As Vice Chair of the Homelessness and Housing Committee, I got a courtesy phone call from the mayor 45 minutes after the press release had been sent out announcing the director had been sacked.

I'm incredibly frustrated.

The housing bureau is supposed to focus on the long term solutions to provide stable affordable housing that the market isn't providing, not become a homeless navigation center. If the mayor wants to change that core mission, bring an ordinance to council.

Pair this with the recent firing of the Housing Bureau director, an international expert on social housing. It seems the mayor wants to abandon the mission of the housing bureau in favor of recreating the services that the County is supposed to be offering.

Are you surprised? I'm not. Ending unsheltered homelessness is very different than ending VISIBLE unsheltered homelessness downtown.

The Mayor isn't solving a problem, he's forcing the problem into the neighborhoods that are already suffering the most.

Do I?

To be clear: I'm not trying to say this is solely individual behavior change. We need system change, built environment change, and enforcement. This is a whole of government response that's required.

I'm working on it!

10) I got to tour two SUN School sites, Parkrose and Centennial, which are run by Portland Parks & Rec. I used to be a SUN school instructor and I can personally attest that every dollar we invest in these programs is at least $10 we don't spend in law enforcement decades later. Incredible work!

9) I had lunch with Mult Co Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon. He's an incredible leader, and will be a fantastic partner to work with toward our shared goals for East County, especially as the City and County work to get back in their own lanes in responding to homelessness.

8) The City Council held a work session on the Fall budget adjustment period call the TAO, the technical adjustment ordinance. It was at times contentious, at others very very boring, but we are committed to getting value for our dollars, and won't be a rubber stamp for business as usual.

7) I successfully got five amendments added to the City's Urban Forest Plan, all of which call for more intentional and targetted investments in East Portland. Portland often says the right words about supporting us, but falls short in implementation. So let's make it explicit any chance we get.

6) October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Mayor Wilson issued a proclamation, and I held a "pre-gavel" ceremony with my friends at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the Pink Lemonade Project, OHSU's Knight Cancer Institute, survivors and advocates. Go get screened!

5) I attended the Russell Neighborhood Association. We had a robust conversation about the Parks Levy, the state of the City in general, how their neighborhood can benefit from the E205 TIF district even if it's outside their borders, and the work the City Council is doing to fix what's broken.

4) The folks at Portland Arts and Culture for Equity (PACE) met with me to discuss arts funding, the future of the Arts Tax, and whether my upcoming policy work supporting the music economy would also include other types of arts (it does!)

3) The City Council held a work session to meet all the new appointees to the three new East Portland Tax Increment Finance district committees. It was an AMAZING group of neighbors willing to volunteer their time. We can't afford to get this wrong, and I'm confident this group will do great.

2) I attended the Pleasant Valley Neighborhood Association. We talked about the Parks Levy and the door knocking my team recently did when the Planning Bureau didn't receive any testimony re: some big changes to the neighborhood. A lack of a response is not a response. Silence is not consent.

1) I met with Doug White, Executive Director of the Hollywood Theater, about his plans to move Movie Madness to NE Sandy, and to create a Hollywood Film District. I LOVE the vision, and I'm excited for anything that will fill the vacant storefronts along that stretch of Sandy. This is a HUGE win.