The world is a complicated place. Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that.
On my way home from work this week I stopped and talked to an elderly woman sleeping on the streets in Old Town. “Besides my aching back all I really need is a long, hot bath and a nice quiet place to read,” the woman told me. “I really don’t need a lot.”
Her attitude, all things considered, was still optimistic. Nothing about her life was simple. “Nothing ever is,” she told me. “This storm will pass.”
There’s been a storm brewing in Portland over the recent proposed transportation street fee. The fee, proposed by transportation commissioner Steve Novick and Mayor Charlie Hales, has been met with some fierce resistance among both the business community and poverty advocates, including Street Roots. There’s been a great deal of civic debate. There’s also been a lot of mudslinging.
It’s a complicated debate and easy to get caught up in the rhetoric. Saying that, it’s also important to put things into perspective.
It was only a couple of weeks ago that this city council worked together to pass a balanced budget that supports Portland’s community, including allocating an additional $2.2 million toward our most vulnerable citizens.
Steve Novick, yes, that Steve Novick, the one you think doesn’t care about Portlanders right now because he wants to pass the street fee, has been leading a committee for the past year charged with advising City Hall about how to implement its socially responsible investment principles. What does that mean?
It means rolling back the city’s investments in businesses such as Wal-Mart, and other socially irresponsible corporations. The committee is specifically looking at health and environmental concerns, abusive labor practices, corrupt corporate ethic and governance, among others. The City of Portland’s entire investment portfolio currently ranges from $940 million to $1.29 billion and averages about $1.08 billion during the year. We’re not talking about a commissioner that isn’t thinking in very smart ways on how to improve the lives of poor and working Oregonians. We’re talking about an elected official working to create real social change.
We also can’t forget both Charlie Hales and Amanda Fritz’s work to stand by Portland’s Right 2 Dream Too, one of Portland’s two tent cities. Talk about political risk. Name me another mayor and a city council in the United States supporting homeless people in their effort to purchase their own land and I’ll eat my words.
Saying that, nothing is black and white when it comes to equality.
That’s why housing advocates, who on one hand work with the city, will also be protesting laws targeting people experiencing homelessness this weekend during the Rose Festival. Homeless people will soon be swept out of Waterfront Park for the month of June during the festival. Homeless folks in turn, will reclaim the streets for a day during the parade.
Then there’s the Airbnb and the short-term rental debate. Some believe that expanding the short-term rental industry will further spur gentrification.
Companies such as Airbnb and VRBO help facilitate renting thousands of homes, or dwellings to visitors for 30 days or less. Many of those rentals are for very short periods of time, like an extended weekend.
Street Roots and a growing coalition of folks think any lodging tax collected from the short-term rentals should go right back into affordable housing. It’s complicated.
Concerning the street fee — well, we have until November to figure it out. Like it or not, I think we can. Aren’t you for better streetlights, sidewalks and safe roads? I am. The devil will be in the details and if we come together as a community we can get there.
After that Portland, it’s easy breezy. All we have to do is get the Feds to adequately fund local governments, to challenge Oregon legislatures to take on real tax reform, raise the minimum wage, adequately fund our mental health and housing system, end childhood poverty, reform our drug laws and immigration policy, create real police oversight and tackle that thing called climate change. Did I mention equity for all, as in everyone? I’m sure I missed something, or someone.
My point is, both Portland residents and elected officials are working to make our city the best it can be. Do we always get it right? Of course not, but who among us has a track record of always getting things right?
Like our friend on the street says: Nothing is simple, nothing ever is. This storm will pass.