It’s Wednesday late afternoon, and I bet you know what that means. Time for the weekly update from city hall! (Aren’t you excited?)

I covered most of it in that post below about the Sauvie Island Bridge agenda item.

And I’ll post a separate update about the Sho Dozono back rent situation in a moment.

Which leaves me three things to tell you. One, there was a fancy luncheon in the city hall atrium, which was adorned with orange balloons and streamers. The attendees were eating quiche and roasted potatoes. I bumped into city elections officer Andrew Carlstrom on the stairs—almost literally bumped into him, as I was gawking at the spread below—and he told me that it was Dutch-related, a celebration of “Queen’s Day,” which I have since learned is a big holiday in the Netherlands.

Back here in the States, the city hall issue of the week is the protest outside. Matt’s been covering the situation from the sidewalk, and I got an earful from city staffers. The entire thing is the mayor’s responsibility, no matter how you look at it. He’s heading up the housing bureau since Erik Sten left, and he oversees city facilities, and he’s the police commissioner—so whether you break it down as a housing issue, a protest at city hall issue, or a “police sweep” issue, it’s Potter’s deal.

And Potter sent a letter to all city employees this afternoon, letting them know what’s up:

As you may know, a group of homeless individuals have been protesting outside City Hall since the weekend. I thought you would like some information on why they are here and what the City is doing to address their concerns.

First of all, it is important to respect these individuals’ First Amendment right to make their voices heard. As long as the entrance to City Hall is not blocked and conditions remain sanitary and safe, they have a right to be here and to make their concerns known.

Potter says a lot more, and the whole letter is after the cut.

Finally, we got word today that the city’s day laborer center will not open on May 6, as originally planned—and as reported in another weekly paper today. Romeo Sosa of VOZ called the mayor’s office this morning to tell them they’re having trouble setting up the facilities, and need another month (the council voted today to waive some permit requirements to make things easier on the temporary center).

“They actually told us this morning that they were concerned that they would not have things ready by May 5,” says Carmen Rubio in the mayor’s office. “After talking with them this morning, we understand there’s been that delay getting the site logistics up and running.”

News intern Jonathan Shapiro spoke with Sosa earlier today, and will post a full report soon.

Dear City Hall Employees:

As you may know, a group of homeless individuals have been protesting outside City Hall since the weekend. I thought you would like some information on why they are here and what the City is doing to address their concerns.

First of all, it is important to respect these individuals' First Amendment right to make their voices heard. As long as the entrance to City Hall is not blocked and conditions remain sanitary and safe, they have a right to be here and to make their concerns known.

The group is protesting recent police "sweeps" under the bridges and the inner Eastside. Police "sweeps" are designed to stop illegal camps where drug use and unsanitary conditions threaten those living in them.

Portland currently has more than 400 shelter beds for homeless adults and 300 for people in families. But these shelters are full every night, and more than 1,400 people sleep on our streets. While the City and Multnomah County's 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness has made great strides, moving 1,286 homeless individuals and 1,682 homeless families into permanent housing, there still is not enough affordable housing for everyone who needs it.

Unfortunately, given the tightening economy, and the current competitive rental housing market, the number of homeless is likely to increase and the pressure on housing and homeless resources will remain challenging.

We do not know how long the protest will continue. Steps the City is taking both immediately and short-term include:

v Asking a social service agency to interview the protesters so we will have real data on their specific circumstances, needs and concerns.
v Reopening temporary winter shelters for men and women for the months of May and June.
v Continuing to explore strategies and alternatives to increase the utilization of rental vouchers.

I ask all of you to be courteous to the campers, as they should be to you in return. If you experience any problems, please report them to the City Hall Security Staff. You may also contact Jamaal Folsom on my staff (formerly with Commissioner Sten's staff) with any questions or concerns. Jamaal's phone number is 503-823-3597 or jfolsom@ci.portland.or.us.

Thank you,

Mayor Tom Potter

Props to Potter. That's looks to me like a decent response plan.