On November 21, 2016 the Portland City Council passed the following Housing Insecurity Package which was recommended unanimously by the Housing Committee. I voted in support of this package, and it passed the Council 9-0. Here is an outline of the package with brief explanations of each provision. 

On November 21, the City Council passed a Housing Insecurity Package that was put forth by the Housing Committee, on which I served. I voted in favor of the proposal, but I voted against the amendments that were offered by the Mayor and other council members. Here's an explanation of the package that passed and what it accomplishes as well as my reasons for not supporting the amendments that were offered. 

I am pleased to say that on November 21, 2016, the Portland City Council unanimously passed the moratorium I sponsored, prohibiting new developments on parcels abutting public parks in the R-6 Zone on the East End of the Portland peninsula. The moratorium is retroactive to October 5, 2016, and it remains in effect until February 6, 2017. That means that the city has until then to put some new rules and regulations in place to help protect our parks and open spaces and ensure they won’t be compromised by nearby developments.

At the November 21, 2016 City Council meeting, the Council approved the sale of a piece of city land to CPB2 in an 8-1 vote (Strimling opposed). I received multiple emails asking me to explain my vote in support of this sale, so I thought it would be good to follow up with a blog post. Here it is.  

During last year’s municipal budget cycle here in Portland, there was a proposal to close the India Street Public Health Center and have another entity take over its services. This caused great concern in the community—particularly with regard to the potential relocation of the Positive Health Care program, the Needle Exchange, lab services that provided STD and HIV testing, and the Portland Community Free Clinic.  

Before the budget was passed, I worked with the City Manager to craft an amendment that would keep The Needle Exchange, STD/HIV Testing, and the Free Clinic in place at India Street. That amendment passed unanimously. 
 
Now, seven months later, here's where those programs—and the Positive Health Care program—stand.