 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. Please save these dates:
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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.
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Downtown Neighborhood Association: 5:45-7:45pm Tuesday, February 24th at Central Library, 801 SW 10th Avenue.
 Downtown has decked the halls for holiday shoppers!
🎄 Have you seen the holiday tree at Pioneer Courthouse Square? It is a Douglas fir — grown on sustainable forestlands in rural Washington County. At 75 feet tall, it weighs 9,000+ pounds, adorned with 9,500 multicolored LED lights.
🏰 Be sure to see the amazing gingerbread village at Benson Hotel! For 30+ years, architect and professional pastry chef, David Diffendorfer, has transformed 150+ pounds of homemade gingerbread, 50 pounds of marzipan, 20 pounds of chocolate, 10 pounds of Rice Krispies treats, and buckets of royal icing into a show-stopping masterpiece. This year’s creation is titled “Royal Palace of Oz.”
🚂 Remember the Meier & Frank monorail of 50+ Christmas seasons? The caboose of the Louden Supertrack Santaland Monorail has returned to the former department store. Built in Fairfield, lowa, it is thought to be the only one existing from the 26 originals.
Remember: SmartPark is sponsoring another free parking weekend on December 20 and 21. This is a great time to dine out while supporting our small businesses and arts organizations!
 “The message of the menorah is always that a little light dispels a lot of darkness. Our goal tonight is to share that message, strong, with more resolve than ever — that light is stronger than darkness, and that the light of the menorah will never, ever, ever go out.”
Those are the words of Rabbi Motti Wilhelm, the director of Chabad of Southwest Portland, after this week’s tragic shooting in Sydney. It was an honor to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community for the lighting of Portland’s Public Menorah at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
The public is invited to join this Hanukkah celebration every day through Sunday. For the schedule, go to thesquarepdx.org/event.
 Let’s end the year with a (muted) bang!
The family-friendly New Year’s Eve Drone Show is returning to Pioneer Courthouse Square with two displays, one at 9pm and a final countdown drone show to usher in 2026 at midnight. Drone shows create no smoke, debris, or chemical residue, making them a sustainable replacement for fireworks.
The event will also feature music presented by Video Dance Attack starting at 8pm. Food and beverages will be available for purchase throughout the event.
While New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration, it can also be dangerous on our roads. To help everyone get home safely, the Portland Bureau of Transportation is offering $10 off Uber or Lyft rides through its Safe Ride Home Program. Coupons must be downloaded on December 31st at the program’s website while supplies last. You’re also encouraged to walk or take public transit, with TriMet offering extended service that evening.
 The Arts and Economy Committee recently heard from the Portland Winter Light Festival, which returns February 6-14 for its 11th year.
The festival features light and tech-based artwork, immersive sculpture, performances, and participatory events across the city, but it has a particular impact on activating our downtown core.
“We’re in the business of creating positive memories for people who don’t live downtown,” said Executive Director Alisha Sullivan, who noted this year’s festival attendance exceeded 250,000 and had an estimated economic impact of more than $9 million.
We also heard about Illuminate Bridge City, an ambitious plan for lighting multiple bridges downtown.
 This month City Council confirmed Mayor Wilson’s nomination of Raymond Lee as Portland’s first long-term City Administrator in our 174-year history.
Since 2021, Raymond had served as City Manager of fast-growing Greeley, Colorado, managing 1,600 employees and an annual budget of $515 million serving a community of 116,000. He previously spent 10 years with the City of Dallas in a progression of leadership roles and later served as Public Works Director for the City of Amarillo, Texas.
I look forward to seeing the City benefit from Raymond’s expertise in moving to a new form of government and greater accountability.
 This month I held my final constituent office hours of 2025 in Old Town.
While I’m always delighted no matter who shows up, this meeting turned out a wealth of organizations making things happen: Made in Old Town, AfroVillage, CityTeam Portland, Portland Rescue Mission, The Society Hotel, Icicle Tricycles, Portland Chinatown Museum, The Art Fair Gallery, Russell Development Company, Ankeny Alley Association, Steel Bridge Skatepark, among others.
We discussed changes at the Office of Community & Civic Life, neighborhood activations, tariff economic impacts, the power of “positive trolling,” and much more. Special thanks to the District Four Coalition for hosting us, to the Old Town Community Association for spreading the word, and to neighborhood small business Bowery Bagels for providing snacks!
 This month I met in Park Avenue West Tower with the Portland Parks Alliance, which has 60 participants from 36 organizations working in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation to care for, grow, and maintain our park system. We discussed the recent renewal of the City parks levy and how we can keep our green spaces safe, welcoming, and thriving.
The alliance came together out of a shared concern for the chronic underfunding and neglect of parks capital maintenance issues. It advocates for sustainable, balanced, and accountable funding for the parks system.
 This month I delivered the keynote speech at the holiday mixer for the Oregon Branch of the Institute of Asset Management. I shared updates on the Citywide Asset Management Strategy, which is being developed thanks to a resolution I passed last summer.
Responsible stewardship of our assets ensures that today’s investments do not become tomorrow’s burdens, and it supports an intergenerational commitment to leaving our children and grandchildren a city that works better than we found it. Now more than ever, the future of our beloved Portland depends on it.
 This month my staff toured Oregon Health & Science University, which is constructing a state-of-the-art building that will increase its bed count by nearly one-third!
The Vista Pavilion’s 127 new inpatient beds will put OHSU’s capacity on par with that of similar healthcare institutions on the West Coast. The building will focus on cancer care, thanks to a record $2 billion gift from Phil and Penny Knight.
Oregon’s fourth-largest employer generates $7.2 billion in annual economic output from its campus located on Marquam Hill in the Homestead neighborhood. It’s not only one of the state’s top hospitals, providing the most complex and acute care, but also a major educator with 3,500+ faculty and 5,000+ students, residents, fellows, and post-docs.
 Last week I learned all about Divert, which is building the first national network of facilities to convert wasted food products into renewable energy! The goal is to have a facility within 100 miles of 80% of the U.S. population where food distribution centers are located.
Once the Divert Integrated Diversion & Energy Facility in Longview, Washington, is operating at full capacity, the renewable natural gas it produces will be able to power the equivalent of 4,250 homes. That translates to a carbon offset of 5,000 cars taken off the road!
Divert works closely with Oregon Food Bank and grocery stores to make more food accessible to our most vulnerable neighbors. It is also using efficient methods to minimize truck trips, reducing emissions and traffic in the process.
 This month I attended the 23rd annual Oregon Business Plan Leadership Summit, which brought together leaders from business, government, and nonprofit sectors to consider economic development policies and initiatives that will achieve long-term prosperity.
Presenters highlighted economic headwinds while sharing innovations in bioscience, AI and robotics, and mass timber. The day concluded with Food Forward 2.0, a reception showcasing Oregon’s vibrant food and beverage industry.
In addition, as reported in The Oregonian, Mayor Wilson announced several goals to revitalize our central city: By 2030 he wants to see downtown foot traffic reach pre-pandemic levels, two million square feet of empty office space filled, and 2,500 new housing units under way.
 This month I met with Justice Rajee, who serves as Director of Advocacy & Public Policy at the Urban League of Portland.
Activated in 1945, the Urban League is one of the area’s oldest civil rights and service organizations. It works to empower Black communities through housing assistance programs, services to seniors, family health and wellness, youth and workforce development, and advocacy.
 This week Portland’s firefighters and police officers (including Chief Day!) engaged in a friendly holiday competition as part of the Salvation Army Commander’s Challenge.
The event sees each department stationed on opposite street corners to see who can collect the most donations. The winning team is awarded the Commander’s Trophy for the year.
Proceeds provide food, shelter, and vital programs for families in need.
 My staff enjoyed the Jingle & Mingle Open House presented by the Portland Metro Chamber, Downtown Portland Clean & Safe, Partners in Diversity, and Oregon Entrepreneurs Network!
The festive event featured an eggnog station in the elevator and special appearances by Dillon from the Portland Pickles and Barley from the Hillsboro Hops. Donations were collected for the 250 cleaners and security team members who help keep Portland’s three enhanced service districts clean and safe.
 I attended the Aurora Chorus winter concert last week at First United Methodist Church — a community choir with whom I’ve sung for close to 30 years. Being a part of a singing community brings such joy and meaning!
 The Moth has presented live, unscripted storytelling around the world for nearly 30 years — and for the past 15 years Literary Arts has brought their annual “mainstage” show to Portland, where they find their largest audience anywhere.
This year’s lineup included District 4 entrepreneur Ian Williams, who shared an incredible story about his journey from Nike janitor to designer of the “Wet Floor” high-top sneaker to owner of Deadstock Coffee in Old Town.
Literary Arts always has an exciting calendar of upcoming writing classes, radio shows, poetry slams, and author events — including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson next March at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall! In addition, the organization is transforming the Northwest Portland home where beloved and revolutionary writer Ursula K. Le Guin lived and wrote for more than 50 years into a writers residency.
You should also consider the Literary Arts Bookstore and Cafe at 716 SE Grand Avenue for last-minute holiday shopping needs! Filled with more than 14,000 titles, the inventory includes books for readers of all ages, interests, and tastes but leans toward literary fiction.
 Did you know that ever since the Portland Children’s Museum closed in 2021, Portland has been the nation’s only major metro area without a children’s museum?
Founder Jack Graham and Board Member Afton Walsh are working to change that, while revitalizing downtown in the process, with a new nonprofit multicultural children’s museum slated to open in summer 2027 at Southwest Sixth Avenue and Washington Street, next to James Beard Public Market.
The FLIP Museum — which stands for “Fun, Learning, Inspiration, and Play” — operates a mobile museum and a small Hillsboro location, but it just secured a space in downtown Portland for its flagship location. Jack says he hopes to attract up to 300,000 visitors annually, generating approximately $88 million in economic impact over the museum’s first six years!
 Back in July, I sponsored a resolution directing the City to research viable alternative funding strategies for our transportation system, and this week my Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard a presentation about four options that will now go out to the community for your feedback. As I told BikePortland: “We’re not getting any help from the federal government. And we have so many other crises — but if we don’t do something about the potholes and the streets, it’s going to cost us so much more in the future.”
Portland Business Journal named Portland State University President Ann Cudd as a 2025 Woman of Influence and spoke with her about the important role PSU plays as an anchor institution downtown. “We’re looking at clean energy, smart grid, mass timber in addition to AI, cybersecurity, and chip technology and, of course, all aspects of health care to understand what are the industries that will frame Oregon’s future and how we as a university can play a role in shaping that future,” she said. “That’s our responsibility as civic partners but also our responsibility to our students — we want them in high-paying jobs that will build Oregon’s future economy.”
“Love, care, empathy, compassion, dignity, grace, and stewardship.” That’s the powerful message of a new downtown mural called “7 Pillars.” It’s located outside Washington Center, a building that has faced challenges around open-air drug use. Public Environment Management Office’s Anne Hill tells Willamette Week: “This mural breathes life and joy back into a vital part of our city. I’m grateful for the outstanding teamwork [to] create a space Portlanders can be proud of.”
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