It's been a bit of a mixed bag for Portland's new form of city council in its first year, but despite some outside criticism, members of the city's legislative body have high hopes for year two.

The big picture: Voter-approved reform of Portland's governing charter — creating districts, expanding the council, and separating executive and legislative powers — promised a more responsive, representative and transparent council.

What they're saying: Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney told Axios that public engagement and outreach have been a strong point among the new councilors, but she readily admits the learning curve has been steep as the councilors look to establish new norms, precedents and procedures.

• "We weren't just building the plane while we flew it," she said. "We were deciding what the flight path should be as we flew this plane that was half-built."

Yes, but: Either way, the amount of new legislation produced by the council has been less than expected, Portland State political science professor Paul Manson told Axios.

• But he cited threats from the federal government — over immigration, protests and other issues — that have complicated the work of city leaders.
• "You want to make changes when things are calm and stable, and we are unfortunately making changes when things are probably about as turbulent as they get," Manson said.

Zoom in: Council Vice President Tiffany Koyama Lane pointed to several significant moves made by legislators this year, despite the challenges facing the city.

• The city codified its sanctuary status, put in place measures to stave off the deployment of National Guard troops, banned algorithmic rental pricing, started a study of social housing, initiated a land-use investigation into Zenith Energy, and approved a historic reparations settlement for Black Portlanders displaced by urban renewal policies.

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Tensions between Mayor Keith Wilson's office and the council have simmered throughout the council's first year.

The intrigue: Some councilors have pushed back on executive branch proposals and criticized the administration for failing to relay information in a timely way.

• Councilor Mitch Green filed a resolution last week calling for an investigation into roughly $20 million in previously undisclosed, unspent Housing Bureau funds, which councilors say they learned about only after making difficult budget choices.

"There have been too many issues in this first year where events have happened that council was only given information about after the fact," Koyama Lane said.

• "Without better oversight, we're not living up to our responsibilities."

The bottom line: Koyama Lane said she's confident that, with some systems now in place, "council will really hit its stride in terms of governance practice and legislative impact" in its second year.

• It'll need to act quickly, though. Six of the 12 councilors will be up for reelection in November.

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Local leaders are condemning a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest in North Portland's St. Johns neighborhood last week, after a video showed agents firing pepper balls during morning school drop-off time.

Catch up quick: The arrest occurred around 9am last Thursday on North Fessenden Street, which is a route to George Middle School, when three ICE vehicles surrounded a van, witnesses told KPTV.

• Neighbors told the outlet that a man was pulled out of the car while children were heard crying inside.
• The situation escalated when residents became involved — observing and recording on their phones — and agents shot pepper balls into the crowd as "warning shots," per the video.
• ICE did not respond to KPTV's requests for comment.

Context: This is the first known incident of federal agents using force in Portland neighborhoods outside of the confines of the ICE facility, officials said.

• Detentions and the presence of federal immigration officers in Portland and surrounding suburbs has risen in recent weeks as the Trump administration tripled the agency's arrest quota earlier this year.

What they're saying: Mayor Keith Wilson and the three city councilors representing District 2 issued a joint statement yesterday calling the incident "unnecessary, unjustified, and potentially unconstitutional."

• "We call on federal authorities to immediately cease the use of chemical munitions in our neighborhoods, wear body-worn cameras, and identify themselves when engaging with our community," the joint statement reads.
• "Chemical munitions cannot, and will not, compel our community to accept ICE enforcement we have not asked for and do not want."

🕵🏼‍♀️ A former Clackamas County Commissioner remains on the run six weeks after authorities said she fled the country with her son while facing charges of theft and other felonies. (The Oregonian)

🧊 Oregon State University researchers in Antarctica unearthed the oldest ice cores ever retrieved, at roughly six million years old.

• Air bubbles contained in the ice can give the scientists clues about how the Earth's climate has changed over time. (OPB)

🛒 Workers at New Seasons stores reached a labor agreement with the grocery chain just days ahead of a planned strike during one of the busiest stretches of the year. (Portland Mercury)

🫡 Emmy-winning news anchor Steve Dunn signed off after his final newscast last night, clocking more than 40 years in Portland media. (KATU)

The National Weather Service is calling on Pacific Northwest residents to prepare for yet another "chaotic" stretch of weather.

Starting today, a series of frontal systems and atmospheric rivers will move across the region, bringing widespread rain, gusty southwestern winds and the potential for river flooding and snow in the high Cascades through Monday.

Strong winds will likely sweep inland this morning. And because the ground is already so saturated from last week's historic rainfall, trees could easily come down. That could mean sporadic power outages, per NWS.

• Plus: A flood watch has been issued due to heavy rains tomorrow and Friday, which could increase the risk of flood for local rivers, including the Tualatin, Clackamas and Sandy.
• The Willamette has a 5-10% chance of reaching flood stage too.