A few days ago I sat down with Portland City Councilor Candace Avalos to have a conversation about policing and transportation. Avalos, who represents an area east of I-205 including Lents in southeast and the Portland Airport, is a first time member of city council, but she's no stranger to local politics. She was chair of the Citizen Review Committee, where she served for six years and became a well-known advocate for police accountability. Prior to being a city councilor she was executive director of Verde, an environmental justice nonprofit.

I met Councilor Avalos in a conference room at Midland Library on SE 122nd Avenue. The impetus for our conversation was the new Community Board for Police Accountability or CBPA, a new, high-profile venue for oversight of the Portland Police Bureau. More than just a committee, the new, 21-member board will have a significant budget, will hire its own investigators, and will issue binding decisions.

It's crucial that this new CBPA have at least one member who understands how transportation issues relate to public safety and policing. It's my hope this interview encourages someone in our audience to apply for one of the positions. You have until April 14th to get your applications in. Here's the link to the application.