 I’m dedicating time to meet with District 4 constituents both virtually and in their own neighborhoods — to hear what’s on your mind and to provide information on a variety of issues. You can find all of my event listings here.
An asterisk (*) indicates a neighborhood association meeting where I have been invited to speak. Please save these dates:
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Sellwood: 11am-1pm Friday, November 7th at Sellwood Community House, 1436 SE Spokane Street.
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Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association: 7-9pm Thursday, November 20th in Room 416 of Eliot Hall at Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Boulevard.
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Hillside: 11 am-1 pm Friday, November 21st at Hillside Community Center, 653 NW Culpepper Terrace.
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Old Town: 11 am-1 pm Friday, December 5th at District 4 Coalition Office, 434 NW Sixth Avenue #202.
 Last month I spoke with KATU at the Ankeny West Food Carts about the changing face of our downtown core as well as my hopes and dreams for the neighborhood and the progress of Portland as a whole.
Steve Dunn, who is retiring at the end of the year, has been following the neighborhood once a month since April. Click here to watch A Year in Downtown: The Halfway Point.
 Last month I met with Portland-area hospitality leaders, mostly hotel general managers and restaurant owners, who are members of the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA).
ORLA is the leading business association for the state’s food service and lodging industry. The trade organization represents close to 3,000 members and advocates for more than 11,300 food service locations and more than 2,000 lodging establishments.
We discussed their hopes for increased tourism and foot traffic and celebrated some recent successes. This summer Portland hosted its largest convention ever when 7,000 people from the National Education Association came to the City of Roses!
 Last month I had the opportunity to meet with the team at Southwest Community Center, located in the heart of the Vermont Hills neighborhood. Our conversation covered a range of topics from its recreation schedule and staffing challenges to its childcare offerings.
For years, I attended exercise classes when I lived in Hillsdale. It’s a great community resource with dedicated staff. If you live nearby, check it out!
 Last month we had a record-setting turnout for our constituent happy hour in Eastmoreland! It was a robust give-and-take conversation about a host of issues, from taxes to housing to federal overreach in District 4.
Special thanks to Eastmoreland Golf Course Bar & Grill for hosting us and to Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association for helping to get the word out! I'll be attending their next meeting on November 20th; you can find details at Eastmorelandpdx.org.
 Last month I toured both of the downtown Portland Farmers Markets with Executive Director Katy Kolker and her staff. I learned a great deal about how local food is sourced and how the market operates and supports food access through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The market also strengthens the farmer-chef connection. Local restaurateurs from Higgins, Coopers Hall, Han Oak, Canard, and many others purchase food directly here!
In addition, the market gives back to the community. Board Member Francis Kungu told me how his Kenyan coffee business worked with a Portland State University department called Student Work to help rebrand his company from “Exilior” to “Fire Lily” — a learning experience for the students and a marketing boost for Francis!
It was also great to meet Board Member Holly Ong, who co-founded SiBeiHo, a startup dedicated to sharing the rich flavors of her Singaporean family recipes with locally sourced ingredients. She is a passionate community builder and believes in the power of food to bring people together.
🍎 Shemanski Park Farmers Market is open 10am to 2pm every Wednesday from May through October at Southwest Park Avenue and Main Street. The season is now closed, but don’t miss the annual Shemanski Park Harvest Festival on November 26th!
🌽 Portland State University Farmers Market is open 8:30am to 2pm every Saturday all year long at Southwest Park Avenue and Montgomery Street. A typical summer market will draw up to 9,000 shoppers to browse as many as 100 vendor stalls! I took full advantage of my visit purchasing honey, veggies, and lunch!
 Last month I was a proud sponsor of The Street Trust’s Alice Awards, an annual benefit to celebrate champions for the future of transportation!
This year’s honorees included State Representatives Susan McLain of Forest Grove and Mark Gamba of Milwaukie, who were key in getting the state transportation package passed.
 Portland City Council recently held an event for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. My mother survived breast cancer, so I know firsthand about the lifesaving importance of early detection, equitable access to care, and the power of community support.
The program featured Dr. Alexandra Zimmer of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, a representative from the American Cancer Society, and Pink Lemonade Project CEO Susan Stearns. I was especially touched to hear from youth advocate Nikhil Surya, whose mother, Deputy City Administrator for Public Works Priya Dhanapal, is a breast cancer survivor.
“I cannot imagine my life without my mom,” Nikhil said. “And thanks to awareness and early detection, I don’t have to. This is why I’m committed to transforming awareness into action and hope into healing for our entire community.”
 Did you know that Portland has a higher density of art galleries than any city on the entire West Coast?
Last month I met the founder of Elizabeth Leach Gallery, which has been serving the Pearl District since 1981! Elizabeth is part of the Oregon Alliance of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, which recently compiled Cultural Corridor and Beyond: Portland’s Art Map. This guide highlights the locations of museums, galleries, emerging art spaces, private institutional collections, and cultural venues in the heart of the city and its neighborhoods. You can pick up a copy at arts and culture venues around town, print a copy here, or download the map app here.
Elizabeth told me that every dollar spent on arts generates $5 for the local economy. She says big plans are under way for next summer’s “We Play for Portland” arts and sports coalition to celebrate the arrival of the Portland Fire women’s basketball team. When fans are attracted to the city’s core for games, shows, and cultural events, our restaurants, hotels, and retailers will also benefit.
 Last month my team joined Governor Kotek and other leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new live music performance venue at Lloyd Center. This three-story, 68,000-square-foot venue will welcome up to 4,000 guests and create 17 full-time jobs — and it is fully financed with private dollars.
I’m thrilled about this project! It will be a game-changer for Portland’s live music scene and a catalyst for revitalizing the Lloyd business district. Congratulations to Monqui Presents and AEG on this exciting new chapter for our city!
 Last month I met with Doug Whyte, Executive Director at The Hollywood Theatre, to discuss his ambitious plans for next year’s centennial celebration!
His team envisions a “Hollywood Film District,” a neighborhood that will draw movie lovers together from the Pacific Northwest region and beyond. As you may have read recently in Spin, the campaign has already been endorsed by actresses including Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, and Natalie Portman and directors like Sean Baker, Todd Haynes, and Gus Van Sant!
Once completed, the film district will include:
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The Hollywood Theatre, a renovated moviehouse that ranks among the nation’s top venues for rare screenings, festivals, and classes
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Movie Madness, a nonprofit video rental shop and museum of film history that boasts one of the nation’s largest publicly accessible film archives
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Bar Hollywood, a David Lynch movie-themed bar
- Offices for Oregon Film and independent filmmakers like Kelly Reichardt
Lights, camera, action!
 Last week my office stopped by Stickers Asian Cafe to celebrate Filipino American History Month. This family-run restaurant has served the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood since 1998. Owner Cham Murrell says their homemade dumpling recipes come from the province of Pampanga (the food capital of the Philippines). Check out Stickers at 6808 SE Milwaukie Avenue!
Here are some other Filipino American-owned District 4 businesses:
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Hunny Beez: Try the chicken adobo wings at this Filipino fusion restaurant across from Portland Art Museum at 1434 SW Park Avenue.
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Pamana: Meaning “legacy” or “heritage” in Tagalog, Pamana is located inside The Hoxton, an Old Town boutique hotel at 15 NW Fourth Avenue. It serves Filipino American fare (from the duo behind the Baon Kainan food cart).
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P-Dinh Finishing Bindery: Founded in 1998 by Phillip Dinh, this Northwest District business at 2952 NW Yeon Avenue specializes in handcrafted items like custom boxes, book covers, game boards, and menus.
 Last month I stopped by Portland State University for Catrinas Rising, a colorful event gearing up for Day of the Dead showcasing music and dancing from diverse states of Mexico including Jalisco and Oaxaca.
 Willamette Week reported on a City Council work session that I arranged last month to bring “greater sensitivity” about how downtown businesses are impacted by our property tax structure. As I told reporter Anthony Effinger, “It’s really important that people understand how local government is funded if we’re going to pay for the programs that people want throughout the city.”
I also spoke to Willamette Week about a Socialist-led pledge regarding local involvement in the Israeli military. While I am gravely concerned about the Middle East, our city is facing a budget deficit, homelessness, and a backlog of needs. I firmly believe that Council must focus our attention on issues confronting Portland, not on international affairs.
The New York Times previewed Portland Art Museum’s $116 million renovation and expansion, which officially opens at noon November 20th, kicking off four days of free admission and activities. (None of it was financed with long-term debt!) “How does a museum come back from the brink?” Ted Loos writes. “At a time when many museums are struggling with finances, given inflation and visitors who are slow to return post-pandemic, other institutions may be watching Portland’s experience closely.”
Finally, as the Trump administration’s overreach plays out in court, I agree with Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney’s clear message in USA Today: “Though the threat of troop deployment is scary, this moment has also catalyzed something exciting: an explosion of Portland pride…. Trump’s wildly distorted characterization, which threatens to re-create our city’s narrative, has unified Portlanders in rejecting these false narratives…. The burst of Portland pride we’re witnessing isn’t just a response to Trump’s threats. It’s a reminder of who we’ve always been.”
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