Windowbox · Portland City Council

Portland's City Council voted 7-5 to ban the sale of foie gras and other force-fed poultry products, rejecting first a grandfather clause for the handful of restaurants that already serve it (01:14:33).

Foie gras ban clears after a fight over "liberalism" and bodily autonomy

The council passed the force-fed poultry ordinance introduced by Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) after defeating an amendment from Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) that would have exempted any establishment already serving the product as of June 1, 2026. That grandfather clause failed 5-7 (00:52:28).

Zimmerman argued that a "liberal society" must tolerate practices it dislikes, comparing the ban to Multnomah County's hookah restrictions. Green said the amendment "largely guts it" and pointed to the existing ban on shark fin. Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) invoked personal choice, asking "what shade of liberalism is it that dictates how I can control my body?" (00:34:24). Green replied she was drawing "a false equivalency to bodily autonomy in a very inappropriate way" (00:34:34).

Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) told the room, "I hope for the media that's watching this, they see how seriously this is being debated to the point where we are engaging in long philosophical diatribes about liberalism ... over a foie gras ban to just stop monkeys from getting tortured" (00:39:19), and repeatedly interrupted Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) during her remarks. Later, Zimmerman said, "I'm apologizing to Councilor Clark. I don't know why my amendment brought such, I think, very terrible words that were just said to you a few minutes ago. I think that was irresponsible of a few members" (01:09:40).

Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) cited New York City's 42-6 vote and Pittsburgh's 7-2 vote in 1923 (00:37:29). Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) said at least 27 countries limit foie gras and King Charles has banned it from royal residences (01:05:19). Smith and Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) opposed the ban; Ryan said it would "tarnish our economic development reputation." Robert Taylor of the City Attorney's Office told the council the ordinance was modeled on California's ban, which survived in the Ninth Circuit, and that Chicago's ban was repealed by a later council rather than struck down in court; he said "I think it should be legally defensible" (01:02:34). Eric Engstrom, director of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, estimated ongoing enforcement cost as "definitely not ... hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and it's ... probably not $100 a year either" (00:59:44).

Housing loan program stripped of unit minimum; Prosper keeps the reins

The council advanced the Moderate Income Revolving Loan Program, which lets Portland draw no-interest state loans and pass grants to housing developers under Senate Bill 1537. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), who carried it from the Housing and Permitting Committee, said the state fund is $50 million statewide, first-come first-served, with 20% reserved for rural areas.

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The council voted 10-2 to appropriate $2.5 million from the Construction Excise Tax for Black-led homeownership development in District 2, ending a monthslong fight in which supporters said the projects had been repeatedly stripped out and opponents said the money was handed out with no competitive process (01:06:58).

$2.5 million for homeownership development

The ordinance, sponsored by Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) with co-sponsors Eric Zimmerman (District 4), Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Dan Ryan (District 2) and Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4), draws $2.5 million from the Construction Excise Tax Sub-fund for homeownership development in District 2. It passed as amended, with Councilors Angelita Morillo (District 3) and Candace Avalos (District 1) voting no.

Avalos, who chairs the Housing Committee, used her time to explain a vote that had drawn public speculation. Her concern, she said, "was never whether communities of color deserve investments" but "always about how we make these decisions" (00:45:07). She said an amendment adopted the prior week moved the dollars away from a social housing funding source she had opposed, but that "the broader concerns I've raised about the process remain." Morillo made a parallel argument: "if council is going to act as a grant-making body, we need to have all the same information that a grant-giving body would have" (00:50:41), and said she had voted no on projects lacking a pro forma, including Broadway Corridor and Hacienda.

Smith urged passage, saying she had pushed the funding since January before it was "permanently tabled indefinitely." She said Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) "dropped an amendment to take them out. That was wrong, and he apologized for that, and I accepted his apology" (00:55:03), and rejected the framing of the council as a grant-maker: "We are appropriators and policymakers" (00:56:29). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) cited a 29% Black-white homeownership gap, "the highest that the census ever recorded," and said the amendment preserved the city's planned social housing investment. Pirtle-Guiney pushed back on the idea that social housing and these projects had been artificially pitted against each other: "we're not, we're not buying that, folks" (01:01:13). Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) said he had opposed the Broadway Corridor project in his own district and supported it only once it was funded from the Westside urban-renewal fund rather than rent-assistance dollars (01:03:21).

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Portland City Council Work Session FY2026-27 Adopted Budget 6/3/26, Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

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The Housing and Permitting Committee voted 5-0 to send Regulatory Improvement Code Amendment Package 11 to the full City Council with a recommendation to pass, after Vice Chair Mitch Green moved to strip out its shelter-expansion provisions and then withdrew the motion (02:59:54). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) presided; Green (District 4) was vice chair.

Shelter caps drive the RECAP debate

The 56-amendment package, introduced by Mayor Keith Wilson through the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, is described by staff as technical code maintenance. Most of the committee's time went to one provision, MP-14, which raises the number of individual shelter units allowed by right in various zones so that outdoor shelters built during the housing emergency can keep operating after it expires in October 2027.

Sandra Wood, the bureau's code development manager, said the amendment drew the most public attention, with many of 36 online comments concerning the Multnomah Safe Rest Village. Lucas Pollock, vice chair of the Planning Commission, told the committee the commission voted unanimously on October 28 to recommend adoption but cut the commercial-zone cap from a staff-proposed 200 units to 100 in response to neighbors, leaving a net increase from the current 60 units (02:06:45).

Green said 100 was still too high. Citing a Portland State University study he circulated to the committee, he said the ideal village size is "somewhere between 25 and 30," with about 60 as an upper bound (02:44:20), and moved to strike MP-14 entirely; Avalos seconded. Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) opposed, saying the organization Cultivate Initiatives had pointed him to Austin's Community First Village of several hundred residents as a model and that he did not want to "use the land use system to make operational decisions" (02:51:20).

Staff and the Planning Commission chair, Steph Routh, described the choice as difficult. Routh said 200 "was too much too far" and "Was 100 the correct answer? I'm not entirely sure, honestly" (02:41:03). BPS Director Eric Engstrom said staff were "trying not to use the land use code to dictate their operational choices."

The decisive point was what striking MP-14 would do to existing sites. City planner JP McNeil said that in industrial and employment zones, self-governed villages including Dignity Village, North Portland Road and Clinton Triangle would have to seek a conditional use review when the emergency ends, and could be forced to close if denied (02:47:28). Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) called that "a big red flag" and said she could not support the wholesale change. Green then reversed course: "I'm going to withdraw my amendment actually. I've been moved by the discussion" (02:58:13), saying he worried villages "I care deeply about" could be "kicked out because then they lost a by-right place to be." Avalos, as seconder, agreed to withdraw, and the committee referred the full package unchanged.

No one signed up for oral testimony at the committee; eight pieces of written testimony had arrived by noon.

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A Portland City Council committee took no final votes Tuesday, holding presentations on gun violence and 911 call reassignment and continuing an ordinance that would make personal use of naturally occurring psychedelics the city's lowest law-enforcement priority.

The Community and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Councilor Steve Novick (District 3), heard three items. Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) served as vice chair. Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) and Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) attended from the start; Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) arrived at 10:01.

Ceasefire program and gun violence

Novick read Mayor Keith Wilson's proclamation marking Gun Violence Awareness Month before a panel from the Office of Violence Prevention, Portland Police Bureau, and community organizations described the Ceasefire strategy, launched in July 2023.

Sierra Ellis, the Ceasefire program manager, laid out a strategy focused on a small number of people. Asked by Novick how many Portlanders are at risk of committing or being harmed by gun violence at any point, Ellis said "a few hundred people" (01:09:37). Franz Schaning, Assistant Chief for the Investigations Branch, tied a post-pandemic spike in shootings to 2020 budget cuts and the disbanding of the Gun Violence Reduction Team, with a 2022 peak (00:35:29).

Jason Hubert, coordinator for the Crisis Response Team, said the bureau had a homicide the morning of the meeting and described working alongside Marvin Young, a former adversary. "Back in the day, Marvin and I didn't see eye to eye. I wore this uniform, Marvin wore another uniform," Hubert said (00:40:09), adding, "We don't get a pat on the back, but we do it because we love our community" (00:41:09). Young, executive director of Nurture Outreach Services, said his organization serves 70 individuals — 25 through street outreach and 45 through referrals (00:47:22).

Smith pressed Jahad Hudson of HELP Inc., which runs a 15-youth summer cohort, on service gaps. Hudson said cuts to wraparound supports were limiting success: "things are being cut and some things are not being addressed" (01:05:27).

Shifting welfare-check calls to Portland Street Response

A working group of the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC), Portland Street Response (PSR), the Police Bureau, and the Public Safety Service Area presented a study of welfare-check calls, an effort Novick initiated last year. Nick McDonald, a performance analyst, said the group reviewed about 3,000 such calls over a two-month period.

The city fields about 23,000 welfare checks a year (01:23:24). Staff estimated roughly 14,000 could shift to Portland Street Response and about 8,600 stay with police, over a phased transition of about four years (01:35:28). Calls in private buildings formed the largest category at 9,400 (01:23:24) — a result Novick said reversed his prior assumption that most welfare checks involved people lying on sidewalks (01:50:35). Interim PSR Program Manager April Roa said the 14,000 figure would nearly double PSR's 2025 volume of 15,000 calls, after the program hired and promoted 22 people this fiscal year.

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The Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole referred the mayor's Urban Forestry Commission appointments to the full City Council on a 10-0 vote, recommending acceptance (01:38:39). It also referred a slate of Sustainability and Climate Commission appointments, and Chair Sameer Kanal (District 2) previewed months of coming business, including the Moda Center.

Urban Forestry Commission appointments referred

Interim Parks and Recreation Director Sonia Szymanski presented three new members — Paula Byrd, Jeff Donovan and Taiwo Kodre — and three reappointments: Adrian Feldstein, Leah Plack and Melinda McMillan. The commission is an 11-member volunteer body advising on Portland's trees, and Szymanski said the slate, if seated, would fill three vacancies and fully roster it.

Donovan, a natural resource economist and former U.S. Forest Service researcher, told the committee "there is no more cost-effective policy lever available to you than planting and retaining trees." Pressed by Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) on whether removing trees is ever appropriate, Donovan answered "Absolutely," citing trees threatening a house's foundations or planted in the wrong spot. He anchored his case on a study of Friends of Trees planting and longevity, saying every dollar spent returned $1,727 in improved-health benefits (01:01:26).

Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) said he supported the new appointees but had "pause" with the reappointments, and pushed all of them on how they would behave on the board: "there are two types of cultures... There's the type who kind of is rubber stamp... And then there's the type who stand firm." He tied it to Title 11 of the tree code, which he said needs fixes, singling out the requirement to get a permit for a tree that has already fallen: "There may be nothing that strikes Portlanders as more asinine than the need to get a permit for a tree removal after it already fell down" (01:23:10). Reappointee McMillan, an architect and landscape architect, said the commissioners "don't agree with each other 80% of the time" and "will never just say yes." Byrd, interim executive director at the Rosewood Initiative, said she was there for the community: "I'm not here for my own personal gain."

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) urged the commission to add members with land-development experience and to coordinate with the Design Review board. Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) raised long-term tree-maintenance costs for low-income homeowners and renters, and Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) asked how the commission could help produce economic impact statements. Szymanski said Parks is reviewing the commission's tree-removal appeals role through a Title 11 amendment project, with proposed amendments due for public review next spring and recommendations to council next fall. The motion by Novick, seconded by Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), passed 10-0, with Councilors Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) and Jamie Dunphy (District 1) absent.

Sustainability and Climate Commission appointments referred

Chief Sustainability Officer Vivian Satterfield and Coordinator Elaine Viska-Livingstone presented the mayor's slate for the youth cohort: reappointment of Celeste Ruiz, new youth members Christian Flores, Alma Valls and Shubh Narayan, youth alternate Giovanni Vaz, and at-large alternate Ben Hodgson. Six prospective commissioners spoke in person, by video or online.

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The council voted 11-1 to advance $2.5 million for two Black-led homeownership developments in North and Northeast Portland to a second reading, after amending the ordinance to draw the money from a construction excise tax fund instead of a social housing fund (02:30:38).

$2.5 million for Black homeownership

Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) introduced the appropriation for Self-Enhancement Inc. and the Williams and Russell Community Development Corporation, describing it as "repairing harm" tied to the displacement of Black Portlanders. Smith said Black homeownership in the Portland area runs about 25 to 28 percent against 57 percent for white residents (01:06:34). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) moved an amendment—co-sponsored with Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) and Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1)—to change the funding source from the revolving loan and social housing acquisition fund to the Construction Excise Tax subfund (01:35:02). Deputy City Administrator Donny Oliveira told Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) the switch would have no material impact on the projects' timing (02:27:41).

The projects would build 49 homes through SEI's Ruby Mack Place in East Vanport and 20 townhomes through the Williams and Russell Knott Street project (02:32:20). Thirteen people signed up to testify. SEI CEO Trent Aldridge said the $1.5 million share would push affordability from 80 percent of area median income down to 70 or 65 percent, and cited a median homeowner net worth of $400,000 versus $10,400 for renters (01:17:48). Multnomah County Commissioner Shannon Singleton said Black households in the area earn an average income just over $44,000, less than half what white households make (01:32:50). A speaker for the Portland Democratic Socialists of America and a real estate broker, along with the Portland Metro Chamber, supported the amendment; most opposition to the original had been about the funding source rather than the projects.

Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) recalled "the many point of orders...flying between you and the council president" during the fight, and referenced "shenanigans that held this process hostage" (02:39:35). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) told Smith, "if I'm ever held hostage, I hope the negotiator is Loretta Smith" (02:39:35). The item returns June 3.

Ban on masked law enforcement passes 8-4

The council passed as amended an ordinance requiring identity verification and badge visibility and prohibiting facial coverings for those conducting law enforcement activities, on an 8-4 vote (03:42:48). Kanal, the primary sponsor, said "you have a right to know who's policing you" (03:38:07).

City Attorney Robert Taylor told Councilor Smith that under binding Ninth Circuit precedent the portion regulating federal masking "likely would be unconstitutional," though a severability clause would preserve the rest (03:29:34). Novick said there was "a high likelihood that this will be struck down in court" but that the cause justified the attempt (03:12:37). Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2) said the ordinance "will not allow us to unmask federal agents" barring a court miracle, and warned against letting "misinformation" set expectations Portland cannot meet (03:22:43). Council Vice President Olivia Clark (District 4) called the measure "very symbolic" and voted no (03:14:53).

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A Portland City Council committee referred an ordinance to strip the permit requirement for sidewalk sandwich boards to the full council on a 5-0 recommendation, after a longer session laying groundwork for a rideshare "take rate" policy that Uber and Lyft declined to appear for. The City Life Committee, chaired by Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), met May 26 and referred four ordinances to the full council; none is final.

Rideshare pay and fare transparency

The committee spent most of its time on a policy discussion, not a vote, about earnings standards for drivers of transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft. Pirtle-Guiney and Councilor Steve Novick (District 3) are developing a "take rate" — a set share of each passenger's fare going to the driver after taxes, tips and fees. Pirtle-Guiney said Lyft currently promises a 70/30 split (00:20:30). Councilors Angelita Morillo (District 3) and Jamie Dunphy (District 1) have joined the effort. Pirtle-Guiney said Uber and Lyft were invited to a panel and 00:29:44.

A drivers union coalition, Fair Rides Oregon, showed fare screenshots: a 28-minute, 17-mile ride cost a passenger $110 while the driver made $14 (00:41:43); another $110 ride paid the driver $46. Representatives said the Portland rate card pays drivers a $0.94 base fare, $0.70 a mile and $0.24 a minute, and that companies self-imposed an 80% pay floor around 2015-2017 (00:40:03). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) pressed on whether the disparities proved intent; a union representative said one low-paying trip was heavily surged with the surge not passed to the driver, and another began in Washington State, which regulates per-mile pay (00:42:31).

James Parrott, senior fellow at the Center for New York City Affairs, disputed an Uber-commissioned analysis. That study, by HRA, found Portland drivers took home $21.82 an hour after expenses; Parrott said his re-examination with Professor Michael Reich of UC Berkeley found the real figure was $12.05 an hour, because Uber understated expenses, omitted waiting time and counted tips as company pay (00:56:05). He said that is 24% below Portland's 2024 minimum wage of $15.95. He cited Gridwise data showing fares rose 9.6% from December 2024 to December 2025 while driver pay per trip rose 3.6%, and said Uber's net operating income climbed 50% in 2025.

Public testimony from drivers

Six people signed up for open comment, and rideshare drivers dominated. One driver of 13 years said Portland pays $0.70 a mile against Seattle's $1.63, San Francisco's $1.40 and New York City's $1.28, and below the federal driving allowance of 72.5 cents (00:12:08). He said Uber made $52 billion globally last year, an 18% increase, and its CEO made $39.4 million while drivers "struggle to make $200 a day" (00:13:28). Samuel Araya of District 3, a driver of more than 10 years, said he was deactivated over a background-check mistake and once received 80% of the fare (00:14:17). Angie Griegs, an eight-year driver, said she started at a set 80% but now sees the companies take "upwards of 80%" (00:49:57). Several people who signed up could not connect to Zoom and were invited to submit written testimony.

A child accompanied one union testifier; Zimmerman said he was "wondering if he could give us his scariest face because we were getting a lot of faces during that" (00:37:43).

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A Public Works Committee voted 5-0 to send an ordinance renaming Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard to Campesinos Boulevard to the full City Council with a recommendation to pass, waiving the city's usual street-renaming process (01:48:31). Councilor Loretta Smith (District 1) presided over the May 26 meeting; the agenda lists Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) as chair.

Renaming Chavez Boulevard

Smith, who co-sponsored the ordinance with Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), said the change "responds to serious community concerns regarding credible and substantiated revelations of abuse and violence attributed to Cesar Chavez while preserving the city's recognition of La Causa" (01:00:26). The measure waives certain code requirements so the city need not repeat the multi-year process used in the original renaming.

Members of the committee moved the item up on the agenda to accommodate a full room of testifiers. Marta Wembes, co-chair of the La Causa Committee, told the committee the earlier renaming process "was not being celebratory for many of us. It has been painful, hostile, and at times deeply traumatic" (01:03:09). Jose Manuel Romero, a committee co-chair, said the 2007-2010 effort collected over 5,000 petitions and won a 5-0 council vote in 2009, and that of more than 2,350 city streets, none had been named for a Latino before then (01:07:55). Reyna Lopez, president of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), and Anna Gonzalez Munoz of Latino Network also spoke in support.

Two residents opposed the process. Kyle Warner, who owns a home on Northeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard, objected to "waiving 5 of your own ordinances to fast-track this process" and cited a 2009 city poll in which residents opposed renaming 694 to 91 (01:37:11). Jerry Hansen said written testimony showed 97% of respondents wanted the street returned to its historic name, 39th, and called waiving the process "deeply undemocratic" (01:40:38). Koyama Lane said her office heard from more than 25 organizations supporting the renaming (01:45:30).

$235 million in sewer bonds

The committee voted 5-0 to refer an ordinance authorizing sewer revenue bonds producing net proceeds of up to $235 million for sewer system capital work (02:21:13). Deputy City Administrator for Public Works Priya Dhanapal said the Bureau of Environmental Services carries deferred maintenance of about $6.7 billion, the highest among public works bureaus, against a system with an estimated $28 billion asset replacement value. Debt Manager Matt Gierach said the issuance would be paired in October with a refinancing of the Series 2018A bonds, about $143 million outstanding, generating roughly $16 million in interest savings through 2038 (02:13:04).

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) asked about the interest rate; Gierach said the 5.4% figure was cushioned by about 100 basis points and real rates were closer to 4.4 to 4.5% (02:16:03). Asked by Smith about household impact, Public Utilities Director Ting Lu said the combined utility increase runs about $10 a month, with roughly $5 of that on the sewer side (02:19:23).

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Portland's City Council sent its roughly $8 billion-plus FY 2026-27 budget to state review on the third day of budget deliberations, after a marathon final session in which councilors fought to a string of 6-6 ties and passed a handful of last-minute restorations, including a $1 million cut to homeless encampment sweeps (00:28:34).

The budget cleared its final votes near 9:15 p.m. — the report as amended passed 11-1, with Council President Jamie Dunphy (District 1) abstaining because his wife works for Leach Botanical Garden, which received funding (03:16:20). The tax levies, including the city's permanent rate of $4.5707 per $1,000 of assessed value, passed 12-0 (03:18:09). The Prosper Portland budget passed 12-0 (03:19:41). Councilor Eric Zimmerman (District 4) noted the vote sends the budget to the Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission: "this is really like the beginning of the budget process" (03:16:00).

Sweeps cut and a clash over homelessness data

Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) moved to cut $1 million from the Impact Reduction Program's sweeps and redirect it to sanitation, hygiene and workforce programs. He argued the city consistently exceeds its budgeted sweep counts: in fiscal 2024 the target was 4,000 but the city did 6,738, and in fiscal 2025 it reached 8,303 (00:13:43). Mayor Keith Wilson opposed the cut, saying Portland offers "a safe bed for every person every night" at each removal and that tent camping downtown has dropped "by 75%" (00:18:23). Councilor Angelita Morillo (District 3) disputed his figures: "he has ample time to give a propaganda spiel with inaccurate data," citing OPB reporting that homelessness has risen (00:21:27). Councilor Sameer Kanal (District 2) put the IRP budget at about $15 million and called sweeping "an output" not an "outcome" (00:26:32). The cut passed 7-3 with two members absent, along with its companion budget note.

An Avalos proposal to set aside $1 million for homelessness system governance and transition planning failed twice on 6-6 ties (01:00:24). Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) framed it as accountability before the next budget. Zimmerman called it a "million-dollar layoff" to the Public Environment Management Office and said Multnomah County — not the city — is the homeless services provider. Councilor Dan Ryan (District 2) pressed Portland Solutions Director Skylar Brackenaff on the funding source and told Avalos, "So you're at the head of that program and you're not sure what that means?" (00:46:24).

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