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Dear Portlanders,

In this first newsletter, I’m reflecting on my first two months as your City Councilor. It’s been an honor to carry your priorities, hopes, fears, and dreams with me as I’ve entered City Hall. My actions and decisions each day are guided by these questions: “How can I bring more Portlanders into government? How can I empower and lift up the voices of people who have historically not had access to City Hall?” I think this election was not just to change who in City Hall does governing, but to fundamentally change how governing is done. 

These first two months have been fast and furious and full, running the gamut from learning the lay of the land at City Hall to establishing the foundations of our council processes, passing key pieces of legislation, and navigating labor and budget crises. Here are some key achievements from the first 60 days of your new form of government: 

• At our very first Council meeting, we elected the first City Council President, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, and the first City Council Vice President, Tiffany Koyama-Lane.  

• We passed key revisions to the City Code about how the City Council will operate. I led the conversation among Council about our rules, guided by the principles of making City Hall easier for the public to access and dispersing power among your twelve duly elected Councilors.  

• We created City Council’s first ever committees and held our first committee meetings. I am incredibly proud to be co-chairing our Community and Public Safety Committee along with Councilor Novick, and to be serving on the Climate, Resilience and Land Use and Labor and Workforce Development Committees. I also plan to be closely engaged with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Governance Committee to ensure our rules and operations prioritize public involvement, transparency, and power-sharing.  

• We passed a supplemental budget to properly resource City Council for the accessibility and responsiveness you’ve demanded and that you deserve. If you emailed my office this last month and haven’t gotten a prompt response, that will change as we bring on additional staff to assist with constituent relations, outreach, and communications. 

• In demonstration of this Council’s solidarity with workers and commitment to changing the tone of the City’s relationship with our labor unions, we unanimously rescinded the City Attorney’s office's authority to file an Unfair Labor Practice complaint against AFSCME and sent a letter to Providence Oregon urging them to return to the bargaining table. I’m proud of this Council's work to support striking healthcare workers and assist in finding an agreement with AFSCME and DCTU to avoid labor strikes. 

• In a commitment to ensuring a public process around the Zenith LUCS application process, Council held a Work Session and Community Listening Session on January 21 where we heard from City bureaus, Zenith, climate activists, and community members impacted by Zenith’s activities in Portland.
  
  
• Portland joined a lawsuit against the Trump Administration to stand up for sanctuary cities. I am committed, as are Governor Kotek, Mayor Wilson, and Police Chief Bob Day, to preserving our sanctuary city status and protecting Portland’s immigrants and refugees. I’m meeting regularly with my colleagues in Council, the Office of Government Relations, and Portland Police Bureau leadership to ensure we are compliant with our sanctuary law and that we have accountability mechanisms.

These are some highlights, but of course there's much more — from participating in work sessions for Portland Solutions, Public Safety, Vibrant Communities, Public Works, Community and Economic Development, and the Mayor’s plan to end unsheltered homelessness, to attending swearings-in ceremonies for our city’s new firefighters and the Multnomah County Commission. I also regularly meet with Mayor Wilson to discuss how we'll work together to serve Portlanders.

This newsletter wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging the turmoil and fear caused by the first weeks of the Trump administration. Please know I’m working with my colleagues to track federal actions and impacts closely. This is a scary time, but we've never had City leadership more committed and equipped to protect our values and freedoms. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly with any concerns. 

Thank you for your dedication to our city.

With gratitude,
Sameer Kanal

Councilor.Kanal@portlandoregon.gov 

Events

I've been meeting with constituents at some great places across the district, like the Alberta Rose Theater, Peninsula Odd Fellows Lodge, and the NE Coalition of Neighborhoods' office. We'll be regularly updating my office's website as community events are added. Check out upcoming events below, and feel free to reach out if you'd like to organize an event in your neighborhood!

District 2 Town Hall

Join me for a District 2 Town Hall on Sunday, March 2 at 2:00 p.m. at the Council for Equity and Inclusion, 1801 NE Alberta St. Hear what the City Council is working on now and discuss the issues impacting your neighborhood during a Q&A. Refreshments will be provided!

City Council Meetings

City Council meetings are held on the first and third Wednesday of each month. The next meeting is March 5 at 9:30 a.m. Community members are welcome to attend the meeting in person at City Hall or view the live broadcast on YouTube. Agendas post on the City website the Friday before each meeting.

Committee Meetings

City Council Committees meet on the second and fourth week of the month. The next meetings are:

• Monday, March 10, 9:30 a.m.: Transportation and Infrastructure
• Monday, March 10, 12 p.m.: Finance
• Monday, March 10, 2:30 p.m.: Governance
• Tuesday, March 11, 9:30 a.m.: Arts and Economy
• Tuesday, March 11, 12 p.m.: Homelessness and Housing
• Tuesday, March 11, 2:30 p.m.: Community and Public Safety
• Thursday, March 13, 9:30 a.m.: Climate, Resilience, and Land Use
• Thursday, March 13, 12 p.m.: Labor and Workforce Development

Community members are welcome to attend meetings in person at City Hall or view the live broadcast on YouTube. Committee agendas post the Thursday before the meeting.

Neighborhood Association Meetings

The City of Portland posts upcoming neighborhood association meetings on its website. See when your neighbors are gathering this month and view construction and maintenance updates for your area!

Public Opportunities

Volunteer for the Community Board for Police Accountability

Applications are now open for the Community Board for Police Accountability (CBPA), a newly created board approved by voters which gives Portlanders the opportunity to be part of the police oversight process. The CBPA will make recommendations about Portland Police Bureau practices and policies, investigate reported misconduct and impose appropriate discipline. Apply today! Applications close Monday, April 14 at 5:00 p.m.

Volunteer for the Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policing

The City is seeking volunteers to join the Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policing (PCCEP), a community-led board that will advise the Mayor and the Portland Police Bureau, independently assess the City of Portland’s Settlement Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and develop policies and assess PPB community engagement efforts. It's important that a broad cross-section of our Portland community is represented on this committee! If you want to help our city government make better public safety decisions, please consider applying.

Volunteer for the Focused Intervention Team Community Oversight Group

The Focused Intervention Team Community Oversight Group (FITCOG) works with the Commissioner-in-Charge of the Portland Police Bureau, PPB leadership and the Focused Intervention Team to understand, provide oversight and make recommendations to the city's efforts to reduce gun violence in Portland. FITCOG needs five new members who want to serve their community and tackle the issue of gun violence in our city.