District 1 Coalition Budget Meeting
I was happy to join the District 1 Coalition meeting this month to talk about the budget and hear directly from community members. These conversations are an important part of how we shape our priorities, and I appreciated the thoughtful feedback, questions, and ideas people brought forward.
What stood out to me the most was the strong and consistent message around protecting our parks. Across the board, people spoke to how essential our parks are: not just as places to gather and recreate, but as core pieces of community health, safety, and connection. That clarity matters, and it’s something I’m carrying with me as we move deeper into our budget discussions.
We will be integrating this feedback as we make decisions in the weeks ahead. Our focus is on preserving the core services that people rely on every day, like parks maintenance, and ensuring that the small organizations doing the difficult, on-the-ground work in our communities have the support they need to continue showing up for our neighbors.
These are not easy choices, but conversations like this help ground our work in what matters most to the people we serve.
Tax Fraud Day of Action
This tax season, I was proud to host the North Coast States Carpenters Union at City Hall in recognition of Tax Fraud Day of Action. This event underscored the real and ongoing impact of wage theft and tax fraud on both workers and taxpayers alike.
Wage theft and tax fraud go hand-in-hand, and they are fundamentally anti-union practices. They undercut fair competition, erode hard-won labor standards, and shift the burden onto workers who are playing by the rules. Just as importantly, they drain public resources and take money directly out of the pockets of taxpayers and away from the services our communities rely on.
During this event, I heard directly from union members and industry leaders about how these practices show up on job sites, from misclassification of workers to underreporting wages. These aren’t abstract issues, and they have real consequences for families trying to make ends meet and for communities working to maintain strong, stable local economies.
Events like this are critical in building awareness and reinforcing the importance of accountability. Addressing wage theft and tax fraud requires coordination, enforcement, and a shared commitment to fairness in the workplace. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from those on the front lines of this work and to carry those insights forward as we continue to support policies that protect workers and uphold the integrity of our systems.
Earth Day Event
It was a great day in Parkrose celebrating Earth Day alongside Mayor Keith Wilson and fellow Councilors Candace Avalos, Loretta Smith, and Steve Novick, together with community members.
Mayor Wilson spoke to Portland’s deep commitment to sustainability and helped unveil a new BIKETOWN station at Parkrose Middle School, designed by Parkrose High School student Dana Ha. It was a powerful reminder of the leadership and creativity already coming from our young people.
Councilor Avalos spoke to the energy of the day and how it connects to Portland’s broader climate future and the community-driven work ahead. Superintendent Lopes-Serrao highlighted the need for continued investment in District 1 and the Parkrose school community to build real resilience. Councilor Smith joined neighbors for a community bike ride through Parkrose with PBOT, BIKETOWN, and the Sustainability Office, and Councilor Novick helped mark the day by celebrating Earth Day and the role clean transportation plays in a healthier city.
In my remarks, I focused on the connection between climate action and green workforce development. If we’re serious about building a more sustainable city, we have to invest in pathways for young people to lead, grow, and help build that future, especially those stepping into this movement right now.
This is the kind of community-driven momentum we need to keep building on and I’m grateful to serve in a city that values environmental sustainability and community so deeply.
Entrepreneurs in Action
District Midway Alliance hosted an incredible “Entrepreneurs in Action” event this month, showcasing the creativity, innovation, and energy of District 1 small business owners.
It was inspiring to see so many entrepreneurs sharing their work and their stories, along with heartfelt testimony about the impact that District Midway Alliance’s support has had on their lives. Business owners spoke about the challenges of getting started, the importance of access to funding and assistance, and how small actions can make the difference between an idea staying on paper or becoming a real, operating business. One moment that stood out to me was hearing from someone I once taught when I was a gang prevention specialist at David Douglas. It was a powerful reminder of how long-term investment in people can shape real outcomes over time.
I strongly support small businesses, and events like this highlight exactly why. Small businesses are not just the backbone of our local economy, but also a source of opportunity, stability, and community connection across District 1.
D1 Budget Open House
Budget cut seasons are never easy, but something that makes it a lot easier is knowing exactly what people care about in District 1. This month’s open house budget event gave community members a meaningful opportunity to bring those priorities forward and share them directly with me and the other District 1 Councilors.
The event was intentionally designed to be accessible and flexible. Rather than a traditional hearing, participants moved at their own pace through a series of topic stations, each focused on a different area of the budget. This format created space for more focused reflection and more direct engagement on what people want to see prioritized in the year ahead.
These conversations are at the heart of how we build a budget that reflects real community needs, and I appreciated the chance to hear directly from residents in this setting. One message came through especially clearly: District 1 values green space and wants more trees!
Another thing that stood out to me throughout the event was the depth and thoughtfulness of the feedback at each station. People came prepared, engaged, and willing to talk through real tradeoffs and priorities. That kind of participation is exactly what a transparent and responsive budget process should encourage.
Ribbon Cutting
Leaders, clinicians, and patients gathered to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the Vista Pavilion at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), marking a major expansion of Oregon’s hospital and cancer care capacity.
The 14-story facility started serving patients on Tuesday, April 7 and is dedicated entirely to cancer care. The opening of Vista adds 128 inpatient beds immediately and expands OHSU Hospital’s capacity by roughly one-third. By consolidating cancer services into a dedicated space, it also frees up critical hospital capacity for cardiovascular, neurological, and other urgent care needs.
This expansion comes at a time when Oregon continues to face some of the lowest hospital bed availability in the country. As OHSU leaders noted, the project will help more patients receive complex care close to home rather than traveling out of state.
Designed with patient and family input, the pavilion brings care, support services, and recovery resources together under one roof, with a strong focus on the patient experience and wraparound support during treatment.
For our region, Vista is a significant long-term investment in health system resilience—helping ensure patients can access high-quality care when and where they need it.
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