Dear Friends and Neighbors,
In early April, I participated in one of the Hands Off! marches that took place across the U.S. It was so heartening to be among the thousands of community members protesting the Trump administration’s undemocratic policies and actions, which have been hurting people in our county and throughout the nation.
In addition to collective actions, there are many ways we can each show up in support of democracy and human rights. For example, you can encourage our Congressional delegation to be a check against presidential over-reach, contribute to community-based organizations whose missions of care are impacted by presidential executive orders and tariffs, or give to your community to support its resilience.
And you can continue helping ensure that your local governments are transparent, accountable, and equitable. An important way you can do that now is by participating in the county’s budget process. As April comes to a close, the public portion of the county’s budget process starts. While I am grateful that the proposed budget does not include cuts to the Auditor’s Office, it does include a number of cuts to other county programs and staffing. I encourage you to review Chair Vega Pederson’s proposed budget and to provide feedback to the Board of County Commissioners about proposed budget changes, including cuts. You can submit written testimony and/or sign up to speak at an upcoming budget hearing.
Thank you,
Jennifer
Preschool for All audit report
We published our audit report Preschool for All: The program is largely achieving its equity goals, but needs to address risks to expansion.
We noted that Preschool for All intends to prioritize children in Multnomah County who have had the least access to quality, affordable preschool. As a result, children who are in families with low incomes, are homeless, are in foster care, speak a language other than English, and/or have disabilities or developmental delays get a priority in the application process. We found that the majority of children who apply and enroll in the program have at least one priority, based on families’ applications.
The Preschool for All Plan projected that the program would offer universal access to preschool in the county by 2030. We identified risks to achieving that goal. For example, Preschool for All’s growth depends on getting existing preschools to participate. So far, many preschool providers in the county have chosen not to apply to the program.
Audit work included conducting interviews and research, and analyzing several years of county financial data as well as application, enrollment, and provider data. The audit report has 16 recommendations to the Department of County Human Services focused on improving communication and transparency, providing additional supports, getting feedback from preschool providers, both participating and not, and monitoring and adjusting processes for capacity growth.
Audit Director Caroline Zavitkovski and Senior Auditor Mandi Hood conducted the audit.
New way to make reports to the County Ombudsperson
You can now make a report to the County Ombudsperson using a secure google form. This new form gives people a chance to share details on why they are contacting the Ombudsperson and ask for the help they need. The new form also asks optional demographic questions to help us better understand which community members are making reports, which can help us better focus our outreach efforts.
You can also continue to reach out to the Ombudsperson at ombudsperson@multco.us or at 503-988-1234.
Follow us on social media
We’re now on Bluesky – and still on your favorite platforms to connect with constituents in Multnomah County. Follow us to get the latest updates, audit reports, community engagement and more.
Follow us on Bluesky: @multcoauditor
Photo description: On April 26, Multnomah County's New Year's in the Park emcees celebrating the diversity of Southeast Asia, at Glenhaven Park, in Portland, Oregon.
Community engagement
I was fortunate to attend the 11th New Year in the Park event at Portland’s Glenhaven Park. I’ve attended this event for the past several years, and it is always a joyous way to celebrate and preserve some of the diverse cultures that contribute to our county’s character. In addition to traditional blessing ceremonies and dances, this year the event included its second annual land acknowledgement. The New Year in the Park event especially celebrates new year traditions of Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia, and included representation from the Philippines, India, and other Southeast Asian nations and peoples.
Photo description left to right: Multnomah County Arab American Heritage Month employee-led event organizers Alis Smbatyan, Mawadda Amboun, Emilie Azorr and Ahmed Alzubidi, at Central Library.
On April 30, my office attended for the second year in a row the annual Arab American Heritage Month event to celebrate the significant Arab American contributions to the local community. Throughout the afternoon, there was a diverse selection of speakers that shared insightful stories of their heritage and importance of preserving culture through shared relationships and traditions. Attendees celebrated Arab culture by enjoying traditional food, spoken word poetry, dabke dance, art displays, historical literature and community resources. This year's event was sponsored by Immigrants and Refugees Employee Resource Group, Employees of Color Resource Group and Department of County Human Services. Those who attended from my office were Audit Director Caroline Zavitkovski, Audit Director Nicole Dewees, Ombudsperson Intake Specialist Kate Milne, and Constituent Relations and DEI Engagement Specialist Raymond De Silva and I.
Photo description: On April 24, Immigrants and Refugees Employee Resource Group Chair Alis Smbatyan presented at the Armenian Genocide Remembrance event, at North Portland Library, in Multnomah County.
Last week marked the tragedy of 110 years since the Armenian genocide, honoring the memory of 1.5 million Armenians who were systematically massacred in 1915-1916. This remembrance event offered historical education and awareness of early warning signs of hatred, racism, and indifference. It was a solemn time where attendees reflected on past tragedies, acknowledged the generational pain, and honored the resilience of the local Armenian community members. Audit Director Nicole Dewees, Performance Auditor Surakata Sumareh, and Constituent Relations and DEI Engagement Specialist Raymond De Silva represented my office.
If you’d like me and or staff to attend or speak at a meeting with your community group, simply fill out this form.