Portland Councilors Avalos, Green, Morillo and Labor Leaders Gather to Say “Services First,” Stop Harmful Budget Cuts

Portland, OR – Portland City Councilors Candace Avalos (District 1), Mitch Green (District 4), and Angelita Morillo (District 3) gathered with labor representatives to announce the Services First (Green-Avalos-Morillo 1) budget amendment, which would restore cuts in the Mayor's proposed budget for FY 26-27 and protect essential City services like public safety and parks maintenance. Their amendment would save more than 100 City jobs – many of them union represented – that are currently slated for elimination.

"The Mayor had money available — services were cut anyway," said Councilor Avalos. "That's the contradiction. If resources were available to protect services, why were services cut in the first place? Our answer is simple. We're restoring those cuts, we're protecting frontline workers, and we're protecting the services Portlanders rely on every day. We're putting Services First."

"The council is the budget authority, and it is incumbent upon us to ensure our dollars are spent wisely." shared Councilor Mitch Green. "When we see a proposed budget that makes reckless cuts to public safety and to frontline workers across the city while at the same time continuing to pump tens of millions of dollars into sweeps, tens of millions into a broken shelter system, and promising tens of millions of dollars to renovate the Moda Center before a public process, its Council's job to intervene."

"When I introduced the Core Services Realignment Pause package, I recognized the need to protect frontline workers and maintain essential city services," said Councilor Morillo. "The Mayor's proposed budget asks Portlanders to accept fewer services while cutting the very workers who provide them. The Services First Amendment rejects this false choice. By pausing harmful realignment cuts and directing available resources to frontline services, we protect valuable experience, preserve city capacity, and ensure Portlanders continue to receive the public safety, parks, and community services they depend on every day."

Labor representatives at the press conference included members from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 189, the City of Portland Professional Workers (CPPW),Professional & Technical Employees (PROTEC) Local 17, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 49, and Laborers' Local (LiUNA) 483.

"Mayor Wilson and City administration are barreling forward with changes to our City's internal structures, yet they have failed to demonstrate time and time again how these changes will save money or improve services for Portlanders," said Kari Koch, CPPW President. "In fact, our members – the people who actually perform these services for Portlanders – are very clear. Core realignment as currently structured, and on its current timeline, will harm services to Portlanders, and will likely cost more money in the long run."

Over the past several weeks, council briefings and community outreach about the potential impacts of the cuts in the Mayor's proposed budget have raised concerns about the City's ability to deliver and carry out core responsibilities. The Services First amendment directly responds to community need by protecting:

1. Positions across City bureaus set to be cut in realignment
2. Advanced Life Support (ALS) Teams
3. Public Safety Support Specialists (PS3s)
4. Victims Services Unit positions
5. Parks and Recreation maintenance and programming
6. Relay Janitorial services
7. PDX 311

The amendment would also reserve funding for the creation of the new Office of Immigration Affairs.

"Many, many PROTEC17 members are working to support our parks, information technology, and security, to get accurate data and mapping, to engineer our infrastructure, and to keep it in good order," said Jeanette DeCastro, PROTEC17 Lead Steward Coordinator. "It always costs less to do something right the first time. This Core Services Realignment initiative is disruptive to our work. It has broken processes already that provide stability — not just to workers, but also to services and accountability that Portlanders count on."

In 2024 and 2025, Council approved a one-time transfer of PCEF interest for programmatic areas due to ongoing budget constraints and growing demand on City services. Historically, the Mayor and City Administrator have directed where PCEF interest should be applied before council has taken action. The Services First amendment defines that PCEF interest should be used for public safety, parks, and other unacceptable budget gaps that will reduce basic services for Portlanders.

"We changed our government once in 100 years," said Rob Martineau, AFSCME 189 President. "Let's do realignment once in 100 years. And let's do it well — not just right. Let's do it well the first time, and take care of not just Portlanders, but all of us that provide those services. That is going be a critical component to moving forward, and that's why I support this pause to make sure that we're taking care of the people that make Portland work."

The Services First amendment will be heard at the Portland City Council Adopted Budget hearing on June 10, 2026. More information on the amendment can be found here.