Should Portland adopt East Coast solutions?

Should Portland Be More East Coast?

Oregon, with a tradition of progressive politics, has high levels of homelessness, below-average high school graduation rates, and the worst youth mental health services in the country. Why is that the case? New York Times Opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof argues the West Coast should adopt a page from the more pragmatic East Coast. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Carmen Rubio Lost Her License (Repeatedly)

Mayoral candidate Carmen Rubio racked up half a dozen traffic tickets — and then failed to appear in court. That resulted in the suspension of her driver’s license each time, most recently in 2016. Over the last two decades, she received 150 parking tickets, which were sent to a collection agency at least 100 times. [Oregonian 🔒]

So Did Rene Gonzalez

Mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez lost his license twice, most recently in 2003, after being ticketed for speeding. The following year he was caught driving with a suspended license. Despite being a lawyer, he failed to show up in court. More recently, in 2014, he was ticketed for failing to pay his TriMet fare. [Willamette Week]

Spike in TriMet Fare Evasion

More than 1 in 4 TriMet passengers didn’t have a valid fare, according to an agency survey from March. It’s the first time TriMet conducted the survey in four years, but from 2014 through 2019 the annual survey showed an increase in fare evasion from 9% to 19% — but far lower than 27% from this year. [Oregonian 🔒]