What's been on my mind lately

2026-27 public safety ride-alongs: Portland Police Bureau

Multiple City of Portland public safety bureaus on the scene at the St. Johns Bridge on May 8, 2026.

I've mentioned it in my last few newsletters, but I'll mention it again here—I try my best to connect one-on-one with Portland's public safety bureaus and offices leading up to the City's annual budget conversations. These ride-alongs provide insights into the state of on-the-ground operations right now within each of Portland's public safety organizations. Conditions evolve constantly based on a variety of factors (including funding!), so the challenges, opportunities, and improvements I observe change from year to year. 

On May 8, I joined Portland Police Officer Monsef for a ride-along in North Portland. What unfolded is something that will stay with me: The first call received was about a person threatening to jump from the St. Johns Bridge.

The first responders to this complex life-and-death situation were crewmembers from Portland Fire & Rescue Station 22. Officer Monsef was the second to arrive on scene, where he did all he could to save a life through training, kindness, and patience. I witnessed a masterclass in multi-bureau collaboration that afternoon, everyone united in their goal of helping a person in crisis. Sadly, after 90 minutes, the incident ended with an outcome that none of us wanted. And unfortunately, this is not uncommon, as the Station 22 Fire & Rescue crew were back on the same bridge with another person in crisis the very next morning.

First responders deal with society's systems failures of all kinds, and, sadly, mental health issues are more prevalent than ever. This is what our public safety professionals are dealing with. I am incredibly proud of the way our public safety teams handled this response, including Police, Fire & Rescue, and Emergency Management (9-1-1). These bureaus regularly work in tandem, and their continued collaboration is essential to improved community safety for all Portlanders. The City's 2026-27 budget must include restored budgets for all of Portland's public safety bureaus and offices, full stop.

Making progress on Portland’s 2026-27 budget

Councilor Dan Ryan visiting Hound & Hare Vintage on N Leavitt Avenue in St. Johns.

The City of Portland budget development process moves fast, starting with the release of Mayor Wilson's proposed budget on April 20 and running through adopted budget second reading at City Council on June 17. These eight weeks of work have so far been (and will continue to be) comprised of tough but necessary conversations between Mayor Wilson, the City Administration, my fellow City Councilors, City Service Area and Bureau leads, and labor unions about how to allocate the limited financial resources at our disposal. 

Headed into budget season, I was curious about the staffing of the General Fund bureaus over the last 10 years. I did some digging and here's what I found: Portland Police is the only bureau whose staff numbers have decreased compared to a decade ago—to the tune of -6%. In 2016-17, Police had 1,226 full-time equivalents (FTE), and in the proposed 2026-27 budget, they'd have 1,153. Fire & Rescue has seen only a 4% increase in FTE over 10 years, which is woefully inadequate to meet the needs of Portlanders. Meanwhile, Housing FTEs are up 63%, Planning & Sustainability's FTEs are up 47%, and Transportation FTEs are up 22% during that same timespan. The last City Council focused on rebuilding Police, Fire & Rescue, and 9-1-1 staffing, and we were just beginning to see improvements in customer service and response times. We cannot back-pedal. Your top-dollar tax rates should translate to improved response times, and I will keep fighting for that.

Realizing that public safety took a big hit in the Mayor's 2026-27 proposal, my priorities, as we move forward to approve the budget, include the restoration of funding for both Portland Police Bureau and Portland Fire & Rescue, including Station 22, as well as the Community Health Assess and Treat (CHAT) program. In the most recent budget-related development, City Councilors' proposed amendments were posted last Friday, May 15. Those will be discussed and debated this week—including my proposed amendment and those I'm co-sponsoring: 

• Clark-Pirtle Guiney-Novick-Ryan-Smith 1: This amendment would use $10 million in under-utilized funding within the Office of Community Police Accountability (OCPA) to restore critical services to the community, including the CHAT Program, the Station 22 engine, Fire & Rescue vehicles, Portland Police precinct administration, the Victims' Services Unit, the PS3 program, and EM&S. This aligns with legal guidance on the charter requirement to fund OCPA at 5% of the Police Bureau's budget, while recognizing that OCPA is highly unlikely to be able to spend that amount in 2026-27. 
   
• Ryan 1: My proposed amendment would reduce Council Office and Operations budgets by $500,000 to restore funding to the Community Health Assess and Treat (CHAT) program, a program with proven impacts for medically vulnerable Portlanders and decrease their reliance on 9-1-1 response for chronic medical needs. This proposal exempts District 1 offices from cuts, as they're budgets are more constrained because they fund district offices to provide greater access to local government for East Portlanders. I believe in shared sacrifice, and in solidarity with City employees, this 8% reduction to Council Offices and 3% reduction to Council Operations is in line with what our bureaus have been asked to do. It wouldn't be right to expect everyone else to take cuts except us. 

I plan to oppose nearly all other proposed budget amendments because I want Mayor Wilson and City Administrator Lee to continue to focus on the City's core services realignment after voters asked us to break down silos. These are the tough trade-offs, and this work to trim, consolidate, and eliminate duplication is essential. Too many of the proposed amendments undermine this work with random add-backs.

Recent and upcoming Portland City Council votes to note

Portland City Council Chambers.

While the City's budget development efforts are front and center right now, I want to ensure that some of City Council's recent and upcoming votes aren't overshadowed. We're still making progress on important topics from the dais. I outlined a few key votes in my last newsletter, including the Keep Portland Housed Ordinance and the Transportation Utility Fee. Since then, Council has voted on or discussed upcoming votes on:

• Ordinance 192173: On May 6, City Council passed Councilor Novick's ordinance targeting chronic nuisance properties. Its passage will make it easier to crack down on property owners whose properties have become associated with crime—drug dealing, human trafficking, illegal firearm activity, etc. Supporting this ordinance was about doing something for the voiceless, particularly the children and youth who don't have the agency to advocate for themselves. In March, we heard testimony from adults who were abused as young people—the pain they endured and the trauma they still manage as a result of the sex-traffic harms they experienced is unimaginable. They were so brave to come to Council Chambers to testify, and I believe them. This action is for those Portlanders. Kudos to Councilor Novick for all of his work on this piece of necessary legislation.
   
• Ordinance to approve funding recommendations of the Portland Children's Levy Allocation Committee: On May 13, City Council passed an ordinance to allow the Portland Children's Levy to award a total of $2.5 million as small grants to local organizations that serve children and families across six program areas: after school, child abuse prevention and intervention, early childhood, foster care, hunger relief, and mentoring. I've chaired the Portland Children's Levy's Allocation Committee since 2020, and I was proud to vote support this ordinance. The Portland Children's Levy uses data-driven decision-making to drive real results. I wish that all grantmaking efforts at the City of Portland were conducted with this level of fidelity. They're the gold star, and their work is incredibly important.
   
• Arts Tax code amendment: Also on May 13, City Council did a first reading of a code amendment to Portland's Arts Tax, which funds the Arts Access Fund, originally passed by voters in 2012. From advocating for the restoration and reinstallation of the Thompson Elk statue to the creation of new Darcelle EV Plaza and spearheading the creation of the City of Portland's first-ever dedicated Arts & Culture office, my commitment to strengthening Portland's arts ecosystem is well-established. Still, in advance of the amendment heading to a second reading, I plan to vote "nay". I can't support another tax increase on Portlanders from the dais. In my view, because Portlanders adopted the original version of the Arts Tax, this change should go back to the voters to decide.

Out and about: Community snapshots

Throwing out the first pitch at the University of Portland's baseball game 

City Councilor Dan Ryan, District 2, throwing out the first pitch at a University of Portland baseball game on May 15.

I was honored to throw out the first pitch at the University of Portland baseball game against Pacific University of May 15. It was a cool, rainy spring night at Jim Etzel Field, and I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere other than that bluff.

With a walk-off wild pitch in the 12th inning, UP was able to secure a 3-2 win. As always: GO PILOTS!

More recent photos from around town

Councilor Ryan and other attendees of the most recent CPC meeting, including DA Vasquez (center, right).

As often as I can, I like to join the monthly Community Peace Collaborative (CPC) meetings hosted by the Office of Violence Prevention. It’s important to me to be in this room with folks from across Portland and Multnomah County’s public safety bureaus, offices, and outreach teams, as well community-based organizations. Most recently, on May 15, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez joined and shared his perspective this morning, as well.

A topic of focus emerged at that gathering: The growing trend of gun violence being carried out by Portlanders in their middle school-aged years. Fueled in part by social media, there was consensus about the need to explore new ways to reach high-risk and highly marginalized youth to address this saddening trend. The discussion was wide-ranging, from wrap-around services inclusive of entire families and better collaboration with schools to overarching themes of identity and belonging.

I urged attendees to work together across their offices, departments, and organizations—and to not allow the prevailing narrative to be one that pits our public safety sectors against each other. Several attendees confirmed that is already their lived reality. “We work hard, together,” one attendee said.

Councilor Ryan meeting with a group of District 2 constituents about the potential impacts of an infill project on their street.

A group of North Portlanders in University Park reached out to District 2 City Councilors recently about a street livability issue. Their particular challenge is related to the width of their street and the impact of a potential residential infill project—for parking, trash collecting, public safety (would a fire engine be able to access their properties in an emergency scenario?), and more. I wanted to hear their perspectives firsthand and had the opportunity to do so in early May. Like many, they’re fighting to be heard by the City. My team is working to help them identify and connect with the City's public servants that manage infill projects.

The view from my seat at the 16th Annual Celebrate Trade Gala.

I was pleased to join the Oregon Consular Corps for their 16th Annual Celebrate Trade Gala spotlighting Oregon’s agricultural industry on the evening of May 14. From hazelnuts to hops and grapes to potatoes, Oregon exported $2 billion in agricultural goods in 2025. My big takeaway was that trade breaks down urban/rural, red/blue divisions, and that through trade, we come together as Oregonians to build our global economy.

It was wonderful to hear the stories of our state’s trailblazing agricultural producers, including Calbee America, Keith Manufacturing, Orchard View Farms, Shaniko Wool, and Sokol Blosser Winery.

The high-quality soil beneath our feet and our unique climate set Oregon’s agricultural sector apart, and it fuels global trade and Portland’s reputation as a top foodie destination. It's not lost on me that much of the international trade shoves-off from the terminals in Portland's District2! Congratulations to all of the founders, teams, scholarship recipients, and companies who were honored during this very special evening!

Upcoming meetings and events

• 5/19: City & Prosper Budget Committee Meeting: FY 2026-27 Approved Hearing Day 2 (Happening LIVE now!)
• 5/20: City Budget Committee Meeting: FY 2026-27 Approved Hearing Day 3
• 5/20: City Council Meeting
• 5/22: Portland Rose Festival Ribbon Cutting, Opening Night & Fireworks
• 5/26: Public Works Committee Meeting
• 5/26: City Life Committee Meeting
• 5/27: City Council Meeting
• 5/28: Finance and Governance Committee of the Whole Meeting
• 5/28: City Council Executive Session
• 5/30: Portland Rose Festival’s Junior Parade
• 6/4: Steel Bridge Skatepark Project in Old Town Community Gathering

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.