Windowbox · Portland City Council

The Public Works Committee referred an ordinance directing the transportation bureau to evaluate and install no-turn-on-red restrictions at high-crash intersections to the full City Council with a recommendation to pass, on a 5-0 vote (02:59:17).

No turn on red referred, with one conditional yes

Councilors Loretta Smith (District 1) and Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) brought the ordinance directing the Portland Bureau of Transportation to evaluate and install no-turn-on-red signs at signalized intersections in the city's high-crash network. Smith said the intersection of 122nd Avenue and Halsey Street saw over 80 crashes in just four years (01:51:55) and cited an approximately 9% crash reduction from the change, a figure the transportation bureau's signal system manager Peter Kuntz attributed to the Federal Highway Administration (02:44:39). About 90% of the network's targeted intersections are in District 1, Smith said. The work would draw on the 12.5% Vision Zero set-aside in the Transportation Utility Fee.

Four panelists testified, all in support. Eva Frazier of Bike Loud said right turn on red was legalized nationally through the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 as "2 lines in a 99-page bill" that also funded coal mines, when the average car got 13.1 miles per gallon (02:00:03). Mike Dennis of Oregon Walks said Black people, homeless people, older adults, and people with disabilities face disproportionate risk, and noted no funds are attached to the ordinance (02:03:35). Lorena Mora of Division Midway Alliance cited a 2025 report showing pedestrians made up 51% of traffic deaths with 20 pedestrian fatalities in 2025 (02:10:05). Indy Namcoong of Verde asked what other Vision Zero work might be delayed to fund it.

Cost figures were revised on the record. Transportation Director Millicent Williams said each intersection would cost about $4,000, with 30 high-crash-network intersections totaling roughly $120,000 (02:22:16); a manager's amendment with corrected numbers will go to the full Council. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) called it a "directive ordinance" novel to the new council and said "I'm going to vote yes on this" (02:35:03).

Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) pressed on the ordinance's LiDAR enforcement provision, saying "I don't want to create a surveillance state" (02:48:03); Kuntz said LiDAR is not surveillance-based and would be managed by the transportation bureau. Kanal also asked how many crashes had a nexus to a right turn on red — Williams said she would return with that analysis. Kanal voted to refer with a condition: "I want those questions answered or I'll be a no on it at the full council" (02:58:57).

As debate ran toward the noon deadline, Smith moved to advance the ordinance and to limit debate, telling Kanal "You can vote no, um, I'd like to limit debate, Madam Chair" (02:53:10). Kanal said "Still have a floor" (02:53:17). Green raised a point of order: "I don't— I think Councilor Connell still had the floor" (02:53:38), and Chair Clark returned the floor to Kanal. The agenda records the ayes as Kanal, Koyama Lane, Green, Smith, and Clark; Williams said the 30-day education period and enforcement, which rests with the Portland Police Bureau, still require conversations with that bureau.

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Portland City Council passed the Moderate-Income Revolving Loan Program on an 11-0 second reading, letting the city tap state loan money for middle-income housing while several members voiced unease about the risk it places on city finances (00:19:36). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) was absent for the vote.

Housing loan program clears with reservations

The ordinance, introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson and Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), gives Prosper Portland authority to administer a state-led revolving loan program for housing. Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) called revolving loan funds "the cheat code for housing production in the years forward" and estimated "maybe $20 million on the table" in a first-come, first-served program (00:08:05).

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) supported the ordinance but repeated a concern that it "leave[s] the city carrying the repayment liability to the state for the loans Prosper underwrites and the council never approves" (00:10:31). She said council's charter investigative authority does not extend to Prosper, so if a deal soured the council could not compel the underwriting records, and cited Maiden Old Town as a case the city did not want to repeat.

Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira answered the risk question on the record: the measure gives Prosper authority to administer a state loan, and for projects in tax-increment financing districts, "TIF would be the first line of defense" if a project failed (00:14:49). Absent TIF, he said, "the city's full faith and credit would be backing" the underlying loan (00:14:00). Asked by Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) whether the program guaranteed geographic distribution, Oliveira said there was none (00:16:02); non-TIF projects are also eligible.

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) pressed for East Portland projects, telling Oliveira, "I'm not voting for this if you don't have none in East Portland," to which he replied, "It's a competitive program, Councilor" (00:15:25). Kanal said he would "begrudgingly be supporting this" and asked agency leadership to be ready to move the program back to the Portland Housing Bureau if the council found it was not working (00:16:40). Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) called herself an "enthusiastic supporter," and Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said the state dollars "should not just leave on the table."

Councilor Smith also noted the absence of bureau staff at the table, saying "it's almost like we're on our own" with no one from the administration present, before Oliveira came forward (00:12:29).

Cable commission dissolved; two ordinances advance

The council advanced two first-reading ordinances tied to the end of the Mount Hood Cable Regulatory Commission, both moving to a second reading on June 25 (00:30:44). One establishes a Cable Franchise Fund (Fund 234) in the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, effective July 1, 2026, replacing the commission's Fund 855; the commission dissolves June 30, 2026. The other amends city code to remove references to the commission while keeping the city's seat on Open Signal's board.

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Portland's City Council adopted a fiscal year 2026-27 budget on a 9-2 vote with one abstention (01:58:39), closing a gap the council president put at more than $160 million while confirming that layoffs affecting frontline workers will take effect.

The budget vote

Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) recused himself from the final vote and debate, citing his wife's employment with the Bleach Botanical Garden. The budget passed as amended, with Councilors Dan Ryan (District 2) and Eric Zimmerman (District 4) voting no and Dunphy abstaining (01:58:39).

Dunphy said the mayor's proposed budget sought to close a gap of more than $160 million (00:47:00), roughly $105 million of it from expiring one-time money and about $55 million from ongoing revenue shortfalls, including $25 million he attributed to a federal tax bill that hit the city's business license tax. He said 150 individuals were on the block to be laid off and that layoffs are not effective until August 3rd (00:47:00).

Before the vote, Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) questioned Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery and City Attorney Robert Taylor on whether a late amendment was still possible. Biery said it was legally possible but "extremely dangerous and high-risk behavior" that would leave the city without an implementable budget by July 1 (00:57:42). Taylor said any amendment would require an emergency clause and nine votes, and a fund change of 10% or more would trigger added notice requirements. Green noted "the council approval rating is about 24%" (01:02:38). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) disputed the framing, saying the charter allows amending on the last day.

The debate turned personal over failed compromise talks. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said progressive councilors brought roughly six funding sources to restore fire rescues, each dying 6-6, while the other side repeatedly sought to defund a police accountability fund "that 82% of voters approved" (01:14:58). Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) called her account false: "your idea that you bent over backwards to forge an agreement is false," and said one obstacle was a bottom line of "no money for police training" (01:22:39). Morillo answered, "I'm talking about the week before with Elana, not you." Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) returned to the queue to say she never walked away from negotiations, calling it a "false narrative" she could not let stand (01:46:01).

Zimmerman, explaining his no vote, said "I cannot make well-informed decisions in this process with this budget moving forward" (01:23:57) and pressed the administration for more granular budget documents. Ryan said he was "leaning no," giving the mayor "a B- or C+" (01:37:20). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said progressive councilors, with crossover votes, restored the Office of Violence Prevention, Ceasefire, Portland Street Response, a St. Johns fire engine, a 911 call taker, and six Portland Police Bureau jobs (01:51:02). Multiple councilors said ideas repeatedly died on 6-6 ties; Smith said such ties would recur "until we have the ability to have the mayor to break a tie, or we have an uneven council" (00:50:47).

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The Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole voted 11-0 to send Mayor Keith Wilson's slate of four Portland Clean Energy Fund committee appointments to the full council with a recommendation they be accepted, with Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) absent (03:01:47).

Four appointments advance to PCEF committee

The committee forwarded three new appointees and one reappointment to the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund committee, the nine-member advisory body that shapes the fund's five-year climate investment plan. The fund draws from a surcharge on large retailers and was approved by 65% of voters in 2018 (01:56:41). Program Manager Sam Barrasso and External Affairs Manager Rafael Tamarki said the recruitment drew 67 applications for the three open positions over roughly six months.

The new appointees are Tamara Kennedy, executive director of the Northwest Energy Coalition; Danielle Walker, an energy-efficiency evaluator with the Brightline Group; and Randall Friesen, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbia Pacific Building Trades and Construction Council. D'Angelo Moaning, the committee's co-chair, was reappointed. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) pressed each appointee on whether transportation projects are a proper use of fund dollars, noting that most said they would need to study the plan first. "I'm a little worried that people... aren't at all sure whether any transportation investments are appropriate subjects," Novick said (02:35:11). Moaning, whose background is in transportation, said the fund should invest in transportation decarbonization but "reimagine what that looks like in terms of equitable access."

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) repeatedly pressed Friesen on how he would handle a "greenwashing movement for data centers" given his union represents workers who build them. Friesen said he would evaluate any conflict "case by case" and recuse himself if needed: "I would do whatever was ethical and legal and make sure that nothing shady happened." Morillo replied, "You're doing your best, man" (02:46:34).

Moaning's reappointment was backdated; Barrasso attributed the lag to a plan to batch recruitments that took longer than expected. Two more members roll off in September, with recruitment beginning shortly.

Novick–Smith clash over PCEF fund shifts

Novick used the appointment hearing to air concerns about the council's relationship with the fund, citing last year's shift of money from an under-spent transportation program into housing. His proposals to keep the money in transportation "lost 11 to 1" (02:26:04). He said grant recipients had told the council "we've already been promised this money."

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The Housing and Permitting Committee voted 3-2 to send the full City Council an ordinance temporarily removing the income cap for homebuyers under the Portland Housing Bureau's Affordable Housing System Development Charge exemption program, over objections from two members that it would push aside lower-income buyers (02:46:52).

The committee, chaired by Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) with Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) as vice chair, referred four measures to full council during its June 16 meeting.

Permitting overhaul cleared unanimously

The committee voted 5-0 to recommend a resolution directing the City Administrator to reestablish a Permitting Improvement Team for the second phase of the Code Alignment Project (01:32:34). Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1), the lead sponsor, told colleagues Portland "is the slowest in the metro region for permitting timelines," citing a Johnson Economics analysis that the city averages 413 days to issue a multifamily permit against 225 in Vancouver, 204 in Hillsboro, and 313 in Gresham (00:29:56). "Can we please at least be as good as Gresham?" he asked. He said the city lost "an estimated $700 million in development investments" last year as developers built elsewhere (00:32:57), and noted the zoning code has grown from 250 pages in 1980 to about 1,800 today.

Deputy City Administrator Donny Oliveira backed the resolution, saying bureau staff are "overleveraged" and that applicants want "certainty" about cost and timing. He said the earlier task force ran on "essentially 4 FTE over 2 years" and that a future team might need between four and 10 people (01:23:24).

Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) voted yes but warned against folding policy changes into what is framed as administrative streamlining, asking that any policy shifts return "as standalone policy changes." Dunphy gave his "personal assurance" that administrative decisions would come separately from "meaty policy directional changes" (01:30:16). Invited testimony came from Sarah Radcliffe of Habitat for Humanity Portland Region, who said the group has 77 homes under construction and 100 in pre-development in the city; Peter Finley Fry, a nationally certified land use planner, who said Portland is "the only place I know of that actually does not have site review"; and Ben Hemson of the Home Building Association of Greater Portland. Architect Byron Balog said two affordable projects he is working on took 572 and 608 days from application to permit issuance (00:57:56).

SDC income-cap removal splits the committee

The narrowest vote came on an ordinance to temporarily remove the income requirement for homebuyers under the Housing Bureau's Affordable Housing SDC exemption program. Josh Roper, the bureau's Policy and Planning Director, said the 2025 temporary SDC waiver (Ordinance 192082) exempted nearly all new housing without an income test, leaving developers in the older affordable program at a "competitive disadvantage" because they must still sell only to buyers at or below 100% of area median income. The change would apply to units permitted before Jan. 1, 2026 and run through Sept. 30, 2028.

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A committee amendment removing personal-defense pepper spray from a list of weapons banned in city parks passed 5-0 (02:55:40), while the underlying ordinance stripping concealed-handgun protections from certain city buildings was held for more negotiation.

Guns in public buildings sent back for rework

The Community and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), spent more than an hour on an ordinance introduced by Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) that would remove the affirmative defense allowing concealed-handgun license holders to carry in buildings where a city governing body holds official meetings. Staff member Eben Harford said the measure mirrors what Multnomah County did last fall and touches three code sections; the committee-approved amendment removes tear gas, mace and pepper mace from the weapons presumptively banned in parks so that carrying personal-protection spray "should be okay" (02:13:05).

Dunphy said the goal was straightforward: "philosophically, I'm trying to have no guns in City Hall" (02:21:37), arguing the city was "governing for the 15%" of people who won't do right on their own. He noted he did not draft the language, which came from the City Attorney's Office and the administration.

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4), himself a concealed-carry license holder, pressed on the consequences. He said that over a period of years — he stated it two ways, "in 5 years there were 3 incidents, or it was in 3 years there were 5 incidents" — people stopped at the metal detectors simply proved a legal right to carry. "You are asking to place a felony on those who right now under state law can do a thing," he said (02:26:44), and proposed an exclusion policy instead: tell a carrier they must leave, and use trespass rules if they refuse.

Harford at one point said a felony sat "at the very end of the process," then corrected himself. City Attorney Robert Taylor, called up mid-item, clarified the disposition: once the affirmative defense is removed, carrying in such a building is a misdemeanor, not a felony (02:46:15), and any city criminal statute must stay consistent with state law, including a state exemption for honorably retired officers that the council cannot override. The prospect of prosecution turning on officer discretion drew objections from both sides of the debate: Zimmerman said "that's not how laws are supposed to be written," and Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) said "the discretion conversation did scare the hell out of me," citing "a felony for some of us and not for all of us" (02:41:50).

Security manager Manny Guerra told the committee the change "wasn't brought forth by security," said "more guns do not make areas more safe," and said he was comfortable with an exclusion approach: "I don't think it should go automatically to a criminal matter" (02:59:48). Novick said he would convene a working group with Dunphy, Zimmerman, the administration and lawyers — with only one of himself or Kanal to avoid a quorum — aiming to act on July 7.

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Portland City Council Special Meeting 06/11/26, Thursday, June 11, 2026.

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A push to protect frontline jobs and reverse city budget cuts died on a 6-6 tie, as Portland's council spent its June 10 session unable to agree on how to fund fire rescues, parks and worker layoffs before its budget deadline. (03:16:49)

The "Services First" amendment fails on a tie

The centerpiece fight was Green-Avalos-Morillo 1, called "Services First," moved by Councilor Mitch Green (District 4). It would have funded 96 positions across multiple bureaus — including public safety support specialists, Advanced Life Support teams, parks maintenance and janitorial workers, and a new Office of Immigration Affairs — and paused a core realignment process that would lay off 46 employees. Green said the mayor's budget cuts almost 80% of public safety support specialists and that competing plans cut parks maintenance by $6 million, risking renewal of a parks levy worth nearly $450 million. He pointed to a stated $45 million the city expects from the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers, which the city's website says "could go towards the $120 million the city would invest in the Moda Center." (02:31:00)

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) said the pause was needed to engage labor properly and called the alternatives "the Temu versions of our amendment." Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) said dollars are available today to prevent the cuts. Opponents argued the amendment relied on one-time money. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said it "punts every hard decision" and reverses nearly every cut except to managers. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) warned it would use two years of Portland Clean Energy Fund interest in one year, deepening next year's shortfall.

Chief Financial Officer Jonas Beary told the council the proposal "increases risk to future stability" and "punts responsibility... to a future council," and said fund balance and contingency levels had already dropped below what rating agencies recommend to keep the city's AAA rating. The amendment failed 6-6 — ayes from Councilors Sameer Kanal (District 2), Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), Morillo, Green, Avalos and Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1); nays from Pirtle-Guiney, Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2), Novick, Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4), Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) and Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1). (03:16:49)

Six tries to fund fire rescues, none adopted

Restoring three fire rescue units — reduced to peak-hour staffing in the mayor's budget — drew six separate amendments. Two were withdrawn and three failed. Pirtle-Guiney-Novick 1 would have restored Rescue 19 by cutting $142,146 from nine council office budgets — a net $92,146 cut per office after restoring a prior one-time $50,000 reduction — while excluding District 1. Novick said "voters will be paying attention" to office budgets, citing a KGW interview. Morillo objected that Minneapolis staffs its council operations with over 40 people against Portland's 11, three of them vacant, and Kanal called it inefficient, "a $1.2 million cut to save $550,000." It failed 5-7. (02:30:34)

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A Portland City Council committee voted 5-0 to send the full council an ordinance establishing a Driver Resource Center for rideshare workers, funded by clarifying that the city's existing $2 ride fee applies to trips ending in Portland, not just those starting here (02:09:58).

The Driver Resource Center

The City Life Committee spent most of its June 9 meeting on an ordinance sponsored by Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) and Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3). It would create a contracted, independent center where drivers for Transportation Network Companies can get help with deactivations, wage disputes, benefits and language access.

Pirtle-Guiney said the funding comes not from a rate increase but from clarifying the existing fee, which the council raised last year from $0.65 to $2 a ride (00:14:56). Applying it to rides that end in Portland is estimated to raise about $1.5 million (01:12:09), and the ordinance caps spending at that amount annually. Novick said drivers have told him they make less than minimum wage, "like around $12 an hour," and face deactivation with "no idea why" (00:18:05).

Drivers Union Oregon organizer Nathaniel Hudson Hartman presented, citing roughly 2 million private-for-hire rides per quarter and nearly 15,000 active drivers in Portland, a workforce speaking 25 to 30 languages. He said his notebook holds "over 60 names of Portland drivers" trying to get their jobs back and named the pattern he sees: "It's not Steve, it's not Dan, it's not Eric. It's Hamidullah, it's Abdullahi, it's Ali" (00:31:36). He pointed to Washington's center, which he said returned more than 2,100 wrongfully deactivated drivers to work and put over $12 million back in drivers' pockets (00:33:36).

Testimony

Six people signed up. Samir Kanal, a District 3 resident who drove for more than 10 years, said he was deactivated over a background-check error and could reach only English-language text support (00:43:34). An online testifier, Angela, said she was paid $49 for a Seattle-bound ride, and after contacting Washington's resource center recovered "around $350" (00:46:47). Ram Damala testified in limited English about a permanent deactivation prompted by a complaint. Rob Nesbitt said he was deactivated for unexplained "fraudulent activity" despite being a 5-star driver with 5,500 rides (01:25:38).

Lyft's Meadow Johnson urged the council to wait, saying Portland's fee burden on TNCs is "already among the highest in the nation" and that a statewide framework would work better, noting Oregon is the only state without one (00:40:32). Uber submitted written testimony. Pirtle-Guiney said Senate Majority Leader Jama submitted a letter of support and that the center "supplements and complements rather than conflicts" with his statewide work (00:16:52).

Questions from the dais

Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) pressed the Portland Bureau of Transportation on procurement, geographic access and how success would be measured. PBOT Director Millicent Williams described a standard request-for-proposals process taking "between 4 to 6 months" (00:55:39). Mobility Innovations Manager Jacob Sherman said Uber and Lyft hold deactivation data that is "not the kind of information that's shared with us on a regular basis" (01:00:24).

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The Public Works Committee took no votes at its June 9 meeting, spending the session on a presentation about the I-5 Rose Quarter project that laid out a five-week closure of southbound I-5 beginning September 11 during which travel could take two to three times longer. The item was placed on file.

A five-week closure and a summer of detours

ODOT staff told the committee that crews will fully close southbound I-5 between the Broadway-Weidler exit and the I-84 interchange for up to five weeks starting Friday, September 11, working 24 hours a day to replace a bridge deck last resurfaced in 1985. A shorter, 14-hour full closure of both directions is scheduled for July 11 (01:36:19) to install a sign bridge, starting at 10 p.m. Saturday and reopening no later than noon Sunday.

Staff said they chose a single continuous closure over a single-lane approach — infeasible in the 38-foot-wide corridor and roughly $4.5 to $7 million more costly — and over weekend closures, which would have stretched across two summers and added roughly $6 to $9 million. The presenter warned the closure "could be some of the worst traffic that the region has seen in a long time," with travel taking "2 to 3 times longer" at peak (01:41:39). Traffic modeling assumes no change in driver behavior; staff said past closures show drivers shift routes and times. The signed detour sends through traffic onto I-405 over the Fremont Bridge, with regional drivers urged toward I-205.

David Kim of ODOT described the corridor as the top congestion bottleneck in the region, telling councilors Portland has "the 4th worst congestion and 7th worst traffic amongst 49 major metropolitan areas" (00:20:27). The wider project includes a highway cover over I-5 meant to reconnect the Albina neighborhood split by freeway construction in the 1960s.

Funding gap and what the current work buys

Kim and the ODOT presenter said the current published cost estimate is "roughly $2 billion plus or minus" and expected to rise (01:01:18). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) pressed for the total; staff said an updated figure is due at the end of summer. The work now funded is largely asset management, seismic retrofit and one auxiliary lane — not the highway cover, whose start was tied to roughly $380 million in grant funding that was rescinded (01:04:02). ODOT has about $170 million remaining in construction funds and $30 million in right-of-way money, and will seek construction dollars for the next phase in the 2027 legislative session.

Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) asked whether the freeway project would consume the city's transportation lobbying capacity and whether lower-cost alternatives remained. PBOT Director Millicent Williams answered that the city "currently... is not an investor in this project" and that its funding was "Currently, zero investment" (00:54:45). Green asked whether tolling or congestion pricing was back under consideration through the governor's transportation workgroup; Kim said the project team had not been close to those talks, and Green said the committee would "go up the food chain" (01:06:36).

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