“RESOLUTION DECLARING AN ECONOMIC, MENTAL HEALTH, AND CRIMINAL ACTIVITY CRISIS DUE TO THE CURRENT COVID-RELATED STATE EMERGENCY DECLARATION AND RELATING OSHA MANDATES AND GUIDANCE.” The resolution passed a city council by a vote of 5-2 on March 23, 2021.

WHEREAS, the Oregon Governor’s Executive Order 20-03: Declaration of Emergency due to COVID-19, and all subsequent and related OSHA guidance, and present and future executive order extensions of such are arbitrary, ineffective, and draconian;

and

WHEREAS, we as a municipality have no legal ability to summarily flout these mandates, guidelines and enforcement by OSHA, and therefore cannot protect any local business from State-directed targeting, repercussions and penalties if such local business personally chooses to;

and

WHEREAS, we also recognize that neither city, county nor state government has the legal right to flout the Oregon State Constitution or the United States Constitution;

and

WHEREAS that relate to the right to make personal decisions, the lack of science to support the lockdowns, misinformation used, a number of consequences leading to criminal behavior, and business failures as a result of the mandates. To which they resolved:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we declare an economic, mental health, and crime crisis due to the current COVID-related State Emergency Declaration and related OSHA mandates and guidances, as a means of loudly and symbolically supporting our citizenry;

and

BE IT RESOLVED, the City will communicate in writing with the Governor’s Office to encourage the full opening of our city and county, re-categorization to low-population status, or suggesting other means necessary to give our citizens relief from these mandates;

and

BE IT RESOLVED, the City will support upcoming legislation, dependent upon its straightforward and unharmful wording, which provides reparations to business owners who have had their businesses and income taken without compensation;

and

BE IT RESOLVED, the City will support future statewide ballot initiatives that limit the duration and extent of Governor’s emergency powers, which may create similar lock-down scenarios during future emergencies, natural disasters, and pandemics;

and

BE IT RESOLVED, the City will share this resolution with other Oregon cities, counties, and media outlets in the hope those entities will also speak more loudly;

and

BE IT RESOLVED the City recognizes the citizenry of Baker City are free, sovereign individuals within a Constitutional, Representative Republic, not subjects or slaves, and will be recognized as such as we firmly stand to represent them.

PASSED by the City Council of the City of Baker City, Oregon and signed by the Mayor of Baker City, Oregon, this 23rd day of March, 2021.

• HJR 18 (sponsors Rep. Reschke, Nearman, Post) - Terminating state of emergency relating to COVID-19.
• HB 2243 (sponsors Rep. Wilde, Lewis, Evans, Owens) - Requires that declarations and extensions of states of emergency under certain statutes be accompanied by written explanations.
• HB 3177 (sponsor Rep. David Brock Smith) - Limits types of restrictions that Governor may impose on certain businesses during state of emergency related to COVID-19 pandemic.
• HB 3350 (sponsor Rep. Witt, Owens) - Prescribes requirements for providing education to students with disability during COVID-19 emergency.
• HB 3243 (sponsor Rep. Reschke) - Provides that civil penalty imposed as result of violation of COVID-19 emergency rule becomes due and payable 50 years after order imposing penalty becomes final.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

“The Legislature is in Session and we have a duty to engage. Oregonians need to have a balance of power between the separate branches of government again,” said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby.) “The decision to shut down businesses this week contradicts the newest CDC recommendations by not accounting for vaccinated individuals in Oregon. Furthermore, our businesses allow people to gather in places with standardized safety measures. There is no evidence that shutting them down will have an impact on transmission rates. If COVID guidelines in Oregon continue to ignore CDC guidelines to the detriment of families, kids and our main street businesses, we must restore the Legislature’s ability to hold the executive branch accountable.”

“There’s zero evidence that we’re anywhere close to running out of hospital capacity in Marion County from COVID-19 cases,” added Marion County Commissioner Colm Willis. “We have plenty of PPE and because of vaccinations we aren’t seeing the same high level of severity in overall cases who need hospitalization. On top of that, there is zero data to suggest that restaurants have ever been a top contributor to COVID-19 transmissions. Shutting businesses down won’t change the numbers.”

“We are not obligated to let the Governor railroad Oregonians without accountability and transparency,” Senate Republican Leader Fred Girod (R-Lyons) said. “Legislative Democrats have locked people out of their Capitol building, and are actively participating in the Governor's efforts to lock working Oregonians out of their jobs. With vaccinations ramping up, we should focus on lifting Oregonians up, not putting them out of work.”

“Democrat’s refusal to take seriously their role as a co-equal branch of government is actively harming Oregonians,” Girod continued. “The Democrats are aiding and abetting the abuse against working Oregonians because it gives them more power. No one-party, no one person should have this much power. Republicans are ready to reestablish principles of checks and balances and uphold values of transparency in the legislative process to protect lives and livelihoods.”

“The Governor’s emergency powers kept kids locked out of the classroom for over a year,” Girod added. “They have led to countless Oregonians losing their livelihoods. Legislative Democrats have shown no courage to stand against the Governor’s overreach. They have failed to stand up for working families.”

“Democrats will tell you they are the party of the working class, but when given the opportunity, they have refused to stand up for their livelihoods. Republicans are standing shoulder to shoulder with working Oregonians,” Girod said.

“We are in the middle of the fourth surge of COVID-19 in Oregon, driven by more contagious variants of the disease. We must stop hospitalizations from spiking, so we can save lives, help our nurses and doctors weather this surge, and ensure no Oregonian is denied vital health care. Tomorrow, 15 counties are moving to the Extreme Risk Level, with nine more in High Risk. Hospitalizations nearly doubled in the last two weeks, to well over 300.

“At this time last year, there was so much we did not know about how to stop the spread of this deadly disease. Now, more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, we just have to hold on for a few weeks longer."

“I intend to fully reopen our economy by the end of June, and the day is approaching when my emergency orders can eventually be lifted. How quickly we get there is up to each and every one of us doing our part. Over 1.7 million Oregonians have received at least one dose of vaccine, and over 1.2 million are fully vaccinated against this deadly disease.

"Vaccinations are the best way to protect yourself, your friends, and your loved ones. They are also the quickest path toward lifting restrictions.

“Today, I am lifting Oregon’s executive order for price gouging related to the pandemic, because the days of hand sanitizer and, yes, toilet paper scarcity are far behind us. In the weeks to come, as the number of fully vaccinated Oregonians continues to grow, we will be able to lift the emergency orders and state regulations that have kept us safe for the past year.”

“With health care costs skyrocketing, this simple bill to reduce the cost of a common cold medicine should be a no-brainer,” said Rep. Post. “We shouldn’t be asking people to jump through very expensive hoops by visiting a doctor to obtain a prescription to common cold medicine, especially when Oregon is the ONLY state requiring a prescription.”

This message is a unique one as it represents the first time county governments have formally written to your office in partnership with Oregon's hospitality industry. We write to you to ask for reconsideration of our approach to virus mitigation measures at this stage in the crisis.

The virus continues to take a grave toll on our local economies with restaurants representing one of the key cornerstones fueling connectivity, hope, and mental health for our residents. These are the places we break bread, share inspiration, and encourage one another and the COVID crisis has stripped us of these life essentials.

The environment in each county throughout Oregon is uniquely its own. And the experts of these regions live and breathe their successes and failures. The job of a Governor in a crisis like this is an unenviable one. We fully accept and understand the importance of hospital capacity including an assessment of available personnel in order to adequately meet the demands of any health emergency.

We have reached the point where the vast majority of Oregon's population most prone to serious illness has been successfully protected from the virus. And we must all admit a documented case today does not carry with it the same weight as a documented case in the Fall when so many of our fellow Oregonians lacked access to vaccine. The variants are indeed troublesome, and we share your concern for their spread. But shutting down our restaurants and further depriving Oregonians of their right to make calculated community engagement risks when the virus continues to spread elsewhere will not result in success.

The time has come to allow our communities the opportunity to move forward while embracing continued health and safety precautions. Our people understand the risks associated with COVID and our businesses have proven their ability to adhere to the highest expectations in safety, sanitation, and air quality. It is no coincidence Oregon has not seen one instance of a super spreader event tied to our hospitality industry.

We ask for your support in putting all effort and momentum into vaccinations. We have the safety guidelines and expectations clearly outlined for all industry sectors and have reached a point where those safety measures, alongside our work to achieve vaccination goals, can carry us through the other side of this pandemic without breaking our statewide hospital capacity.

You must know restrictions on specific types of businesses compared to others within our local communities is creating rifts and dividing people rather than bringing Oregonians together. We can flip the script by removing state mandated business restrictions on our communities while empowering our county health departments to uphold high expectations for ongoing health and safety measures as recommended by the CDC. We have reached our turning point and we thank you in advance for your consideration.

“If we don’t act now, doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other health care providers in Oregon will be stretched to their limits treating cases of COVID-19,” said Governor Brown. “Today’s announcement will save lives and help stop COVID-19 hospitalizations from spiking. It will take all of us working together to bring this back under control.”

• Baker
• Clackamas
• Columbia
• Crook
• Deschutes
• Grant
• Jackson
• Josephine
• Klamath
• Lane
• Linn
• Marion
• Multnomah
• Polk
• Wasco

“Our businesses allow people to gather in places with standardized safety measures. We shouldn’t shut them down", said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby.) They are doing everything they can to reduce the spread of COVID-19 under existing rules."

“Oregon’s natural environment is one of the greatest things about our state,” said Rep. Breese-Iverson. “It’s important to recognize our unique environments to not only celebrate our state’s natural beauty, but also the benefits they bring us through scenic tourism and getting more people outside to enjoy nature.”

“Crater Lake is Oregon’s only National Park, renowned for its deep blue water and the amazing 360-degree bowl that surrounds this majestic lake,” added Rep. Reschke. “Crater Lake National Park is truly a national treasure located here in Oregon, and we are fortunate to be able to enjoy it with a short day-trip. Crater Lake National Park Day recognizes this park as a defining landmark of Oregon.”

"We are revising the current guidance on the use of masks outdoors during competition." The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) said in a statement. "The guidance will allow people to take off face coverings when competing in non-contact sports outdoors and maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from others and the other virus protective protocols."