I'm tuning in to Portland City Council's hearing on proposed amendments to the Fall "Budget Monitoring Process" or "Fall BuMP"—an opportunity to adjust the annual budget approved in June.

The most intriguing amendment is a proposal from @JoAnnPDX to cut $18 million from the Portland Police Bureau (it's backed by @ChloeEudalyPDX) Here's how the amendment suggests reallocating those funds:

There's no guidance on where those dollars should come from within PPB.

In a previous draft, Hardesty suggested axing vacant officer positions, the officer teams who respond to protests (SERT, RRT), and other areas.

Mayor Wheeler kicks off the mtg, saying he has to leave at 6 pm (he's headed to a 7 pm mayoral debate). If we can't get through the whole discussion today (+ public testimony), Wheeler says the conversation will continue next Wednesday.

Currently, the final vote on these budget changes is scheduled for next Wednesday. If today's amendment hearing is extended into next Wednesday, the final vote will be rescheduled for the following week. (Complicated, I know).

After hearing a summary from Budget Director Jessica Kinard, it's time to hear each commissioners' suggested amendments.

From Wheeler: Increase experiences $70k in one-time resources to partner with @CAIROregon to develop approach to assist first responders/community w/ sobering services, addiction recovery, and behavioral health response. Would fund a program manager position to lead this work.

This would replace the work done by the since-shuttered sobering center at Central City Concern.

Another Wheeler amendment: Move $2.3 million from PPB to Portland Housing Bureau for treatment housing services.

Other Wheeler amendments: $ 1.9 million in recreation cannabis tax funds and $1.5 in general fund ---> toward pilot initiative to create community-led process to promote anti-racist investments by expanding wealth creation/restorative justice for BIPOC communities.

Wheeler: Moves $77k from homeless camp clean-up programs-----> "keep it pretty rose city" program that coordinates volunteer trash clean-ups.

Wheeler: $20k to support a "Downtown Retail Advocate" position.

(I'm running behind a little to make sure I catch everything)

Fritz amendments: $22k ----> Parks Bureau to cover protest-related damage and labor costs.

Fritz: $87k --> fund costs associated with restroom services from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. "These expenses are additional and directly associated with running one of the only public restrooms in downtown amid protests, COVID, and the current human health crisis."

Fritz: $170k ---> Office of Equity & Human Rights General Fund for professional development / workshops.

Fritz: $82k for a permanent employee to "provide dedicated, focused equity manager support to small bureaus"

Fritz: $32k ----> Portland Parks to cover costs for 4 seasonal maintenance workers in the Downtown Service Zone area for 8 week.

Final Fritz amendment: $128k ----> Office of Equity & Human Rights for permanent employee, a "policing-focused Equity Data Analyst" assigned to work w/ the PPB's equity office.

Eudaly amendment: $1.75 million ---> Office of Community & Civic Life the for one-time funding for the Oregon Worker Relief Fund. (Oregonians who don't qualify for traditional unemployment benefits, such as immigrants and ppl working in sub-legal industries)

Hardesty's amendments: Decrease PPB expenses by $18 million. (Surprise!)

Here's where she suggests those cuts be redistributed:
$7,450,000--> Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) food assistance program
$1,075,000--> ECC hygiene stations program
$1,050,000--> ECC outdoor shelter program
$300,000--> ECC household essentials program

$7,547,101--> universal eviction defense.
$500,000--> programs to address the digital divide for our disabled community members.
$100,000--> increased Crisis Intervention Training through Portland Fire & Rescue

$1,000,000--> ongoing resources for the creation of a Latinx Youth Development fund.
$2,500,000--> ongoing resources for Portland Street Response.
$14,522,101--> ongoing resources to provide stability to this year's General Fund budget, or additional emergent community needs.

Hardesty comments that the budget is a "moral document" and thanks Commissioner Eudaly for partnering with her on this amendment.

"Economic anxiety is a big predicator of violence. If we combine our current economic recession w/ a global pandemic & a movement forcing us to confront centuries of racial injustice, we have unrest in real-time," says Hardesty.

She continues: "As government leaders, our role is to provide stability in those moments of crisis. With this proposal, I'm also asking my colleagues to begin addressing violence as a public health issue."

"Police can not and should not be the only solution to so many of society's ills... et today they are the city's biggest funded bureau. If we agree that we cannot arrest our way out of this problem, we need to begin to look at funding programs that prevent conflict & violence."

"It should not be controversial for a bureau to course-correct when its own outcomes show it's not serving all of us equally," Hardesty concludes.

Hardesty asks someone w/ the city atty's office to detail the pricey lawsuits they're facing. Atty says the city's been hit with 18 lawsuits against the city this year. "We expect more to come."

Atty says lawyers are under extreme emotional / mental stress due to this work.

Hardesty is very clear that she wants her amendments (which = $18 million cuts in PPB) voted on today, before the mayor has to leave.

Wheeler says commissioners may want more time to consider her amendment. Hardesty responds: "People feel how they feel, and I don't think today is going to change that."

Fritz isn't comfortable with cutting off public testimony to fast-track Hardesty's amendment vote.

Commissioner Ryan says he doesn't want to vote until he's heard all the testimony.

There are 120 members of the public signed up to testify on the call right now. (There may be more logging on.)

Whew, just ten minutes behind. Public testimony has begun!

I forgot to add: Wheeler says he's fine with voting on Hardesty's amendment early, same with Commissioner Eudaly.

Here for testimony from a man whose child is banging on a toy piano and sobbing a little in the background.

(He's for Hardesty's amendment.)

Kaia Sand, director of @StreetRoots, directs her testimony to @PortlandDan, @AmandaFritzRN and @tedwheeler — urging them to support Hardesty's amendment. Street Roots was one of the architects of the Portland Street Response.

Sand says: "I want to say very clearly that it is not legitimate to claim that policing can not be pulled back before the Portland Street Response [is underway]." (This is what we've heard from some commissioners/the mayor).

So far, I've heard two people testifying against police cuts. Both cite slow police response times.

Vadim Mozyrsky (a member of two city police accountability boards, the CRC & PCCEP) says: "You would not cut the firefighter's budget in the middle of an inferno, with the promise that fewer firefighters will somehow result in fewer fires. We are in the midst of such an inferno."

He continues: "Violent crimes are the highest they've been in decades while we have the lowest number of officers in decades."

Oh, we have a third person against PPB cuts, who says property damage has turned downtown into a "ghost town."

Commissioner @ChloeEudalyPDX interjects: "This budget cut would not require a single reduction in current personnel. It would require the bureau to cut vacant positions." (this isn't in written in the amendment)

She continues: "I'm a survivor of violent crime and I know how important those [911] call times are. However, those police do not prevent crime, they respond to it. And this conversation is about getting to the root causes of crime."

"This is not a critique of our bureau, it's a critique about the system every single taxpayer and voter has helped create and sustain," says Eudaly. "If we don't start investing in community and upstream solutions in crime, it's true, we will need more and more police."

"But that is an incredibly backwards approach to community safety that does not keep our community safer."

Mayor Wheeler asks Budget Director Kinard to double check if making $18m in PPB cuts would *actually* mean no additional personnel cuts. (She's going to.)

A lot of people are asking commissioners to vote on these amendments today.

TBH, I'm not entirely sure why that is critical? Even though this vote would be delayed until *after* the election, I feel like most people have already voted/made up their minds about city elections.

This is Dan Ryan's first budget hearing since being elected, I'd think the public would want him to hear from them?

If this was Mayor Wheeler saying that we'd cut short public testimony to fast-track a vote on a budget item.... I think the response would be different.

Back to hearing: Wheeler just asked if something was on fire behind Hardesty, bc smoke. (There's not, she said.)

From @HenryKraemer: "It's appalling that we need to come here today and beg you to cut the police budget... In this case, tens and thousands of Portlanders marched to cut one and only one budget: the Police Bureau."

Mayoral candidate @sarahforpdx now testifying: "This vote needs to happen today so that Portland can see their leaders standing up for Black lives."

Iannarone adds that she is willing to reschedule the East Portland Action Plan mayoral debate that's starting tonight at 7 (this is the reason why Wheeler needs to leave at 6).

Still following along. We still have 70+ folks signed up to testify who haven't spoken yet.

Hearing a lot of different perspectives this hour. Folks asking for more PPB resources to investigate shootings against Black Portlanders by members of the public. Others wanting commissioners to stop infighting and reflect unity during this shaky time.

A number of people are asking to expand funds for the Office of Violence Prevention, a non-PPB office that can provide community support/intervention in regards to gun violence.

Ten minutes to 6 pm, and we're at person 112. Unclear if there's still a hard stop at 6 pm.

Wheeler said he had to leave at 6 to attend this event, but it's since been cancelled (due to @sarahforpdx and @Teressa_Raiford's request)

At testimony #121, I'd estimate that 30% of speakers are not in favor of cutting PPB dollars (at least, without clarity about what would replace the cut programs/what the transition would look at).

Some *personal news* I'm going to pull a Wheeler in about 30 mins: I have to log off at 6:45 for a tutoring commitment.

(To be clear, Wheeler did not pull a Wheeler tonight, he's still very much in attendance)

More people are asking City Council to present a plan to address gun violence in the absence of the Gun Violence Prevention Program. They aren't asking for more cops, just wanting more outreach workers and clear commitment to the Black Portlanders impacted by gun violence.

Gun Violence Reduction Team, oops.

Someone just called this the "event of the week" for Portland.

Commissioner Dan Ryan is truly in the hot seat tonight. People on both sides of Hardesty's amendment are telling him how his swing vote will be "momentous" and "speak volumes" about his tenure in city hall.

Okay folks, it's been 4.75 hours and I have to leave for food/volunteer work. People are still testifying, watch here:

Stay tuned for a story tomorrow.