District 4 candidate · Portland City Council · November 3, 2026
Josh Leake
Housing-finance professional, business owner and Portland Film Festival founder.
Reach the campaign
- joshforportland.com (opens in a new tab)
- vote@joshforportland.com
- (971) 435-8683
- Contact form (opens in a new tab)
- Instagram (opens in a new tab)
- Facebook (opens in a new tab)
- X (opens in a new tab)
- YouTube (opens in a new tab)
As published in their pamphlet statement and campaign site.
Campaign finance: sources, amounts and timing ↓
In their words
Said: I’m Josh. Portland native, housing-finance expert, film producer, and former Portland Police Bureau Explorer Scout.
Pamphlet p. 66
Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 20, 2026
Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 66 ↗Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. The ranking instructions and contact lines that open the statement are skipped.
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 wordsConnects housing development and economic recovery with enforcement and behavioral-health services.
- Combine public, private and federal resources to build housing.
- Address crime and disorder while treating unhoused people with dignity.
- Support the creative and technology economies and activate public spaces.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their wordsHe emphasizes financing and development as a route to affordability and recovery. The test is which projects have sites, committed money and attainable rents, rather than whether a housing total is ambitious.
Where they stand
Rent and homes
Combine funding sources to build homes- What
Would combine public, private and federal money to develop housing.
Full position and context
Would combine public, private and federal resources to develop housing.
- How
- Not found in the reviewed sources
- Measured by
- Said: Says the result would be “thousands” of accessible homes on underused land; no count, timeline or site is given.
Camps, crime and who responds
Treatment teams; target car break-ins- What
Proposes police and medical teams for street-based treatment, plus targeted action on car break-ins. Seeks federal assistance, which is not secured funding.
Full position and context
His current campaign page proposes police and medical teams to connect people on the street with treatment, and targeted action on car break-ins using bait cars, lighting reviews and crime-location data. He seeks federal disaster assistance; that funding is a request, not secured money.
Earlier sourced position: Would address property crime and public disorder through data-informed enforcement while treating unsheltered neighbors with dignity, saying poverty is not a crime.
- How
- Not found in the reviewed sources
- Measured by
- Not found in the reviewed sources
Your bills and taxes
Support creative and technology businesses- What
Supports creative and technology industries and bringing more activity to public spaces.
Full position and context
Supports creative and technology industries and activating public spaces.
- How
- Not found in the reviewed sources
- Measured by
- Not found in the reviewed sources
Streets, buses and air
Support the clean-energy fund- What
Supports the Portland Clean Energy Fund for environmental protection. The cited page does not name a spending level or project list.
Full position and context
Supports the Portland Clean Energy Fund as a way to protect the environment. The campaign page does not specify a funding level or which projects he would prioritize.
- How
- Not found in the reviewed sources
- Measured by
- Not found in the reviewed sources
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 9 questions. Josh Leake is on record on 1, with 8 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
No answer we could findRezone the inner east side to allow apartment buildings off the main streets (the Inner Eastside Zoning Project)?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Public money and terms for renovating the Moda Center?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
When, if ever, would they raise taxes or fees?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Add police officers, expand non-police responders, or both?
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.
Expand Portland Street Response to a full 24/7 role?
Said: Told the Mercury’s candidate questionnaire that expanding Portland Street Response to 24/7 service is one of his priorities; staffing or funding details are not given.
Council votes
No Council vote yet. That is not a judgment about experience.
A question the evidence leaves open
Which sites and financing commitments would produce homes in the first term?
Sources (2)
- Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 66Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
- Josh Leake · campaign priorities and questionnaire excerptsCandidate statement · Accessed November 2, 2026The candidate’s stated proposal, not a verified outcome or an endorsement. An undated page does not establish when the position was first adopted.