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/

Scott Bradley is a pastor at AS IS church and the Executive Director of the HOPE Center PDX in the Rockwood neighborhood in the Gresham-Portland, Oregon area of East Multnomah County. Rockwood is one of the most diverse and one of the most violent neighborhoods in East County, Scott is also a CrossFit competitor and coach at Underground PDX, a gym that he founded in Rockwood.

Mario Reyes is a second generation immigrant whose parents are from Mexico. At thirteen-years-old, living in Rockwood, he met Scott, who served as his mentor.. Ten years later, Mario is now an Underground PDX coach and mentor and serves his community through the Hope Center.

Both Scott and Mario have a history of significant childhood trauma and they have struggled with substance use. They have both been in and out of the criminal justice system. After turning their lives around, they now serve as leaders in the Rockwood community. They share their respective stories and personal journeys in this episode.

• Our Team - AS IS CHURCH - Sharing God's Love
• THE UNDERGROUND PDX - Home
• https://www.hopecenterpdx.org
• https://www.instagram.com/theundergroundpdx?igsh=MWdlZG83bThyaWVsZg==
• https://www.instagram.com/scottbradley73?igsh=Z2V1azR0NWlzdmVw
• https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Factor-Scott-Bradley/dp/1257821857

Lance Orton is the Executive Director of CityTeam Portland, which provides addiction and homelessness services. Lance is a self-described opioid addict who found himself homeless on the streets of Portland. He attained sobriety through CityTeam. Lance says that 76% of CityTeam’s graduates are working and sober.

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-orton
• https://www.cityteam.org/give-help/portland
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1795318576049795471?s=46
• https://www.shelterportland.org/our-team
• https://open.spotify.com/episode/02m0lAsOya245ZuD6XMMOL?si=eg93gp7TT62VEK-Hmbl-3Q

Dan Ryan is a Portland City Councilor for District 2. Dan is the only Portland City Councilor who ran for re-election in the last election cycle. Portland recently restructured its city government and Dan talks about serving under the new city structure, his goals and priorities, what he's learned from his constituents, the things he's excited about in Portland, and more. Our mayor is coming out with his budget soon, and Dan shares what he is hopeful will be prioritized and how he wants to help you make Portland stronger, even if you're not in his district.

• https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2025/04/23/council-requested-poll-show-portlanders-would-prefer-cuts-to-police-over-parks-and-fire/
• https://www.portland.gov/council/districts/2/dan-ryan
• https://www.portland.gov/council-clerk/testimony-registration
• https://futureportland.org
• https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2021/01/portland-commissioner-dan-ryans-home-vandalized-7-times-since-october-he-says.html?outputType=amp
• https://trimet.org/about/board.htm
• https://multco.us/info/public-testimony-webform
• https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2025/04/trimet-ridership-remains-down-by-a-third-from-2019-and-the-recovery-is-slowing.html?outputType=amp
• https://news.trimet.org/2023/03/trimet-participates-in-first-of-its-kind-multi-agency-study-addressing-drug-use-on-transit-systems/
• https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2023/09/researchers-find-meth-fentanyl-cocaine-residue-on-trimet-max-trains.html?outputType=amp
• https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2021/08/11/black-portlanders-are-more-likely-to-be-murdered-than-their-peers-in-cities-better-known-for-crime/
• https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-maintenance-infrasturucture-backlog-auditors-report-mayor/283-8f31c7f0-cff1-4786-9895-58359df44c6a

Dr. Eric Fruits, Ph.D., is an economist who specializes in economics, finance, and statistics. He is an adjunct professor in Economics and Finance at Portland State University and an adjunct scholar at Cascade Policy Institute. He also serves as an expert witness in court cases. Dr. Fruits talks about the Portland Public Schools bond, various local taxes in the Portland area, Trump's tariffs, and more. Andy Chandler from NW Fresh co-hosts.

• https://web.pdx.edu/~fruits/
• https://laweconcenter.org/author/ericfruits/
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2024/04/05/preschool-for-all-tax-data-shows-shrinking-number-of-high-earners-pay-the-levy/
• https://www.wweek.com/news/schools/2025/04/08/preschool-for-all-had-485-million-left-in-its-coffers-after-fiscal-year-2024/
• https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2025/04/03/dunphy-morillo-and-novick-propose-increasing-retail-climate-tax-to-plug-citys-budget-hole/
• https://www.portland.gov/bps/cleanenergy/faqs-about-pcef
• https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2024/01/28/heres-who-isnt-paying-portlands-clean-energy-sales-tax/
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2024/04/24/portland-officials-neglected-street-paving-for-decades-now-your-tires-pay-the-price/
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2025/03/12/how-walt-bowens-big-bet-on-a-ritz-carlton-hotel-and-condos-crapped-out/
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2025/03/12/how-walt-bowens-big-bet-on-a-ritz-carlton-hotel-and-condos-crapped-out/
• https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/metro-events/March-10_Metro-President-Work-Group-Agenda.pdf
• https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/metro-events/March-10_Metro-President-Work-Group-Agenda.pdf

Jill Souede was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Portland City Councilor Dan Ryan. She has a Master’s in Strategic Communications from the University of Oregon and did her undergraduate work at Portland State University. In this episode, she reveals her experience with the inner workings of Portland City Hall. She also talks about the evolution of Portland that she’s witnessed since childhood, how Portland can be better, civic engagement, and more.

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillsouede
• https://open.spotify.com/episode/3chlLxy3L1B6brjuRB2Pqo?si=ExD75M3nQl6goJjbtAsOFQ
• https://www.instagram.com/daddybreon?igsh=eDkycWpnd2F3czU0
• https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/nick-kristof-returning-to-the-new-york-times-after-failed-run-for-oregon-governor/
• https://www.portland.gov/council/districts/2/dan-ryan
• Mayor Ted Wheeler Says Sam Adams Was Asked to Resign for a Pattern of ‘Bullying’ and ‘Intimidation’ That Was Documented by the Human Resources Bureau
• https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LRopCUjCcWAinYaO0ooOg?si=rbe6ylvAQ6iuwcW7iz11tw
• https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Pt8RQciLnIJrtyKWNkMHw?si=K7IusL3nRNybYeETpc4ElA
• https://www.portland.gov/council-clerk/testimony-registration
• https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4m94lCOY10kcH-ufAjNIh1ntElCElA4_&si=NrUhoGbEpgqQiFhK
• https://youtu.be/sLTqIaKGo5s?si=0C5WkRN-sqW-n4_t
• Abundance - Kindle edition by Klein, Ezra, Thompson, Derek. Politics & Social Sciences Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
• https://multco.us/info/public-testimony-webform