 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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Downtown Neighborhood Association: 5:45-7:45pm Tuesday, February 24th at Central Library, 801 SW 10th Avenue.
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Homestead Neighborhood Association: 6:30-8:30pm Tuesday, March 3rd at OHSU Old Library, 3286 SW Research Drive.
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Reed Neighborhood Association: 6:30-8pm Wednesday, March 11th at Reedwood Friends Church, 2901 SE Steele Street.
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Collins View Neighborhood Association: 7-8:30pm Wednesday, April 1st on Zoom.
 This week I joined Council President Jamie Dunphy on OPB’s Think Out Loud to discuss the leadership that we’re bringing to City Hall.
As we told host Dave Miller, our hope is to come together on a short list of shared priorities to set a City Council roadmap for the coming year. By keeping our eye on these goals, we can ensure that we are delivering results for Portlanders.
 I recently spoke with KPTV about the City’s Alternative Transportation Funding Report that was presented last month to my Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The lack of assistance from the state and federal government for our transportation system means this report comes at a crucial juncture. The City must find our own way to provide needed maintenance and safety improvements on our roads.
The report presents Council with information about potential revenue tools to explore as well as concrete next steps to ensure we have a transparent process with public input.
 This month my Transportation and Infrastructure Committee experienced a healing moment when we unanimously passed an ordinance to rename the street that runs in front of Portland State University’s Native American Student & Community Center to Southwest Rose Hill Street.
The renaming honors a well-respected Indigenous elder who helped establish the center, which is located on a street that is now named after President Andrew Jackson. (He signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the displacement and death of thousands of Native Americans.)
The committee heard moving and informative testimony from community, neighborhood, and campus leaders about Hill, who died last October. She also served as Executive Director for the American Indian Associations of Portland; a Student Advisor for the Portland Public Schools Title VII Indian Education Program; and a Culture Keeper at the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest.
 Last year Councilor Eric Zimmerman and I each donated $100,000 from our surplus office budget to the Public Environment Management Office (PEMO) for a pilot project to help address community challenges around sidewalk cleaning and trash and graffiti removal along the Interstate 405 corridor.
Since then, bicycle crews from Central City Concern’s Clean Start program perform daily rounds, from the St. Stephen’s Shelter in Southwest Portland to the Northrup Shelter in the Pearl District. The City works closely with Clean Start to assess the neighborhoods and focus these additional resources in the highest-visibility, highest-need areas.
Clean Start trains, mentors, and employs formerly homeless workers or folks with other barriers to employment. This week I joined Mayor Wilson and Councilor Zimmerman to thank these hardworking public servants and to learn more about the program.
 This month I met with the Arnold Creek Neighborhood Association to share updates from my office and to answer their questions. We discussed alternative transportation funding, sidewalk improvements, creek protections, and much more.
Please note: Because of a miscommunication, my meeting with the Forest Park Neighborhood Association was postponed from January 20th until June 16th. Because of a scheduling conflict, my meeting with the Marshall Park Neighborhood Association was postponed from February 12th until August 4th.
 Last week I met with the Forest Heights Homeowners Association, which oversees community maintenance, landscaping, and design standards for this West Hills neighborhood established in the 1990s. I shared my goals and priorities and took questions from members about City issues.
 “We still have a long way to go…. We must work passionately for first-class citizenship, but we must not use second-class methods.”
Those were the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1961 during his only visit to Oregon, at the invitation of the Urban League. This week I joined my City colleagues for the Urban League of Portland’s MLK Day Brunch to honor his enduring legacy, celebrate his vision, and recommit ourselves to action that advances justice and equity.
 This month I met with Black American Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Evann Goss-Lemelle and Executive Assistant Kelsy Sonobe-Morita. The chamber fosters local business growth and community prosperity through networking and community-building events and scholarships for tomorrow’s leaders.
As a member of the Community Economic Coalition, the chamber is part of a collective voice to strengthen engagement opportunities for entrepreneurs of color. The coalition also includes the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon, Northwest Native Chamber, and Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber.
 Heiberg Garbage & Recycling has been taking out the trash for Portland since 1947 — from residential recycling pickup to large industrial demolition projects.
The family-owned company started when Vern Heiberg purchased a route in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood from a newspaper ad. He ran the collection route while his wife, Marian, took care of the books.
During a recent visit I learned that Heiberg serves District 4 residential areas of Sellwood, Westmoreland, and Hillsdale. In addition, it serves commercial, multifamily, and drop boxes throughout the entire Portland area.
Heiberg also gives back to the community by donating its time, trucks, and drivers to neighborhood cleanups and by serving downtown events like the Grand Floral Parade and Starlight Parade and organizations like the Hillsdale Business and Professional Association and Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League.
 This month District 4 Councilors met with Portland Mall Management Inc. (PMMI), whose mission is to maintain the Portland Transit Mall while keeping it a business-friendly and pedestrian-oriented district, protecting the public investment, and preventing cycles of neglect and deterioration.
Spanning more than 57 blocks, PMMI aims to create a mall that provides an active streetscape for adjacent commercial, cultural, and institutional uses. Each year, PMMI provides more than 80 events including the seasonal “Holidays on the Mall” and “In Concert on Downtown’s Transit Mall.”
The work that PMMI has done for our downtown core is a great example of what a public-private partnership can look like! For more information check out PortlandMall.org.
 This month I enjoyed attending Can Can Portland’s “’Twas the Night Before Nutcracker” — a bold reimagining of the holiday classic with cabaret, comedy, music, and aerial dance — at the historic Paris Theatre on Southwest Third Avenue at Ankeny Alley.
Founder Chris Pink told me how his team saved this historic theater from conversion into offices, and spent the past four years carefully restoring the venue to continue as a stage for the next century. Built in 1890, the Paris now has bragging rights as the nation’s oldest burlesque theater!
Chris also hopes to develop the area into the “Pink Light District,” a cultural, nightlife, and culinary corridor including nearby establishments like Madam Cooper’s Parlor, Kaizen Sushi, Mother’s Bistro & Bar, KitKat Club, District Nightclub, Dan & Louis Oyster Bar, X Exotic Lounge, Bae’s Fried Chicken, Shanghai Tunnel, Pine Street Market, Dante’s, and Voodoo Doughnut. The multimillion-dollar Paris Theater investment is also aligned with Ankeny Alley Association’s efforts to activate the street plaza between Second and Third avenues.
Next up on the Can Can lineup is “Ooh La La,” a night of Parisian fantasy, which runs through March 15. For details go to CanCanPortland.com.
 Last week my staff toured Portland Dream Plaza, which transformed a previously underutilized block at Southeast Ninth Avenue and Taylor Street into a hub of active play for kids of all ages. Anchored by the nation’s largest painted skateboard mural, the plaza is the backdrop for the weekly Fam Jam Block Party, which brings live music, art, and community energy to the Central Eastside, in partnership with the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
Dream Big City Founder and Executive Director Alex Murrell (right) and Skateboard and Agriculture Director Meshaud Johnson say they plan to activate similar blocks across the city, including in District 4!
You can learn more about their organization during a Community Cleanup Day from 11am to 2pm February 1st at the Portland State University Business Accelerator, 2130 SW Fifth Avenue. There will be free hot dogs, music, and a quick tour of spaces helping entrepreneurs, creatives, and small businesses get ideas off the ground. To sign up email volunteer@dreambigcity.org.
 Over the holiday break, District 4 resident Aaron Deas took me to see Errol Heights Park and nearby street improvements around the border of Districts 3 and 4. I also saw a flock of peacocks in District 3!
The park, located at Southeast 52nd Avenue and Tenino Street, includes a wetland occupied by beavers (I saw one!) as well as a 15-foot sculptural artwork. Bravo to Portland Parks and Recreation and the Portland Bureau of Transportation!
 Will our next snowplow be named “Sleeter-Kinney,” “Mr. Plow,” or perhaps something else? You can make the call!
The Portland Bureau of Transportation invites you to participate in the second annual Snowplow Naming Contest. Last year, more than 4,000 people submitted names, then 16,000 Portlanders voted on their top five favorites out of 20 — using ranked-choice voting, of course.
Did you know the bureau owns and operates 56 snowplows? Last year’s winners included several that serve District 4: “The Big Snowplowski” (Southwest Hills and the western portion of SW Capitol Highway), “Brrrnside” (Swan Island and W Burnside Street), and “Plowy McPlowface” (downtown).
Portlanders can rank their top six favorite names through 5pm January 25th. Please cast your vote today!
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I am saddened that two of our Portland Police Bureau officers were shot and injured this week in the Sullivan’s Gulch neighborhood. My heart goes out to their families. I fully appreciate the dangers each of our officers confront every day, and I am grateful for their service to our community.
The suspect, described as a Caucasian male in his mid-30s, is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. This remains an active investigation, and detectives are continuing to gather information and follow leads.
If anyone has information about this case, please contact detectives at homicidetips@police.portlandoregon.gov or call 503-823-0479 and reference case number 26-18537.
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 The New York Times lists Portland among “52 Places to Go in 2026”! Christine Chung writes: “Portland is getting a jolt of momentum with significant arts, sports, and culinary openings that cement its standing as one of the most culturally dynamic cities in the country…. The Portland Art Museum has been substantially expanded, with more than 100,000 square feet of additional gallery space…. It’s also a prime time to be a sports fan: After a two-decade absence, professional women’s basketball returns to the city with a new WNBA team called the Portland Fire.”
Tommy Ly writes in The Oregonian about GeekEasy Anime Café, which is among a dwindling handful of Asian-owned businesses left in a neighborhood that still carries the name Chinatown: “Neighborhoods don’t vanish overnight. They disappear when everyone decides they’re no longer worth the trouble. Old Town Chinatown doesn’t need heroes…. It needs witnesses — people who refuse to let history fade quietly just because leaving would be easier.”
The Oregonian reports that Portland is the nation’s second-best Dog Park City! LawnStarter based the rankings on the number of dog parks per 100,000 residents, access to Sniffspot rentals, and dog park ratings. The lawn care company also included Google search interest and climate factors, among 10 total metrics. Here are all of Portland Park & Recreation’s dog off-leash areas in District 4:
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Couch Park: NW 19th Avenue and Glisan Street
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Council Crest Park: SW Council Crest Drive
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The Fields Park: 1099 NW Overton Street
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Gabriel Park: SW 45th Avenue and Vermont Street
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Hillsdale Park: SW 27th Avenue and Hillsdale Highway
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Sellwood Riverfront Park: SE Spokane Street and Oaks Parkway
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