Rational in Portland

I sat down with host of NW Fresh, Andy Chandler, and hairstylist and small business owner Erica Gustavson, to discuss local election outcomes in Portland, Oregon, including Multnomah County, mayor and city council. We also talk about Portland in the context of the presidential election.

• https://open.spotify.com/episode/3rCeCIOT1vwgO6JHG4YXyM?si=zu9WmIf8STmTYJppdFlF4A
• https://open.spotify.com/episode/2uyInbmBTw4tFcqrFAA5ST?si=dLr7Sp3tRnq4m8f9hpA-ag
• https://apnews.com/article/ranked-choice-voting-open-primaries-election-reform-bc797f209e5f98a18afb2e5f784e63b6
• https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/10/multnomah-county-chair-garners-lowest-approval-rating-for-a-local-elected-official-in-recent-memory.html
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1857809039633297847?s=46
• https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/11/portlands-ranked-choice-debut-causes-voter-engagement-to-crater-1-in-5-who-cast-ballots-chose-no-one-for-city-council.html?outputType=amp
• https://futureportland.org
• https://www.newsweek.com/portland-protesters-vandalize-democrat-hq-1563278
• https://youtu.be/iAr8Y5rdG2g?si=hkx738BNKv39Azah

Sandeep Bali is running for Portland City Council in District 3. Sandeep is a first generation gay immigrant. He works as a pharmacist and specializes in HIV care. Prior to his work with HIV patients, he worked in geriatric care, including long-term, end-of-life, and hospice care. When Sandeep was a pharmacy student, he interned at Central City Concern, a Portland nonprofit clinic that does street medicine. Sandeep enjoys gardening, dissecting scientific and medical journals, and hanging out with his fraternal twin brother. We talked about his family's journey from India to the US; political strategy; how he would deal with Multnomah County and its Joint Office of Homeless Services; the serious issues that he sees as a health care worker in Portland; what he is hearing from his potential constituents as he canvasses and campaigns; and more.

• https://www.betterwithbali.com
• https://www.instagram.com/betterwithbali
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1795318576049795471
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/02/01/they-left-portland-is-losing-some-of-its-biggest-fans/
• https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/portland-city-commissioners-file-to-end-joint-homelessness-efforts-with-multnomah-county/
• https://www.thelundreport.org/content/county-health-and-social-services-contracts-need-better-oversight-auditors-say
• https://www.opb.org/article/2024/06/27/audit-finds-problems-multnomah-county-contracting-system/

Noah Ernst is running for Portland City Council in District 1. He is a Superintendent and an in-house counsel lawyer for Radio Cab Co. Before he was a Superintendent, Noah drove a cab on the night shift for Radio Cab. Noah became a cab driver after he suffered a layoff from his litigator job at a law firm during the recession of 2008.

• https://www.noahernst4portland.com
• https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2024/10/editorial-endorsement-november-2024-our-picks-for-districts-1-and-2-candidates-who-can-lead-portland-city-council-through-historic-change.html

Tiffani Penson is running for Portland City Council in District 2. She has been working for the City of Portland for 18 years, most recently as the People and Culture Manager.

• https://www.tiffaniforpdx.com
• https://www.instagram.com/tiffaniforpdxd2?igsh=MWJpMDVxOG0yd3YwZQ==
• LinkedIn: Profile of Tiffani Penson
• https://www.portland.gov/procurement/inclusivecontracting
• https://www.portland.gov/pemo/resources
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/02/01/they-left-portland-is-losing-some-of-its-biggest-fans/
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1795318576049795471?s=46
• Black Portlanders Are More Likely to Be Murdered Than Their Peers in Cities Better Known for Crime
• https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2022/07/82-year-old-portland-man-dies-after-unprovoked-attack-police-say.html?outputType=amp

Dan Ryan has been a Portland City Commissioner since 2020, where he pioneered the city’s Safe Rest Villages to get homeless people off of the streets of Portland. His home was vandalized more than 7 times after he refused to defund the police. He is HIV-positive and in recovery from active addiction. Dan’s spouse is gender fluid and a first generation Mexican American. Dan’s priorities are public safety and homelessness. His endorsements include the Northwest Oregon Labor Council (AFL-CIO), AFSCME, the Portland Firefighters, and the Portland Police.

• https://www.danryanforportland.com
• https://www.portland.gov/ryan
• https://www.instagram.com/commissionerdanryan?igsh=eDhzbmM3Ynd6Z3Vj
• https://www.instagram.com/danryanforpdx?igsh=MWVwYmV5YXFmeDU3bA==
• https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2020/11/06/portland-protesters-vandalized-commissioner-dan-ryans-house-after-he-voted-against-an-18-million-cut-to-the-police-budget/
• https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2024/09/06/47392396/after-years-of-grant-discordance-portland-adopts-centralized-policy-for-doling-out-funds

Get your ballots out! Join me and Andy Chandler from NW Fresh as we go through the voter's pamphlet

• https://www.oregonlive.com/watchdog/2024/04/multnomah-county-chairs-unparalleled-power-to-block-fellow-commissioner-proposals-is-illegal-analysis-claims.html?outputType=amp
• https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2023/05/portland-to-clear-more-tents-from-sidewalks-to-settle-disability-lawsuit.html?outputType=amp
• https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/09/multnomah-county-commission-candidates-vying-to-represent-portlands-west-side-pitch-different-solutions-to-regions-biggest-problems.html?outputType=amp
• https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/09/portland-mayoral-hopeful-carmen-rubio-dogged-by-driving-record-damages-parked-tesla-then-walks-away.html?outputType=amp
• https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2024/10/carmen-rubio-chalks-her-parking-tickets-up-to-excessive-enforcement-long-work-hours-records-suggest-otherwise.html?outputType=amp
• https://x.com/votevadim2024/status/1823480755730964892?s=46
• https://katu.com/amp/news/local/mom-of-2-year-old-who-died-from-fentanyl-overdose-appeared-in-court-for-carjacking-crime-homicide-neglect-robbery-gun
• https://www.opb.org/article/2021/04/05/oregon-lawmakers-close-in-on-new-police-oversights/
• https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/02/portland-mayoral-hopeful-mingus-mapps-is-out-of-campaign-cash-and-in-the-red-8-months-before-election.html?outputType=amp
• https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2024/09/28/mingus-mapps-elevates-race-in-his-campaign-for-mayor/

Kezia Wanner is a lifelong Democrat who is running for Portland City Council in District 3. Kezia’s experience in public service and public safety is extensive. She has served as the: grants coordinator for Portland Police Bureau; budget and policy analyst for the City of Portland; program manager for Portland Police Bureau; parking enforcement and transportation division manager for Portland Bureau of Transportation; deputy director for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office; Assistant City Manager for the City of Newberg; deputy director for Portland Fire and Rescue; and business and compliance director for the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.

• https://www.keziaforportland.com
• https://www.instagram.com/keziaforportland?igsh=MWV6NHR1MzFsZXRtNg==
• The City Is Inching Toward a New Carbon Tax Even as the Portland Clean Energy Fund Is Awash in Cash

Will Lathrop is a lawyer running for Attorney General of Oregon. The last time Oregon had a Republican attorney general was in 1993. Lathrop is focused on criminal law and sex trafficking. He was a Deputy District Attorney in Yamhill and Marion Counties and he also worked for the National District Attorneys Association. His most recent job was in Africa, where he moved to spend eight years working for a nonprofit doing criminal justice work on behalf of widows and children.

• https://willlathrop.com
• https://www.instagram.com/willlathrop?igsh=MXBzMzZwNnNrNWt4ag==
• https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2024/09/29/candidates-for-attorney-general-say-oregon-can-do-more-to-curb-illicit-massage-parlors/
• https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2012/05/drug_reform_group_funnels_7000.html
• https://www.streetroots.org/news/2017/03/09/oregonians-favor-softer-penalties-drug-users
• https://www.doj.state.or.us/media/doj-quick-facts/former-attorneys-general-of-oregon/

Harrison Kass is a policy advisor for Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez. He is also a lawyer, and received his JD from the University of Oregon School of Law. He also has an MA in International Relations and Global Journalism from New York University. Harrison also serves as a journalist for The National Interest, where he covers politics and national security. He has a Private Pilot License and was selected as a Pilot Trainee and Officer Candidate with the US Air Force before being medically discharged.

• Home - Harrison Kass For Portland City Council
• Harrison Kass | The National Interest
• https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/portland-mom-has-long-road-in-icu-after-horrendous-attack-from-pack-of-dogs/amp/
• https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/02/as-homicides-of-homeless-portlanders-rise-city-mulls-gun-violence-prevention-strategy.html
• https://www.opb.org/article/2021/04/05/oregon-lawmakers-close-in-on-new-police-oversights/?outputType=amp
• https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2024/02/23/a-ballot-initiative-crafted-by-the-portland-police-union-seeks-to-alter-function-of-future-police-oversight-body/
• 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.wweek.com/news/2024/03/27/can-clinton-triangle-the-mayors-first-large-shelter-site-offer-a-new-beginning-for-portlands-homeless/
• https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/portland-mom-has-long-road-in-icu-after-horrendous-attack-from-pack-of-dogs/amp/
• https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/02/as-homicides-of-homeless-portlanders-rise-city-mulls-gun-violence-prevention-strategy.html?outputType=amp

Mariah Hudson is a solo parent, a Senior Communications Specialist for OHSU, and has a Master's Degree in Economics. She is running for Portland City Council in District 2.

• https://www.mariahforportland.com
• https://www.instagram.com/mariahforportland?igsh=MW1pdzJvOGwwNTVodg==
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1795318576049795471?s=46
• https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1791349459030515776?s=46
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/02/01/they-left-portland-is-losing-some-of-its-biggest-fans/
• https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/hrac_pub/45/