Newsletter: Moda Center, Inner Eastside for All, PCC Strike

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View full size image of Councilor Green at PCC Strike in March 2026.

From the future of the Moda Center to the fight for public higher education, your engagement is vital to shaping a Portland that works for everyone.

Weekly Updates (View Current and Past Issues)

Dear Neighbors,

As usual, there's a lot happening this week, both inside City Hall and on the streets of Portland. From the future of the Moda Center to the fight for public higher education, your engagement is vital to shaping a Portland that works for everyone.

As always, thank you for staying engaged and informed.

In Solidarity,

Mitch Green

No Backroom Deals on the Moda Center

You may have seen recent headlines about negotiations surrounding the Moda Center renovation. Much of this reporting seems to imply that a deal has been done behind closed doors. So let me take a moment to clear that up. Neither I nor the City Council as a whole, have made any decisions regarding a renovation deal. There hasn't been a City Council vote.

If you didn't know it already, I'm Blazers guy. I grew up watching Clyde and I've been hooked ever since. I love this team, and I want them on this floor, in this city, for the rest of my life. But my commitment is to the people of this district and this city, not to NBA ownership.

As an economist, I have to approach these negotiations with a healthy dose of skepticism.History shows that deals to finance sports stadiums with public dollars rarely, if ever, pencil out in the public interest. The pressure to cave often comes from a fear that the team will leave. But just this week, the NBA Board of Governors voted to add expansion teams in both Seattle and Las Vegas. This development takes a significant amount of pressure off of Portland and should put an end to this manufactured crisis implying that we have to do a deal right this second. I hope with this news, City officials will finally stop negotiating against themselves in public by raising the specter of the team moving. We need to negotiate from a position of strength, with our community's interests front and center.

I've been clear that any agreement to renovate the Moda Center with public dollars must provide a clear benefit to the public, not just to team ownership. I am particularly skeptical about the suggestion that we should use Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) dollars for this project. PCEF has a very clear set of climate and equity goals, and I have not heard a compelling case for how this stadium renovation would meet them.

Any deal the City makes in regard to the Moda Center needs to be made in the open. A project of this scale, potentially involving hundreds of millions of public dollars demands a clear public process.

To learn more about the details of the Moda Center deal, check out Rip City, Not Rip Off,* and read the latest reporting from OPBand KGW.

*fan-made site not affiliated with our office or the City of Portland

Inner Eastside for All Resolution Passes Council

I am thrilled to announce that last Thursday, the Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee voted to pass the Inner East Side for All (IE4A) resolution, which I co-sponsored with Councilors Morillo and Avalos. This is a huge win for Portland.

This policy is about getting the city out of its own way. By removing outdated zoning rules, IE4A unlocks the kind of mixed-income, transit-oriented housing we desperately need, and at almost no cost to the city. It prepares the ground for development to happen organically and ensures that when the private sector is ready to build, the city isn't the bottleneck. It's a smart, forward-thinking policy that will help us build a more inclusive and connected inner eastside. You can read more about IE4A here, and see a list of my policies passed and adopted.

On the Picket Line with PCC Faculty

Last week, I joined striking faculty and staff from the Portland Community College Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals (FFAP) and Federation of Classified Employees (FCE) on the picket line at PCC Rock Creek. The workers' demands are clear and reasonable: they want a fair contract, they want a Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) to keep up with inflation, they want to keep core programs that students need, and they want an end to top-heavy budgeting that adds managerial bloat while eliminating class offerings. This strike is part of a larger fight for the soul of public higher education in this country - a struggle we also see unfolding at Portland State University.

The unions' fight is our fight, and I stand with them.

Audience in chambers during the Right to Know Who's Policing You hearing on March 17, 2026

Supporting the Right to Know Who's Policing You

Finally, I want to let you know about an important piece of legislation coming before Council. Councilor Sameer Kanal has been carefully crafting the Right to Know Who's Policing You ordinance for several months now, and it was introduced in the Community and Public Safety Committee yesterday.

As ICE continues to ramp up attacks and kidnappings in our communities, this measure seeks to address a critical gap in public transparency and safety. It would:

• Prohibit all law enforcement from wearing facial coverings to intentionally conceal their identities.
• Require them to display clear identification.
• Direct local police to verify that individuals attempting to detain someone are indeed law enforcement.

This is about basic accountability. If someone is depriving you of your freedom, you have a right to know who they are. It will improve public trust and help protect Portlanders from individuals falsely posing as law enforcement. Follow the Council calendar to see when it returns for a vote. I fully support this resolution and encourage you to learn more on Councilor Kanal's official website.

Council and Committee Meetings with Councilor Green

City Council Meeting

City Council holds regular meetings at 9:30 a.m. on the first, second, fourth and fifth Wednesday and 6:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. If there is sufficient business, additional meetings are held the following Thursday at 2:00 p.m.

New Committee Meetings

Starting in April 2026, City Council will have five committees:

1. Community and Public Safety,
2. City Life,
3. Housing and Permitting,
4. Public Works, and
5. Committee of the Whole

Councilor Green's committees are: Public Works, Housing, and Committee of the Whole. We hope to see you there.

Upcoming Meetings

Community Events

Dear Portland, by Humans for Housing: February 7 - April 9

Women-Owned Restaurants in Portland You Should Visit: March + Beyond

Portland Saturday Market: Every Saturday, Through December 5

No Kings Protest:March 28, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Trans Town PDX 2026: March 29, 2-9 pm

Instagram @councilormitchgreen

Bluesky @councilorgreen.bsky.social

YouTube @CouncilorGreenComms

Website portland.gov

Email [email protected]