District 4 candidate · Portland City Council · November 3, 2026
Jamey Evenstar
City Council chief of staff, policy director and analyst; renter and transit rider.
Reach the campaign
- evenstarforportland.com (opens in a new tab)
- evenstarforportland@gmail.com
- Instagram (opens in a new tab)
- Bluesky (opens in a new tab)
- YouTube (opens in a new tab)
As published in their pamphlet statement and campaign site.
In their words
Said: It’s time we had a City Council that believes in Portland. We need more working-class voices on Council to stand up to a fascist regime, have a backbone against special monied interests, and refuse to accept the status quo.
Pamphlet p. 64
Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 20, 2026
Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 64 ↗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 wordsArgues for progressive leadership grounded in housing stability and more accessible transportation.
- Build on work on tenant protections and housing access.
- Make buses faster and easier to use.
- Defend residents against federal overreach and concentrated financial influence.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their wordsEvenstar’s platform treats housing and transport costs as linked barriers to staying in Portland. Social housing and improved transit need financing, and city spending cannot alone determine regional fares or service levels.
Where they stand
Rent and homes
Permanent affordability- What
- Said: Would establish a foundation for permanently affordable social housing and housing stability.
- How
- Said: Would seed a Portland Community Housing Fund with the existing $17.5M plus a new Housing Supply Impact Fee on non-primary residences, raise urban-renewal housing share from 45% to 75%, and use PCEF dollars.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Camps, crime and who responds
Unarmed crisis response- What
- Said: Supports expanded unarmed crisis response and stronger state and county mental-health services.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Your bills and taxes
Early transparent budgets- What
- Said: Favors earlier transparent budgets, participatory budgeting, worker-owned businesses and investment across commercial corridors.
- How
- Said: Would give Council independent staff capacity for budget oversight, address top-heavy management and executive pay, and back the participatory-budgeting initiative for a share of general-fund spending.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Streets, buses and air
Cheaper youth transit- What
- Said: Proposes lower-cost transit for people under 25, buses separated from traffic, more southwest transit options and climate resilience focused on vulnerable residents.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 8 questions. Jamey Evenstar is on record on 3, with 5 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
No answer we could findHire more sworn officers, or invest first elsewhere?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep funding camp removals at current levels?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Restrict new AI data centers in the city?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the monthly street repair fee?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Raise water bills to pay for the Bull Run filtration plant and system repairs?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Public money and terms for renovating the Moda Center?
Said: Called the original Moda term sheet a terrible deal and the August 12 amendments a big improvement; other posts ask for Albina community benefits and escalating rent; she does not say whether public money should go in.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Raise new revenue, or hold the line on taxes and fees?
Said: Proposes a Housing Supply Impact Fee on homes not used as a primary residence, with revenue building permanently affordable homes.
Expand Portland Street Response to a full 24/7 role?
Said: Would expand unarmed crisis response for behavioral-health and quality-of-life calls and, in a July post, backed approving a lease for Portland Street Response; she does not say whether it should run 24/7 citywide.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Council votes
No Council vote yet. That is not a judgment about experience.
A question the evidence leaves open
Which tenant protections and bus improvements would you introduce first?
Sources (2)
- Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 64Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
- Evenstar · six-part platformCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 18, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.