Port of Portland commissioners on Monday voted to revoke a social equity policy installed in 2018.
The Port is the latest group to buckle under the Trump administration’s threat of cutting federal funding if organizations don’t disavow their own diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Executive Director Curtis Robinhold told commissioners Monday morning that some $145 million in federal funding was at stake across the port’s lines of business.
President Donald Trump soon after taking office signed an executive order taking aim at diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
“It has of late become clear that we must meet federal compliance expectations,” Robinhold told commissioners Monday. “We need to assess where we are in compliance with federal law, and in some cases, take steps to ensure we meet compliance expectations.”
The policy said the Port was committed to promoting social and racial equity and believed “more diverse voices lead to better business decisions.” It defined racial equity as “ensuring that all races have access to opportunity, and that access may need to be tailored to meet an individual’s or group’s specific needs.” It directed Port staff to integrate social equity considerations into its decision-making processes.
Asked by The Oregonian/OregonLive which components of the social equity policy conflict with federal law, a spokesperson said Port officials “believe that the policy itself conflicts with the executive order, and taking action today positions us to be in compliance with federal law and protects our ability to fulfill our mission and serve the region.”
Port officials moved swiftly to scrub the policy’s online presence — the webpage that previously hosted the policy now has a blank, one-page PDF.
The social equity policy “will be removed from the website in light of this morning’s vote, but it’s still available as public record,” said the spokesperson, Allison Ferré. “You can access the policy text in the commission meeting materials.”
In the specially convened meeting, which lasted less than a half hour, commissioners wrestled with their obligation to social justice and the stark reality of what it would mean to lose the federal money, which Robinhold said comprised “a substantial portion of our funding.”
Commissioner Katherine Lam said they needed to take Port staff and their livelihoods into consideration. She said the Port’s values don’t live in policy.
“It’s in us,” she said.
Commissioner Rukaiyah Adams echoed Lam.
“This is a very hard decision,” Adams said. “It’s a hard reality.”
Commission President Katy Coba said an overwhelming amount of the public testimony that came in had asked Port leaders to keep the policy in place.
Coba thanked residents for sharing their thoughts.
“This is obviously a challenging topic for all of us,” she said.
The motion to revoke the policy passed 6-1, with Commissioner Meg Niemi as the sole no vote. Commissioners Sam Johnson and Ketan Sampat were absent because they were out of town.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek — who as governor has appointed three members of the Port of Portland commission and elevated Coba to serve as its president — on Monday said the Port “didn’t have a lot of choice” but to drop its equity policy because of the federal funding on the line.
“I believe the leadership of the Port of Portland, and the commission and the staff there, continue to be committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, whether they have to remove a policy or not,” Kotek said.
Sami Edge contributed to this report.
-- Jonathan Bach covers housing and real estate. Reach him by email at jbach@oregonian.com or by phone at 503-221-4303.
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