District 3 candidate · Portland City Council · November 3, 2026
Tiffany Koyama Lane
Incumbent councilor; former public-school teacher and union organizer.
Reach the campaign
- teachertiffanyforthepeople.com (opens in a new tab)
- info@teachertiffanyforthepeople.com
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As published in their pamphlet statement and campaign site.
Campaign finance: sources, amounts and timing ↓
In their words
Said: I’m Teacher Tiffany, a Japanese American public school teacher, union organizer, and mom raising two kids in Southeast Portland.
Pamphlet p. 54
Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 20, 2026
Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 54 ↗Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims.
The verbatim opening of their voters’ pamphlet statement, the same rule for every candidate. We chose nothing.
What they say they would do
Our summary of their platform, in our wordsIdentifies as a democratic socialist and emphasizes workers, renters, immigrant protections and public participation.
- Continue support for rental assistance and social housing.
- Protect immigrant and LGBTQIA+ families and improve street safety.
- Demand public oversight of oil infrastructure, data centers and the Moda deal.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their wordsPublic ownership and regulation are central tools in her program. Building homes and sustaining services require recurring funding; voting for a study or regulation is different from demonstrating its eventual results.
Where they stand
Rent and homes
Publicly owned homes and rent help- What
Supports publicly owned housing as an alternative to for-profit landlords and continued rent assistance.
Full position and context
Supports publicly owned housing as an alternative to for-profit landlords and continued rental assistance.
- How
- Said: Points to the Keep Portland Housed ordinance’s revolving loan and social housing fund, rent aid and eviction defense, and a city study of how social housing could be implemented.
- Measured by
- Said: Council turns the commissioned social-housing report into an actionable plan using existing city properties, with a date set to move from policy development to implementation; meanwhile, added tenant protections and rental assistance enshrined.
Camps, crime and who responds
Fund crisis care and violence prevention- What
Would fund and coordinate non-police crisis teams, help people reach housing and mental-health care, and invest in violence prevention so police can focus on violent crime.
Full position and context
Would keep Portland Street Response, CHAT and publicly funded housing and behavioral-health navigation programs well-resourced and coordinated, with fully funded violence-interrupter programs, community centers and changes to the built environment, so police can focus on violent crime.
- How
- Said: Resource and coordinate Street Response, CHAT and the publicly funded housing and behavioral-health navigation programs; fully fund violence-interrupter programs and community centers; change the built environment, so police focus on violent crime.
- Measured by
- Not found in the reviewed sources
Your bills and taxes
Public services; less burden on workers- What
Supports public services, stronger union contracts and corporate regulation while reducing burdens on working families. A fully costed next-term plan is not established here.
Full position and context
Favors public services, stronger union contracts and regulating corporations while lowering the burden on working families. A fully costed next-term program is not established here.
- How
- Said: Names income-threshold relief as the tool: a higher Arts Tax income threshold and low-income relief, including multi-family households, under the Transportation Utility Fee.
- Measured by
- Said: Clean, well-used parks and open, staffed community centers after restoring parks and community-program funds in the last budget; low-income Portlanders shielded from utility hikes.
Streets, buses and air
Prevent traffic deaths; expand safe travel- What
Supports safer streets, bike and transit infrastructure, more trees and a pause on new data centers.
Full position and context
Prioritizes Vision Zero, bike and transit infrastructure, tree canopy and a data-center moratorium.
- How
- Said: Amended the Transportation Utility Fee ordinance so 25 percent of its funds go to Vision Zero safety and sidewalk projects; created a citywide Vision Zero position.
- Measured by
- Said: Says the yardstick is Vision Zero itself: eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries.
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 9 questions. Tiffany Koyama Lane is on record on 9. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
On recordRezone the inner east side to allow apartment buildings off the main streets (the Inner Eastside Zoning Project)?
Said: Yes to re-legalizing apartments and to the project: the inner east side should be accessible to the working class, which means housing for more than homeowners, with apartments and transit everywhere in the city.
Public money and terms for renovating the Moda Center?
Tiffany Koyama Lane: NoVoted no on Approve the Moda negotiating framework
Said: Says she fought for a fair deal for Portlanders in the Moda Center negotiations; the statement does not say how much public money the renovation should get.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
When, if ever, would they raise taxes or fees?
Said: Lists “Tax the Rich to Fund our Communities” as a goal while lowering the tax burden on working families.
Add police officers, expand non-police responders, or both?
Said: Prioritizes upstream community-safety interventions and says cities like Baltimore show crime can fall without inflated police hiring; Street Response and navigation programs let officers focus on violent crime.
Keep funding camp removals at current levels?
Tiffany Koyama Lane: YesVoted yes on Shift funding away from homeless-camp removals
Said: Voted to move removal money toward rental assistance; calls current sweeps cruel and ineffective, destroying paperwork and medication and shuffling people between camps with no path to housing, and would send camp safety issues to the right response team.
Restrict new AI data centers in the city?
Said: Would champion a moratorium on data centers to protect the water supply and farmland and keep costs off households.
Expand Portland Street Response to a full 24/7 role?
Tiffany Koyama Lane: YesVoted yes on Expand Portland Street Response’s role
Said: Calls Street Response an important part of public safety that meets people in crisis with trained professionals rather than an armed response, letting police focus on violent crime; a 24/7 role is unsaid.
Keep the monthly street repair fee?
Tiffany Koyama Lane: YesVoted yes on Create a monthly transportation utility fee
Said: Says she secured low-income relief under the new Transportation Utility Fee and directed 25 percent of it to Vision Zero and sidewalks.
Raise water bills to pay for the Bull Run filtration plant and system repairs?
Tiffany Koyama Lane: NoVoted no on Raise annual water rates
Said: Says she reduced utility hikes for working-class Portlanders.
Their answers to our questions
Rent and homes: what would show it worked?
Said: In my next term, I want to see Council take the report that was commissioned on Social Housing and turn it into an actionable plan leveraging existing city properties, setting a date to take the concept from policy development into the implementation stage. In the meantime, we need to see additional tenant protections and rental assistance enshrined to stop the inflow into homelessness.
Camps, crime and who responds: what balance of enforcement, prevention and care?
Said: Portland Street Response, CHAT, and the housing and behavioral health navigation programs that receive public dollars are critical to addressing the situation on our streets and should be well-resourced and well-coordinated. They are also part of an overall public safety strategy that allows police officers to focus on violent crime. Similarly, fully funded violence interrupter programs, community centers, and changes to our built environment are part of a robust public safety strategy.
Your bills and taxes: what would show it worked?
Said: In the last budget cycle, I prioritized restoring funds to parks, community programs that serve Portlanders of all ages. We measure success in this field by clean and well-utilized parks and open, staffed community centers. I have worked to shield low-income Portlanders from utility hikes and ensure that our budget is not balanced on the back of everyday people.
Police staffing
Said: I prioritize upstream community safety interventions. Cities like Baltimore show that crime reduction does not need to come with inflated police hiring. [She pointed to her September 26, 2026 statement on public safety for more.]
Clearing camps: her Yes vote to move money from removals
Said: The current policy of sweeps that destroy important paperwork, medication, and mementos and further destabilize people without homes is cruel and ineffective. People from swept encampments are not being routed into a clear path to stable housing, and are instead being shuffled into camps in different locations, increasingly traumatized with each move. As long as this is the situation, encampment sweeps are not a data-supported strategy to solve our homelessness crisis. Public safety issues arising from camps should be addressed by the correct response team.
Street Response: her Yes vote
Said: As stated previously, Portland Street Response is an important part of public safety, ensuring that people in crisis are met with trained professionals and not needlessly subjected to an armed response. Police officers are able to focus on violent crime.
Council votes
Recorded vote · then our reading of the recordSpend less on clearing camps to fund other services?
YesOur reading: Supported moving camp-removal money to other services
What Council decided
This proposal would move about $4.3 million from clearing homeless camps to a package supporting housing, food, immigration services and city staff. Camping rules would stay in place.
This was a spending amendment, not a vote to repeal the criminal camping ban. Green’s related Ground Score amendment did not take effect because the parent proposal failed.
Raise water bills by about $5 a month?
NoOur reading: Supported construction borrowing; opposed higher utility charges
What Council decided
This increase would bring in more money for the water system. A typical monthly water charge would rise from about $66 to $71, before sewer and stormwater charges.
The typical-bill estimate assumes five hundred cubic feet of monthly water use. Actual bills depend on use, billing period and applicable assistance; this is not the total combined utility bill.
Use expected savings to help fund police and firefighters?
NoOur reading: Favored restoring more services; rejected July’s smaller plan
What Council decided
The city expected the office that checks police conduct to have money left over. This proposal would use those expected savings for police and fire services. The savings were not guaranteed.
The tradeoff concerned using money allocated to the new oversight office. The proposal did not abolish that office, and expected underspending was a forecast.
Back these starting terms for renovating Moda Center?
NoOur reading: Rejected the arena terms after seeking stronger financial conditions
What Council decided
The city proposed $120 million for renovations and $275 million for future building needs over 20 years. This vote approved terms for negotiations, not a final contract.
A negotiating framework, not a final construction contract. Support or opposition to this package is not a complete position on retaining the Trail Blazers.
A Term sheet. Starting terms for a negotiation. Approving one is not a final contract., not a final contract.
A question the evidence leaves open
What recurring revenue would sustain housing and service commitments?
Sources (5)
- Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 54Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
- Portland: Neighbors Welcome 2026 endorsement questionnaire · Tiffany Koyama Lane’s responsesCandidate statement · Responses posted September 22, 2026; reviewed October 14, 2026The candidate’s own written answers, published by a group that endorses in this race. Campaign position; claimed results have not been independently verified.
- Council Lab · current-term record and official-source linksReporting · Current-term research indexIndependent, unofficial research aid. Follow the linked City records for authoritative votes. Automated transcript excerpts require recording verification before quotation.
- Koyama Lane · policy and track recordCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 18, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
- Koyama Lane · emailed answers to the Lab’s questionsCandidate statement · Received October 2, 2026Sent for the campaign by Lydia Kiesling in reply to the Lab’s questions and kept on file; the answers appear on her brief. Receipt does not verify the claims.