An expanding city council, recalling a top legislative Democrat, and private investigators want more money. Here’s a roundup of Portland politics this week.
Recalling One of The State’s Top Legislators
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555’s effort to recall Oregon Rep. Paul Holvey over worker complaints and the shelving of a cannabis bill took a step forward this week. Half of the nearly 4,000 signatures submitted will first need to be verified, as only a third of the signatures were deemed valid in another batch of petitions earlier this year. [Capital Chronicle]
Portland’s New District Map is Official
The Independent Districting Commission has formally adopted the new map that will split Portland into four districts, increasing the number of city council members. We’ll have to wait until November 2024 to see the changes in action. [KATU]
Speaking of the City Council
Four candidates have already thrown their hat in the ring for the expanded 12-member city council. Two of them have run — and lost — city council races before. [Willamette Week]
Private Investigators Asking for Raises
The Oregon Office of Public Defense Services temporarily bumped private investigator compensation to $75 hourly to combat a backlog of cases. Investigators say that salary should be permanent, or they’ll stop taking public defense cases. [Oregonian 🔒]
More about Local Civics
$106M in Unspent Funds at the Portland Housing Bureau
The Portland Housing Bureau has $106 million in unspent funds, the city administrator disclosed late last week. Some of it may be spoken for, but it leaves open the question of how City Council will spend the funds. When the pot of unspent funds was believed to be only $21 million, City Council was divided over whether to spend it on rent assistance or a Prosper Portland housing project. Maybe all of the above are possible now. [Portland Mercury]
City Cast Portland staffFeb 10, 2026
The Gas Tax and Oregon's Legislative Session
State lawmakers convene in Salem next week after a chaotic few weeks for Democratic state leaders as they scramble to address the issue of transportation funding. They have a key problem: Voters appear to oppose the gas tax passed last fall.
City Cast Portland staffJan 28, 2026
US Sen. Wyden Explains His Votes To Arm Israel
Oregon’s U.S. senators usually vote the same way (like for continuing the government shutdown until healthcare costs are addressed). But a key exception in recent months was Sen. Ron Wyden’s support for continued arms sales to Israel while Sen. Jeff Merkley voted to oppose them. Wyden’s support came up again last weekend — at a Portland Book Festival event featuring Omar Al Ekkad, author of “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” (a title you may recognize as “the one book every Portlander should read right now”).
City Cast Portland staffNov 12, 2025