80% are from the Portland metro area. www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

Behind Portland’s homelessness data, a familiar political fight emerges Mayor Keith Wilson says estimates of homelessness increasing in Portland don’t match his reality.

This is becoming an unusual trend. My reporting from earlier this month:

Despite mayor’s assurances, more people than ever are homeless in Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and others have said homelessness may be decreasing in Portland, despite Multnomah County data showing the opposite.

At Mayor Wilson's State of the City address Friday, he again relied on anecdote -- not data -- to prove his response to homelessness is working.

@lmonghughes.bsky.social digs into the numbers today:

Blazers owner Tom Dundon doesn’t care that others say he’s cheap (Gift Article) When it comes to everything outside the locker room, the Blazers will be cheap. And they won't follow the widely accepted norms of the NBA.

Checking in on the Blazers’ new owner: “I know he doesn’t love Oregon, and is concerned that it is a state that can’t draw free agents. Well, with all due respect, you’re not helping the cause of drawing free agents when you treat everyone like s— there.”

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson proposes cutting jobs and city programs to balance budget deficit Portland Mayor Keith Wilson has proposed cutting nearly 150 jobs and slashing public safety and homelessness programs to address a significant budget shortfall.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson has proposed cutting nearly 150 jobs and slashing public safety and homelessness programs to address a significant budget shortfall.

Apropos of nothing: Portland Mayor Wilson released his proposed budget at 4:20 pm on 4/20.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson talks up Rose City resurgence at State of City speech Portland Mayor Keith Wilson is delivering his second State of the City address Friday evening, 14 months into his first term in office.

Portland Mayor Wilson will release his budget proposal today. He lightly previewed some of it at a speech Friday -- get caught up here:

America’s first billion-dollar climate fund sparks spending debate in Portland YouTube video by PBS NewsHour

My colleague Monica Samayoa was featured in @pbsnews.org segment on the Portland Clean Energy Fund. Featuring Mayor Wilson's reasoning for using PCEF $$ on Moda renovations. Watch here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjLY...

Gov. Kotek vetoes controversial bill overhauling Oregon public meetings law Heeding the warning of Oregon media and ethics groups, Gov. Tina Kotek has vetoed a bill that tweaks the state’s public meetings law.

Back to the drawing board.

The @portlandmercury.com's old stomping grounds!

Multnomah County leader suggests cutting more than 600 homeless shelter beds due to budget woes The budget proposal comes as housing and homelessness remain top issues in the Portland metro area.

The county chair's budget drops days before Portland Mayor Keith Wilson will release his proposal to fill the city’s nearly $170 million budget gap, which also threatens to close homeless shelters.

Portland upholds land use violation against ICE facility’s landlord Portland officials will continue to seek penalties against the owner of the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement building for violating a land use agreement.

For those following, ICE's landlord has re-filed an appeal with the city on this land use violation. Hearing is on May 5.

Jury finds that Ticketmaster and Live Nation had an anticompetitive monopoly over big concert venues They jury in New York decided Wednesday on claims from dozens of U.S. states that the entertainment ticketing behemoth was a monopoly that cost concertgoers and sports fans.

👀 👀 👀

What It’s Like to Work at Troutdale’s Notoriously Dangerous Amazon Warehouse An Amazon employee working as a "stower" at a California fulfillment center. Justin Sullivan / Getty ImagesEleven seconds. That’s how much time workers at Troutdale’s...

That story, for the @portlandmercury.com :

I interviewed workers at this facility in 2019. This grim news doesn't come as a big surprise.

“Amazon doesn’t want any long-term workers,” a PDX9 worker told me then. “They want you to work hard and fast and get rid of you when your body can’t take it anymore. That’s their business model.”

Portland councilors make renewed pitch to spend $56 million of unbudgeted housing funds Portland councilors make renewed pitch to spend $56 million in unbudgeted housing funds

Portland City Council is advancing this plan at today's council mtg:

It's my understanding that *any* Section 8 funding goes through Home Forward, regardless of whether its in a HF property or not.

Last yr, Metro & Multnomah County gave Portland a combined $25M to fund Mayor Wilson's new overnight shelters.

This year, neither are offering money. And both Clackamas & Washington counties have declined Wilson's ask for $.

How Wilson will patch a $54M hole in his shelter budget remains TBD.

We're on strike! Don't visit propublica.org on April 8

We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today.

Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

A new threat to Portlanders' housing stability: federal rent cuts to immigrant households.

This change, which will impact roughly 300 households, could be difference between $1,500 and $750 in monthly financial help.

Eastern Oregon Reporter/Producer at Oregon Public Broadcasting Read the job description and apply here.

OPB's regional positions, including an Eastern Oregon reporting position *cough*, are still open. Do the kind of stories that no one else does for a living wage and union representation!
url-media.com/eastern-oreg...

Rene Gonzalez sues City of Portland over campaign finance penalties Former Portland city commissioner Rene Gonzalez is suing the city for its handling of campaign finance complaints made against him during his 2024 mayoral run.

Former Portland city commissioner Rene Gonzalez is suing the city for its handling of campaign finance complaints made against him during his 2024 mayoral run.

Buoyed by public support, Olivia Clark moves forward with transportation funding proposal Two new revenue sources could raise $68 million per year.

This morning at (first ever) meeting of Portland City Council Committee of the Whole, PBOT will present proposal for 2 major new transportation fees: the Transpo Utility Fee (TUF) & Street Damage Restoration Fee.
www.portland.gov/council/agen...

Background here
bikeportland.org/2026/03/09/b...

The audio story is now attached to this post — hear Marta and others speak about this moment (w/ a little Nick Fish thrown in):

A fave snap from this:

Marta Guembes led the successful campaign to rename Portland’s 39th Ave after Chavez in the late 2000s. Last week, following the news of Chavez's alleged abuse against women & girls, Guembes took a photograph of Chavez off her kitchen wall & carefully cut it into 39 pieces.

Portlanders consider the future of Cesar Chavez Boulevard For years, communities across the U.S. celebrated Chavez’s March 31. This year, planned events memorializing the labor rights' leader's birthday have been canceled. Instead of celebrating, Portlanders...

March 31, Cesar Chavez's birthday, used to be a celebratory day for Latino and labor rights communities.

Those events have been cancelled. Now, in Portland, ppl are calling for a way to acknowledge the recently revealed painful revelations about Chavez's past -- through changing a street sign.

This may be the biggest protest turnout I’ve seen in Portland. Just a sea of people at the waterfront. #NoKings @opb.org

Fun update on the Macadam ICE bldg land use appeal: The property owner appealed the city's Feb. 13 violation ruling (as expected). And then they asked the city to dismiss their appeal.

There's a lot of speculation as to what this means/why. I'll save that for another day.

City of Portland sheds light on how arts tax is spent each year Confusion has surrounded how Portland spends its embattled arts tax funding for years. After OPB published an investigation, the city revealed more details on how much is dispersed annually.

Last month, we reported that Portland was sitting on millions of unspent arts tax dollars. That isn't true.

The city did not dispute the characterization of these funds at the time of our reporting. But a month later, they told us the number was misinterpreted.

Here's what we know now:

Appeals court pauses ruling that limits federal force outside Portland ICE building A federal appeals court late Wednesday temporarily blocked a ruling that drastically limited when federal officers can use force on protesters outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building ...

A reminder: While this decision temporary pauses the limits to chemical munitions at Portland protests, it doesn't touch the city policy that sticks the ICE bldg owner with hefty fines whenever officers use munitons on protestors.