Greg Walden: 31 days. 2,050 miles. 29 meetings. 12 counties. 14,408 messages responded to
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Kate Brown Rewards Donor With PERS Appointment Despite Zero Pension Experience
Oregon GOP Calls Move Troubling, Demands Explanation From Governor
Wilsonville, OR – A new report in the Oregonian is raising questions about Governor Kate Brown’s ability to manage the growing pension crisis, as well as her cozy relation with campaign donors. The Oregonian reports this morning that Brown has appointed Sadhana Shenoy the new CFO of the PERS board. Shenoy “lacks any direct experience in pension management or administration.”
Choosing a PERS head that lacks any pension experience would seem to be the very definition of mismanagement, but that’s only the beginning. Secretary of State records reveal that Sadhana Shenoy is also a direct campaign donor to Kate Brown, contributing to Brown’s re-election campaign just this year. With this appointment, Kate Brown’s PERS board “would be made up entirely of Portland-area Democrats – one a union leader and two others, including Shenoy, who are donors to Brown’s campaign.”
“This appointment raises troubling questions about whether Kate Brown is rewarding a campaign donor with no relevant experience by giving her a senior government position she lacks standard qualifications for,” said Oregon GOP Chairman Bill Currier. “Brown needs to explain immediately why she is rewarding her campaign donor weeks before the election.”
“The PERS crisis is perhaps the most serious crisis facing our state. When you combine Governor Brown’s gross mismanagement of the critical problems facing Oregon with her chronic pay-to-play cronyism, it’s no wonder that Oregonians are looking for someone else to lead our state. It’s time to elect Knute Buehler for Governor.”
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September 4, 2018 Daily Clips
TOP STORIES
Editorial: Gov. Brown silent on the big question
The Bulletin Editorial Board
The two leading candidates for governor, Republican Knute Buehler of Bend and incumbent Democrat Kate Brown, both came out with plans for Oregon’s lackluster education system this summer. Only Buehler offered a way to pay for them. Brown has largely stayed silent on that subject. She would, for example, increase funding so that more low-income children could go to preschool. It’s a good idea, to be sure. But Brown hasn’t said where the money will come from, other than from the state budget. Buehler is far more specific than Brown. He would boost state education funding by 15 percent, and he would pay for it by reforming the state’s Public Employees Retirement System. It’s great to have good ideas about improving Oregon’s education. It’s even better to have a plan to pay for those improvements.
Editorial: The math problem Gov. Brown’s education plan ducks
The Oregonian Editorial Board
Nowhere does Brown address one of education’s biggest threats: the increasingly massive chunk of school district dollars that go to employees’ pensions rather than to students’ education. And until state leaders enact reforms that restructure Oregon’s unsustainable public employees retirement system going forward, they are unlikely to find the revenue – or support for new taxes – to make the game-changing investments that Oregon students need. This is a reality that Buehler tackles head on in the education platform that he released. He states up front his support for requiring employees to redirect contributions from individual accounts to the pension fund and other reforms that would free up dollars to help fund a long list of educational investments. He envisions adding General Fund dollars and, if necessary, seeking new revenue to increase the education budget 15 percent for the first two budget cycles in order to pay for smaller class sizes, a 180-day school year, college classes for high school students, grants for school reading aides and a wide range of teacher supports. Certainly, these are also campaign promises that may or may not materialize if he were to be elected. But it highlights one more uncomfortable truth for Brown. After three and a half years as governor and the de facto superintendent of education, Brown can only offer Oregonians a list of what she’ll do for education as opposed to a strong resume of what she has done. It will be up to Oregonians to decide whether her campaign promises – absent proven educational wins – are enough to secure their vote for another term.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Oregon Legislature Says Labor Bureau Can’t Penalize It For Sexual Harassment Issues
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Leaders of the Oregon Legislature have a blunt response to accusations by the state labor commissioner that they’ve permitted a culture of sexual harassment to fester in the Capitol:
They say policing the Legislature isn’t his job. The response says the Oregon Constitution gives the Legislature sole authority to discipline its own members. While it’s possible BOLI could discipline legislators for their conduct on an individual basis, the document suggests the agency has no authority to levy penalties on the body as a whole.
Legislature: BOLI lacks authority to press harassment case
East Oregonian
“BOLI has no constitutional authority to discipline or remove members of the Assembly or to amend the Assembly’s internal policies. BOLI lacks jurisdiction for the redress it seeks because the Oregon Constitution vests exclusive authority over the discipline and oversight of legislators within the legislative chamber those legislators serve in,” Harnden wrote on behalf of the Legislature. “BOLI has limited jurisdiction to seek redress against employees of the legislature or members of the legislature in their individual capacity.” Hardnen emphasized that legislative leadership were taken aback by Avakian’s complaint and said that corrective measures were already in progress. “These issues were already in the open, and corrective measures were substantially and publicly underway before the commissioner’s complaint was filed,” the response states. “It is for this reason that the Assembly is at a loss to understand why the commissioner’s complaint was filed after months of what the legislative leadership believed to be genuine cooperation directly with BOLI and Commissioner Avakian, as well as how the commissioner’s complaint can allege a lack of appropriate action to correct the issues.”
Willamette Week
“While our investigation revealed discrete allegations of offensive conduct, we did not find evidence of a widespread toxic work environment or a pattern of discrimination against females or older employees,” wrote Thomas Johnson and Edward Choi, the Perkins Coie lawyers responsible for the report. “While morale is thus unquestionably low at the agency, our investigation did not find evidence of systemic harassment and offensive behavior toward female or older employees, nor were we able to substantiate the allegations of a ‘bro club’ at Business Oregon.” Although investigators didn’t find behavior that met the legal standard for discrimination, they described a clubby male-dominated atmosphere. “What we heard were allegations that male employees are ‘groomed’ for advancement while females seems to have less support from management and fewer promotional opportunities; certain male employees ‘have an in’ with Director Harder by talking sports and going on jogs with him; that men are perceived as having more latitude in the workplace than female employees,” the report says. “Director Harder, the executive team, and other members of management should receive management and communication training to promote an inclusive and professional workplace,” the report said. “Harder and upper management must take on a greater leadership role with respect to improving low employee morale and providing direction for the agency.”
CAMPAIGNS & INITIATIVES
Political year of the woman? Been there, done that, Oregon says
The Register-Guard
Female elected officials in Oregon now have significant and lengthy track records in office, and they are being forced to defend those records this year. Notably, some of them are facing challenges over their stances on the very issues that have propelled calls for more female candidates around the country: sexual harassment and abortion. Republicans, long out of power in the state, are arguing that liberal female leaders have pushed the state further to the left on social issues, including abortion rights, than many Oregon women would prefer. At the same time, a long-simmering sexual harassment scandal has come to a boil in recent weeks in Salem, the state capital, raising a suggestion from some that women leaders may be no more effective at handling the issue than men.
Campaigns kick off at annual Labor Day picnic
Portland Tribune
The annual Labor Day picnic at Portland’s Oaks Park draws thousands of attendees, mostly union members and their families. This year’s event drew Gov. Kate Brown and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici of Beaverton, as well as candidates and incumbents for state, county and city races throughout the region. “This picnic celebrates working families,” Brown said. “It’s the last push before the election season gears up.” Beyond Brown and Bonamici, other speakers on the mainstage included state Treasurer Tobias Read of Beaverton, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum of Portland, and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler.
Knute Buehler: 5 key decisions on taxes
Oregonian/OregonLive
Should Oregon raise $3 billion a year by taxing C corporations based on their annual sales above $25 million (Measure 97, 2016)? No. “It hits consumers really tough, especially consumers who are already being hammered by the high cost of living in Oregon. And then it really creates a competitive disadvantage for Oregon companies.”
Kate Brown: 4 key decisions on taxes
Oregonian/OregonLive
Should Oregon raise $3 billion a year by taxing C corporations based on their annual sales above $25 million (Measure 97, 2016)? Yes. “I support Measure 97 because there is a basic unfairness in our tax system that makes working families pay an increasing share for state and local services, including public schools, senior services, and health care,” Brown said in 2016.
Supporters, opponents of Measure 104 make case
Portland Tribune
Supporters and opponents made their case for and against Ballot Measure 104 Friday before an editorial board meeting of the Pamplin Media Group. The measure would amend the state Constitution to require a three-fifths majority, or “supermajority,” approval in both the Oregon House of Representatives and Senate for changes to tax expenditures such as credits, exemptions and deductions. If approved, the measure would also require bills containing fee increases — for fishing licenses, for example — have supermajority approval. Given the current makeup of the Democrat-majority Legislature, those measures would require some Republican support to pass. Supporters of Measure 104 say that the measure would encourage bipartisanship and force lawmakers to work together to write legislation that is palatable to three-fifths of lawmakers. Opponents of the measure, on the other hand, say it could intensify a culture of “horse-trading” in the Capitol, and create legislative gridlock. If lawmakers know that just a few votes stand between the measure passing and failing, they could withhold support until they get something else they want, opponents of 104 say.
U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Bob Woodward’s new book reveals a ‘nervous breakdown’ of Trump’s presidency
The Washington Post
A central theme of the book is the stealthy machinations used by those in Trump’s inner sanctum to try to control his impulses and prevent disasters, both for the president personally and for the nation he was elected to lead. Woodward describes “an administrative coup d’etat” and a “nervous breakdown” of the executive branch, with senior aides conspiring to pluck official papers from the president’s desk so he couldn’t see or sign them.
Ex-Bush lawyer releases 42,000 pages of documents regarding Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh
Oregonian/OregonLive
William Burck, a lawyer representing Bush, said in a letter to Grassley that the 5,148 documents totaling 42,390 pages retrieved from the National Archives were to be treated as “Committee Confidential,” with access limited to Judiciary Committee members and staff with no public availability, at least for the time being. In the letter to Grassley, Burck said lawyers working on behalf of the former president would determine at a later date which of the documents are “appropriate for public release.”
Billionaire Seahawks Owner Paul Allen Contributes Big To GOP
The Associated Press
Paul Allen, the billionaire Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers owner and Microsoft co-founder, made his largest-ever foray into congressional politics this year by donating $100,000 to a group seeking to keep Republicans in control of the U.S. House. Protect the House is a joint fundraising committee, a type of group that lets wealthy donors make a single large contribution which is then divided among candidates and political-action committees, or PACs, across the country.
EDUCATION
More school days might not equal more school time
East Oregonian
Gov. Kate Brown and Rep. Knute Buehler, GOP nominee for governor, have both proposed a mandate for a minimum 180-day school year — in line with the national average. At an average of 162 days (it differs for each school district), Oregon has one of the shortest school years in the nation. The only state law that dictates how long students have to be in class sets a minimum number of instructional hours: 900 for elementary and middle school pupils, 990 for grades 9-11 and 960 for grade 12. Yet neither candidate’s education policy proposal specifically augments the number of instructional hours.
Security Measures, Dyslexia Screening Change As Oregon Schools Open
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Secure vestibules with intercoms, doors that lock from inside, limited entryways and new fencing are all signs students and parents are likely to notice as they show up for school. The new features are reminders that school districts are stepping up security against mass shootings — particularly in the wake of the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida last February. Of the 20-or-so Oregon school districts that responded to questions from OPB, every one of them reported making recent changes to tighten security at school buildings, or they were intending to make them soon.
BUSINESS & LABOR
Job market ripe for college graduates
The Bend Bulletin
“Young people who are graduating with a bachelor’s degree have a lot of really pretty awesome opportunities right now,” said Damon Runberg, a regional economist for the Oregon Employment Department. “(In) the projections we’re seeing for labor demand going out the next couple decades, there will be lots of opportunities in lots of different kinds of occupations,” Runberg said.
Companies: Limits to legal immigration harm hiring
The Bend Bulletin
The government is denying more work visas, asking applicants to provide additional information and delaying approvals more frequently than just a year earlier. Hospitals, hotels, technology companies and other businesses say they are now struggling to fill jobs with the foreign workers they need. With foreign hires missing, the employees who remain are being forced to pick up the slack. Seasonal industries like hotels and landscaping are having to turn down customers or provide fewer services. Corporate executives worry about the long-term effect of losing talented engineers and programmers to countries like Canada that are laying out the welcome mat for skilled foreigners.
NIKE
Willamette Week
Today, with the start of the NFL season just four days away, Kaepernick tweeted an image of his face overlaid with the phrase “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” accompanied by the hashtag #JustDoIt. ESPN’s Darren Rovell confirmed that Kaepernick would be part of the company’s campaign to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the slogan. The news of Kaepernick’s campaign has, predictably, prompted a swift backlash from conservatives against Nike.
Nike shares dip amid Colin Kaepernick backlash
Oregonian/OregonLive
Nike shares fell more than 2.5 percent in early trading Tuesday amid a backlash that erupted just hours after Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who sparked controversy for kneeling during the national anthem, tweeted that he’s starring in the Oregon company’s iconic “Just Do It” ad campaign.
LOCAL
SEIU Locals Endorse Former Legislator Jo Ann Hardesty for Portland City Council
Willamette Week
The union, a heavyweight in Oregon politics, sat out the primary and is endorsing Hardesty in advance of the Labor Day picnic at Oaks Park, which serves as a springboard for the fall election season. “I am thrilled to have the support of the Service Employees International Union,” Hardesty says in a statement. “SEIU is known for standing up for progressive values for all workers, and often being the political backbone of so many righteous fights. Together I believe we can take on the issues I know Portlanders are longing for change on: housing, police accountability, climate change and a seat at the table.” Hardesty has the endorsement of Portland Teachers Association from the primary, and Smith had the endorsement of multiple private-sector unions.
OPINION
Editorial: Don’t break faith with voters on property taxes
The Bulletin Editorial Board
Oregon’s property tax system has problems. That’s so, in part, because of Ballot Measure 50, approved by voters in 1997. It was a third attempt at limiting property taxes, and it did that. It immediately cut taxes, and going forward it established permanent rates, reduced properties’ assessed value, on which taxes are charged, and limited the growth of assessed value. Measure 50 created inequities, however, because it disconnected a property’s assessed value from its real market value and limited growth of the former. As a result, the owners of similar homes in different neighborhoods can have very different tax bills. So far no one has come up with a concrete plan to improve the situation. Lawmakers are talking about it. House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, brought it up at a meeting of coast-area lawmakers and others earlier this month. And Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, has been working on the problem for months. Hass did make one suggestion in June. Just refer a measure to voters that asks if they want a fair tax system, he said. Then, when they say yes, lawmakers could go ahead and create the system and let the courts sort it out. One hopes Hass had his tongue firmly planted in his cheek when he came up with that one.
Our view | Oregon’s carbon plan should be non-starter
East Oregonian
Oregon was a national pioneer on land-use planning. It led the way with the Bottle Bill. Its protection of public beach access is legendary. In each case, Oregonians benefited from the state’s landmark legislation. That’s not the case with the carbon tax-and-invest proposal being shaped by a committee of Oregon legislators. Oregon officials might win environmental plaudits for taking action, but the actual atmosphere would hardly notice. In fact, there’s a distinct chance Oregon could worsen the global situation. The catch is that Oregon’s environmental initiatives already are stronger than those in many states and nations. The world, not just Oregon, loses if companies leave the state for less restrictive locales. Or if Oregon companies switch to buying products manufactured — and shipped — under lighter regulations. Transportation is a huge contributor to greenhouse gases. Gov. Kate Brown and other key Democrats are eager for the committee to act. But there should be no rush. Do what is best for Oregon — all of Oregon.
PERS needs reform, and only Buehler has a plan
The Register-Guard
We are currently in a time of unprecedented growth and prosperity. We should be building new infrastructure, reducing class sizes and improving our public spaces — preparing for the future. Instead, we are simply paying for our mistakes of the past. Imagine how much worse it will be during the next downturn in the economy, and the one after that. Buehler’s plan to move PERS from a defined-benefit program to a defined-contribution program is the best long-term solution that has been proposed.
Kicker rebates on recession’s eve
The Register-Guard
The state Office of Economic Analysis could not have conjured a better illustration of the perversity of Oregon’s kicker law: In 2020, the office’s forecasters predict, Oregon will return $686 million to individual income tax payers — just as the state tips into a recession. It’s the fiscal-policy equivalent of spending your savings on a vacation the week before you need to pay for a kidney transplant. The kicker law could be amended to require that all or a portion of refunds be deposited in the rainy day reserves until they contain savings equal to, say, 15 percent of the general fund, which would amount to about $3 billion. After that threshold of adequacy was reached, kicker refunds to taxpayers would resume. Such an adjustment to the kicker law would ensure that larger-than-expected income tax receipts aren’t immediately spent, and provide refunds to taxpayers once a degree of fiscal stability is achieved.
Op-Ed Blowback:
(2018-09-06) — The U.S. Economy today said it was embarrassed at its own impressive growth after learning — from a new Bob Woodward book and an anonymous op-ed in The New York Times — that the country is run by an impetuous idiot.
“Here I am happily growing and creating jobs,” the Economy said, “while this amoral, bozo blunders around the White House saying stupid stuff, and causing chaos for his staffers. It’s humiliating for me to succeed at this level, at a time when senior administration officials have to steal documents from the president’s desk just to maintain proper decorum.”
Reached by phone early this morning, National Security, Deregulation and Judicial Restraint sheepishly agreed with the Economy saying they feel their pleasant circumstances were purchased at the cost of turmoil for senior officials, who have to bear the unfair burden of coping with Trump’s embarrassing behavior just to make America great again.
“When we see the suffering of the anonymous resistance,” they said, “we feel guilty about thriving. After all, what do the American people want more than anything, if not a White House that runs according to historic protocol?”
August 31, 2018 Daily Clips
CAMPAIGNS
A National GOP Group Has Started Spending Big On Knute Buehler
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Beginning Aug. 24, State Solutions Inc., an RGA affiliate, spent more than $300,000 on ad time throughout the state. Its opening salvo: A spot calling Brown’s record on education into question. Steven Yaffe, an RGA spokesman, suggested the group was motivated by two recent polls indicating Buehler and Brown might be essentially even. Critics have derided the pollsters behind those results, though there’s a sense locally the race has tightened. The firms, Gravis Marketing and Clout Research, receive tepid marks in a rating of pollsters by the website FiveThirtyEight. “Multiple polls have shown this race to be extremely close, and the RGA views this is as a winnable race for Republicans,” Yaffe said in an email. “Knute Buehler’s record fits the mold of the state, and he has run a disciplined, policy-oriented campaign.” He added: “You could likely see additional RGA investments in the race in the near future.”
Local elections roundup: Ward 5 only contested seat in Klamath falls
Herald and News
In the Oregon House, Klamath Tribes Spokesperson Taylor Tupper will challenge incumbent Rep. E. Werner Reschke, R-Klamath Falls, for the House District 56 seat. Tupper would be the first Native American woman to hold the position if elected, according to previous reports from the Herald & News.
OPIOIDS
OHA’s Allen defends controversial opioid tapering proposal
Portland Business Journal
Proponents say the proposal is all in the interest of patient safety, while detractors warn it would be the most restrictive in the nation and would push patients who are not abusing the drugs to street dealers or even lead them to commit suicide. “Patients deserve safe, effective choices to relieve pain — not just a pill,” Allen wrote. “Evidence is insufficient to determine the effectiveness of long-term opioid therapy for improving chronic pain and function.”
BUSINESS
Portland Business Journal
The conclusions of the Business Journal’s analysis are similar to last year. While the economy has recovered and capital is readily available for big businesses, Oregon’s smallest businesses, which drive the state’s economy, continue to have problems getting loans. Women- and minority-owned business owners fare the worst. Less than 20 percent of SBA loans in Oregon last year went to women-owned businesses and there’s been a 96 percent drop in the number of SBA loans made to black-owned businesses in a decade. In order to qualify for a loan, an entrepreneur typically needs three ways to repay it, such as receivables, a house that can serve as collateral and a personal guarantee. “If you only have one, that’s typically not enough,” said Beneficial State Bank’s Leach. Shah said the formula favors those with family assets and makes it tougher for minorities and women. Nationally, white households have a median net worth of $104,000, according to the most recent census data. Black households have a median net worth of $9,211. “When you’re going through generational poverty and your parents haven’t given you assets and you’re asset-poor, you don’t have collateral to pledge,” she said.
Shah said women are also more reluctant to use personal assets as collateral.
AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENT
Insects Could Eat Twice As Much Wheat By The End Of The Century
Oregon Public Broadcasting
The researchers looked at the world’s three top grains: wheat, corn and rice. Based on their model, for each 2 degrees Celsius the temperature rose, the amount of crops consumed by bugs would increase significantly: by 19 percent for rice, 31 percent for corn and by 46 percent for wheat. So if the Earth warms by 4 degrees Celsius — which, scientists say, it is on track to do by the end of the century — wheat losses from insects would double. There are two major factors driving this change. Insects burn more calories the warmer it is. That means they eat more, says Deutsch. “That’s a very simple and well-known effect that’s gonna be true basically for any crop and any insect that eats it.” But that’s not all: as the temperature rises, warmer air also means more bugs, up to a point. Really warm areas like the tropics might see insects decline. But in the cooler, temperate regions where grains are grown, populations could increase dramatically.
LOCAL
Deschutes County wants to re-evaluate farmland
The Bend Bulletin
County commissioners this week discussed moving forward with changes to land use policies that protect land zoned for farming, forestry and other resources. The changes could create an easier path for development in some rural areas, but commissioners stressed that development wasn’t the goal of re-evaluating zoning. “We already have housing out in the rural areas,” Commissioner Phil Henderson said. “What we’re trying to do is get lands that clearly aren’t farmland or forests, but we’re not saying there’s going to be housing there tomorrow.”
OPINION
Editorial: Good news (and a warning) from state economists
Corvallis Gazette-Times
The fact that the state’s economic recovery is likely to slow down shouldn’t come as a surprise: This is the cyclical nature of economies, although we always manage to convince ourselves on some level that maybe this one is the boom that never ends. We know better, of course. And so do state officials and legislators, who should start thinking now about how to prepare for the inevitable slowdown, especially now that forecasters have a better idea of when it might occur.
Homeless cleanup crews boost downtown
Mail Tribune Editorial Board
Dealing with homelessness and its fallout requires some out-of-the-box thinking. And that’s just what city officials and a local organization came up with in a plan that should help both the homeless and the community. The city has provided a $5,000 grant to Rogue Retreat, a homeless advocacy group, to buy what are essentially janitor carts and supplies to be used in cleaning up downtown. But janitor carts are no good without janitors, so Rogue Retreat is enlisting volunteer homeless people, along with some community service “volunteers,” to help tidy up the city.
August 30, 2018 Daily Clips
TOP STORIES
Editorial: Fully participate already in sexual misconduct investigation
The Bulletin Editorial Board
After the BOLI complaint was filed lawmakers hired an outside employment lawyer to represent them. Kotek and Courtney have said, loudly enough, that sexual harassment at the Capitol is not OK. Kotek even told reporters when the complaint was filed that if the investigation leads to a better atmosphere at the Capitol and better outcomes for victims, she’s open to it. Their recent actions belie those earlier words. BOLI wants information that would allow it to identify the women who complained about harassment, their lawyer argues, and those women were promised confidentiality. He has formally objected to the subpoenas. It’s time Courtney, Kotek and the others lived up to their promise to participate fully.
Growing economy means Oregon tax collections exceed forecast, triggering ‘kicker’ rebates
The Register-Guard
Personal and corporate income tax collections were higher than forecast as job growth remained strong in Oregon, state economists said on Wednesday. All industries are expected to grow this year and next, with construction, professional and business services and leisure-hospitality leading the way, state economists said Wednesday. Construction jobs grew by 9 percent in the 2018 fiscal year and were expected to grow another 4 percent in 2019.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
New audit says Oregon’s state agencies are bad at audits
The Oregonian/OregonLive
If you’re ever wondered why state agencies in Oregon seem to be caught with their pants down so often with fraud, waste and abuse, Secretary of State Dennis Richardson may have an answer for you: They aren’t bothering to look for it or limit the risk. Richardson’s office issued an audit Wednesday lambasting state agencies internal audit functions, saying they had been consistently understaffed, undervalued and neglected by leadership, so much so that agency directors are largely unaware of the activities of their auditors – if they even have one.
Oregon treasurer drawing attention to sustainable investment with Portland summit
Portland Business Journal
Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read walks a fine line when he talks about what sustainable investing means to an office that helps manage a state investment portfolio approaching $100 billion. “Our obligation is to generate returns for retirees,” Read said in an interview this week. “So however strongly we feel about an issue, politics can’t be a driver in what we do.” And yet, he added: “We are not doing our job if we are not taking into account risks, including climate change.”
CAMPAIGNS
Priority Oregon: A reminder of “dark money” in politics
The Register-Guard
With the gubernatorial race heating up as the November election nears, it’s customary to see the gloves come off. But Priority Oregon is no traditional political action committee. The ads don’t urge viewers to vote for Brown’s GOP opponent, Knute Buehler. Rather, Priority Oregon is a nonprofit, a “social benefit organization” under section 501c(4) of the Internal Revenue Service tax code. Priority Oregon highlights issues it considers of public importance and urges viewers to contact Brown with their opinions. Priority Oregon says it won’t disclose its donors. So viewers have literally not a clue about the source of all the money for the wave of professionally produced ads. So long as Priority Oregon steers clear of endorsing a candidate or coordinating with a candidate’s campaign, it is legally free to operate as a nonprofit and speak as it wishes.
Gov. Kate Brown’s Campaign Buys Its Health Insurance From Anti-Abortion Insurer
Willamette Week
Gov. Kate Brown’s campaign has repeatedly hammered her general election opponent, state Rep. Knute Buehler (R-Bend), for his inconsistent position on abortion, noting that although Buehler says he’s pro-choice, he voted against House Bill 3391—groundbreaking 2017 legislation that required health insurers to provide all Oregon women access to abortions. One problem: Providence Health Plan, a Catholic-affiliated insurer, refused to provide abortion coverage and won an exemption from the law. Yet records show, despite Brown’s unwavering pro-choice stance, her campaign has continued to buy health insurance from Providence—the only insurer exempt from the Oregon’s abortion law. Since the law passed in July 2017, Brown’s campaign has spent $25,000 with the insurer, despite its anti-abortion stance.
Criminal probe of IP 22 signature gathering dropped
East Oregonian
The Oregon Department of Justice has closed a criminal investigation into two petitioners who were accused of giving false information to persuade voters to sign a petition to repeal the state sanctuary law. The complaint has been referred back to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Elections Division. “In sum, our investigation did not reveal sufficient evidence that either circulator violated (Oregon Revised Statute) 260.555, which prohibits, among other things, making a false statement regarding the contents, meaning or effect of a petition,” wrote DOJ chief criminal counsel Michael J. Slauson in an Aug. 29 letter to Oregon Elections Director Steve Trout. Initiative Petition 22 has since qualified for the ballot as Measure 104, Stop Oregon Sanctuaries.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Juan is one of a growing number of people whose official birth records show they were born in the United States but who are now being denied passports – their citizenship suddenly thrown into question. The Trump administration is accusing hundreds, and possibly thousands, of Hispanics along the border of using fraudulent birth certificates since they were babies, and it is undertaking a widespread crackdown on their citizenship.
Oregon gets $13.7 million from FCC to expand rural broadband
News Channel 21
“These resources are crucial to help make sure all Oregonians can participate in the 21st century economy regardless of where they live,” Walden said in a news release. “Too many Oregon families and people across rural America lack the broadband necessary to realize the full benefits of the digital age. Throughout Eastern Oregon, I hear from people who are among the 23 million Americans unable to access telemedicine, remote learning, next-generation emergency services, and video streaming because of insufficient Internet service,” the lawmaker said. “This funding will further our efforts to close this digital divide in Oregon, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside Chairman Pai and my colleagues in Congress to ensure all Americans are connected to high-speed broadband,” Walden added.
TRANSITION PROGRAMS
Transition Program helps special-education students enter workforce
The Bend Bulletin
The student workers at the Sisters High School football stadium have honed their landscaping skills by carefully grooming the grounds for the Outlaws’ opening game Friday night. But for these special-education students, the school district paycheck is only half the reward. The real incentive here is learning what it takes to keep a job in the community, according to the Sisters School District’s Transition Program, which helps developmentally disabled students aged 18-21 learn work skills. They initially tackle minimum-wage jobs for the district, then eventually work for local companies.
MARIJUANA
Feds: ‘Vast’ pot trafficking schemes prompt 6 arrests
The Associated Press
Federal prosecutors in Oregon on Wednesday announced charges against six people involving two “vast” interstate trafficking operations that delivered marijuana to Texas, Virginia and Florida. Proceeds from the black market sales returned to Oregon as cash stuffed in airplane luggage or through the U.S. mail, said U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy J. Williams.
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Drought Lingers Across The Pacific Northwest
Oregon Public Broadcasting
More hot and dry weather is expected to hang around the Pacific Northwest, exacerbating drought conditions that have gripped the region. As of Aug. 23, every corner of Oregon, Washington state and Idaho is experiencing some stage of drought, from “abnormally dry” to “extreme,” according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor.
Water unsafe at these popular Oregon beaches, health officials say
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Cannon, Nye and Agate beaches were all under advisories Wednesday morning. Officials don’t know whether the advisory will be lifted before Labor Day weekend. “Water samples indicate higher-than-normal levels of fecal bacteria, which can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses,” the agency said in a statement. “People should avoid direct contact with the water in this area until the advisory is lifted.”
FIREFIGHTERS
Lack Of Spanish Training Manuals Poses Issues For Wildfire Crews
Oregon Public Broadcasting
“When I do my briefings, I have to give them bilingual. I know who I can talk to in Spanish, and I know who I can talk to in English,” Miranda said. His career started around the time the government developed bilingual certifications for crew bosses like him, and training courses in Spanish for the rank-and-file firefighters he supervises. But two years ago, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group stopped offering course materials in Spanish. It said they were out-of-date, and there wasn’t enough demand to redo the translations. But leaders from private contractors that fight fires disagree. “We’re like, ‘What the hell. This is a safety issue,’” said Dillon Sanders, president of the Oregon Firefighting Contractors Association. He said the end of Spanish-language course offerings blindsided them.
LOCAL
Advocates for black children silence Portland school board
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Protesters briefly brought a school board meeting in the whitest major city in America to a standstill Tuesday with an emotional rendition of a song considered the black national anthem. The crowd of families who sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” had come to advocate that Portland Public Schools not evict a charter school that caters to black students. But frustration over the treatment of KairosPDX school became a public reckoning over the district’s long history of failing black students. The gravity of the situation was evident in a statement school board chair Rita Moore read Tuesday evening that began, “We all decry the undeniable fact that this district has for many generations failed many students, including students of color and particularly black students.”
Suspected rapist released with no bail, no supervision after five days in jail
KATU
An accused rapist from Keizer was released from jail with no bail and no supervision after spending just five days behind bars. “He was ‘forced out’ of the jail due to the jail population. He was given a release agreement and a number of conditions to follow,” Griffith told a KATU reporter via email. “This ‘force out’ process is part of our capacity management plan. Once the jail population reaches 403 inmates and there are others that need to be lodged, the capacity management plan kicks in, which is what happened in this case. Offenders not meeting the qualifications for mandatory holds are all subject to being ‘forced out’ of the jail due to jail capacity.” Griffith said Myers was ordered not to contact the alleged victims, who may have been left in the dark. “(They) are not notified by the jail if/when he was released,” he said. “If the alleged victims have signed up for a VINE (Victim Notification About Offenders) account they will be able to see all that information and stay informed.”
S.O.S. Save Our Students
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
― Ronald Reagan
I am thinking about starting an educational foundation to give seminars on the Miracle of America to young people (clubs, BSA troops, church groups, etc.) The courses would teach content including, accurate U.S. history, good versus evil, the importance of traditional families, capitalism versus socialism, self-determination versus the evils of big government, God’s divine design in the founding of America, etc. I think our children need to know and they don’t get it in the public schools. Unfortunately, the public schools are too busy teaching political correctness and socialism…intolerance for those of us that don’t say and think what we are told by the all-powerful state and the secular-humanist masters. Do you think there would be any support for this effort?
The totalitarians are indoctrinating your children and grandchildren: https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/08/27/michael-knowles-democratic-socialists-are-plotting-school-takeover-to-avoid-fair-fight/
The Democrats keep calling TRUMP and the Republicans “Nazis” and Fascists…what a joke: https://www.prageru.com/videos/fascism-right-or-left
Dangerous people are teaching your kids: https://www.prageru.com/videos/dangerous-people-are-teaching-your-kids
What are we getting for our public education dollars? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvnrBOKH9gs
Socialist policies don’t work. Apparently Democratic Socialists flunked basic math: https://www.gocomics.com/michaelramirez/2018/08/25
Americans for Liberty PAC
Upholding the Constitution in the Tradition of our Founding Fathers
Executive Director Lanny Hildebrandt
1615 4th Street
La Grande, OR 97850
(541) 963-7930
August 29, 2018 Daily Clips
GOVERNMENT
Secretary of State Dennis Richardson says he’s still on job despite fatigue
Portland Tribune
He said that other than cutting back on his travel and working in the Secretary of State’s Southern Oregon office more, he is continuing to attend to his duties, which include overseeing state elections and audits. “Other than feeling tired, please know that I’m doing well as I fight this illness,” he said.
Legislators eye changes to property tax system
East Oregonian
As lawmakers meet around the state to discuss how to overhaul the state’s public education system, they’ll eventually face the question of how to pay for it. Changes to the state’s property tax system, which has implications for school funding, could be on the table. “We do not have a revenue structure in this state that can sustain the investments we need in our education system, so we’re going to have to change it,” House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, told attendees at the annual Oregon Coastal Caucus Economic Summit last week.
State accused of violating Supreme Court’s union dues ruling
East Oregonian
Under Janus, public employers are prohibited from deducting union fees or dues from a nonmember’s wages without the employee’s affirmative consent. According to the Oregon DOJ, however, the opinion applies only to the payment of an agency service fee or dues by individuals who decline union membership. “The Janus decision does not impact any agreements to pay union dues between a union and its members to pay union dues,” according to a July 20, 2018, advisory to public employers from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. “Existing membership cards or other agreements by union members to pay dues should continue to be honored.”
CAMPAIGNS
Capitol roundup: Big money for Kate Brown campaign
The Bend Bulletin
EMILY’s List has contributed $500,000 to Gov. Kate Brown, according to her latest campaign finance filing. It’s the largest single contribution to Brown’s campaign and essentially matches the $500,000 that GOP candidate Knute Buehler of Bend received from Nike CEO Phil Knight last year at about this time.
National Pro-Choice Group Donates $500,000 To Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
Oregon Public Broadcasting
The Emily’s List website shows Brown is one of nine gubernatorial candidates the PAC is supporting this election cycle, calling her “a progressive leader with the experience to move Oregon forward.” “Kate is one of only two Democratic women governors in the country, and her record as a progressive leader makes her seat a top target for Republican takeover this cycle,” the site says.
MARIJUANA
Oregon Weed Advocates Contemplating Ballot Measure to Legalize Cannabis Cafes
Willamette Week
“Cannabis consumers deserve a place to use their cannabis safely and legally. This is a social justice issue that disproportionately affects the poor, patients and communities of color,” says Madeline Martinez, a national board member for National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and executive director of Oregon NORML.
TEACHER STRIKES
Nearly All Clark County School Districts Are On Strike
Oregon Public Broadcasting
All summer, teachers and school administrators in southwest Washington have been in contract negotiations to avoid widespread strikes. But now those strikes are happening. Nearly every school district in Clark County has delayed the start of school and is on strike, with the exception of Woodland Public Schools where teachers bargained a 22.82 percent increase in base salary.
LOCAL
Salem homeless: Caregivers test ways to help hospital’s most frequent users
Statesman Journal
Richie Gregg lives in his foreclosed childhood home and the only reason he’s still alive is that they haven’t shut off the electricity. Even with a ventilator pushing air into the 43-year-old’s deteriorating lungs, he often wakes up in the night gasping for breath. Sometimes he can’t gather enough to yell for help — he certainly can’t call an ambulance. So he throws whatever is in reach at the back of his bedroom door until his housemates wake up. This year alone, he’s made 13 trips to Salem Health. That’s how he met Nancy Riley. A nurse and care manager at Salem Health, Riley and two other women run a pilot program designed to help some of the hospital’s most frequent flyers. It was Riley who pushed to keep the electricity on, saving Gregg’s life.
OPINION
Editorial: Democrats have made a mess, and ballot-box games won’t fix it
The Bulletin Editorial Board
Do you suppose Boddie, saddled with ugly details, would have refused to drop out of the race? That seems unlikely. And if he had dropped out back in June, the party could have placed a different candidate on the ballot. Instead, less than eight weeks before ballots will be mailed, a number of Democratic leaders would like voters in District 54 to support a candidate to whom they have just been introduced. The months preceding this year’s primary weren’t enough for Kotek and company to learn as much as they’d have liked about Boddie, yet we’re supposed to become sufficiently well-acquainted with La Bell in the next month and a half to hand her a seat in the Legislature? Democrats are playing voters for fools.
Opinion: Third-party candidates force Democrats and Republicans to aim higher
Oregonian/OregonLive
Perhaps voter dissatisfaction with the two major parties is partly because political pundits, professional political operatives and the media have ignored or misunderstood the important role of third parties in holding the two parties to account. The first step in correcting that failure could be to Include Mr. Starnes on the public stage with Mr. Buehler and Ms. Brown. A robust third-party presence in elections doesn’t damage the two-party system, it helps complete it.
Legislators are listening to Oregonians about education
Representative Julie Fahey
As a member of the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Committee on Student Success, this year I’ve had the unique opportunity to tour our state and meet with students, parents, teachers, administrators, business leaders and community members. The committee’s goal is to identify what’s working in education and to more fully understand the gaps in our system that limit student success. In the last five months we have visited six corners of our state, held seven public hearings and eight student listening sessions, and toured 28 schools and programs. Our conversations with students reveal common themes, particularly regarding our graduation rates. When I ask students what they like about their schools, the most common answer is “our teachers really seem to care about us.” Students everywhere need to feel a connection with adults in their school who want the best for them. Larger class sizes make this much more challenging for teachers and staff. Students also want opportunities to participate in electives and extracurricular activities — for many students, sports, music, art, or other activities are their main motivation for coming to school.
My View: Without tolls, drivers pay with their time
Portland Tribune
Make no mistake: Oregon drivers will pay one way or the other. We will pay for Oregon roads and bridges through a gas tax and fees and tolls — or we will pay a congestion “tax,” a tax on our time wasted sitting in traffic every day. I applaud the Oregon Legislature for being willing to take the political risk and put on the table a real solution for metropolitan Portland’s congestion problem. Pricing the highway system with tolls is a solution worth pursuing.
Smoke-Choked Skies Across Oregon Show Real Need for Change
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