Taylor Griggs
banner
taylorgriggs.bsky.social
Taylor Griggs
@taylorgriggs.bsky.social
Portlander, journalist, bicyclist

Writing about transportation/climate/city stuff @portlandmercury.com

tgriggs @ portlandmercury dot com
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
Assuming those signatures are legit, Gov. Tina Kotek will want to start getting ready to lay off hundreds of ODOT workers -- or finding another option.

A successful referral would freeze taxes Dems say they need to fund those positions. #orpol
November 25, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
The campaign hoping to refer Oregon's newly passed gas tax increase to next year's ballot now says it has more than 150,000 signatures -- roughly double of what it needs. #orpol
November 25, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Much better than blowing it up.
November 22, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Most comedians who post short-form skits online today are just reheating Jake and Amir’s nachos. Comedic innovation stalled out at CollegeHumor in 2009.
November 22, 2025 at 1:09 AM
For a few blissful minutes I was happy. I guess that’s all I can ask for……
November 20, 2025 at 5:39 AM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
Dan Ryan attempts to make an apology for saying other councilors’ agenda aligns with the “national socialist” agenda in a newsletter and Instagram post earlier this week. Councilor Morillo interrupts to say it is a “non apology.”

Pt. 1
November 20, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
For the loved ones of someone killed in a traffic crash, every day is a day of remembrance. But many others need a reminder of the devastating human toll traffic violence takes each day. On Sunday, Portlanders gathered to honor the lives lost and demand action to prevent more needless deaths.
Portlanders Gather to Mourn and Demand Action on Day of Remembrance for Traffic Crash Victims
Joe Stone was 25 when he was hit by a driver while trying to cross the street near his home in 2013. Danielle Sale died in 2010, at the age of 22. Henry Zietlow was 18 when he was killed in a traffic ...
www.portlandmercury.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:47 AM
It seems likely that City Council will pass legislation banning AI rental price-fixing at tonight's meeting. But the Council's conversation about the ban has raised interesting questions (and caused some drama, too). For example, do renter protections necessarily mean reduced housing development?
Portland City Council to Vote on AI Rental Price-Fixing Software Ban
After months of uncertainty, a policy to ban the sale or use of algorithmic rental price-fixing software in Portland is back on the table. The proposed ordinance, brought to Portland City Council by C...
www.portlandmercury.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:26 PM
I have written a lot about the perils of poorly maintained (and leaf-filled) bike lanes. That didn’t stop me from wiping out in one just now, falling on my face and scraping up my knee pretty badly. This is a truly hazardous situation, @pbotinfo.bsky.social. When are you going to do something?
November 18, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
NEW: DOJ is appealing last week's decision in the National Guard case out of Oregon to the Ninth Circuit. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 14, 2025 at 10:23 PM
We may not have their influence on local elections (I’d argue no one Portland newspaper does) but I’m grateful for the shoutout in this article about The Stranger’s endorsements. Also so glad the Mercury’s news team has grown since last fall!!!

Gift link:

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/t...
November 14, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
It's very hard to get good and current data on immigration arrests, but an OPB analysis of what's available confirms what many have suspected: Oregon saw a major uptick in arrests last month.
‘Detain first and ask questions later’: Oregon ICE arrests shot up in October
The Portland Immigrants Rights Coalition reported 329 arrests in Oregon last month.
www.opb.org
November 14, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
Governor Tina Kotek signed a new state transportation funding package into law on Monday. Later that day, two state legislators and an anti-tax advocate filed a petition with the state in hopes of sending a referendum on the bill’s tax increases to Oregon voters.
Transportation Funding Bill Opponents Launch Last-Ditch Effort to Halt Tax Increases
Governor Tina Kotek signed a new state transportation funding package into law on Monday, more than a month after the Oregon Legislature passed the bill during a dramatic, extended special session. La...
www.portlandmercury.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:34 PM
First, Portland got a Mayor Wilson. Now, there’s going to be a Mayor Wilson in Seattle. At this rate, every city in America will have a Mayor Wilson by 2050. Is this the future we want????
November 13, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Revoke my Oregonian card because I don’t like hearing about exploding whales, past or future. I think we should live in awe of those gorgeous, huge creatures who roam the vast sea, blessing it with their songs. It is okay if you find joy in the exploding whale but this is simply my truth.
November 12, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Oregon Sen Bruce Starr, Rep Ed Diehl, and Taxpayers Association of Oregon founder Jason Williams have officially filed a petition against the state transportation package, which Governor Tina Kotek signed into law today.

stopthegastax.com
HOME
stopthegastax.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
My son Seamus died 15 years ago today. He was killed by a careless driver in a crosswalk.

He walked at 9 months, almost as if he knew he wouldn’t have much time. His favorite thing to do was throw rocks into water. He loved the moon. He called butterflies “buddy buddies.” I miss him every day.
November 9, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
Moderate Democrats saw that voters were energized and might expect something from them, so they needed to put a stop to that ASAP
November 9, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
We used to build MAX lines and now we’re debating whether we can afford paint for bus lanes bikeportland.org/2025/11/07/t...
TriMet says full bus lanes on 82nd are up to project partners
Here's why our transit agency is opting for less transit.
bikeportland.org
November 8, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
Portland City Council will consider an amendment next week to redirect $4.3 million from the city program that sweeps homeless encampments. If passed, the budget adjustment will instead invest $2 million in rent and food assistance, and support for immigrants and refugees.
City Council Mulling $4.3 Million Cut From Homeless Sweeps Budget
“We’re in a position right now, where people are going to end up being unhoused for the long-term, and we have to take action,” City Councilor Angelita Morillo said, explaining a proposal to divert fu...
www.portlandmercury.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
Portland is setting up a new, more powerful police accountability office approved by voters in 2020. Whether current staff will be guaranteed jobs under the new structure is central to ongoing labor negotiations, and the dividing lines at City Hall are getting complicated.
City Council Caught in the Middle of Police Oversight Labor Strike
Staff at Portland's Independent Police Review (IPR) typically work out of a ground-level office at City Hall, but on Wednesday afternoon, they were setting up tents just feet from where they normally ...
www.portlandmercury.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
Mamdani cracks 1M votes, the first NYC mayor to do so since John Lindsay in 1969
November 5, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
JUST IN: Mamdani, a democratic socialist and state assemblymember, will make history as the first Muslim and South Asian person — as well as the youngest in over a century — to serve as New York City mayor.
Mamdani wins New York City mayoral race, in a historic victory for progressives
Mamdani, a democratic socialist and state assemblymember, will make history as the first Muslim and South Asian person — as well as the youngest in over a century — to serve as New York City mayor.
n.pr
November 5, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Reposted by Taylor Griggs
In a move lawyers called “highly unusual,” Portland City Council apparently declined the terms of a legal settlement over the city’s adherence to the Oregon Bike Bill. Now, a $6 million settlement agreement—intended to fund bike infrastructure projects around the city—is in jeopardy.
“Not a Rubber Stamp”: Portland City Council Questions Settlement in Bike Bill Lawsuit
In a move lawyers called “highly unusual,” Portland City Council declined to accept the terms of a legal settlement over the city’s adherence to the Oregon Bike Bill, which had been negotiated by the ...
www.portlandmercury.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:08 AM