See something we could improve on this page? Give website feedback.
Label:
News article
Behavioral Health, CEI Hub, and Data Centers
Published
Hi everyone,
I hope that you all had a great September, and that back-to-school season was (relatively) smooth sailing. I'm here with some updates from the dais, a recap of the month, and a few upcoming opportunities to connect with me and my team. Let's get right to it!
At the dais
Behavioral Health
Though our City government does not provide core behavioral health services, we know that the greatest challenges in Portland cannot be solved until we address the gaps in our behavioral health system and the desperate need for investment in layers of care that don't functionally exist today.
Over the last year, I've convened a group of community providers and City Councilors to build out a plan for how we more effectively provide behavioral health supports to people in our community who are struggling — an investment proposal we can move forward to the state Legislature during the next legislative session.
This month, we got back a proposal from those community providers, and I had the opportunity to chair a work session to discuss that proposal with the full council.
I heard a lot of agreement from Councilors: We want to go bigger and bolder. We want to build a system where people don't have to go to jail to receive care. We want to have places people can safely and responsibly stay while they're in crisis, and where they can live while they become stable again. We want to make clear to our state legislators that there is a real cost to not having long-term supportive care in our community, and we need them to step up and help cover the far lower cost of providing appropriate care.
The challenge now is keeping everyone together to make a cohesive ask to the state. For too long, our behavioral health asks have been scattered and unfocused. Over the past year, we got the right people in the room and found a collective path to yes. Now, we need to keep them all at the table and make meaningful progress on this issue together. This is our chance to be united and to secure funding for a tangible investment in the system.
I'm grateful for the chance to tackle complex problems with ambitious solutions, and to move forward with a bold legislative agenda that will make Portland a better place for everyone who calls our city home. I'm counting on my colleagues to stay in the game on this!
CEI Hub
Last week, Portland City Council heard public testimony in support of reducing fuel storage and increasing reporting and accountability measures at the CEI Hub, the stretch of industrial land where 90% of Oregon's liquid fuels are currently stored. The CEI Hub is located along the Columbia River north of downtown, just below Forest Park and alongside the community of Linnton. In the event of an earthquake, North and Northwest Portlanders would be most directly impacted by the hazards the CEI Hub currently poses.
I've been advocating for a safer CEI Hub for years – as a Northeast Portland resident, at the State level, and now, as a Portland City Councilor. Too much time has gone by while leaders debate the issue, and we must ensure we don't miss another opportunity to take action.
This is exactly the type of action that our new form of government was designed for. District 2 and District 4 are leading this work. Because we live in your communities. We represent your neighborhoods. And we have an opportunity to do something big here.
I've been working with Councilors Mitch Green, Olivia Clark, Sameer Kanal, and Tiffany Koyama Lane on an amendment package to a proposal that was brought forward by staff. The amendment package represents a broad coalition of voices, pushing the City even further on safety and transparency at the Hub and setting out a more ambitious fuel reduction program. The proposal from staff was critical, but we can do even more to reduce risks in our neighborhoods. I'm looking forward to discussing these additions at a future Council meeting. For now, the work continues.
Data Center Moratorium
Portlanders want good-paying jobs, not large-scale data centers. These facilities don't meet Portland's environmental and community values, and the data shows they do not produce the long-term, high-wage employment opportunities our city needs.
I was proud to be an early co-sponsor of a resolution urging the City Administrator to refrain from signing data center non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and to pursue a moratorium or zoning restrictions on all hyperscale data centers.
This isn't a hypothetical risk: the week of our first meeting on the resolution, a company came forward and asked for early assistance locating a large data center in Portland, and as we debated this resolution, staff shared that 10 sites within Portland city limits were capable of accommodating a hyperscale data center. Fortunately, our resolution passed unanimously, ensuring these conversations are transparent and can have public involvement in Portland.
This resolution is about economic opportunity for our future. It's about making sure we prioritize good jobs with our limited space. It's about transparency. And it is only the first step.
Albina Vision Trust
Portland City Council unanimously approved a resolution that I co-sponsored with my District 2 colleagues, directing the City to identify and negotiate with a development partner for City-owned parcels surrounding the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The resolution also acknowledges that an organization that fits the City's criteria, Albina Vision Trust, has already come forward with interest in these parcels and a vision for what to do with them.
This resolution is one step toward ensuring that the City is advancing restorative development, creating opportunities for community wealth-building, and supporting a more vibrant and connected Lower Albina. Bringing that work to the doorstep of the Moda Center creates an opportunity to connect two major investments in this part of Portland and to make sure that development around the Rose Quarter strengthens, rather than stands apart from, the broader revitalization of Lower Albina.
I am proud of this resolution, honoring the history of the neighborhood while creating the conditions for people who live here to benefit from its future.
September in review
Welcoming Week
What an honor to be a part of this year's Welcoming Week at the City of Portland, where I got to present Sahar Wilson with the 2026 Women's Leadership Award.
Originally from Syria, Sahar came to Oregon as a student and has since built her life here. She is currently the Marketing and Communications Manager at Pacific Refugee Support Group, where she uses storytelling and communications to amplify community voices and experiences. I was so happy to honor her compassion, leadership, and service to our community.
Welcoming Week is a series of events across the city that builds strong support for, recognizes the work of, and provides resources for immigrants and refugees who have made their home here in Portland. The Women Leadership Conference in particular celebrates women whose resilience, advocacy, and community work have left deep impacts on our city.
In difficult times, what a privilege it is to gather in joy and uplift the work of amazing women. To our immigrant and refugee community — I will continue to be an advocate for you on Portland City Council, using every tool at my disposal to build a safer, more welcoming community for all.
Weekend Spotlight: CullyFest and MLK Dream Run
So many of our North and NE Portland neighborhoods have great festivals and street fairs, each with their own unique flavor. CullyFest's hyper-local, maker-forward, family-friendly feel is a great way to round out summer festivals. It was wonderful to connect with dozens of you alongside my District 2 colleagues Councilor Sameer Kanal, Councilor Dan Ryan, and Commissioner Shannon Singleton at our elected leader Q&A session.
Thank you to the Cully Association of Neighbors for putting on this fantastic event celebrating the best of Cully each year, and shoutout to the Native American Youth and Family Center, the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, and Prosper Portland for your partnership in making it all happen.
It was also great to join runners just before this year's MLK Dream Run, supporting the Soul District Business Association and their youth entrepreneur and small business training programs. The run travels through what is truly the soul of our city, filled with rich history, local businesses, and incredible community. It was an added honor to get to cheer on runners as they started their races with former State Senator Margaret Carter.
Thank you to the Soul District Business Association for the work you do to advocate for more opportunity in North and Northeast Portland!
Workers' Spotlight: L483 and PBOT employees
Two weeks ago, I visited the Matt Dishman Community Center in Northeast Portland with members of Laborers' Local 483.
These folks, who work in our community centers and at our parks, shared a lot of concerns with me. There are big questions we have to answer about how we make sure our community centers are safe spaces for everyone who walks in the door.
These are the kinds of issues that don't always get elevated to Councilors unless frontline workers are sharing them with us. I know that it can often be hard to share these concerns – and scary. That's one of the reasons I've always been a strong advocate for workers' rights to form a union and have dedicated so much of my career to union organizing and labor activism.
Thank you to the members of Laborers' Local 483 who took the time to meet with me and share your concerns, and to the community center managers who joined us and offered their perspective while making space for front-line workers to lead the conversation.
On the subject of feeling grateful for our City employees: with the 24/7, multi-week closure of I-5 southbound now underway, staff are hard at work keeping Portland moving. After spending a morning in the traffic command center, I'm more grateful than ever for the foresight, flexibility, and expertise of our PBOT staff, and workers across the City, as we navigate these challenging five weeks. Thank you for everything you do.
For Portlanders who have questions or concerns during this closure, don't hesitate to contact 311, the City's non-emergency service line. The team will get you the support you need.
How? In part, your calls to 311 go directly to the traffic command center team, who can pull up a live video of what's happening in many intersections. Then, if traffic changes due to the freeway closure are leading to traffic backups, they can change the stoplight timing in real-time to try to ease congestion.
That's the result of investments in new systems that allow the work to happen immediately, and don't require traffic engineers to criss-cross the city to make short-term changes.
Community events and engagement opportunities
Youth Town Hall
Are you a North/Northeast Portlander under age 24? Join me, Multnomah County Commissioner Shannon Singleton, and Congresswoman Maxine Dexter at The Off Beat, an all-ages live music venue in North Portland (didn't know this existed? It's a cool new opportunity for young folks in our community. Learn more here!), for a town hall on Saturday, October 3, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
This event, in partnership with the Multnomah Youth Commission, is designed to offer youth a space to connect with local decision-makers across different levels of government and access resources that support their civic engagement. We know young people sometimes feel like their voices are drowned out as we debate the future that they'll live with, so we created a dedicated space to talk about the topics that matter most to young Portlanders.
The Off Beat is on the Max Yellow line and close to the #4 and #75 bus lines. Visit this link to register your attendance. I hope you can make it!
Conversations in community are the foundation of democracy — I can only represent you all if I know what you need and value. And I promise, your input matters — just as an example, folks at my September town hall on Hayden Island let me know about an issue with trash accumulation in the bike lane along I-5 from the island to North Portland. Because of that conversation, I was able to flag the issue for the Mayor's office and PBOT, who sent out a street cleaner to get that issue promptly addressed. Government works best when we all work together.
Oregon Walks
On October 2 at 2:00 p.m., I'm joining my District 2 Council colleagues for a 1.5 mile walk on University of Portland's campus and Willamette Boulevard with Oregon Walks. I really appreciate Oregon Walks and its advocacy for safe and convenient walking conditions, a critical part of connected communities, and I'm excited for the opportunity to stroll with some of you!
Office Hours with Team EPG
My staff is hosting office hours on Friday, October 9 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Room 3 of the St. Johns Community Center (8427 N Central St).
These office hours are another way for you to share feedback, ask questions, and let my team know what local government can do for your neighborhood and your family! Register for a 15-minute time-slot at this link.
I'll be reaching out soon to share some events I've got on the calendar for the second half of the month, but I'll leave it there for now! I hope to see many of you in the coming days and weeks – until then, have a wonderful start to your October.
In solidarity,
Elana Pirtle-Guiney
District 2 City Councilor