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City Cast Portland

Local Civics

What's being decided in Portland City Hall and why it matters.

Rachel Monahan

Laura Tsutsui

We’re closing in on Election Day 2026, so here's your guide to the key races and how to vote in the Portland area.




Before we get into it, a word of advice: Don't panic! Despite all the mishugas about elections coming out of the federal administration, 

. Multnomah Elections ranked-choice voting project manager Leah Benson said county workers are standing by to count your ballot. We featured the news earlier this week that the federal government is sending election monitors, but that’s not a concern to the county, which hosts monitors all the time. You too could visit to watch the count — if you’re interested. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

. So you’ll now get to rank the candidates for county chair and the commissioners. Treat the No. 1 ranking as your vote — with the additional choices as your backups, says Benson. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read is telling voters to 

 at this point, instead of the mail — so you can be extra-sure your ballot is returned in time. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

. [Oregon Secretary of State / Oregon Capital Chronicle]



Here are some resources for all of us to consult as we cast our ballots:

Every election, the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office sends us all a hefty resource. It might seem like homework to go through, but this is an open book test. You can still find it electronically if you’ve tossed yours: Here’s 

 for state races. (If you live in another county, 

.) But you can also use it for local races — judges are pages 59 - 61.

While your paper guide arrives in one booklet, the 

, which you can also find online — soil districts, for example, are on pages M71 - M76.

It’s always interesting to hear arguments made by editorial boards for the candidates and positions they endorse — whether you agree with them or not.

 is toward the Portland right — which isn’t to say they’re very conservative at all. They said they were disappointed to endorse Tina Kotek again, but skewered Republican gubernatorial candidate 

Christine Drazan’s silence on President Trump’s abuse of power

. (Maybe they’re trying to live down their decision to forgo offering an endorsement in the presidential race back in 2016.) And they are more likely to endorse business friendly candidates over socialists, though 

City Councilor Angelita Morillo still got their nod

occupies the Portland middle; maybe they’re just a fan of being unpredictable. I found their endorsement in the Multnomah County chair’s race surprising: They're supporting 

, even as a lot of institutional support lined up behind Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards.

 As a public broadcaster, OPB can’t make endorsements, but they offer 

 has interviewed candidates in some of the biggest races to help you decide.


 for the state’s top job. We spoke to Kotek and Drazan about their priorities, asking Kotek why the heck she 

, all with county council experience. We asked a series of 

, including who they’d rank second on their own ballot for the position and where they would cut to fill budget gaps. [City Cast Portland / Instagram]


 Twenty-one people (you read that right) hope to snag one of three seats in District 3. We interviewed six of them — those with the most individual campaign contributions — in two panels. While I recommend voters listen to 

There are a dozen candidates running to fill three seats in District 4. Similar to District 3, we spoke to six of them, three at a time, to learn where they stand on public safety, if Mayor Keith Wilson is doing a good job, and what should be done about the city’s CEI hub. Again, those 

 on the podcast. [Instagram / City Cast Portland ]


In addition to choosing leaders, voters are being asked whether the city should 

 via Measure 26-267. If approved, it would give Portlanders discretion over spending about $16 million annually. Specifics about how this program would be carried out are vague, and that seems to be intentional so Council has flexibility in implementation. [City Cast Portland ]

We’re closing in on Election Day 2026, so here's your guide to the key races and how to vote in the Portland area.

Your Guide to the Fall 2026 Election in Portland

What's being decided in Portland City Hall and why it matters. We monitor local elections, political news, and Portland City Council.

Portland, Oregon, Election and City Hall News

City Cast Portland staff

The Portland Housing Bureau has $106 million in unspent funds, the city administrator disclosed late last week. Some of it may be spoken for, but it leaves open the question of how City Council will spend the funds. When the pot of unspent funds was believed to be only $21 million, City Council was divided over whether to spend it on 

rent assistance or a Prosper Portland housing project

. Maybe all of the above are possible now. [Portland Mercury]

Portland City Hall is moving from a system where individual bureaus had independence over their own budgets to the new(ish) form of government where there is centralized administration. Both Mayor Keith Wilson and Council President Jamie Dunphy signaled that they believe the uncovered funds reflect “long-standing problems” — Dunphy’s words. “Our transformation into a single, unified local government structure has brought 

,” said the mayor. Either way, City Council — which approves city budgets — has the right to know what funds are available. [Oregonian]

 The city administrator says auditors will now examine unspent reserves across the city, though the housing bureau may be an exception. And the City Council is 

 why they weren’t alerted to the original unspent $21 million — even as they were making budget decisions last fall. [Portland Mercury]

 That’s a lot of money on its own, but particularly considering the Portland Housing Bureau’s 

budget for this fiscal year is less than three times the amount of unspent funds: $244 million

, down from $308 million last year. [Willamette Week]

 The arts tax has $9 million in reserves for a rainy day, the city recently disclosed. “Reserve funds aren’t uncommon for city programs and are often kept for emergencies. But the 

arts fund isn’t authorized to have reserves

,” reports OPB. A city spokesperson defended keeping a year’s worth of reserves, but art organizations and City Council President Jamie Dunphy said spending them down during this budget crunch could make sense. [OPB]

Dunphy, who was previously on the board of Music Portland, says the arts tax needs an overhaul: “So now we have a 

decreasing pot of money, an increasing challenge

 in collecting outstanding dollars, and increasing tensions between schools and the arts orgs which are just getting hollowed out.” Costs associated with collecting the tax have increased over time, meaning there is less money left over. [OPB]

The Portland Housing Bureau has $106 million in unspent funds, the city administrator disclosed late last week. Some of it may be spoken for, but it leaves open the question of how City Council will spend the funds. When the pot of unspent funds was believed to be only $21 million, City Council was divided over whether to spend it on rent assistance or a Prosper Portland housing project. Maybe all of the above are possible now. [Portland Mercury]

$106M in Unspent Funds at the Portland Housing Bureau

State lawmakers convene in Salem next week after a chaotic few weeks for Democratic state leaders as they scramble to address the issue of transportation funding. They have a key problem: Voters appear to oppose the gas tax passed last fall.

 After failing to win the necessary votes during the regular legislative session, Democrats passed a $4.3 billion transportation package that 

A Republican-backed effort gathered signatures to refer the gas tax and some other tax and fee increases to the ballot, so voters can weigh in.

Notably, the referendum campaign leaned on volunteers to gather signatures — and 

got more than they needed to make the ballot

. It’s a sign of how unpopular a gas tax increase is right now, OPB’s Dirk VanderHart 

Democrats’ initial self-repeal proposal:

 On Jan. 7, Gov. Tina Kotek called for a 

repeal of the transportation package she’d championed

 during the special session. It was basically admitting defeat — a clear indication that Democrats don’t think the policy will win at the ballot box.

A newly uncovered legal opinion from the Oregon attorney general in 1935 found that the legislature 

 something that’s already been referred to voters. That cast doubts on the Kotek proposal.

 The state’s Democratic leaders are now planning to move the gas tax repeal vote to the May ballot from November. That’ll require 

when many Democratic state leaders, including the governor, will be up for reelection, notes VanderHart. It’s not a good political issue for Democrats, as explained.)

 for the Oregon Department of Transportation in this biennium. The Legislature will take up the issue of shifting money around from future transportation projects to existing budget needs. If not, the agency 

 to talk all about the transportation debacle and what else is on the agenda for the short session.

More on the Legislative Session 🎧  

Oregon's Short Session Starts Next Week, and Transportation Will Be a Mayor Issue

The Gas Tax and Oregon's Legislative Session

Oregon’s U.S. senators usually vote the same way (like for continuing the government shutdown until healthcare costs are addressed).

But a key exception in recent months was 

Sen. Ron Wyden’s support for continued arms sales to Israel

 while Sen. Jeff Merkley voted to oppose them.

Wyden’s support came up again last weekend — at a Portland Book Festival event featuring Omar Al Ekkad, author of “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” (a title you may recognize 

as “the one book every Portlander should read right now

City Cast Portland podcast host Claudia Meza, who attended that event, had a 

chance to put some related questions to the senator

, on a day when the Senate was taking key votes related to ending the shutdown.

Your name came up in a very heated discussion. People wanted to know why you chose to keep arming Israel.

“ Well, first of all, this for me is such a heartbreaking issue and debate because I'm a first-generation [American] Jew. My parents fled the Nazis in the ’30s. Not all got out. We lost family during Kristallnacht and in Theresienstadt, and I like to believe that I feel so strongly about humanitarian principles.

“[And] what I'm trying to do is step up the food assistance to Gaza, where the suffering has been so great and to constantly use my position — I'm the ranking Democrat on the intelligence committee as well, so I have a chance to speak out about foreign affairs — to say, look, we have to prime the foundation of a two-state solution.

“ Now, easier said than done, and I'll close with what the challenge has been and why it's so heartbreaking. At my last town meeting in East County, a gentleman got up at the end and looked at me and said, ‘No, Israel should not exist.’ …The reason I'm alive today is because of the courage of my mother. My mother was dealing with the Nazis, and everybody said Hitler wasn't a big deal, and she got everybody out in time.”

I understand this is a deeply personal issue that's connected to your traumatic history — to your very existence. But I still have to ask, what does that have to do with sending $20 billion of weapons?

“ I certainly have profound differences with Donald Trump on so many issues, but if there's a real ceasefire, then there is a chance to move ahead, get food aid to Gaza, which I've been for, and start laying the foundation of a two-state solution. But it's not helped when people say, ‘No Israel, no existence.’ And certainly, when people say it, it strikes right at the heart of what my mom did. I feel so strongly about this; there cannot be peace in the region with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu leading in Israel. And many, many feel that way as well. And this is something that I think we can come together on.”

“I'm gonna have to go 'cause we got a vote coming up.”

Wyden, who promised to come back to the issue in the future, also spoke to City Cast Portland on the government shutdown vote and more. 

Oregon’s U.S. senators usually vote the same way (like for continuing the government shutdown until healthcare costs are addressed). But a key exception in recent months was Sen. Ron Wyden’s support for continued arms sales to Israel while Sen. Jeff Merkley voted to oppose them. Wyden’s support came up again last weekend — at a Portland Book Festival event featuring Omar Al Ekkad, author of “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” (a title you may recognize as “the one book every Portlander should read right now”).

Oregon's US Sen. Wyden Explains His Votes To Arm Israel

US Sen. Wyden Explains His Votes To Arm Israel

Fewer than half of Oregon’s 36 counties

Portland voters have just one decision to make — but it’s a big one: whether to raise taxes and fund the maintenance of city parks.

) would raise some $456 million over the next five years.

It would increase the property tax paid for city parks 

) per $1,000 of assessed property value. That means that the owner of the city’s median home will pay about $310 annually, or roughly $26 a month, if the measure passes.

The measure pays for maintaining parks and offering recreation services.

The 2020 parks levy paid to “spruce up parks and natural areas, pay for outdoor and community center programs and provide low-income residents with free or reduced-cost swim lessons, summer camps and other recreational activities,” the 

. Similar services would be covered this time.

The current parks levy expires at the end of this year — and if the city had asked to renew it at the same rate, the Portland Parks and Recreation Bureau would be facing $35 million in budget cuts. (“If the measure fails altogether, PP&R will face a $90 million budget deficit, requiring mass layoffs and service cuts,” 

There is no formal opposition to the measure. It was referred unanimously to the ballot by City Council. The 

 (which sometimes opposes new taxes) supports this levy, as does the Portland Police Association.

 highlights, the parks have a massive $550 to $800 million backlog of unattended-to maintenance projects. And this measure only dedicates just $2 million to the backlog.

 Ballots are out. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, you may want to request a replacement from 

The Portland Parks Levy on the November 2025 Ballot

The biggest surprise out of this year’s Legislative session might be what didn’t happen.

 during the long session. The minority party had some new incentives to show up: Voters have barred legislators from seeking reelection if they pile up absences (and the courts have upheld the law). And Democrats had a thin supermajority — potentially enough to call a quorum without the Republicans.

Here are some key updates on what happened session (and what didn’t):

Transportation Worker Layoffs Now Expected

After the Legislature failed to pass new transportation funding, the Oregon Department of Transportation is 

. The city of Portland says they’ll need to cut 60 positions in the Portland Bureau of Transportation as a result of not getting an expected $11 million in state funding. [KGW]

 Gov. Tina Kotek blamed Republicans for the 

. She’s hinting that she might still call a special session of the Legislature to try to address transportation. [Oregon Capitol Chronicle]

Democrats successfully shepherded a series of gun-control restrictions through the Legislature: They barred the sale of bump stocks and other accessories that 

convert semiautomatic weapons into fully automatic ones

. A new law also allows local jurisdictions to bar people with a concealed carry license from entering public buildings with a weapon. [OPB]

Over the objections of disability rights advocates, but spurred by a coalition of mental health experts and law enforcement, a bipartisan coalition of legislators approved changes to the rules around mandating mental health care for people at extreme risk. The bill 

no longer requires that any potential harm be “imminent”

Republicans Nix Bill on Trump-Style Call-up of Oregon National Guard

Rep. Paul Evans (D., Monmouth), a veteran, sponsored a bill to limit when the President can call up the Oregon National Guard. It would have blocked call-ups to serve as law enforcement, as President Trump did in Los Angeles. The bill passed the Oregon House, but Senate Republicans 

blocked the bill with procedural maneuvers

What Happened at the Oregon Legislature in 2025

What Passed and What Didn't in Salem This Year

Mayor Keith Wilson, a trucking company entrepreneur turned politician, sat down with the City Cast Portland podcast to 

Wilson is a political novice and, because of charter reform, arguably less powerful than previous mayors. But he has successfully led the city conversation on homelessness, balancing a budget with a $93 million gap while still setting aside more funding for shelters — his policy priority.

In recent weeks, Wilson has spoken out against a City Council plan to redirect $1.9 million in new police funding from his proposed budget to instead pay for parks maintenance. (The interview below has been edited for length.)

What will be the impact if police don’t get the $1.9 million in funding?

“ It's gonna reduce our ability to run missions for human trafficking, street racing, gun violence reduction, stolen vehicle operations, retail theft. Our city will be less safe if we don't fund the police. For instance, human trafficking is gonna be decreased 50%. You see, these are tradeoffs.”

There’s now an amendment to restore the $2 million?

“[The police bureau] went from an overspend when I first started here in January. Through Chief Day’s efforts, his team's efforts, he's been able to really create more of an underspend opportunity. So we have about a three and a half million dollar underspend in our police right now. So I'm gonna take $2 million of that. I've offered it to council. [Let’s] carry it over to the new fiscal year to backfill that $2 million.”

Are you going to be able to fulfill your plan of solving unsheltered homelessness by the end of the year?

“ Anybody who needs a bed will be provided life-saving care when they are ready. There are still some people that are gonna be on the street, but right now, when they have that moment of clarity and there's a fentanyl addiction or behavioral health, our community right now is turning to them and say, ‘We'll have a reservation available for you in four weeks or six weeks.’ On Dec. 1, we're gonna be ready. When you're ready for life-saving care or a bed, we're gonna be ready for you as well.”

 for more with Mayor Wilson, including his top policy priorities and his reaction to the $8.5 million settlement for families displaced from Albina.

‘I've been pleasantly surprised’ 

Mayor Keith Wilson, a trucking company entrepreneur turned politician, sat down with the City Cast Portland podcast to discuss his first five months in office. In recent weeks, Wilson has spoken out against a City Council plan to redirect $1.9 million in new police funding from his proposed budget to instead pay for parks maintenance.


Portland, Oregon, Mayor Keith Wilson Has a Plan to Fund Both Parks and Police

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson Has a Plan to Fund Both Parks and Police

Surprise! There’s a May special election.

If you’re anything like me, you probably haven't filled out your ballot yet.

The good news is, this election is nowhere near as complicated as it was in the fall: You won’t be ranking your choices, and there are fewer decisions. And yet there are 

some key issues and candidates to decide between

 — including a major bond for Portland Public Schools.

, call the elections office for a replacement (Multnomah County: 503-988-8683, Clackamas County: 503-655-8510, or Washington County: 503-846-5800). (This close to the election, you may need to vote in person.)

next Tuesday (May 20). Or get it postmarked by that date.

Measure 26-259: Portland Public Schools Bond

Portland Public School is looking to raise an estimated $1.8 million to overhaul Ida B. Wells, Cleveland, and Jefferson high schools, as well as some other projects.

Since 2012, the district has been working down the list of high schools that need modernization. This bond would complete the last three — and provide technology as well as other upgrades for schools. (A bond doesn’t cover ongoing expenses, and will do nothing for the budget shortfalls the district is currently facing.)

If passed, property owners would continue to pay $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value that they have previously supported for past bonds. (The district expects there will be no more costs.)

 Portland’s schools were mostly built more than 75 years ago and are in need of an update — not to mention a seismic upgrade.

 Opponents argue the district has failed to complete the work funded by the previous bond, including the 

. They also say the current designs for the high schools are too expensive — and too big — given that PPS’ enrollment is declining.

 (“under duress”) said the Oregonian, before revising to a “

If you read one more thing on the bond, check out OPB’s comprehensive rundown of the issues: “Late to the party? Here’s 

 about Portland Public Schools’ 2025 bond.”

As always, the voter’s pamphlet is surprisingly informative. Here’s your reading for 

Surprise! There’s a May special election. If you’re anything like me, you probably haven't filled out your ballot yet. The good news is, this election is nowhere near as complicated as it was in the fall: You won’t be ranking your choices, and there are fewer decisions. And yet there are some key issues and candidates to decide between — including a major bond for Portland Public Schools.

Your Guide to May 2025 Special Election in Portland, Oregon

Your Guide to May 2025 Special Election

Portland’s budget office announced last week that there’s 

 going into the next fiscal year, which begins in July.

Here are some quick facts to understand the news:

. So one way of looking at the shortfall would be: This is around 1% of the overall city budget.

 For example, gas tax revenue goes to fixing our streets. Another example: Your water bill pays for water service.

This budget shortfall is more significant when talking about the discretionary budget — which is on the order of

. That’s the part of the budget that city leaders have some say in how to spend. Then a $100 million shortfall could look more like a 14% cut.

Why is there less money going into next year?

First, about $40 million came from one-time sources of funding, like 

is needed to maintain existing services at their current levels

salaries and benefits are rising faster than tax revenue

Third, the city is expecting to have some "significant new expenditures," according to the memo. Specifically, the city anticipates spending money on raises and benefits once labor contract negotiations are complete and also having more costs related to addressing homelessness.

Portland’s budget office announced last week that there’s an expected $100 million shortfall going into the next fiscal year, which begins in July. Here are some quick facts to understand the news:

Local Civics

Your Guide to the Fall 2026 Election in Portland

$106M in Unspent Funds at the Portland Housing Bureau

The Gas Tax and Oregon's Legislative Session

Latest articles

US Sen. Wyden Explains His Votes To Arm Israel

The Portland Parks Levy on the November 2025 Ballot

What Passed and What Didn't in Salem This Year

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson Has a Plan to Fund Both Parks and Police

Your Guide to May 2025 Special Election

What's the Deal with Portland's $100M Budget Shortfall?

What Actually Happened With Portland's First Use of Ranked Choice Voting