“Anyone who’s ever filled in a circle and answered a multiple choice question can fucking handle ranked choice voting… Having 20 – 30 candidates running for office in each district is a good problem to have.”

Kip and Tim discuss the results of the Portland City Council and County Commission elections, for the most part avoiding the national boondoggle. Topics include the makeup of the new City Council, the incredible people who won and lost, and some misfires by the press that stuck in our craw. And what’s next for Progress Portland.

The post Episode 35: Post-Election Wrap-Up and What’s Next appeared first on Progress Portland.

“When (over) 80% of people experiencing homelessness clearly have something else going on, then we have to ask ourselves why they didn’t want to go to a congregate shelter- (bad experiences, issues with confined spaces, in active addiction)- their answers are not necessarily illogical”

Meghan Moyer, Multnomah County District 1 candidate, joins Tim in the studio to talk about her deep disappointment in the county’s slipshod approach to housing and homelessness. This is one of the best discussions of the problems with Portland’s housing policy that we’ve ever heard. Please tune in, and vote Moyer for District 1 (which encompasses most of the West Side). 

Please support Meghan at https://www.meghanformultnomah.org/

The post Episode 29: Meghan Moyer, Multnomah County District 1 Candidate appeared first on Progress Portland.

“When we end somebody’s homelessness, we don’t end their poverty. So we really need to continue to look at ways to keep people inside once they are there, and increase their economic income whether they are on a permanent subsidy like Social Security or disability income. How do we insure that they are in a subsidized place so that they can stay for the long term?”

Did you know there’s a Multnomah County election coming up in May? You might know that D.A. Mike Schmidt is up for re-election, but the entire slate of County Commissioner slots are also up for grabs. Shannon Singleton has an incredible background as a social worker, leader of Oregon’s Racial Justice Council, Executive Director of the SAFE Shelter, and much, much more experience that would make her a stellar representative of progressive values in the County.

Listen in, we get into the weeds. 

Learn more about Shannon at her web site at https://www.shannonsingleton.org/

The post Episode 16: Shannon Singleton, Multnomah County District 2 Candidate appeared first on Progress Portland.

“This old idea of, ‘We’ll just double the penalty, triple the penalty – one time you’re out.” Nobody knows what the penalties are, much less the people who we’re prosecuting for a lot of these crimes. They’re not tracking the decisions being made in the Legislative session. So we fool ourselves into thinking, “oh, I’m going to say these tough on crime things, they’ll read the papers and sit down and do a cost benefit analysis and say, “Crime no longer pays, I’m going to get out of this industry.” That’s nonsense.”

We are so excited to bring you this interview with Portland’s own progressive district attorney Mike Schmidt. Mike is not alone in his data-driven policies that result in real change that is about reform instead of revenge – he’s one of a handful of D.A.s like George Gascon in Los Angeles and Jason Williams in New Orleans. Now he’s up for reelection in May 2024, and he’s facing a loud and angry opposition that doesn’t understand his approach and are advocating for reverting to decades-long failed regressive policies. In our interview, we discuss the juvenile billboards around town, the obvious but effective solution for catalytic converter theft, and the challenges Mike has faced in his first as our new D.A., including being verbally targeted and attacked by a certain former loser President. And perhaps most critically, why alternatives to incarceration are a core aspect to his approach.

The post Episode 14: District Attorney Mike Schmidt (Multnomah County) appeared first on Progress Portland.