The Department of Justice lists Multnomah County Racketeering 1951-1960 as a notable investigations and achievements. In the years following World War II, Portland developed a quiet reputation as a place that wasn’t all that quiet. Scratch the surface, and you’d have found brothels, gambling, bootlegging and plenty of underground characters more than happy to try and buy off an official or two. And there was more than an official or two willing to take the money. Eventually, even the Teamsters made their way down from Seattle to get a piece of the action. A series of articles in the Oregonian in 1956 pulled the story into the daylight.

Oregon Attorney General, George Neuner (R) started investigating the crimes, followed with prosecution by Robert Y Thornton (D) in 1960 with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that took on the Teamsters. The story of that period in Portland was reported by Wally Turner and William Lambert, Oregonian reporters, exposing a wide-ranging conspiracy to take over Jim Elkins’ illegal empire in Portland. The city’s corruption drew the interest of the U.S. Senate select committee on labor racketeering making headlines across the country and become the basis of a 1957 film titled Portland Expose.

The mob-type tactics of the 1950s are again surfacing. Racketeering has surfaced repeatedly through the years through theft rings. Today, it is more in-your-face bias crimes. One of the leaders of BLM arrested in Portland’s riots stated they have a right to reparations and will keep looting and destroying businesses.

Senate Bill 577 passed in 2019 requiring the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) to review all data pertaining to bias crimes and non-criminal bias incidents and to report the results annually on July 1. The first report is a preliminary to a more expansive report, but for the first year ending July 1 they reported 185 calls to the hotline and 273 bias related offenses reported to law enforcement of which 68 cases included bias charges in the first or second degree. The key findings of the report are that race was the most targeted class for both bias crimes reported to law enforcement and bias incidents reported to the hotline. The Bias Response Hotline received a surge of calls in March and April for bias toward Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander community members due to erroneous beliefs about COVID-19.

“Bias victimizes the person who is targeted, but it also victimizes their friends and family, and in fact our larger community. Language and conduct intended to divide us can be just as harmful as hands-on assaults,” said Johanna Costa, Oregon DOJ’s Bias Response Coordinator.

Attorney General Rosenblum said, “If you are a witness, reporting hate and bias sheds light on the experiences of some of our most vulnerable community members, and it demonstrates that you are an ally and you will not stand for hate in our state.”

What do they see as “hate?” The members of the Legislature’s Black, Indigenous and People of Color Caucus (BIPOC) are Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon (D-Woodburn), Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Happy Valley), Rep. Diego Hernandez (D-Portland), Rep. Akasha Lawrence Spence (D-Portland), Rep. Mark Meek (D-Oregon City), Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Lake Oswego), Rep. Tawna Sanchez (D-Portland), Sen. Lew Frederick (D-Portland) and Sen. James Manning (D-Eugene). Without cause or investigation, they used hate language calling Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer and Three Percenters, white supremacist and right-wing extremist groups. Proud Boys leader, Enrique Tarrio, said in a tweet that the group is not associated with white supremacy. Similar to how the celebration of Black lives got radicalized with left extremists, so an article sought out a radical to discredit Proud Boys instead of interviewing the leader who, by the way, is a person of color.

Is their play book, The Masque of the Red Death, by Edgar Allen Poe? Fear is a real toxic thing. It illustrates how fear can alter how you think, how you feel and how people interact. Hate crimes are based on fear that manipulated people. Where does social justice fall on the scale of manipulation?


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-10-04 07:37:33

The Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance or SASO is a measure on the ballot in four Oregon counties for the 2020 November General Election.

Clatsop County	Measure 4-205
Columbia County	Measure 5-278
Coos County	Measure 6-181
Umatilla County	Measure 30-145

The SASO is a new law that implements a local layer of legal protections for the rights acknowledged in the Bill of Rights using the initiative process and a county’s Home Rule authority to reject the commandeering of county resources by state and federal agencies.

If enacted, The SASO would impose a directive ordering that the County government shall not use any county resources or employees to enforce state or federal regulations concerning firearms and firearm accessories. Any county agency or employee found guilty of violating the law would face a Class A violation, plus a $2000 fine for the employee, $4000 for the offending agency.

The SASO defends the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. It employs the idea of “Shall not be infringed” by eliminating local enforcement of the many state and federal restrictions limiting the ability of individuals to protect themselves, their families, and others.

The SASO is unique in the fact that it differentiates itself from the feckless resolutions other counties in other states have enacted. The ordinance would punish local government officials who have violated an individual’s Second Amendment rights, which would challenge the practice of “qualified immunity.” Politicians would have to pay for committing unconstitutional crimes and ignoring their Oaths of Office.

Currently, there is a growing trend of defunding the police, disarming the citizens, and discharging the criminals, which will only result in an exponential wave of crime and death unless the electorate is willing to act. A more ominously twisted aspect is that District Attorneys are now charging citizens with crimes for using firearms and other weapons to defend their lives, homes, and property from the mob.

We the people are the last line of defense against anarchy and lawlessness. We must be willing to defend our cities and counties from criminals, looters, rioters, and unethical politicians with the protections and values enumerated in the US Constitution.

The Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance would help achieve that goal by allowing the people to invoke those rights with more legal authority in opposition to federal, state, and local politicians who want to make their own rules.

Registered voters in Lane County or Tillamook County can sign the active SASO petitions that are currently circulating in those two counties.

There is more information at SanctuaryOrdinance.com.


--Rob Taylor

Post Date: 2020-10-03 09:17:50

Last Update: 2020-10-03 09:38:21

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 8 Timothy Aldal is challenging incumbent Paul Holvey on his 9th run to represent a portion of Lane County.

Three major issues to Oregon voters are the economy, safety and education. Holvey, known as the Carpenters’ Union representative, voted to increase taxes and fees including cap and trade, corporate gross receipts tax, and reduce the kicker. In 2020 he voted in support of SB 1603 imposing up to 6% tax on cell phones to extend broadband services to rural areas in addition to federal grants. Aldal indicates he would vote no on these issues and states he would work to stop over taxing and the shifting of money into non-dedicated funds. He states, the CAT tax is a business killing bill that passes on the cost to consumers lowering the standard of living for all Oregonians. He would work to reduce and repeal taxes not used for the betterment of all Oregonians.

Hovey 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. He also voted for firearms to be trigger-cable locked or in a locked container when not carried. In contrast, Aldal said he is pro-constitution, supports local law enforcement and pro-Second Amendment. He states locking firearms is an “infringement and a good way to get citizens killed when one is needed for protection.”

In the area of education and family, Hovey supported the 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. Aldal doesn’t support the curriculum bill and says it is vague and poorly written. He also says, “every parent/family should have the right to make their own decisions regarding their medical care based on their beliefs and faith.”



--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-10-02 19:26:50

Last Update: 2020-10-02 19:46:23

Cleanup from the recent wildfires and wind damage is set to begin in eight Oregon counties as county officials, Oregon’s Debris Management Task Force, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have finalized plans to remove and dispose of hazardous materials from burned properties—free of charge to property owners. Removal of household hazardous waste and fire debris is required before property owners can rebuild from the fires.

Cleanup crews plan to begin operations in Jackson County the week of October 19 and will expand to the other counties shortly afterward, pending the completion by property owners of “Right of Entry” (ROE) access agreements that will allow cleanup crews onto their property. The ROE for a property must be signed before the county and state cleanup process can begin.

Hazardous waste cleanup is provided free of charge to property owners in Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn and Marion counties. FEMA and the State of Oregon are funding the work.

Affected Oregon counties are in varying stages of developing their ROE forms. Property owners are urged to check their county’s website (list below) or wildfire.oregon.gov/cleanup for more information about the ROE process in their county. In preparation for filling out the forms, property owners should identify their property parcel number from their county tax assessor’s office and collect insurance information.

Household hazardous waste can include but is not limited to: fuel and petroleum, car batteries, antifreeze, used oil filters, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, propane tanks, high pressure cylinders, disinfectants, aerosols, paint, bleach, radiological sources or devices, pool chemicals and ammunition. Cleanup crews will also identify and dispose of bulk asbestos materials when possible.

How the process will work

STEP 1: Household hazardous waste removal – No cost to property owner
1. Once a property owner completes an ROE form with their county, crews will evaluate the property for any overhead hazards (impacted trees) or other physical hazards and conduct air monitoring and visual observations to identify locations of household hazardous waste.
2. Crews will then remove those items from the property for safe disposal.

STEP 2: Ash and debris removal
1. Cleanup crews then will remove burned-out structures—possibly including building foundations—ash and other debris.
2. When this step is complete, property owners will be able to begin the rebuilding process.

State, county and federal partners are actively working to develop funding and implementation options for Step 2: Ash and debris removal.

The State of Oregon’s Debris Management Task Force is overseeing a coordinated effort by federal, state and local government agencies to address hazardous waste and debris removal. The task force consists of the Office of Emergency Management, Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

IMPORTANT LINKS FOR PROPERTY OWNERS

• Next steps for people whose homes or businesses burned: https://wildfire.oregon.gov/cleanup
• County wildfire websites (will include Right of Entry forms soon):
• Clackamas County
• Douglas County
• Jackson County
• Klamath County
• Lane County
• Lincoln County
• Linn County
• Marion County
• EPA wildfire response
• How to safely manage ash and debris
• Insurance issues and questions

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2020-10-02 14:51:01

Last Update: 2020-10-02 15:11:20

Secretary of State candidates Kim Thatcher and Shemia Fagan squared off in a debate sponsored by the City Club of Portland. Kim Thatcher started off by saying that Oregon is at a crossroad and the next Secretary of State needs to get Oregon back on track. She is the longest serving member of the Legislative Audit Committee and has focused her attention of the Secretary of State’s office. The Audit Committee is where hard answers are found, such as why millions of Oregonians still haven’t received their benefits. She thinks the state should be doing more to help displaced voters. Small business experience helps her see the issues to administer the Secretary of State’s office as an advocate to get small businesses back to work.

Shemia Fagan began with her history-growing up in Wasco County as a struggling family, which led her to be a civil rights attorney to advocate for the underprivileged. Wants to make government work for everybody, making sure government has fair elections, auditing revenues and programs to make sure they make a difference in the lives of people who need them the most, and run a redistricting committee to make sure Oregon has equal representation for all.

Questioning covered campaign contributions, election, audits, public records, redistricting and the Oregon Land Board.

Thatcher thought that most of her campaign funds came from the forest industry with single donations around $10,000, but she has contributed more from her business. Fagan said public employees were her biggest donors with Emily’s list donating $55,000 and the Governor $50,000. They both support Measure 107 for its transparency and campaign limits. Fagan would like to see grassroots donations and limit a single entity to drown out small donors. Thatcher would put a multi-partisan committee together so no one party dominates.

Vote by mail has been in the news as fraudulent. Thatcher doesn’t believe Oregon’s system is ripe with fraud. There are safe guards in place you don’t see in other states. She did not vote for motor voter due to privacy concerns and not being able to register at the DMV counter. She does not support voter registration on election day. Fagan adamantly stated the widespread claims of voter fraud across the country is a meth stated by people who want to make it harder to vote. She first worked with then Secretary of State Kate Brown to mark out a path to motor voter. She supports same-day registration and would like to see ballot tracking statewide to give Oregonians comfort that their ballot is received.

Audits could be subject to legislative influence, how will they assure audits are free of partisan influence? Fagan would hire outside auditors to be nonpartisan with national guidelines, and thinks the audits should be on what affects people the most. Thatcher serves on the Legislative Audit Committee and says the auditors we have are free of influence. The committee fills the gap working together to identify what audits need to be made, and investigates a tip line for valid requests.

It was proposed to make Public Records office independent. Thatcher is on the Public Advisory Council and proposed a bill to make it independent, which she will again propose and they are working out the funding. The office and advisory council need to work together. Fagan also supports Public Records as an independent agency so the public has someone fighting for them.

When Fagan was asked if she could show her independence from her Public Employees Union supporters, she could not because that would mean going against her own principle. She is proud of their support and believes they should be paid a living wage, have health insurance, retirement security, paid sick leave, and have a say in the safety of their work place. She is on record to make public police records on discipline.

The most discreditable question went to Kim Thatcher equating her participation in the Senate walk-out as a dislike of the legislative process. Denying that statement, she affirmed that the legislative process is very important and that includes the ability for people to weigh-in, which includes quorum denial, which both parties have used. Had the public been given a chance to weigh-in on the issues that are bigger than the legislature, there wouldn’t have been a walk-out.

The Elliott State Forest is overseen by the State Land Board, which includes the Secretary of State. Both thought that the Elliott Forest has to stay in state hands. Thatcher would like to see a stakeholder committee to determine the purpose of the Oregon Land Board. There are lots of proposals for the Elliott Forest to consider. Fagan seemed sold on Oregon State University proposal to use the Elliott Forest as a research forest, which includes decoupling it from the Common School Fund.

They each had an opportunity to ask the other a gotcha question. Thatcher questioned Fagan on her jumping around from position to position and how could voters count on her not running for Governor in two years. Fagan said she had no intention to run for Governor in two years. Fagan tried to tie down Thatcher on her vote for President, which she gracefully deflected staying non-partisan as the position would demand.

Maybe the most interesting question was for each to identify a professional sport they would like to play and what would their walk-up music be. Fagan would play for the WNBA for the Oregon Ducks, and walk on to Lizzo “Good As Hell.” Thatcher would like to be a race car driver to “Radar Love.”

In closing they both asked for your vote reiterating key points.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-10-02 02:17:06

Last Update: 2020-10-02 13:22:18

A coalition of 11 governors, including Govs. Jay Inslee (D-WA), Kate Brown (D-OR), Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Phil Murphy (D-NJ), Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), Tony Evers (D-WI), Tim Walz (D-MN), Ralph Northam (D-VA), John Carney (D-DE), Steve Sisolak (D-NV) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), today released a statement on recent threats to the democratic process and reports of efforts to circumvent the election results.

“We do not take for granted the sacred right of every American to cast a vote, and to have that vote counted, in the presidential election held every four years. It is a right that is foundational to our democracy and essential to the continuation of our constitutional system of government — something to be cherished, revered and defended by elected leaders at all levels.

“Any efforts to throw out ballots or refuse a peaceful transfer of power are nothing less than an assault on American democracy. There is absolutely no excuse for promoting the intimidation or harassment of voters. These are all blatant attempts to deny our constituents the right to have their voices heard, as guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, and to know the will of the people will be carried out.

“As governors, it is our solemn duty to protect the people of our states. Today, we affirm that all votes cast in the upcoming election will be counted and that democracy will be delivered in this election. That means all valid ballots cast in accordance with state and local laws must be counted, and that all states must properly appoint electors in accordance with the vote. We will not allow anyone to willfully corrupt the democratic process by delegitimizing the outcome or appointing fraudulent electors against the will of the voters.

“Our nation has held presidential elections and upheld the results throughout our history, even in times of great peril. We did it during the Civil War and both World Wars, and we can do it during a pandemic.

“And if the outcome of this election means the end of a presidency, he must leave office — period.

“We recognize that democratically held elections are not an exercise in controlling power. By its very nature, democracy is an exercise in determining and honoring out the collective will of the American people, regardless of the outcome. Disenfranchising voters in order to retain power strikes at the very heart of this promise. We call on elected leaders at all levels, from both parties, to speak out loudly against such efforts in the weeks ahead.”

The group of Governors offered no comment on whether requiring photo ID to vote or register to vote would have a positive impact on the democratic process, nor any comment of the impact of the "crossfire hurricane" investigation performed by the FBI against Candidate, then President Elect, then President Donald Trump.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2020-10-01 15:05:40

Last Update: 2020-10-01 15:17:06

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 21 Jack Esp is challenging incumbent Brian Clem on his 8th run to represent a portion of Marion County.

Three major issues to Oregon voters are the economy, safety and education. Clem voted to increase taxes and fees including cap and trade, corporate gross receipts tax, and reduce the kicker. Esp indicates he would vote no on these issues and supports more in-depth study of problems “before throwing more money into the mix.”

Clem signed a letter to US Attorney General William Barr demanding “immediate withdrawal of federal operatives from the City of Portland.” He 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 2020 he sponsored HB 4005 requiring firearms to be trigger-cable locked or in a locked container when not carried. Esp asks “what good is a locked self-defense firearm in an emergency?” He would vote no and support voters. He also thinks the courts and ICE are part of our legal system.

In the area of education, Clem 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. Esp said forced vaccinations are “infringes on parental rights and religious freedom,” and would vote no on curriculum mandates to include minority group contribution on what he views as the left’s attempt to move education further left.



--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-09-30 11:45:18

Last Update: 2020-09-30 11:49:07

Representatives Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles) and David Brock Smith (R-Coos Bay) released a statement on the Good Neighbor Authority and the recent investment made by the Legislative Emergency Board:

“We have let our natural and working lands become overburdened by fuel loads,” said Bonham. “Federal policy of containment and lack of investments into programs like the Good Neighbor Authority have put us in a position to suffer catastrophic effects from these mega-fires. Investments in this program are a step in the right direction to mitigate risks in the future. Conservation of Oregon’s forests, the communities around them, and the families that rely upon them must be our number one priority.”

Brock Smith added, “I’m grateful for the long overdue investment in this legislation that works cooperatively with our federal partners for resource management, focusing on the urban/wildland interface. Expanding these efforts will protect the health, life and safety of Oregonians and their communities.”

The Good Neighbor Authority allows the United States Forest Service to enter into agreements with states to enable states to perform forest management and watershed restoration services on federal lands. Together, Bonham and Brock Smith were chief sponsors of HB 4118 passed in 2018, which expanded Oregon’s Good Neighbor Authority.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-09-30 10:50:37

Last Update: 2020-09-30 11:31:35

In Oregon over the past five years, 137 people lost their lives in crashes involving a distracted driver, and more than 20,992 were injured. Perhaps the saddest part of these statistics, besides there being real people behind them, is that these are preventable crashes.

“When you are behind the wheel, you have one job – to focus on driving safely,” said Kelly Kapri, Oregon’s Distracted Driving Program manager. “If you allow things to distract you, you could lose your life, the life of someone you love or cause another death or serious injury. It’s just not worth it.”

These kinds of tragedies are occurring all over the state so ODOT partners with law enforcement year round for focused enforcement for the law, but especially this October, National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. During October, a national and statewide public education and enforcement campaign will run to remind everyone who uses the transportation system to focus on safety and not allow anything to distract you.

Safety advocates hope that drivers will realize that distractions, such as using a phone, can hurt in more ways than one. From 2014 – 2018, there were 18 people killed and 1,752 suffered serious injuries from crashes where a driver was distracted by using a cell phone. Is that text or call really worth it?

In Oregon, distracted driving costs include not only the potential loss of life or injury, but can hurt the pocketbook as well:

First offense, not contributing to a crash: Class B violation; Fine up to $1,000.

Second offense – or first offense if it contributed to a crash: Class A violation; Fine up to $2,000.

Third offense in ten years: Class B misdemeanor; Fine up to $2,500; Could be up to six months in jail.

See the Oregon Department of Transportation 2020 Fact Sheet for more about distracted driving.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-09-30 10:49:28

Last Update: 2020-10-01 15:01:50

Rachael Banks, who has served as the Multnomah County Health Department’s public health director since 2017, has been named director of the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division.

Banks begins in her new role Oct. 27. She replaces Lillian Shirley, who is retiring this week after serving in the position since 2013.

OHA Director Patrick Allen called Banks “a leader with professional acumen combined with lived and worked experience around promoting equity.” These qualities are necessary as OHA makes “meaningful progress on health equity while guiding the state’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic — and continuing to advance programs that promote the majority of health that happens outside the doctor’s office, such as reducing chronic diseases, ensuring clean air and water, and urging immunizations.”

Advocating for health equity has been a major part of Banks’ career at Multnomah County since she began there in 2002. She has worked to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, hepatitis C and drug overdoses, and provided injury prevention education to families in populations unfairly impacted by health inequities. She also helped enforce Oregon’s Indoor Clean Air Act that created smoke-free workplaces to protect employees and the public, and she’s promoted health and equity by helping community organizations develop policies to reduced chronic diseases.

Banks has partnered with coordinated care organizations, health systems and insurers to improve how pregnant African-American women transition from clinical to community-based care. And she helped develop Early Learning Multnomah, an early learning hub that ensures kindergarten readiness for children of color ages 6 and younger.

As deputy director of the county’s Public Health Division, she helped develop its first disparity-focused Community Health Improvement Plan and led a unit that enacted culturally specific strategies in the African American/Black, Latinx/Hispanic, Native American/American Indian, Pacific Islander and immigrant/refugee communities. She’s also well known for her work as principal investigator for Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH), a chronic disease prevention program reaching 75% of the Black population.

Banks has led Multnomah County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as public health director, including developing policies, securing resources and mobilizing the division’s workforce, and leading the creation of metrics that ensure the needs of Black, indigenous and people of color are met as the county begins the reopening process. She also has advocated for modernizing the state’s public health system by realigning it to focus on equity, epidemiology, community partnerships, policy and operations, and through strengthened relationships with neighboring counties to create a regional infrastructure to improve communicable disease control.

Banks will be crucial in helping OHA achieve its goal of eliminating health inequities by 2030, while continuing work to expand other important initiatives, such as public health modernization, the State Health Improvement Plan, climate and health, immunizations, opioid prevention, and ensuring clean air and water.

“Rachael’s perspective and skills on these and other critical agency efforts, such as our strategic plan and the roll out of our performance management system, will be an essential component of my leadership team, particularly as the state continues the reopening process and prepares for eventual recovery from the COVID pandemic,” Allen said.

Banks earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Gonzaga University in 2001 and a master’s degree in public administration from Portland State University in 2012.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-09-29 16:00:58

Last Update: 2020-09-29 16:50:37

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread devastation caused by wildfires, Governor Kate Brown today established a new moratorium preventing residential evictions for non-payment and other no-cause evictions between September 30 and December 31, 2020.

Governor Brown took immediate action in March and April through executive orders to keep Oregonians housed during the pandemic. In the first special session of this year, the Legislature passed House Bill 4213, establishing a residential and commercial eviction moratorium through September 30, 2020, with a six-month repayment period. The Governor’s new executive order will help keep Oregonians in their homes until the Legislature can convene later this year to address housing issues.

“Every Oregonian deserves a warm, safe, dry place to call home,” said Governor Brown. “Since the Legislature passed House Bill 4213, thousands of people have been displaced by massive and devastating wildfires, and the global pandemic continues to make it difficult for many Oregonians, including Oregon's veterans and many families with children, to pay rent, through no fault of their own.

“Keeping economically vulnerable Oregonians in their homes has been critical to the State’s COVID-19 response throughout this pandemic. Having a safe and stable home allows individuals to practice effective physical distancing, helps facilitate quarantine and isolation, and helps to prevent families and individuals from being displaced from their homes into more crowded multifamily or congregate living conditions, where the virus can spread more easily.

“Housing is a critical human need, and, as we enter cold and flu season during a pandemic––and as many students learn remotely from home––it is absolutely critical that people not be turned out of their homes. While my action today will address the immediate issue of preventing residential evictions through the end of the year, it is my hope that, when the Legislature next meets, they will take up the larger issues we need to address regarding housing relief.”

EO 20-56 establishes a new, temporary residential eviction moratorium through the end of the year, due to the urgent need to prevent a wave of evictions during simultaneous wildfire and pandemic emergency response and recovery efforts. Both crises have had an acute and disproportionate impact on Oregon's communities of color, including Black, Indigenous, Latino, Latina, and Latinx, Pacific Islander, and Tribal communities, as well as families living in rural Oregon.

Added Governor Brown: "Many of the Oregonians most impacted by the pandemic and wildfire crises are those who can afford it least, and who have already faced housing discrimination and vast disparities in the availability of affordable housing. My action today will provide immediate relief, but we still have much work to do to address the systemic racism that lies at the heart of the affordable housing crisis in our country."

Many housing providers, especially small ones, have become uncomfortable with their lack of legal standing in their contractual relations with tenants, and these kind of executive orders call into question the ability of the state to impede contracts.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-09-28 15:47:47

Last Update: 2020-09-29 10:27:12

The City of Scappoose Economic Development Committee (EDC) is looking to fill one member and two alternate positions. The responsibilities of the EDC, as stated in the Committee bylaws, are as follows:

1) Design, develop, and promote an economic development strategic plan

2) Provide oversight and review of economic development marketing strategies and products

3) Enhance communication and understanding of economic development strategies, and build relationships between the local public sector, community, and business community

4) Act as a forum for sharing information on best economic development practices, current issues, and resources available for communities and businesses

5) Encourage connections and coordination with other local, regional, and state organizations working for the benefit of economic growth and enhancement of the local economy

6) Respond to additional matters relating to economic development as requested by the City Council

If you are interested in joining the EDC, please complete the Citizen Interest Application, which is located on the City’s website. The City will accept applications until the positions have been filled. Should you have any questions regarding the application, and/or would like to receive a copy of the Committee Bylaws, please contact Program Analyst Huell White at 503-543-7146, or by email at hwhite@cityofscappoose.org.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-09-28 12:11:43

Last Update: 2020-09-26 12:53:11