Councilor Candace Avalos

Speaking with my peers reminded me that when national politics is frustrating, it’s important that we focus on what we can do in our own backyard.

During the summit, I represented Portland on a panel to discuss local ways we can address extreme heat with mayors from Utah and Southern California. Of course, I had to shout out the work being done through the Portland Clean Energy Fund and other policies like “right to cool.”

Councilor Avalos stands in front of a screen that reads Designing for a Cooler Future: How Cities are Tackling Extreme Heat.

Councilor Avalos sits on a panel moderated by staff from ICLEI USA. Joining her were the mayors from Thousand Oaks, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; and Moab, UT.

Councilor Avalos stands next to a display with "NLC" in big block letters, balloons, and balloon bees.

At the National League of Cities Summit in Salt Lake City I had the opportunity to connect with other elected representatives from around the country and learn more about the work that’s happening at the local level. It’s inspiring to see what’s possible here in Portland!

I appreciate you, ‪@councilorkanal.bsky.social 🫶🏾

As one of the few Blacktinas in local politics, I’m used to being judged a certain way because of who I am, and it’s honestly disgusting to see some of the hateful messages directed at my colleagues. Be better!

When other cities are having to cut climate programs back, Portland is only scaling up! That’s why we can’t let PCEF be raided to plug other budget holes.

I represented Portland on a panel discussion about addressing extreme heat with other local leaders, and I was so excited to talk about all the great resilience work that’s happening through the Portland Clean Energy Fund.

Happening TOMORROW! Show up for our free, hour-long, in-person Know Your Rights training session hosted by OJRC attorneys. Ask questions. Get informed. Help defend our community.
www.ojrc.info/kyr

I'm Hiring: Operations Coordinator!

More information here:

Reminder that I'm hiring an Operations Coordinator! If you're passionate about organization and systems, this is the position for you.

Applications are due by November 30.

District 1’s topic was aftercare. Next up will be District 2, 3, and 4 — keep an eye out for town hall announcements in each district, each with its own topic!

🏘️Transitional housing programs
👥More staff (so they can lower their response time and get to more places)
🏠Overnight shelters in East Portland, more places where people can hang out during the day
🏥A health clinic on the east side

Several community members in the audience asked what would make PSR’s job easier. Staff answered that their work could be better supported through:
🏡Subsidized housing
♿️More accessible shelters that serve folks with disabilities or be open at all hours, more shelters for families and women

GovernmentJobs | City, State, Federal & Public Sector Jobs No description

Candace Call to Action: PSR is currently hiring for a Community Health Worker and Peer Support Specialist and they’re encouraging people with lived experience to apply! Go to governmentjobs.com to find the application! Deadline to apply is 11/24, 1:20pm.

A group of people listen to a panel from Portland Street Response.

Portland Street Response is hiring! People with lived experience are encouraged to apply. Deadline for applications: 11/24, 1:20pm.

It was inspiring to hear the difference Portland Street Response is making in the lives of those most vulnerable in our city at the East Portland PSR Town Hall. In the short period since PSR has scaled up their programs, more Portlanders are receiving the right responder at the right time.

I won't be able to participate in today's meeting because of a scheduling conflict with the National League of Cities summit. If you want to see more of my thoughts on the TAO and context of how we got to today's vote, check out last week's thread:

Good afternoon! The big item on today's council meeting agenda is the Fall TAO or Technical Adjustment Ordinance. To view the agenda, sign up to testify, or tune in:

Landlords and operators still have choices, but the City is no longer absorbing the social costs of those choices. If someone wants to run or host a detention facility, that decision comes with a real financial consequence.

I want to be clear about what the detention impact fee proposal, introduced by Councilors Morillo and Green, is designed to do. This isn’t a revenue tool — it’s a deterrence tool.

This is in-line with statewide findings (from page 40):

"More than 320,000 (53%) renter households experienced rent burden in 2022..."

"Moreover, 1 in 4 Oregon households spent more than 50% of their income on rent, meeting the definition
of severe rent burden..."

Thank you for asking! This interactive map from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University's Rental Housing 2024 report shows that datapoint for the Portland Metro area.

How to Observe Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience on November 20 in Oregon — Basic Rights Oregon Thursday, November 20, 2025 is the annual holiday Transgender Day of Remembrance, which some in community also recognize as Transgender Day of Resilience. As GLAAD explains it:

Transgender Day of Remembrance is this Thursday, November 20.

Read our latest post for more info on TDOR, and view a list of Trans Day of Remembrance events happening throughout Oregon on Thursday, November 20. You can also find this at our link in bio. 🏳️‍⚧️🕯️

www.basicrights.org/news/s06bbla...

There are rules that prevent us from considering new agenda items after 9pm (unless with a vote of 9 councilors) so that's it for today! Tomorrow Council is meeting at 2:00pm to vote on the Fall TAO, so I’ll be back with another livethread soon.

The amended detention fee ordinance is moved to a second reading.

After a short break, we'll discuss the amended detention fee ordinance and then move on to the last item that was pulled off of the consent agenda.

We’re voting on the Morillo amendment, with updated language based on feedback from the administration. Approved, 9-0 (and 3 absences).

This aligns our market incentives with our community values. It protects Portlanders before harm happens. And it ensures we aren’t an easy target for future facilities.

Landlords and operators still have choices. But the City is no longer absorbing the social costs of those choices. If someone wants to run or host a detention facility, that decision will come with a real financial consequence.

If a current lease ends or is revoked, operators will be looking for new sites. This policy simply makes Portland a bad business environment for that.

We received confirmation that the next deadline in the ICE facility land use violation appeal is Dec 1st.

One aspect of this policy that hasn’t really been touched on is the fact that detention fees will act as a deterrent to landlords who would otherwise agree to lease new facilities. This policy helps minimize opportunities for ICE to expand.