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Sometimes, writing to an elected official works. But it probably helps if you’re an elected official yourself.
Earlier this month, city commissioner and mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez wrote a letter to Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, protesting the county’s plan to allocate money for tents, tarps and syringes in its $4 billion budget for the coming fiscal year.
Today, Gonzalez paused on his bike commute into work to tell voters that his letter had gotten results.
“Yesterday, Chair Vega Peterson sent me a commitment that the county will cease purchasing tents and tarps while we work out a long-term agreement on harm reduction in the region,” Gonzalez said, straddling his bike in a video he put out on X, formerly Twitter. “Very appreciative of this collaborative step. Up, up and away, and making the city a cleaner place.”
Vega Pederson confirmed the agreement.
“As Multnomah County chair, I am committed to setting clear policies around tent and tarp distribution,” Vega Pederson said in a statement. “My goal is to reduce the need to hand out tents and tarps by increasing the number of shelter beds and moving more people off the street and out of shelter back into housing. I have already asked the Joint Office of Homeless Services to compile data and information related to purchase and distribution, as I will bring a policy discussion to the Steering and Oversight Committee of the Homelessness Response System. In the meantime, I have also directed them to not make any further purchases of tents pending that discussion and policy development.”