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Webinar: Police Oversight Update

Learn about plans for a new Community Board to investigate police misconduct – October 11

On Wednesday, October 11, from 7 to 8:30 pm, the League of Women Voters of Portland will present a Zoom webinar on “A new Community Board for Police Accountability.” The speakers include members of the Police Accountability Commission (PAC), who spent thousands of volunteer hours planning the details of how this new community board will operate. The final plan carries out the requirements in the charter amendment that voters passed in November 2020 by almost 82%.  A representative of the U.S. Department of Justice will also speak.

PANELISTS:

    • Yume Delegato (PAC member) will cover how the Community Board for Police Accountability members will be selected and their powers and duties as they relate to police misconduct cases and policy recommendations.
    • Dan Handelman (PAC member) will explain how the new Civilian Office of Police Accountability will handle police misconduct cases.
    • Faythe Aiken (PAC member) will describe the Transition Plan for moving from the current police oversight system to the new system over the next approximately two years.
    • And:
    • Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Hager, U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. Mr. Hager will explain what the Settlement Agreement between the city and the U.S. DOJ requires of the city as it enacts its new police accountability system.

Members of the public are invited to join us for this Zoom Webinar by registering on or before October 10 at 8 pm. Those watching the live program on October 11 will be able to enter questions in the chat. The short registration form is here.

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Portland Is Changing! Charter Implementation Successes and Challenges

A recorded Panel Discussion    

On September 19, 2023,  a panel of leading experts discussed the work accomplished thus far and work that is underway to ensure effective and fair implementation of the  charter reforms approved by voters last November.  Panelists:

    • Melanie Billings-Yun, Charter Review Commissioner, 2020-22 (Moderator) 
    • Shoshanah Oppenheim, Charter Transition Project Manager
    • Marcus Mundy, Executive Director, Coalition of Communities of Color
    • Leah Benson, Co-Chair, Government Transition Advisory Committee (GTAC)
    • Alex Zielinski, Reporter, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB)

Click on the arrow to view the video recording of the program:

A link to the podcast will be posted here soon. The video is being shown on cable TV at the times listed below. 

 

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LWV Support for Charter Reform

By M.O. Stevens – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10470949

The League strongly supports the City Charter reforms that voters passed in November 2022.  Now we are working hard to make sure the reforms are being carried out appropriately and well. We firmly believe these reforms will make Portland’s government and elections better.

Our new page on City Charter Reform links to resources explaining ranked choice voting and the decisions being made now about our 2025 city government. We’ll be adding more resources as these decisions are finalized. Stay tuned!

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Updated Directory of Elected Officials Available Now

A page describing the contents of a document as the updated list of the Directory of Elected Officials

We’ve updated our Directory of Elected Officials, with information from the results of the May 2023 Special Election. Read it by clicking here. You’ll find information about how to contact all the elected representatives who serve people in our area. There are websites, emails, or phone numbers for everyone from President Biden to the directors of the Fire Districts.

When you have a concern about government, you can use this contact info to ask questions or express your opinion. The Directory also has information about political parties and voter registration. Finally, if you need more details about area governments, check out the Contact Elected Officials page of this website.

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Our New President and Board

New LWVPDX President Carolyn Buppert talks with members after her election

At our Annual Membership Meeting on May 24, 2023, Portland League members elected a new volunteer president, Carolyn Buppert. You can read about the meeting and the decisions that members made  here. We also elected new board members and committee chairs. You can read the bios of all the LWVPDX 2023-24 board members and leaders here.

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We Marched in the 2023 Rose Festival Parade!

 

League members and friends from the Portland Metro Area marched in the June 10, 2023 Grand Floral Parade. The parade is a highlight of the Rose Festival. All of the LWV marchers dressed in white, as suffragists did in the early 20th century when they marched for women’s rights to vote. We also carried the purple, gold and white “suffrage flag.” The League of Women Voters now celebrates 103 years since women throughout America won the right to vote. The LWV was also founded 103 years ago . We still fight to make sure all Americans have easy access to voting.

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April 4 Panel Discussion on Mental Health, Housing, and Homelessness

View the Video of Our Zoom Webinar by clicking below.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking here.

The panel of community leaders discussed chronic homelessness as a public health issue. They explained how they are trying to provide health care and shelter to people with mental illness and/or addiction, and the need for more shelters, and supportive affordable low-income housing.  

The panel included: 

Jill Kahnert, Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, retired from Central City Concern.

 

Jason Renaud, LWVPDX League member, and Voluntary Managing Director of the Mental Health Association of Portland

 

Scott Kerman, Executive Director, Blanchet House

 

Rachael Duke, Executive Director of Community Partners for Affordable Housing

 

This program may be viewed on public access television channels at the   times listed below.

Comment on Portland’s Proposed Council Districts

Portland’s City Council is expanding in 2025! In November 2024, we’ll elect three city councilors from each of four new Council Districts. You can help decide on the boundaries of your district.

The Independent Districting Commission has proposed three different maps for the new Council Districts. They want to hear from as many Portlanders as possible. Please comment to let them know what you think.

Click here to view a presentation about these three possible district maps. Learn about how each district was designed and the pros and cons of each design. Decide which you like best. Then, attend a hearing (schedule below) or submit comments.

    • Weds, July 5, 6-8 PM, East Portland Community Center, 740 SE 106th
    • Thurs., July 6, 6-8 PM, Taborspace, 5441 SE Belmont
    • Sat., July 8 12-2 PM,  APANO, 8188 SE Division
    • Sun., July 9, 1-3 PM, SW Community Center, 6820 SW 45th
    • Weds., July 12, 6-8 PM, Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th
    • Thurs., July 13, 6-8 PM, Self Enhancement Inc., 3920 N. Kerby Ave
    • Fri., July 14 from 12-2pm hosted virtually via Zoom 
    • Sat., July 15, 12-2 PM, Charles Jordan Community Center, 9009 N Foss
    • Sun., July 16, 1-3 PM, Youth PDX, 16126 SE Stark

OR submit comments by July 22, 2023 in one of the following ways:

    • Fill out the IDC’s public comment form
    • Call 3-1-1 and share your comments verbally
    • Email your comments to: DistrictCommission@portlandoregon.gov
    • Mail comments to the Office of Management and Finance, Independent District Commission, 1120 SW 5th Ave., Room 901, Portland, OR 97204

For more information, see the District Commission’s webpage here.

Thank you for helping to shape Portland’s new Council districts!

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