2022 Portland Business Alliance Policy Agenda

The Portland Business Alliance adheres to a set of core policy values that are developed in partnership with various stakeholders. These core values are our top priorities for 2022, and they serve as a guide to our advocacy work.

The Portland Business Alliance board of directors voted and unanimously approved these policy priorities in January.

The agenda is a living-document that will drive our advocacy in supporting a resilient economic ecosystem in the greater Portland region for all who live here.

Our guiding policy values are:

Investing in a more resilient and equitable Portland

Downtown Portland, the core of the State’s economy, is in crisis. Urgent actions are needed to return it to its previous status as one of the safest and most attractive downtowns to live, work, and play in the nation. Downtown will not recover if employees do not feel safe going to work, and if retailers are not able to operate successful businesses. We urge elected leaders to invest in basic services, housing development, and livability to build a more resilient economy for Portlanders. We support transitioning Portland’s antiquated form of government to a modern structure that meets the needs of a growing, more diverse, population.

Everyone deserves a place to call home

A record number of Portlanders are homeless and in need of outreach, mental health, addiction, transitional shelter, and housing services. We call on elected officials at all levels to urgently implement the new homeless services program and invest in short- and long-term solutions to bring an end to the humanitarian crises. Leaders must adopt policies and practices that encourage housing development. The city must enforce the adopted urban camping policies to maintain and build community trust. 

Make Portland safe for everyone

In 2021, Portland witnessed record gun violence and homicides, particularly in historically underserved communities. A rise in car thefts and break-ins are negatively impacting retail businesses across Portland. We urge the city and county to invest in building Portland’s police force and district attorney’s staff to the national average for communities of our size, along with investments in 311 and Portland Street Response. We reject the false trade-off between having a larger police force and a better, more equitable police culture. Portlanders want and should have both. 

Working towards a better climate future

We recognize the critical challenges posed by the growing impacts of climate change. We support policies that promote collaboration with the private sector to innovate and invest in clean technologies that will accelerate reductions in carbon emissions and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Keep Portland moving

To stay competitive and build shared prosperity, our region must not let our transportation infrastructure fall further behind the rest of the country. We support data-driven policies at all levels of government that relieve congestion, reduce emissions, allow the efficient delivery of goods, and support historically underserved neighborhoods and communities. 

KEY POLICY PRIORITIES:

1. Restore a clean, safe and vibrant Central City for employees, residents and visitors
2. Invest in public safety services and accelerate culture change
3. Adopt policies that retain businesses and allow them to thrive
4. Advocate to shelter houseless Portlanders and fund wrap-around services
5. Support changing Portland’s form of government
6. Support major I-5 and I-205 infrastructure projects
7. Adopt policies to urgently spur new housing development

- VIEW PBA POLICY AGENDA (PDF) -
 

To sign up for a committee and help drive our policy priorities, contact:
Jon Isaacs, Vice President, Public Affairs.
 

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FOCUSED POLICY PRIORITIES

Our policy agenda is focused into the following policy categories (in alphabetical order):