September (and back-to-school season) is here! After a two-week recess, City Hall is gearing back up for another full month of committee and council meetings. The highlight of my August by far was the D1 People’s Picnic at Parklane Park! Seeing neighbors come together to share food, music, and community resources reminded me why I ran for Council in the first place: to bring City Hall closer to East Portland and uplift our community’s voice in city decisions. Let’s get into the rest of my August!

Candace at Work

Upcoming Educational Trip to Vienna

As you might have seen, I will be traveling to Vienna to learn more about social housing as part of a cohort that includes Councilor Dunphy, Councilor Green, and staff from the Portland Housing Bureau. On the trip we’ll be able to talk with experts and see Vienna’s social housing firsthand, and we’ll use that information to better understand how we make social housing work in Portland. This is part of the project that touched off after council unanimously passed the social housing resolution I led with Councilor Green.

Social housing is a model where housing is owned and managed by the public or non-profit entities with a focus on affordability and community benefit. Social housing is permanently affordable because there are systems in place to prevent the land and buildings from being sold on the private market.

Around 60% of Vienna’s population lives in social housing, and they spend far less of their income on rent when compared to Portland. More than 50% of Portland households are cost-burdened by rent, and 25% are paying over half their income on housing. The scale of the homelessness and housing crisis means policymakers need to consider every possible tool, including social housing.

Recently during door knocking, I spoke with a young father of four who lost his job and was facing eviction. These are the real East Portlanders who are being harmed because our previous approach to housing wasn’t good enough, and it’s why I’m going on this trip. Our city needs real, proven solutions and Vienna offers one successful model that we can draw from. I will be working with Councilor Green and Councilor Dunphy to share everything we learned about social housing in Vienna.

Council Restructuring Conversations

In August, Council met several times to talk about how we can restructure council and committees to better serve Portlanders. As I stated at the dais, we instituted this new form of government to increase the people’s representation. Our proposals to change council and committees should always be centered on increasing the people’s voice in our chambers, but unfortunately there were some that fell short of that goal. We debated several proposals, including how often evening meetings are held, how quickly items move from committee to full council, and how leadership roles within committees are structured. I am frustrated that we weren’t able to fully make the updates council needed in August. Even though these conversations are uncomfortable and hard, the current structure isn’t working. There’s no way around it, only through it. The changes we considered may sound procedural, but they directly affect how quickly and effectively city government can act on the issues that matter most to East Portland, and whose voices are included in the process. The proposal I led with Councilors Kanal and Dunphy to move to weekly meetings passed unanimously, and I’ll keep pushing for a structure that prioritizes public access and accountability.

Supporting Preschool for All

I attended a Preschool for All town hall in East Portland where parents, caregivers, and community members spoke about the difference affordable, high-quality early childhood education makes for them. Childcare is too expensive for families and many childcare workers — who are often Black and Brown women —  make less than a living wage. Preschool for All helps fix a childcare system that isn’t working for anyone. You might have seen some arguments that Multnomah County needs to make changes to Preschool for All because high taxes are driving people out of Portland. For one, the research and the data simply doesn’t back those claims up. And as one preschool teacher at the town hall said, “there is nothing more valuable than being able to give kids access to a nurturing environment in their formative years. We have a responsibility to fully fund this program, not give tax breaks to the wealthy." East Portland is home to more families and kids than any other part of town. Helping make Preschool for All a reality for all Portland families is always going to be more important to me than helping people who are already well-off save a little more on their taxes.

On the True Cost of Police Settlements

In August, City Council voted unanimously to approve a $3.75 million settlement to the estate of Immanueal “Manny” Clark. Manny was shot in the back by a PPB officer with an AR-15 while he was running away, after PPB followed his vehicle because they thought it matched the description of a vehicle involved in an earlier armed robbery. Manny was unarmed, and it took 25 minutes for Manny to receive first aid.

During the council meeting we heard conflicting accounts about what the responding officers knew and the timeline of events. I was disturbed by the inconsistencies of the testimony we heard but most of all I was disturbed that Manny paid the ultimate price because of the lack of progress to create true accountability in our public safety system.

I do not understand, and I will never understand how shooting someone in the back could be found to be “in policy.” When I served on the Citizen’s Review Committee, I saw firsthand how the standards in place meant we often deferred to the police officer’s perspective instead of diving into the nuance and complexity of police misconduct cases. We have a responsibility to build a comprehensive public safety system where law enforcement is held accountable. We owe it to Manny, his family, and all the Portlanders who have been treated unfairly by our city.  

How to Help Your Immigrant Loved Ones and Neighbors

Trump’s dangerous mass deportation agenda can be overwhelming to think about. It can be scary and frustrating to see the stories of Oregon families separated, or wildland firefighters detained while protecting Northwest communities. But Portlanders are fighting back, and we’re getting wins.

I attended a Migra/ICE Watch Training taught by the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) in August and the room was packed full. We learned more about how to identify and verify the presence of ICE, how to contribute to PIRC’s rapid response network, and the rights we all have if ICE interacts with you. The work of PIRC and other legal defense and immigrant rights organizations have helped stop the deportations of Portlanders.

If you see ICE or if you know someone who’s been detained, call the PIRC hotline:
1-888-622-1510. Make sure you’re using the CLEAR model (Count, Location, Equipment, Activity, and Report Time) when you call. PIRC also has started a WhatsApp channel to share verified information about ICE and federal agent activities.

Candace Call to Action: Thrive East PDX is partnering with PIRC and East Portland Collective to hold a free Know Your Rights training in East Portland, on Saturday, Sep. 6, from 2-4pm. Visit their website for more information and to RSVP for the address.

We keep each other safe. The Trump administration wants to scare us into compliance, but being informed and being in community is how we stand up for our immigrant and refugee neighbors. As the representative of Portland’s largest immigrant and refugee communities, I will use every power I have to protect East Portlanders from Trump’s cruel agenda.

I Want to Hear From You on Gateway

I understand that many East Portlanders are concerned about the future of Gateway, especially since it seems like there’s been a lack of progress with the Gateway TIF district. I’ve been meeting with Prosper, Councilors Dunphy and Smith, the mayor, and hearing from community members with ideas on how we can revitalize the neighborhood in a way that reflects what East Portland wants.

My office is planning a community listening session on Gateway and a date will be announced soon.

Candace Call To Action: If you would like to be contacted with more information about the listening session and any future opportunities to offer feedback on Gateway, you can fill out this form.

Candace in Community

The First-Ever D1 People’s Picnic

East Portland, my heart is still so full from our first-ever D1 People’s Picnic. Despite the heat, neighbors came out in droves. More than 300 East Portlanders showed out to enjoy free food, music, and each other’s company in the newly improved Parklane Park.

I heard from many of you at the Picnic that East Portland doesn’t have enough free community events and as one of your three new city councilors for District 1, I want to change that. Creating more spaces for us to gather, connect, and celebrate together is part of how we make our neighborhoods stronger.

I’ll be sending out a special edition of the newsletter because there’s a lot about the D1 People’s Picnic I want to talk about. You’ll learn about the activities, the food vendors, tabling partners, community bulletin board, D1 People’s Choice Awards, Honorable East Portlander, and much more!

A big thank you to everyone who made the D1 People’s Picnic possible —DJ Chaach, Olive Rootbeer, our local food vendors, and the many community organizations who tabled and shared resources. And most of all, thank you to everyone who came out and made this first picnic a big success!

How I’m Reaching East Portland

East Portland has a long history of being ignored by City Hall. This isn’t news to the people who live in our part of town, and it’s why I take it so seriously that I intentionally show East Portlanders how I’m working for them. That means consistently showing up for community, not just showing off what I’m doing when it’s convenient.

Most people think of door knocking as a campaign season strategy, but during my Constituent Days I specifically block off hours for door knocking in the neighborhood I’m visiting. The hundreds of East Portlanders I’ve spoken with have really opened up about what’s happening in their neighborhood once they understand that I’m not looking for a vote, I’m looking to hear from them.

During my Lents Constituent Day, I was joined for door knocking by OPB’s Alex Zielinski, who is writing a series about how East Portland neighborhoods are experiencing representation in our new form of government. As she wrote, just me showing up at the doorstep of a Lents resident is a “simple interaction [that] defies more than a century of history in Portland.”

I advocated for city charter reform, and I ran for office because it shouldn’t be a news story when an elected representative tries to reach out to her constituents. I’m going to keep looking for ways to meet East Portlanders where they’re at, so please keep an eye out for future community engagement opportunities that I’m working with my team on!

Uplifting Black Entrepreneurs at Pitch Black

Pitch Black is one of Portland’s most beloved events celebrating Black Business Month. At a time when diversity and equity are under attack, I left Pitch Black energized and rejuvenated because I spent an evening in the company of Oregonians who understand why we need to support and invest in Black-owned businesses.

We heard pitches from a wide range of business owners, and everyone who presented was able to connect how their entrepreneurship tied to the larger mission of uplifting Black voices and Black communities. For me, the winning presenter was able to show exactly how the Pitch Black investment would level up his business, and it was the business where the first-place investment would make the most difference.

Congratulations again to the team behind Let ‘Em Cook for taking home the first-place prize funding, and to all the founders who pitched! Let’s keep supporting Black-owned businesses beyond Black Business Month.

Joining the Annual Labor Day Picnic

At the 125th annual NW Oregon Labor Council Labor Day Picnic, I gathered with local leaders and union members to celebrate the holiday and remember the history behind the traditions. Labor Day became a holiday because workers organized and fought for a day that they could spend in the company of friends and family, instead of at the workplace. Overtime benefits, a 40-hour work week, minimum wage, and all the other rights and benefits we sometimes take for granted on the job exist only because people were willing to work together toward the collective good. When workers are being threatened by billionaires, wealthy corporations, and their cronies in the current administration, we have to remind ourselves that there’s a whole lot more of us in Oregon that aren’t going to sit back. One of the first things I did as a city councilor was joining a practice picket organized by members of AFSCME Local 189 who were negotiating a new contract with the city. It matters to me that I use my platform to elevate and stand in solidarity with workers, because that hasn’t always been the position of City Hall politicians.

Candace in City Hall

Housing & Homelessness Committee

The Homelessness and Housing Committee dug into some important topics that impact East Portland and the whole city. Mayor Wilson joined us to share updates on the rollout of new overnight shelters and how the city is handling daytime camping rules. We also talked through the impacts of President Trump’s new federal executive order on homelessness. While it won’t immediately change things here in Portland, we’re keeping a close eye on how it might affect grants and federal funding.

I appreciate that the mayor recognized the Unified Housing Strategy, which I spearheaded with Councilor Dunphy. This strategy is about building a more coordinated, thoughtful approach to homelessness and housing — from emergency shelter to long-term stability.

We also moved forward the first phase of the Code Alignment Program introduced by Councilor Dunphy and Councilor Morillo. The Code Alignment Program will help untangle Portland’s complicated permitting system and make it quicker and more predictable for folks who are building housing and other projects. Council recently passed the first phase of the Code Alignment Program to a second reading after it was advanced out of committee, and I’ll be co-leading the next package of updates.

Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee

At the latest Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee meeting, we heard a presentation discussing Portland’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan, which shapes the ways our city grows over the next decade. The presentation covered the state and regional planning framework, growth trends, and past and current examples of city building. We also learned more about climate-friendly active transportation programs and policies in our city. The next committee meeting will be on Thursday, September 11^th from 9:30 – 11:30 am.

Finance Committee

In the Finance Committee, we heard presentations on the Internal Service Fund project and revenue reporting. The Internal Service Fund project is intended to make the city’s internal service rate processes more transparent, consistent, and efficient for service providers, customers, and decision makers. For example, if one bureau orders mailers from Printing & Distribution they shouldn’t be confused about how that order gets billed or be shocked at the total cost. The revenue reporting presentation from Chief Financial Officer Jonas Biery included an overview of how revenue is tracked and reported, as well as transparency measures the city is taking. The next Finance committee meeting is on September 8th, 12:00 – 2:00 pm.

Upcoming Meetings

You can find all the upcoming City Council and committee meetings here . The City Council now meets every week. All meetings are held virtually via Zoom and in-person at City Hall. You can sign up to testify here or call 311.

In solidarity,

Candace Avalos