While it might appear to community members that the City of Portland has stopped its cleanup work, the truth is that Homelessness and Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program Performance Measures has never stopped responding to reports during this pandemic. In fact, they have actually been dispatching cleanup vendors more often to assist with trash, debris and biohazard removal. They also spend a great deal of time coordinating with outreach and service providers at various locations in town to assist with various issues.

Whenever individuals in the community submit a reports to HUCIRP regarding a campsite of concern, that report automatically creates a work assignment for a crew with lived experience to go to the reported area, engage with people that are present, pick up camper-identified garbage and conduct an assessment of the area. In July alone, they removed 550,000 pounds of garbage from the community.

HUCIRP encourage community members to continue reporting (once a week regarding any given site) as that will help to ensure that crews are regularly visiting the location to remove trash and biohazardous materials. It will also help to ensure that the City has a current assessment of the conditions in the area.

The best place to report campsites to us is via just one of the following methods:

1)Campsite Report Form

2)PDX Reporter

3)Calling Information & Referral: 503-823-4000.

If you are interested in learning more about what the response to reports looks like, please check out this video

If you have questions regarding a campsite, please send an email to reportpdx@portlandoregon.gov.

If you are interested in learning more about the process for campsite removals, please see this blog

Please note, any and all issues of criminal activity must be reported to the Portland Police.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-09-27 12:07:06

Last Update: 2020-09-27 12:45:42

Measure 26-218 is a local Metro ballot measure which authorizes Metro to impose a payroll tax not to exceed 0.75% on employers with 26 or more employees beginning in 2022.

According to Metro, projects would include a light rail line in the Southwest Corridor between downtown Portland and Washington County, a rapid regional bus network, bridge replacement and repair, sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, off-street biking and walking facilities, and traffic signal and intersection upgrades. It would also fund several additional transportation programs across the region, such as youth bus and MAX passes, walking and biking projects near schools, bus reliability, transition of buses from diesel to electric and low-carbon fuels, retention of affordable housing and addressing potential displacement along transportation corridors.

Some of the persons, unions and companies that could possibly benefit from contracts funded by Measure 26-218 are:

• HDR is an international company that specializes in engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services. They have donated $15,000.
• Local 48 Electricians PAC donated $100,000.
• David Evans and Associates is a Portland-based engineering company that led the engineering effort on the failed Columbia River Crossing project. They donated a total of $30,000.
• Stacy and Witbeck is a heavy civil construction company, specializing in transit infrastructure. They donated $160,000.
• AECOM is an infrastructure consulting firm. They donated $15,000.

This is a full list of major donors to Get Moving PAC.

Date	Donor	Amount
09/21/2020	Headlight Technologies	$5,000
09/21/2020	OTAK, Inc	$7,500
09/20/2020	James Fuiten	$5,000
09/20/2020	Leah Riley	$1,000
09/20/2020	James McGrath	$1,000
09/14/2020	Titan	$5,000
09/13/2020	Steve Naito	$2,500
09/13/2020	Brad Hart	$10,000
09/11/2020	Harper Houf Peterson Righellis	$1,000
09/11/2020	Friends of Bob Stacey (13836)	$9,500
09/11/2020	Affordable Housing for Oregon (19368)	$4,299
09/11/2020	David Evans & Associates, Inc.	$30,000
09/08/2020	HDR	$15,000
09/08/2020	UFCW Local 555	$10,000
09/08/2020	LTK	$5,000
09/06/2020	Elizabeth Faulkner	$1,000
08/30/2020	Matt Miller	$5,000
08/28/2020	Communications Strategies	$1,000
08/28/2020	Professional & Technical Employees Local 17	$1,000
08/28/2020	Insulators International PAC	$2,000
08/24/2020	Local 48 Electricians PAC (4572)	$100,000
08/21/2020	William Shields	$2,000
08/14/2020	Stacy and Witbeck, Inc.	$150,000
08/14/2020	David Evans & Associates, Inc.	$10,000
08/03/2020	Herb Fricke	$1,000
07/31/2020	Cement Masons Local 555	$5,000
07/27/2020	Warren Rosenfeld	$5,000
07/09/2020	OTAK, Inc	$1,500
07/06/2020	Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters	$10,000
06/29/2020	WSP	$10,000
06/17/2020	American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon	$25,000
06/03/2020	Recology	$5,000
05/02/2020	American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon	$1,000
04/30/2020	Burns McDonnell	$5,000
04/30/2020	Ian McHone	$5,000
04/12/2020	UFCW Local 555	$10,000
04/12/2020	200 Market Associates LP	$10,000
03/30/2020	HNTB Corporation	$10,000
03/20/2020	Jesse Jackson	$5,000
03/20/2020	Rachel L Bruce	$5,000
03/20/2020	Affordable Electric	$5,000
03/20/2020	Jeff Moreland	$5,000
03/20/2020	Chicks of All Trade	$5,000
03/20/2020	Just Bucket Excavating	$5,000
03/20/2020	Raimore Construction	$10,000
03/16/2020	Parametrix	$10,000
03/12/2020	Stacy and Witbeck, Inc.	$10,000
03/09/2020	Walsh Construction Company	$5,000
03/09/2020	AECOM Technology Group	$15,000
01/28/2020	Transportation Yes (14743)	$5,000

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2020-09-27 11:57:37

Last Update: 2020-09-27 13:21:46

OHA announced it had selected nonprofit organizations and tribal governments from throughout the state for health equity grants to address the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Oregon’s tribal communities and communities of color. The grants total $45 million, and a full list of the awardees can be found here.

OHA announced the availability of grant funding and opened for applications to not-for-profit organizations statewide and Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribes and the Urban Indian Health Program on Aug. 18. OHA received hundreds of applications and has funded 205 organizations and tribes. Requests totaled close to $170 million, and not all applicants could be funded.

“We look forward to partnering with these remarkable organizations and communities, who do such vital work to serve their communities,” said Patrick Allen, OHA director. “We are deeply aware how these organizations’ linkages and knowledge of their communities and the challenges they face are so important to bringing resources to help. We look forward to the collective work to continue to meaningfully address the systemic racism and structural inequities that have caused so much health disparity, especially relating to COVID-19.”

The grants focus resources on communities most disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and programs that will address health and economic disruptions, food insecurity and housing, and safety and violence prevention, among other aspects of need.

“While OHA relationships with many of these groups have existed in the past, this grant program represents a deepening and a broadening of the partnership,” said Leann Johnson, director of OHA’s equity and inclusion division. “In some cases, the partnership is new. But whether new or existing, the relationships with these groups, the funding of their work, and their knowledge of the needs of their specific communities are the keys to breaking the hold of structural and systemic racism and oppression. We’re grateful for the work these organizations have engaged in already and will look to learn further from their wisdom.”

To learn more about this program, please visit https://www.oregon.gov/oha/covid19/Pages/equity-grants-covid-19.aspx


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-09-26 18:15:37

Last Update: 2020-09-26 18:41:26

By now, the image of child climate activist, Greta Thunberg is familiar to everyone, though it seems her star power is slipping. Children are time-honored mascots for any political agenda for which they can be marshalled, and Oregon Governor Kate Brown is no stranger to this tactic. In her response to California Governor Gavin Newsome's proclamation on zero-emission vehicles, Brown invoked the children.

"We have heard loud and clear from Oregon’s youth that climate action is their top priority—and it is the next generation that will pay the greatest price if we fail to answer their call. When zero-emission vehicles are widely used, we can support economic development, public health, and the environment all at the same time. I will be following the California requirement and looking into policies here in Oregon to accelerate transportation electrification."

It's one thing to ask kids for their opinions -- though one wonders how much value that has when actually making policy decisions. It's another to give kids their opinions and then ask them for it.

How does this happen? The largest public employee union in the state, the Oregon Education Association, also happens to be a leading voice for climate activism. They have your children captive for most of the day, and while they might fall short on educating your child on actual knowledge, rest assured, your child will go home trained as a climate activist. Ask Governor Brown.

The even more radical American Federation of Teachers, who boasts on their webpage of passing a "resolution supporting a Green New Deal, which combines strategies to tackle climate change, economic inequality, and environmental racism."

This resembles a pattern and a plan: Union activists take over the curriculum in public schools and feed it to the children, and then these same union activists point to the sage wisdom of these same children as the justification for public policy, to be enacted by the politicians they fund.

Governor Brown is not unconnected to these public employee unions. When she last ran for Governor, received donations of $100,000 on two occasions just during the current political cycle from the Oregon Education Association. The American Federation of Teachers - Oregon gave her $20,000 an increase over the another $10,000 in campaign cash given her during the previous election cycle.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2020-09-26 12:53:11

Last Update: 2020-09-26 14:11:53

Editor's note: The following was released by Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno

Wildfires in Oregon
The families and communities affected by the devastating wildfires across Oregon are in my thoughts and prayers. Know that our team at Secretary of State stands ready to help in the long-term recovery efforts to come.

For any Oregonians displaced from their home and concerned about voting in the General Election this November, rest assured we are working closely with local election officials to ensure you receive your ballot. More information specific to the wildfires and voting is available here.

Elections in Oregon
A lot has changed in our world in 2020. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of how we live our lives has been turned upside down. In Oregon, however, one significant thing hasn’t changed: how we vote. Oregon has been conducting elections entirely by mail for over 20 years. Pandemic or not, it remains as effective, safe, and popular as ever.

I am thankful for the increased civic engagement this presidential election year. At the same time, misinformation can spread rapidly and we dedicate this newsletter to sharing trusted information about our elections process in Oregon to ensure you register to vote, get your ballot, vote your ballot, return your ballot, and make your voice heard.

Voter Registration
The essential building block of elections is the voter roll of registered voters. To register to vote in Oregon, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Oregon, and at least 16 years old. If you are not yet 18 years of age, you will not receive a ballot until an election occurs on or after your 18th birthday.

The easiest way to register to vote or update your registration is to go to your trusted source oregonvotes.gov. All eligible voters may also register by paper form available in many government offices or through their county elections office. The deadline to register for this year’s General Election is October 13.

Voters’ Pamphlet
An Oregon election tradition is the voters’ pamphlet. The voters’ pamphlet is mailed to every residential address in Oregon and is designed to assist voters in participating in the November 3, 2020, General Election. It will arrive in your mailbox between October 7-9. It contains educational materials to help you navigate the election, and also has candidate statements and measure arguments to help you learn more about what will be on your ballot. Inside the back cover is a paper registration form so that those that are not registered can see that the election is coming up and they can return the form to register before the registration deadline.

Paper Ballots
All registered voters in Oregon are automatically mailed an official ballot and a ballot return envelope with prepaid postage. Voting by mail leaves a paper trail — a critical feature for exposing fraud.

Ballots can be returned by mail and no longer require a stamp. When returning your ballot by mail it should be mailed not later than October 27th to make sure it will get to the election office in time to be counted. We are fortunate to have a continued strong partnership with our local United States Postal Service to ensure support for our elections. Voters can also take advantage of hundreds of official dropsites throughout the state to return their ballot in person by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Another reassuring feature to our system is that you can track your ballot in My Vote.

County Election Officials
We are very fortunate to have 36 County election officials and their teams as our essential partners in administering the election at the local level. Their efforts strengthening our election system are year-round, but they step up on Election Day to process and tabulate all of the ballots. They are the true heroes of the election.

They have adjusted to the pandemic to ensure extra safety precautions and are experts in handling the significant volume of paper ballots to be verified, extracted, sorted, and tabulated. Oregon supports transparency and you can contact your county elections office to observe the election process.

While unofficial results begin to be posted soon after the 8 p.m. deadline on Election Day, counties have 20 days to certify official results to the state. This period allows election teams to complete the tallying of ballots, resolve any ballots that have been challenged, and conduct post election audits.

Vote By Mail
Oregon is very fortunate to have over four decades of experience administering our elections with Vote By Mail. It has allowed us to expand access to the ballot and ensure election integrity. We continue to have a strong relationship with our local USPS officials to ensure that our Vote By Mail system is effective and efficient.

We and our County election official partners remain a trusted source of election information and all voters are encouraged to use oregonvotes.gov or your county election website to help answer or follow up on any questions they may have.

I will end with a challenge to all of you to vote in this General Election by November 3rd so that Oregon can lead the nation in voter turnout and your voice will be heard. Oregon has and continues to blaze new trails in expanding access to voting. Other states are beginning to follow our Vote By Mail example, but let’s prove to the nation that our citizens are engaged and committed to democracy!


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2020-09-25 17:50:08

Earlier on Friday, Representative Bill Post (R-Keizer) released the following statement on Governor Brown’s recent executive order and the ongoing violence in Portland:

“Oregon’s political leadership is so narrow-minded. The governor should have made this executive order long ago. This weekend, what is being called a “right-wing” group will be protesting in Portland, and now she wants to defend the community? The “right-wing” groups being referenced do not have a history of violence in Portland, unlike some of the “left-wing” groups that have been protesting since May. There have been violent nightly wars in Portland for over 100 days with loss of life and heavy destruction of private and public property. Where was the concern then? Our political leadership only sees the enemy they choose to see and ignores the facts.

I strongly urge Governor Brown to extend this executive order to stop these anarchist riots from continuing as they have been since May.”


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-09-25 13:10:21

Last Update: 2020-09-25 19:32:07

In a race in which integrity plays a great role, the Secretary of State's race is seeing some donor activity that is raising eyebrows with some observers who are calling into question how the size of the donations may have an impact on the performance of the candidate, should she land the role of Secretary of State.

Democrat Shemia Fagan recently accepted a $50,000 donation from Governor Kate Brown's political action committee. While it's not unusual for cash to flow between PACs during an election year, it's troubling to some that one of the main functions of the Secretary of State is to audit executive branch agencies -- overseen by none other than Governor Kate Brown.

Another conflict of interest that's developing is that Fagan's campaign is almost wholly funded by public employee union political action committees. One of these, Service Employees International Union -- the largest public employee union among Oregon state workers -- has funded her campaign to the tune of over a quarter of a million dollars. Again, these are executive branch employees whose work will be audited by the Secretary of State.

Fagan came under fire during the primary when an email from fellow Democratic lawmaker Alyssa Keny-Guyer was leaked expressing disappointment over the sources of Fagan's campaign money. Keny-Guyer said, "In addition to the obscene amounts of money from so few sources going into your campaign, now there is an Independent Expenditure cleverly called OREGONIANS FOR BALLOT ACCESS, made to 'appear' neutral since it offers one example of an endorsement for Mark and two for Jamie. No surprise, it is the first website that appears when you google any of the three candidate names."

Insiders are looking back at the 2016 election for Secretary of State when the highly partisan, left-leaning activist labor lawyer Brad Avakian lost to Dennis Richardson, a candidate with a legislative track record for integrity and fairness. Speculation is that this election might be a repeat, where voters may lean toward the candidate who can present a case that includes personal integrity.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2020-09-25 12:59:47

Last Update: 2020-09-24 20:32:33

The Oregon Senate has confirmed Governor Kate Brown’s appointment of Bend executive Maurice Henderson to the Oregon Transportation Commission. Henderson will succeed Martin Callery of Coos Bay. Henderson has extensive experience in transportation and mobility issues, serving currently as Senior Director of Government Partnerships at Bird, a provider of shared electric scooters. Henderson will join the commission on October 1, 2020; his first OTC meeting will be October 22, 2020.

“Maurice has broad experience in mass transit, urban mobility, intergovernmental partnerships, and innovative transportation technologies that will be valuable to the commission as we implement our new Strategic Action Plan,” said Robert Van Brocklin, chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission. “We look forward to welcoming him and getting him involved in the commission’s work,” Van Brocklin added.

“I’m passionate about the mission of the Oregon Transportation Commission,” Henderson said. “I look forward to expanding the conversation about Oregon’s transportation future and the actual creation of mobility options for people throughout the state as the commission establishes state transportation policy in alignment with Governor Brown’s vision,” Henderson said.

Henderson’s background includes:

Bird, Senior Director of Government Partnerships (February 2019 to present)

TriMet, Chief Operating Officer

City of Portland, Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Initiatives

Portland Bureau of Transportation, Assistant Director

Henderson holds a bachelor's degree in Leadership Studies and a master's degree in Public Administration and is a member of the inaugural class for the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-09-25 11:39:37

Last Update: 2020-09-25 13:10:21

Earlier this month, Friends of Kelly Sloop requested an official investigation with state elections officials alleging that Rep. Rachel Prusak hid campaign donations that were routed to her husband who accepted cash for a documentary film about her that was released this year.

“My opponent released a campaign video promoting herself filmed by her husband, Billy Louviere,” said candidate for State Representative Kelly Sloop. “State elections laws are clear. Rep. Prusak or a member of her family cannot accept cash for campaigning without reporting it publicly,” said Sloop.

Prusak’s husband, Billy Louviere, solicited $6,000 in donations to make this campaign film that Prusak has since used in her fundraising efforts.

“It’s unacceptable that Rep. Prusak is breaking the law and hiding her campaign donors. She’s not above the laws that everyone else must follow,” said Sloop.

To-date, most of Rep. Prusak’s campaign cash has come from special interest groups, large corporations, international pharmaceutical companies, Portland-based political action committees, and even out-of-state political action committees.

Roughly three quarters of the money raised by Friends of Kelly Sloop is from individual and local donors. Sloop has been endorsed by dozens of local organizations, small business owners, community leaders and others from the district. These can be viewed at www.kellysloop.com/supporters.

You may view the text of the filed complaint here.

Kelly Sloop is a West Linn native and former PTA president. She and her husband Mike have three children. Sloop has been a registered pharmacist for over 30 years. She is running for Oregon House District 37 to represent West Linn and Tualatin.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-09-25 10:32:08

Last Update: 2020-09-25 11:39:37

Censorship of social media is a hot topic with the election just around the corner. Wednesday, the Department of Justice sent draft legislation to Congress to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that implements reforms from President Trump’s Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship.

“For too long Section 230 has provided a shield for online platforms to operate with impunity,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Ensuring that the internet is a safe, but also vibrant, open and competitive environment is vitally important to America. We therefore urge Congress to make these necessary reforms to Section 230 and begin to hold online platforms accountable both when they unlawfully censor speech and when they knowingly facilitate criminal activity online.”

“The Department’s proposal is an important step in reforming Section 230 to further its original goal: providing liability protection to encourage good behavior online,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. “The proposal makes clear that, when interactive computer services willfully distribute illegal material or moderate content in bad faith, Section 230 should not shield them from the consequences of their actions.”

The Department of Justice’s draft legislation focuses on two areas of reform, both of which are, at minimum, necessary to recalibrate the outdated immunity of Section 230.

First, the draft legislation has a series of reforms to promote transparency and open discourse and ensure that platforms are fairer to the public when removing lawful speech from their services. The current interpretations of Section 230 have enabled online platforms to hide behind the immunity to censor lawful speech in bad faith and is inconsistent with their own terms of service. The legislative proposal also adds language to the definition of “information content provider” to clarify when platforms should be responsible for speech that they affirmatively and substantively contribute to or modify.

The second category of amendments is aimed at incentivizing platforms to address the growing amount of illicit content online, while preserving the core of Section 230’s immunity for defamation claims. Platforms that purposely solicit and facilitate harmful criminal activity should not receive the benefit of this immunity.

The department also proposes to more clearly carve out federal civil enforcement actions from Section 230. Online crime is a serious and a growing problem, and there is no justification for blocking the federal government from civil enforcement on behalf of American citizens.

Finally, the department proposes carving out certain categories of civil claims that are far outside Section 230’s core objective, including offenses involving child sexual abuse, terrorism, and cyberstalking. These amendments will be critical first steps in enabling victims to seek redress for the most serious of online crimes.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-09-25 10:09:40

Last Update: 2020-09-25 10:18:27

Editor's note: Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project equips voters with information on how candidates stand on issues through a questionnaire process featured in comparison guides.

Candidate for House District 12 Ruth Linoz is challenging incumbent John Lively on his 5th run to represent a portion of Lane County.

Three major issues to Oregon voters are the economy, safety and education. Lively voted to increase taxes and fees including cap and trade, corporate gross receipts tax, and reduce the kicker. In 2020 he sponsored HB 4151 imposing a one-percent fee on electric bills and increases car sales tax to subsidize electric cars. Linoz indicates she would vote no on these issues and supports reducing taxes and regulations. She states, “Policies like Cap & Trade impose crippling costs and restrictions that harm small communities that have been declining for decades and doesn’t support the natural areas for logging that built this state’s economy.”

Lively helped sponsor the bill that nullified Measure 88 passed by voters allowing undocumented driver’s license and he helped sponsor a bill that requires no proof of citizenship to obtain a driver’s license. Voted to require employers to notify employees of ICE investigations, and prevent courts from asking immigration status and notifying ICE. In contrast, Linoz said she will “work to provide law enforcement with the support and tools that they need to do their jobs that make our neighborhoods safe places to live, work, play, shop and learn.”

In the area of education and family, Lively sponsored a bill to take a child into protective custody without a court order. He voted to include in all curriculum’s contributions from every minority group such as immigrants, LGBTQ, disabled and women. He voted to require mandated vaccination with no exceptions and ban those from schools that don’t comply. Linoz supports school choice and would like to see Common Core replaced. She believes gender identity instruction is not appropriate for grades K-3, and would not require mandated vaccinations to attend school.




--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-09-25 09:02:49

Last Update: 2020-09-22 10:26:59

Editor's note: Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project equips voters with information on how candidates stand on issues through a questionnaire process featured in comparison guides.

Republican candidate Christopher Christensen is running for Congressional District 1 against Democrat incumbent Suzanne Bonamici to represent Clatsop, Columbia, Washington, Yamhill and part of Multnomah Counties.

Bonamici is on a revived House select committee on climate change and has signed onto the Green New Deal introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, claiming 100% energy from a mix of “clean renewable and zero-emission energy sources” by 2030. “Climate change affects our entire economy and it’s more important than ever to develop a comprehensive national energy policy that shifts us toward a clean energy future,” she said. She wants comprehensive background checks, limit gun magazine sizes, and reinstate the ban on military style assault weapons, but claims while reducing gun violence, it must be constitutional and consistent with the Second Amendment. She also helped introduce the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 to transform police practices, limit use of force and stop transfer of military grade equipment to state and local law enforcement.

When you look at what is happening in Portland spreading violence to other parts of the state, Christensen says he is for “no universal background checks and no restrictions on the right to bear arms as outlined in the second amendment.” He states his passion for public policy are in his belief in our Constitution that should be honored, valued, and upheld. He would work for bipartisan solutions to infrastructure and transportation improvements in the region; build the Bridge; make America energy independent; lift people out of poverty, not enable it; choices in education; opposes the artificial creation of emissions trading platforms and cap & trade legislative policies; uphold the Second Amendment to the Constitution; uphold the legal immigration policies of these sovereign United States and advocate for strong border protection measures.

Who will best representative We The People?




--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-09-24 16:54:23

Last Update: 2020-09-30 10:54:26