News & Resources

In the News

• “Call to Action: Downtown Portland Clean and Safe Contract - Urgent!” - Chloe Eudaly, Street Wonk, 11/13/24
  Chloe Eudaly briefly shares information about the November hearing on the proposal to amend the Clean & Safe ESD license to raise rates and expand their service area as well as the community effort to submit written testimony asking council to table the vote.

• “City Council Urged to Postpone Vote on Controversial Downtown Service District Contract” - Courtney Vaugh, Portland Mercury, 11/12/2024
  Portland Mercury’s Courtney Vaughn shares information about the proposal to amend the Clean & Safe ESD license to raise rates and expand their service area, and the community effort to submit an open letter asking council to table the vote.

• “Ethics demand that the next city council decide fate of Chamber’s no-bid cleaning and security contract” - Portland for All, 11/2024
  This blog post from Portland for All dives into the proposal to amend the Clean & Safe ESD license to raise rates and expand their service area, shared in informational powerpoint, and information on how to sign a community open letter to table the vote.

• “Proposal to expand Portland’s downtown service district draws mixed reactions” - Alex Zielinski, OPB, 11/1/2024
  OPB’s Alex Zielinski explains the controversial plan to significantly expand a contract for cleaning and security services in downtown Portland. Downtown Clean & Safe is not due for a renewal, yet they are asking for an unusual revision and extension to their program following recommendations from BDS Planning. The new contract assures that Clean & Safe will receive nearly $58 million in fees from property owners in the first five years.

• “Audit Update: Little progress on City review of Enhanced Services Districts” - KC Jones, Audit Services Director for The Portland City Auditor, 2/6/23
  KC Jones sent an email update on the progress of the ESD Audit Response process as of the 1st of February. Long story short, not much has been done. Since this email was release, Downtown Clean & Safe has submitted their annual financial report for 2021-2022. During this presentation during the February 15th, 2023 City Council meeting, they described upcoming programming that they’re hoping to pilot in the upcoming fiscal year. They have yet to rehire a program manager to finish the ESD Audit Response process.

• “Q&A: Small Business Advocate Ashley Henry on How City Money Goes Into the Pockets of the PBA” – Portland Mercury, 12/2/22
  The Mercury’s Alex Zielinski talks with the former Business for a Better Portland leader about her exit from the organization she founded. Henry detailed her experience as a business advocate in an explosive blog post: "One of the reasons I decided to leave my job is that the Portland Business Alliance (PBA) threatened to sue both my employer and me personally because I spoke publicly about a massive public subsidy the PBA receives from the City of Portland."

• “Is Downtown Really Clean & Safe? For Who?” - Page 4, Sisters of the Road, Winter 2022 Newsletter

  Over twenty years, Portland Business Alliance has positioned themselves as the largest and most powerful lobbying entity in the city. Systemic change investigates the history and current activities of Portland’s ESDs.

• “Audit investigation demanded by Enhanced Service Districts” – Portland Tribune, 10/21/22
  Representatives from Downtown Clean & Safe and Central Eastside Together ESDs allege the City Auditor bowed to “outside influences” with an “extreme political agenda,” admitting that community opposition to Clean & Safe caught them off guard.

• “City of Portland’s Enhanced Service District Liaison Departs” – Willamette Week, 8/17/22

• “‘Business Improvement Districts’ Quietly Privatize the Policing of Public Space” – Truthout, 10/10/21

• “Portland Commissioner Dan Ryan shares bogus tale of UO closure in Old Town, university says” – The Oregonian, 10/7/21

• “City Council Approves New Contract with Clean & Safe, Despite Public Opposition” – Portland Mercury, 9/29/21

• “Portland city council approves 5-year contract with Clean & Safe” – OPB, 9/29/21

• “Editorial | Clean & Safe is a dirty deal” – Street Roots, 9/27/21

• “Portland leaders to vote on contract to protect and clean up downtown” – KGW8, 9/27/21

• “The City Council has delayed voting on new contract for Downtown Portland Clean & Safe” – OPB, 9/24/21

• “Hardesty proposes ditching controversial 5-year contract with Downtown Clean & Safe” – OPB, 9/24/21

• “Council Poised to Approve Controversial $25 Million Contract with Downtown Clean & Safe” – Portland Mercury, 9/22/21

• “Despite criticism, new downtown Portland cleaning contract keeps operating set-up” – OPB, 9/22/21

• “Clean & Safe, PBA exec quietly resigns, raising further questions about influence” – Street Roots, 8/17/21

• “City hears opposition to continuation of Downtown Clean & Safe's contract” – Portland Mercury, 7/28/21

• “Crowd rallies against city’s ‘Clean and Safe’ program, citing homeless sweeps” – KOIN, 7/27/21

• “Group rallies in downtown Portland, urging city to end ‘Clean & Safe’ contract” – KATU, 7/27/21

• “Downtown Portland Clean & Safe: Who is and isn’t it keeping safe?” – The Oregonian, 7/23/21

• ”Guard hired to protect Portland businesses wasn’t firearm certified when he killed man” – OPB, 7/23/21

• “Downtown businesses weigh in on controversial cleaning and security service” – Portland Mercury, 7/1/21

• “Business improvement districts allow for aggressive policing of the unhoused” – Teen Vogue, 4/29/21

• “Portland Business Alliance violated city lobbying rules 25 times, auditor finds” – OPB 4/27/21

• “A controversial private cleaning and security nonprofit is supposed to make downtown sparkle. But where is the money really going?” – Willamette Week, 2/17/21

• “New city audit highlights lack of oversight of three private security and cleanup teams” – Willamette Week, 8/14/20

• “Audit finds city-approved business districts rely on unregulated policing” – Portland Mercury, 8/13/20