 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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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.
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Pearl District Neighborhood Association: 5:30-7pm Thursday, April 9th at Pacific Northwest College of Art’s Hammer Room, 511 NW Broadway.
 Please save the date for my District 4 Town Hall with Councilor Eric Zimmerman and our special guest, City Administrator Raymond Lee! Big thanks to Sellwood Community House for hosting us.
 This month I attended Portland Metro Chamber’s 2026 State of the Economy breakfast forum led by Chamber President Andrew Hoan (center, with fellow District 4 Councilor Eric Zimmerman).
Dr. Mike Wilkerson of ECOnorthwest presented a sobering assessment of the central city’s economic health and progress: Portland continues to struggle with office vacancies, multifamily permitting, export values, consumer sentiment, and employment rates. It was a reminder of why local leaders need to do everything possible to enhance public safety, revitalize downtown, and address ongoing concerns about taxes.
 Did you know Portland has nearly 3,500 small businesses that support our local economy?
This month City Council’s Arts and Economy Committee heard a presentation about the Storefront Support Program from Anne Hill, Director of the Portland Environment Management Office (PEMO). Anne’s team coordinates support for small businesses to help reduce vacancies and provide crisis intervention and immediate investments where needed to address problems that impact small businesses.
I recently met with several District 4 businesses (Powell’s Books, Tender Loving Empire, and Andina) to hear about their challenges. People must feel safe in order to freely explore the city, especially at night. The City’s work to bolster small business and community livability also creates a safer environment for everyone.
 Last week I went shopping for a backpack from one of our most popular local brands, Portland Gear.
It’s one of several prominent small businesses that recommitted to Portland — for our talent, potential, and natural assets. In 2023 Portland Gear moved deeper into downtown, from its operation near Providence Park to just a block from Powell’s Books.
As the company stated about their store: “Not only is it going to be three times as big, brighter, more welcoming and better designed, it’s even MORE downtown than our current store, furthering our commitment to this beautiful city. We believe the best thing we can do for our town is show up every day, be a positive story, and bring people downtown to experience its beauty. We are committed to downtown Portland for the long haul.”
 This week’s City Club of Portland forum moderated by Willamette Week reporter Sophie Peel was a great opportunity to highlight issues affecting District 4.
I especially enjoyed our discussion about my alternative transportation funding resolution — please join one of the three remaining open houses to make your voice heard! Details at Portland.gov/PBOTFunding.
 This month I spoke with KOIN-TV about Autonomous Vehicles, which was the subject of a presentation at my Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
While I likened robotaxis to “the AI of transportation,” this new technology presents many issues that need to be worked through. The City of Portland is supportive of deploying Autonomous Vehicles, but only when done in a safe, thoughtful way. We can learn from the experiences of San Francisco, Phoenix, and other cities.
 Last week I joined Mayor Wilson to meet with neighbors and see firsthand their concerns with Multnomah Safe Rest Village.
For about three years, this temporary alternative shelter has provided 100 beds with case management, amenities, and mental and behavioral health services on-site. While the site meets an urgent need, the City also must be responsive to the livability issues around drug use and drug sales, noise, lights, and security in the surrounding Multnomah neighborhood. My hope is that by working with the Mayor we will be able to address these issues in the near-term.
 This week Mayor Wilson launched See Care Connect, a campaign designed to empower Portlanders to take direct action when they see someone in need.
The humanitarian crisis on our streets can feel overwhelming — especially when you pass someone in a difficult situation. People have asked for guidance, so the Mayor’s campaign aims to make it simple for how you can provide relief to people on the street.
If you encounter someone who meets any of the following criteria, you can take a moment to connect so they can get the help they need:
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Safety concerns: They are on the ground and you are unsure of their well-being.
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Behavioral distress: They are acting aggressively or appear to be in significant distress.
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Environment concerns: They are not dressed appropriately for the weather (e.g., no coat in freezing temperatures).
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Substance use: They appear to be dangerously under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
One phone call can open a door for someone struggling to find the path to safety. Call takers at 9-1-1 (for emergencies) and 3-1-1 (for non-emergencies) are trained to find the appropriate resource.
 I recently met a District 4 constituent named Jenny Warnick (right), who invited me to visit St. Mary’s Academy, where her daughter is a student.
Principal Liane Rae (left) and President Emily Becker took me on a tour of the state’s only all-girls school, which has been open since 1859 — the same year Oregon became a state!
With a student body of 550 girls and a staff of 86, St. Mary’s works to center female voices while instilling values of service, leadership, faith, and sisterhood. I was particularly impressed to hear about their programs in athletics and robotics.
Last year two St. Mary’s alumnae made headlines: 2019 graduate Luca Lenth won the Portland Marathon, and 1979 graduate Mary E. Brunkow won the Nobel Prize in Medicine!
 This week I met with Portland State University President Ann Cudd (right) and PSU Foundation President Sarah Schwarz to receive an update on academic and philanthropic efforts at Oregon’s Urban Research University. I also learned the latest about a proposed Performing Arts + Culture Center on campus to spark development in the downtown core.
 Did you know that Portland — with 61,000+ Oregon State University alumni in the area — is home to the largest concentration of Beavers anywhere?
This month I joined Mayor Wilson and a Portland delegation to tour Oregon’s largest university, which is vitally important to our future economic development.
While the main campus is in Corvallis, OSU has had a presence in Portland for decades, including: the OSU Portland Center, which opened in 2019 at the historic Meier & Frank Building across from Pioneer Courthouse Square; the Food Innovation Center in the Pearl District; College of Business MBA hybrid programs and College of Pharmacy on the South Waterfront; education and research partnerships with PSU and OHSU; and College of Veterinary Medicine collaboration with Oregon Humane Society.
We also learned about Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex, where one of the nation’s most powerful university supercomputers will advance research in Artificial Intelligence.
 This month I had the opportunity to meet with Neighbors for Clean Air Co-Executive Director Mary Peveto to discuss the Cleaner Air Oregon program and other initiatives aimed at addressing Superfund sites along the Willamette River. It was a pleasure to learn about this important work, and I look forward to continuing the conversation about how City Council can keep supporting the health and well-being of Portlanders.
 The Portland Winter Light Festival was another big success!
For 11 years, this event has filled empty retail windows, storefronts, hotel lobbies, and local businesses with light-based art installations, bringing significant economic and cultural stimulation during the darkest time of year.
 Last week I enjoyed a preview reception at Portland Art Museum for “David Hockney: Works from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation” with my friends David and Kathy Dickson as well as Schnitzer.
Still active at 88, Hockney is, to many people, “the most important artist working today,” Schnitzer says. “More than any other artist, he has used technology to create art. Whether it was Xerox prints, Polaroid photographs, or on the iPad, Hockney’s eye and hand create some of the most intriguing and beautiful art ever made.”
This is the largest survey exhibition of Hockney’s work in North America, spanning six decades of the artist’s career. Check it out until July 26th.
 The 800th episode of “The Simpsons” aired this week — and did you know that the inspiration for many of the characters came from right here in District 4 in Portland?
- At nearly 40 years old, the longest-running primetime scripted show was created by local legend Matt Groening, who left his mark in the sidewalk at Lincoln High School, where he graduated in 1972.
- Groening’s childhood home is on Southwest Evergreen Terrace in the West Hills, where he grew up with parents Homer and Margaret and siblings Lisa, Patty, and Maggie. The Simpson family lives at 742 Evergreen Terrace.
- In 2021, the Portland Bureau of Transportation christened a bike-and-pedestrian span across Interstate 405 as “Ned Flanders Crossing.”
- Other characters who come from District 4 place names: Montgomery Burns, Reverend Lovejoy, Mayor Quimby, Kearney Zzyzwicz, and “Sideshow” Bob Terwilliger.
 Did you know that District 4 is home to Portland’s first riverfront sauna?
It’s called Guss, and the mobile cedar sauna sets up shop every weekend at Sellwood Riverfront Park, where guests can sit in the heat before taking a “cold plunge” in the Willamette. Owner Josh Gordon came to my office hours last summer in the Hayhurst neighborhood to tell me about it.
“It’s actually pronounced ‘geese’ because birds migrate towards warmth in the winter,” he told Willamette Week. “We want to activate along the river during a time of year when it’s harder to enjoy these outdoor spaces.”
 The passing of Avel Gordly and the Rev. Jesse Jackson in the same week — during Black History Month — is a tremendous loss for our community.
I was honored to work throughout my career with Gordly, who became Oregon’s first Black female state senator 30 years ago. She leaves behind a long legacy of advocacy for social justice, civil rights, education reform, and mental health reform.
In 2008, OHSU opened the Avel Gordly Center for Healing, dedicated to culturally specific behavioral health services. In 2009, Albina Head Start recognized her championing of funding for their programs statewide by renaming its administrative headquarters in her honor.
I also had the privilege of meeting the Rev. Jesse Jackson in Portland during his Rainbow PUSH Coalition campaign. He was an icon in the civil rights movement, and I am grateful for his lifelong contributions.
📷 Avel L. Gordly Papers, Special Collections, PSU Library
 ► Thank you to City Cast Portland for inviting me and Councilor Steve Novick for a wide-ranging conversation about how to revive downtown. We mentioned a few initiatives that are in the works (Pink Light District, a proposed book/music/food festival) but also shared some fun ideas (“Council After Dark,” “Nightlife Mayor,” and “Drag Cops: The Musical!”). If you stick around for the full episode, you can even hear us sing the Petula Clark classic “Downtown”!
► Portland Business Journal reports on two new venues that are fostering arts and culture in the historic Old Town neighborhood: The Downbeat, an underground rhythm and social club, and Contrast Gallery. “Choosing Old Town was intentional,” co-founder Cyrus Coleman said. “As Black owners and founders, we wanted to invest in this diverse neighborhood — rehabilitating this building into a place for gathering, creativity, and community for Portland’s Black and BIPOC residents. This is where we’re seeing the city’s cool culture … and we want to be a part of it, expand it, and show everyone what Portland can be.”
► Homes & Gardens has listed Portland Japanese Garden among the 21 most beautiful gardens in the world! Edward Bowring writes: “Designed in 1963, its eight unique garden spaces span the 12-acre site. Whether you pay a visit to the authentic Japanese Tea House, the raked gravel of the Flat Garden, or the waterfall of the Strolling Pond Garden, you won’t fail to be enchanted.”
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