"PCEF, approved by voters in 2018, collects a 1 percent surcharge on local sales at large businesses. The program, which is intended to pay for carbon reduction and climate justice programs, quickly proved more lucrative than initially expected. The program's financial success has been a double-edged sword amid a broader city funding crisis, as other agencies vie for a piece of the pie."
"In November 2025, two Portlanders filed a petition for what they called the Enhanced Community Safety Initiative, hoping to collect enough signatures to get it on the city ballot this fall. The prospective ballot measure, which is backed by Portland's police union, would use 25 percent of PCEF's revenue to hire more police officers."
"After hearing from both sides, Multnomah County Judge Eric Dahlin concluded the initiative lacked the full text of the proposal-a technical error in the original paperwork that was swiftly corrected. He dismissed most of the challengers' arguments, clearing a path for the pro-police effort to move forward."
Portland's clean energy fund, approved by voters in 2018, collects a 1 percent surcharge on large business sales for carbon reduction and climate justice programs. Two Portlanders filed a petition for the Enhanced Community Safety Initiative, backed by the police union, proposing to redirect 25 percent of the fund's revenue to hire more police officers. Climate and social justice advocates challenged the initiative's legal validity. Judge Eric Dahlin dismissed most challengers' arguments but identified a technical error in the original paperwork requiring refiling. Both supporters and opponents of the measure claim victory, with the initiative's future remaining uncertain despite the court's largely favorable ruling.
Read at Portland Mercury
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