The reveal: youtube.com/shorts/DLjo3...
Portland city politics reporter, @opb.org Past lives: CA, DC, TX 📬 azielinski@opb.org https://www.opb.org/author/alex-zielinski/
6,217 followers 409 following 308 posts
view profile on Bluesky
The reveal: youtube.com/shorts/DLjo3...
More dispatches from East Portland:
No spoilers!
Queen Amelia.
It's a familiar script. Visible homelessness rises amid a housing crisis. A business-backed group organizes to encourage harsher enforcement. But this time, it's not in one of the country's biggest cities, but in a town of 17,000.
Lately I've been asking Portland City Councilors what their "walkout song" would be that played when they enter council chambers (hard-hitting journalism!). We have a video of their responses going up soon, but before it's spoiled: Tell me which song goes to which councilor (playlist in link).
Bike. Two generators. Chair. Table. Bike, wheelchair. Walker. Crutches, cooler, baby stroller. These are a few of the items taken during recent sweeps of homeless encampments in Portland, according to the city’s latest data.
Proposed changes to Multnomah County's universal preschool initiative, Preschool For All, are causing sharp divides. Supporters of the program call it life-changing. Critics say it won't meet its goals without updates.
Updated to include city of Portland's brief response to AG Bondi: “Please take this letter as the City’s response that the City of Portland complies with applicable federal and state laws, and the City of Portland will continue to follow such laws."
Did the Peacock councilors violate public mtg law? Maybe. This gets to a bigger question around need clarity from the state ethics commission (and the state lege) on the confines of this law.
A group of Portland-area business lobbyists, advisors and leaders want to overhaul several recently-adopted — and regularly criticized — taxes, including Preschool for All, the Supportive Housing Services tax & Portland Clean Energy Fund.
(Ack, sorry about the typo.)
I laughed at "WILD (bording)"-- this is exactly how I characterize it.
Today in the continued irony of City Hall: "A Portland City Council meeting about how to change council meetings to address the problem of meetings being cut short because they run too long, was cut short after running over time Thursday."
OHSU officials say it’s one of the largest single donations given to a college in the country.
Tom Dundon, owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, is reportedly leading the ownership group that will keep the team in Portland.
Councilors accused Mayor Wilson of spinning stories for good press while neglecting gaps in his ambitious plan. “Your plan… sometimes there’s some good storytelling, but there also has to be some tough truths at the end of that,” said Councilor Zimmerman.
Ironicly, the Portland city council’s agenda item on returning to weekly mtgs — since biweekly mtgs have gone too long, forcing votes/discussions to be cut short — was cut from the end of yesterday’s mtg because… the council mtg went too long.
OPB *star interns* caught in the wild.
It's no armed bachelors, but okay.
Worth following this police patrol vs bike/ped safety debate in NW coming from City Hall (and followed closely by @bikeportland.org):
Learning that Sesame Street's urban design was inspired by Jane Jacobs' “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” explain so much about how I see the world.
I regret my phrasing.
Big shout out to @agopb.bsky.social for paving the way for in-depth Gateway reporting a decade ago:
“Fred Meyer closing... it’s the latest data point telling us that we don’t matter out here. It’s hard news. But it doesn’t have to be the end of our story," sez East Portland born/raised @stephrouth.bsky.social.
A great behind-the-scenes look at how a group of organized councilors made those strategic budget moves earlier this year. Also, RIP Yamhill Pub.
I spent the last few weeks hanging around the Gateway Shopping Center, talking to small biz owners, neighbors & historians about what it means for the community to lose a bustling economic hub -- and how they want City Hall to (finally) show up for East Portland.
The U.S. Department of Justice promises more litigation is coming. Top attorneys for Oregon and Washington say their sanctuary laws are on sound legal footing.
Starting Friday, Portland’s transportation bureau will extend parking meter hours from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Central Eastside, adding three hours of enforcement.
Reed College students and alumni are reeling from the recent news that campus security helped federal investigators find an alumnus last week, leading to his arrest at gunpoint.
The ACLU of Oregon helped Wilson inform this decision. Updated this story to add their perspective, along with some city councilors':
You're right! I misspoke. Portland did sign on to a Seattle-led lawsuit about DEI in May, but not the one filed today.
Portland is only signed on to two lawsuits against the Trump administration related to federal immigration enforcement.
Another approach: Shortly after Wilson's news dropped today, Seattle announced it's suing Trump over his anti-DEI orders.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson has ordered city bureaus to change the wording for city programs that benefit minority groups to comply with President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI directives. The move marks the city’s most significant policy shift in response to Trump’s second term agenda.
This did for me what the celebrity 'Imagine' signalong wish it could do:
And shout to @blairstenvick.bsky.social's increible COVID-era blogs:
Also, shout out to Shanghai Tunnel, Valentine's Bar, Simple Local Coffee & La Piñata Takos for keeping spirits high.
Happy 25th bday to @portlandmercury.com! Honored to be included in this roundup of esteemed news eds over the yrs (I promise my time there was less grim than it appears). h/t to Otter Friday (the real ones remember), the muddy days of Occupy Portland & wacky election liveblogs for bringing joy.
This is a great point. Very much a moment for “some” Portlanders that slipped past me. Appreciate you, Michael.
Portlanders are beginning to sour on Mayor Keith Wilson’s homelessness plan that propelled him into office. On Monday night, Wilson was met with boos, scoffs, and thumbs down gestures from a crowd of people unhappy with his pitch to open a new shelter in the Pearl District neighborhood.
Across the country, elected officials have faced arrest, funding cuts and other penalties for opposing Trump policies since his return to the White House. Portland’s leaders are still weighing how best to respond: vocally fight back or try to stay off of Trump’s radar with a more quiet resistance.
President Donald Trump wants cities to force treatment on people with severe mental illness or addiction who are living outside -- to “restore public order.” It’s hard to immediately know what kind of impact the sweeping order will have on Oregonians. But people have thoughts:
Some *phenomenal* data journalism by Rebecca Ellis here:
A little summer breaking news: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek delays ODOT layoffs and has called a special session for Aug. 29 to figure out the state's transportation budget hole.
“There is a baby in the car,” Khanbabazadeh said. “Is it hard to wait for three minutes?”
Wasn't able to attend council IRL last night, but Jeremiah generously captured what went down during the recess:
For decades, immigration authorities have been required by policy to avoid making arrests near churches, hospitals, courthouses and schools, except in urgent situations involving threats such as terrorism or pursuit of a dangerous felon. That policy was rescinded this year.
Immigration officers arrested a 38-yr-old Iranian man outside his child’s preschool in Beaverton. The man is married to a US citizen, had applied to receive a green card. He doesn’t appear to have a criminal record. The incident marks the 1st confirmed case of an immigration arrest at an OR school.
The way this anecdote has warped like game of telephone in City Hall over the past month...
In response to the extreme heat, local governments and organizations across Oregon and Southwest Washington have developed ways to keep people safe — including opening 24-hour emergency cooling shelters.
A federal judge in Oregon ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement to release an asylum seeker from Mexico known as O-J-M after finding the government violated her rights. She has spent more than 40 days in detention after being detained by ICE.
Troy does some digging to break down the feds' allegations of protesters attacked Portland ICE agents.
Should Portland homeowners pay, on average, $130 more a year to keep the city’s parks operational? That’s the question Portland city councilors will consider sending to voters in the fall.
Portland got a shout-out in in the DHS blog today. Come for the drama, stay for the feds' translation of "Chinga la Migra." www.dhs.gov/news/2025/07...
FWIW, the quoted section was from ODOT, not the media.
Worth noting: the plywood planks have been removed from Portland’s Justice Center for the first time since 2020. I forgot there were windows there.
The bill “appears to eliminate federal grant funding” that would account for around $450 million the state had banked on to complete the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project. And yet: Agency leaders say they plan to move forward with the work anyway.
A new analysis finds that Portland's public campaign finance program was boosted (not diminished) in the city's unusual 2024 election cycle. And now, more than ever: "Candidates who focus on small contributions are now winning elections."
In continued bad news for Oregon transportation workers:
Related: This morning, Portland City Councilors advanced a resolution urging Gov. Kotek to call for a special session to address transportation $$$.
The state's failed transportation bill brings more layoffs to Portland.
It's suddenly Portland City Hall election season again. 🙃 D4 Councilor Olivia Clark is the first to signal her intent to run by registering for the small donor election program. (A reminder: D4 and D3 seats are up again in Nov 2026).
👀
It’s official: After months of negotiations and debate, Portland has a budget.
"As a candidate, Nathan Vasquez wielded allegations of mistreatment of female employees against his predecessor. Now he’s on the receiving end as the county’s top prosecutor."
Everything old is new again. This is a response to a group of a few hundred people.
The budget vote all but wrapped up a monthslong process that tested the new 12-person council’s ability to work together. Ending in a tense showdown between weary councilors, whether or not they succeeded at this test is... unclear.
Reporting from hour 7 in council chambers during day two of the city's budget adoption meeting. A lot of tweaks around the edges of Wilson's $8.6B spending plan. Big remaining question: How will councilors fill a self-inflicted $700k budget gap? TBD.
Today in: "Bespattered with memes"
While rent-fixing algorithmic programs has been a hot (& seemingly novel) topic in Portland City Hall this year, the city has quietly been relying on algorithmic software to set water rates since last year. It could save ppl money, but the privacy risks are hazy. @katekaye.bsky.social digs in:
City councilors met with PPB Cheif Day today to discuss policies to keep police from cooperating w/feds, if they’re sent to PDX protests in the future. Councilor Avalos: “We are operating under a fascist regime. It’s my responsibility to propose new laws and policies to protect our constituents.”
A cycle of tumultuous firings & political neglect has reduced Portland's Tribal Relations office to a shadow of its former self. Indigenous Portlanders & Tribal officials see an opportunity to get the program back on track, if the city is willing to listen. My story w/ @nikabartoosmith.bsky.social
It happened again.
Donuts, pizza, bar charts, emojis -- of all the things Portlanders used to visualize ranked choice voting last year, it turns out mango lassi is truly the best way to explain RCV.
You can find the the audio version of this journey at the top of the story. Obligatory sounds of splashing/glee.
Hello, it's me, a somewhat cynical political reporter trying to do more "fun" stories. I swapped City Hall with the Willamette River last week for this one:
The original financial settlement proposed to the council was $2 million. After testimony from a dozen community members, including descendants, all 12 councilors voted to increase the amount another $6.5 million.
Info that stood out to me: Portland's parks levy has nearly doubled the Parks & Rec budget since its passage in 2020. (90M in 2019 to about 170M this yr). Which means, if voters outright reject a levy renewal in Nov, the city would need to cut 50% of parks staff (250 positions).
City says it needs to raise the parks levy tax rate from $0.80 to $1.60 (per $1k property value) to maintain current Parks & Rec services. “It’s a hell of a thing to tell a taxpayer ‘We want to give you exactly the same thing tomorrow as we give you today, but you have to pay twice as much for it."
The Fair Housing Council of Oregon will retreat from some Oregon cities after losing its federal grant. The group investigates — and litigates — housing discrimination claims. @jonathanmbach.bsky.social reports:
Portland is in the process of figuring out who responds to what type of emergency call when. @jeremiahhayden.bsky.social breaks down the fatal risks of not ironing out the details ASAP:
According to the algorithm, it's been 11 years since I was first On The Radio -- with my wonderful now-coworker (and former @xrayfm.bsky.social star) @jennchavez.bsky.social:
If you see my eye twitching today from sleep deprivation, no you didn't.
Not just you! I noticed this too when I tried to check my notes. May be worth asking the council clerk about.
Yesterday's marathon council meeting ended with a undeniable (yet drowsy) bang: The final amendment moved $1.9 million in new funding Mayor Keith Wilson had earmarked for police into the parks maintenance fund — which Wilson had proposed cutting by $7 million starting in July.
Significant financial items passed so far: $5 fee hike for golf, $1M for parks (from golf fund), two additional staff for council clerk Failed: Proposal to cut Prosper Portland general fund by $13M
For those curious about Portland's hourslong budget meeting: Councilors started discussing their 120 budget amendments around 3:30. Since then, they've made decisions on 20 of them. (They legally have to wrap this up by midnight.)
DOJ has dismissed cases against police depts in Minneapolis & Louisville -- and closing police investigations in six other jurisdictions. Portland, which is under a DOJ settlement for police misconduct, is not mentioned (yet).
Cool news for those following today's budget mtg, which begins at 9 am: Council admin staff are planning to work until at least midnight today.
It's election day in Oregon! The focus is largely on schools: who sits on their boards, their construction costs, etc. Don't miss out.
If by “a few” you mean around 80, then yes
My punishment for writing about city council having too many meetings last week: tomorrow’s council meeting is anticipated to run over TWELVE HOURS. Some stage-setting:
Administrative lapses in a key Portland anti-displacement policy is leaving affordable apartments vacant for months at a time, costing housing nonprofits and delaying access to stable housing for prospective renters. @jonathanmbach.bsky.social reports:
Many fans expected the Trail Blazers would be sold after Paul Allen's death in 2018. Now, it's unclear who might buy the team and what that could mean for its future in Portland.
A day center for homeless Portlanders is set to close. It was featured prominently in then-mayoral candidate Keith Wilson's campaign, and its leaders say he promised them support once elected. They now feel used.
