Steph Routh (she/they)

“Desire lines are inherently subversive...They remind us that we have a choice, and that we can veer away from what was laid out for us.” Great reminder on Valentine's Day that we can make different choices. I desire high-speed rail and campaign finance reform. #bemyvalentine

I would like to thank the good Lord for Duolingo, which made my enjoyment of the Benito Bowl and all the commentary and reels since Sunday even more enjoyable. #estoyaprendiendoespañol

Just left the Homelessness & Housing Committee meeting after repping the Planning Commission's unanimous approval of the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project. Outside, I had a great conversation with John, a Multnomah Safe Rest Village resident who has been serving as a valued volunteer. 💓

Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.

White. Hot. Rage.

What authority does ICE have to arrest or detain citizens who witnessed a homicide?

F*uck YES, Minnesota!

(via @noliewithbtc on IG)

Agreed! My aunt used to live above the Sellwood Library, and she loved having "the biggest living room ever" just downstairs.

Costco's doing it! All the cool kids are, in fact.

We have 9 experienced, talented civic leaders on Planning Commission. I look forward to working with my colleagues to build the connective tissue between advisory bodies and Council policy, to support their leadership, and to value the time and thoughtfulness that community members share with us.

I'm honored to have been chosen last night by my colleagues to serve as Chair of Portland's Planning Commission for another year. We also chose our Youth Commissioner as one of our two Vice Chairs, which I believe is a first for our body.

Also… assuming the optimist in me is right and we can protect our neighbors to make it through this together, watch out future electeds:

Neighbors are more connected than ever before and will be even more powerful in our collective advocacy to make Minneapolis better for *all*
of us moving forward.

Reading this while literally trebling a favorite muffin recipe for baking this afternoon. Vive la (délicieuse) résistance!

A Black man was killed by ICE (off duty) in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. And like Renée Good, he was an American citizen. But most people have not heard about Keith Porter.

I need y’all to realize this. Black people experience this lack of visibility all the time when it comes to being victims.

I am co-facilitating a non-cooperation training this afternoon (Saturday, January 10 at 1 p.m.) in partnership with Protect Oregon and @indivisible-oregon.bsky.social East Portland. There are still a few spaces! You can sign up here: lnkd.in/gJX9Q6zh

Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings A WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July.

WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:

* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon

The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire

www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...

Federal agents shoot 2 people in East Portland Two people were shot Thursday by federal officers operating in East Portland, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The victims were transported to a local hospital. It was not immediately clear th...

Federal agents have shot two people in Portland, just a day after ICE shot and killed a woman in Minnesota. Follow @alexzee.bsky.social for updates. www.opb.org/article/2026...

Portland City Council in recess indefinitely for security concern. Info still coming into focus.

Text layout describing "What's changed in one year of congestion pricing" in NYC. Cars on the street: fewer; Bridges and tunnels: much faster; Transit ridership: up; Traffic speeds: faster; Buses: faster; Noise complaints: down; Local business visits: up; Traffic outside the zone: better; car crash injuries: down.

Huh. Well, will you look at that. Who would have thunk? (Answer: a lot of people, actually!). H/t @nytimes.com

New Interview: www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...

US oil giants silent on Trump claim they will spend billions on Venezuelan oil industry US president says oil majors primed to invest in rebuilding infrastructure following Maduro ouster

US oil giants silent on Trump claim they will spend billions on Venezuelan oil industry

City of Portland, Oregon - Sign up for email updates from the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability (BPS)

Deeply grateful to everyone who took the time to show up for this evening's Portland Planning Commission hearing regarding the CEI Hub. As we mentioned, the written testimony will close Friday Dec. 19 but reopen Jan. 13 - Jan. 23. You can sign up to get project updates on BPS' website.

Portland Area SNAP Resources

Made a list of various resources, businesses, and orgs providing assistance due to the loss of SNAP funding, only to realize there are already a dozen other lists doing so. Regardless, here's a spreadsheet with 60+ businesses, orgs, and mutual aid-groups stepping up.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Zohran Mamdani, the Internet’s Mayor Mere months ago, New York’s mayoral front-runner was polling right next to “Someone Else.” He spoke to WIRED about building a social media machine, Big Tech capitulation, and learning from Eric Adams.

@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social on making public transit accessible: "I think the way that you move around the city, it influences the way in which you see the city. Too often if you're riding around only in a car with tinted windows, the only New Yorker you might see is a reflection of yourself."

Photo of a coffee mug with squiggly art that says, "settle the f*ck down"

In one sense, it doesn't seem to be working. But I do feel seen.

And by "chaos," she means "democracy."

Gateway Joint Town Hall Recap A record turnout and feedback ranging from public safety issues to economic opportunities.

A full house turned out for last week's Gateway Town Hall, co-hosted by @counciloravalos.bsky.social and @councilordunphy.bsky.social. We have your recap, fresh and ready for you: www.eastportlandvoice.org/gateway-join... #eastportland #portlandoregon

Back at you!

What The Hell Is Going On, a thread:

I’ve seen some thinkpieces and posts about Portland protests that fail to understand the long-term hyperspecificity of Portland culture/humor, and frame it as a sort of shitposting meme-pilled ironic thing. Which is wrong.

So I’m gonna give you my breakdown.

THIS. I grew up in Portland, co-founded the umbrella organization (called "Umbrella") that fiscally sponsors world naked bike ride and other street culture groups/projects, and have dressed in more costumes for public good than I can count. I'm also chair of the planning commission. Only in PDX.