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Dear Friends,
I'm proud to report that last week, my fellow commissioners and I unanimously approved the first reading of a common-sense ordinance to reduce gun violence in our community. This ordinance, which goes into effect after a second reading on Thursday, April 25, will empower us to take steps at the county level to keep kids away from guns and protect public spaces. The most recent demonstration of the gun lobby's ability to block common-sense legislation was a measure in the U.S. Senate that would have extended background checks for gun buyers. This measure failed despite 90 percent of the American public supporting it. The epidemic of gun violence -- from Clackamas Town Center to Newton, Connecticut -- demands action. If we can save even one life, spare one mother from the grief of losing a child, one child from the pain of losing a parent, we must act. For more information on our county gun safety ordinance, I encourage you to visit our Multnomah County website.
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Earlier this month, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution supporting a new policy developed in partnership between my office and Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton to stop complying with federal immigration holds for low-level offenders in county jails.
Prior to this change in policy, people booked in county jails and suspected of undocumented immigration by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), were held for up to 48 hours at the federal government's request. These 48-hour holds, called I-247 detainers, keep people in jail even after they have been cleared of their booking charges. They are normally enforced no matter the allegation. 
The Multnomah County jail system only has 1310 jail beds for a county population of about 748,000 residents. By honoring these federal immigration holds, the Sheriff's Office has been forced to release other people who have been brought in for serious and dangerous crimes, in favor of holding those who have committed low-level crimes but, due to their immigration status, are of interest to ICE. Under the new policy, which went into effect April 15, the Sheriff's Office will no longer hold people for ICE after their booking charges have cleared if: - They have been charged with low-level misdemeanors
- An ICE detainer has been issued based solely on immigration charges or convictions
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On Monday, April 22 our Multnomah County Health Department opened the doors to its new primary care clinic in the recently remodeled Southeast Health Center at 3653 S.E. Powell Blvd. in Portland.
In addition to the existing dental clinic, the Southeast Health Center will now offer primary care, behavioral health, pharmacy, laboratory and other support services to the growing number of people in need in Southeast Portland.
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At the April 19 ribbon-cutting for the Southeast Health Center's new primary care clinic.
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In the past decade, the number of homeless and highly impoverished people living in the surrounding the area has increased, while few safety-net primary care clinics exist in the district. And nearly one-third of the area's residents lack health insurance altogether.
The new Southeast Health Center clinic is one of eight county primary care health clinics that provide low-cost family healthcare to underserved, low-income and uninsured residents of Multnomah County.
The expanded health center will provide services to an additional 3,000 clients and is expected to have more than 15,300 visits in the first year of operation.
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 Earlier this month, Multnomah County welcomed Kimberly Powe as the new director for our Office of Sustainability. In her new position, Powe will play a key role in promoting county practices that are not only environmentally and economically sound, but socially equitable.
Born in Chicago, Powe is a self-proclaimed "Army brat" and has called many places home including, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Munich, Seattle, Spokane and Portland. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and holds two master's degrees from Portland State University and Seattle's Bainbridge Graduate Institute for Urban Studies and Sustainable Business, respectively.
Powe's professional background includes working for the United States Peace Corps as a health volunteer in Burkina Faso in West Africa, and creating the City of Spokane's program to encourage businesses to adapt greener and more sustainable practices and policies. She also worked in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina to establish the economic development program for Mercy Corps.
Click here to learn about what fuels Powe's passion for sustainability and what she hopes to accomplish as the county's Sustainability director.
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This parade season at Multnomah County, we'll be celebrating community, warm weather and neighborly fun. You can get in on the festivities by joining us at:
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Do you know someone between the ages of 13 and 21 interested in activism, community organizing, or simply improving our community? 
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Multnomah County is Oregon's most populous county with about 748,000 residents. Multnomah County is governed by a Board of four elected Commissioners and one Chair. Multnomah County employees provide citizens a wide range of health and human services, public safety services and other government services.
Multnomah County values the privacy of personal information and will not sell or otherwise disclose your email address, except as provided under Chapter 192 of the Oregon Revised Statues pertaining to Records; Public Reports and Meetings.
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