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Dear Portlanders,

Earth Day is coming up on April 22, and this month is filled with events, activities and opportunities for Portlanders to care for the environment. You can join a neighborhood cleanup, donate items to the Great Exchange Swap event in St. Johns, or give your car the day off and commute by bike or public transit.

It’s also a good time to take stock of what progress Portland is making on addressing the climate crisis.

A recent climate justice audit found that the City didn’t effectively create a mechanism to hold bureaus accountable for climate work and that there’s a need for a realistic funding plan to fill gaps.

The City’s Sustainability and Climate Commission will be developing Portland’s new Climate Action Plan over the next year and a half, with an aim for the City Council to approve the final plan in late 2027 or early 2028. It’s important that the Commission has the resources it needs for this important work.

As the City moves through the 2026-2027 budget development process over the next three months, we should consider what steps we can take within our current fiscal constraints to carry out the recommendations of the audit so that Portland stays on track toward meeting our climate goals.

In solidarity,

Sameer Kanal
Councilor.Kanal@portlandoregon.gov

Local Spotlight

ECOVIBE is a family-owned eco-conscious lifestyle brand and retail store in the Alberta Arts District that donates a portion of every sale to local environmental and social nonprofits. The store carries a wide array of home decor, plants, and gifts, including a great selection of local brands.

Founded in 2010, ECOVIBE began a one-year residency in the Portland International Airport near the Alaska Airlines check-in counters in March of this year as part of PDX’s Pop-Up Program. The program is designed to lower barriers for local small businesses and give them the runway they need to grow in a high-visibility setting. Stop by if you’re looking to pick up a gift before your flight!

Highlights

“No Kings” Rally & March

On Saturday, I joined tens of thousands of my neighbors at Tom McCall Waterfront Park to say “No” to kings, “No” to fascism, and “Yes” to democracy and our collective liberation.

As much as we might hope Congress or the courts will save us, we have to act locally to hold the line, build resiliency from federal overreach, and show through our presence and determination that power remains with the people.

Community Budget Conversation

Thank you to everyone who turned out on March 14 for the District 2 Community Budget Conversation! There were lots of great questions and feedback for councilors, City Administrator Lee and Mayor Wilson on everything from the Moda Center to public safety to fiscal oversight. Your input is invaluable as we develop the budget during a particularly financially challenging year. Here are a few attendee feedback highlights:

What do you think the City does well?

• “Creating opportunities for community feedback/input through townhalls”
• “Maintain parks”
• “Lots of well-meaning good intentions”

What do you think the City does not do well?

• “Think of the generations to come”
• “Maintain infrastructure”
• “Enforces traffic laws, especially speeding”

In which areas would you like the City to invest more resources?

• “A clear, coordinated vision on housing & homelessness (with state, city & county)”
• “Commercial space affordability / vacancy tax”
• “Emergency preparedness”

Hot Topics

Four things I’m hearing a lot about from constituents:

• Renovating the Moda Center
• Home Forward apartment buildings
• Renaming César E Chávez Blvd
• Noise and air pollution at Portland International Raceway

Council Updates

City Budget 2026-2027 Updates

Mayor Wilson is currently developing his proposed budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, after which the City Council will review it, propose and vote on amendments, and ultimately adopt a final budget.

The hard truth is it’s another tough budget year for Portland, and we’re facing another large deficit. I’ll be looking at ways to maintain our existing city assets and infrastructure, preserve preventative community safety programs, and ensure North & Northeast Portland doesn’t shoulder a disproportionate share of any cuts.

Over the next few weeks, the Council will discuss and adopt the Spring TAO, or Technical Adjustment Ordinance. The TAO, which also happens in the fall, allows the Council to make any needed adjustments to the current fiscal year budget to keep it in balance.

Then on Apr. 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. we’ll hold a public work session to discuss the Mayor’s proposed budget.

Portlanders are welcome to share public comment about the budget throughout this process, including which services they’d like maintained and which they’d be willing to see reduced.

Update on Mask Ban Legislation

On March 17, the Community and Public Safety Committee heard the ordinance my office developed to prohibit all law enforcement from using face coverings to conceal their identities and requiring visibly displayed identification. After much robust testimony the ordinance was continued to a future meeting to allow councilors more discussion time. The item is now moving to the new Committee of the Whole, which deals with emergency response, and will be back this month!

Support the Sanctuary County Ordinance

Following the passage of the City’s Sanctuary legislation and protections, I testified before the Multnomah County Commission on the importance of solidarity to strengthen the County’s status as a sanctuary community. Now the County is considering its own Sanctuary Ordinance and Resolution on Apr. 9 at 10:00 a.m.

Let your County Commissioners know you want: protections on ALL County properties; trainings to be made available to all workers; and multilingual signage. You can submit public comment or sign up to testify until Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. The agenda item is R.1.

Events

April Neighborhood Association Tour Dates

I’ve had the pleasure of attending meetings of more than half of the North/Northeast neighborhood associations so far this year and am aiming to visit the rest of them over the next few months. In April, I’ll be at meetings in Vernon, Hayden Island, Bridgeton and King:

• Vernon Neighborhood Association
  Wednesday, Apr. 8, 6:30 p.m.
  Isaka Shamsud-Din Apartments community room, 1420 NE Killingsworth St.
• Hayden Island Neighborhood Network
  Thursday, Apr. 9, 6:30 p.m.
  Virtual, Meeting link
• Bridgeton Neighborhood Association
  Tuesday, Apr. 21, 6:30 p.m.
  Portland Yacht Club, 1241 NE Marine Dr.
• King Neighborhood Association
  Wednesday, Apr. 22, 6:30 p.m.
  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, 4815 NE 7th Ave.

Earth Day 2026 — Earth in Motion

Explore cleaner, more proactive ways to move through and live in Portland — from biking and TriMet to clean energy and the food we eat — at the City’s Earth Day 2026 event, “Earth in Motion”.

Join your fellow Portlanders Saturday, Apr. 11, from 12-3pm at Parkrose Middle School, 11800 NE Shaver St., and examine ways to build a more sustainable future. The Earth Day Team also needs a few more event volunteers. Sign up today!

Free Compost Days

Every fall, Portland Bureau of Transportation composts over 5,000 tons of leaves collected annually through the city’s Leaf Day program. This effort helps keep streets safe by preventing clogged storm drains, flooded intersections, and slippery roads. This spring, PBOT has so much compost, they’re giving it away for free!

On Apr. 18 & 19 from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Portlanders can pick up free compost at the Sunderland Maintenance Yard, 9325 NE Sunderland Ave. If you have an open-bed vehicle, PBOT will load the compost for you. If you want to bag your own, make sure to bring your own shovel and bags.

Earth Day Bike Bus to Downtown

Do you usually commute downtown each day? Ditch the car and celebrate Earth Day on Wednesday, Apr. 22, by joining one of four bike bus routes downtown from North & Northeast Portland. Each bike bus arrives at Salmon Street Springs at 8:15 a.m. Below are the starting locations and departure times for the four N/NE routes. Check out the schedule for full route details!

N. University Park

• Start location: Portsmouth Park (N Hodge Avenue and Princeton Street)
• Departure time: 7:20 a.m.

NE Woodlawn

• Start location: Holman Pocket Park (NE Holman Street and Durham Avenue)
• Departure time: 7:40 a.m.

NE Cully

• Start location: Kʰunamokwst Park (NE Alberta Court and 52nd Avenue)
• Departure time: 7:35 a.m.

NE Roseway

• Start location: Glenhaven Park (NE Siskiyou Street and 78th Avenue)
• Departure time: 7:30 a.m.

City Council Meetings

City Council meetings are held every Wednesday with one evening meeting a month. If there is sufficient business, additional meetings are held on the following Thursday at 2 p.m. The next meeting is April 8 at 9:30 a.m. Community members are welcome to attend the meeting in person at City Hall or view the live broadcast on YouTube. Agendas post on the City website the Friday before each meeting.

Committee Meetings

The City Council has a new committee structure. Committees now meet on either the 1st & 3rd or the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month, with the exception of the Committee of the Whole, which meets weekly on either Thursday or Wednesday. The next meetings are:

• Tuesday, April 7, 9:30 a.m.: Community & Public Safety Committee
• Tuesday, April 7, 2 p.m.: Housing & Permitting Committee
• Tuesday, April 14, 9:30 a.m.: Public Works Committee
• Tuesday, April 14, 2 p.m.: City Life Committee
• Wednesday, April 15, 2 p.m.: Committee of the Whole

Community members are welcome to attend meetings in person at City Hall or view the live broadcast on YouTube. Committee agendas post online the Thursday before the meeting.

Neighborhood Association Meetings

The Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods posts information about neighborhood association meetings on its website. See when your neighbors are gathering this month!