#city council

#city council

The Portland Housing Bureau has found additional millions in its coffers, adding to the $21 million in unspent funding disclosed late last year. It is unclear exactly how much money is in the fund, but Council President Jamie Dunphy told the Mercury Monday that it is expected to be in the millions. The newly uncovered dollars will impact two pieces of legislation the City Council is considering this week.

Oakland leaders have declined for the second time to reappoint two incumbents to the Police Commission, the civilian body overseeing the Oakland Police Department. At the City Council meeting Tuesday night, all but two council members - Carroll Fife and Noel Gallo - voted to reject the nominees submitted by the Police Commission Selection Panel in December: Ricardo Garcia-Acosta, chair of the commission, and Omar Farmer, an alternate commissioner. The commissioners' terms expired in October, but both have continued to serve in a holdover capacity.

Portland is close to selecting a city administrator to replace Michael Jordan, who's served in the role since January and will retire at the end of the year. The city administrator is largely responsible for overseeing the city's budget and daily operations, with the help of a team of deputy city administrators who run the city's bureaus. The top three finalists include former Mayor Ted Wheeler's first chief of staff, and two other candidates from Colorado and Texas.

Koch's proposal comes in response to public outcry after the council's finance committee approved a 79 percent raise, from $159,000 per year to $285,000, in June 2024. The increase, which would have also raised each city councilor's salary by 50 percent, was originally supposed to take effect Jan. 1, 2025 but was delayed in October 2024. "I've been listening and speaking to Councilors and our residents, and I felt it was appropriate to revisit the issue," Koch said in a press release Wednesday.

The Council's message when it ignores the custom of member deference seems to be: See? We're not provincial, turf-protecting insiders! We act in the interest of the whole city! But we're talking about four instances in two decades, if not longer. The Council has considered thousands of land use applications in that time, and in 99.9 percent of them, the local member has decided the result. Make no mistake: Member deference is alive and well.

"I think some people only look at the numbers and see the number of deaths are not going in the right direction. It's important to explain that Vision Zero is not a model, it's a goal," Koyama Lane told the Mercury. She says Portland should remain steadfast in its belief that no one should die while trying to get around the city. "Getting to that number zero is a holistic goal that we can never give up on," Koyama Lane said.

Kern County Grand Jury indicated that while bicycle lanes have safety and environmental benefits, they are deemed a waste of money due to extreme heat and poor air quality.

The mayor's vetoes are anti-worker and anti-working class. The hypocrisy of his claims are on full display for all to see.

The Central Park Conservancy opposes horse-drawn carriages due to safety concerns, road damage, and incompatibility with the park's increasing visitors. They support a City Council bill to ban the industry.

Rancho Palos Verdes has approved a permanent ban on new construction across 715 acres affected by destructive landslide movement. The decision protects the safety of local residents.

The mayor is expected to veto a Council bill that would expand the restaurant delivery worker minimum wage to grocery delivery workers. This bill aims to achieve the goal championed by the mayor in a 2022 report.

The longer the charred landscape from over 6,800 destroyed structures sits, the more glaring the lack of transparency is in a city dogged by a housing shortage.

Oakland Animal Services, despite budget cuts, continues to provide refuge for homeless animals. The City Council recently allowed the shelter to turn away rescued animals.