And, here's the letter I sent Jessica Vega-Pederson on Valentine's Day of this year. (That it was Valentine's Day was a coincidence.)
Dear Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson:
I am responding to your newsletter titled "Shelters are open – and we need your help!"
This is to let you know that the last thing I would consider doing is volunteering for a shift in the General Staff role in one of Multnomah County's emergency severe weather shelters.
In a well-run county that did not take an ideologically driven hands-off approach to dealing with the problem of excessive numbers of homeless, addicted and/or severely mentally ill people in our midst, there would be little or no need for such shelters. In contrast, even if there really were the will within the County to end those problems rapidly and decisively, I fear the County would lack the competence to carry out such objectives.
The three interlocking crises of homelessness, addiction and untreated mental illness will never be brought under control as long as the County embraces the false notion that people who fall into one or more of those populations must never be expected to do anything they do not wish to do. It is a fiction that the homeless, the addicted and the chronically mentally ill possess the same level of autonomy as the County's hard working voter-taxpayers. They do not. They are impaired and will remain that way until they are required to change their behavior (with the generous help of the taxpayers) or have others do it for them.
Also, the County Chair has some nerve asking residents of Multnomah County to take time away from their families, work and other endeavors to volunteer at warming shelters. In 2024, Multnomah County, Oregon spent $143.5 million on homelessness services. As someone who pays Multnomah County taxes, I believe that I and other taxpayers have more than fulfilled our obligations to the homeless and other unfortunates among us.
Instead of seeking volunteers, the County Commission should be requiring members of the nonprofits who receive taxpayer funding to roll up their sleeves and do the volunteering themselves. I believe that the County has a poor record of overseeing and managing nonprofits' compliance with their contractual obligations to the County. For that reason, the County probably has little idea whether or not the nonprofits to whom it outsources its responsibilities have done what their contracts said they would do in the matter specified and on time and within the stated budget. That being the case, nonprofits owe volunteer time to County taxpayers.
I am looking forward to the day when the governance of the Multnomah County Commission is democratized by stripping the Chair of his or her autocratic power to control what is on the County Commission's agenda. Alternatively, you could relinquish those undeserved powers yourself and see to it that the County's organic documents are amended accordingly. Also, I cannot wait until a slate of reform candidates unseats the progressives on the Commission whose failed policies and programs have brought the County to its current perilous state.
EXCELLENT Statement. I have always wondered why they don't REQUIRE the NGO's to pick up the slack as well as start requiring a certain level of personal responsibility on the homeless themselves. It tells me they really don't wish to solve the problem of homelessness. Only to continue the gravy trains as long as possible.
Hi. Yes. Since before 2016. I am old. I vividly remember Portland's 2004 10-year plan to end homelessness by 2015. The capstone of the plan was the Bud Clark Commons, at a cost of $47 million the Portland "leaders" at the time thought 90 beds and 130 studio units for men would end homelessness.
Ha. No they didn't think that. All a grift. Bud Clark Commons won a ton of awards. And the wine swilling upper crust enjoyed the opening night gala.
Funny, now it is hard to find the original references to Portland's plan. Many of the links I had are now 'broken.'
She won't quit, but we appreciate the thought. It's easy to point the finger at VP, but this crisis goes back to Hales, Kafoury, Wheeler, feckless county councilors and city hall types (here's lookin' at ya, Steve) and a generation of stupid Portland voters. To think that removing one clot will bring the body back to life is borderline insane; the progressives own it and now you will have to pay to dig the hole deeper. No one in this town will do what is necessary to get real about the social breakdown: compel people to get the hell off the streets.
I laughed my way through watching the televised city/county meetup today billed as a "conversation" about homelessness--these people don't have the brains or the guts to manage a lemonade stand. Although, wasn't "Teacher Tiffany's" pink face mask cute!!!
I hope you have a great turnout. When I see that over 500 people will come out for a rally against Trump and Musk but not stand up for their own city it makes my stomach turn. We need to show up in LARGE numbers to be heard. 😊 Its hard to remember the time when they cleared the Springwater Corridor of 500 homeless and couldn't even address those....Also advertising FREE housing along with all the FREE services has made Portland a destination for the homeless. The powers that be will NEVER admit that though. 🙄
This is the letter I sent JVP at the end of 2024. To my astonishment, she did not reply nor did she do anything to solve the problems I described in the letter.
It is telling when a politician rewrites history and blames others for her incompetence and mistakes. It's not necessary to look beyond the first paragraph of the most recent issue of JVP's Newsletter ("Our Devastating Drug Crisis") for an example:
"For decades, declining federal and state investments in our behavioral health system have led to inadequate support in providing the care and services so many need. We have all seen the toll that has taken in our neighborhoods."
Unh-unh. No. Less than a decade ago, the out-of-state Drug Policy alliance sold Oregonians on the insane idea of legalizing, er, decriminalizing, all manner of devastating drugs with the promise that the state and nonprofits would be awash with money to set up, staff and operate drug treatment centers. That is precisely what the voters approved. The money was there, all right, but what was lacking was the political will to provide the care and services to get people off drugs and back to healthy and productive lives. Furthermore, between the State of Oregon, the City of Portland and Multnomah County, it was the County that took responsibility for behavioral health and drug treatment services.
Also missing was any acknowledgement that the current "devastating drug crisis" is a toxic hangover from Oregon's extraordinarily reckless experiment with drug decriminalization. We brought this upon ourselves. Could it be that you avoided mentioning M110 because you are still beholden to dead-ender proponents of legalization? The public knows they are still active in government,
Ms. Pederson, it does you no good to promote your public education campaign, expanded outreach and life-saving resources or collaboration with the city, the state and law enforcement. So what? So what if the County has a pathway center or expanded services at the public nuisance known as the Behavioral Health Resource Center? By the way, everyone knows that the County was late and hugely over budget in opening the lightly used deflection center. You should be ashamed.
Instead of trusting you, I trust what I see with my own eyes.
My eyes tell me that the city of Portland in general and Downtown in particular have never had a worse problem with 1) public drug use; 2) addiction; 3) drug-impaired people stumbling around or acting menacingly in public; and 4) public camping and the filth, chaos and criminality that go along with it.
Lastly, I do not believe that Multnomah County is doing everything it can to help the hard-working voter-taxpayers of the County retake their streets, neighborhoods and city from the houseless, the addicted and the mentally ill that are harming their quality of life and lowering property values. It is my belief that there are county employees on the public payroll in policy making and program implementation roles who do not feel a sense of urgency to get addicts into detox and rehab. That's in part because key County workers are advocates for the devastating policy of harm reduction. The public thinks that harm reduction is just handing out clean needles. How wrong they are!
Harm reduction is based on two lies. The first is that addicts possess autonomy and the capacity to make sound decisions on how to run their lives. They do not. The second lie is that it is wrong to encourage addicts to embark on recovery because it is pointless to do so until and unless the addict is ready. Guess what? Addicts are almost never ready to get sober. The consequences of believing these lies are as plain as day: widespread tolerance of addiction and the stigmatization of sobriety.
I further believe that some of the individuals running Multnomah County housing programs are being influenced by an ideology that is unsympathetic to the plight of the city's residents and business people who are being harmed by the antisocial consequences of homelessness. I fear they have gotten the victims mixed up with the perpetrators. Many tens of thousands of Portlanders or more are victims of the chaos caused by homelessness. It is imperative to get the homeless out of their tents and into shelters without delay for their sake, but also for the sake of the residents who pay your salaries and those of the county bureaucracy.
Given the makeup of the County Commission in 2025, I fear those of us who are hoping for things to get better will be sorely disappointed. I fear the commissioners will continue elevating the interests of the homeless, addicts and opaque and unaccountable nonprofits over those of the residents whose hard work produces the income that pays County taxes.
To the Portland leftists who are leaving Multnomah County because you cannot afford the tab for the stupid things you voted in, no one wants you as a neighbor.
Not a chance Vega Pedesron is going to resign. She just got a HUGE thumbs up from voters electing two of her clones…Moyer and Singleton. And look at who we just elected for Portland City Council—the farthest left Council ever. JVP’s support will strengthen as more and more moderate voters like me move out of Multnomah County. The Portland “Doom Loop” is real.
And, here's the letter I sent Jessica Vega-Pederson on Valentine's Day of this year. (That it was Valentine's Day was a coincidence.)
Dear Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson:
I am responding to your newsletter titled "Shelters are open – and we need your help!"
This is to let you know that the last thing I would consider doing is volunteering for a shift in the General Staff role in one of Multnomah County's emergency severe weather shelters.
In a well-run county that did not take an ideologically driven hands-off approach to dealing with the problem of excessive numbers of homeless, addicted and/or severely mentally ill people in our midst, there would be little or no need for such shelters. In contrast, even if there really were the will within the County to end those problems rapidly and decisively, I fear the County would lack the competence to carry out such objectives.
The three interlocking crises of homelessness, addiction and untreated mental illness will never be brought under control as long as the County embraces the false notion that people who fall into one or more of those populations must never be expected to do anything they do not wish to do. It is a fiction that the homeless, the addicted and the chronically mentally ill possess the same level of autonomy as the County's hard working voter-taxpayers. They do not. They are impaired and will remain that way until they are required to change their behavior (with the generous help of the taxpayers) or have others do it for them.
Also, the County Chair has some nerve asking residents of Multnomah County to take time away from their families, work and other endeavors to volunteer at warming shelters. In 2024, Multnomah County, Oregon spent $143.5 million on homelessness services. As someone who pays Multnomah County taxes, I believe that I and other taxpayers have more than fulfilled our obligations to the homeless and other unfortunates among us.
Instead of seeking volunteers, the County Commission should be requiring members of the nonprofits who receive taxpayer funding to roll up their sleeves and do the volunteering themselves. I believe that the County has a poor record of overseeing and managing nonprofits' compliance with their contractual obligations to the County. For that reason, the County probably has little idea whether or not the nonprofits to whom it outsources its responsibilities have done what their contracts said they would do in the matter specified and on time and within the stated budget. That being the case, nonprofits owe volunteer time to County taxpayers.
I am looking forward to the day when the governance of the Multnomah County Commission is democratized by stripping the Chair of his or her autocratic power to control what is on the County Commission's agenda. Alternatively, you could relinquish those undeserved powers yourself and see to it that the County's organic documents are amended accordingly. Also, I cannot wait until a slate of reform candidates unseats the progressives on the Commission whose failed policies and programs have brought the County to its current perilous state.
Sincerely,
EXCELLENT Statement. I have always wondered why they don't REQUIRE the NGO's to pick up the slack as well as start requiring a certain level of personal responsibility on the homeless themselves. It tells me they really don't wish to solve the problem of homelessness. Only to continue the gravy trains as long as possible.
Hi. Yes. Since before 2016. I am old. I vividly remember Portland's 2004 10-year plan to end homelessness by 2015. The capstone of the plan was the Bud Clark Commons, at a cost of $47 million the Portland "leaders" at the time thought 90 beds and 130 studio units for men would end homelessness.
Ha. No they didn't think that. All a grift. Bud Clark Commons won a ton of awards. And the wine swilling upper crust enjoyed the opening night gala.
Funny, now it is hard to find the original references to Portland's plan. Many of the links I had are now 'broken.'
But here are a few:
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/casestudies/study_12202012_1.html
https://archinect.com/firms/release/27653/bud-clark-commons-gets-national-award/59432289
https://www.portland.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/hou-02-01-exhibit-105025.pdf
PS, thanks for what you do!
She won't quit, but we appreciate the thought. It's easy to point the finger at VP, but this crisis goes back to Hales, Kafoury, Wheeler, feckless county councilors and city hall types (here's lookin' at ya, Steve) and a generation of stupid Portland voters. To think that removing one clot will bring the body back to life is borderline insane; the progressives own it and now you will have to pay to dig the hole deeper. No one in this town will do what is necessary to get real about the social breakdown: compel people to get the hell off the streets.
I laughed my way through watching the televised city/county meetup today billed as a "conversation" about homelessness--these people don't have the brains or the guts to manage a lemonade stand. Although, wasn't "Teacher Tiffany's" pink face mask cute!!!
Richard when are you moving?
I hope you have a great turnout. When I see that over 500 people will come out for a rally against Trump and Musk but not stand up for their own city it makes my stomach turn. We need to show up in LARGE numbers to be heard. 😊 Its hard to remember the time when they cleared the Springwater Corridor of 500 homeless and couldn't even address those....Also advertising FREE housing along with all the FREE services has made Portland a destination for the homeless. The powers that be will NEVER admit that though. 🙄
This is the letter I sent JVP at the end of 2024. To my astonishment, she did not reply nor did she do anything to solve the problems I described in the letter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Multnomah County Chair Pederson:
It is telling when a politician rewrites history and blames others for her incompetence and mistakes. It's not necessary to look beyond the first paragraph of the most recent issue of JVP's Newsletter ("Our Devastating Drug Crisis") for an example:
"For decades, declining federal and state investments in our behavioral health system have led to inadequate support in providing the care and services so many need. We have all seen the toll that has taken in our neighborhoods."
Unh-unh. No. Less than a decade ago, the out-of-state Drug Policy alliance sold Oregonians on the insane idea of legalizing, er, decriminalizing, all manner of devastating drugs with the promise that the state and nonprofits would be awash with money to set up, staff and operate drug treatment centers. That is precisely what the voters approved. The money was there, all right, but what was lacking was the political will to provide the care and services to get people off drugs and back to healthy and productive lives. Furthermore, between the State of Oregon, the City of Portland and Multnomah County, it was the County that took responsibility for behavioral health and drug treatment services.
Also missing was any acknowledgement that the current "devastating drug crisis" is a toxic hangover from Oregon's extraordinarily reckless experiment with drug decriminalization. We brought this upon ourselves. Could it be that you avoided mentioning M110 because you are still beholden to dead-ender proponents of legalization? The public knows they are still active in government,
Ms. Pederson, it does you no good to promote your public education campaign, expanded outreach and life-saving resources or collaboration with the city, the state and law enforcement. So what? So what if the County has a pathway center or expanded services at the public nuisance known as the Behavioral Health Resource Center? By the way, everyone knows that the County was late and hugely over budget in opening the lightly used deflection center. You should be ashamed.
Instead of trusting you, I trust what I see with my own eyes.
My eyes tell me that the city of Portland in general and Downtown in particular have never had a worse problem with 1) public drug use; 2) addiction; 3) drug-impaired people stumbling around or acting menacingly in public; and 4) public camping and the filth, chaos and criminality that go along with it.
Lastly, I do not believe that Multnomah County is doing everything it can to help the hard-working voter-taxpayers of the County retake their streets, neighborhoods and city from the houseless, the addicted and the mentally ill that are harming their quality of life and lowering property values. It is my belief that there are county employees on the public payroll in policy making and program implementation roles who do not feel a sense of urgency to get addicts into detox and rehab. That's in part because key County workers are advocates for the devastating policy of harm reduction. The public thinks that harm reduction is just handing out clean needles. How wrong they are!
Harm reduction is based on two lies. The first is that addicts possess autonomy and the capacity to make sound decisions on how to run their lives. They do not. The second lie is that it is wrong to encourage addicts to embark on recovery because it is pointless to do so until and unless the addict is ready. Guess what? Addicts are almost never ready to get sober. The consequences of believing these lies are as plain as day: widespread tolerance of addiction and the stigmatization of sobriety.
I further believe that some of the individuals running Multnomah County housing programs are being influenced by an ideology that is unsympathetic to the plight of the city's residents and business people who are being harmed by the antisocial consequences of homelessness. I fear they have gotten the victims mixed up with the perpetrators. Many tens of thousands of Portlanders or more are victims of the chaos caused by homelessness. It is imperative to get the homeless out of their tents and into shelters without delay for their sake, but also for the sake of the residents who pay your salaries and those of the county bureaucracy.
Given the makeup of the County Commission in 2025, I fear those of us who are hoping for things to get better will be sorely disappointed. I fear the commissioners will continue elevating the interests of the homeless, addicts and opaque and unaccountable nonprofits over those of the residents whose hard work produces the income that pays County taxes.
Sincerely,
To the Portland leftists who are leaving Multnomah County because you cannot afford the tab for the stupid things you voted in, no one wants you as a neighbor.
The leftists takers aren’t leaving and if fact more are moving in.
I hope so. I hope they double down on their stupidity too just to see how far down rock bottom really is.
Hmmm….that’s not a great experiment for those of us that live in Portland. Where do you live?
Not a chance Vega Pedesron is going to resign. She just got a HUGE thumbs up from voters electing two of her clones…Moyer and Singleton. And look at who we just elected for Portland City Council—the farthest left Council ever. JVP’s support will strengthen as more and more moderate voters like me move out of Multnomah County. The Portland “Doom Loop” is real.