The Biden-Harris administration has named Governor Kate Brown to the President’s Council of Governors.

The Council of Governors) was created by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2008 and formally established by Executive Order 13528, issued on January 11, 2010 by the Obama administration.

The Council is intended to serve as a mechanism for governors and key federal officials to address matters pertaining to the National Guard, homeland defense and defense support to civil authorities.

The Council consists of 10 governors appointed by the President – five from each party – with two governors serving as co-chairs. The Executive Order specifically names a number of federal participants in the Council, including the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security, the President’s Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor, the Commander of U.S. Northern Command and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, among others.

“I would like to thank President Biden for appointing me to this council,” said Governor Brown. “Oregon, like other states, has faced a growing list of unprecedented challenges in the last 18 months, and strong state-federal partnerships are critical for our preparedness and response efforts. I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow governors to bring forward issues of mutual concern, and ensure that we are working together in a bipartisan way to solve challenges and advance innovative solutions in the interest of national security.”

President’s Council of Governors will now consist of the following members:

• Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Co-Chair
• Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Co-Chair
• Delaware Governor John Carney
• Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards
• Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
• Oregon Governor Kate Brown
• Utah Governor Spencer Cox
• Vermont Governor Phil Scott
• Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon
• Tennessee Governor Bill Lee

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s term expires in 2022.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-07-08 14:05:38

Last Update: 2021-07-08 14:31:53

The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) has announced that the City of Bend was awarded $2.97 million in state funding from Project Turnkey to purchase a motel property and remodel it for use as a managed transitional shelter. Located at 2346 NE Division St., the City officially closed on the property on July 7. The City will open the shelter after remodeling the 8,895 square-foot building and making improvements to the property. Once remodeled, Project Turnkey-Bend will provide 28 rooms for shelter use.

“We are thrilled to receive Project Turnkey funding through OCF,” said Bend City Councilor Megan Perkins.

The City will work with people currently residing at the property to ensure they maintain stable housing while the property is being remodeled. The City is working with NeighborImpact to provide case management for any of the current residents who would like support services.

Beginning on July 8, City staff will visit nearby businesses and residences to share information about Project Turnkey-Bend.

A community open house will be held in July and include an overview of Project Turnkey-Bend, what the City’s plans are for remodeling and improving the property, information on how the shelter will be managed, an overview of the services that may be offered at the shelter, and an opportunity to ask City staff questions about the new shelter. The date, time and location for the open house will be announced later this month and posted on the City’s Project Turnkey webpage.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-07-08 12:46:37

Last Update: 2021-07-08 13:03:28

​With Oregon's recent announcement lifting all Coronavirus restrictions, the City of Salem will open all in-person services July 19, 2021. City buildings, previously closed or modified, will re- open to the public on or before July 19, 2021, including Salem's Civic Center, Municipal Court lobby, Salem Police Department lobby, Center 50 + and the Salem Public Library.

Per the Governor's executive order rescinding the wearing of masks and social distancing, all City employees and guests, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, are free to remove their facial coverings in City buildings. Hand sanitizer will be available. Employees and guests should continue to self-monitor regularly for signs of illness. Some city departments, including, Public Works, Fire, and Public Safety had provided some in-person services throughout the lock-down, other staff and programs delivered services only virtually.

"After 15 months, it is my pleasure to welcome everyone back to City Hall on-site and in- person." said City Manager Steve Powers.

The City of Salem will continue to maintain online access to information and services.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-07-08 10:41:55

Last Update: 2021-07-08 11:13:09

Eidtor's note: The following statement was delivered by Yamhill County Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer at the joint meeting of the HD 23 commissioners to appoint a replacement to fill the vacancy in the district

“[Polk County] Chair Pope and fellow Commissioners,

This is a very tough decision for us to make. I have supported Mike Nearman in the past and appreciate his dedication to conservative values. He thrives when he is able to empower Oregonians to be directly involved in their government whether it be ballot measures, analyzing campaign data, or training folks to be better candidates at all levels. He helped with my election for county commissioner. And I am thankful for his service to our state. I am committed to helping him get Referendum 301 on the ballot so voters can repeal Senate Bill 554 and stand up for the rights of lawfully abiding firearm owners and carriers. I believe Mike Nearman has a significant role to play in the future.

I do not agree with the decision he made on that fateful day. We have all been frustrated with the Capitol closure over the past year. Citizens were shut out of the process and even as Commissioners it was difficult to navigate tracking bills or providing testimony. On several occasions, my testimony was deleted from the online archive only days after providing it. I watched Democratic legislators prioritize the testimony of lobbyists and friendly groups over opposition and cut off access before testimony was complete. To be blunt, this last legislative session was a sham devoid of fair and direct public input and Oregonians should hold House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney responsible for rigging the process. Taxes on small businesses, ridiculous firearms restrictions and damaging natural resource policies all passed and Oregonians were kept in the dark. I hope I never see another legislative session like this again.

I made it a priority to attend the House District 23 PCP nominating meeting. I wanted to listen and feel the emotion and frustration of the PCPs in that room. I know that emotion well. Mike Nearman received the most votes that night and is number one on the list for appointment. The emails that have followed have been immense. Thousands of people have weighed in. And we’ve done our best to sort through the feedback and process what’s in front of us.

To answer the question: Should the voters in HD 23 have been in control of Rep. Nearman’s fate? The answer is yes. However, the political reality of that building has landed us here. I contacted some of Mike Nearman’s colleagues to make sure I understood the reasons behind their unanimous vote to expel him from the legislature. They were upset about the incident and felt that Mike was not forthcoming with information that affects them too. They felt they had no choice but to vote to expel since the trust relationship had been broken. I am not passing judgment on this either way, I just think the story of what happened from the caucus’ perspective is relevant in this decision.

Worth noting is that 6 of the 10 candidates for this position stated during the PCP meeting that they would have voted to expel Mike Nearman. While this question was a tough one, I appreciated seeing the honesty and empathy in the responses. Particularly, Anna Scharf impressed me when she was honest about her disagreement with Mike’s decisions and after the questioning was over she had a tearful exchange with Debby Nearman because she loves and cares about them. This is what I look for in a leader. Someone who sticks to their principles even when it puts them at odds with their friends, but maintains decency and respect. While I like Mike Nearman and his wife Debby immensely, I cannot vote to reappoint Mike.

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

On a basic level, the job of a State Representative is to work to further the goals of the district and help protect against harmful legislation. It means you are the conduit between the State and main street. I do not believe that Mike Nearman will be in a position to effectively do this job, should he be reappointed. He may not be allowed to caucus with his colleagues, Tina Kotek will not allow him to serve on committee assignments, or allow him to further his own bills. A vote to send Nearman back to Salem is effectively saying “we don’t care that HD 23 won’t have active representation”. It’s a vote that says “it’s okay for a legislator to not have a seat at the table and for Tina Kotek to punish this district over her disdain for Mike Nearman”. Colleagues, that rationale would never be acceptable for any of us in our positions.

At the end of the day, I do not believe that Mike Nearman has a mean bone in his body. I do not believe that he ever intended for people to be harmed. But we have to consider the political reality in front of us. Mike is still facing criminal proceedings and the consequence of sending him back to Salem means a diminished capacity to do his job. Tina Kotek will make this community suffer, and I’m not okay with that.

I have narrowed my focus to two candidates, Anna Scharf and John Swanson.

• Anna has the depth of private and governmental experience necessary to effectively represent the district. She has navigated the difficult reality in Salem with the off-balance of power. She has the support of large grassroots groups and I trust that she will campaign hard to keep the seat in conservative control. This is an agricultural district and many of the largest farming employers in my county as well as Polk County have weighed in that Anna would serve them well.
• John has been a behind-the-scenes workhorse for years, often never receiving credit for the work he does. He is the guy that will show up and help put up signs for an entire weekend to support his teammates. He is young, energetic and his family represents the future of the party. He has firsthand knowledge of the innerworkings of Salem and I believe he can effectively navigate the process.
• I place a lot of weight of consideration on how the Polk County commissioners are feeling. This district is predominantly Polk Cty and I am sensitive to how they are processing this decision.

Ultimately, Anna Scharf was the only candidate to mention Timber Unity in her speech. That tells me she understands grassroots frustration, their importance, the policies that intersect with working families and knows how to navigate the pressure points inside and outside the Capitol. I believe she will serve HD 23 very well.”


--Yamhill County Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer

Post Date: 2021-07-08 06:54:21

Last Update: 2021-07-06 22:41:59

Through the accelerated learning process in the last year-and-a-half by citizens and by businesses Kate Brown may soon learn that we the people approval is not only needed but required.

Through the on-going years the increasing word mash from government has smashed and bashed American citizens including Oregonians bringing on cognitive dissonance as elected and unelected government officials violated the Oregon Constitution including Section 21 that is a “shall” that “...acts are plainly worded...”.

On June 25, the Governor gave Oregonians her next Executive Order, nine more pages of her words. Nine pages and none are searchable using the control-F feature and there is no index. This is a longstanding pattern for state governments whether in Oregon or Washington State.

It brings such cognitive dissonance to Oregonians, such confusion that one business owner was asked how the state of Oregon, the governor and or administrative agencies contacted him, how did he know what the “rules” were for his restaurant? The owner said that he had no contact from any of them directly. And nothing in the mail. Their obedience to the governor came from watching the news. On page nine, her last page of her EO Kate Brown added:

Legal Effect. This Executive Order is issued under the authority conferred to the Governor by ORS 401.236, and, pursuant to ORS 401.192, has the full force and effect of law.

In all the governor’s executive orders she never copies into the body of the Executive Order the actual laws of Oregon including this most imperative, vital and is a “must” and “shall” section of the law, ORS 401.165:

Any proclamation of a state of emergency must specify the geographical area covered by the proclamation. Such area shall be no larger than necessary to effectively respond to the emergency.

A county is not a geographical area, counties are man-made political areas.

The governor never addresses ORS 401.165(5) subsection of the law. Governors whether in Oregon or Jay Inslee in Washington State hope citizens do not go look up the laws. Repeatedly thrown at the citizen are the words rules, guidance, suggestions, mandates, requirements, policies etc. But if any of those violate law, they are null and void.

Restore Washington took Governor Jay Inslee to court with the outcome being in July of 2020:

“The Governor finally admitted what we have always known: he doesn’t have the authority to enforce these so-called mandates. If businesses or individuals like his recommendations, they can comply, but as he told the United States District Court, he can’t make you follow his foolish edicts. After this ruling from the Court, Governor Inslee has to publicly admit what he has told the Courts over and over: his Proclamations are suggestions only.”

Why then did OSHA in Oregon and Labor and Industries in Washington State continue to contact businesses and issue them fines?


--Margo Logan

Post Date: 2021-07-07 15:42:41

Last Update: 2021-07-07 16:09:59

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Spokane District will increase fire restrictions on public lands administered by the BLM and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) in eastern Washington. The fire restrictions order has been modified to prohibit the building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, including charcoal briquette fires, even when contained within provided metal rings.

The temporary ban will take effect July 8, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. in the following counties: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima.

The new restrictions are expected to be in effect until fire conditions change. The agency is encouraging target shooters to visit local private and public target range facilities during this time.

In addition to prohibiting all campfires and target shooting, restrictions on the use of off-road vehicles, and smoking are also prohibited on public lands administered by the BLM and the BOR in eastern Washington. The complete modified fire restriction order can be found online here.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-07-07 14:28:10

Last Update: 2021-07-07 15:07:10

Polk County Farmer Anna Scharf has been appointed to fill the seat to replace expelled State Representative Mike Nearman in House District 23. She has worked in the past as a policy analyst for Nearman

Scharf was the overwhelming choice of the eleven County Commissioners from the counties that House District 23 spans. She garnered support from a wide range of ideological and regional diversity.

The vote by the commissioners was seen by some as a rejection of the will of the people who voted four times to put Nearman in office and supported his nomination by a large margin at the convention of precinct committee persons, who put his name at the top of a list of nominees from which the commissioners picked.

"While I know this is a blow to many who supported me, I'm happy with the choice made by the commissioners," said Nearman. "She knows this district well and above all, she's a principled person who will reflect the values of the West Willamette Valley." Mike Nearman and John Swanson each received the vote of one commissioner. Scharf received the rest of the votes from participating commissioners.

It is most likely that her first official duties as State Representative will come in an expected special session in late September to vote on redistricting.

Commissioner	Voted For
Benton County Commissioner Xan Augerot	John Swanson
Benton County Commissioner Pat Malone	Anna Scharf
Benton County Commissioner Nancy Wyse	Anna Scharf
Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethel	Anna Scharf
Marion County Commissioner Colm Willis	absent
Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron	Anna Scharf
Polk County Commissioner Mike Ainsworth	Anna Scharf
Polk County Commissioner Craig Pope	Anna Scharf
Polk County Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst	Anna Scharf
Yamhill County Commissioner Mary Starrett	Mike Nearman
Yamhill County Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer	Anna Scharf
Yamhill County Commissioner Casey Kulla	Anna Scharf

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-07-06 17:11:29

Last Update: 2021-07-07 20:20:07

The Oregon Health Authority’s Health Policy and Analytics Division has a new dental director who joined the agency on July 6.

Dr. Kaz Rafia has dental experience with Partnership for International Medical Access-Northwest, academics at OHSU, private practice, and leadership at Permanente Dental Associates.

“I am pleased to have Dr. Rafia join our team and know that he will serve an important role as we work towards eliminating health inequities in Oregon,” said Dana Hargunani, MD, MPH, OHA’s Chief Medical Officer. “Further integrating oral health into our health care system is a high priority, and we believe he will bring great knowledge and passion to that work.”

Dr. Rafia gave the following statement:

“I am honored to be joining the OHA policy team and very much look forward to applying all that I’ve learned over my career towards advancing oral health policy on behalf of all people in Oregon,” he said. “We know that good oral health care is largely synonymous with good overall health care, and the inequities that we see in this area must also be tackled with diligence and passion.”

As OHA Dental Director, Dr. Rafia will be responsible for:

• Leading the cross-agency OHA Oral Health Team and setting the strategic direction for the OHA Oral Health Roadmap with consideration of OHA’s 10-year goal to eliminate health inequities
• Providing oral health consultation and expertise to OHA, including programmatic oversight, administration, policy, planning and execution of oral and health prevention-based activities
• Serving as the OHA Medicaid oral health expert
• Facilitating coordination of oral health services with local and statewide oral health organizations
• Informing metrics to measure oral health care, ensuring they are focused on achieving health equity
• Planning and determining strategies for meeting current and projected statewide oral health service needs
• Acting as a liaison between OHA and Oregon’s dental community

Dr. Rafia is a graduate of the Ohio State University College of Dentistry, OHSU hospital dental residency, and the MBA program at University of Illinois. He claims he will earn his MPH from Johns Hopkins University in early 2022.

The OHA claims it's focus will be on the root causes of health inequities. Dr. Rafia will lead this effort and will also work with the Oregon Legislature to pass more laws.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-07-06 15:03:47

Last Update: 2021-07-06 18:36:42

Governor Kate Brown has announced that she will appoint Cody Weston to the Clackamas County Circuit Court to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Douglas Van Dyk.

“Cody Weston brings an incredible depth of experience in both public service and private practice, and I am pleased to appoint him to join the Clackamas County bench” said Governor Brown.

Weston grew up in Dallas, Oregon. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College in 1991, he joined the Marines as an infantry officer and served as a platoon commander. While in the Marines, Weston obtained his law degree from the University of Oregon. As a military lawyer, he first served as a JAG prosecutor handling criminal matters, and then as a staff judge advocate, advising deployed Marines on a wide variety of civil legal issues, including family law, consumer law, wills, and trusts. He authored and co-authored a number of publications about military justice and other military legal issues. After separating from the Marines in 2004 with an honorable discharge, Weston returned home to Oregon with his family, settling in Clackamas County. He joined the law firm of Perkins Coie in Portland, rising to lead the national firm’s business litigation group. Weston’s practice at Perkins Coie has focused primarily on commercial civil litigation, but he has also earned recognition for his work representing a Guantanamo detainee.

Weston’s appointment is effective immediately.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-07-06 13:39:40

Last Update: 2021-07-06 13:53:06

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration -- known as Oregon OSHA -- lists the top 25 standards violations for 2021 so far and -- surprise -- the top violation listed is OAR 437-001-0744(3), which are the COVID-19 Requirements for All Workplaces.

OSHA's top 25 lists a total of $469,765 for COVID-19 workplace violations for 2021 with $24,125 of those levied as serious fines, $1,240 as repeat fines and a whopping $444,400 as willful violations. No other violation listed in OSHA's top 25 has any fines levied for willful violations, including fall protection, ladder use, and minimum supplies for a first-aid kit, to name just a few.

For over a year, Oregon OSHA has been the Governor's enforcement team, and at times it seemed that as the science was weak and the arm of the government was strong, the punitive regime seemed to reflect more of a desire to consolidate power than to promote safety. If we were "all in this together" OSHA seemed to not be part of the "we."

SB 738 was introduced in the Senate by Senators Tim Knopp (R-Bend) and Bill Hansel (R-Athena) which would have prohibited the assessment of a civil penalty or fine for a violation of state occupational or health measure if no disease outbreak of COVID-19 occurred as result of the violation and rescinded such civil penalties and fines assessed against employers. It did not get a hearing.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-07-05 07:06:28

Last Update: 2021-07-03 21:52:33

Janice Dysinger, President of Oregonians for Fair Elections, is a member of the newly formed Clean Voter Rolls Petition Committee that has filed Referendum 302 which would veto HB 2681, introduced by Representative Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis). Their website, CleanVoterRolls.com, provides a printable petition and explains why a referendum is needed:

Oregon voter rolls will become dirty and bloated if we allow recently passed Legislative House Bill 2681 to go into effect. No one will be taken off the active voter rolls even if their address is wrong or they have not voted for any period of time, that is, 10, 20, 30 years or more. It will be easier to cheat with dirty voter rolls. Clean voter rolls are the hallmark of good elections.

The US Election Assistance Commission answers the question, “Why is voter registration list maintenance important?”

“Maintaining accurate voter registration lists is essential to protecting election integrity. Americans deserve an election system that produces an accurate result based on each eligible voter casting a single ballot in their proper jurisdiction. Maintaining an accurate voting roll enfranchises voters because it lowers the likelihood of lines at the polls, reduces voter confusion and decreases the number of provisional ballots. Updated records also allow election administrators to plan, to better manage their budget and poll workers, and to improve voter experience.”

Oregon has gone from a 5-year maintenance plan to 10 years allowing inactivity before removing an inactive voter. The NVRA suggests a 4-year cycle and then names should be removed. HB 2681 will remove the 10-year safeguard. Students that registered at local colleges and universities will never have their voter record updated from the dorms. Apartment dwellers and others will have numerous ballots delivered to them from the previous residents, and adult care centers will get flooded with ballots every election.

Dysinger has worked on election integrity issues since 2014, and notes that people often do not notify the Elections Division when they move out of state. New people at that address rarely notify the Elections Division that the person is no longer living there.

She sees HB 2681 as costing taxpayers a lot more to send out ballots to addresses that are no longer accurate for that voter. But mostly, she sees an increase in facilitating voter fraud opportunities. It compromises protected voter status by delivering mail to an address that is no longer, but once was a valid address.

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

Voters have shown that they want clean voter rolls by supporting voter ID. A Rasmussen Poll from a national telephone and online survey finds that 75% of likely U.S. voters believe voters should be required to show photo identification such as a driver’s license before being allowed to vote. Only 21% are opposed to such a requirement. “It is seldom that we find this much agreement by so many American people,” Dysinger said.

Is our Secretary of State internet system technology producing fair and honest elections? Former Election Director, Steve Trout’s letter to both SOS candidates last election cycle brought Oregon’s election security system vulnerability into question. Then, the Elections Division Transition Document identified major technology challenges in elections from old and out of date systems that are no longer supported.

“Of the 56 known bugs or problems, eight have been completed, eight have failed leaving 40 not done. Many of these projects have been talked about and/or worked on for years but never finished. Most of the projects that have been completed in the past couple of years have had to be undone because there were changes made that resulted in breaking other things. Elections Division staff has a lack of confidence in IT services and is frustrated that whenever a project is undertaken it often makes things worse.”

What is the real reason for HB 2681? Whatever it is, political or technical, it won’t make voters feel more confident in election results.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-07-04 08:02:09

Last Update: 2021-07-03 21:15:59

During the 2020 session, the Oregon Legislature failed to pass HB 4068, a which would have required that the Department of Consumer and Business Services amend the state building code to require that new construction of certain buildings include electrical service capacity for a specified percentage of parking spaces. It passed the House, but never made it to the Senate floor for a vote as the short session ended. Though it failed, it reveals the appetite that state government has for manipulating our transportation choices.

A continent away, DiDi ride sharing of China was pleased with the successful IPO launch that brought in $70 billion this past week, mostly from U.S. investors seeking investments in green corporations.

This massive infusion of cash enables the company to realize many of its policies immediately. The Harmony Program presents users with a sliding scale of rates based on loyalty to party policies. The greater the loyalty to Party goals the lower the rate. When more than one person occupies the vehicle, the rate will reflect that assigned the least loyal of the passengers. Face recognition will register each passenger automatically eliminating time consuming paperwork and expedite billing. Tipping is forbidden. Onboard cameras and recording devices will assure passengers of harmonious relations with their driver.

As the fleet moves quickly to 100% Autonomous Vehicle, stress in relating to drivers will be eliminated. When most citizens are relieved of mastering driving skills, new efficiencies may be pursued in endeavors more critical than personal mobility. The 100% AV Didi fleet will then join the national fleet of all electric vehicles by 2030. Vehicles requiring human drivers will file simple trip plans using GPS coordinates that manage potential congestion. Assuring congestion free travel is easy as any vehicle straying from its trip plan route will be guided to a nearby quarantine site and then lose power. Vehicles with records of responsible use will recharge at official stations that read vehicle codes via satellite.

From weekly travel plans filed its easy to determine allowable travel distance remaining until recharging then calculate time to recharge and schedule a visit to the nearest available charging station.


--Tom Hammer

Post Date: 2021-07-04 06:53:29

Last Update: 2021-07-03 19:31:00