a request for 912th Street. 153 00:17:15.148 --> 00:17:17.393 Nothing was added to the agenda. 154 00:17:17.795 --> 00:17:26.865 Whatever that— either a number of pieces of legislation that were proposed, but nothing received the requisite 9 signatures to move to our agenda today. 155 00:17:27.267 --> 00:17:28.952 Okay, so nothing for today. 156 00:17:29.032 --> 00:17:31.923 There may be stuff in the future if those colleagues are still interested. 157 00:17:32.084 --> 00:17:32.532 Absolutely. 158 00:17:32.662 --> 00:17:33.785 Okay, thank you very much. 159 00:17:34.074 --> 00:17:35.310 Thank you, colleagues. 160 00:17:35.358 --> 00:17:38.183 Our first item on our agenda is the approval of the agenda. 161 00:17:38.665 --> 00:17:40.174 May I have unanimous consent to approve the agenda? 162 00:17:40.327 --> 00:17:41.384 Approve today's agenda. 163 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:48.176 Seeing a lot of happy nods, the, the agenda is approved. 164 00:17:49.467 --> 00:17:50.907 Keelan, could we please move to public communications? 165 00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:54.038 First up today, we have Kari Koch. 166 00:17:55.640 --> 00:17:55.898 Welcome. 167 00:17:55.997 --> 00:17:58.138 Please come on up, introduce yourself for the record. 168 00:17:58.188 --> 00:18:00.315 You're welcome to share your pronouns, and you have 3 minutes. 169 00:18:00.395 --> 00:18:01.369 Okay, thank you. 170 00:18:06.529 --> 00:18:07.613 My name is Kari Koch. 171 00:18:07.661 --> 00:18:08.864 I use she or they pronouns. 172 00:18:09.071 --> 00:18:13.931 I'm the president of the City of Portland Professional Workers Union, as you all are probably well aware by now. 173 00:18:14.605 --> 00:18:21.917 I'm here today as a representative of 800 members who are at work right now to deliver a message and to ask for your support. 174 00:18:22.542 --> 00:18:29.038 On Thursday at contract negotiations, the city's bargaining team told us that they had nothing for us. 175 00:18:29.198 --> 00:18:32.229 They had no ideas, no proposals, no creative solutions. 176 00:18:32.885 --> 00:18:33.991 No authority to move. 177 00:18:34.424 --> 00:18:39.840 That was the last scheduled session and the last one that they intended to hold until something changes. 178 00:18:40.513 --> 00:18:42.212 Well, something has changed. 179 00:18:42.613 --> 00:18:47.709 Our union, 800 workers in every part of the city, has issued our notice of intent to strike. 180 00:18:48.541 --> 00:18:51.892 Our members voted 93% yes to authorize a strike. 181 00:18:52.211 --> 00:18:54.343 The city is forcing our hand. 182 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:56.137 They've abandoned the table. 183 00:18:56.298 --> 00:18:57.276 They've abandoned the effort to find labor peace. 184 00:18:57.324 --> 00:18:58.093 Councilmember Loretta Smith. 185 00:18:58.541 --> 00:19:00.564 And they're gambling that a strike won't matter. 186 00:19:01.816 --> 00:19:06.196 I'm here not just to tell you that we intend to strike, but to offer a path forward. 187 00:19:07.449 --> 00:19:10.336 It does not have to come to the brink every time. 188 00:19:10.642 --> 00:19:16.482 We are sympathetic to the hard decisions that you'll have to make over the next year, but this contract is not one of them. 189 00:19:17.397 --> 00:19:21.217 Establishing a fair wage system is a part of running a city. 190 00:19:21.954 --> 00:19:28.278 Our contract proposal is a reasonable standard wage increase and basic protections, but to our members, it's about more than that. 191 00:19:28.326 --> 00:19:28.775 It's about respect. 192 00:19:30.623 --> 00:19:39.018 It's about a city that keeps balancing, attempting to balance the budget on the backs of the workers instead of taking a hard look at where the money is really going. 193 00:19:40.660 --> 00:19:42.564 Our members know about hard decisions. 194 00:19:42.709 --> 00:19:46.484 We do the work of multiple staff as the city shifts the ground beneath us. 195 00:19:46.904 --> 00:19:55.830 We get the work done under difficult conditions, and at home we figure out how to care for our families, sometimes multiple families, as prices skyrocket around us. 196 00:19:56.568 --> 00:20:01.169 Members come to me and say, I can't afford to strike, but I can't afford not to. 197 00:20:02.500 --> 00:20:05.546 You'll hear numbers from the city about what this contract costs. 198 00:20:06.123 --> 00:20:07.614 We dispute those numbers. 199 00:20:08.222 --> 00:20:14.201 Our figures, which are in our last best final offer and which I will send to each of you after this, is available on the website. 200 00:20:14.954 --> 00:20:24.444 Our figures show a $9 million increase over 2 fiscal years, over 2 fiscal years, which is on par with every other union contract at the city once you factor in wage growth. 201 00:20:25.038 --> 00:20:29.990 The city's numbers that they might be presenting to you ignore the layoffs that we saw over the summer. 202 00:20:30.407 --> 00:20:36.333 They count vacancies despite the hiring freeze, and they inflate— in fact, double the cost in order to muddy the waters. 203 00:20:37.942 --> 00:20:41.346 We are looking for creative solutions from the mayor. 204 00:20:42.378 --> 00:20:46.123 We want an economic package that truly values the work that we do. 205 00:20:46.575 --> 00:20:50.339 We want contract language that stops treating our union differently than other unions. 206 00:20:50.921 --> 00:20:53.249 And we are asking you to be the voice of reason. 207 00:20:54.023 --> 00:21:04.403 That a strike is a tool of last resort and will have a negative impact on the city, that this contract is reasonable, fair, and affordable, and that we can settle this now. 208 00:21:05.498 --> 00:21:05.776 Thank you. 209 00:21:06.413 --> 00:21:07.099 Thank you very much. 210 00:21:10.744 --> 00:21:12.713 Next up, we have Laura Labarre. 211 00:21:15.549 --> 00:21:15.819 Good morning. 212 00:21:19.344 --> 00:21:20.569 Please introduce yourself for the record. 213 00:21:20.617 --> 00:21:22.317 You're welcome to share your pronouns, and you have 3 minutes. 214 00:21:23.182 --> 00:21:23.471 Thank you. 215 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:25.858 Hi, I'm Laura Labarre, she/her pronouns. 216 00:21:26.403 --> 00:21:27.766 Thank you for having me here today. 217 00:21:28.406 --> 00:21:31.259 I'm here today to bring it back to school closures. 218 00:21:32.478 --> 00:21:42.173 Um, as a constituent and a Portland Public Schools parent of 2, as well as an advocate and a former education policy professional, I'm here with 3 asks. 219 00:21:42.510 --> 00:21:48.840 One, pass Councilor Green's Save Public Schools resolution next week and make sure it's on the agenda. 220 00:21:49.344 --> 00:22:00.204 2, issue a joint statement calling on Governor Kotek to declare an education state of emergency by Election Day so we can tap rainy day funds for schools. 221 00:22:00.786 --> 00:22:10.720 And 3, starting now, make public schools part of the routine council agenda, starting with working with PPS to find solutions that aren't closures. 222 00:22:12.326 --> 00:22:15.135 In PPS right now, our communities are in pain. 223 00:22:15.965 --> 00:22:30.303 In the face of these closures, we are being forced to make choices between racial equity, educator jobs, arts programming, safe routes to school, seismic safety, and serving our kids with disabilities and special needs. 224 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:33.108 These are all necessities. 225 00:22:33.686 --> 00:22:38.161 When we are forced to treat them like trade-offs, that is an emergency. 226 00:22:39.298 --> 00:22:41.929 And it's been an emergency for years. 227 00:22:42.105 --> 00:22:58.178 In 2024, my child went from being a preschooler who said they loved school and wanted to be a teacher someday to a totally overwhelmed kindergartner in a classroom with 35-year-olds because we lost a kindergarten teaching position to budget cuts. 228 00:22:59.579 --> 00:23:06.019 You could practically hear my ed policy heartbreaking when my kid told me maybe school isn't for me. 229 00:23:08.037 --> 00:23:18.556 That year, like so many other years, PPS had to pay a quarter of its budget toward public employment retiree obligations, not toward classrooms. 230 00:23:19.005 --> 00:23:30.461 It was also the year Oregon returned a $5 billion kicker, not because we actually had that money to spare, but simply because the state economists couldn't predict COVID in prior biennia. 231 00:23:31.407 --> 00:23:41.423 Councilor Mitch Green came to our school last Friday and listened to us describe these stories and how our children are living the harms of these broken systems every single day. 232 00:23:42.449 --> 00:23:59.832 His fast and decisive action to introduce the Save Public Schools resolution in direct response to what we shared with him has energized us and given us hope that constituent voice means something, and in fact, that it might mean everything. 233 00:24:00.971 --> 00:24:13.548 In 2003 and 2012, speaking of the lanes, I'm glad you mentioned that, Councilor Ryan, the City Council used its power and resources to invest and strengthen Portland Public Schools. 234 00:24:14.061 --> 00:24:23.178 Today, as we face closures and cuts, we as constituents are asking you to once again make our city's children not just your business but your priority. 235 00:24:23.836 --> 00:24:25.905 Please support Councilor Green's resolution. 236 00:24:26.179 --> 00:24:30.689 Call on Governor Kotek for the state of emergency and act on behalf of our kids. 237 00:24:30.978 --> 00:24:31.298 Thank you. 238 00:24:31.941 --> 00:24:32.487 Thank you very much. 239 00:24:35.214 --> 00:24:37.740 Next up we have Michael Rosen. 240 00:24:40.977 --> 00:24:41.330 Good morning. 241 00:24:42.119 --> 00:24:42.425 Thank you. 242 00:24:42.747 --> 00:24:42.971 Morning. 243 00:24:47.165 --> 00:25:02.288 I'm Michael Rosen, the former school board director from Zone 7 from 2015 to 2019, a career public servant of 30 years for the state and the city, a father of 3 PPS graduates, and the guardian of my niece, a current PPS student. 244 00:25:02.441 --> 00:25:03.201 Thank you for the opportunity to address you today. 245 00:25:05.663 --> 00:25:19.854 Mayor and City Council, I'm here to ask you to adopt a formal resolution calling on PPS to delay its December 15th vote until the district has produced credible financial, educational, transportation, and neighborhood impact assessments. 246 00:25:20.800 --> 00:25:24.204 Why this is a City Council issue and why you should care. 247 00:25:24.430 --> 00:25:30.001 First, school closures are an urban planning issue, not simply an education issue. 248 00:25:30.695 --> 00:25:41.335 PPS is proposing changes that will affect neighborhood stability, housing decisions, transportation infrastructure, traffic, climate commitments, and the viability of walkable communities. 249 00:25:41.592 --> 00:25:47.371 These are all areas in which the city has substantial responsibilities and has made significant public investments. 250 00:25:48.028 --> 00:25:59.796 Portland cannot spend decades investing in walkable, climate-resilient neighborhoods only to stand by while another public institution dismantles the neighborhood infrastructure that makes those investments work. 251 00:26:00.148 --> 00:26:04.371 Second, PPS has not adequately assessed these consequences. 252 00:26:04.627 --> 00:26:07.340 Where are the transportation and emissions projections? 253 00:26:07.596 --> 00:26:17.147 Where is the analysis of impacts on neighborhood development, neighborhood businesses, housing demand, and families' abilities— families' ability to walk or bike to school? 254 00:26:17.886 --> 00:26:25.398 Has the district meaningfully coordinated with PBOT, city planners, or other municipal agencies to assess the consequences of its proposals? 255 00:26:25.494 --> 00:26:25.558 Yes. 256 00:26:26.280 --> 00:26:27.982 How many teachers will be laid off? 257 00:26:28.144 --> 00:26:30.213 What will happen to closed school properties? 258 00:26:30.406 --> 00:26:33.986 And what will be the cost to retrofit new school configurations? 259 00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:36.473 These are not peripheral questions. 260 00:26:36.730 --> 00:26:41.272 They are foreseeable consequences of the restructuring, and the city will be left dealing with them. 261 00:26:41.707 --> 00:26:46.025 Third, the underlying justification for the restructuring remains unproven. 262 00:26:46.858 --> 00:26:57.336 PPS is treating enrollment and building utilization as proxies for educational resources, assuming that concentrating students in fewer buildings will somehow produce stronger educational programs. 263 00:26:58.009 --> 00:27:08.493 But the district has not demonstrated that these changes will improve education, establish credible net savings after implementation costs, or provided school-specific staffing and resource commitments. 264 00:27:09.070 --> 00:27:15.901 We are being asked to accept enormous disruption on the basis of an administrative model whose promised benefits have not been demonstrated. 265 00:27:16.445 --> 00:27:28.392 So please adopt a formal resolution calling on PPS to delay its December 15th vote until the district has produced credible financial, educational, transportation, and neighborhood impact assessments. 266 00:27:28.472 --> 00:27:39.377 PPS is making decisions that will fundamentally reshape Portland without demonstrating that it has adequately considered the consequences or established that the changes will actually benefit students. 267 00:27:39.458 --> 00:27:42.119 That should concern every elected official in the city. 268 00:27:42.441 --> 00:27:46.486 Finally, I'd like to thank Megan Zirn, who co-authored this thank you all. 269 00:27:46.744 --> 00:27:47.406 Thank you very much. 270 00:27:49.507 --> 00:27:52.365 Next up, we have Anita Davidson joining us online. 271 00:27:59.984 --> 00:28:00.325 Thank you. 272 00:28:01.165 --> 00:28:02.523 My name is Anita Davidson. 273 00:28:02.571 --> 00:28:04.964 I'm a condominium owner downtown in District 4. 274 00:28:05.644 --> 00:28:16.829 Yesterday I testified before City Life on how little has changed with Clean and Safe despite the city's spending many hundreds of thousands of dollars since 2020 to improve the enhanced service districts. 275 00:28:17.567 --> 00:28:27.164 Today I have a different focus, to ask City Council to propose different oversight of Clean and Safe Services because they exist beyond the ESD contract. 276 00:28:27.726 --> 00:28:31.571 The oversight currently provided by the city's ESD coordinator is inadequate. 277 00:28:32.596 --> 00:28:40.308 Today I want to discuss the millions of additional public dollars that are provided to Clean and Safe annually through multiple city departments and other governments. 278 00:28:40.871 --> 00:28:48.387 Clean& Safe itself reported $1.2 million in revenue beyond the ESD revenue in each of the past 2 years. 279 00:28:49.287 --> 00:28:59.710 Further, the public dollars Clean& Safe receives are used to procure the same types of services within the same downtown boundaries that Clean& Safe operates for ESD ratepayers. 280 00:29:00.769 --> 00:29:07.413 A higher level of oversight is needed to confirm for each contracting party that they are receiving all the contracted services. 281 00:29:08.165 --> 00:29:23.597 The consultant hired following the ESD audit in 2020 made clear in their 2024 report services of the ESD nonprofit should be clearly separate from ESD— from the ESD services from the other services. 282 00:29:24.351 --> 00:29:25.760 This brings to light 2 matters. 283 00:29:26.096 --> 00:29:36.276 First, that due to the city's economic downturn, unfortunately, and the need for revival, Every allegedly enhanced service has rightfully become a basic service. 284 00:29:37.013 --> 00:29:41.791 That any ESD can justify providing these services as enhanced is severely waning. 285 00:29:42.625 --> 00:29:57.924 This is because the city sees the need for, rightfully, and is already paying for sidewalk cleaning, graffiti removal, hotel security, power washing, increased mental and behavioral support, trash pickups, and programs for downtown activities. 286 00:29:58.005 --> 00:29:58.148 Thank you. 287 00:29:58.923 --> 00:30:07.612 These are done through contracts the city has directly with vendors and through additional non-ESD contracts between the city and Clean& Safe. 288 00:30:08.526 --> 00:30:19.336 Second, that due to overlap of downtown territory and overlap in types of service provided, the current assignment for oversight of Clean& Safe to the ESD coordinator is unreasonable. 289 00:30:20.218 --> 00:30:23.104 Right now, the ESD coordinator is an ESD advocate. 290 00:30:23.826 --> 00:30:31.701 It is unreasonable for one line staff member to oversee services provided paid for at higher levels in multiple other city departments. 291 00:30:32.729 --> 00:30:33.915 Let me give you 3 examples. 292 00:30:34.430 --> 00:30:48.836 Look closely at the cleaning and security services PBOT pays for through TriMet to Portland Mall Management Inc. for security and cleaning along the Transit Mall, which lies entirely within the ESD expanded boundaries. 293 00:30:49.654 --> 00:31:00.268 The ESD coordinator has so far been unable to clarify for me and other ratepayers what services the ESD ratepayers receive beyond what PMMI is paying for. 294 00:31:01.296 --> 00:31:08.538 Also look at the wholesale security special project held in 2025, that including funding by the city, county, and state. 295 00:31:09.116 --> 00:31:15.092 It appears possible that Clean and Safe was reimbursed with public funds for some of the ESD security shifts. 296 00:31:16.313 --> 00:31:23.050 As a final example today, and there are more, look at the lighting services the city contracts for with Clean and Safe. 297 00:31:23.852 --> 00:31:34.957 Each year the ESD pays for holiday lighting, but through an additional project illumination, the city also pays for potentially the same lighting, maybe more, all the other months of the year. 298 00:31:35.871 --> 00:31:41.991 How can downtown lighting not then become a basic service instead of an enhanced one? 299 00:31:42.135 --> 00:31:52.325 My testimony today is that the lack of transparency and accountability where Clean and Safe is involved is now potentially worse than before the auditor and consultant made recommendations for improvement. 300 00:31:53.031 --> 00:32:03.933 Money is being sent from multiple departments, and nobody knows what services belong to the ESD or belong to the contracts and grants that are funding Clean and Safe in other ways. 301 00:32:04.833 --> 00:32:09.987 I will email these comments to your offices, and thank you for this opportunity to provide my perspective. 302 00:32:10.628 --> 00:32:11.174 Thank you very much. 303 00:32:16.085 --> 00:32:20.069 Uh, next up we have Juliana James. 304 00:32:22.794 --> 00:32:23.711 Good morning, welcome. 305 00:32:27.977 --> 00:32:29.807 Good morning, Mayor Wilson and councilors. 306 00:32:29.904 --> 00:32:37.625 My name is Juliana James and I'm a retired public school teacher who taught in Minneapolis for 30 years and moved here to be a grandparent. 307 00:32:38.396 --> 00:32:47.523 The education resolution proposed by Councilor Green must be enacted and voted for to pause the school closures of Portland Public Schools. 308 00:32:48.038 --> 00:32:55.945 The mayor and city council have the power to influence the decision to pause public school closures. 309 00:32:56.282 --> 00:33:01.319 Stable community infrastructure relies on stable neighborhood schools. 310 00:33:01.737 --> 00:33:09.280 Families move into neighborhoods considering the impact of their children's education in kindergarten through 12th grade. 311 00:33:09.538 --> 00:33:12.815 That is 13 years of a child's life. 312 00:33:13.297 --> 00:33:24.459 We cannot sit by idly and do nothing when students' and families' lives are ripped apart by sudden, rapid school closures without real adequate data. 313 00:33:24.796 --> 00:33:31.076 These closures force families to flee to the suburbs while our precious city loses our tax base. 314 00:33:31.140 --> 00:33:31.317 Thank you. 315 00:33:31.782 --> 00:33:49.814 My husband and I proudly pay $2,680 a year for PPS funding and are proud to have voted yes for 2 more needs of our schools, only to have these funds turned into empty buildings that feel like a death in the family, a death in the neighborhood. 316 00:33:50.327 --> 00:34:04.722 We live directly across from Sellwood Middle School, a successful, strong community of teachers, parents, families who have invested their lives and funds to support the excellent education in our neighborhood. 317 00:34:04.770 --> 00:34:05.701 And we're not alone. 318 00:34:06.199 --> 00:34:14.364 All neighborhoods are fighting to retain the integrity of their child's stable, excellent public education. 319 00:34:14.701 --> 00:34:31.525 Our family, children, and teachers deserve the support and influence of our mayor and city councilors to stop this nonsense and seek the state and county funding for rent control, affordable housing, and public safety that every Portland, Oregon family deserves. 320 00:34:31.894 --> 00:34:36.065 If the Minneapolis Public Schools can vote to stop school closures, we can too. 321 00:34:36.530 --> 00:34:48.161 We're counting on you in this time of desperation, despair, and the possible destabilizing effect of our real estate values and our city prize— city pride. 322 00:34:48.481 --> 00:34:51.706 Please vote for this emergency resolution by Councilor Green. 323 00:34:51.769 --> 00:34:51.898 Thank you. 324 00:34:52.228 --> 00:34:56.797 And make the city of Portland the city we can be truly proud of. 325 00:34:57.150 --> 00:35:06.596 We can create a bold initiative to fund educational stability, community stability, neighborhood stability for every child in our great city. 326 00:35:07.173 --> 00:35:13.485 We are a city of roses, possibility, a city of creativity, a city of love and dedication. 327 00:35:13.920 --> 00:35:26.432 We can compromise, collaborate, cooperate to succeed in a superior education for all the great City of Portland children that we all deserve, the City of Portland that works. 328 00:35:27.161 --> 00:35:27.568 Thank you. 329 00:35:28.070 --> 00:35:28.686 Thank you very much. 330 00:35:30.608 --> 00:35:33.173 That completes communications. 331 00:35:34.001 --> 00:35:34.554 Thank you very much. 332 00:35:37.163 --> 00:35:41.364 Colleagues, next item on our agenda is our— my regular presidential update. 333 00:35:41.510 --> 00:35:48.344 I just have a very quick announcement regarding next week for both the public and for my— a reminder for my fellow colleagues. 334 00:35:49.177 --> 00:35:56.132 Next week's council meeting will be virtual only because there will be building maintenance happening here on the HVAC system. 335 00:35:56.179 --> 00:36:06.010 So committee meetings on Tuesday are canceled due to the election, and our Wednesday and Thursday meetings will be only happening on virtual format. 336 00:36:06.090 --> 00:36:09.126 So on Tuesday, please, please everybody go vote. 337 00:36:09.992 --> 00:36:17.782 I'm now going to look over to our city administrator for any update regarding our federal response or response to the federal interventions in our city. 338 00:36:17.831 --> 00:36:18.121 Thank you, Mayor. 339 00:36:19.733 --> 00:36:20.994 Thank you, Council President. 340 00:36:21.635 --> 00:36:29.518 As it relates to our federal immigration enforcement updates, we have heard reports about increased ICE activity around Delta Park. 341 00:36:29.840 --> 00:36:36.340 We confirmed that with 2 detentions occurred by nearby businesses this past week, not at the park itself. 342 00:36:36.565 --> 00:36:45.458 Uh, PERC has received no reports of additional detentions in the Delta Park area since then, and we'll continue to monitor, uh, this situation. 343 00:36:46.088 --> 00:36:56.195 Tomorrow, the Immigrant Affairs Lead will present to the Committee of the Whole on the city's work to implement its sanctuary protections. 344 00:36:56.869 --> 00:37:00.795 This will be the first presentation to the committee on this work. 345 00:37:01.259 --> 00:37:19.378 And keep in mind, with this presentation, we'll be seeking council's input of how we can better inform council as it relates to the data associated with this report and ensuring that it is meeting the intent of the requirements that council is looking for from staff to present out. 346 00:37:19.715 --> 00:37:30.355 We know this is going to be a work in progress as we continue to work through these things, but we want to make sure we're meeting everyone's intent and the information that we're sharing and answer questions. 347 00:37:31.012 --> 00:37:38.490 At this point in time, I'll pass it on to our City Attorney Robert Taylor, who will give an update on our legal affairs related to this topic. 348 00:37:45.271 --> 00:37:46.346 Hi, uh, thank you. 349 00:37:46.425 --> 00:37:48.525 Robert Taylor, City Attorney, for the record. 350 00:37:48.815 --> 00:37:53.527 Um, I'm here to give an update on the litigation related to the ICE facility. 351 00:37:54.585 --> 00:38:01.943 Um, for the, the benefit of the public who's been following this, the, the big event is November 20th. 352 00:38:02.858 --> 00:38:04.717 That's when we will be in circuit court. 353 00:38:05.427 --> 00:38:09.880 Working on the appeal that has been filed by the building owner. 354 00:38:10.777 --> 00:38:15.909 I do not have any other material updates beyond what I gave last week. 355 00:38:16.871 --> 00:38:26.586 For the benefit of the public who may be watching, I'd like to just update folks in case new people are watching this today. 356 00:38:27.324 --> 00:38:32.952 So as a reminder, the city issued a notice of violation to the building owner in September of 2025. 357 00:38:33.001 --> 00:38:33.385 Thank you. 358 00:38:35.704 --> 00:38:43.036 That notice of violation found the building owner in violation of the conditional use approval. 359 00:38:45.730 --> 00:38:52.503 That notice of violation was appealed to the hearings officer, who held a hearing in May of 2026. 360 00:38:53.909 --> 00:38:58.197 The hearings officer found in favor of the city and upheld the notice of violation. 361 00:38:59.273 --> 00:39:03.034 That decision was issued in July of 2026. 362 00:39:04.262 --> 00:39:08.710 That hearings officer decision has been appealed to the Multnomah County Circuit Court. 363 00:39:09.766 --> 00:39:13.210 The Circuit Court issued a stay pending that appeal. 364 00:39:14.635 --> 00:39:23.115 Because of that stay, the city cannot enforce or take any other action until that appeal is resolved. 365 00:39:23.976 --> 00:39:41.072 You will recall that at one point that stay was so broad that the hearings officer was even prohibited from issuing its decision, but we successfully fought that and was able to get the hearings officer's decision issued. 366 00:39:41.119 --> 00:39:47.340 And we're very proud of that effort and proud that the hearings officer issued its decision in favor of the city. 367 00:39:48.827 --> 00:39:57.139 Again, the circuit court hearing is scheduled for November 20th, and we will keep the, the council and the public updated once that hearing has concluded. 368 00:39:57.193 --> 00:39:57.393 Thank you. 369 00:39:58.699 --> 00:39:59.597 Thank you very much. 370 00:40:02.065 --> 00:40:07.336 I see 2 colleagues in the queue to ask— I assume ask questions for the city administrator. 371 00:40:07.925 --> 00:40:09.519 Councilor Koyama Lane? 372 00:40:09.858 --> 00:40:10.036 Nope. 373 00:40:10.132 --> 00:40:10.277 Okay. 374 00:40:10.503 --> 00:40:10.954 Councilor Kanal? 375 00:40:13.159 --> 00:40:13.353 Sorry. 376 00:40:13.418 --> 00:40:13.739 Thanks. 377 00:40:14.545 --> 00:40:22.625 Yeah, I guess the question I had was about the— what should we— we got an email about— you mentioned the Delta Park. 378 00:40:24.072 --> 00:40:25.706 Example, obviously it's in District 2. 379 00:40:26.284 --> 00:40:28.755 Um, we got an email about it this time. 380 00:40:28.947 --> 00:40:41.349 I'm just trying to understand what the sort of default mechanism for, for notification for councilors if the administration comes across information about a particular immigration-related, um, event is or, or pattern. 381 00:40:41.782 --> 00:40:49.228 Yeah, if we have something like that, you should see an email from my office as it relates to what that is and the information related to it. 382 00:40:49.324 --> 00:40:55.036 We're still working out the mechanisms from the standpoint of Is raising to the level to make sure council is involved. 383 00:40:55.164 --> 00:41:03.333 I think for this subject matter, we want to make sure all council members are engaged in what's happening as it relates to the detentions across the city. 384 00:41:03.686 --> 00:41:16.121 So as we get this information, please expect an email from my office or someone in my office, either our Immigrant Affairs lead or myself, informing council, giving updates on that matter. 385 00:41:16.909 --> 00:41:17.518 Thanks. 386 00:41:17.565 --> 00:41:25.177 Yeah, I think what happened this past week was, was good, and that I was— I'm, I'm glad if that's what we're trying to replicate, then that's great. 387 00:41:25.259 --> 00:41:25.612 Exactly. 388 00:41:25.757 --> 00:41:26.414 Okay, excellent. 389 00:41:26.784 --> 00:41:36.967 Uh, and, um, just for the record, the, um, the conversation at the Committee of the Whole tomorrow, um, it's the first thing on the agenda after the chair's update, so we should be getting to it pretty soon after we convene. 390 00:41:37.804 --> 00:41:39.746 The report from the Immigrant Affairs lead. 391 00:41:40.534 --> 00:41:40.775 Thanks. 392 00:41:41.338 --> 00:41:42.429 Thank you, Councilor Kanal. 393 00:41:43.103 --> 00:41:44.003 Thank you, City Administrator. 394 00:41:44.068 --> 00:41:44.806 Thank you, City Attorney. 395 00:41:46.282 --> 00:41:47.922 Keelan, can we please call the consent agenda? 396 00:41:49.512 --> 00:41:52.257 Uh, no items have been pulled from the consent agenda. 397 00:41:52.418 --> 00:41:53.920 I'll call the roll to approve. 398 00:41:54.420 --> 00:41:54.677 Clark? 399 00:41:56.518 --> 00:41:56.679 Aye. 400 00:41:57.585 --> 00:41:57.811 Green? 401 00:41:58.617 --> 00:41:58.793