Public Bank campaign
We have worked as a part of the Oregon Public Bank Alliance to advance publicly-owned banking in the state of Oregon. In 2021 we built a broad base of support for a Municipal (public) Bank Bill in the Oregon State Legislature. The bill was introduced by Rep. Khanh Pham with the intent of updating Oregon banking statutes to make it easier for Oregon municipalities to create publicly owned banks. A public bank would enable all the taxpayer's money a city invests in major projects, to stay in the community, rather than paying massive amounts of interest to Wall Street banks. As is often the case the bill didn't pass the session it was introduced. We will continue educating legislators and building a base of support to pass this important concept in future sessions.
Honest Elections
Oregon is one of only 5 states with no limits on political contributions. Campaign spending in Oregon has skyrocketed 10-fold since 1996. The Center for Public Integrity grades Oregon an overall "F" in systems to avoid government corruption and ranks Oregon 2nd worst of all states in controlling "Political Financing," beating only Mississippi. Oregon needs limits on campaign contributions and laws requiring that political ads disclose their top funders. See Honest-Elections.com for more information about the work we're doing to get big money out of our political system.
restructuring portland city council
We have long considered Portland's Commission form of Government along with its at-large (city-wide) elections to be undemocratic, unrepresentative, and increasingly ineffective as Portland rapidly grows and changes. In early 2019 the City Club of Portland published a report making a strong case that the commission form of government and at large elections were innately inequitable and that it's time to choose a better, more representative and equitable form of government and elections. We are excited to work with a broad spectrum of individuals and groups to come up with a form of government and voting that actually works for all Portlanders.
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Who we are:
We are an intergenerational
- learning hub -
for the political process
frequently asked questions
How do you choose which issues to work on?
In typical years our members and the community come together for our annual Spring Thing event where we get inspired, talk about challenges and opportunities facing Portland, and decide together which issues are the most pressing. We lean into solutions that will make a real difference in our region and that people are excited to work on.
What if I am not passionate about your issues?
Tell us the issues you are passionate about. We are always on the lookout for new opportunities.
Do you partner with other organizations?
Absolutely, the more the merrier. Please contact us if you would like to partner on an issue.