Oregonian: Editorial endorsement November 2026: Vote ‘no’ on Portland’s pricey participatory budgeting measure

The supporters of the “Your 2 cents PDX” ballot measure start with a reasonable premise: Portlanders are frustrated with their city government and have lost trust in their elected leaders. Something needs to change.

However, the solution they offer — creating a “participatory budgeting” program in which the city sets aside the equivalent of 2% of the general fund for projects selected by Portlanders — would only make matters worse. The measure would enshrine in the city charter a program larger than New York City’s on a per-capita basis. In its first year, it would claim $16.4 million in scarce funds, even though Portland just reduced community center hours, closed homeless shelters, raided savings and laid off 100 people to bridge a $170 million budget gap.

Read the rest at OregonLive.