The DA challenger’s case for protecting Portland

Dealing With Fentanyl Near the Library

New lighting is going up this week outside the Central Library to address reports of rising drug use nearby. Other ways the downtown library has addressed safety concerns include patrols by unarmed security guards 12 hours a day, every day. [Oregonian 🔒]

• Related: Why your local Portland library might look — and feel — a lot different. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Can This Candidate Fix Crime in Portland?

Nathan Vasquez, a candidate for Multnomah County district attorney, is challenging incumbent Mike Schmidt. Vasquez explains why he’ll be better at addressing crime. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Problems With Inclement Weather Pay?

Portland Public Schools is saying it inadvertently overpaid custodians during the winter storms, when the workers received extra money for overtime and inclement weather. It’s not clear how or why the district overpaid the custodians, but they’re being asked to return up to $500, according to their labor union. The workers want to keep their money, and for the district to avoid making the mistake in the future. [KGW]

Discount Prices for Affordable Housing Buildings

There’s an opportunity for local governments to buy up apartment buildings at a relative discount — for use as affordable housing. Two apartment buildings sold recently for $200,000 per unit and $293,000 per unit, respectively. By comparison, the regional government Metro’s affordable housing bond recently spent between $412,000 and $522,000 per apartment. Metro is continuing to pursue a possible November ballot measure to repurpose supportive housing services dollars for more affordable housing. [Willamette Week]

We’re about to celebrate our civic pride with a very new, very real holiday of 503 Day on May 5 (5/03), chosen by City Cast Portland for our area code 503. For the occasion, we’re looking for a new slogan for our city.

I’m delighted by the newsletter reader and podcast listener ideas we’ve received so far.

You can check out the first round from earlier this week if you didn’t see them.

Here are some more:

• “‘Workin on it.’ Not ‘city that’s …’ Just, ‘workin on it.’” — Robin Gorman
• “We’re weird but welcoming.” — Dionne Anderson
• “The optimistic slogan for Portland: ‘Beer in hand, love in heart.’ The pessimistic slogan for Portland: ‘Mind the poo.’ The accurate slogan for Portland: ‘Ineffective committee approves five-year slogan study group.’" — Anonymous
• “The city that welcomes all.” — Cosette Bonjour
• “‘Portland: Make it make sense’ or ‘Portland: We welcome weird.’” — Debra H.
• “Portland, the nation's green city." — Beverly Hess
• “The city that camps.” — Brian Catterson
• “‘The city that sorta works … sometimes,’ ‘The city that runs on volunteerism,’ or ‘The city that’s working on it.’” — Margo Howell
• “In honor of our soon-to-be new mayor, Liv Osthus, our slogan should be: ‘Viva Portland!’”
  
  “If we want to keep the tradition started by Mayor Frank Ivancie and pick a slogan after a pop song, how about a line from the number 1 hit right now: ‘Portland. That's my wave!’" —JD Williams
• “‘Portland: Building bridges since 1889,’ ‘Portland: Get your creative on!’ ‘Portland: Beauty and the best!’ or ‘Put a bridge over it!’” — Sue Metzler
• “‘Portland: How to turn a great town into a homeless encampment’ or 'The little city that couldn't.’
  
  “May I say … this contest is a bad idea. In order to write a genuine slogan for a city, people have to be proud of the city. A new slogan won’t make sense for Portland until significant improvements are made and we can once again be proud of Portland. Any new slogan now will ring hollow and be ridiculed. I’m a supporter of our city, but I’m not proud of it as it stands. I suspect many feel the same way. A new slogan will just be more of what we’re already getting — lip service, but no substantive improvement.” — Anonymous

Can DA Challenger Nathan Vasquez Fix Crime in Portland?

On May 21, a primary election is likely to decide whether Mike Schmidt remains Multnomah County’s district attorney or if instead the job will be passed on to Nathan Vasquez, a prosecutor working in the DA's office. Schmidt has appeared on the City Cast Portland podcast a couple of times, so today Vasquez explains why he thinks our city would be safer with him in office.