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.