City Cast Portland
Will housing decide Portland’s election?
September 5, 2024 · — Rachel Monahan
Good morning, Portland! Stay safe out there today! The heat can be dangerous.
Here’s a reason to be proud of our state: Oregon has taken steps to make sure workers are safer when it’s hot out 🥵 We’re the second safest for outdoor workers, according to one ranking 🏗️
What's CITY Talking About?
Will Housing Decide Portland’s Election?
Few Portland issues are more pressing than housing. Willamette Week reporter Sophie Peel talks about the future of housing in Portland — and which candidates are leading the charge. [City Cast Portland 🎧]
Trump Didn’t Pay (Again) for Voters’ Pamphlet
Former president Donald Trump won’t appear in the Oregon voters’ pamphlet after he didn’t pay the $3,500 charged to presidential candidates. Oregon mails the pamphlet to 3 million voters each election cycle, and it’s highly unusual for presidential candidates to choose not to appear. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]
I’d call him a vulture, but vultures serve a purpose in nature.
$2M for an ODOT Consultant Courting Black Portland’s Support
The Oregon Department of Transportation has paid a Vancouver-based minister $2.7 million since 2020 to try to win Black Portlanders’ support for the I-5 Rose Quarter project. But he has also been barred from Urban League of Portland’s offices after he allegedly made comments about a woman employee’s appearance. [Willamette Week]
- Related: The same consultant filed a $7 million suit against the Urban League when an event he was moderating got canceled. But it backfired, and he ended up owing the nonprofit more than $100,000 in legal fees over the frivolous suit. [Willamette Week]
Portland Chatter
I’m adding a little something extra to this week’s section on reader comments ⬇️
✉️ A Reader's Gripe
“SE Hawthorne is a highly used thoroughfare between 82nd and 92nd, and it’s a mess of potholes and has no curbs or sidewalks. I see lots of sidewalk and street repairs happening near my work in Northeast Portland, and recently we had a stretch of Southeast Yamhill improved, but Hawthorne has tons of traffic. You can’t safely pass another vehicle. My neighbors and I would be thrilled with some improvements!” — Shel Mae
🥇 Hometown Superlatives
We’re collecting press releases that flood our inbox for some yearbook-style superlatives about the place we call home:
Portland:
96th percentile for yearly pay growth at an impressive 5.8% 💰
No. 1 best city to buy local food 🥬
Oregon:
4th best state for food establishments serving edible insects 🪳
12th most fun state to visit 🛝
9th worst state to live in 😢
What To Do
Thursday, Sep. 5
- 🖼️ Free First Thursdays | 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. | Free | Portland Art Museum
- ⏳ Time-Based Art Festival (experimental art) | Various Times (through Sept. 22) | $100+ | PICA (Eliot neighborhood)
- ✋ The Standard’s Volunteer Expo | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Free | Pioneer Courthouse Square
- 👻 Hawthorne Ghost Tour | 7 - 9 p.m. | $30+ | Southeast Hawthorne Blvd and 37th
- 🐦 Swift Watch | Sunset (all month or until the migration is over) | Free | Chapman Elementary School
Friday, Sep. 6
- 🖼️ ’Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a Transgender West’ | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (first day, through Jan. 5) | Free for Multnomah County residents | Oregon Historical Society
- 🎨 Lake Oswego Open Studios Preview Show | 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Free | Sidestreet Arts Gallery (Kerns neighborhood)
- 🤸 Portland Play Streets | 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Free | Northeast Roselawn Street (Cully neighborhood)
- 🦸 Rose City Comic Con | 1 - 8 p.m. (various times through Sunday) | $57+ | Oregon Convention Center
- 🦹 Geek Week PDX (“World’s First City-Wide Comic Con) | Various Times (through Sept. 15) | Various Prices | Various Locations
- 🖌️ First Friday Art Walk in East Side Arts District | 6 - 9 p.m. | Free | Various Locations
🍕 Portland has a lot of good pizza. And yet the new options keep coming: Belle Époque Pies are something like a combo of Sicilian and Detroit styles.
Free · Daily