"Hasaan Hates Portland" is a web series created by Mischa Webley, starring Hasaan Thomas. Mischa describes it as, “A dark comedy web series about a black man trying to navigate his way through the whitest - and weirdest - city in America.”

A Movie based on the web series is currently in the works and will be filmed in Portland. 

You can watch Hasaan Hates Portland on YouTube and Instagram, among other places. 

Learn more about Mischa and his film work on his website.

Be sure to check out the previous episodes with Mischa Webley and Hasaan Thomas on Rational in Portland. 

Episode Photo Credit: Jake Langston, Videographer, Lincoln Design Co.

Joe Hagedorn began his career as an Oregon lawyer by representing domestic violence victims as an AmeriCorps legal aid attorney. He then practiced as a public defender and, before becoming a referee/pro tem (temporary judge to assist the work of the court), Joe was a lawyer in juvenile court.

Joe and his wife Hau have three boys.

Joe is running for Judge of the Circuit Court, 4th District, Position 14 in Multnomah County on the Family Law bench. The election is May 19, 2026.

Noah Ernst is running for Metro Council. Noah is a lawyer, a former small business owner, a former taxi driver for Radio Cab, and currently serves as both a superintendent and in-house counsel for Radio Cab. 

Listen to or watch former Metro Council President Lynn Peterson’s interview about what Metro does and about Metro’s Supportive Housing Services Tax. Lynn appears on this episode with Clackamas County Commissioner Ben West (currently running for re-election) on NW Fresh

Noah Ernst’s interview about his Metro Council race on NW Fresh

Noah Ernst interviews during his previous race for Portland City Council 

• Rational in Portland
• NW Fresh

Learn about what Metro Council does from Terri Preeg-Riggsby, who has a Masters of Public Administration and has served on the Metro Policy Advisory Committee for nine years. Terri is also the Executive Director of the Network of Oregon Watershed Councils and a former candidate for Metro Council. 

Max Steele’s Substack Recalibrate Portland

Learn about Gov. Kotek’s unsheltered homelessness legislation 

CityTeam Portland Rational in Portland Episode with Lance Orton 

Allegations regarding the former CEO of Home Forward, which is the state of Oregon’s largest public housing authority

Rational in Portland episodes with former Portland City Council candidate, Terrence Hayes: 

• Terrence’s story about his 13 years in prison and growing up with drug-addicted parents in the projects and with a sister still suffering from active drug addiction
• “Truth Always Makes People Nervous” 

40% of Portlanders are considering moving 

Oregonian editorial: Vote “no” on Measure 120

Chris Christensen for Metro President 

Joanna (Jo) Perini-Abbott is a lawyer and a law school professor running for judge in Multnomah County, Position 5. She is a Professor of Practice and Director of the Center for Advocacy at Lewis and Clark Law School. She has been a practicing litigator since 2010 and represents clients in criminal, civil, and regulatory matters and investigations for Angeli & Calfo. Jo is a mother and the wife of a police officer.

https://jpaforjudge.com

https://law.lclark.edu/live/profiles/14678-joanna-perini-abbott

https://angelicalfo.com/joanna-perini-abbott

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-perini-abbott-17997424/

Hudson Tyler is the Marketing & Communications Manager for the Alzheimer's Association Oregon & SW Washington Chapter. 

Janis Jasinsky is a dedicated volunteer and advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association. Janis was a caregiver for her mother, who had Alzheimer’s. Janis provides education and helps people navigate the disease. 

Hudson and Janis define Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and talk about warning signs, prevention, and hopeful research developments. They also explain how Alzheimer’s Association can help those living with, caring for, and supporting loved ones affected by dementia disorders. 

https://www.alz.org/orswwa

https://youtu.be/4hECECtTL2E?si=nDZnCsHu7w5qkwl9

Sgt. Aaron Schmautz is the President of the Portland Police Association (“PPA”), which represents the police officers, sergeants, detectives, criminalists, and PS3s who work for the Portland Police Bureau. The PPA also represents the 911 dispatchers and supervisors who work for the Bureau of Emergency Communication. They are the oldest continuous police union in the United States. 

Aaron talks about: 

• How the Portland police fared in the City of Portland budget
• The fact that the Portland police continues to be near the very bottom of police staffing per capita in the United States
• Arguments from some of the Portland City Councilors regarding whether the Portland police are overfunded, are not using their allocated funds, or have too many vacancies
• Arguments from some of the Portland City Councilors about whether the Portland police are funded at a rate higher than they were during the Portland police defunding of 2020.
• The uniquely difficult nature of police staffing for protests in Portland, Oregon, which could turn violent at any moment, based on historical data
• The fact that Portland spends more than other cities, including bigger cities, but those cities still manage to fund their police departments 
• The ongoing activity occurring at the ICE facility in Portland 
• Whether the Portland police are appropriately trained
• The various ways Portland police are held accountable and police accountability systems currently in existence 

And more!

Thanks to Andy Chandler from the podcast NW Fresh for co-hosting. 

Thanks to Thad Fisco for the studio space and Portland Water for the refreshments.

Betsy Johnson ran for governor of Oregon as an unaffiliated candidate in the 2022 election cycle. She also served in the Oregon Legislature as a Democratic House Representative and later in the Oregon Senate. Betsy met Alan Evans when he came to the Oregon Legislature to talk about homelessness after he started an addiction recovery program called Thugs off Drugs. Alan was homeless for over 25 years and is now in recovery from substance use. He founded the Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers, which includes Bybee Lakes Hope Center in Portland, Oregon. Betsy and Alan talk about homelessness and addiction solutions that have proven effective in Oregon and why those programs have problems getting funding from local government, the story about how they met, and more.

https://helpinghandsreentry.org/about-us

Betsy Johnson ran for governor of Oregon as an unaffiliated candidate in the 2022 election cycle. She also served in the Oregon Legislature as a Democratic House Representative and later in the Oregon Senate. Betsy met Alan Evans when he came to the Oregon Legislature to talk about homelessness after he started an addiction recovery program called Thugs off Drugs. Alan was homeless for over 25 years and is now in recovery from substance use. He founded the Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers, which includes Bybee Lakes Hope Center in Portland, Oregon. Betsy and Alan talk about homelessness and addiction solutions that have proven effective in Oregon and why those programs have problems getting funding from local government, the story about how they met, and more.

• https://helpinghandsreentry.org/about-us

Josh Marquis is the former District Attorney for Clatsop County, Oregon. He is a founding member and on the Board of Directors at the Oregon Criminal Justice Truth Project, He is also the Director of Legal Affairs and Law Enforcement for Animal Wellness Action. Now retired, Josh continues to be an active member of the Oregon State Bar and to advocate for victims' rights. We recorded this episode right before Josh moved to Florida.

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-marquis-5b30258
• https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/task-force-that-cut-car-thefts-in-half-now-on-the-chopping-block-multnomah-county-da-says/
• https://www.coastda.com/about.html
• https://www.oregon.gov/ogec/pages/default.aspx
• https://www.koin.com/news/politics/soros-backed-group-donates-20k-to-candidate-in-washington-county-da-race/
• https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/05/multnomah-county-da-mike-schmidt-campaign-gets-boost-from-progressive-philanthropist-george-soros.html
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2024/05/03/working-families-party-contributions-to-mike-schmidt-grow-to-213000/
• https://open.spotify.com/episode/1OcUCKj1ud4AmuaGgGfYfP?si=jk3u01mUQZa5pgOEJnZO7g
• https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2021/04/09/grammy-winning-musician-john-legend-once-again-weighs-in-on-oregons-criminal-justice-policies/
• https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/05/city-considers-two-teams-to-oversee-mandated-portland-police-reforms.html
• https://www.ocjtp.org
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/03/15/data-shows-fires-at-homeless-camps-remained-a-large-portion-of-portland-blazes-last-year/
• https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2023/05/10/la-mota-founders-campaign-contributions-to-kotek-and-others-stacks-of-cash/

Dr. Sharon Meieran, MD, has an impressive pedigree. She did her undergraduate work at UC Berkeley; her JD at University of California, Hastings College of Law; and her MD at UCSF School of Medicine. She worked as a lawyer for six years before going to medical school. Dr. Meieran worked as an ER physician from 2013 until recently. She continues to do volunteer street medicine work. She served on the Board of Commissioners for Multnomah County, Oregon, where Portland is situated, for eight years. Dr. Meieran has termed out as a commissioner, but may take another run at the chair seat. She remains an active public servant, working with the legislature to improve access to mental health and addiction services, working to craft policy at the county level, and consulting with elected officials and candidates for office. She does all of this as a volunteer. Andy Chandler from the show NW Fresh co-hosts.

• https://www.wweek.com/news/2024/07/22/meieran-to-make-another-run-at-ambulance-staffing/
• https://open.spotify.com/episode/7qeWJjhPeNQgFp1QalVZAk?si=XOouYJSjRaun0IBKQxbwtQ
• https://open.spotify.com/episode/0gCcUfipmwYhSzLf2GKRof?si=sCbWEXs7QvWrrhsmuZUTrA
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1783936334077563047?s=46
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1795330785081532431?s=46
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1667029372254167040?s=46
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1666861880630214656?s=46
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1661245320330878976?s=46
• https://www.instagram.com/reel/DB19q_MRs6b/?igsh=bDV2c2ZmNzJhbW11
• https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBzwYJkS9zq/?igsh=c3kxOGdxM2Z5M3Vx
• https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/oregon-ranks-worst-in-the-country-for-drug-problems-report/
• https://fortune.com/well/2024/04/08/10-worst-states-live-mental-health-study/
• https://mhanational.org/the-state-of-mental-health-in-america/data-rankings/prevalence-data/