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Seeks to represent: District 2 (North and Northeast Portland)
Age: 38
Pronouns: He/his
Job: Full-time candidate
Fun fact: A season ticketholder for the Timbers and Thorns, he has “way too many (and yet not enough) scarves.”
Sameer Kanal is a first-generation American whose parents emigrated to North Portland from India almost 50 years ago. Kanal, a Timbers fan both as a kid and today, studied economics and political science at the University of Washington. While there, he became a student activist protesting against the war in Iraq and for the rights of Palestinians. He went to graduate school at New York University, studying human rights and international law, and then spent years working in both private- and public-sector jobs. Kanal worked as the project manager of the 20-member Police Accountability Commission that for nearly two years created a plan for a new police oversight body composed of citizens, and most recently worked at the city of Portland in the Public Safety Service Area as an inclusive policy manager. Kanal’s job was eliminated earlier this year, and he’s now a full-time candidate.
Why are you running for office?
I’m running for City Council to put the power back in the hands of the people, by building a city that listens—because a city that listens is safer and more prosperous for everyone. Doing community engagement at the city, I’ve seen that Portlanders know what we want and we tell our government, but too often that is the end of the story. I’m running to make it the start of a story, of co-creation of bold policy and programs with community, grounded in economic, racial, and environmental justice.
What are your top three priorities if elected?
My policy priorities are community safety, infrastructure, and housing—for all. Community safety is a society where we all have our needs met. It’s help when you need it, and a government that doesn’t harm you—and is held accountable if it does. It’s preventative and holistic, and includes Safe Routes to Schools and expanding Portland Street Response. Infrastructure includes prioritizing maintenance and building major infrastructure projects sustainably, with union labor, and fast, frequent, fareless transit. Housing includes protections keeping people in their homes; ending sweeps while expanding Shelter Services and outreach, and building market-rate, affordable, subsidized, and social housing.
How would you foster economic growth in Portland?
Portland is a great place to start and grow a business, and elected leaders need to support that through uplifting policy and messaging. We need to make permitting faster, building on the creation of Portland Permitting & Development by adopting a case management approach. We need to invest in the infrastructure people need to access businesses, and that businesses need to thrive. We need to attract workers to Portland by making it easier to afford living here, by expanding public transit; maintaining our parks, community centers, and pools; expanding community gardens; and increasing wages. Finally, we need truly holistic, preventative community safety.
The city of Portland is facing budget cuts next year. Where would you cut money from the current city budget? Please point to a specific program, bureau or place.
I support participatory budgeting, bringing Portlanders into the prioritization process. Community engagement is how we should determine what is (and isn’t) essential. I personally prioritize maintenance over new things (grants can help fund new capital expenditures). I prioritize prevention and root causes over addressing preventable symptoms (e.g., keeping people in their homes instead of spending on sheltering). I support local contracts for construction and outreach, and support cutting non-local contracting for studies and reports. Finally, we should seek cost savings for existing work by moving it to more efficient bureaus (like behavioral health calls moving to Portland Street Response).
Where is the city currently wasting money, or is using money in a way you think is inefficient or unnecessary? Where is the bloat?
The city overspends on contractors that think for the city. I differentiate between doing contractors like the community-based organizations doing violence prevention work, and thinking contracts which undermine or replace unionized city jobs with far-away firms that study or report on the city. These contracts are often wasteful and politicized. We also use money inefficiently when we criminalize poverty (e.g., sweeps), and when we don’t send the right responder to each call; Portland Street Response is a much more efficient responder to behavioral health, and the Portland Police Bureau to an active shooter, than either would be for the other call.
What is the Joint Office of Homeless Services doing wrong, and what do you see as things that can right the ship?
The county has not been successful, nor transparent, in spending JOHS money to achieve its goals. The city should leverage funding to ensure the county works, with clear metrics for success required for continued funding, including implementation of the county’s strategy to keep people in their homes. More broadly, we need to take a holistic approach, building a range of shelter options and sanctioned campsites, including self-governing models like Right2Dream2. We need more resources for Shelter Services’ outreach, which has been very successful in placements. Finally, we need a dashboard to see where beds are available in real time.
Is the tax rate in Multnomah County (with Portland Clean Energy Fund, Preschool for All and supportive housing services taxes) too high, or at an appropriate level? If too high, what do you suggest be done about it?
Portlanders are willing to pay our current taxes if they see results, and they aren’t currently seeing results. I would not change those specific taxes because I hold the will of the voters sacred. Elected leaders must implement ballot measures, not undermine them (whether it’s charter reform, police accountability, or these programs). I generally want to keep our taxation system the same in the short-term and make sure money collected for a specific purpose isn’t used to bolster the general fund. In the long-term, I support shifting taxation further towards wealthy Portlanders and corporations to fund the future we want.
What is the first piece of policy you would bring to the City Council?
My first policy proposal will most likely be related to traffic safety, specifically focusing on the Portland Bureau of Transportation prioritizing crosswalks, streetlights, and traffic calming measures around schools and parks. Traffic is our third-leading cause of death, and this is avoidable. From McCoy Park to Lombard and Mississippi to unpaved roads in Cully, we can save lives if we prioritize it. The city should also take responsibility for sidewalks, which requires code changes. Second would be revisiting time/place/manner, to stop wasting money on criminalizing poverty and instead redirect spending to the outreach/placement programs where we see better results for less.
Beyond policing, what measures would you take to improve public safety in Portland neighborhoods, and where would you get the money for it?
Community safety is a society where everyone has their needs met. My priorities start with Safe Routes to School, and include protecting and expanding Portland Street Response, and fully funding violence prevention. We need to activate public spaces in our city to leave less space where crime can flourish. It’s preventative, holistic, and cost-efficient. We also need to lower 911 response times to achieve national benchmarks. Funding should align with the work performed; if 2% of police spending is linked to specific tasks that Portland Street Response should handle, then 2% of their budget should be redirected with that work.
What experience can you point to that you believe would make you a prudent policymaker on the City Council?
With an all-new council, we need people who understand how the city works but aren’t creatures of its culture. I have a proven track record as the city’s inclusive policy manager for the Public Safety Service Area and the project manager for the Police Accountability Commission of building consensus around challenging, high-profile topics and prioritizing community voices—particularly those not normally heard. For the commission, I set up the systems to help them work together and gain input from 1,500-plus Portlanders. I’m extremely proud that the commission finished its work on time and on budget—and approved its recommendations unanimously.