Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The Trump administration’s storm of executive actions - many of which are being challenged as illegal - marks a tumultuous, frightening time for our nation. We are on a clear path away from democracy and away from creating a just, sustainable society in which every person has a real opportunity to thrive.
But this is not the first difficult time in human history, and February, as Black History Month, provides an opportunity for reflecting on how people can move forward together in community to overcome oppression. This is an important time to reflect and learn about our nation’s real, complex history - including its violence so that we do not repeat it. It is an opportunity to celebrate and take inspiration from Black excellence as we work to preserve democracy.
An important moment of truth-telling and inspiration took place this month when the Board of County Commissioners adopted a proclamation recognizing Black History and Futures Month, which Lanel Jackson, the Employees of Color Employee Resource Group’s Events Chair, read at the county’s February 13 Board Briefing. Here is an excerpt from the proclamation:
Black history is all around us 365 days of the year in every aspect of society that exists today and in many ways seen and unseen. Black history has an effect on the lives of all of us every single day. The work of Dr. Charles Drew whose invention of the bloodmobile and blood donation sites coupled with perfecting the safe storage of blood has saved millions of lives worldwide enabling many of us to exist today. It is in traffic lights, your home security system, elevator doors, your color computer monitor, and in 90% of the microphones we use today, just to name a few. Black history is alive inside of the music of artists such as Billie Holiday and Kendrick Lamar, it is in voice over IP technology that we use in software such as Zoom, Teams and Skype that was developed by Dr. Marian Croak, who is currently the vice president of Engineering at Google. Black history is in the voices that cannot be silenced, in the laughter that cannot be stifled and in the humanity that can not be taken. Black history is in the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and is the culmination of every experience a human could possibly have experienced and will experience in the history of man. Black history is the possible and the achievement of the impossible.
I encourage you to read the entire proclamation, reflect on our nation’s history, and take what steps you can each day to advocate for transparent, accountable, just governance. Please be assured that my team and I will continue pushing for accountability and equity in our county.
Thank you,
Jennifer
Status evaluation of recommendations to the Joint Office
This month we issued the report Recommendation Status Evaluation: The Joint Office of Homeless Services has implemented one of the 2023 audit recommendations, while others are in process or not implemented. This report provided an update on steps the Joint Office has taken to implement recommendations from an audit report we published in 2023, Joint Office of Homeless Services: Providers were frustrated with contract management and communication.
The recommendation that the Joint Office implemented was to hire contract management specialists; we made this recommendation so that the Joint Office did not rely on an outside department for contracting assistance and to ensure that providers receive timely and complete contracts and contract amendments.
We found that the Joint Office is in the process of implementing five recommendations to:
- schedule regular communication between homeless service systems, including both Joint Office staff and homeless service providers;
- adjust processes so that the payments in question are reviewed, but do not prevent the rest of the invoice from being processed;
- create criteria that must be met in order to change performance measures to ensure fairness among providers;
- send regular communications to service providers to address policies and goals; and
- train staff on how to review equity plans and have them review equity plans submitted by providers.
The Joint Office did not implement our recommendation to remove a conflict of interest from the program specialist role; this conflict of interest results from the specialists being both the primary advocate for homeless service providers and also the ones who hold them accountable for meeting performance measures. The Joint Office also had not implemented the recommendation directing executive management to communicate their strategic vision to providers and staff.
Audit Committee Openings
The Audit Committee of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners has two openings for volunteer community members. Potential Committee members should be interested in county financial practices. Knowledge of financial audits, financial statements, and/or financial management is desired but not required.
The Audit Committee serves as a liaison between the Board, the independent external auditor and management, as their duties relate to financial accounting, reporting, and internal controls and compliance. The Committee assists the Board in reviewing county accounting policies and reporting practices related to the county's Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports. Committee members help assure the independence of the county's external auditors, the integrity of management, and the adequacy of disclosures to the public.
While the Audit Committee is not a group that advises the Auditor's Office, Committee members do interact with me and other county leaders throughout their service on the Committee. My office serves as staff to the Audit Committee. We support community members’ participation on the Committee by providing stipends, transportation support, and other assistance. Please visit the application web form to learn more about the Audit Committee’s work and apply!
Applications will be accepted until 11:59 pm on March 14, 2025. If you need translation or an accommodation, or to request a paper application, please contact the Auditor's Office at (503) 988-3320 or email mult.auditor@multco.us.
Photo: 2025 Black Journeys: Exploring Oregon’s Black history, the legacy of racial injustice and paths forward screening event / Photo credit: Louisa Sewell and Child, Photo Courtesy of Oregon Historical Society, OrHi85397
Community Engagement
On February 6th, Caroline Zavitkovski, Audit Director, attended Black Journeys: Exploring Oregon’s Black History, at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). The event featured two films from OPB’s “Oregon Experience” and a panel discussion. One film was about Black pioneers in Oregon’s history and the other was about racial reconciliation in communities across Oregon. The event was inspirational by demonstrating the use of truth and remembrance of the past as a way to move towards greater racial justice in the present and future.
Photos left to right: a skillful Dragon Poi Dance and Dragon Dog Dancers, at the 2025 Lunar Year Celebration, in Portland, Oregon.
On February 8th, Raymond De Silva, Constituent Relations and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Engagement Specialist, attended the 9th Portland Chinatown Museum Lunar New Year Parade and Celebration, in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood. Attendees enjoyed a wide-range of joyous festivities that included a 150-foot dragon, dragon dog dancers, drummers, Chinese yo-yo (diabolo) entertainment outside of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA). The event culminated with a parade, as the community joined together to celebrate a shared heritage of a New Year of the Snake.
Photo left to right: Multnomah County Ombudsperson Intake Specialist Kate Milne and Ombudsperson Cheryl Taylor.
We had a table at the East County Learn Share Do Fair hosted by the Community Services Network, at Centennial High School. My office offered resources and explained how the Ombudsperson serves as a valuable resource to resolve issues with county programs and departments.
If you’d like me and or staff to attend or speak at a meeting with your community group, simply fill out this form.