Caption Transcript of Video:
Portland City Council Remarks upon the passage of Ordinance requiring captions to be turned on in Portland businesses
[LNS Captioning Note: The following text is the byproduct of the captioning of this meeting. The text has not been proofread and should not be considered a final transcript.]
>> Hales: WE'LL WAIT, LET'S GO TO 1187. COMMISSIONER FRITZ.
>> Fritz: AS EVERYONE RECALLS WE HELD A PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS ISSUE IN JULY. COUNCIL ASKED US TO DO ADDITIONAL OUTREACH AND MORE DISCUSSIONS WITH, PARTICULARLY THE OREGON RESTAURANT AND LODGING ASSOCIATION. WE HAVE DONE THAT. WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THE ORDINANCE THAT'S ORIGINALLY PROPOSED, AND I WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED TO THE VOTE.
>> Fish: I HAVE JUST A QUESTION OF PROCEDURE. THE GENTLEMAN GRABBED ME WHEN I WAS OUTSIDE FOR A SECOND, SAYING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN HERE AT THE LAST HEARING AND DIDN'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY. I GUESS THE QUESTION IS, IS THERE ANY NEW ISSUE -- ARE THERE ANY GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO TESTIFY ON THIS BASED ON THE PROCEDURE THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING?
>> Fritz: NO, THERE WAS NO TIME LIMITATION ON THE PREVIOUS HEARING. THERE WAS A LOT OF -- YOU WERE THE PERSON WHO RAISED THE QUESTION OF ADDITIONAL OUTREACH. SO SINCE JULY, MY STAFF AND I HAVE TALKED WITH THE PORTLAND BUSINESS ALLIANCE, CAROL STUDENMUND, ONE OF THE ADVOCATES HAS WORKED WITH STEVE McCOID, THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE OREGON RESTAURANT AND LODGING ASSOCIATION, MY STAFF MET WITH HIM, AS WELL. I HELD A TOWN HALL ON SEPTEMBER 30th, AND MET WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT PCC CASCADE, AND WE LOOKED AT VARIOUS OPTIONS AND CONCLUDED THIS IS THE ONE THAT WORKS THE BEST.
>> Fish: IS THE POLICY THAT WE WERE -- WE WOULD BE VOTING ON TODAY, IS THAT THE POLICY THAT THE FAA IS CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTING ACROSS THE COUNTRY?
>> Fritz: YES, WHICH IS THAT CAPTIONS HAVE TO BE TURNED ON.
>> Fish: THANK YOU.
>> Hales: OTHER QUESTIONS? SO, YEAH, I DON'T SEE ANY PARTICULAR REASON TO REOPEN THE HEARING. I KNOW WE MAY HAVE HEARD SOME CORRESPONDENCE ON THE SUBJECT, BUT THE ORDINANCE IN FRONT OF US IS THE SAME ONE WE HELD THE HEARING ON SO WE SHOULD PROCEED TO A VOTE.
>> Novick: I THINK THAT THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN CIVIL RIGHTS, AND THE CITY. I WANT TO NOTE THAT I DID CONSIDER OFFERING A COUPLE OF AMENDMENTS. THERE WAS A SUGGESTION THAT, WELL, SHOULDN'T THE CAPTIONS ONLY BE REQUIRED WHEN THE SOUND IS ON BECAUSE IF THE SOUND IS OFF, THEN EVERYBODY IS IN THE SAME BOAT. AND MY FRIEND, CAROL STUDENMUND, OBSERVED TO ME THAT WELL, HOW ARE PEOPLE WITHOUT HEARING GOING TO KNOW IF THE SOUND IS ON OR OFF IN ORDER TO KNOW WHEN THEY SHOULD COMPLAIN? I THOUGHT THAT WAS AN INSUPERABLE OBSTACLE TO THAT IDEA. AND THERE WAS THE SUGGESTION THAT WE COULD HAVE THAT REQUIREMENT OF SOUND ON, SOUND OFF ONLY FOR ATHLETIC EVENTS BECAUSE SOME SPORTS FANS ARE CONCERNED THAT THE CAPTIONS MIGHT OBSCURE SOME OF THE ACTION.
AND ONE THING CAROL INFORMED ME THERE IS CAPTION TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE THAT IS LESS, MUCH LESS OBSCURING THAN WE MIGHT HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST, AND ALSO, THE CITY ATTORNEY SAID THAT DISCRIMINATION WOULD BE ILLEGAL. SO, I PASSED ON THAT, AS WELL. SO, HAVING THOROUGHLY CONSIDERED VARIOUS POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS, I AM NOT PROPOSING ANY AND PLEASED TO VOTE AYE.
>> Fritz: THANKS VERY MUCH TO EVERYBODY WHO GATHERED HERE TODAY ON ALL SIDES. THANKS, PARTICULARLY, TO CAROL STUDENMUND, DAVID VIERS, STEVEN BROWN AND JIM HOUSE FOR YOUR WORK WITH MY STAFF TO GET THIS DONE. THANKS TO STEVE McCOID FOR MEETING WITH MY STAFF AND HIS EFFORTS TO WORK WITH US, AND THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FOR YOUR SUPPORT, THE OREGON ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF, HEARING LOSS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, OREGON STATE ASSOCIATION, OREGON COMMUNICATIONS ACCESS PROJECT, WHICH IS A LOCAL GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY GROUP THAT IS CREDITED WITH IMPLEMENTING CAPTIONING AT THE OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL, UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY, PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS, AND MANY OTHERS. THANKS TO JASMINE WADSWORTH ON MY STAFF, WHO HAS DONE A GREAT JOB ON THIS ONE.
I DO NEED TO NOTE, I HAVE A NOTE, WHAT DID I DO WITH MY NOTE? I HAVE LOST MY NOTES. I WILL HAVE TO DO IT FROM MEMORY. ALWAYS DANGEROUS. THAT THIS ORDINANCE APPLIES TO ALL PUBLIC PLACES, WHICH ARE DEFINED AS EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GET IN, THAT'S A PUBLIC MEMBERSHIP, THAT'S A PUBLIC PLACE. SO IT APPLIES TO GYMS AND OTHER FACILITIES, AS WELL AS TO RESTAURANTS, BARS, AND OTHER PLACES. IT DOESN'T APPLY TO FEDERAL AND STATE BUILDINGS, BUT THAT'S FEDERAL AND STATE LAW, SO WE DON'T NEED TO STATE THAT IN THE ORDINANCE.
AND THIS ORDINANCE BENEFITS EVERYONE. IT PROMOTES ACCESS FOR EVERYONE. AND I AM NOT CONCERNED THAT IT'S GOING TO IMPACT BUSINESS IN PORTLAND'S PUBLIC PLACES. IN FACT, I THINK IT WILL RAPIDLY BECOME THE STANDARD FOR THE NATION THAT PEOPLE WILL FLOCK TO BE ABLE TO, LIKE I DO, MONITOR THE SPORTS GAME AT THE SAME TIME THAT I AM PRETENDING TO BE INTERESTED IN WHAT, IN THE PERSON I AM HAVING DINNER WITH MIGHT HAVE TO SAY. WELL, I USUALLY AM INTERESTED BUT I LIKE TO WATCH THE SPORTS AT THE SAME TIME. AS A RABID SPORTS FAN, I AM CONVINCED THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR SPORTS FANS, AND SO, I AM REALLY PROUD TO BE SPONSORING THIS. I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT WAS DONE. COMMISSIONER FISH, I DO APPRECIATE YOUR ASKING US TO TAKE MORE TIME AND TO GET MORE INPUT, THE MORE INPUT I GET, THE MORE I AM CONVINCED THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
>> Fish: FIRST, FOR ANYONE WHO DOUBTS THAT COMMISSIONER FRITZ IS A RABID SPORTS FAN, I ENCOURAGE THEM TO SEND HER AN EMAIL AT 12:30 ON SATURDAY AND SEE IF YOU GET THE CUSTOMARY RESPONSE, BOOM. YOU WON'T, OF COURSE, BECAUSE SHE'LL BE AT AUTZEN STADIUM, CHEERING ON HER BELOVED DUCKS.
COMMISSIONER FRITZ, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE. I THINK THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THE COUNCIL HAS LEARNED A NUMBER OF VERY IMPORTANT THINGS. FOR ME, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WAS LEARNING THAT ONE IN FIVE AMERICANS HAVE SOME KIND OF HEARING LOSS OR IMPAIRMENT. THAT'S 20% OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY ARE IMMEDIATELY IMPACTED BY THE ACTION WE'RE PREPARED TO TAKE TODAY. I THINK COLLECTIVELY, THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNCIL SHARE A CORE VALUE, WHICH IS THAT ONE OF GOVERNMENT'S PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES IS TO REMOVE BARRIERS THAT GET IN THE WAY OF PEOPLE EXERCISING THE FULL RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP. AND I THINK ACCESS TO INFORMATION IS, IN FACT, A BASIC, A BASIC CIVIL RIGHT.
I APPRECIATE THE OUTREACH YOU HAVE DONE, AND I NOTE THAT PARTICULARLY, FROM THE PORTLAND BUSINESS ALLIANCE AND VENTURE PORTLAND, WE RECEIVED NO NEGATIVE COMMENTS. AND IN TERMS OF THE SPORTS BARS, AS SOMEONE WHO ALSO ENJOYS GOING OUT AND WATCHING SPORTS AND HAVING A BEER, I THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALL ADJUST TO, AND I HAVE A FEELING TECHNOLOGY WILL CATCH UP WITH THIS RESOLUTION, SO THAT WE'LL HAVE NO NEGATIVE IMPACT ON ANYONE, IN FACT, IT WILL SIMPLY MAKE IT EASIER FOR ALL TO ENJOY SPORTS IN PUBLIC VENUES, SO COMMISSIONER FRITZ, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS, AND TODAY I AM PROUD TO VOTE AYE.
>> Saltzman: THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FRITZ. AYE.
>> Hales: GOOD WORK. AND I THINK THIS IS ANOTHER CASE WHERE PORTLAND HAS THOUGHTFULLY TRIED TO MAKE THIS A CITY THAT'S HOSPITABLE FOR EVERYBODY, SO I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK AND THE ADVOCATES, AS LONG AS THIS DOESN'T HAVE THE UNINTENDED SIDE EFFECT OF HAVING THE PORTLAND AIRPORT ACTUALLY INSTALL MORE TELEVISIONS, I WILL BE A HAPPY GUY, AS SOMEONE WHO TRAVELED FREQUENTLY, ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THE PORTLAND AIRPORT IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE TELEVISIONS BLARING AT US AT EACH AND EVERY GATE, AND I HOPE THAT WE NEVER BECOME THAT AIRPORT, BUT I DIGRESS, AND THIS IS GOOD WORK, AND I AM PROUD TO SUPPORT IT. AYE. [GAVEL POUNDED] THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> Fritz: I REMEMBERED THE OTHER POINT WRITTEN DOWN BY MY STAFF. AND THAT IS THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. BEN WALTERS, UNFORTUNATELY, HAD TO LEAVE, WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE HIM WORKING WITH US, AND THEY ARE OFFERING TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO RESTAURANTS, TO ANY BUSINESS WHO WANTS TO KNOW WHAT THE REGULATIONS ARE AND HOW THEY CAN BEST IMPLEMENT THEM. THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE. THIS IS A SECOND READING, SO IT WILL BE 30 DAYS BEFORE IT GOES INTO EFFECT. SO, FOLKS CAN CONTACT MY OFFICE OR THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IF YOU WOULD LIKE ASSISTANCE ON IMPLEMENTATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> Hales: THANK YOU ALL.