Appoint Christian Orellana Bauer to the Police Accountability Commission
WHEREAS, on July 30th, 2020 the Portland City Council voted to refer a Charter Amendment to the voters of Portland that would authorize the creation of a new police oversight system; and
WHEREAS, on November 3rd, 2020 Portland voters approved the new Charter Amendment, with 81.58% in support of the measure; and
WHEREAS, the City Council authorized a 20 community member Commission to develop a recommendation to Council for the details of the structure and framework for the new accountability system; and
WHEREAS, Resolution 37548 mandated each Council member to select five people from four different groups: members of historically overpoliced communities, representatives of organizing providing support to overpoliced communities, representatives of community justice organizations, and small business owners; and
WHEREAS, an appointee to the Police Accountability Commission, Nicole Cole, resigned her seat; and
WHEREAS, the City conducted a robust application process for this commission, receiving over 100 applications for the original appointment and member replacement; and
WHEREAS, all City Council offices collaborated on the selection process for this Commission and agreed to the below selection:
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby appoints Christian Orellana Bauer to serve on the Police Accountability Commission to fill the vacancy caused by Nicole Cole’s resignation; biography and statement of intent are attached hereto as Exhibit A.
Official Record (Efiles)
Impact Statement
Purpose of Proposed Legislation and Background Information
This resolution appoints a community member to serve for the remainder of the 18-month term of the Police Accountability Commission, replacing a member who has resigned, as the commission crafts the details of the new police oversight system.
The Police Accountability Commission’s term began December 9, 2021 and will continue for 18 months, or longer if extended by the City Council. This is the fifth resolution (following resolutions 37527, 37548, 37547, and 37569) related to the Police Accountability Commission, and the second (following 37547 and 37569) appointing members to the commission.
Financial and Budgetary Impacts
There is no direct financial or budgetary impact related to this appointment.
Community Impacts and Community Involvement
- All Portlanders may be impacted by the Police Accountability Commission’s work.
- Code changes recommended by the Police Accountability Commission will be presented to the City Council beginning in 2023, and during the commission’s work as well as Council consideration, community members are anticipated to engage in the process.
- This appointment was made from the initial applicant pool for the Police Accountability Commission, which included over 100 applications received during the open application process for this Commission that was conducted in 2021.
100% Renewable Goal
Although it is incorporated into the sustainable procurement policy, this specific resolution does not impact the city’s use of energy or pursuit of the 100% renewable goal.