Lots easier to have taken care of this last fall by the lasagna method. And better for the soil--all that organic material just rots.

I'm in Portland, too, and planning on another raised bed. This time, we're not going to tear out the sod--we're covering the grass with cardboard & then putting soil/compost on top. Taking out the sod this time of year will be a muddy mess, and you will end up removing a lot of soil with it. I've found sod removal easier (and less messy--you can just shake the dirt out) at the end of summer.

One way is to go rent a sod cutter.
Cut the sod and roll it up.
Either stack it to be used, or turn it into compost.

I put in a second eighteen by ten foot garden twenty some years ago and I cut the sod with large butcher knife.
A machine is much, much, much simpler.
It saves a huge amount of time and effort to just be able to start working the cleared area.