 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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Old Town: 11 am-1 pm Friday, December 5th at District 4 Coalition Office, 434 NW Sixth Avenue #202.
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Arnold Creek Neighborhood Association: 6:30-7:30 pm Tuesday, January 13th on Zoom.
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Forest Park Neighborhood Association: 7-8:30 pm Tuesday, January 20th at Skyline Memorial Gardens, 4101 NW Skyline Boulevard.
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Marshall Park Neighborhood Association: 6-7 pm Thursday, February 12th on Zoom.
 ’Tis the season to get out and about! District 4 has so many holiday events coming up where we can come together as a community, support our arts organizations and small businesses, and celebrate this season of giving.
This weekend will feature tree lighting events in Multnomah Village and Eastmoreland, and Pioneer Courthouse Square will launch the annual lighting of Portland’s Public Menorah on December 14th.
Click here for compilations of other free and sliding-scale events as well as ticketed events across District 4.
 Last month I joined Governor Kotek, Mayor Wilson, and other leaders in celebrating the grand opening of Portland Art Museum’s Mark Rothko Pavilion.
As a member of City Council’s Arts and Economy Committee, I am thrilled about this $116 million investment in the heart of District 4 — the largest fundraising campaign for the arts in Oregon history!
Congratulations to Connection Campaign Co-Chair Alix Meier Goodman, Board of Trustees Chair Cyndi Maletis, and especially Arlene & Harold Schnitzer Director Brian Ferriso, who just started a new position at Dallas Museum of Art. Chuck Sams, who grew up on the Umatilla Indian Reservation and was the first Native American to serve as National Park Service Director, opened the ribbon-cutting ceremony with a blessing.
The Rothko Pavilion connects the museum’s two historic buildings, adding nearly 100,000 square feet of new or upgraded public and gallery space, including a dedicated gallery focused on Black art and experiences. The pavilion is named in honor of the renowned abstract artist who graduated from Lincoln High School and took classes at the museum’s art school.
 Last month I met with Pearl District Neighborhood Association President Bruce Studer and Executive Board Member Bill Truncali about progress and setbacks they’ve experienced in addressing homelessness and other public safety concerns.
We also checked out The Fields Park, which just reopened after a lengthy restoration project. Bruce worked tirelessly with Pacific Power to help find an eco-friendly sod, which was laid last month. Bill recently was honored at the 30th annual NW Examiner Community Awards with the Parks & Culture Award for his work to improve and activate parks. Thank you both for your leadership in the Pearl!
 Last month I met with constituents at Hillside Community Center. Thanks to the Hillside Neighborhood Association for helping to spread the word! Our wide-ranging conversation covered everything from property taxes to public safety to the need for support from Portland Parks & Recreation.
Designed in the 1940s by noted local architect Pietro Belluschi, the community center has served as the first location of Catlin Gabel School, then later as a Portland Art Association artists’ cooperative, and today it is leased to Lincoln Youth Soccer. Once slated for a townhouse development, in 1972 neighbors raised enough money to purchase the property, which was later transferred through the Oregon Parks Foundation to the City in 1974. Thank you for hosting us!
 This week Council passed an ordinance I introduced to allow the City to sell Sellwood Community House to the nonprofit organization that has been running it since 2019 — for only $1.
After the facility was closed because of a lack of resources to provide necessary maintenance, Friends of Sellwood Community House stepped in — and has since raised more than $2 million to fully renovate and rehabilitate it.
Every day, Sellwood Community House is bustling with children in preschool, seniors taking exercise classes, and so many other opportunities to connect. This is an example of what a successful public-private partnership looks like.
After the vote I congratulated Sellwood Community House Executive Director Ashley Murray (left) and Development Director Elizabeth Milner (right) along with Sonia Schmanski, Interim Director of Portland Parks & Recreation.
 New affordable housing has come to District 4!
Back in April I visited the construction site for Julia West House, a Permanent Supportive Housing community in the heart of downtown. This week Portland Housing Bureau staff joined local partners to celebrate its grand opening!
Developed in partnership with First Presbyterian Church, Julia West House is a 12-story high-rise featuring a cross-laminated timber structure, making it the tallest of its kind in Oregon. I’m excited to see this space come to life and the support it will bring to BIPOC and senior community members.
 Last month I toured GreenWay Recycling, a construction and demolition sorting and processing facility that recovers recyclable materials such as wood, metal, cardboard, and concrete. It’s tucked into a remediated brownfield on a Northwest Portland hillside.
CEO and Founder Terrell Garrett told me how GreenWay innovated during the pandemic, building much of its equipment in-house while implementing unique eco-friendly designs. In the true spirit of walking the talk, the company repurposed decades-old pieces from a Metro garbage transfer station and even concrete decks from the Sellwood Bridge reconstruction project.
It was a fascinating tour of an award-winning facility. Terrell’s leadership, creativity, and perseverance is a credit to our region!
 This week I attended the Portland Metro Chamber 2025 Economic Summit, which brought together policymakers with business, community, and academic leaders.
At the opening presentation, University of Oregon President Dr. Karl Scholz and Wisconsin economist Dr. Michael Knetter discussed economic trends and the impact of the AI “bubble.” They believe that, unlike Germany and Japan, the U.S. private sector has been investing in the economy of the future.
If consumer confidence remains steady, our economic outlook is good. However, federal policy initiatives such as tariffs, lack of immigration, and cuts to university research will hurt us in the long run.
 Since 1970, the Portland Trail Blazers have been a local institution of civic pride, joy, and economic activity. The combined economic impact of Rose Quarter events is more than $600 million each year, supporting nearly 6,000 jobs!
On a recent tour, my staff learned that the 30-year-old Moda Center ranks high among NBA arenas in need of comprehensive renovations to remain competitive in the league. The City has secured an agreement to keep the Blazers playing at Moda until at least 2030 and will continue the conversation about how to keep them in Portland even longer!
 Hurray for clean air!
Last month my staff supported Neighbors for Clean Air’s 15th anniversary Clean Air Gala, which honored local leaders making an impact on air quality and public health.
The 2025 Clean Air Champions included Celeste Ruiz, who started as a youth activist and continues to lead as a member of the City of Portland Sustainability and Climate Commission.
From right, my Communications and Engagement Director, Jimmy Radosta, is pictured here with Spencer Knowles, Chief of Staff to Councilor Steve Novick; Celeste; Neighbors for Clean Air Co-Executive Director Mary Peveto; and Sonrisa Cooper from the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.
 November was Native American Heritage Month, a time to honor our diverse and resilient Indigenous community members, colleagues, family, and friends while recognizing the barriers to equity that Native people continue to face in our society. As many as 11 tribes made their homes along the Columbia River in what we now call Portland and Multnomah County.
Across District 4 you can support Native-owned businesses and celebrate the region’s rich cultural diversity:
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Arthur W. Erickson Inc. is a cozy antique shop at 528 NW 12th Avenue specializing in American Indian artifacts.
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Revive Organic Salon is a Native-owned organic, ammonia-free, eco-friendly hair salon specializing in hair, skin, and nails. It’s located at 4460 SW Garden Home Road in Multnomah Village.
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Oregon Historical Society houses one of the largest photo archives west of the Mississippi, documenting the changing landscape of the West over the past two centuries. The museum is also home to a vast array of Native American basketry, beadwork, and carvings.
- At Portland Art Museum, you can view traditional carvings, basketry, paintings, and sculptures from tribes throughout the Northwest. The museum’s Native American Art Council hosts lectures and public displays by local and regional artists throughout the year.
 Do you live or work in South or Southwest Portland? The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability wants to hear from you by March 1st!
In 2026, the City is adding 150 new public trash cans throughout South and Southwest Portland. It is actively seeking feedback from people who live or work in these areas on where they should be located.
Cans can be placed on public sidewalks, including near businesses, schools, and intersections. They cannot be placed in parking lots or other private property.
The 65-gallon trash cans are 4.5 feet tall and take up a 3x3-foot space on the ground. In some cases, such as narrow sidewalks, a smaller 35-gallon trash can may be used.
The cans have a side attachment for deposit beverage bottles. The art on the outside of the new public trash cans will be designed by local artists, chosen in partnership with local arts groups.
 I started my career as an affordable housing advocate. I’m opposed to price-fixing and I’m distressed about rising rents, but I voted against a recent ordinance that came before Council because it’s a misplaced priority that should be taken up at the state level. As reported in OPB, at a time when we need more housing investment, I believe we would be sending the wrong message and incentivizing lawsuits against the City. I would rather see us continue to focus on streamlining our permitting and doing everything we can to spur housing development.
The New York Times columnist Meg Linehan ranks Portland as the 4th greatest women’s sports city — and she believes the spark starts in District 4: “When it’s a Thorns game day, you know it if you’re in downtown Portland. The Thorns still have a valid claim on the best game-day experience in the [National Women’s Soccer League], with the North End of Providence Park bringing some of the most impressive tifos and chants from the Rose City Riveters. ‘Portland really punches above its weight,’ Richard Deitsch wrote in his survey.”
Condé Nast Traveler highlights several District 4 destinations among “The Best Places to Go in the U.S. in 2026”! JD Shadel writes: “In a city with one of the continent’s most acclaimed food scenes … summer 2026 will bring yet another reason to celebrate the Willamette Valley’s bounty: the James Beard Public Market, which finally comes to life after more than a decade of planning starts and stops. The indoor-outdoor venue, filled with small-scale growers and producers, will be one to rival Seattle’s Pike Place. [And] the city’s soul remains intact — where else would a sprawling bookstore (Powell’s), an urban forest (Forest Park), and one of the country’s longest-running drag venues (Darcelle XV) rank among the top attractions?”
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