On this day, May 21, 2001, in Seattle, Wa., members of the Earth Liberation Front torched the Univ. of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture causing about $6 million in damage. An Oregon tree farm owned by Jefferson Poplar Farms was also burned. four people were later convicted of taking part in the firebombing. One later committed suicide in prison.
Also on this day, May 21, 2002, The George W. Bush administration said it will allow new mining to resume on nearly one million acres of the Siskiyou region.
Also on this day, May 21, 2006, demolition crews destroyed the 499-foot cooling tower of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. Demolition of the containment dome was scheduled in 2008.
Also on this day, May 21, 1998, 15 year-old Kipland Kinkel killed one classmate and wounded 19 more at Thurston High School. His parents, William and Faith, were found shot dead at home and a 2nd student died the next day. He had been expelled from school the previous day for bringing a gun to school. Kinkel dropped an insanity plea in 1999 and pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and 26 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced over 111 years in prison.
Requests assistance from the state
On October 13, 2021, the Jackson County Oregon Board of Commissioners approved Order No. 186-21, Declaring a Local State of Emergency Within Jackson County Relating to Unlawful Cannabis Activities and Other Matters Related Thereto. A letter was also sent to Governor Kate Brown and the leaders of the State Legislature asking for assistance, it reads as follows:
Dear Governor Brown, Speaker Kotek, and Senate President Peter Courtney:
On October 13, 2021, we, the Jackson County Board of County Commissioners, adopted Board
Order No. 186-21 and declared a local state of emergency in Jackson County due to the imminent threat to the
public health and safety of our citizens from the illegal production of cannabis in our County. Since recreational
marijuana was legalized by the voters of Oregon at the November 2014 General Election, the illegal and
unlawful production of marijuana in our County has overwhelmed the ability of our County and State regulators
to enforce relevant laws in our community. Jackson County strongly requests your assistance to address this
emergency.
As detailed in Board Order No. 186-21, the ability of County and State regulators to address illegal cannabis
production is simply insufficient, and is completely overwhelmed. Law enforcement in our County reports a
59 percent increase in calls for service associated with the marijuana industry. The County's Code Enforcement
Officers' resources to enforce relevant County codes has been overwhelmed, such that citations which took
three weeks to resolve, prior to 2014, now take four months or longer. The ability of local representatives of
the State Water Resources Department report that they are unable to take any action on nearly one-third of the
complaints they receive. Additionally, State regulators from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the
Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) have reported that nearly 50 percent of registered hemp
grows are illegally growing marijuana, that 25 percent of registered hemp grows are refusing entry to inspectors,
and only 25 percent ofregistered hemp grows are operating within the requirements of the law. Further, State
regulators from OHA and OLCC are unable to take any action on the unregistered and unlicensed hemp and
marijuana grows in our County, which law enforcement estimates far exceeds the number of licensed and
registered grows.
As you can clearly see, Jackson County needs substantial State assistance, immediately, to address this ongoing
emergency. Our Code Enforcement staff needs to triple in size, from three Officers to nine Officers, in order to
handle the added workload due to cannabis-related activities. Our Hearings Officer panel needs at least two
additional Hearings Officers to adjudicate the volume of citations being issued by Code Enforcement Officers.
Nathan Sickler, Jackson County Sheriff, estimates that an additional 18 detectives, four patrol deputies, three
supervisors, and nine support staff, along with approximately $750,000 in materials and services per year, are
urgently needed to address the crimes related to illegal marijuana production. Based on current caseload, the
State Water Resources Department needs to assign another three full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, dedicated
solely to investigating water-related complaints and, to handle their current caseload. And, finally, ORA and
OLCC need a substantial infusion of additional staff and resources to begin investigating, and enforcing, State
law related to unlicensed and unregistered hemp and marijuana grows, as well as those grows operating
unlawfully.
While recent legislation during the 2021 session of the Oregon Legislature enacted bills to help address our
urgent need for resources, these laws simply did not provide enough resources, or enough time, to begin to
adequately attempt to address the situation in our County. Jackson County needs long-term, dedicated, and
guaranteed funding for both itself, and the relevant State agencies to ensure that cannabis production is being
lawfully and legally conducted in our community. As Board Order No. 186-21 provides, we are willing to take
assistance in whatever form you can provide: assigning sufficient additional State employees to address these
issues in our community; State funding provided to Jackson County to hire employees and contractors necessary
to address these issues; or repealing the prohibition on local marijuana taxes and letting the Jackson County
local tax on medical and non-medical marijuana take effect. Likely, what is going to be required to address this
urgent crisis is some combination of all three options.
We implore of you, please provide assistance now, before an already out of control situation becomes even
worse.
Sincerely,
JACKSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Rick Dyer, Chair
Dave Dotterrer, Commissioner
Colleen Roberts, Commissioner
--Staff Reports| Post Date: 2021-10-14 09:29:22 | Last Update: 2021-10-14 09:52:21 |
