City Cast Portland
🤑 Living comfortably in Portland takes how much?
March 26, 2024
Good morning, Portland! Do you remember when Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned in 2015 over an influence-peddling scandal involving his fiancée? No one is saying that Gov. Tina Kotek’s choice to create an office for the first lady is like that: Aimee Kotek Wilson is not drawing a state salary. And yet key Kotek staff members have resigned over their conflicts with the first lady ⬇️
What's CITY Talking About?
How Much to Be Comfortable?
A single person in Portland needs to earn $52.90 per hour to live comfortably, according to an analysis by the financial tech company SmartAsset. Put another way, that’s $110,032 per year. Portland is the 19th most expensive city in this ranking of 99 larger U.S. cities. [KOIN]
Budget Cuts for Every School
Portland Public Schools have released details on how budget cuts will impact every school: Franklin High School is losing the most staff — the equivalent of nine and a half full-time employees. Partly that’s because there are fewer students expected next fall at Franklin, but mostly it’s because, as officials have been warning, the schools are facing a sizable budget cut for the 2024-25 school year. [OPB]
Oregon No. 1 for Paid Leave
Oregon is the best state for paid leave and child care policies, according to a left-leaning New York-based think tank, The Century Foundation. Only 12 other states and Washington, D.C., offer paid family and medical leave. Oregon also has one of the most progressive child tax credits for low-income families. Despite the ranking, Oregon gets only a B+ in this grading system, and no state has what the think tank considers a comprehensive policy for child care. [Oregonian]
Gov. Kotek’s First Lady Now Has State Staff
On the midweek news roundup, Gov. Tina Kotek has decided to provide an office and staff within the governor’s office for First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson. And three key members of Kotek’s staff have quit over conflicts with the first lady. [City Cast Portland 🎧]
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What To Do
Tuesday, March 26
- 🎵 Sir Chloe | 8 p.m. | $29.10 | Wonder Ballroom
- 🎵 Ladysmith Black Mambazo | 8 p.m. | $46.81 | Aladdin Theater
Wednesday, March 27
- 📚‘Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood’ | 7 p.m. | Free | Powell's City of Books
- 📽️ ‘Wonder Woman’ and More in 16mm (Feminist March film series) | 7:30 p.m. | $14 | Hollywood Theatre
- 🌸 Re:Generation – Manifesting at the Peach Blossom Spring | Various Times | $8 | Portland Chinatown Museum
Thursday, March 28
- 📽️ ‘In the Cut’ (Feminist March film series) | 7:30 p.m. | $14 | Hollywood Theatre
- 🎭 ‘Yohen’ | Various Times (through April 21) | $37+ | Southwest Hills neighborhood
- 🎵 Small Crush | 8 p.m. | $23.18 | Wonder Ballroom
Today on City Cast
I don’t know how many other allocations she’s going to have to walk back on.
Commissioner Rubio Backpedals PCEF Funds and Gov. Kotek’s First Lady Gets Staff. Plus, Listener Tips
Commissioner Rubio walked back her proposal to allocate interest from the Portland Clean Energy Fund to the Portland Street Response. And Governor Tina Kotek creates an office for her spouse within her administration. Plus, there’s listener mail — on cocktail bar recommendations and friend-making tips. Host Claudia Meza and producer Giulia Fiaoni round up the midweek news.
🐋 If you’re going to the coast this week, Portland Monthly has some tips for Whale Watch Week: you’ll want to get up early and bring your binoculars 🌊
— Rachel Monahan
Edited by Adrian González and copy edited by Giulia Fiaoni
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