Dear Portlanders,
I won't bury the lede. We saved St. Johns' Station 22 fire engine! Kanal 2, an amendment I sponsored that restored staffing for the engine using funds from the Business License Tax Reserve Fund, passed 7-4!
Thank you to Councilors Avalos, Dunphy, Green, Koyama Lane, Morillo, and Smith for joining me in voting in favor!
Other big wins for holistic community safety were:
- Stopping an attempt to defund $10M in resources from the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability before it's even staffed.
- Restoring funds to the Office of Violence Prevention, Ceasefire, CHAT, and Portland Street Response that were cut in the Mayor's proposed budget.
We also voted to fund public bathrooms, laundry, showers and other services for unhoused people; to fund the Small Donor Elections Program; to restore funding for fitness programs for seniors provided by Portland Parks & Recreation; and to rebuild a picnic shelter in Montavilla Park.
At the conclusion of this week's budget hearings, the approved budget was submitted to the State Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission for legal review. After that, there will be a hearing on the budget with the Commission on June 9, and then the City Council will vote to formally adopt the final budget.
Throughout these sessions, it was clear that the City Council is united in how much it cares about public safety, even when we disagree about how to resource it. Some of us also care deeply about adhering to the City Charter and protecting the will of the voters as expressed through ballot measures.
It's unfortunate that a number of amendments to save the jobs of rank-and-file City workers didn't pass. There is still an opportunity for pro-worker councilors to make adjustments and put new budget notes forward to try and save more of those jobs prior to budget adoption in June.
I'm rolling up my sleeves and sharpening my pencils...
In solidarity,
Sameer Kanal
Councilor.Kanal@portlandoregon.gov
Kanal 2: Saving St. Johns Fire Engine
This amendment I sponsored added $2,500,000 to restore four firefighters to staff the Station 22 fire engine in St. Johns. It's funded by reducing $2,500,000 in funds management that currently are in the brand-new Business License Tax Reserve Fund.
While there were several other proposals to fund Station 22 with different funding sources, mine was the one with a funding source that secured the support of a majority of councilors.
It passed 7-4, with one absent. Aye votes were Councilors Avalos, Dunphy, Green, Kanal, Koyama Lane, Morillo, & Smith. Nay votes were Councilors Clark, Novick, Ryan, & Zimmerman. Councilor Pirtle-Guiney was absent.
Kanal 3: Driving Toward Democracy
This amendment I sponsored transferred $450,000 from the Golf Fund to the Small Donor Elections Program to support diverse participation in electoral politics and empower the voices of everyday Portlanders in democracy.
Last year we needed $1,000,000 from the Golf Fund. This year's it's $450,000. My hope is that this is the last time we have to use these dollars.
The amendment passed 7-5.
Morillo 1: Community Health and Safety
This amendment added $211,000 to restore reductions for Parks Summer Free for
All/Lunch and Play, $1,143,726 to restore reductions for Ceasefire and Office of Violence Prevention, $659,274 and 4.0 FTE to restore reductions made to Portland Street Response, and $500,000 and 3.0 FTE to restore reductions to the Community Health Assess and Treat Teams. It's funded by reducing $2,514,000 from Council's security team.
The amendment passed 8-4. I voted yes.
Dunphy 4: Merit and COLA Pay Freeze
This amendment restored 5 desk clerk positions in the Portland Police Bureau at the North and East Precincts and 1 Police Administrative Support Specialist, as well as an At-Risk Youth Outreach position. It's funded by limiting cost-of-living-allowance and merit increases to be applied to only the first $100,000 for non-represented employees with annual salaries of at least $100,000.
The amendment passed 12-0.
Smith 1: Add General Fund Resources to SummerWorks Program
This amendment added $532,000 in one-time Recreational Cannabis Tax funds to
stabilize the SummerWorks program, which provides economic opportunity and education to communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition. It's funded by reducing $532,000 of Recreational Cannabis Tax Contingency in Funds Management.
The amendment passed 12-0.
Notable Amendments Not Passed
 Clark-Pirtle Guiney-Novick-Ryan-Smith 1
This amendment aimed to take $10M from the new Office of Community Police Accountability (OCPA) and use it to backfill funds for external materials and services for the Portland Police Bureau, PPB administrative positions, Public Safety Support Specialist positions, the Victims' Services unit, the Station 22 fire engine, three 2-person fire rescues, and CHAT.
I support funding public safety, and proposed and supported several other amendments which filled many of the same gaps in the Mayor's proposed budget. I couldn't support this one because of how it undermined the will of the voters in setting up our new police oversight system.
The amendment was proposed without prior consultation with the Community Board for Police Accountability and before they could even hire a director or staff. I will not vote to defund the CBPA, the creation of which was approved by 82% of voters. To do so would violate the City Charter.
There is no true public safety without accountability, and to pit one against the other is unacceptable.
The amendment failed 6-6. I voted no.
Pirtle-Guiney 6 & 7
These amendments also aimed to take millions in resources from the Office of Community-Based Police Accountability to backfill funds for PPB administrative positions and Public Safety Support Specialists.
Pirtle-Guiney 7 failed 6-6. Pirtle-Guiney 6 failed 4-8. I voted no on both.
Green 1: Portland Fire & Rescue First
This amendment utilizes $3.325M in one-time contingency to restore Fire Station 22 to operations ($2.5M) and $825K to restore one of the three Fire Rescue units.
The amendment failed 6-6. I voted yes.
Kanal 5: Fund Frontline Community Health
This amendment added $150,000 for Portland Street Response expansion and $1.65 million to Portland Fire & Rescue to restore cuts to three 2-person Rescue teams in East and Southeast Portland.
It would have used funding the City of Portland received in a lawsuit settlement against major opioid manufacturers, which are only allowed to be used for programs dealing with our drug crisis. 2-person Fire Rescue units and Portland Street Response obviously fit that description. The money is currently set to go to our shelter program, which is a bit of a stretch.
The amendment failed 6-6.
Avalos 2: Support Immigrant Affairs Liaison and Immigrant Community Response Resources
This amendment moved the Immigration Affairs Liaison position and the associated ongoing funding from the Mayor's Office into the City Administrator's Office and reallocated $300,000 in one-time funding from Prosper Portland. To be successful in serving immigrant Portlanders, the Immigration Affairs lead needs not only to be adequately resourced but also to not be politicized by reporting to an elected official executing a political agenda.
The amendment failed 6-6. I voted yes.
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