What would Rene Gonzalez do as Portland mayor?

The Hard-Fought Oregon Statehouse Races

Democrats are expected to retain control of both the Oregon Senate and the House. The question is whether they’ll win enough seats to regain a three-fifths supermajority — a necessity if they want to pass new taxes without Republican support. [OPB]

3 PPS High Schools Still Need Renovations

Six Portland high schools have now gone through renovations. But three — Cleveland in Southeast, Jefferson High in Northeast, and Ida B. Wells in Southwest — still need upgrades. It’s not clear yet whether PPS will move ahead with plans to ask voters for the money next year. [KOIN]

Bird Flu in Washington State Farmworkers

Four farmworkers in Washington State have tested positive for bird flu after working with poultry. The test results still need confirmation, but they would be the first cases in the state since health officials began tracking a global rise in cases since 2022. [OPB]

Mayoral Frontrunner Rene Gonzalez

Since the summer, Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez has cemented his status as one of the leading mayoral candidates. In fact, he’s enough of a force that some groups are running a “Don’t Rank Rene” campaign as a last-ditch effort to elect someone else. Here’s what he had to say earlier in the season about his priorities, and what his chances look like today. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Two runoffs from the May primary will decide the future direction of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners. The county holds nonpartisan elections, with a fall runoff for any race where the leading candidate didn’t get a majority of the votes (50% plus one).

District 1

Multnomah County District 1 covers the city’s West Side, along with a portion of inner Southeast. The term-limited outgoing commissioner Sharon Meieran has criticized the two county chairs she’s served with, pushing for more urgency on addressing homelessness. That’s an issue of note in this fall’s election:

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

• Meghan Moyer, policy director of Disability Rights Oregon
• Vadim Mozyrsky, an administrative law judge

🗞️ Read more:

• The candidates have policy distinctions on civil commitments, arresting homeless campers, and cutting taxes, among other issues. [Oregonian 🔒]

District 2

District 2 covers most of North and Northeast Portland. Former commissioner Susheela Jayapal resigned to pursue an unsuccessful bid for Congress. The winner of this election will serve out the remainder of her term that ends in 2026.

🗳️ Who’s on Your Ballot

• Sam Adams, former Portland mayor
• Shannon Singleton, former adviser to Gov. Kate Brown and former interim director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services

🗞️ Read more:

• A debate between Adams and Singleton highlighted their policy differences on homelessness. [Oregonian 🔒]