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Restoration, Remembrance, and Community Power
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Hi everyone,
Wednesday, May 20, Portland City Council approved the first draft of our Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget. Going into our debate, I knew there were a few bottom lines that our District absolutely could not go without.
We restored cuts to every single item on my "must-do for District 2" list.
Click here to read more about key milestones from this year's budget work, including that list, and thank you all for staying engaged throughout this difficult process. City Council will have a budget work session on the adopted budget June 3, our first reading – where I expect we'll see a few more amendments – on June 10, and our second reading on June 17.
While the headlines this month may have been mostly focused on the budget, there were several other noteworthy things happening both inside City Hall and out. I'm excited to share with you some of what we accomplished, along with a few community highlights and engagement opportunities coming up in June.
May in review
St. Johns Parade and Bizarre
I had the best time celebrating the amazing St. Johns community at the St. Johns Parade and Bizarre. As always, North Portland shows up and shows out!
Councilor Sameer Kanal and I were honored to ride in the parade with Fire Station 22, on the very engine that was slated to be cut in the Mayor's proposed budget. On Tuesday, May 19, Council voted to restore this fire engine in the 2026-27 budget, preserving this critical response infrastructure and sending a powerful signal to the Mayor that safety in St. Johns cannot be on the chopping block.
Celebrating Small Business Week
In the first week of May, we celebrated Small Business Week.
I want to give a huge shout-out to District 2's small businesses, each of which bring people out to our neighborhoods, contribute to Portland's unique culture, and get folks excited about our communities.
During Small Business Week, I spent an afternoon in the Cully neighborhood, visiting the fantastic Rodeo's Last Tattoo, Loncheria Los Mayas, Morel Ink, PortLaundry, and Caribbean Spice.
In that spirit, I'll also plug that the Northeast Broadway Business Association is putting on Broadway Bingo through June 30, a great, free way to show some love for the NE Broadway business corridor! To play, you can pick up your bingo card at participating locations and get a stamp when you make a purchase. When you get at least 4 stamps, you can enter to win prizes.
The Price of the Ticket
It was a privilege to visit Oregon Contemporary in North Portland to view "The Price of the Ticket," an art exhibition curated by TK Smith. This exhibition is a response to the 250-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, exploring interconnected themes of place, power, and promise. I was particularly struck by the "power" section, and how many artists expanded the prompt to explore community power and to reclaim inner power despite inequitable access throughout American history. TK shared that his original vision was that it would be a response to institutional power, but that every artist chose to interpret it as an exploration of their own power, instead. The exhibition is up through July 4th and is well worth the visit.
Oregon Contemporary is a recipient of the Portland Arts Tax, and their leaders shared with me how grateful they are that Council took up the call from across the community to make reforms to the tax. While the tax primarily funds arts education, many local arts organizations receive support to expand access to arts in our community, as well. This year, losses due primarily to inflation caused 44% cuts to arts organizations. By adjusting the tax for inflation, we can stabilize arts in our schools and funding for community organizations like Oregon Contemporary well into the future.
At the dais
Habitat for Humanity's homeownership project
I was thrilled to co-sponsor with Mayor Wilson an ordinance transferring property to Habitat for Humanity for its True North Project, bringing 50 affordable homes, all 2 to 4 bedrooms, online in the University Park neighborhood. The ordinance passed unanimously on May 13.
This is exactly the kind of project we should be prioritizing, where the City is actively using our tools and assets to ensure our community invests in affordable homeownership opportunities. We need housing types that fit all kinds of different families, and homeownership opportunities that actually accommodate the needs of a family is a missing piece in the Portland housing puzzle. As I've said on the dais many times: every family should be able to choose whether renting or owning is right for them. But in Portland, for far too many families, owning isn't an option anymore. That has to change.
When I visited this property back in July, I could already see the vision for new stability and long-term wealth-building opportunities in our District coming to life. It's amazing to be here, now, moving it one step closer to reality.
Arts tax reform
Here's the deal: the arts tax as it exists today is annoying and it's headed toward insolvency. Not to mention, it is a serious affordability burden for hundreds of thousands of Portlanders making just a few thousand dollars a year. Arts tax reform makes meaningful improvements to each to these problems.
And most importantly, by raising the income threshold from an absurd $1,000 a year in gross income to $20,000/$40,000 in taxable income (that means after deductions, so it actually exempts many Portlanders who make significantly more than this in their gross income), we're exempting over a hundred thousand Portlanders from this tax, including some of our lowest-paid neighbors, youth with part-time jobs, and family members living on fixed incomes.
When we're talking about affordability in our city, it's steps like these that will make a noticeable difference for many Portlanders. Arts tax reform, brought forward by Council President Jamie Dunphy and co-sponsored by myself and Councilor Tiffany Koyama-Lane, passed out of City Council on May 27.
Vanport Day of Rememberance
Vanport Day of Remembrance is on May 30. It's a day that reminds Portlanders of this part of our City's history, the racist policies that forced Black Portlanders to live in only limited parts of our community, where they often faced the most environmental risk, and how the City was unwilling to invest in risk prevention for these communities.
But it's also a reminder of the incredible culture that flourishes when people have the space to build community together, and of the lasting cultural impacts Vanport has had on our city because of that opportunity.
Descendants and survivors of Vanport are still alive today, and it was an honor to welcome them, along with Vanport Mosaic, into Council Chambers for a pregavel on May 26.Vanport Mosaic's festival, recognizing the78th anniversary of the flood that destroyed Vanport, continues through May 31.
Right to Know Who's Policing You
On May 27, City Council passed an ordinance brought forward by Councilor Sameer Kanal and co-sponsored by myself and Councilor Angelita Morillo. This policy strengthens how our own police officers operate on our streets, codifying rules on masking, identification, and transparency.
When I ran for this office, I made a single promise: That I will be a pragmatic progressive champion for Portland, ready to push the limits of what is possible, but only as long as we do it right.
When this ordinance first came forward, I was not at yes yet. But through hours of robust policy work with Councilor Kanal, we have made this ordinance work. It adds to Code as many of the legal tools our police have for identifying law enforcement officers from all levels of government on Portland streets as possible. It operationalizes how we deal with imposters – people pretending to be federal agents to stoke fear, or even just masked people up to no good who could get away with a crime because we suspect they're federal agents. And it creates reporting requirements that will create a record of who is working in Portland, which will help our community partners in court cases against federal overreach and in protection of Portlanders.
This version of the ordinance is more workable, more legally practical, and more aligned with our commitment to labor. And it is more honest about the legal limits we're working within while still moving us forward. The legal battle is still coming, and it's critically important that we're honest with you all about what our new law can do, and what federal laws just don't allow us to take on.
The work of standing united against federal overreach is not over, and there's a lot more to do. But this builds on what my office and our whole Council has already done with the Protect Portland Initiative, passed back in October, and my work to provide funding to legal aid for immigrants and refugees in our community.
Community events and engagement opportunities
Billy Webb Elks Lodge update
The historic Billy Webb Elks Lodge, a cornerstone gathering place of Portland's historically African American Albina neighborhood, is now under construction to repair debilitating fire damage to the structure, which shuttered the building back in 2021.
To unlock the full potential of this space, the long-term vision is to create a vibrant community hub where people can gather for arts, culture, history, and connection. There are a few community meetings scheduled to gather input from the community that will directly shape how the Elks prioritize the programming and day-to-day operations of the main ballroom, as well as the best use of the basement and some final construction elements.
These community meetings are taking place on June 9 and June 23 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Works Real Estate (2054 N Vancouver Ave.).
Let them know what you think the community needs!
Neighborhood association meetings
In June, I will attend the following neighborhood association meeting(s):
- June 8: Sabin Neighborhood Association, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
- June 15: Eliot Neighborhood Association, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
- June 18: Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
That's all for now! Stay tuned for additional engagement opportunities.
In solidarity,
Elana Pirtle-Guiney
District 2 City Councilor