The days of finding foie gras on Portland menus may be numbered as city councilors get ready to vote on banning the fatty liver delicacy today.

The big picture: Proponents of the ban say force-feeding poultry to produce foie gras amounts to animal cruelty, while restaurateurs say it's largely performative and would create yet another hurdle for local businesses.

State of play: Six of the council's progressive members are likely to support the ban, Willamette Week reported.

• Councilor Steve Novick, the seventh and potentially deciding vote, told the paper he intends to vote in favor of the ban after the council amended it to extend the implementation timeline from 60 to 180 days.

Zoom in: Foie gras is the fattened liver of poultry — usually ducks or geese — created by force-feeding the birds a high-calorie grain mash.

• Canard and Le Pigeon are among the few Portland restaurants where the French delicacy is available — in a terrine, tucked in a profiterole, or wrapped in a dumpling.
• Andy Fortgang, sommelier for both restaurants, tells Axios the ordinance contains misinformation about the farms where foie gras is produced, which he says are routinely inspected by the USDA and comply with animal-cruelty laws.
• He calls the ban "performative," since it doesn't address animal treatment in other parts of the food system.

"It's a luxury product that's served in a small amount of places to a small amount of people, so it's an easy target, because it doesn't change the food system," he says.

The other side: Much of the testimony in favor of the ban has been from members or supporters of Pro-Animal Oregon, a nonprofit that advocates against factory farming.

• They've argued that forcing an animal to consume food through a tube inserted into its throat is inhumane.
• And they point to a survey of 250 Portlanders from the Animal-Human Policy Center at Colorado State University that found more than 80% supported the ban.
• "Portland has an opportunity to set a clear standard that animal cruelty should not be treated as a luxury," Eva Hamer, executive director of Pro-Animal Oregon, said in a statement ahead of today's vote.

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The average monthly car payment for a new vehicle in Oregon is now $716, according to new data from car research site Edmunds.

• For a used car, the average monthly payment in the state is $494.

Zoom in: The higher monthly payments are being driven by several factors.

• The two biggest are high sticker prices — with many popular models now thousands of dollars more than they were a few years ago — and higher interest rates, Axios reported.
• It doesn't stop there, though. Insurance premiums and repair costs are up 55% since the pandemic, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association.

The big picture: Add up gas prices, insurance, repairs and the sticker prices of cars and the cost of owning one is up 47% since 2020, according to Navy Federal Credit Union. That's faster than both inflation and wages have risen.

• It's causing more Americans to fall behind on their car payments or stay out of the market altogether. The average age of vehicles on the road hit a record high of 13 years last year.

The bottom line: Surveys show American car buyers still view having a car as non-negotiable, with 71% of people saying they would sacrifice other budget items to maintain access to a car.

😤 Dozens of Hillsboro residents lambasted the city's leaders at a council meeting this week, saying councilors had allowed data centers to take priority over tax revenue, energy and land use in the western suburb. (The Oregonian)

⛺️ ️ Oregon saw a 19% year-over-year increase in homelessness, according to a January point-in-time estimate.

• Oregon is one of 28 states where the rate went up, even as homelessness dropped 3% nationwide. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

🐈 Sellwood residents rallied in support of an 18-year-old cat named Nutmeg, known for hanging out in the local CVS, after someone filed a complaint with the pharmacy about the feline's presence. (The Oregonian)

Portland now has it's very own Brooklyn Bridge.

• City councilors voted earlier this year to name the Southeast Holgate Avenue bridge, which spans the Union Pacific rail yard, for the Brooklyn neighborhood that surrounds it.
• Signs with the new name went up over the weekend.

Now we just need to up our bagel game, become the global epicenter of fashion and finance, and increase our population by about six million to really give New York some competition.

• But at least we already have better pizza.

Not a single wrong answer this week! Joby was at the base of the staircase descending into Cathedral Park, which got its name from the Gothic-style arches below the St. Johns Bridge.

Flashback: Before the park opened in 1980, it was largely a junk yard.

• Frustrated with the state of things, "honorary mayor" of St. Johns, Howard Galbraith, spent years organizing a community-led drive to build a park.
• He ended up raising $7.5 million and is honored with a plaque at the site.

The intrigue: There's a time capsule buried inside the Wall of History in the Memorial Garden — complete with ashes from the eruption of Mount St. Helens — scheduled to be opened in 2030.

🥳 Shoutout to readers Dorothy D., Brian F., Sam P. and Geoff B. for guessing correctly.

• Special round of applause for Julie C., who knew there are 41 steps in the staircase.

Until next time ...