Portland public commenters raise arbitration, SNAP theft and homelessness funding concerns

Portland — During the public communication portion of the Jan. 7 City Council meeting, three people told the council about problems ranging from arbitration practices to alleged SNAP fraud and broader concerns about homelessness funding.

Addie Smith told councilors she had recorded an arbitration proceeding and alleged retired judges were allowing out-of-state attorneys to practice in Oregon by signing pro hac vice applications without proper Oregon State Bar processing. Smith asked councilors to consider state-level remedies and said she would share recordings with council offices.

"These judges are signing pro hoc visa applications that allow out of state attorneys to practice in this state without going through the Oregon State Bar," she said during testimony.

Jason Wilder described two consecutive months in which his SNAP benefits were spent without his authorization and asked council staff for help investigating where the federal benefits were going. Councilors invited him to follow up with constituent services so city staff could help explore state and federal avenues for redress.

Daniel Myrick pressed a different set of concerns, accusing municipal and federal programs of perpetuating a "poverty industry" and urging the council to stop accepting federal block grant funds for homelessness. Councilors listened but did not adopt the specific sweeping remedy he proposed.

Council staff and at least one council office offered to follow up with individual testifiers about investigations and agency contacts; no council policy or ordinance was introduced in response during the meeting.