Category: Brooklyn Action Corps

City fall budget update

City Council is currently going through the “fall budget monitoring process” which is an opportunity to adjust where the City is investing resources.

In particular, Commissioners Hardesty and Eudaly have a proposal which is up for consideration. OPB has a summary of the proposal.

If you have comments on their proposal or other budget topics, you can submit them to council via email:

• Council testimony: cctestimony@portlandoregon.gov
• Chloe Eudaly: chloe@portlandoregon.gov
• Jo Ann Hardesty: joann@portlandoregon.gov
• Amanda Fritz: amanda@portlandoregon.gov
• Dan Ryan: CommissionerRyanOffice@portlandoregon.gov
• Ted Wheeler: mayorwheeler@portlandoregon.gov

TriMet service plan proposal for 2021–2022

TriMet is sharing their proposals for service changes in 2021 and beyond. There are two open houses: one tonight in English (Oct 28, 5pm), and another tomorrow in Spanish (Oct 29, 5pm).

You can find more about those plans and the open houses at trimet.org/plan.

Of note for Brooklyn, there are some proposed changes to the #19 bus route. The route would remain as-is through Brooklyn, but they are proposing to reduce frequency on the “Rex loop” through Eastmoreland and eliminate the “Union Manor” loop in Sellwood. They are proposing these changes to reduce travel time by keeping more busses on its core route down Bybee and Woodstock Blvds.

City Charter updates

Every 10 years, a Charter Commission is appointed to review the City of Portland’s charter. If you’re interested in changing the city’s current system of government, such as the assignment of bureaus to commissioners, this is an opportunity to provide feedback.

You can send comments to Council, using the same email addresses as above.

For more information, the City Club of Portland released two reports on the current state and has recommendations on possible changes.

Ballots are being mailed out now, and you and your neighbors may already have received them. If you have not received your ballot by October 22, call Multnomah County Elections at 503-988-VOTE (8683) for a replacement ballot.

How to vote

You can return your ballot using an official ballot dropbox anytime up through 8pm on Election Day, Nov. The nearest dropboxes to Brooklyn are:

• Multnomah County Elections Division has 3 dropboxes:
  • SE 11th Ave (new location) – Official Ballot Drop Box located on the east side of SE 11th Ave, between SE Alder St. and SE Morrison St
  • SE Belmont St – Official Ballot Drop Box located on the north side of SE Belmont St, between SE 10th Ave and SE 11th Ave
  • 1040 SE Morrison St – Walk/bike up Official Ballot Drop Site is a slot in the building, also located at the corner of SE 11th Ave and SE Morrison St
• Sellwood Library (7860 SE 13th Ave)
• Belmont Library (1038 SE Cesar Chavez Blvd)

See multco.us/dropsites for a full list of locations.

You can also mail your ballot. The county recommends mailing no later than Oct 27th, but earlier is better to be sure it is received on time. Remember, your ballot must be received by Election Day.

You can track your ballot through the process by signing up with the County’s Track Your Ballot program. You can receive updates via email, text, or phone.

Endorsements

The Brooklyn Action Corps is endorsing Measure 26-217. The measure overhauls and replaces the existing Independent Police Review Commission with a new body with expanded powers, including subpoena power and the ability to recommend more far reaching reforms to City Council for a vote. For more background information on this measure, please see:

• Portland, Oregon, Measure 26-217, Police Oversight Board Charter Amendment (November 2020) | Ballotpedia
• November 2020 City-Referred Measures | The City of Portland, Oregon
• Opinion | Measure 26-217 will help create real police oversight | Street Roots
• Yes For Real Police Accountability

Today — October 15, 2020 — is your last chance to fill out your 2020 census. Census data helps determine federal funding for important programs, how many congressional representatives we get, and more. It only takes a few minutes to complete!

You can fill out the census online today at My2020Census.gov. You can also complete the census by phone at (844) 330-2020 in English or (844) 468-2020 in Spanish. (See Responding by Phone for other language options.)

This month’s BAC board meeting is on Wednesday, October 14th. It will be held as a conference call, and you can join via your computer, tablet, or phone. Call-in details can be found at the event link below.

BAC Monthly Board Meeting

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the BAC’s September general meeting. If you missed it, here’s a recap and links for the topics that were discussed.

Land use & transportation

The BAC’s Land Use & Transportation Committee provided updates on several initiatives:

• The City’s River Plan/South Reach project outlines the City’s 20-year plan for the Willamette River in our neighborhood. The project has now been referred from the Planning and Sustainability Commission to City Council. The Council hearing date isn’t set yet, but we expect it sometime this fall. When that happens, we encourage everyone to submit testimony on this project if you’d like to see more commitment from the City to re-establish river access for our neighborhood. Read more at the City’s River Plan / South Reach project page, and our Re-establishing neighborhood river access action plan.
• A few neighborhood developments are progressing, despite the slowdown this year due to COVID. The Brooklyn Point development (formerly “Dean River”) at 17th & Pershing is nearly completion and expects to open to tenants this fall. Additionally, a development on the former U.S. Bank site (3230 SE Milwaukie Ave) has been announced and is in the early stages of design. The developers hosted a meeting on September 10th meeting to outline the project.
• We’re also following a number of City and regional projects in progress: the Historic Resources Code Project; jurisdictional transfers for state highways (such as Powell Blvd); and the ADA transition plan.

Equity & social justice

The BAC’s Equity & Social Justice Committee also provided several updates:

• The main topic was City of Portland Measure 26-217, which would establish a new police oversight board. Darren from Real Police Accountability presented information and answered questions about the initiative. The City Auditor’s office (who oversees the current oversight board, the Independent Police Review) wasn’t able to attend, but shared links to resources from their office related to the measure: Resources to evaluate police oversight changes, Auditor Hull Caballero’s testimony.
• The ESJ Committee helped organize a yard sale on August 30th. Proceeds benefited local BIPOC organizations.
• Committee meetings are held every other week. Check the calendar for details, or follow the BAC on Instagram.

Other updates

Other topics discussed included

• Lighting in the neighborhood and in our parks — or rather, the lack thereof. If there are locations in the neighborhood where lights are lacking that you’d like to see prioritized, let us know.
• The possibility of a community bulletin board for flyers and notices. This has come up off & on over the years, and from the response, there’s still interest in it.

This month’s BAC general meeting will be held as a conference call. You can join via your computer, tablet, or phone. Call-in details can be found at the event link below.

BAC Public General Meeting

This month’s BAC board meeting will be held as a conference call. You can join via your computer, tablet, or phone. Call-in details can be found at the event link below.

BAC Monthly Board Meeting

Many people have been financially impacted by the pandemic. Some some still haven’t received unemployment benefits which they are owed. The State of Oregon now has a one-time $500 emergency relief program specifically to help those most in need.

Rob Nosse, Brooklyn’s Oregon State Representative, has written a helpful summary of the Emergency Checks program. The Oregonian also published an article explaining how it works.

If you are applying, you’ll need to go to a participating bank or credit union. The participating banks and credit unions nearest to Brooklyn are:

• OnPoint Community Credit Union: Sellwood (8085 SE 13th Ave)
• OnPoint Community Credit Union: Hawthorne (3404 SE Hawthorne Blvd)
• Umpqua Bank: Sellwood (7851 SE 13th Ave)
• Umpqua Bank: Hawthorne (3557 SE Hawthorne Blvd)

For more details, please see the official website, emergencychecks.oregon.gov.

For details on other relief programs, check out Get Help COVID Oregon. The guide is maintained by SEIU Local 503 and provides information in multiple languages.

This month’s BAC board meeting will be held as a conference call. You can join via your computer, tablet, or phone. Call-in details can be found at the event link below.

BAC Monthly Board Meeting