Dear District 1 Neighbors,
Yesterday was a turning point for East Portland and our entire city. Through community organizing and strategic advocacy, we secured budget victories that address housing, public safety, and community needs. Here's what we accomplished:
🏠 Housing Justice: Anti-Displacement Wins Engagement
- Vacancy Fee Studies (Councilor Kanal): Studies for both residential properties and commercial spaces sitting empty while neighbors face displacement and small businesses struggle to find affordable space.
- Anti-Displacement Task Force (Councilor Green): Community-led task force to monitor and guide anti-displacement strategies, focusing on housing in its first year.
Why this matters: Empty homes while people sleep outside isn't acceptable. Empty storefronts while businesses can't afford rent isn't sustainable. We're exploring every tool to address displacement.
🚔 Public Safety Transformation: 2.2M Redirect + Real Reform
- $2.2 Million Community Safety Investment (Councilor Green): Redirected police funds to programs that represent a wider spectrum of public safety strategies - Portland Street Response, Crisis Alternative Team, Emergency Management, and Fire & Rescue recruitment.
- Welfare Check Reform (Councilor Novick): Mandated labor negotiations to move welfare checks from armed police officers to unarmed responders.
- Police Overtime Accountability (Councilor Kanal): Requiring reporting and reduction of expensive overtime spent on protests and "community presence" patrols.
Why this matters: Real safety means the right person responding to every situation. Mental health crises need skilled unarmed responders, not officers with guns.
🏥 Community Health: $1.2M for Addiction Recovery
- Addiction Recovery Housing (My amendment): $1.2 million in opioid settlement funds for addiction recovery beds serving our most vulnerable neighbors.
Why this matters: East Portland faces disproportionate addiction impacts. Instead of just criminalizing the crisis, we're investing in treatment that works.
🌳 Parks & Green Spaces: Protection + Investment
- Parks Maintenance (Councilors Avalos/Morillo): $1.9 million added back to Parks to ensure access to clean, safe, and usable parks across District 1.
- Leach Botanical Garden Funding (Councilor Dunphy): $100,000 for District 1's only community garden partner, supporting programming and educational opportunities.
- Golf Fund Redirect (Councilor Morillo): Moved resources from golf operations to broader parks services.
- East Portland Service Priority (Councilor Dunphy): Secured commitments for regular updates on Parks and Transportation programming in District 1.
Why this matters: Every family deserves quality parks. These investments are a good start to addressing decades of East Portland underinvestment.
🛡️ Sanctuary City Defense: Legal Strategy Against Federal Overreach
- ICE Resistance Analysis (Councilor Zimmerman): Mandates a comprehensive legal analysis of ICE detention centers and sanctuary law implications, providing:
- Clear legal guidance for city officials
- Coordinated strategy with other Oregon cities
- Protection framework for immigrant communities
Why this matters: With federal threats mounting, Portland must defend our values. District 1's immigrant communities deserve protection.
💰 Community Engagement & Democracy
- Small Donor Elections (Councilors Morillo/Avalos): Restored funding for Portland's public campaign finance system, ensuring candidates don't need wealthy donors to run for office.
- Communications & Equity Protection (My budget note): Mandated unified strategic planning for community engagement services while protecting against harmful cuts.
Why this matters: Democracy works best when everyone can participate, regardless of wealth.
The Numbers That Drive Our Work
District 1 represents:
- Portland's most diverse district (42% people of color)
- Nearly half the city's children
- Over 100 languages spoken
- $30,000 lower average income than other districts
- 10 years lower life expectancy
Yesterday's wins begin addressing these disparities through targeted investment and policy change.
From Ignored to Leading
The Old Portland:
- East Portland overlooked in citywide elections
- Community needs treated as afterthoughts
- Police budget untouchable, community programs underfunded
The New Portland:
- District representation with community accountability
- East Portland priorities driving citywide policy
- Smart public safety investment in what actually works
Your Role in These Victories
Every win yesterday built on community organizing:
- Community meetings identified what mattered most
- Electoral engagement put district representatives in office
- Ongoing advocacy kept pressure on throughout the process
This is your victory. District representation works when we work together.
Thank You
To everyone who testified, organized, and stayed engaged - we proved that East Portland's voice can drive citywide change. To my council colleagues who supported community priorities - these partnerships make real progress possible.
The old Portland ignored East Portland.
The new Portland listens to East Portland - and acts on what we say.
In solidarity,
Councilor Candace Avalos