How Portland police helped by walking away

3rd City Commissioner in Mayoral Race

City Commissioner Carmen Rubio, a self-described “no drama” introvert, has joined the race for mayor. Rubio says her efforts on regulatory relief for developing housing are among her biggest accomplishments. [Willamette Week]

• Related: Rubio has years of experience at City Hall, working for former Mayor Tom Potter and the late City Commissioner Nick Fish. (She also served as executive director of the nonprofit Latino Network.) She’ll face two of her four colleagues from the council: Commissioners Rene Gonzalez and Mingus Mapps. Mayor Ted Wheeler is leaving office, and Commissioner Dan Ryan has ruled out a run. [OPB]
• Related: There will be a seismic shift this year in Portland politics, with a change in the form of government. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Man Threatened to Jump, Then Walked Away

Police shut down traffic on I-5 to assist a man who was threatening to end his life with a jump off the Marquam Bridge. After hours of trying to talk him down, police determined the best course of action was to disengage. It was still a couple of hours before the man climbed down. What happened next? Nothing. Police didn’t take him for mental health care afterward; It’s not clear why. [Oregonian]

Oregon Has 9th Least Regressive Tax System

In Oregon, more of the state’s taxes fall on the rich than the poor, relative to other states. Oregon has a less regressive tax system than all but eight states, according to a new analysis by the left-leaning think tank Oregon Center for Public Policy. Oregon doesn’t have a sales tax, but it is still regressive: The lowest 20% of earners in Oregon pay about 12% of their income in taxes, while the 1% highest-earning Oregonians pay 10.4%. [Willamette Week]

Last week’s murals were a trick question. They are part re-creation, part homage to the Lovejoy Columns, possibly the city’s most famous graffiti. The original columns, painted by Efthimiou “Tom” Stefopoulos in the 1940s and featured in Gus Van Sant’s “Drugstore Cowboy,” were preserved and are now in the Pearl District. These new ones are under the Hawthorne Bridge on Southeast Madison Avenue on the Central Eastside.

For this week’s citywide scavenger hunt: Do you know the story of this abandoned building? It serves a purpose.

Portland Bartenders Are Reinventing Cocktails — Without the Alcohol

This one is especially for everyone whose New Year’s resolution was “Dry January” or who is a designated driver, pregnant, or otherwise skipping the booze. Cliff Seminerio, bartender at Bar Casa Vale & Canard and founder of the alcohol-free pop-up Worry Not PDX, shares expert tips to thrive with a delicious zero-proof cocktail in hand.