(PORTLAND, OR) — The Portland City Council meeting on June 3rd, 2026, was marked by significant public dissatisfaction with city processes and financial management.
Photo Credit: YouTube
Public commenters raised alarms about the unchecked expansion of driverless taxi companies, the detrimental placement of a bottle drop facility, and the need for cannabis tax revenue to support community health programs.
David Gwyther expressed concern about Waymo (driverless taxis) operating in Portland, stating that some drivers are not properly training the vehicles. He warned that the company would extract vast sums of money from Portland and negatively impact over 12,000 small businesses. He urged the council to postpone any permit until state law is established to grant local enforcement powers.
“Please postpone any consideration of a permit to allow Waymo until there’s at least a state law, and you folks could write a state law, and we could get it accepted by the state so that you have some enforcement powers. Right now there’s no law. There are no enforcement powers,” Gwyther said.
Don Jones Jr. spoke on behalf of the Inner Powell Alliance against the People's Depot bottle drop at 1109 Southeast Brooklyn. He argued the bottle drop would exacerbate drug use and vandalism in an already dangerous intersection.
Photo Credit: YouTube
Jones Jr. also criticized the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC) for refusing to sign a good neighbor agreement and the Northwest Groceries Association for withdrawing $300,000 in funding. He urged the council not to issue an occupancy permit until a good neighbor agreement is executed by all parties.
“The Inner Powell Alliance is calling upon city council to take one clear step, to not issue an occupancy permit for 1109 SE Brooklyn till a good neighbor agreement has been executed by OBRC, Ground Score, and property owners. The mayor set expectations. The council has the authority to make them binding. We’re asking you to use this authority,” Jones Jr said.
Karan Cruz, a Portland educator and co-founder of Green Muse (the first hip-hop and Black-owned cannabis dispensary), requested the council to amend the budget to dedicate a portion of Portland's cannabis revenue to fund their new community health-based program.
“We’re asking for you all to use the cannabis tax to help fund this program to invest back into the cannabis industry,” said Cruz. “It aligns also to the new federal classification of cannabis, with us being a certified health program, and we’re asking that you consider that and possibly put it on the floor and use some of those cannabis tax funds to support our program.”
Following public communications, Portland City Attorney Robert Taylor gave an update on the land use violation at the Macadam ICE facility
Media: YouTube / eGov PDX
Council Vice President Olivia Clark asked the city attorney to elaborate on the stay requested by the property owner.
“They have asserted previously that they do not believe they would get a fair hearing in front of the hearing officer. They wanted to file a writ in Multnomah County Circuit Court to preserve that issue on appeal. They went into Multnomah County Circuit Court ex parte, meaning alone, without us present, seeking to file that writ. As part of that process, they also sought a stay, to stay the hearings officer from even issuing an opinion,” Taylor said.
Taylor said they are looking to get an expedited hearing scheduled as early as next week.
OpGov.news will continue to monitor developments on the ICE facility.
If you would like to comment or add to this report, please email me at rory.h@lead4earth.org or comment below.
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