Portland City Commissioner Carmen Rubio is stirring up the pot after she instructed the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to press pause and overhaul the city’s stinking odor regulations. Foul smells emanating from food businesses have landed one Northeast Portland eatery in hot water, with odor complains shuttering its doors. But Rubio is sniffing out injustice in the current policy after the costly closure, according to a statement from her office.

Hearing the cries of the restaurant owner, who faced odor complaints despite trying to clear the air with several remedies, Rubio noted, "I am very concerned and am raising serious questions about the negative impacts of this policy," as reported by her office. Fixing the stench wasn't cheap – the final fix would have hit the business with up to a $50,000 price tag, a figure well beyond their means.

It's now back to the drawing board for the City’s regulations. Staff will dig through the history of the odor ordinance, comparing notes with other jurisdictions and analyzing the nuts and bolts of recent complaints and their resolutions. A fresher, fairer scent of law could emerge once they propose revisions sensitive to food establishments' unique fragrances and the financial burden of compliance.