With Newfound Sway in City Hall, Portland’s Democratic Socialists Hope to Redefine the City’s Priorities

How do you solve a problem like an unprecedented city budget deficit? Over the last few months of budget planning, Portland leaders suggested a host of ways to close the roughly $93 million gap, from closing community centers and cutting positions in the Urban Forestry department, to slashing parks maintenance funds. To members of the Portland Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), however, the solution is clear enough to sum up in three words: Tax the...