Urban Gleaners: Meeting People's Needs, No Questions Asked

In the days of yore, gleaning referred to gathering leftover grains and produce after harvest. The good news: we have an ample food supply in the U.S. The bad news: much of that food goes to waste (40%), and 1 in 5 Oregonians struggle with food insecurity. Portland non-profit Urban Gleaners is committed to reducing food waste and the stigma around food insecurity.  

They collect and redistribute over 80,000 pounds of food every month–prepared, packaged, and fresh produce. The food they pick up from local restaurants, catering companies, large food service venues, grocery stores, and local farms is redirected to schools, other non-profits, and their Free Food Markets at locations around the Portland Metro area. Anyone is welcome to shop at Urban Gleaners' markets; no qualifying questions asked or paperwork required! 

Support Urban Gleaners>>

Learn about other gleaning organizations across Oregon and the country>>

RMLS Market Action Report

In the category of "head scratching at the new normal," the median price of a home this June of $559,000 has almost recovered back to its June 2022 high of $570,000...and that is with interest rates double what they were back then. As lenders compete to devise new ways to entice buyers back into the market and buyers continue deciding that they want to buy homes, regardless of the interest rate environment, we continue to see well-priced homes in the Portland market get snapped up. It is, however, more important than ever for sellers to price their homes appropriately and at a price that compels action, as folks want to feel like the value is there.  

For a deeper dive into the national market and its trends, check out this chart from our favorite data site FRED, comparing what three indexes show as the direction of home pricing. All three indexes use slightly different methodologies, so this combined chart gives you a good sense of the aggregate. If you want to know if prices are going up or down nationwide, this chart is one to watch. As always, if you are curious to know how your house has fared, feel free to give us a call!

View the most recent market action report here>>

When The Outdoors Finds Its Way In

We cap our chimneys, secure mesh coverings over gable vents, and seal up any and all potential points of entry to crawl spaces high and low. These efforts are not in vain, but they're not bulletproof either. Many homeowners are familiar with the dread experienced upon hearing the squealing, chirping, padding, rustling, or scratching of a non-domesticated animal.

In the past few months, one client reported that a family of Vaux Swifts is living in their chimney this summer, another has been dealing with a family of skunks that settled in beneath her garden shed, and yet another reached out in a panic with a squirrel "somewhere in the house." These things happen, and when they do, it's wonderful to know who to call.

Of course, you can always call us, but we are not licensed to do anything with wildlife unless they're in the market to buy property. Thankfully, we can direct you to a few helpful resources in and around Portland.

Chirping in your chimney? The Audubon Society is here to answer your questions and offer support should you encounter Swifts or other non-predatory birds in distress. Start here: Vaux Swifts in Chimney FAQs

Critters creeping overhead or underfoot? Oregon State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has a comprehensive list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators. These folks are familiar with state and federal regulations, including endangered, protected, and invasive species. 

Prevention (and Post-prevention) Services: Whether you're getting ahead of a problem or square in the middle of one, this Portland-based company has gotten great reviews from our clients on both fronts. Pests & Pollinator Integrated Pest Management>>

Photo by Richard Sagredo on Unsplash

Portland City Charter

Oregon is a special place for many reasons. The one we will focus on today does not make the top ten lists of reasons to move here, but sometimes we wonder if it should! In Oregon, incorporated cities and counties are allowed to create and amend their own charters–the document that outlines a local government's systems and structures–without state approval, so long as the charter does not conflict with the state constitution. This arrangement means that Oregon residents have considerable power in shaping the places where they live and vote. In fact, the only thing that can change a city or county charter is a vote of the people, which is what happened in Portland's November 2022 election. Voters approved Measure 26-228(which proposed three amendments to our city charter) with approximately 57 percent of the vote. 

There is an excellent overview of how the City Charter review and amendment process works and how it came to be this way in Oregon here. One critical development in this process came in 2005 when the City Council convened a Charter Commission tasked with reviewing the city's charter and making recommendations for amendments to put before voters. One of those amendments (later approved by voters) stipulated that there would be a regularly scheduled review of the charter by a commission of volunteers no less than once a decade. Beginning in December of 2020, the most recent of these charter reviews was conducted over 18 months. 

The Charter Commission (a diverse group of twenty volunteers) proposed three amendments to Portland's City Charter. Because over 75% of the Commission's members approved the proposed amendments, they went directly to voters in the November 2022 election rather than to Portland's City Council for approval. 

With voter approval of Measure 26-228, the City of Portland is making three connected changes:

1. Allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference using ranked-choice voting.

2. Establish four geographic districts, with three city council members elected to represent each district – expanding the city council to a total of 12 members.  

3. Establish a city council that focuses on setting policy and engaging with the community, transitioning day-to-day oversight of bureaus to a mayor elected citywide and a professional city administrator.

It's a lot of change! And naturally, there has been some debate about and resistance to these changes. Though we cannot predict how these changes will change the City of Portland, we can assure you that Portlanders will continue to have ample opportunities to participate in shaping it. The charter reform process is evidence of that!

We encourage you to engage in this process and encourage others to learn about it, too, so we can continue to exercise and amplify voter empowerment!

Check out the detailed timeline of the entire transition plan>> 

Stay in the loop by signing up for updates from the city here>> 

For Your Consideration

A powerful message about the addiction crisis in Oregon from Lake Oswego Mayor Joe Buck’s weekly email message.

Summer Reflection    

Our State’s addiction crisis and its impact on our loved ones and neighbors can feel outside of our local city control. But is it entirely? Oregonians are justified to be leery about the decriminalization of Federally illicit substances. While these efforts have rightly kept those suffering from addiction out of the criminal justice system, they have failed to produce pathways to recovery accessible to the vast number of Oregonians stricken with substance abuse disorder and other accompanying mental health maladies. 

While this disease is now more front and center on sidewalks and in the national media, the health crisis has existed in the families of Oswegans for generations. While street drugs, Measure 110, and the omnipresence of highly potent weed are just targets of our ire, alcohol continues to kill vastly more Oregonians per year, carries an immense social and economic cost, and fosters generational trauma. The need for candid conversations, education, and treatment has never been greater.

Locally we can continue working together to educate students and to ensure our residents have access to treatment, including new methods like psilocybin therapy. While small cities like LO do not control funds needed to establish treatment beds, we can be responsible partners by ensuring drug and alcohol treatment is given siting considerations reflective of centers of health care and healing. Substance abuse is a disease like any other, and those afflicted need the compassionate, informed support of neighbors to enable daylight to come to the dark, shameful corners of often covert suffering. Together we can cease the stigmatized narrative of fear and disgrace and redirect the anger we all rightly feel for the addiction crisis to wholeheartedly support our family members, neighbors, co-workers, and friends who suffer. By providing a safe, supportive community for those who suffer to reclaim their lives, we can, in fact, make a difference locally.

- Mayor Joe

Mutual Aid Spotlight: Symbiosis PDX

A collective committed to promoting the potential of self-organizing within and between communities. They envision a future where everyone's food, water, and shelter needs are met without exploitation and every voice is heard with dignity and respect. 

Their efforts are divided across various domains–truth and reconciliation, consent-based decision-making, social ecology, solidarity economy and mutual aid, gender freedom, and municipality. In short, their vision is to keep shifting our communities from an individualist towards a communal existence that honors our interdependence. 

Learn more and get involved here>>