Portland Mayor Keith Wilson's proposed $8.5 billion budget would cut 150 jobs and reduce funding for police, parks and homeless services.

The big picture: It attempts to thread a narrow needle — protecting the programs Wilson prioritizes while closing a roughly $160 million budget deficit.

What he's saying: "The stakes are high," Wilson said in a video statement Monday. "This year, our budget must stretch farther, carry more weight and bridge a deeper chasm."

By the numbers: The city would no longer transfer more than $30 million to Multnomah County for homeless services and will instead provide those services directly, even as it cuts homeless shelter and street outreach funding.

Here are some of the biggest cuts across city bureaus.

• $18 million (31%) from homeless shelters and $1.7 (37%) from street outreach programs
• $21.7 million from the police bureau, mostly in reductions to administrative support, materials, technology and unarmed public safety support staff
• $7 million from Portland Fire & Rescue through reduced staff hours and fewer fire engines

Community centers would see reduced hours and maintenance would be curtailed at the Parks Bureau to save around $13 million.

Yes, but: The budget proposal would not close any community centers or fire stations and avoids cutting any police officers.

Between the lines: The budget shortfall is due in part to a reliance on one-time funds, falling property taxes and changes to the federal tax structure, officials said.

The other side: Wilson's budget also includes a number of new revenue sources.

• He would pull in $44 million from various reserves and contingency funds, $27 million in interest earned by the Portland Clean Energy Fund and $7.4 million in increased charges and fees.
• Two new fees — a transportation utility fee, currently being considered by City Council, and a street damage restoration fee — would generate more than $43 million toward the general fund.

What's next: Wilson's budget is just a proposal at this point. City councilors will listen to public testimony and debate amendments over the next several weeks before a final version is passed in early June.

Tell a penny pincher

Nearly two dozen gray whales have washed ashore along the West Coast this year, including three found on Oregon beaches — a troubling sign some experts say may signal another die-off event.

The big picture: Many of the whales appeared upon necropsy to be emaciated, meaning they did not get enough food during last summer's feeding session, Michael Milstein, a spokesperson with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told OPB.

• "If we're seeing this many whales that are undernourished and having trouble this early in the year, what is that going to mean for the rest of the migration?" he said. Gray whales travel roughly 12,000 miles from Mexico to Arctic feeding grounds yearly.

The latest: Last week, two whales — a 40-foot gray whale and a Baird's beaked whale — were discovered on Seaside Beach and southwest Washington's Long Beach.

• Another juvenile gray whale died earlier this month after being found swimming in Washington's Willapa River, 20 miles from sea.

Flashback: Gray whale numbers fell from roughly 27,000 to 13,000 between 2019 and 2023, driven by ecosystem changes in Arctic feeding grounds that disrupted food supplies and led to widespread malnutrition and deaths.

This spring's early strandings suggest gray whales are again under severe stress, having been spotted feeding in places outside the species' typical sources, putting them more at risk, Milstein said.

• For example, several gray whales foraging in the San Francisco Bay this month have died after being struck by vessels.

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🏀 Scoot Henderson busted out for a season-high 31 points as the Blazers beat the Spurs in Game 2 of the first round series of NBA playoffs last night. The series is tied 1-1 as the Blazers get ready to host Game 3 on Friday at the Moda Center. (The Oregonian)

🐘 Efforts to remodel parts of the Oregon Zoo, funded by a $380 million ballot measure in 2024, have been plagued by poor oversight and a lack of project management, according to a new report from the Metro Auditor's Office. (OPB)

⛺️ County data shows nearly 9,000 people were experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Multnomah County in February, about 2,700 more than when Mayor Keith Wilson took office in 2025.

• That's a direct contradiction to Wilson's anecdotal claims that homelessness has decreased. (The Oregonian)

🗳️ A bronze bust of York — an enslaved Black man on the Lewis and Clark expedition — is currently on display at the Portland Art Museum and you can vote on where it will end up permanently. (Willamette Week)

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" has outlived the Soviet Union, Y2K and the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Now a documentary — showing at Regal Fox Tower Friday — pays tribute to the cult classic and its fandom.

What began as a box-office flop turned into the longest-running theatrical film in history — all thanks to midnight screenings and shadowcasts reenacting it.

• Portland's Clinton Street Theater has been screening the film weekly since 1978, making it one of the longest runs in the world.

The documentary, directed by Linus O'Brien, the son of "Rocky Horror" creator Richard O'Brien, focuses on how the film has fostered community among LGBTQ+ youth and self-described "outcasts."

• It also features interviews with stars Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon, executive producer Lou Adler and fans like Jack Black.
• "I think Rocky will outlive us all," O'Brien told Axios.

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You can snag $4 slices and $25 whole pies of some of the wildest, cheesiest creations from Portland's top pizzerias this week only during Portland Mercury's Pizza Week.

Best bites: Now through Sunday, 70 participating restaurants will be dishing out one-of-a-kind specials you won't find on their regular menus.

• Here's what I've got my eye on: The "Kim(chi)-Possible" at Atlas, the "GOAT Father" at Fire on the Mountain, The Focacceria's "Staten Island Trio" and Boxcar's "Banh To Be Wild."
• Even our gluten-free and vegan friends will find options that don't skimp on flavor.

Plus: You can log your slices on the Pizza Week Pass for a chance to win a grand prize.

😋 Happy eating!