Ballot Measure: Re-fund police with $50M from energy slush fund

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Portland voters may be asked in November 2026 to siphon about $50 million from the Portland Clean Energy Fund—or 25 percent of the total collected—to bolster the number of officers on the city’s police force, and the owner of Big Pink is backing the initiative. The goal is to increase the 812-member force to 1,270—or two officers per 1,000 residents, up from 1.2 per 1,000 today. The ballot initiative has the backing of Jeff Swickard, who owns auto dealerships  and bought the 42-tory U.S. Bancorp Tower known as “Big Pink,” and the Portland Police Association. Both kicked in $25,000 to launch the campaign, which will require the gathering of nearly 41,000 voter signatures by July. The fund created by a voter initiative passed in 2018 adds a 1 percent tax on gross receipts of retailers and brings in about $200 million a year.