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NEW CEASEFIRE PLEDGE CAUSES UPROAR: Last week, Andra Vltavín, a candidate for the Portland City Council, made edits to a Gaza ceasefire pledge that 18 city candidates had signed in the spring. Chaos ensued. Four who signed the initial pledge—City Council candidates Angelita Morillo, Tiffany Koyama Lane and Mitch Green and mayoral candidate Liv Osthus—asked Vltavín to remove their names from the signature list. Their reasoning: poor timing (the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel is approaching) and the edits weren’t universally approved. Before Vltavín removed their names, however, the updated pledge had made its way to Marc Blattner, the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. On Sept. 27, Blattner sent a press release to the organization’s email list, naming each of the candidates listed on the pledge. “Nothing troubles me more than writing about anti-Israel sentiments—especially when it comes to candidates for political office,” Blattner wrote. Vltavín says they stand by their edits. “While I recognize that Oct. 7 represents a very painful time for the Jewish community,” Vltavín says, “it also represents a full year of the Israeli government’s exceedingly harsh response, which is only the latest violence in a long history of occupation.”
BLUNDER COSTS ADAMS A PRETTY PENNY: Former Mayor Sam Adams, attempting a political comeback by running for the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, loaned his campaign $30,000 on Sept. 17, according to state election records. Adams said the cash will cover the cost of mailing a page describing his qualifications that should have appeared in the county’s Voters’ Pamphlet. Adams missed the Aug. 29 deadline for his submission after misreading the instructions, he told WW last month. It was an expensive mistake. The fee for being included in the pamphlet, which goes to all voters in Multnomah County, is just $300. Now Adams expects to spend 100 times that amount to make voters aware of his candidacy and credentials. “Having to mail the Voters’ Pamphlet page wasn’t in the budget,” Adams said in an interview. Adams left the mayoralty in December 2012 after one term. He is running against Shannon Singleton, a social worker and former nonprofit leader, to be commissioner for Multnomah County District 2, which includes North and Northeast Portland. In debates, the two have sparred over the solutions to homelessness. Adams supports arresting homeless people who violate camping bans and refuse shelter. Singleton, meanwhile, says that approach amounts to punishment and will change nothing.
KOTEK’S EDUCATION INITIATIVE ADVISER MOVES ON: Pooja Bhatt, who has served as education initiative adviser to Gov. Tina Kotek since the beginning of Kotek’s administration, tendered her resignation on Sept. 27. Unlike some of the other departures from Kotek’s staff this year, Bhatt’s decision had nothing to do with first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson. Rather, Bhatt, who focused on improving outcomes for K–12, particularly literacy, had made it clear from the beginning her tenure would be limited. “When I accepted this role, I made a two-year commitment and as we approach that mark, I realize that making the transition now will be more practical in the long run,” Bhatt wrote in her resignation letter. During her time in Kotek’s office, Bhatt worked with lawmakers to add funding for summer school and child care and helped update the calculation for establishing the K–12 budget, which Kotek expects to add $515 million to in the 2025–27 budget.
THOUSANDS OF NURSING HOME WORKERS THREATEN STRIKE: Contracts for workers at four major nursing home operators expired the night of Sept. 30, leaving over 3,000 workers without expected October pay raises. In a press conference on Oct. 1, officials for their union, Service Employees International Union Local 503, threatened to strike if new contracts weren’t signed in the coming weeks. They’re demanding not just pay raises but also better working conditions. “Understaffing is a crisis,” said executive director Melissa Unger. “If we don’t see a settlement in October, you’re going to be hearing a lot more about nursing home workers taking action across the state.” The companies whose contracts with SEIU have expired are Avamere, EmpRes, Volare Health and Sapphire Health Services. None responded to WW’s requests for comment. SEIU’s contract with a St. Helens nursing home operated by a fifth company, Caldera Care, expired previously, and workers there have already voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. “We will be on the picket lines,” says nursing assistant Jessica DuPuis. “We will strike as needed to protect residents’ safety.”