phone: 503-823-3589
Email: nick@portlandoregon.gov
1221 S.W. 4th, Room 240, Portland, OR 97204
phone: 503-823-3589
Email: nick@portlandoregon.gov
1221 S.W. 4th, Room 240, Portland, OR 97204
This afternoon, Council passed a resolution supporting our Dreamers, also known as recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The resolution also calls on Congress to pass the "DREAM Act," creating a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients. It further provides a grant of $50,000 to the Oregon DACA Coalition to help offset the costs of DACA renewal fees.
There are 800,000 Dreamers nationally: 11,000 call Oregon home. President Trump’s decision to rescind DACA was foolish, cruel, and short-sighted.
Special thanks to our own Mariana Garcia Medina for helping to draft the resolution. She is a valued member of the Fish team at City Hall and a Dreamer. And to our panelists, including Andrea Williams, Executive Director of Causa Oregon; Leonardo Reyes, founder of the Oregon DACA Coalition; Jimmy Dogo from the New Portlanders Commission; and Daniel Franco-Nuñez from the Human Rights Commission.
You can read the resolution, Commissioner Fish’s statement on President Trump's decision to rescind DACA, and Mariana's testimony.
On Friday, the State of Oregon and the City of Portland raised a number of concerns about the Superfund process, including the prospect of years of further delay.
In January, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final cleanup plan – or "Record of Decision" – for the Portland Harbor Superfund site. The Record of Decision was a major step forward in the Superfund process, and reflected the input of a diverse group of stakeholders, including federal, state, and local governments, tribes, neighbors, businesses, and the broader community.
EPA is now getting ready to make big decisions about how to proceed with the cleanup, including how to measure the current health of the river so we can evaluate our progress along the way.
The City has learned that a number of private parties have asked the EPA to reconsider fundamental decisions that have already been agreed upon, a process that could delay cleanup work by a decade or more.
Rather than revisiting these decisions, the City is encouraging EPA to uphold the original cleanup plan and move quickly toward implementation.
Today, Council adopted a shared vision of adding 2,000 new units of supportive housing in the next 10 years. Supportive housing combines deeply affordable and safe homes with intensive services for people struggling with mental illness and/or addiction.
About two-thirds of the people living outside in our community report a mental illness, addiction, chronic medical condition, or some combination. These women and men face significant barriers and are at greatest risk of dying on our streets.
Fortunately, we know what works – supportive housing. Today’s action is a commitment to our most vulnerable neighbors. Although it won’t solve our housing crisis or end homelessness, it will make a difference in the lives of the people we serve.
This bold vision builds on recent actions the Council has taken to address our housing crisis: opening new shelter beds, extending the housing state of emergency, enacting historic renter protections, and making significant new investments in the Joint Office of Homeless Services.
Nick's resolution was co-sponsored by Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Eudaly. And it builds on a strong partnership with Multnomah County, the State of Oregon, Home Forward, and other community non-profits.
Tomorrow, the Multnomah County Commission will adopt the same resolution.
You can read the resolution and Nick’s statement here.