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It's time we talk about Clean & Safe again.
Many of you may have seen Willamette's Week's reporting on what's happening with Clean & Safe's board and upcoming renewal. Let's break it down a bit: https://www.wweek.com/news/2021/02/17/a-controversial-private-cleaning-and-security-nonprofit-is-supposed-to-make-downtown-sparkle-but-where-is-the-money-really-going/
Many of you may have seen Willamette's Week's reporting on what's happening with Clean & Safe's board and upcoming renewal. Let's break it down a bit: https://www.wweek.com/news/2021/02/17/a-controversial-private-cleaning-and-security-nonprofit-is-supposed-to-make-downtown-sparkle-but-where-is-the-money-really-going/
First, it's important to understand what Clean & Safe is. It's an "enhanced services district", commonly known as business improvement districts in other cities.
We've been researching and organizing against BIDs/ESDs for years, alongside @withouthousing
Learn more: https://twitter.com/stopsweepspdx/status/1297579952825487360
We've been researching and organizing against BIDs/ESDs for years, alongside @withouthousing
Learn more: https://twitter.com/stopsweepspdx/status/1297579952825487360
Portland Business Alliance is the managing organization for Clean & Safe. Money the City collects from property owners is funneled directly to PBA. They have the power to use the money for whatever they want.
See this flow chart from the Auditor to get an idea of how this works:
See this flow chart from the Auditor to get an idea of how this works:
With that said, it's not entirely accurate to call Clean & Safe a nonprofit. It's not. PBA is technically the nonprofit. Clean & Safe is an Enhanced Services District overseen by "nonprofit" Portland Business Alliance.
It's not surprising that Clean & Safe's money is paying a significant portion of Portland Business Alliance's staff salaries. In fact, we already knew this.
This is by design and has been since PBA's inception in 2001 as a merger between the ESD and chamber of commerce: https://twitter.com/stopsweepspdx/status/1314683086789984256
This is by design and has been since PBA's inception in 2001 as a merger between the ESD and chamber of commerce: https://twitter.com/stopsweepspdx/status/1314683086789984256
Their 2020 budget shows they budgeted $1,043,316 in personnel expenses with $251,807 going to "shared administration" (most likely the money referred to in the article).
Our larger concern, however, is the $2,250,061 that went into security.
Our larger concern, however, is the $2,250,061 that went into security.
Now, let's talk about the boards. Clean & Safe has a board and Portland Business Alliance has a board. There's tension between the two.
First of all, PBA's board is way less accessible. Did you know you have to pay $16,000 to be on the board for Portland Business Alliance?
First of all, PBA's board is way less accessible. Did you know you have to pay $16,000 to be on the board for Portland Business Alliance?
So in particular, the tension is between smaller property owners that are *required* to pay into the ESD and the massive corporations and large property owners that make up Portland Business Alliance's leadership.
This is very much exemplified by the statement quoted in the article from four of the largest property owners downtown, who of course, have overlapping board membership. This contrasted with smaller property owners like Society Hotel who brought this frustration to press:
The ESD termination process heightens these tensions as well and also exemplifies the extremely undemocratic nature of these entities.
ESDs can be terminated only if enough property owners that make up 33% of property value request that.
ESDs can be terminated only if enough property owners that make up 33% of property value request that.
That means the more your property is worth the more say you have in the existence of the district. This puts small property owners at a disadvantage and understandably creates frustration.
Further, property owners don't even get to vote on the district. Only City Council does.
Further, property owners don't even get to vote on the district. Only City Council does.
The article mentions Clean & Safe's contract is up for renewal this year. We are most likely the "homeless advocates" mentioned in the article. Our concerns our different, sure, but not entirely so.
We do share this concern of Portland's most powerful lobbying group receiving publicly subsidized money for their own expenses.
Our concern, specifically, is the City is publicly subsidizing Portland Business Alliance to lobby against homeless people.
Our concern, specifically, is the City is publicly subsidizing Portland Business Alliance to lobby against homeless people.
This isn't a concern without "merit", as Hoan suggests. A UC Berkeley report found business improvement districts use BID money to fund their lobbying efforts to exclude homeless people from public space, in addition to hiring private security and police: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SSRN-id3221446.pdf
So, in short, this is a lot of nuanced fuckery.
However, it is interesting to see Clean & Safe destroy itself from the inside. We hope that energy carries into the contract renewal fight.
We will keep folks updated on the contract process as it unfolds. Keep an eye out.
However, it is interesting to see Clean & Safe destroy itself from the inside. We hope that energy carries into the contract renewal fight.
We will keep folks updated on the contract process as it unfolds. Keep an eye out.
As an addendum to this, it's also been pointed out many small businesses are paying into ESDs because the fees are factored into their rent, but because they're not property owners they are basically paying for a service they have zero say in
Not to mention, residential property owners are also required to pay into the ESD, and we know landlords will raise the rent to accommodate, which means if you are a renter in an ESD district you are likely footing the bill for this with no say or input
