Portland city politics reporter, @opb.org Past lives: CA, DC, TX 📬 azielinski@opb.org Signal: alex_zee.03 www.opb.org/author/alex-zielinski/
Secretary of State Tobias Read sent a letter to the Portland City Auditor on Tuesday demanding greater rigor, after the backers of a controversial initiative petition leveled a bevy of allegations against the city over its signature-verification process.
Secretary of State Read to City Auditor: Clean Up Your Elections DivisionSophie Peelwww.wweek.com
Oregon currently has dozens of active, large fires burning statewide, covering more than 1 million acres.
Oregon wildfires explode over weekend with no signs of slowing downPeople on the Warm Springs Reservation have evacuated, and other communities in Central and Eastern Oregon are threatened as more than 1 million acres in Oregon have been consumed by wildfires.www.opb.orgA former staffer for Portland City Councilor Candace Avalos claims she was fired in retaliation for reporting sexual harassment at work. And she’s planning to sue.
City staffer threatens to sue Portland councilor over alleged retaliatory firingA former staffer for Portland City Councilor Candace Avalos claims she was fired in retaliation for reporting sexual harassment at work. And she’s planning to sue.www.opb.orgHave the Blazers responded to the city’s term sheet? Will Portland address the Blazers’ legal concerns? OPB sat down with three of the key city officials at the negotiating table to get answers to these questions and more.
As Moda Center deal looms, Portland city officials at the center of negotiations weigh inOn Thursday, the Portland City Council will hold its first public meeting on its term sheet for renovating the arena. OPB asked three city officials to weigh in on where the deal stands.www.opb.orgAhead of this Thursday's public mtg on the city's Moda Center deal, here are some answers to outstanding questions. (Some new stuff from city officials -- and new answers from the Blazers -- in here.)
As Moda Center deal looms, Portland city officials at the center of negotiations weigh inOn Thursday, the Portland City Council will hold its first public meeting on its term sheet for renovating the arena. OPB asked three city officials to weigh in on where the deal stands.www.opb.orgPortland's WNBA team has joined the Moda Center chat. “Equitable access means women athletes get the same caliber of infrastructure as their male counterparts, full stop.”
Portland’s WNBA team pushes the county to invest in Moda Center renovationsFor the first time, the Portland Fire publicly weighed in on whether public money should go to the Portland Trail Blazers to renovate the Moda Center.www.opb.orgAs debate around public money on Moda Center renovations heats up, officials from Portland’s suburbs are chiming in.
Mayors from 24 Portland-area cities call on city to secure Moda Center dealThe suburban leaders sent a letter during a week when the arena’s future once again made headlines.www.opb.orgWorth noting here that it appears most councilors were completely blindsided by this term sheet announcement yesterday:
Portland releases draft term sheet as business coalition presses for public Moda Center fundingThe draft term sheet kicks off a new round of negotiations with Trail Blazers owners over funding for arena improvements.opb.orgA proposal to create a new business district in Northeast Portland — which sticks a hefty fee on property owners — has divided an often overlooked neighborhood.
Northeast Portland neighborhood split over new proposed service districtParkrose is the latest Portland neighborhood to consider establishing a new “enhanced service” district.www.opb.orgThere's been a LOT of talk about the Blazers recently (too much??) -- and not enough about Portland's trailblazing new WNBA team. Make time for this dive into one of the Fire's stars, Megan Gustafson:
Pancake’s mom has got it going on: Why Portland fell in love with Megan GustafsonThe Portland Fire center has charmed fans with her gritty attitude and fierce play – and her charismatic corgi Pancake.www.opb.orgImportant update: The city CANNOT begin enforcing fees against the Portland ICE building owners yet. The hearings officer DID determine that the owners violated their land use agreement, but a court has kept the city from enforcing fines until it's hammered out in court. TLDR: TBD
Portland hearings office upholds land use ruling against ICE facility’s landlordThe decision means the city can begin fining the property owner.www.opb.orgIt appears Portland councilors will be asked to approve public funding for the Moda before knowing where, precisely, that money will come from:
Portland City Council won’t have all answers before voting on Moda Center funding packageAs a deadline to commit public dollars to Moda Center renovations rapidly approaches, it appears that Portland city councilors will be asked to approve spending $120 million on arena renovations next ...www.opb.orgTriMet has cut over 500 positions in the past two years and will soon make changes or cuts to more than 30 routes to try to fill a budget gap. Tom Mills said that while the cuts were tough, the planning team worked hard to come up with solutions for minimizing impacts.
Inside TriMet: How Portland area’s bus routes are planned, tested and changedFor this month’s installment of “At Work With,” we’re riding along with the director of planning and policy at TriMet, Tom Mills, whose team decides when and where buses move for Oregon’s largest transit agency.www.opb.orgA Portland hearings officer Friday upheld a city land use violation issued against the owner of the building currently occupied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The ruling allows the city to begin issuing fines against the property owners, starting at $934 monthly.
Portland hearings office upholds land use ruling against ICE facility’s landlordThe decision means the city can begin fining the property owner.www.opb.org
