Councilor Avalos Leads Budget Proposals to Protect Parks, Advance Environmental Justice, Serve Immigrants, and Improve Homelessness Response

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Portland, OR - Today, Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1) introduced a series of amendments to the Mayor's Proposed Budget designed to restore parks services, preserve core Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) investments, and create a dedicated reserve to support homeless service realignment. Councilor Avalos is also leading amendments to maintain culturally specific leadership development and civic engagement programming and strengthen the City's ability to serve immigrant and refugee communities.

"East Portlanders have been clear and loud that they want the City to deliver on the core services that we're responsible for," said Councilor Avalos. "My amendments protect positions that help our communities feel welcome in their parks, keep PCEF dollars voter aligned and invested in climate action, and advance work to get more out of our homelessness response system."

"East Portland is home to our city's most diverse communities. That is why I'm also leading amendments that uphold our commitment to social justice and address the needs of communities of color, immigrant communities, and underrepresented Portlanders."
A summary of the Councilor's submitted amendments is below:

1. Avalos 1 - Reverse PCEF Realignments for Impact Reduction Program and Public Environment Management Office (PEMO)
a. The amendment restores PCEF program allocations and removes the proposed transfer of climate funding to non-core PCEF activities, including sidewalk cleaning, lighting, activations, campsite assessment services, laundry operations, trash and biohazard cleanup, and related public environment management activities. While these services may support livability, public health, and economic development goals, this amendment preserves PCEF resources for core climate, clean energy, workforce development, and environmental justice investments consistent with voter intent.

2. Avalos 2 - Support Immigration Affairs Liaison and Immigrant Community Response Resources
a. This amendment moves the Immigration Affairs Liaison from the Mayor's Office, into the City Administrator's Office. Additionally, it reallocates one-time funding from the proposed Prosper Portland storefront grant implementation and workforce program delivery support allocation to support immigrant and refugee community response efforts. The amendment is intended to strengthen the City's capacity to engage and support immigrant and refugee communities during ongoing federal immigration enforcement actions and related community impacts.

3. Avalos 3 - Restore Community Group and Administrative Support Positions in Parks
a. This amendment restores a Developed Park Coordinator position that serves East Portland neighborhoods. It maintains Parks bureau capacity to coordinate with more than 40 community groups and volunteer organizations that support park stewardship activities across the city, including neighborhood associations and Friends Groups. Funding would also maintain administrative support functions related to park signage, public communications, trash can and restroom inventory management, and land stewardship event support. The funding source is the Parks Levy.

4. Avalos 4 - Create Homelessness System Governance and Transition Planning Reserve
a. This amendment redirects one-time funding from Portland Solutions / PEMO non-shelter public environment management activities into a restricted reserve for homelessness system governance, regional coordination, and transition planning.
b. The intent is not to reduce shelter beds or interrupt services for participants. The intent is to create a dedicated planning reserve to evaluate whether the City's homelessness response infrastructure is duplicating County responsibilities, how shelter operations and public environment work should be governed long-term, and how City resources can be better aligned toward housing stabilization, permanent exits, and coordinated regional response.

5. Avalos 5 - Restore Diversity and Civic Leadership (DCL) Program Funding
a. This amendment restores one-time funding to the Office of Community & Civic Life's Diversity and Civic Leadership (DCL) Program to maintain FY 2025-26 service levels in FY 2026-27. The DCL program supports culturally specific community-based organizations that provide civic leadership development, community engagement, and public participation programming for Black, Indigenous, communities of color, immigrant, refugee, and historically underrepresented Portlanders.

6. Avalos 6 - One-Time Operational Support for Leach Botanical Garden
a. Provide Leach Garden Friends one-time funding to support general operations at Leach Botanical Garden through FY 2026-27 as the organization works to stabilize and strengthen its business model. The source of funds is the Parks Levy.

7. Avalos 7- Restore Community Engagement Coordinator II Position in Portland Parks & Recreation
a. Restore one-time funding for a Portland Parks & Recreation Community Engagement Coordinator II position proposed for elimination. Restoration of this position would maintain community engagement capacity and support continuity of Council-directed and public-facing engagement work through FY 2026-27. This position is critical to ensuring that the voices of Portlanders - especially Portlanders from marginalized communities - are included in the City's stewardship of natural spaces, urban canopy, community gardens, and Parks resources.

These amendments build on Councilor Avalos' consistent advocacy for East Portland's needs. Last year, Councilor Avalos led the effort to successfully preserve $2 million for parks maintenance after hearing community concerns that proposed cuts would lead to the further deterioration of safety and cleanliness at East Portland parks. Councilor Avalos will continue to fight to put District 1 first at every stage of the budget process.