Calm amid federal chaos, City Administrator reaffirms core values in memo to City of Portland employees

City Administrator Michael Jordan reaffirmed Portland’s core values in a memo to City employees January 28, as a series of executive orders, directives, and initiatives from the presidential administration created confusion around the nation.

“As a governmental entity, the City of Portland is committed to complying with federal rules and regulations that pertain to our work,” Jordan wrote. “However, we are also committed to our core values of anti-racism and equity.”

Jordan warned that the brisk pace of the federal directives, together with their uncertain legal status, will create challenges for public servants going forward as they figure out how to observe new policies while upholding the City’s core values of anti-racism, equity, transparency, communication, collaboration, and fiscal responsibility. He urged employees to bring “all our expertise, experience and creativity to this task.”

Read the memo below.

Navigating Changes to Federal Policy

To: City Employees

From: Michael Jordan

City Employees,

In recent days, the Trump Administration has issued a series of orders and directives on immigration; diversity, equity and inclusion; protections and rights for transgender people; and federal funding. This is fueling uncertainty and concern about the impact on City programs, especially those serving immigrant, transgender and historically marginalized communities. I share your concern. 

As a governmental entity, the City of Portland is committed to complying with federal rules and regulations that pertain to our work. However, we are also committed to our core values of anti-racism and equity. We have a strong history of protecting the rights of Portlanders. We know we are better together, no matter our gender identity, our sexuality, the color of our skin, the places we were born or the languages we speak. Belonging, support and safety are fundamental for us and the city we serve. 

We may face challenges in the days ahead as we figure out how to work with our federal partners while upholding our core values. As public servants, we will need to bring all our expertise, experience and creativity to this task. I have the privilege of seeing how we use these skills in our workplace every day, and I am confident we can deploy them in our mission to serve all Portlanders through our programs and services.

We are working with our partners at the federal and state level to sort out the impact on our programs and our policies and have created a website page with updates on how the City is navigating these changes in federal policy. Mayor Wilson recently emphasized Portland's commitment to its sanctuary city status, supported by Oregon’s Sanctuary Promise Act of 2021. This law protects undocumented residents by limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Attached to this email, you will find an overview of how to respond if you encounter U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during your work as a city employee.

We also maintain our commitment to supporting our transgender community, including covering gender-affirming and culturally competent healthcare for all employees and enforcing our rules on Gender Identity Non-Discrimination. 

As public servants, we have an obligation to uphold our core values, and that means supporting each other and practicing empathy when our colleagues, friends and neighbors are hurting. Please consider tapping into resources offered by the City of Portland, which are shared below. Let your supervisor know if you need extra flexibility or support. I also encourage you to be an ally, both to our LGBTQIA2S+ community and our immigrant community. Sign up for Queer and Trans Allyship in the Workplace on CityLearner and check out the resources below.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for treating one another with kindness. And thank you for serving all Portlanders.

Michael Jordan (he/him)

City Administrator