Union County Republicans

GOV. KATE BROWN AND PERS

Gov. Kate Brown unveils new plan to offset school’s increasing pension costs

Oregonlive

Gov. Kate Brown rolled out a financially and politically ambitious proposal Friday to rein in increasing public pension costs for schools over the next 15 years by diverting various state revenue streams and requiring public employees to contribute to their pension benefits. The proposal is an effort to ensure that any new corporate tax money lawmakers dedicate to schools will actually make it into the classroom, and not be swallowed up by the pension system to backfill its growing deficit. But it could also serve as a backup plan in case lawmakers can’t pass a new tax plan. Elements of Brown’s plan have circulated for some time, but she hasn’t offered much specificity to date. That changed Friday, as she unveiled a detailed set of options for lawmakers to consider.

PERS Plan Would Limit Tax Rebates, Affect School Retirement Benefits

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has released her long-awaited plan to tackle the state’s financially troubled public pension system. The governor’s proposal, made public Friday, includes a long list of ideas to raise around $3.3 billion over the next 16 years to shield Oregon schools from most of the rate hikes facing Oregon public employers. State leaders are trying to dig their way out of a pension debt now estimated at nearly $27 billion. The plan includes proposals that could affect taxpayers, the business community and the state’s 70,000 school employees. Among other things, it calls for capping next year’s “kicker” income tax rebate at $100 — a move that would divert up to $500 million from taxpayers into the PERS school rescue fund.

Tax proposal taps businesses for more school funds

Portland Tribune

Oregonians could pay less on their state income taxes but pay more for some goods and services, under a legislative proposal to raise money for the state’s struggling public school system. The long-awaited proposal will tax businesses just under one-half of 1 percent of their gross receipts of more than $1 million while cutting Oregonians’ income tax rates by a quarter of a percent for all but the top bracket. Sales of groceries, gasoline and diesel would not be taxed under the proposal. The smallest businesses — those that make less than $1 million in taxable revenue per year — will not be subject to the tax, nor will any that already pay the medical provider tax. Businesses that are taxed will be able to allay the impact by deducting one-quarter of either their labor costs or the amount they paid to other businesses during the course of the year.

Governor Brown to unveil plan to help schools cover PERS costs

East Oregonian

Two elements make budgeting a painful math exercise for the Umatilla School District: employee health benefits and retirement benefits. Right now, the school district pays about 8 percent of its budget, or $1.2 million, to the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System. In the next school year, that cost will go up an estimated $46,000. That may not seem like much, but for Umatilla it could mean cuts — especially if the state doesn’t come up with more money for schools. “If there’s any type of increase, that is a direct hit to what we can offer to students,” said Superintendent Heidi Sipe. “…PERS is a larger and larger percent of those expenses that’s hitting us harder and harder each year.”

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Halfway Home, Oregon Legislators Stioregonll Face Huge To-Do List

Oregon Public Broadcasting

When business closed at the Oregon Legislature Tuesday, a breakneck session became somewhat less hectic. Roughly halfway through the 2019 Oregon legislative session, April 9 marked the last day most bills could either be moved out of committee or shelved for another year. But while the list of fallen proposals included some notable bills — lowering the drunk driving limit and disarming campus police, among them — the real challenges lie ahead. Democrats still have a hefty to-do list: They want to raise $1 billion annually for schools, rejigger the state’s tax code, usher through ambitious gun legislation and pass a complicated proposal to cap carbon emissions. “I kind of feel like I’m surfing on a tsunami of taxes,” said House Minority Leader Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass. “Every inch of this building (is) firmly in their hands for the most part. So I think that they’re using that opportunity to do everything that they’ve wanted to do for years.”

Supporters Of $1B Oregon Education Plan Bring Wish Lists To Hearing

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon lawmakers looking to raise $1 billion in tax revenue to invest in public schools heard a familiar message Thursday: “Yes … and?” Early childhood advocates, supporters of increased mental health resources, students calling for smaller class sizes and expanded programs — they all urged the Joint Committee on Student Success to approve the $1 billion plan to support K-12 schools. In fact, no one argued against the bill that’s come out of more than a year of meetings. Instead, advocates for the state’s youngest children and students in college and universities pressed lawmakers to stretch the dollars to help their priorities as well.

Vape, tobacco retailers want nicotine tax bills to go up in smoke

Portland Tribune

Of the handful of nicotine-related tax initiatives, Gov. Kate Brown’s proposed $2 a pack tax increase has gotten the most attention. However, a proposed vaping tax ended up being the hot-button issue when the proposals got public hearings this week. Sixty-five people showed up Wednesday and Thursday to tell the House Revenue Committee how they felt about five bills being considered. Many others came to watch, packing the hearing room. If all passed, the proposals would collectively increase the tobacco tax by $2 per pack of cigarettes, remove the 50-cent tax cap on cigars and impose a 95 percent wholesale tax on electronic cigarettes. A vote on whether to pass the proposals out of committee hasn’t been scheduled.

2 More Leaving In Ongoing Shakeup Under New Oregon Secretary Of State

Oregon Public Broadcasting

In less than two weeks, new Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno has dramatically changed at least the public face of the office. In her first days in the position, Clarno ousted chief of staff Debra Royal, legal affairs director Steve Elzinga and deputy secretary Leslie Cummings. On April 5, she made further changes, sending a letter to Larry Morgan, who holds a unique position as the office’s citizen engagement and inclusion coordinator, announcing that the contract for his services will not be renewed when it expires at the end of June. And this week, a vocal critic of Oregon’s largest school district resigned her position as the secretary of state’s liaison to the state of education.

Oregon Lawmakers Want Answers On Out-Of-State Foster Care Kids

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon lawmakers questioned Child Welfare officials in a hearing Thursday. They wanted to know why the number of foster care children being sent out-of-state skyrocketed and how a 9-year-old could be sent to Montana for six months and never be checked on by a caseworker. “Something here has gone very, very wrong,” said Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, who chairs the Senate Committee on Human Services and convened the hearing. “We cannot ignore it and we have to keep this issue front and center until we are satisfied each of these kids are safe.”

LOCAL

Astoria school leaders back Student Success Act State lawmakers consider more money for education

Daily Astorian

The Student Success Act being debated at the state Legislature could add another $1.4 million a year to the Astoria School District’s budget, Superintendent Craig Hoppes said Wednesday. House Bill 2019, introduced last month by the Joint Committee on Student Success, calls for an additional $2 billion in K-12 funding per biennium starting in July to improve behavioral support, mental health and early learning opportunities. The money would likely come from a tax on businesses’ gross receipts above $150,000. In laying out the school district’s approach to creating a budget for the 2019-20 school year, Hoppes called the Student Success Act the best opportunity for new funding in his 22 years with the district. “It could have a really significant impact in our district,” he said.

Coos Bay lumber mill to be shutdown, Georgia-Pacific will lay off 111 workers

Statesman Journal

Georgia-Pacific Wood Products has notified employees at its Coos Bay lumber mill that it will shutter the facility and lay off all of the site’s 111 workers. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Georgia-Pacific’s western lumber general manager, Bill Goodman, wrote to state officials Thursday saying job cuts will begin June 10 and continue in phases until the Coos Bay facility is completely closed. The Atlanta-based pulp and paper company said Asian competition for Oregon logs made it more expensive to supply the Coos Bay mill. And Georgia-Pacific said the prolonged closure of Coos Bay’s swing span railroad bridge made it more difficult to ship products from the site.

Linn, Benton counties declare emergencies

Albany Democrat Herald

Linn and Benton counties each declared emergencies on Thursday due to recent flooding, which would allow them to assess damage and calculate estimated losses for possible state or federal relief funds. In Linn County, Board Chairman Roger Nyquist and Commissioner Will Tucker held a special meeting. Commissioner John Lindsey was not present. “The good news is that to our knowledge, there has not been any loss of life,” Nyquist said. “This also reminds us of how interconnected we are in the mid-valley in terms of residents traveling to and from their places of employment. When a major highway is turned into a river, it seriously affects traffic flow for all of us.”

Pendleton City Council wants public opinion on street revenue ideas

East Oregonian

The Pendleton City Council is taking its options for raising more revenue for street maintenance on the road. Council members gathered Tuesday for a workshop, where Mayor John Turner distributed a sheet of revenue ideas to each councilor. Turner emphasized that these were not ironclad proposals, but ideas meant to spur public discussion as council members present them to community groups. Turner said the city had about $1.2 million in the upcoming fiscal year for street maintenance funding, but needed another million dollars to start fixing a deteriorating street system.

OPINION

Letter: Bill threatens mill jobs

Daily Astorian

In my 19 years of service at Wauna, I’ve seen how our industry is changing, the intensely competitive nature of paper-making, and how pennies per case really do matter. While most people probably don’t care about where their toilet paper is made, they should. Because the stuff we make at the Wauna mill is some of the greenest (not literally), most sustainable that you’ll find anywhere in the world. It’s clear that state Rep. Tiffiny Mitchell doesn’t care much about that. Her recent declaration of support for the proposed cap and trade legislation is pretty much a “closing soon” sign out in front of our mill (“North Coast needs clean energy jobs,” The Daily Astorian, April 4). Just ask our colleagues at the Camas (Washington) mill and the loss of the jobs there.

Letter: Arrogant and dismissive

Daily Astorian

I work at the Wauna paper mill, and I am offended by the arrogant and dismissive words that state Rep. Tiffiny Mitchell recently directed toward hardworking people in her district (“North Coast needs clean energy jobs,” The Daily Astorian, April 4). For her to say that Oregon’s proposed cap and trade legislation doesn’t put hundreds of local jobs at risk is an outright lie.

Letter: Local jobs at risk

Daily Astorian

I’m writing to correct some misinformation provided by state Rep. Tiffiny Mitchell via a recent guest column, “North Coast needs clean energy jobs” (The Daily Astorian, April 4). Unfortunately, her support for the cap and trade bill glosses over the devastating consequences for hardworking men and women within Oregon’s pulp and paper industry.

GOV. KATE BROWN AND PERS

Gov. Kate Brown unveils new plan to offset school’s increasing pension costs

Oregonlive

Gov. Kate Brown rolled out a financially and politically ambitious proposal Friday to rein in increasing public pension costs for schools over the next 15 years by diverting various state revenue streams and requiring public employees to contribute to their pension benefits. The proposal is an effort to ensure that any new corporate tax money lawmakers dedicate to schools will actually make it into the classroom, and not be swallowed up by the pension system to backfill its growing deficit. But it could also serve as a backup plan in case lawmakers can’t pass a new tax plan. Elements of Brown’s plan have circulated for some time, but she hasn’t offered much specificity to date. That changed Friday, as she unveiled a detailed set of options for lawmakers to consider.

PERS Plan Would Limit Tax Rebates, Affect School Retirement Benefits

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has released her long-awaited plan to tackle the state’s financially troubled public pension system. The governor’s proposal, made public Friday, includes a long list of ideas to raise around $3.3 billion over the next 16 years to shield Oregon schools from most of the rate hikes facing Oregon public employers. State leaders are trying to dig their way out of a pension debt now estimated at nearly $27 billion. The plan includes proposals that could affect taxpayers, the business community and the state’s 70,000 school employees. Among other things, it calls for capping next year’s “kicker” income tax rebate at $100 — a move that would divert up to $500 million from taxpayers into the PERS school rescue fund.

Tax proposal taps businesses for more school funds

Portland Tribune

Oregonians could pay less on their state income taxes but pay more for some goods and services, under a legislative proposal to raise money for the state’s struggling public school system. The long-awaited proposal will tax businesses just under one-half of 1 percent of their gross receipts of more than $1 million while cutting Oregonians’ income tax rates by a quarter of a percent for all but the top bracket. Sales of groceries, gasoline and diesel would not be taxed under the proposal. The smallest businesses — those that make less than $1 million in taxable revenue per year — will not be subject to the tax, nor will any that already pay the medical provider tax. Businesses that are taxed will be able to allay the impact by deducting one-quarter of either their labor costs or the amount they paid to other businesses during the course of the year.

Governor Brown to unveil plan to help schools cover PERS costs

East Oregonian

Two elements make budgeting a painful math exercise for the Umatilla School District: employee health benefits and retirement benefits. Right now, the school district pays about 8 percent of its budget, or $1.2 million, to the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System. In the next school year, that cost will go up an estimated $46,000. That may not seem like much, but for Umatilla it could mean cuts — especially if the state doesn’t come up with more money for schools. “If there’s any type of increase, that is a direct hit to what we can offer to students,” said Superintendent Heidi Sipe. “…PERS is a larger and larger percent of those expenses that’s hitting us harder and harder each year.”

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Halfway Home, Oregon Legislators Stioregonll Face Huge To-Do List

Oregon Public Broadcasting

When business closed at the Oregon Legislature Tuesday, a breakneck session became somewhat less hectic. Roughly halfway through the 2019 Oregon legislative session, April 9 marked the last day most bills could either be moved out of committee or shelved for another year. But while the list of fallen proposals included some notable bills — lowering the drunk driving limit and disarming campus police, among them — the real challenges lie ahead. Democrats still have a hefty to-do list: They want to raise $1 billion annually for schools, rejigger the state’s tax code, usher through ambitious gun legislation and pass a complicated proposal to cap carbon emissions. “I kind of feel like I’m surfing on a tsunami of taxes,” said House Minority Leader Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass. “Every inch of this building (is) firmly in their hands for the most part. So I think that they’re using that opportunity to do everything that they’ve wanted to do for years.”

Supporters Of $1B Oregon Education Plan Bring Wish Lists To Hearing

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon lawmakers looking to raise $1 billion in tax revenue to invest in public schools heard a familiar message Thursday: “Yes … and?” Early childhood advocates, supporters of increased mental health resources, students calling for smaller class sizes and expanded programs — they all urged the Joint Committee on Student Success to approve the $1 billion plan to support K-12 schools. In fact, no one argued against the bill that’s come out of more than a year of meetings. Instead, advocates for the state’s youngest children and students in college and universities pressed lawmakers to stretch the dollars to help their priorities as well.

Vape, tobacco retailers want nicotine tax bills to go up in smoke

Portland Tribune

Of the handful of nicotine-related tax initiatives, Gov. Kate Brown’s proposed $2 a pack tax increase has gotten the most attention. However, a proposed vaping tax ended up being the hot-button issue when the proposals got public hearings this week. Sixty-five people showed up Wednesday and Thursday to tell the House Revenue Committee how they felt about five bills being considered. Many others came to watch, packing the hearing room. If all passed, the proposals would collectively increase the tobacco tax by $2 per pack of cigarettes, remove the 50-cent tax cap on cigars and impose a 95 percent wholesale tax on electronic cigarettes. A vote on whether to pass the proposals out of committee hasn’t been scheduled.

2 More Leaving In Ongoing Shakeup Under New Oregon Secretary Of State

Oregon Public Broadcasting

In less than two weeks, new Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno has dramatically changed at least the public face of the office. In her first days in the position, Clarno ousted chief of staff Debra Royal, legal affairs director Steve Elzinga and deputy secretary Leslie Cummings. On April 5, she made further changes, sending a letter to Larry Morgan, who holds a unique position as the office’s citizen engagement and inclusion coordinator, announcing that the contract for his services will not be renewed when it expires at the end of June. And this week, a vocal critic of Oregon’s largest school district resigned her position as the secretary of state’s liaison to the state of education.

Oregon Lawmakers Want Answers On Out-Of-State Foster Care Kids

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon lawmakers questioned Child Welfare officials in a hearing Thursday. They wanted to know why the number of foster care children being sent out-of-state skyrocketed and how a 9-year-old could be sent to Montana for six months and never be checked on by a caseworker. “Something here has gone very, very wrong,” said Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, who chairs the Senate Committee on Human Services and convened the hearing. “We cannot ignore it and we have to keep this issue front and center until we are satisfied each of these kids are safe.”

LOCAL

Astoria school leaders back Student Success Act State lawmakers consider more money for education

Daily Astorian

The Student Success Act being debated at the state Legislature could add another $1.4 million a year to the Astoria School District’s budget, Superintendent Craig Hoppes said Wednesday. House Bill 2019, introduced last month by the Joint Committee on Student Success, calls for an additional $2 billion in K-12 funding per biennium starting in July to improve behavioral support, mental health and early learning opportunities. The money would likely come from a tax on businesses’ gross receipts above $150,000. In laying out the school district’s approach to creating a budget for the 2019-20 school year, Hoppes called the Student Success Act the best opportunity for new funding in his 22 years with the district. “It could have a really significant impact in our district,” he said.

Coos Bay lumber mill to be shutdown, Georgia-Pacific will lay off 111 workers

Statesman Journal

Georgia-Pacific Wood Products has notified employees at its Coos Bay lumber mill that it will shutter the facility and lay off all of the site’s 111 workers. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Georgia-Pacific’s western lumber general manager, Bill Goodman, wrote to state officials Thursday saying job cuts will begin June 10 and continue in phases until the Coos Bay facility is completely closed. The Atlanta-based pulp and paper company said Asian competition for Oregon logs made it more expensive to supply the Coos Bay mill. And Georgia-Pacific said the prolonged closure of Coos Bay’s swing span railroad bridge made it more difficult to ship products from the site.

Linn, Benton counties declare emergencies

Albany Democrat Herald

Linn and Benton counties each declared emergencies on Thursday due to recent flooding, which would allow them to assess damage and calculate estimated losses for possible state or federal relief funds. In Linn County, Board Chairman Roger Nyquist and Commissioner Will Tucker held a special meeting. Commissioner John Lindsey was not present. “The good news is that to our knowledge, there has not been any loss of life,” Nyquist said. “This also reminds us of how interconnected we are in the mid-valley in terms of residents traveling to and from their places of employment. When a major highway is turned into a river, it seriously affects traffic flow for all of us.”

Pendleton City Council wants public opinion on street revenue ideas

East Oregonian

The Pendleton City Council is taking its options for raising more revenue for street maintenance on the road. Council members gathered Tuesday for a workshop, where Mayor John Turner distributed a sheet of revenue ideas to each councilor. Turner emphasized that these were not ironclad proposals, but ideas meant to spur public discussion as council members present them to community groups. Turner said the city had about $1.2 million in the upcoming fiscal year for street maintenance funding, but needed another million dollars to start fixing a deteriorating street system.

OPINION

Letter: Bill threatens mill jobs

Daily Astorian

In my 19 years of service at Wauna, I’ve seen how our industry is changing, the intensely competitive nature of paper-making, and how pennies per case really do matter. While most people probably don’t care about where their toilet paper is made, they should. Because the stuff we make at the Wauna mill is some of the greenest (not literally), most sustainable that you’ll find anywhere in the world. It’s clear that state Rep. Tiffiny Mitchell doesn’t care much about that. Her recent declaration of support for the proposed cap and trade legislation is pretty much a “closing soon” sign out in front of our mill (“North Coast needs clean energy jobs,” The Daily Astorian, April 4). Just ask our colleagues at the Camas (Washington) mill and the loss of the jobs there.

Letter: Arrogant and dismissive

Daily Astorian

I work at the Wauna paper mill, and I am offended by the arrogant and dismissive words that state Rep. Tiffiny Mitchell recently directed toward hardworking people in her district (“North Coast needs clean energy jobs,” The Daily Astorian, April 4). For her to say that Oregon’s proposed cap and trade legislation doesn’t put hundreds of local jobs at risk is an outright lie.

Letter: Local jobs at risk

Daily Astorian

I’m writing to correct some misinformation provided by state Rep. Tiffiny Mitchell via a recent guest column, “North Coast needs clean energy jobs” (The Daily Astorian, April 4). Unfortunately, her support for the cap and trade bill glosses over the devastating consequences for hardworking men and women within Oregon’s pulp and paper industry.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Gov. Kate Brown signs reduced 2020 kicker rebate into law

Oregonlive

It’s official: The collective “kicker” tax rebate Oregonians will likely receive when they file in 2020 is going to be $108 million smaller, thanks to a bill Gov. Kate Brown signed into law on Wednesday. At the last forecast in February, state economists predicted Oregon’s one-of-a-kind personal income tax rebate could reach $748.5 million. At that time, economists estimated that individuals earning the median adjusted gross income of $35,000 to $36,000 would receive kickers of roughly $180.

Lawmakers unveil spending plans for $2 billion corporate tax hike

Oregonlive

Oregon lawmakers would give local school districts wide latitude on how they spend $2 billion in new tax money under a framework introduced in Salem this week. The proposed tax hike has been proceeding on two tracks during the current legislative session. One is preparing a plan to raise $2 billion in each two-year budget cycle from new businesses taxes. The other track is considering how to use the money. The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Student Success has been working for more than a year to set priorities for Oregon’s schools, from kindergarten through high school. The Democratic-led committee says it visited 77 schools last year to gather input.

Lawmakers roll out billion-dollar plan for student success

Portland Tribune

Oregon would enact a new tax on businesses and raise more than $1 billion annually for public schools under a legislative proposal released Thursday, April 4, after more than a year in development. Three leaders of the Joint Committee on Student Success briefed reporters on a House bill aimed at prioritizing early childhood education, student mental health and district initiatives to improve graduation rates and other priorities.

Astoria school leaders back Student Success Act

The Daily Astorian

The Student Success Act being debated at the state Legislature could add another $1.4 million a year to the Astoria School District’s budget, Superintendent Craig Hoppes said Wednesday. House Bill 2019, introduced last month by the Joint Committee on Student Success, calls for an additional $2 billion in K-12 funding per biennium starting in July to improve behavioral support, mental health and early learning opportunities. The money would likely come from a tax on businesses’ gross receipts above $150,000.

Oregon lawmakers want to make cold meds available without a prescription

Oregonlive

Oregonians would once again be able to buy cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine without a prescription under a bill up for a vote on Thursday in the Oregon House. House Bill 2303 would not give those drugs the same status as common over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin or acetaminophen. Instead, pharmacies would need to store products containing pseudoephedrine under lock and key. But people who wanted to purchase them could do so without a prescription, as long as they are 18 or older and can produce a government-issued photo ID.

Advocates Say Oregon Foster Child Abandoned, Drugged Out Of State

Oregon Public Broadcasting

A 9-year-old Oregon girl in foster care has been largely abandoned by state regulators charged with her care and sometimes drugged in an out-of-state facility, advocates say. In October, two Oregon Child Welfare officials flew to Montana with the girl to drop her off at a 105-bed psychiatric residential treatment facility. For six months, no one from Oregon’s Child Welfare office visited her. But there is no record of any contracted case worker checking on the 9-year-old child either, according to the girl’s attorney and a state senator.

Lawmakers Announce Funding For Portland Bus Rapid Transit Project

Oregon Public Broadcasting

 A group of Oregon’s congressional Democratic lawmakers announced Wednesday more than $87 million in funding for the Division Bus Rapid Transit Project — a public transit project that is expected to provide faster trips between downtown Portland, southeast and east Portland and Gresham. Oregon U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Oregon U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said the federal funding for the project will improve mobility for the region.

Your tax dollars at work: cities, counties spend big for bills, policies

Portland Tribune

Lobbying is largely synonymous with interest groups, but every year, government agencies big and small spend money to amplify their interests at the Capitol. Yet lobbyists for the city or county you live in or the public university your children attend are working at taxpayer expense in the Capitol with the hope of gaining influence. “That’s our tax dollars lobbying for more tax dollars,” said Julie Parrish, a former state representative. In 2017, the city of Portland spent more on lobbying than any other government body. In fact, at $353,391, the city was the sixth biggest spender out of all organizations lobbying the Legislature.

Megadairy regulation proposals die in Oregon Legislature as key deadline passes

Statesman Journal

Efforts to tighten rules for new and expanded megadairies, launched in response to a regulatory and environmental disaster at Oregon’s newest large dairy, have failed. Senate Bill 876, put forward by a legislative work group that met for months, died in committee Tuesday as a key deadline to move measures forward passed. So did two related bills pushed by a coalition of 22 health, environment and animal welfare groups. “Even the most reasonable reforms were blocked by lobbyists working with these big corporate agribusinesses,” said Ivan Maluski, policy director for Salem-based Friends of Family Farmers.

Oregon Court Of Appeals Ruling Upholds State’s Nonunanimous Juries

Oregon Public Broadcasting

In a ruling Wednesday, the Oregon Court of Appeals upheld the state’s unique nonunanimous jury law. The case stemmed from the 2017 conviction of Olan Williams, an African American man. Williams was convicted of sodomy by a jury in Multnomah County. The verdict was split, with 10 jurors voting to convict and two dissenting. One of the dissenting jurors was an African American woman. Effectively, Williams argued he was denied a jury of his peers. In his appeal, he said the nonunanimous provision of the Oregon Constitution violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled it couldn’t review the case.

LOCAL

Hundreds rally in downtown Portland to push for education funding

Oregonlive

They demanded counselors. Smaller class sizes. Books. Teachers from across the metro area took to Pioneer Courthouse Square Wednesday to press the Oregon Legislature for more funding to beef up offerings in public schools. Speakers such as Evan Selby, a 23-year educator at Reynolds High School, called for tax increases on corporations across the state to boost funding for schools. “Nike is morally and ethically obligated to help funding our schools,” the social studies teacher said through a bullhorn to a crowd of hundreds gathered amidst a light drizzle.

Teachers ‘stand up, fight back’ at downtown rally

Portland Tribune

Hundreds of Portland-area teachers filled Pioneer Courthouse Square Wednesday afternoon to rally for better public school funding from Oregon lawmakers. The April 10 “Take it to the MAX” rally included teachers and school employees from several school districts who rode MAX trains and gathered downtown for increased education funding by state legislators. Teachers gathered, chanted and waved signs and banners.

New Technology Will Help Northwest Forest Managers Assess Wildfire Danger

Oregon Public Broadcasting

A tool forest managers use to determine the level of fire danger is getting its first update in more than 40 years. The National Fire Danger Rating System uses information like temperature, humidity and wind to let firefighters know how wildfire will behave. “It allows us to combine a lot of information to produce a very simple categorical scale of fire weather conditions for a particular place on a particular day,” said U.S. Forest Service researcher Matt Jolly.

New study examines Clatsop County’s housing crunch

Daily Astorian

Clatsop County should do more to support diverse housing at higher densities and control vacation rentals to address an affordable housing shortage. The recommendations are the product of a nearly yearlong, countywide study that was commissioned by the county and five cities. On Wednesday, Johnson Economics and Angelo Planning Group presented a draft of the final report to the county Board of Commissioners, which outlined several suggestions on how local governments could adapt codes, zoning requirements and other regulations to encourage affordable housing.

OPINION

Letters: Climate change will cost Oregon millions

Portland Tribune

State Rep. David Brock Smith wrote a letter to the editor saying, “HB 2020 will devastate Oregon families, their communities and the businesses that support them.” He claimed Oregonians contribute only 0.14 percent of carbon emissions and said the director of DEQ described that as “minuscule.” Oregonians represent 0.055 percent of the world’s population. If Oregonians emit 0.14 percent of the world’s carbon, they emit over 2.5 times as much carbon as the rest of the world per capita. Yet he said nothing about this. Neither did he mention the lives that would be lost. A study by the Climate Impact Lab states, “by the year 2099, even with economic growth and adaptation, 1.5 million more people will die each year around the world because of increased heat. By comparison, 1.25 million people died in 2013 in all traffic accidents world-wide.” How much are 1.5 million lives lost per year due to increased heat worth?

Bill to end most exemptions a bad idea

Oregonlive

The current measles outbreak was not spread in a school setting. So why are Oregon lawmakers currently pushing a law that would permanently ban unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children from day care and schools? Healthy unvaccinated children do not harbor illness or viruses. They cannot spread what they do not have. I thought that education was important to Oregon’s elected officials. In Oregon, there is already a law that unvaccinated children must be excluded from school during an outbreak of a contagious disease such as the measles. Why would anyone want to make the quarantine permanent? What is the point of denying perfectly healthy kids an education or after-school activities?

TEA PARTY rally nationwide on APRIL 15: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/04/01/tea-party-rally-tax-day-nationwide/

Rally to stop SOCIALISM on APRIL 15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ecH4KYtxYA

The Ash Heap of History: https://www.gocomics.com/michaelramirez/2019/02/07

Democratic Presidential Primary: https://www.gocomics.com/michaelramirez/2019/02/09

He’s the Future?  https://www.gocomics.com/michaelramirez/2019/03/05

Electrical Shortage in Venezuela:  https://www.gocomics.com/michaelramirez/2019/03/16

Americans for Liberty PAC

Upholding the Constitution in the Tradition of our Founding Fathers

Executive Director Lanny Hildebrandt

1615 4^th Street

La Grande, OR  97850

(541) 963-7930

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Gov. Brown’s plan to protect schools from pension costs likely falls short

Oregonlive

Much of the intrigue in this year’s legislative session centers around lawmakers’ push to raise corporate taxes by $2 billion to better fund Oregon’s struggling K-12 schools. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Gov. Kate Brown is aggressively shaking the sofa cushions of state government in a companion effort to protect that investment from being spent on school districts’ increasing pension costs. It’s a desperate attempt to take action that everyone agrees is needed. But it appears that for all of Brown’s efforts, she’ll come up short — an illustration of the sheer size of the pension problem and the paucity of available revenue streams to address it.

Oregon Considers Cigarette Tax Hike To Match Neighbors — And Fund Health Care

Oregon Public Broadcasting

The display cases at Paul’s Cigars, in the North Portland enclave of Hayden Island, offer an impressive array. Dozens of varieties of stogies sit in ornate boxes, their pungent potential locked away behind glass. Owner John Paul has spent years amassing this inventory. And lately as he’s surveyed his collection, he’s begun doing a quiet math: “This $10 cigar will be going to $13.50,” said Paul, pointing out products on a recent tour around his store. “That one’s gonna go up $3 a stick. This one will go up about $4 and a quarter a stick.”

Oregon Effort To Add Density In Many Neighborhoods Gains Momentum

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek’s plan to increase density in single-family neighborhoods around the state appears to be gaining political momentum. The bill was unanimously approved by a House committee Monday after the Portland Democrat agreed to make several changes. Republicans said their initial worries that the legislation would trample on local control have largely been satisfied. “I was thinking to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, I actually like the speaker’s bill,’” said Rep. Jack Zika, R-Redmond, after Kotek unveiled the changes at a hearing last week.

Bills target pensions

Mail Tribune

Current and future public employees wouldn’t have as generous a retirement under initiative petitions being pushed by business interests in yet another effort to reform the state’s notoriously complex and expensive retirement system. The effort has attracted two big names in Oregon politics — former Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Chris Telfer, a former state senator and currently a member of the Oregon Lottery Commission. Kulongoski and Telfer say the amount that local governments, like cities and school districts, pay to the Public Employees Retirement System each year is poised to grow so much that they will struggle to provide basic services.

Bill to lower Oregon’s drunken driving limit stalls in Salem

Oregonlive

A bill to lower the legal blood alcohol limit in Oregon to .05 percent will not move forward in Salem this year. Sen. President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, confirmed Monday that his Senate Bill 7, which calls for Oregon to lower its drunken driving limit from .08 to .05 percent blood alcohol content, is dead. “We’re not going to do it this session,” Courtney said of his attempt to impose tougher blood alcohol content rules. “I’m not surprised. I do know that we have made progress.”

Oregon looks at regulating kratom, a drug sold at many corner markets

Oregonlive

Oregon lawmakers looking at regulating the drug kratom, currently sold without any rules or oversight at gas stations and corner markets around the state. Kratom is made from the leaves of a tree native to southeast Asia and, when ingested, can have effect similar to both a stimulant and an opioid. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider the proposal to regulate kratom at an 8:15 a.m. Tuesday meeting. The proposal was previously reported by the Portland Mercury.

Adi’s Act: State invests to save students’ lives

Portland Tribune

A handful of bills making their way through the Legislature changes the way Oregon deals with suicide-prevention for young people. Oregonians die by suicide at a rate well above the national average. Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Legislature have taken notice. This spring, a number of proposals are before the Legislature to bolster state and local officials’ ability to respond to and prevent suicides — including one that would bring Oregon in line with most states by requiring every public school district to adopt a suicide prevention plan.

LOCAL

Oregon Wolf Population Increases, With Jump In Livestock Attacks

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s population of wolves increased by 10% last year. There are now 137 of them in the state, according the state’s annual report on wolf management released Monday. The number of wolf attacks on cattle and sheep, which also increased by 65%, for a total of 28. However, Derek Broman, carnivore and furbearer coordinator for Oregon Fish and Wildlife, said since wolves’ return in 2009, the overall rate of livestock attacks, known as depredations, has not kept pace with the minimum population.

Oregon Bicyclists Could Treat Stop Signs As Yields Under Low-Key Proposal

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Cyclists around Oregon could treat stop signs and blinking red lights as yield signs, under a bill that looks likely to pass a legislative committee. For what appears to be the first time in a decade, the “Idaho stop” is back up for consideration in Salem. The proposal, modeled after a policy passed in Idaho in the ‘80s, would allow bicycles leeway to keep rolling when approaching a stop sign or blinking red light. If there are no other vehicles with the right of way, cyclists could legally proceed without coming to a complete stop.

Budget cuts target beloved community officer in Corbett

Portland Tribune

Facing $4 million shortfall, sheriff proposes unpopular staff reductions. Staff at the Corbett Water District were worried a customer made a threat involving a gun because he was mad about his high water bill.  So a staff member called Deputy Joe “Rocky” Graziano, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office’s (MCSO) Corbett community resource officer. Graziano knew the individual, and he thought it may not have been a threat, but rather a poorly worded joke.

The worst of Lane County flooding has passed, weather service advises

The Register-Guard

As the National Weather Service’s flood warning timed out at 7:45 p.m. Monday, most of the rivers with high water in Lane County had crested and were on their way back below flood stages, said Matthew Cullen, meteorologist Weather Service in Portland. Parks and other riverside land might be inundated for a couple more days, but he said that the worst of the flooding had passed. Rain lingers in the forecast for the rest of the week, but it will likely be light and scattered showers rather than driving, heavy rain. So, he said flooding concerns should lessen throughout the week.

Partnership forms to fight fires from the river

Daily Astorian

In 2014, the Port of Astoria took ownership of the Trident, a federally funded emergency response boat with high-tech equipment and two water cannons, promising to add a new dimension to waterfront firefighting. Since then, the boat has mostly languished on a floating mattress at the West Mooring Basin, its electronics slowly breaking down because of a lack of maintenance. But with several firefighters freshly trained on the Trident and an agreement forming between the Port and the city to operate it, there is hope the vessel will be available to help fight fires.

NATIONAL

Measles Outbreak: New York Declares Health Emergency, Requires Vaccinations in Parts of Brooklyn

The New York Times

New York City on Tuesday declared a public health emergency following a measles outbreak in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn. Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city would require unvaccinated individuals living in select ZIP codes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to receive the measles vaccine as the city escalated its efforts to stem one of the largest measles outbreaks in decades. The measure follows a spike in measles cases in New York City, where there have been 285 confirmed cases since the outbreak began in the fall; 21 of those cases led to hospitalizations, including five admissions to the intensive care unit. The majority of the cases have been concentrated in Hasidic communities in Williamsburg and Borough Park, Brooklyn. Across the country, there have been 465 measles cases since the start of 2019, with 78 new cases in the last week alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday.

LOCAL

Washington County Sheriff pulls out of mutual aid pact with Portland police; other agencies may follow suit

Oregonlive

Neighboring police agencies are rethinking helping Portland police except in major emergencies in the wake of a million-dollar judgment against Washington County and Hillsboro awarded after their officers wounded a man while helping Portland police with a search warrant. Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett has ordered his deputies not to take any enforcement action in Portland unless there’s a direct tie to their casework in Washington County. Clackamas County is thinking of following suit. Washington County’s move came on the advice of its senior assistant counsel, Elmer M. Dickens, who doubles as the attorney for the Oregon State Sheriffs Association.

Lane County residents told to evacuate amid ‘historic’ release of water from reservoir

Oregonlive

Authorities have asked residents of two Lane County floodplains to evacuate immediately as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released water from a reservoir amid heavy rains, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. The immediate threat is most acute for people in the Row River floodplain, the sheriff’s office said, with a delayed impact to those on the Coast Fork of the Willamette floodplain. Both areas have been issued a Level 3 evacuation notice, which means that danger to the area is imminent.

School Board member resigns after town hall controversy

Hood River News

Hood River County School District Board Member Benjamin Sheppard submitted a letter of resignation to the Hood River County School District earlier this week. His resignation follows community backlash related to his controversial behavior at Rep. Greg Walden’s town hall last month, which included shouting questions and comments at Rep. Walden from the audience and reportedly wearing a jacket portraying the American flag upside down. The Hood River County School District Board of Directors aims to select a replacement for Sheppard’s vacant Position 2 at an upcoming public school board meeting on April 24.

NATIONAL

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Leaving Post

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen is leaving her post, President Trump announced Sunday as he continues to focus on restricting border crossings amid a recent surge. Nielsen had recently warned a congressional panel of a “catastrophe” on the Southern border after the number of crossings hit a 10-year high. Trump confirmed the news in a tweet, saying, “I would like to thank her for her service.”

Layoffs at highest level in first quarter since 2009 as recession fears grow: economic report

Oregonlive

The beginning of 2019 produced the most layoffs in a first quarter in 10 years, amid rising concerns of an impending recession. “Total announced cuts hit 190,410, a 10.3 percent increase from the fourth quarter and 35.6 percent jump from the same period a year ago,” CNBC reported Friday. The layoff numbers come from an analysis by outplacement company Challenger Gray & Christmas, which says the cuts are a result of “economic uncertainty and fears of an upcoming downturn.” The quarterly jobs cuts are the most since the third quarter of 2015, and the most for a first quarter since 2009.

OPINION

Opinion: Bill would give auto dealers too much control over customers’ information

Oregonlive

Recently California passed a data privacy law to protect consumers. Washington state will likely have a new privacy law in a few weeks. But here in Oregon, our Legislature is heading in a different direction as it considers a bill that should be titled the “Breach Waiting to Happen Act.” As a data protection expert and cybersecurity professional, I hope that our legislators are wise and kill this idea quickly. A lay person might read House Bill 3152 as authorizing standard information-sharing arrangements between auto manufacturers, dealers and the companies that build specialized computer systems for the industry.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Clarno takes ceremonial oath of office

Salem Reporter

Scores of family, friends, lawmakers and journalists packed into the Governor’s ceremonial office to watch Oregon’s newest Secretary of State, Bev Clarno, take the oath of office. The event was largely symbolic. Clarno was officially sworn in Sunday night, and got to work Monday morning. Clarno, an 83-year-old Redmond Republican, was appointed by Gov. Kate Brown to fill the remainder of Dennis Richardson’s term. Richardson died in office in February. Clarno previously served in the legislature as Speaker of the house in the 1990s and Senate Republican Leader in 2003, when there was an even 15-15 split in the chamber.

Oregon reaches female power milestone with new office holder

Albany Democrat Herald

A glass ceiling was broken in Oregon Wednesday when a former lawmaker and hog farmer was sworn in as secretary of state, marking the first time in state history that women have held four of five statewide offices. Bev Clarno is also the oldest person to have ever held the office, according to Kerry Tymchuk, executive director of the Oregon Historical Society. Clarno turned 83 on Friday and was on vacation when Gov. Kate Brown left her a voicemail, saying she was being tapped to serve in the state’s second-highest office.

Oregon leaders want to remove college degree requirement for child welfare workers

Oregonlive

Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon child welfare leaders want to remove college degree requirements for caseworkers to increase workforce diversity and the candidate pool for openings the agency has struggled to fill. Under Oregon law, employees who investigate reports of child abuse and make decisions about whether to remove children from their families much have at least a bachelor’s degree.

Lawmakers consider measure that would allow lawsuits over frivolous calls for police

Oregonlive

A person who has the police called on them for the “crime” of being a person of color could sue the person who summoned law enforcement, under a bill introduced by three African American state lawmakers. One of the sponsors, Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Clackamas, experienced such a call when she was canvassing for votes in her suburban Portland district last summer. The summoning of police on a lawmaker “campaigning while black” drew national attention.”

Hasta la vista, greenhouse gas: Arnold Schwarzenegger weighs in on Oregon’s carbon emission reduction bill

Oregonlive

In a video shared on Twitter Wednesday, the Terminator voiced his support for HB 2020, which would work to reduce Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions. Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t just an action star with an instantly recognizable accent. Don’t forget, he was governor of California from 2003 to 2011. And it is that experience, not his comfort with a catchphrase, that he brought to Wednesday’s video.

Oregon Warns Medical Cannabis Growers: Report Or Face Fines

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon is warning medical cannabis growers that if they don’t report their inventories, they could face stiff fines. Since 2016, small scale growers in Oregon have needed to report how much marijuana they produce to the medical marijuana online system. But the state says only about 15% are in compliance. That means only about 300 of the state’s 1,900 registered growers have been telling officials how much cannabis they have on hand. Anthony Taylor with Compassionate Oregon said he thinks mos

Copy. Paste. Legislate: Model bills work their way into Oregon statehouse

Statesman Journal

The bill Oregon lawmakers are considering that supports using the popular vote to determine the outcome of national presidential elections instead of the electoral college is essentially a copycat bill. Senate Bill 870 has model language from the non-profit National Popular Vote, Inc., which backs the popular vote. Fourteen other states and the District of Columbia already have adopted it into law. A USA TODAY-Statesman Journal analysis of legislative language in Oregon found 85 proposals dating back to 2011 with wording that largely matches what’s found in bill models that national groups draft and advance.

LOCAL

Will ‘opportunity zones’ help or hurt low-income neighborhoods? The jury’s out

Oregonlive

In Portland, the federal opportunity zone program has made headlines for being applied across much of downtown, the Pearl District and the Central Eastside —already crowded with construction cranes. But areas that have historically suffered from a lack of interest from private developers and investors are hoping they, too, can benefit from a program that’s ostensibly meant for them. Ketch, founder of the nonprofit Rockwood Community Development Corp., is hoping to raise money for community benefit projects. The first project on the docket is an 84-unit apartment complex for moderate-income earners, with some of the units set for low-income households.

Climate change advocacy workshop happening Saturday in Eugene

The Register-Guard

A climate change advocacy workshop is set for Saturday in Eugene. Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a California-based nonprofit advocating for laws to address climate change, will host the event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Emmaus Lutheran Church, 1250 W. 18th Ave. The group has a Eugene chapter. Cost for the workshop is $25 in advance, $30 the day of the workshop and $10 for students.

Salem apartment rents continue to rise, but Oregon housing crunch shows signs of easing

Statesman Journal

Salem apartment rents climbed slightly in early 2019 but Oregon’s housing crunch showed signs of easing amid a healthy economy and a better balance between the supply of units and renters’ needs. It’s too early to measure the effects of rent control legislation passed in February, but Salem apartment rents edged up 1.3% — or about $14 for a two-bedroom apartment — over the last month, according to rental marketing service Apartment List. Salem’s median rents were $840 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,100 for a two-bedroom apartment, according to Apartment List. The marketer pegged Salem’s year-over-year rent growth rate at 1.4%, far below this year’s 10.3% cap instituted under the rent control law.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

High profile gun control bills dropped in 2019 Oregon legislative session

KGW

Friday was a key day in the Oregon legislature, with any bill not scheduled to have a work session now considered to be dead for the session, as the Oregonian first reported. Among them were a mix of gun control bills brought forward by student activists and the faith group Lift Every Voice though an omnibus senate bill may still resurrect some restrictions favored by them. Others gained high public notice through media coverage that advanced into social media interaction with readers and viewers.

Oregon may expand gun-free zones, raise gun buying age

Oregonlive

Oregon lawmakers have scheduled about four hours of public hearings on Tuesday to tackle what’s shaping up to be this year’s principal gun legislation. In the morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee will take testimony on a 44-page proposal that would, among other things, penalize some gun owners who fail to lock up their guns and allow gun dealers to refuse to sell guns to people younger than 21. In the afternoon, the House Judiciary Committee will consider a more limited gun safety bill.

New Oregon secretary of state dismisses staff

Oregonlive

On Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno’s first full day in office Monday, three executives in her department were dismissed. The departures of Deputy Secretary of State Leslie Cummings, chief of staff Deb Royal and governmental and legal affairs director Steve Elzinga came just a day after Clarno, an 83-year-old Republican former lawmaker, was sworn in. “Looking forward to serving Oregon as Secretary of State!” Clarno tweeted.

Former Secretary of State Dennis Richardson’s Top Aides Are Out As New Secretary of State Bev Clarno Takes Over

Willamette Week

At least three top aides to former Secretary of State Dennis Richardson are out of jobs today as Richardson’s successor, Secretary of State Bev Clarno moves to shape her staff for the next two years. Gone are Richardson’s deputy, Leslie Cummings, his chief of staff, Deb Royal and his legal advisor, Steve Elzinga. The Salem Statesman Journal first reported the departures. All three worked in the “front office” of the secretary of state’s office, which means they were political appointees who served at the pleasure of the secretary of state.

Oregon’s death penalty amounts to ‘cruel deception’ on families and public, lawmakers told

Oregonlive

Death penalty opponents told a panel of lawmakers on Monday that capital punish is expensive, leads to decades of delays and offers little comfort to victims’ families. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard nearly two hours of testimony, most of it from supporters of Senate Bill 1013, which would limit the death penalty to cases involving acts of terror that kill two or more people. The bill is expected to get a committee vote on April 8.

Oregon Lawmakers Take Up Bill To Sharply Narrow Death Penalty

Oregon Public Broadcasting

A bill that would defang Oregon’s death penalty without a statewide vote got its first hearing before a Senate committee Monday, drawing testimony that was overwhelmingly supportive of the novel approach. Senate Bill 1013 would leave the little-used death penalty in the Oregon Constitution — only voters can take it out. The bill instead would sharply narrow the definition of aggravated murder, the only crime punishable by death in Oregon.

Feminine hygiene products bill gets committee support

Portland Tribune

Oregon students could access free feminine hygiene products at school under a proposal from their peers. A group of students from South Eugene High School brought the idea to state Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene. Fahey is chief sponsor of House Bill 3020, which would require public schools with students in grades 7 to 12 to make free menstrual products available in at least half of the school’s bathrooms.

LOCAL

Governor proposes more money for National Guard facilities in Pendleton

East Oregonian

While much of the local focus on Gov. Kate Brown’s budget has been on her proposals for education, tucked away in the Oregon Military Department budget is millions of dollars allocated for the Oregon National Guard’s facilities in Pendleton. Under Brown’s public safety budget, the department would spend $9.9 million for enhancements at aviation facilities in Pendleton and Salem during the 2019-21 biennium. Roy Swafford, the department’s director of installations, said the money would go toupgrading the aviation facilities to protect them against emergencies, including seismic structure improvements and backup power sources.

Booked And Buried: Northwest  Jails’ Mounting Death Toll

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Since 2008, at least 306 people across the Northwest have died after being taken to a county jail, according to an investigation by OPB, KUOW and the Northwest News Network. Until now, that number was unknown, in part because Oregon and Washington have not comprehensively tracked those deaths in county jails. If they did, they would find a crisis of rising death rates in overburdened jails that have been set up to fail the inmates they are tasked with keeping safe.

Detroit Lake water level 40 feet below normal, in danger of another low summer

Statesman Journal

The popular reservoir’s water level is 40 feet below normal, raising concerns that it won’t reach its “full pool” this summer or even come close. That could impact everything from recreation and tourism to wildlife and irrigation down the Santiam Canyon. The current reservoir level is 1,500 feet above sea level, while it should be closer to 1,540 feet. At present, the reservoir level is similar to the disastrous 2015 and 2001 seasons that saw historic lows.

Salem plastic shopping bag ban gets mixed reviews; paper bags cost at least 5 cents each

Statesman Journal

Don’t expect to hear “paper or plastic” at checkstands anymore. Salem shoppers gave mixed reviews to a ban on plastic shopping bags that took effect Monday, with some praising it and others saying they found household uses for the plastic bags. John Meissner, carrying drinks purchased from a Salem Fred Meyer without a bag, called the ban “a bit of an imposition.”

Astoria finalizes ordinance to curb panhandling

The Daily Astorian

City leaders finalized a new ordinance Monday they say is necessary for traffic safety, but some fear it is an attempt to ban panhandling and believe it will hurt the homeless. The ordinance, modeled off rules enacted by other Oregon cities, would make it a traffic violation to give or take something from a car window while the vehicle is on the roadway. Violations come with a $75 fine.

OPINION

Editorial: House bill offers gasoline compromise

Albany Democrat-Herald

So this is how Oregon residents get the opportunity to pump their own gas: One crack in the wall at a time. For decades, Oregon and New Jersey have been the only states in the nation that don’t allow gas stations to offer self-service pumps. In Oregon, it’s become one of the odd quirks that we (sometimes) appreciate about the state: To paraphrase the state’s motto, “She Flies on Her Own Wings, But She Lets Others Pump the Gas.” In Oregon’s case, the law banning self-service gasoline has been on the books since 1951, and the law lists 17 separate justifications for the ban. Those justifications include some that likely have occurred to you: For example, the ban creates jobs.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Lawmakers go into second half of session with a full plate

Portland Tribune

Oregon’s legislators are halfway around their political track in Salem and major reforms in taxation, environment and education remain in the works. They now have about 90 days to finish their work and go home. Democrats, who dominate the House and Senate, say key proposals have already been passed and turned into law, including first-of-its kind statewide rent control. About 200 bills have made it through, most with no controversy. They honor influential figures and tidy up technical details in existing laws among other steps. Friday, March 29, was a critical day. Legislative leaders mandated that proposed bills were being actively processed or they would die for lack of progress. That could whittle down legislators’ “to do” list considerably.

Legal problems, increased secrecy under pro-union bill headed to Senate, opponents say

Oregonlive

House Democrats passed a bill Wednesday that would make public agencies in Oregon a far friendlier and sheltered spot for union organizing in the wake of a court decision that has threatened their finances. House Bill 2016 would block public access to employee information and unions’ communication with workers, provisions that conflict with the state’s public records law and would apply whether the employee is a union member or not. It would penalize public employers that allow anti-union communications on their email systems. And it would lock all public employers into a slate of requirements that are currently the subject of collective bargaining between individual employers and unions in each contract period.

Why Oregon’s chief medical examiner didn’t autopsy an infant whose day care death is now under investigation

Oregonlive

Oregon’s chief medical examiner will step down Monday after a short but tumultuous tenure beset by conflict with several top prosecutors and capped by ongoing finger-pointing over who failed to secure a forensic autopsy in the death of an infant who stopped breathing at a Eugene day care. The dispute between state and county officials exposes continued dysfunction despite a 2017 pledge under Oregon Gov. Kate Brown that all child care deaths must receive comprehensive investigations.

Limit campaign bucks? Let 16-year-olds vote?

Portland Tribune

Two constitutional amendments next year could bring the most dramatic changes in a generation to how Oregon conducts its elections. But first, they have to pass through the Legislature. The pathway for campaign finance reform looked relatively smooth until it hit a bump Wednesday, March 27. The Senate Campaign Finance Committee approved one proposal that would ask voters whether they want to limit campaign contributions in Oregon’s state and local elections. It did so without the support of the committee’s two Republican senators — including the legislation’s co-sponsor, Sen. Tim Knopp of Bend.

Michael Strickland gets lawmaker support as appeal looms

Portland Tribune

An Oregon lawmaker is taking to the barricades in support of a man convicted of pointing a handgun at a crowd during a “Don’t Shoot” downtown Portland protest in July 2016. But a looming court decision could overturn or vindicate that conviction. Wearing a suit and tie, conservative blogger Michael Strickland sat silently at the desk of Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, during the short speech inside the statehouse on Thursday, March 21. “He acted in self defense but was treated like a criminal,” Thatcher told her colleagues. “Free speech is free speech. We as a body should honor the Constitution’s explicit protections set aside for that.”

‘Support medical freedom’: Dozens oppose house bill requiring vaccinations at Salem rally

Statesman Journal

More than 50 adults, and about 20 children, ngathered across from the Oregon State Capitol Saturday to “support medical freedom.” Salem’s rally was one of five around Oregon, others taking place in Bend, Medford, Eugene and Portland. The rallies were in opposition of House Bill 3063, which, if passed, would remove a parent’s ability to exempt their children from required vaccinations for reasons other than a medical diagnosis.  Melissa Conner, of McMinnville, said she opposes the bill because it would remove personal and religious exemptions for vaccinations.

LOCAL

Bullying bills at state Legislature could help local schools

Albany Democrat Herald

House Bill 2604 and Senate Bill 180 outline the same terms and conditions for $6 million in grant funding for school districts that create programs aimed at stemming bullying and increasing student empowerment. To earn funding, programs would need community partners and include four components: classroom presentations, empowerment groups, school staff training and parent education. Priority, according to the bills, would be given to schools based on geographic equity and to programs that targeted middle school students.

Salem-Keizer teachers file labor complaint over involuntary transfer, restricted visits

Statesman Journal

The Salem Keizer Education Association has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Salem-Keizer Public Schools for allegedly discriminating against and unfairly transferring an elementary school teacher, and restricting the union’s access to its members. The complaint was filed with the Oregon Employment Relations Board in early March, but Lillian Govus, director of communications for the school district, said they have not been served and, as a result, have not issued a formal response. Once served, district officials have 10 days to respond to the complaint.

Controversial Southern Oregon Energy Project Clears Big Hurdle

Oregon Public Broadcasting

A federal environmental review has given a preliminary green light to a fiercely contested proposal to build a natural gas pipeline and export terminal in southern Oregon. A draft environmental impact statement released Friday lists more than 130 conditions the Jordan Cove Energy Project would have to meet to minimize its negative effects. As long as those conditions are observed, the report says, the project would not have significant environmental impact.

Lawmaker wants to take fare checks away from Transit Police

Portland Tribune

The purview of transit police could shrink, if a Portland lawmaker concerned about discrimination against low-income TriMet riders has his way. State Rep. Diego Hernandez, a Democrat who represents parts of outer east Portland, testified Monday on a group of bills he has introduced in response to a high-profile arrest — which a Multnomah County judge later ruled to have violated constitutional rights — at a MAX station last year. One of those bills, House Bill 3337, would prohibit police officers from enforcing public transit fares. One of Hernandez’s constituents, Ana del Rocio, was arrested last March after being stopped by a TriMet fare inspector in downtown Portland. A transit police officer at the station questioned del Rocio and asked for her identification.

Hillsboro unveils 1 gigabit internet service HiLight

Portland Tribune

On a sunny Friday morning, crews in bright orange vests and hard hats run flexible pipe into the ground outside W. Verne McKinney Elementary School. A few traffic cones divert traffic as men with shovels dig and a large industrial boring machine thunders just off the street. It’s the kind of construction work you’d expect in any residential neighborhood on a warm spring day, but the construction site marks the first tangible evidence of the city of Hillsboro’s new fiber optic internet utility, expected to launch in early 2020.

Union Pacific layoffs at Hinkle yard in Hermiston draw safety concerns

East Oregonian

Union Pacific is asking Hermiston employees to do more with less after recent layoffs, and some have expressed concern about safety. The railroad company declined to release specific numbers relating to its workforce reduction at the Hinkle rail yard near Hermiston. But two current employees who spoke to the East Oregonian off the record, due to concerns about how speaking to the media might affect their employment, estimate about 80 employees have been let go since October.

Fighting wildfire with youth

Mail Tribune

Where a group of teens looked to restore a section of Ashland park land closer to its natural state, an Oregon legislator sees a way to reduce wildfire risks across the state. Making his announcement as he neared a team of seven youth forestry workers gathering branches into burn piles Saturday afternoon at Strawberry Park, State Sen. Jeff Golden announced plans for a statewide youth forestry corps.

Manure is big business at Oregon’s largest dairy with conversion to natural gas

Statesman Journal

As milk prices plummet, Oregon’s largest dairy hopes to cash in on another kind of commodity produced by its cows: Manure. Boardman’s Threemile Canyon Farms is partnering with a Portland investment fund in a $55 million project to convert methane from the waste produced by its 70,000 cows into natural gas, which will be sold to power buses and garbage trucks in Southern California. Because it’s designated renewable energy, the manure-produced biogas sells for 10 times more than fossil fuel natural gas, Threemile general manager Marty Myers told a state Department of Treasury panel last summer, as the company sought tax-exempt state bonds to help pay for the project.

OPINION

Climate crisis needs stronger solution

The Register-Guard

The Legislature’s Democrats might pass a carbon cap-and-trade program that would increase the cost of pretty much everything in Oregon. It’s been on environmentalists’ wish list for years, but in its current form the plan isn’t ready. If lawmakers pass House Bill 2020, Oregon would become the second state — after California — to set up a (mostly) economy-wide cap-and-trade system. Although a straight carbon tax is preferable for several reasons, cap-and-trade systems are a decent alternative. The state would set limits on total carbon emissions. Companies that emit more than a set threshold (25,000 metric tons in this case) would buy allowances. Over time, the state lowers the number of allowances, and that drives up the cost. Companies could trade allowances or, better, install technology to reduce emissions.

Editorial: Transformative $2 billion schools investment also requires pension reforms (Editorial Agenda 2019)

Oregonlive

When it comes to advocating for their children’s schools, Oregon families are a force of nature. They organize bake sales, car washes and auctions for a fundraising cycle that never ends. They give up national holidays to rally at the state Capitol for more education dollars. And from local school board meetings to legislative hearings, they testify about overcrowded classrooms, understaffed libraries and bottom-tier graduation rates that show just how poorly Oregon is serving its students.

ICYMI

Gov. Brown names Bev Clarno, 83, as new secretary of state

Oregonlive

Bev Clarno, 83, an influential state legislator in the 1990s, has been appointed Oregon’s new secretary of state. Gov. Kate Brown made the appointment after a search that lasted nearly a month. Brown said she wanted someone who would focus on the office’s day-to-day operations — not on running for office in 2020. Brown made the announcement Friday afternoon. Clarno, of Redmond, served as Speaker of the House and Senate Republican Leader in the Oregon Legislature. She was also appointed by President George W. Bush as Director for Region 10 of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Bev Clarno, Former House Speaker, Will Be Oregon’s Next Secretary Of State

Oregon Public Broadcasting

A former Central Oregon lawmaker who rose to the pinnacles of power in both the state House and Senate has been tapped as Oregon’s new secretary of state. Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday afternoon that she’s appointing Bev Clarno, a Republican from Redmond, as a replacement to Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, who died in February.

*** Below is the text of Rep Barretos courageous house speech on HB 2016 addressing the inequities and illegalities of the bill. He is defending free speech but note how he is harassed and critiqued by his thin skinned opponents who try to suppress what he is saying. Below is the text of the speech and also a link to the video of the speech. ***

https://oregon.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=26354&starttime=6156&stoptime=6720&embed=1&autostart=1

Dear Friends,

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted on HB 2016 which would skirt the Supreme Court’s Janus decision. Sorry to report that this bill did pass out of the House Chamber on a partisan vote. I would like to share my floor speech with you and have also included a link to watch the speech.

Thank you Madam Speaker. March 27, 2019

To the Bill:

Colleagues:

House Bill 2016 gives unlimited paid time off for unions to engage in union business. These are jobs paid by the taxpayer. The state has offered no estimate on how much this could cost taxpayers.

This bill would set in statute a number of issues that are currently the subject of collective bargaining. Cities and school districts currently bargain with unions over allowable shop steward time, with contracts specifying the number of allowable work hours that are spent on union business. HB 2016 would require public employers to grant “reasonable paid time” to designated union representatives to conduct union business, an open-ended commitment that public employers say will remove any limits on the costs they’d have to cover.

What is “reasonable time off and who will determine this?”

Let’s consider if this bill is:

Open? Transparent? Fair? Equitable?

How is it open, transparent, fair and equitable when the bill provides unions with virtually unlimited access to employees’ personal information, including home and cell phone numbers, emails and addresses, while restricting access to that same information to other private entities? This information must be provided every 120 days and within 15 days of a new hire. Including employees’ membership status with the union and email correspondence between the union and employees within a represented bargaining unit.

And it allows unions to use work email systems to conduct union business while prohibiting any other entity or individual from using the same systems to educate on the other options.

I hope these kinds of manipulative tactics, when the state employee truly understands them will build a disdain for these practices of the public unions that attempt to control them and inhibit their free speech and decisions.

Sometimes in the legislature we are accused of nepotism.

So what is the definition of nepotism?

“The practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.” Urban Dictionary

Well, this bill isn’t too far from doing the same thing. It’s certainly no secret that the unions use their numbers, dollars, and influence to elect political party members that put forth a bill such as this in order to curry favor, build their political army and win elections.

This was one of the arguments of free speech that brought about the Janus decision. Because there are a lot of public employees that pay dues that have been spent on a political party that they don’t align with.

HB 2016 also protects the Unions from being liable for unrightfully deducting dues. If the union unrightfully deducts dues from a public employee, the union can only pay damages that do not exceed the amount taken from the employee. No penalties for unethical practices? What are we promoting?

HB 2016 declares the following as an “unfair labor practice”:

Attempting to influence an employee to resign their union membership or abstain from joining the union. (Yet provides union representatives the “right” to meet “one on one” with new employees regarding joining the union)

How is this Fair and Equal treatment?

Open and transparent?

Not allowing both sides to be presented to employees, and now we want to make this law?? Allowing both sides to be heard is basic!

Isn’t this what is done in the court room to bring about justice? Isn’t that what is done in committee to get both sides of a bill we are considering?

You have to ask is this freedom of speech or controlled speech?

What is the threat in allowing an employee to hearing the options?

Does HB 2016 fit with the recent narrative of changing a hostile environment in the work place and the trainings we have all received?

This bill changes the rules on how a union member can “opt-in” by now using telephonic dues deduction authorization. It also allows the unions to determine how an employee may revoke dues payments including the possibility of making them hand deliver their opt-out form.

Is this an intimidation tactic? Is this bullying? Is this the way any of you would like to be treated? Isn’t this the kind of treatment that is so deplorable in large corporations, or any private sector job? And yet it is OK when it comes to public unions???

Not allowing public employees information on all their options regarding their constitutional rights under the Janus decision by the Supreme Court is a threat to their personal liberties and freedoms.

As I said during the committee hearings: “In my opinion this is just an obvious maneuver by the majority party that gives unions a power grab to access employee information unavailable to anyone else”.

And for what? For political advantage and power.

This bill reminds me of the coach that’s winning 50 to 0 at halftime and then comes back in the game and puts the first string back in because he wants to crush the other team so he can show off their dominance.

But in this case, HB 2016 goes further, it eliminates free speech in the work place, allows for protection of possible abuses of improper due collections and gives previously protected information to the union representatives ONLY.

I hope the public union members that understand the abuse of power they are subject to in this bill in order to game the political system, will see the inequity that is being proposed.

Colleagues I recommend a NO vote on HB 2016.

Thank you Madam Speaker

Representative Greg Barreto

House District 58