Happy May, Sunnyside! I hope you are enjoying the freshness of spring. The first couple of rounds of flowers may be gone, but there are so many more to come. (Just don’t tell my allergies that!)
In April the Board met and discussed a wide range of issues for the organization and the neighborhood, from safety at Sunnyside Environmental School (SES) pickups and dropoffs, to partnering with a new neighborhood nonprofit, to renaming a prominent Sunnyside street.
We heard from the founder of the new Friends of Sunnyside Community Center nonprofit, which was founded by the tenants of the Methodist Church on Yamhill to help manage the building and advocate for repairs with the United Methodist Oregon-Idaho Conference. As you may know, this is where we have hosted the Sunnyside Shower Project (SSP) since 2021. It has provided us with space to grow the SSP and become an essential service for our houseless neighbors. It also contains several other tenants hosting activities like youth basketball, training and support for documentarians, and addiction support. It truly has become more than a church and has earned the name Community Center. The SNA Board agreed to sign on as a member of this new organization to help protect this essential neighborhood asset.
We learned from our SES PTSA liaison about dangerous, too-fast driving that’s been occurring during drop-off and pick-up times. The school is trying to ramp up its volunteer Crossing Guard program to help mitigate the issue. There will be more information as we head towards the 2026-27 school year, but if you are interested you can contact the PTSA at
sesptsa.org/contact-us. Please, drive safely out there! We’re all in a hurry, but everyone is someone’s child and endangering their safety is not worth
your saved minute or two.
Finally, we discussed the situation surrounding the potential renaming of Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard. As you have probably heard recently, Mr. Chavez has been credibly accused of multiple incidents of sexual assault, harassment and child sexual abuse during his lifetime. 39th Ave. was renamed a decade and a half ago to honor the man who had spearheaded the great work of the farmworkers of America.
However, we do not now believe, given the recent revelations, that his name should appear on one of our neighborhood’s major thoroughfares. Portland government officials have said that the name should be changed, but we have seen little of the urgency that we have seen in other communities in the rest of the country. The SNA is calling on PBOT and the City Council to expedite the renaming rather than let it get caught up in the usual Portland bureaucratic maze. We are not advocating for a specific name, only that this one cannot stand.
May is the kickoff of election season in Oregon with the May primaries completing on the 19th. We’ll be voting for nominees for governor, state representatives, senators, Metro Council, and ballot initiatives. But, did you know that it is also election season for the Sunnyside NA? We’ll be hosting our annual meeting at 7 p.m. at SE Uplift (3534 SE Uplift) and on Zoom to elect five members of the Board to two year terms. Serving on the SNA Board has been so rewarding, knowing that we are donating our time to serve the community and its interests while getting to know a great group of neighbors! If you are interested in joining and would like to learn more, please contact me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you and tell you all about it! Before elections, the Board will be voting on a few technical amendments to our bylaws, one of which will allow you to vote for your Board even if you are attending remotely via Zoom. All residents and business owners in Sunnyside are eligible to vote and nominations will be accepted at the meeting. You do not have to be present in order to be nominated or elected.
That’s it for now. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Annual Meeting as we wrap up this Board’s term. It’s been a great year and I can’t wait to keep working for this place I love!