iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Almost forgot! Q3 lobbying data should be live by the end of the month

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Filters are now editable. Sorry it took so long.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Try it out on this page: bigblinkpdx.org/entities and on this page: bigblinkpdx.org/people and reach out if you catch a bug or something wonky.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The new “search” feature is technically more of a keyword filter than a search, which is why it’s hiding in the filters above the lists of entities and people. It doesn't touch the incident entries just yet (#1 requested feature btw) and probably won't for a while. But for what it is, it’s p cool.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

To the ongoing surprise of the guy who built the thing, Big Blink PDX sees regular use as a research tool. Local political activists and journalists have mentioned using it, and so have people named in the official lobbying reports. There’s a new way to sift its haystack, metaphorically speaking:

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Got a question or an error to report? Reach out.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

As for Rip City Management and Trail Blazers Inc.? It appears they've keep a careful distance from Portland officials since their last reported interaction on March 30. Scope out their activity up to that point: bigblinkpdx.org/entities/91

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

With all the hubbub surrounding the Trail Blazers, you might be expecting to see evidence of their lobbyists working City Hall. The Moda Center definitely ranked among these groups' top Q2's concerns: - 350PDX - Albina Vision Trust - Breach Collective - PMC/PBA - Portland DSA - Rip City Not Rip Off

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Surprises abound. While the Portland Metro Chamber (d.b.a. Portland Business Alliance) continues to dominate the board, with more than a quarter of Q2 lobbying interactions, lobbyists for the Portland Psychedelic Society Action Fund sure are giving them a run for their money.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Lobbying data for 2026 Q2 is live, online, right now, at the City Auditor's site, and at the Big Blink has incorporated the data for its own lobbying-related purposes. Give it a click: bigblinkpdx.org?quarter=2026...

bigblinkpdx.org

Remixing lobbying data published by the City of Portland, Oregon · The Big Blink PDX

Lobbying activity according to data published by the City of Portland, Oregon

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

In the meantime, take a quick spin through bigblinkpdx.org and note the new descriptive headings in the overviews. These descriptions are set to evolve over the next couple months as the site stretches to include additional types of data.

A screenshot of https://bigblinkpdx.org/entities/215 showing details for lobbying entity Pro-Animal Oregon. New overview text appears as follows:

“Pro-Animal Oregon has authorized representatives to lobby City of Portland officials on their behalf.

“Registration records for this entity provide the domain name proanimaloregon.org.”

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Yesterday, the City of Portland wrapped up the second quarter of 2026. As usual, lobbying entities have a week or two to get their Q2 reports filed with the Auditor’s Office. Updates should hit the website by the end of the month.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

This batch of data introduces a few new faces, like housing concerns Commercial Real Estate Collaborative and Related NW, and hot topics familiar to local news consumers (see: Moda Center, Waymo, the unspent housing funds). Signs of staff turnover at City Hall too 👀 bigblinkpdx.org/sources/99

bigblinkpdx.org

Lobbying Activity Report for Q1 2026 · Data Sources · The Big Blink PDX

Activity from Lobbying Activity Report for Q1 2026 according to lobbying data published by the City of Portland, Oregon

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

The Portland Business Alliance (or Portland Metro Chamber) retains its #1 spot in the rankings, though other groups and interests are making headway. Rounding out the top five: 2. Portland Psychedelic Society Action Fund 3. Portland DSA 4. Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors 5. TriMet

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Data for the first quarter of 2026 is live. Overall lobbying is up over the prior three quarters (and probably much higher than reported) while slightly down YoY. bigblinkpdx.org?quarter=2026...

bigblinkpdx.org

Remixing lobbying data published by the City of Portland, Oregon · The Big Blink PDX

Lobbying activity according to data published by the City of Portland, Oregon

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Incident reports can cover a range of dates and include multiple types of contact. The estimate represents the number of contact types listed in each lobbying incident report. If an incident report lists "Email" and "Personal Meeting," the estimated number of interactions is two.

A screenshot of bigblinkpdx.org showing the incident modal for a selected lobbying incident. A red arrow points to the two interaction types listed on this incident report.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

A small but long-planned update: Note the little light blue squiggle on the right side of the chart below. That's an estimated total of quarterly lobbying interactions since 2025 Q2. Estimates are presented in a select number of charts. You can interact with this one on bigblinkpdx.org/people/1069

A screenshot of bigblinkpdx.org showing the detail page for City Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

A second year of City-wide budget cuts might prompt further regulatory tweaks … and push lobbying reporting further from transparency than we all* might hope. The FAQ section quoted above is linked below. Take a peek. * may not apply to shady lobbyists** ** may not apply to non-shady lobbyists

portland.gov

Lobbyist and Lobbying Entity Questions

On this page, you will find a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the City’s lobbying regulations for lobbyists and lobbying entities.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

It’s possible to extract estimated numbers from these grouped entries … in a way that restores *some* accuracy to the reports. Since the change went into effect, a ton of coding work has gone into speeding up the site’s back-end so that the estimation is itself speedy. Stay tuned, more to come, etc.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

In the meantime, enjoy this quick reminder that, since 2025 Q2, the numbers on the site no longer represent the number of lobbying interactions between a lobbyist and an official. A change in regulations lets lobbyists group multiple dates and activities into a single entry. 😬 From the City’s FAQ:

What are the Lobbying Activity Filing Portal changes going into effect April 2025 applicable for Q2 reports?

Beginning with Q2 2025 lobbying reports, lobbying entities will find a streamlined reporting process intended to assist with general compliance, reduce administrative burden, increase disclosures, and clarify reports to the public. The main changes lobbying entities will see are as follows:

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Lobbying data for 2026 Q1 should be firmed up by the middle of next week 👀 and posted to Big Blink soon after

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

2026 Q1 ends on March 31 and lobbyists have a couple more weeks after that to file their reports. Here’s some information about that: www.portland.gov/auditor/elec...

portland.gov

Lobbyist and Lobbying Entity Questions

On this page, you will find a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the City’s lobbying regulations for lobbyists and lobbying entities.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

The City of Portland’s lobbying regulations, imperfect as they may be, still go a ways towards exposing the public to the sources of information and currents of influence and interpersonal alliances that almost never make the TV nightly news. For good reason too: day to day, it’s a little boring.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

But lobbying represents only one layer in the complex system of power and influence that government is — a decisive layer, and one that’s crucial to keep our eyes on, as much for the immediate outcomes lobbyists are seeking as for the relationships that emerge from lobbying activity over time.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

For all its flaws, the honor system that’s in place … works … mostly … provided, first, that lobbyists conduct themselves honorably, second, that mechanisms exist to enforce honorable conduct when they don’t, and third, that the government is willing to activate those mechanisms when appropriate.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Consider what the task of monitoring lobbying activity WITHOUT self-reporting would look like: monumental! And likely involving a massive surveillance apparatus connected with some form of machine intelligence capable of interpreting thousands of daily interpersonal interactions in their minutiae.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Did you know the City of Portland’s relatively robust lobbying regulations rely on self-reporting? Lobbyists are expected to register with the City, maintain records of their interactions with officials, and submit their records to the City. Not everything you might consider lobbying gets reported!

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Aside from processing the new quarterly data, the site's development is ongoing. Notwithstanding a few neat features in the works, updates are mostly unglamorous. And … sometimes bugs worm their way into production. Spot something that looks off? Even if it's small, don't hesitate to drop a line.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

And while the incident counts no longer allow 1:1 comparisons across entities (see the note about Q2 above), it's hard to imagine the actual numbers throwing off the rankings all that much, at least towards the top. There's a year of data in here; worth a glance, at least. bigblinkpdx.org?year=2025

bigblinkpdx.org

Remixing lobbying data published by the City of Portland, Oregon · The Big Blink PDX

Lobbying activity according to data published by the City of Portland, Oregon

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

This is neat too: per-entity reporting styles. The "Action of Interest" field (Big Blink's "Topic" field) is freeform, and lobbyists can describe what they discussed with City officials how they want. Approaches range from the grudging (Portland Business Alliance) to the novelistic (Portland DSA).

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Four quarters in, we're also seeing trends in incident reporting. Regulations changed in Q2, and there's a growing gap between those entities reporting nearly every interaction and those enthusiastically accepting the City's invitation to group a number of lobbying interactions into a single entry.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

This batch introduces us to new City staff and reintroduces many of our favorite lobbyists from Q1-3. News hounds are sure to note topics ripped straight from the headlines, including algorithmic pricing, budget wrangling, a foie gras ban, the National Guard, and the quandary of the CEI Hub.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

The City of Portland published its collection of 2025 Q4 lobbying reports, closing out the first full year of operation under the reformed City Charter. Q4 was a big quarter for lobbying and lobbyists and the Big Blink's back to help break it down. 🧵 bigblinkpdx.org/sources/97

bigblinkpdx.org

Data Sources · The Big Blink PDX

Activity from Lobbying Activity Report for Q4 2025 according to lobbying data published by the City of Portland, Oregon

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

For example, one of the City's most active lobbyists once met with lobbyists alongside Mayor Wheeler, as his staff rep … only to leave the City and return to City Hall, to lobby him. Starting today, you can get a sense of what they talked about in each of her roles. bigblinkpdx.org/people/185?r...

bigblinkpdx.org

Amy Rathfelder · People · The Big Blink PDX

Activity involving Amy Rathfelder according to lobbying data published by the City of Portland, Oregon

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

The term "revolving door" describes movement from the public sector to the private sector (and vice versa). Many Portlanders have walked through the revolving door and slowly, bit by bit, Big Blink PDX has been taking steps to surface the phenomenon as it exists in Portland City lobbying data.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

… but it's allowed, thanks to a regulatory change that went into effect the prior quarter (2025 Q2). The change promised "to assist with general compliance, reduce administrative burden, increase disclosures, and clarify reports to the public." 🤔 Hmm. www.portland.gov/auditor/lobb...

portland.gov

Lobbyist and Lobbying Entity Questions

On this page, you will find a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the City’s lobbying regulations for lobbyists and lobbying entities.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

One thing to note is that the numbers are almost surely undercounts! In the table of lobbying incidents, you'll see a number of entries dated to the full duration of Q3. These entries collect unknown numbers of distinct lobbying interactions. That seems a little weird … bigblinkpdx.org/sources/95

bigblinkpdx.org

Data Sources · The Big Blink PDX

Activity from Lobbying Activity Report for Q3 2025 according to lobbying data published by the City of Portland, Oregon

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Q3 lobbying data is online! Overall lobbying is way down from the first two quarters … possibly. More on that in a bit. Big surprises? Nah. The Portland Business Alliance claimed responsibility for more than 40% of all entries, securing the org's #1 spot since 2014. bigblinkpdx.org?quarter=2025...

bigblinkpdx.org

Remixing lobbying data published by the City of Portland, Oregon · The Big Blink PDX

Lobbying activity according to data published by the City of Portland, Oregon

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

Thanks for using it! And thanks for the feedback!

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

Search is difficult to do well and easy to get wrong … and probably will have to include details like entity names and personal names in results. It’s long been in the thinking stage, along with some related means of making the Topic field manageable, for the reason you cite

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

Currently filters are available on the detail views for individual entities, people/groups, and sources, and those views serve as primary filters. Are there other filters that would be helpful?

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

Sort and filter settings are recorded in the URL so users can bookmark their preferences. Like this: bigblinkpdx.org/incidents?so...

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

In the meantime, expect the same old steady stream of imperceptible website performance upgrades.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

Next Monday, Portland summer terms out 🍁 and City Hall’s lobbyists have eight more days to get their Q3 policy requests in. One month after that, we’ll be paging through another comma-separated snapshot showing who pushed what concern with whom. End of quarter + 1mo. Just setting expectations here.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

As always, reach out with questions or bug reports.

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The Big Blink @bigblinkpdx.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Without a doubt, this is the most complex and delicate feature added to the website since its debut two years ago. It’s been important to get the implementation right, to set a good foundation for other uses of this data. And this implementation is pretty close to right.

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