HOUSE REPUBLICAN OFFICE
SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 DAILY CLIPS
STATE GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
ELECTIONS
Brown will run for governor in 2018
Bend Bulletin
Brown, a Democrat, made the official announcement Monday at 9 a.m. via social media — Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and e-mails — to supporters and the media. She has no plans for a traditional rally, press conference or public meeting.
“This is a 21st Century campaign,” said Thomas Wheatley, Brown’s campaign manager.
Brown was not available for questions Monday morning, but in a 90-second campaign-style video posted to YouTube, Brown said she wanted to continue what she said was her work to improve the quality of life in the state.
“As governor, it’s my job to make Oregon an even better place to live, work and raise a family,” Brown says in a voiceover of images of the state and herself. “We need to protect the Oregon we love so much and ensure that everyone has the chance to live a good life here.”
Gov. Kate Brown announces reelection bid
Portland Tribune
In a video blasted across social media, the longtime Democratic politician contrasted her administration to that of President Donald Trump, while never mentioning him by name.
“As your governor, it’s my job to make things better and stand up to anyone who would take our rights away,” Brown said.
Kate Brown announces she will seek reelection
The Oregonian
Gov. Kate Brown plans to seek reelection in 2018, her campaign said on Monday morning. The announcement was not a surprise, given the governor has been on the campaign trail since the day after she won her first gubernatorial election in November 2016. In a statement released by her campaign, Brown cited the need to protect Oregon’s economic growth and the state’s expansion of Medicaid to cover all children, including unauthorized immigrants. The latter was among Brown’s priorities during the legislative session earlier this year.
Willamette Week
Stuart Emmons, who ran unsuccessfully for Portland City Council last year, says he’s still weighing a run for the open seat created by City Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s decision to retire. But Emmons is already fundraising. Last week, he reported the largest single campaign contribution in City Council races so far this year.
EDUCATION
Senate President Peter Courtney Reminds Schools to Seek Money for Seismic Upgrades
Willamette Week
“Often it is a tragedy that convinces us what what we must do to prevent a tragedy,” Courtney said in a statement. “We know a massive earthquake is coming. We know we’re not ready. We still have far too many schools in our state that need to be reinforced. We got a late start and we are living on borrowed time. Not taking action to make our schools and other public buildings safe is criminal.”
‘I Already Learned This’: The Challenge Of Teaching TAG Students
Oregon Public Broadcasting
High schoolers designated as “Talented And Gifted” have a graduation rate of more than 90 percent, but these exceptional students experience bumps along their educational journeys, too. Teachers say one of the biggest difficulties is keeping these smart learners engaged and feeling challenged. The question is, how can schools serve both TAG students and classmates who may take longer to learn new material? OPB’s “Class of 2025” podcast continues with a story about Anna and Johnathan, two TAG students OPB has been following since kindergarten.
JOBS & THE ECONOMY
Lane County and its largest employee union near dead-end in contract talks as strike threat looms
The Register-Guard
The county and its largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2831, have submitted dueling final offers after six months of contract talks. The union is seeking wage increases of up to 19.8 percent in the contract’s first year versus the county’s offer of up to 3 percent. Leaders with AFSCME Local 2831, which represents 575 county employees, and the 98-employee AFSCME nurses unit, voted last week to authorize a strike, calling foul on the county’s proposed wage formula and its demand that employees start paying $20 to $70 per month toward their health insurance plans.
SolarWorld will hire back workers while it awaits word from Trump
The Oregonian
SolarWorld said Monday that it plans to hire back some of the workers it laid off last summer, following a favorable ruling last week from the U.S. International Trade Commission. “With relief from surging imports in sight, we believe we can rev up our manufacturing engine and increase our economic impact,” SolarWorld chief executive Juergen Stein said Monday.
AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES
ODFW: Lethally removing turkeys best option
East Oregonian
“I know it doesn’t sound nice,” he said. “But lethally removing turkeys is the way to go.” Turkeys are smart, Rimbach continued, and killing a few might be enough for the rest to catch a clue and move on. That action would require property owners to secure a permit from ODFW. Rimbach also said one or two permitted city employees could take on the task. They also would have to clean the birds and provide the meat to organizations, such as a church, to distribute to people in need.
TRANSPORTATION
U.S. Senator wants Washington to have a say in Oregon tolls
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who helps control transportation funding in Congress, on Friday made it clear she wants her state to have a role in shaping tolls in the Portland region. Murry told Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in a letter that she wants both the Washington State Department of Transportation and the city of Vancouver to be voting members of the advisory committee for implementing congestion pricing in the region.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Hands-free only way for drivers to use phone starting Sunday
Bend Bulletin
The new law is not sufficiently different from the old law to warrant a grace period, Burleigh said. He said the department is considering doing pre-announced “stings” during which officers make a point of looking for violations of the phone law, much as it does to enforce speed limits or noncompliance with the seat-belt law.
OPINION
Editorial: Let the sun shine in
The Register-Guard
The idea that public agencies should not be accountable to the public is, well, shocking. The fact that some would use public money to try to prevent, or discourage, requests for information about how they are operating — on the public’s dime — is even more shocking.
Editorial: The earlier, the better for state’s presidential primary
Herald and News Editorial Board
Richardson has a good idea. In addition to making Oregon voters more influential, it would give them more a better chance to meet candidates and ask questions. Such exchanges could also broaden the knowledge of potential presidents in ways that might be useful — like seeing what a wildfire can do to a national forest. Richardson wants to move up the presidential primary from May to March. Primary elections for other offices would still be in May, minimizing the extra cost.
We hope legislators take action on it at the 2018 legislative session so the first “early” Oregon presidential primary would take place in 2020. It makes good sense.
NATIONAL NEWS
Puerto Rico governor warns feds: ‘We still need some more help’ for ‘critical disaster’
The Washington Post
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello is warning that his government needs broader assistance from the federal government, calling on the Pentagon especially to provide more aid for law enforcement and transportation. Rossello said he’s also worried that Congress will shortchange his island once the initial wave of emergency relief is gone. “We still need some more help. This is clearly a critical disaster in Puerto Rico,” he said on a shaky cellphone connection Sunday night from San Juan. “It can’t be minimized and we can’t start overlooking us now that the storm passed, because the danger lurks.”