December: Kayse Jama takes leadership in Legislature

Published 2:38 pm Monday, December 23, 2024

From refugee to Oregon Senate majority leader

Kayse Jama arrived in Portland in 1998 as a refugee from war-torn Somalia, with no job, few prospects and the phone number of one other Somali immigrant who let him couch-surf while he found his way in a new country.

Twenty-six years later, Jama is one of the most influential people in Oregon politics. He was appointed to the state Senate in 2021 and quickly became chair of the chamber’s housing committee, where he played a key role in crafting sweeping policy changes and allocating hundreds of millions of dollars to help Oregonians find and keep stable homes.

And this winter, his colleagues in the Democratic caucus picked him as their majority leader for the 2025 legislative session.

Oregon Capital Chronicle

Neighbors clear way for Alpenrose plan

The City Council will not vote on the planned residential redevelopment of the former Alpenrose Dairy in Southwest Portland after all.

The Hayhurst Neighborhood Association voted on Nov. 20 to not appeal the city’s approval of the subdivision application to build 263 homes on the 51-acre parcel. 

West Hills Land Development has applied to build 263 new homes on the 51-acre property on the border of Portland and Beaverton. The new subdivision will be called Raleigh Crest. It will be the largest residential redevelopment in Portland since the Forest Heights subdivision was built in Northwest Portland.

Jim Redden

Portland fatal crashes increase, records unclear

Portland traffic-related fatalities are stabilizing and trending down.

Both the Portland Bureau of Transportation and the Portland Police Bureau keep lists. Both were trending below last year’s record levels as this issue went to press.

Jim Redden

Star researcher says OHSU has lost its way

In a heavy blow to Oregon Health & Science University, internationally renowned cancer biologist Dr. Brian Druker stepped down in December as CEO of Knight Cancer Institute while taking his concerns public that the university has “lost sight of what is crucial and forgotten our mission.”

Druker decided to shed his administrative responsibilities and focus on research in his lab.

Druker helped make OHSU a prominent player on both the national and international stage. He specialized in chronic myeloid leukemia at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Massachusetts until OHSU recruited him.

The Lund Report

Portland seeks budget, staff cuts

Portland leaders are staring down “difficult decisions” after a new budget forecast shows a higher budget shortfall than previously projected, the city announced in December.

After November’s budget forecast projected a $21 million budget gap, the latest forecast predicts a $27 million gap for the fiscal year, which begins July 1.

According to the forecast, projected city funds for 2025-26 is around $746 million with total expenses around $773 million. For the 2026-2027 fiscal year, projected funds are around $784 million.

KOIN 6 News

Wheeler leaves office upbeat about future of Portland

As he prepares to leave office after eight years, Mayor Ted Wheeler said he is hopeful that Portland will continue recovering from the depths of the pandemic, provided the incoming mayor and city council continue the programs and projects he and the outgoing council have approved.

“My advice is, stay the course,” Wheeler told the Portland Tribune on Monday, Dec. 16.

Jim Redden

Dean of Oregon congressional delegate calls it quits

Earl Blumenauer opted to leave Congress after 54 years in elected office.

Earl Blumenauer was 24 when he won his first election and he’s 76 today, and in between those benchmarks, he’s almost always been in elected office. It started in the Oregon House in 1972. Then the Multnomah County Commission in 1979; Portland City Hall in 1986; and finally the U.S. House of Representatives beginning in 1996. Oh yes, there was a stint on the Portland Community College board, too.

Dana Haynes