 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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Marshall Park Neighborhood Association: Annual Ice Cream Social 6-7:30pm Tuesday, August 4th at Marshall Park, 9700 SW 12th Drive.
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Sylvan-Highlands Neighborhood Association: 7-8:30pm Tuesday, August 11th at Fire Station 16, 1715 SW Skyline Boulevard.
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Homestead Neighborhood Association: 6:30-8:30pm Tuesday, September 1st at OHSU Old Library, 3286 SW Research Drive.
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Bridlemile Neighborhood Association: 7-8:30pm Wednesday, September 9th on Zoom.
 Last month I attended Councilor Smith’s “Coffee with a Cop” series in District 1, which focused on long-term police recruitment goals and costs.
Earlier this year I joined Councilor Smith and co-sponsored a resolution to ensure that future public safety and budget decisions are grounded in data. This new comprehensive report provides a sobering roadmap. Chief Day joined the conversation, and these are some of my biggest takeaways:
- Portland police handle 200,000+ calls for service every year, yet they lack the financial resources to adequately grow to meet this need.
- Understaffing not only leads to longer response times, it also hinders investigations into crimes like child abuse. According to the report, about 80% of incoming child abuse tips do not receive an assigned investigator because the bureau lacks the capacity to follow up. We should all agree that this cannot continue.
- Among many evidence-based strategies worth exploring is a four-precinct model, which would improve both service delivery and geographic coverage across the entire city.
The Risk Reduction Rescue Plan, which Councilor Smith and I co-introduced last month with Councilors Novick and Pirtle-Guiney, will provide some short-term relief to stop severe cuts to public safety services in this year’s budget. However, the City must identify long-term revenue sources to address this ongoing crisis.
 Last month I attended another Re-Ignite the Pearl town hall at the Armory, this one focused on policing and public safety, with District Attorney Vasquez and Chief Day as featured speakers. It was an important conversation for a neighborhood dealing with a spike in car break-ins, assaults, and vandalism.
Pearl District Neighborhood Association President Bruce Studer also provided updates about some Re-Ignite initiatives that were launched in April. Yoga classes have been filling Fields Park on the last Saturday of every month this summer; banners will soon welcome visitors to the neighborhood; and, with financial support from my office, the weekly Culinary Farmers Market is doubling its footprint!
 Happy 250th, America!
I recognize that we are living through some tough times. Our democracy and the rule of law are being challenged at the federal level like never before.
Our country was born in struggle with many social upheavals, like today. Last week I was invited to lead a sing-along of patriotic songs at American Plaza Towers alongside my friend Janet Craswell on piano. The people who wrote some of these lyrics lived through tough times, too, including wars and revolution.
Despite our current challenges, I still have hope for our country, our people, and our institutions. I’m going to wager that we will get through this and we will persevere.
 Last weekend I celebrated Independence Day at a Goose Hollow neighborhood street party with a special visit from Station 15 firefighters! They let Anan Raymond and my grandson, Kale, take turns in the driver’s seat.
 Last week I attended the South Portland Neighborhood Association meeting at Mirabella senior living community. We discussed important topics including the Moda Center renovation, Keller Auditorium, and Portland Harbor Superfund.
I was impressed by the strong turnout and always enjoy seeing so many community members engaged in the civic process. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to the conversation!
 Last month I met with the Ardenwald-Johnson Creek Neighborhood Association, which spans parts of both Portland and Milwaukie. We talked about the importance of parks volunteers, a fully staffed police force, and even our favorite soup!
With financial support from my office, the neighborhood association will present a series of free summer concerts in Ardenwald Park from 6:30-8:30pm every Thursday in August. For the lineup visit Ardenwald.org/concerts.
 Last month my Public Works Committee unanimously passed an ordinance to restrict right turns at red signals within the High Crash Network, the 30 streets and intersections with the most serious crashes.
This is a key strategy in the Vision Zero policy framework to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on Portland streets — and it’s a recognized traffic safety tool to reduce turning conflicts at signalized intersections. According to the Portland Bureau of Transportation, no-turn-on-red signage can reduce all crash types at an intersection by about 9%.
Special thanks to Mike Dennis of Oregon Walks and Eva Frazier of BikeLoud PDX for testifying in support of this commonsense measure to protect our public health, safety, and welfare! Eva informed the committee that right turns on red signals have only been around since Congress legalized them as a potential fuel-saving measure in response to the 1970s energy crisis.
 Did you know that Portland opened the continent’s first accredited naturopathic medical university 70 years ago?
Last month the National University of Natural Medicine celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art campus, which will bring 400 students into our central city. It will also bring the university’s education classrooms, clinical care, and research labs together under one roof for the first time.
Prosper Portland supported the campus relocation through a grant using Tax Increment Financing resources.
 The inaugural Portland Arts Week is here!
This year’s celebration explores the powerful intersection of creative culture and athletic innovation. Most events are free and open to the public, with registration encouraged for venues with limited capacity.
For the full schedule go to PortlandArtsWeek.com. Here is what’s happening in District 4:
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North and South Park Blocks Activations (10am-5pm Saturday, July 11): A variety of sports and art projects will pop up, including street soccer, pickleball, and basketball games and clinics as well as a Portland Art Museum Street Mural Project!
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An Evening of Performance at Darcelle XV Plaza (5:30-7:30pm Saturday, July 11): An outdoor program featuring Oregon Symphony Stumptown Thumpers Quartet, Oregon Ballet Theater, Open Space, Onry and Diarra Mboup, Franklin High Arts Alive, NØIR with original poetry by Subashini Ganesom-Forbes, and Tap Dancer TJ Yale and Dancers.
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Tai Chi Fundamentals at Lan Su Chinese Garden (10:30-11:30am Sunday, July 12): Work on posture and body alignment alongside principles of movement and meditation.
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Finding Connections in Creative and Athletic Practice (6-7pm Wednesday, July 15): Blackfish Gallery moderates a panel exploring the parallels between artistic and athletic practice, and what each discipline reveals about the other.
 Last month I met with Kendra Roberts, Director of Blackfish Gallery, a pioneer gallery in the Pearl District and the longest-running artist-owned and artist-operated gallery in Portland. One of their artists, Eddie Reed, told me about his work inspired by the 6888, the only primarily black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps.
Kendra also serves as Board President of the Portland Art Dealers Association, which is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Portland’s monthly art walk, First Thursday. In November the member galleries will present their third annual Pop Up event at NW Marine Art Works, where art lovers can meet their local galleries all under one roof.
 Last month Portland City Hall was filled with the sounds of the community choir A Notion, A Scream, led by conductor DeReau K. Farrar.
Special thanks to Council President Jamie Dunphy for his ongoing initiative to bring live music into City Hall before evening meetings!
 Last week I joined Representative Isadore and Senator Reynolds for a behind-the-scenes tour of the 39th annual Waterfront Blues Festival.
I also got to meet Gary Houston, who has served as the festival’s poster artist since 2001. Kudos to Fuller Events for organizing the largest celebration of blues, soul, funk, and R&B west of the Mississippi!
 June may be over, but Pride Summer has only just begun!
Last week I joined Governor Tina Kotek and First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson for the grand opening of Darcelle XV Plaza, which will host a “Summer of Love” free event series designed to fill the new public space with music, movement, and connection all season long.
In addition, the Portland Pride parade will begin at 11am Sunday, July 19th from the North Park Blocks. That same weekend you can celebrate at the waterfront festival as well as two extension events: Ankeny Alley’s Pride Block Party and Midtown Beer Garden’s Play with Pride.
“Portland has hosted Pride celebrations since 1971 and Pride marches since 1970, and 2026 marks the 55th anniversary of Pride celebrations in Portland and around the world,” Mayor Wilson’s Pride Summer proclamation reads. “Pride is both a celebration and a call to action — honoring the generations who fought for equality while recommitting ourselves to building a future where all people can live openly, safely, and authentically.”
 Summer Free for All is back!
This wildly popular Portland Parks & Recreation program builds community through free, inclusive, and family-friendly activities. Here are the cultural events coming to District 4:
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July 16 (7:30pm): Paddington in Peru at Elizabeth Caruthers Park
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July 17 (6:30pm): BridgeCity Soul at Jamison Square Park
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July 31 (6:30pm): Story & Tune at Spring Garden Park
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August 7 (6:30pm): Boka Marimba at Pendleton Park
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August 8 and 9 (6pm): Washington Park Summer Festival at Rose Garden Amphitheater. This year’s lineup features Albina Music Trust presenting big-band jazz, followed by an evening of soul music with Ural Thomas and the Pain.
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August 13 (6:30pm): Brigitta & the Cocktail Cats at Stevens Pavilion in Hoyt Arboretum
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August 15 (6:30pm): Bloco Alegria at Sellwood Park
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August 29 (7:30pm): Wicked at Hamilton Park
 Are you ready to help make history by breaking the Guinness World Record for Largest Electric Bicycle Party & Ride?
Mark your calendar for Sunday, July 19th, when the Portland Bureau of Transportation is organizing an e-bike ride to celebrate the 10th birthday of Biketown, the city’s system of shared e-bikes! (The current record was set in Seattle in 2018 with 405 e-bikes.)
Check-in starts at 8:30am at Salmon Springs; the ride starts at 9:30. Everyone is welcome to join the steady-paced ride, including people riding personal e-bikes and pedal bikes, although only e-bikes will be counted toward the record-breaking attempt.
The 2-mile route goes over Tilikum Crossing, the Eastbank Esplanade, and Hawthorne Bridge. The ride will conclude with a celebration, vendors, refreshments, remarks from City and Biketown partners, and an official judge verifying whether Portland set a new record.
Advance registration is encouraged to ensure you are counted and especially if you need to reserve a Biketown rental, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis to those 16 and older. Afterward, head to the Portland Pride Parade and Festival; the first 1,000 people who register will receive free entry!
 ► Last November, Mayor Wilson invited me to join an “Ex-Officio Table” alongside key stakeholders from Portland’s performing arts ecosystem to provide guidance as the City considers the future of Keller Auditorium and a potential new venue at Portland State University. As reported by Portland Business Journal, I was among four members who voted against the group’s final recommendations. We need more fiscally responsible options on the table, and I’ll continue to urge Council to consider them.
► Portland recently took home two coveted James Beard Awards: District 3’s Scotch Lodge won Outstanding Bar, and here in District 4, multicourse Japanese restaurant Nodoguro was finally recognized in the Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific category after nine nominations. Chef Ryan Roadhouse spoke with OPB’s All Things Considered about why he decided to open in 2014: “Portland just felt like such a dreamland in a way, because of the forest, the farmers’ market, and then there was a ‘pushing the envelope’ dining scene here…. Sometimes you forget how unique a place this is…. It could have never started anywhere else but Portland.”
► Hoyt Arboretum was founded in 1928 as “a museum of living trees” to “conserve endangered species and educate the community.” Nearly 100 years later, this District 4 destination boasts 2,300 species of trees across 190 acres and 12 miles of hiking trails! The Hoyt Arboretum Friends offer a wide range of public programs for people of all ages. It’s among the many kid-friendly activities in Washington Park recommended by The Oregonian, along with the International Rose Test Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, and Oregon Zoo.
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