PDX Links for April
Exactly what it sounds like: local news aggregation
I’m trying a new format. Partly because I want to say things that aren’t worth a full post but mostly just because there’s just a lot going on right now and this is something I would find convenient if someone sent it to my inbox.
So, with that said, here are the Portland-related news articles from April that most piqued my interest.1
1: Developers say Portland’s (well intentioned) building codes are contributing to the housing crisis
I know many folks are skeptical of what developers say but after a failed attempt to get rooftop solar permitted on my house, I am pretty confident they’re right on the money here.
2: The Trailblazers are finally getting a G league team! Better yet, it’s going to be playing at University of Portland’s arena in NoPo. It’s a great opportunity to watch quality basketball for relatively cheap.
For the uninitiated, the G League is the NBA’s development league, kind of like a minor league with mostly younger players. The Blazers is one of the few teams without their own affiliate.
Most G league teams don’t play in the city of their associated NBA team so this is a treat for us, though it makes me wonder if they'll eventually move it to Eugene or somewhere else nearby.
Now we just need to get a WNBA team…
3: 500 new bikes are being added to our bike share. This brings the fleet to ~2,000 and should help alleviate shortages around town for those who use Bikeytown.
4: Would you take the Frog Ferry? A commuter ferry along the Willamette from St. Johns to Riverplace. To be honest, I’m pretty skeptical it pencils out but if they can get these grants and keep operating costs low enough to get off the ground, I could see how this could become both a commuting option for some and a tourist draw with time. The waterfront (largely due to I-5) is woefully underutilized for how much we have of it and if this spurred more use and investment, I’m into it.
5: Holman’s is coming back! The folks behind many of the city’s best hipster/dives—Club 21 (RIP), the Lay Low, the Sandy Hut—are taking it over and revamping it. Unabashed good news, since Holman’s has been shuttered since the pandemic started.
6: REI is closing in their one store in the city. Increase break-ins were originally cited as a core reason in the first press I saw but in subsequent follow-ups there’s some sort of disagreement with the landlord too, as well as a push to unionize the store.
Depending on your politics, you probably see that list and have gut reaction as to which is the “real” reason they’re closing. Ultimately, we’ll probably never know. From my perspective as someone with a bit of experience making the decision on when to sunset something, often it isn’t just one thing in isolation that pushes a business to pull the plug. My hypothesis is that it’s a combo: theft, landlord hassles, unionization, and a less-than-robust pandemic rebound downtown likely all contributed to the decision.
In any case, it’s a real loss and one of the main reasons I went to that part of town. In the meantime I suppose we still have Next Adventure (SE Stark & Grand) for our in-town outdoor gear needs.
7: PPB used unsafe levels of tear gas during 2020 protests
8: Portland Police call volume down 6% but response time is up 17%, year over year. One hopes scaling Portland Street Response will help here, going forward.
9: Police to start wearing body cameras in a 60-day pilot later this summer. We’re the largest city in the US without them to date. The research on body cameras is pretty mixed and there’s not much evidence they reduce the use of force by police for what it’s worth. Still, there’s something visceral about video that’s folks find powerful so I’m not opposed if the implementation allows for real accountability (and privacy).
10: The Economist on Prop 110’s shortcomings (non-paywell option). I’m still a believer in the idea of drug decriminalization but it’s pretty clear we didn’t really follow the Portugal model, both in terms of implementation and in terms of funding treatment.
11: Why is Portland selling off its water tanks?
12: O’Bryant Square to be demolished and replaced. (It’s been fenced off since 2018)
13: Last but not least, There’s an election in May!
As always you should check out the voting guide but the biggest vote of this election, in my opinion, is Multnomah County measure 26-238, a Capital Gains tax to support eviction services.
Tenants are at a disadvantage compared to landlords and eviction services help level the playing field. Even still, though, I would encourage you to vote No on this one. The Oregonian and Willy Week agree.
It doesn’t really matter how good the cause, the implementation of this one will be an absolute mess with roughly 50% of the revenue expected to go towards just administrating the tax. If we implemented this one, individual taxpayers, by my count, could be taxed up to 6 different ways for local services, with 4 of those taxing mechanisms newly implemented since 2012.2
There’s a good argument for taxing a lot for good services (see: Denmark). But setting aside the question of whether or not our services are good,3 no tax regime should be this confused, byzantine, and inefficient. So vote no.
I also recognize it’s now May. But I’m on vacation; don’t expect miracles.
Property Taxes
Bonds tacked on to Sewer/Water bills
Arts Tax (a head tax)
Two different income taxes for high earners (one for Metro, one for Portland)
This, a capital gains tax
They are not.