Meet at Ike Box for training and updates on legislation. Send testimony, watch hearings, and visit capitol to testify. Legislators and special guests. Every Thursday 8:30am to 3:00pm to June 26.
Metro serves Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties
The Metro Council approved a new district map that balances the constituencies of elected leaders in the wake of the 2020 Census.
The map keeps the same rough outline of Metro Council districts: District 1 in east Multnomah County, Boring and parts of Happy Valley; District 2 in north-central Clackamas County and parts of Southwest Portland; District 3 in urban Washington County south of the Tualatin Valley Highway; District 4 in urban Washington County north of TV Highway and Canyon Road; District 5 in Portland north of US 26 and I-84 including the inside of the downtown freeway loop; and District 6 in Portland south of US 26, I-405 and I-84.
Here’s what changed from the old map:
Portions of the Gateway district moved from District 6 to District 1. This area is bordered by Halsey Street, 122nd Avenue, Division Street and 112th / Cherry Blossom / 102nd
A small area near the Brookside Wetlands in East Portland was moved from District 1 to District 6
Portions of Happy Valley along 172nd Avenue were moved from District 2 to District 1
A small area near Carver was moved from District 1 to District 2
A small area near the 217-26 interchange north of Barnes Road was moved from District 5 to District 4
An area between Canyon Road and Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway moved out of District 4. West of 87th / Birchwood / Laurelwood, the area is now in District 3; east of there, the area is now in District 6
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The districts take effect immediately. With the district boundaries set, the council will now focus on filling the vacancy in District 6.
The Northwest Oregon Housing Authority owns and manages housing for low- and moderate-income people and administers various federal housing assistance programs in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties.
The board normally meets once a month, the location rotates among the counties.
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The open seat is for a four-year term representing Clatsop County.
To apply, go to the online sign-up form here or contact the Clatsop County Manager’s Office at 800 Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria OR 97103, (503) 325-1000.
Republican calls out Kate Brown, is escorted from Senate gallery
The State Senator for Oregon Senate District 1 and Oregon Republican Party Chairman, Dallas Heard (R-Roseburg) was removed from the floor of the Oregon State Legislature during a Special Session floor meeting, declining to wear a facial mask in civil protest.
He told Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) that he would not comply with the order to wear a mask, and he would also not leave the voting floor, as he was elected to represent the people of his district in the matter.
The Senate President then ordered the Senate Sergeant of Arms to escort Heard from the voting floor. Heard accompanied the Sergeant of Arms without incident.
"Simply put I am just exercising the rights of the free people of Oregon," Senator Heard said.
Heard continued,"I think it's very interesting that our very own Governor who has put our children and the people of Oregon under these mandates and was recently photographed many time in fact, not wearing a mask at a crowded indoor event. This has gone on far enough!"
"You know you don't have a mask on, you're supposed to have a mask on," said a visibly shaken Senator Courtney. "So why don't you get up and tell us what you want, then I'm going to ask you to leave the floor."
The Northwest Observer doesn't cover national news, such as the race crime hoax the likes of which actor Jussie Smolett was recently convicted of. There are plenty of national media sources and a quick internet search will get one up to date if they haven't heard the story. As one pundit describes it the left's demand for racism exceeds the supply.
It took an FBI investigation to confirm that the "noose" used as a door pull on the garage occupied by NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace was not a hate crime. But for a while, noose season was in full swing.
Over here in Oregon where we have a one-party government, they seem to have solved every other problem that it seems that they have to turn to fake problems to keep themselves busy.
Speaking of nooses, SB 398, introduced by Senator James Manning, Jr. and passed into law during the 2021 regular session created the crime of intimidation by display of a noose. The law goes into effect in a couple of weeks on January 1, 2022.
It will be interesting to see if any new "noose" crimes are prosecuted and -- as ugly and insensitive as trying to intimidate someone by displaying a noose would be -- to see if the courts would actually uphold this law in the face of the First Amendment and Article 1, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution.
In the meantime, we can all be proud of the fact that soon, the state of Oregon will be a noose free zone.
As of Dec. 8, OHCS and LPAs have paid $170.2 million in federal emergency rental assistance
to 24,705 applicants, up from $157.5 million and 23,155 applicants from the previous week. OERAP is ranked 6th in the nation
nation for housing assistance, in the percentage of ERA funds paid out and obligated, as tracked by the
National Low Income Housing Coalition.
OHCS is partnered with Public Partnerships LLC (PPL) on the project.
Currently, 150 PPL staff are processing applications with a focus on applications outside the
60-/90-day safe harbor period. In the past week, PPL processed close to 850 applications,
exceeding their 500-application target. This is in addition to the applications paid out by
Community Action Agencies working across the state to finish paying out ERA 1 funds.
To date, OHCS and LPAs have:
Paid $170,274,579 to landlords and tenants to help 24,705 Oregon households
Processed and obligated an additional $21.1 million in funds for 2,465 households
Received more than 58,849 completed applications
About 22,470 applications are in the review process. The 60-/90-day window of protection
begins when a tenant shows proof they applied for the program. However, this data is not
currently available.
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As proxy, OHCS is tracking when a tenant completes an OERAP application
and the number of applicants who have not been paid outside of the 60-day window (90 days in
Multnomah County and unincorporated areas of Washington County). Applications outside the
60-/90-day window are being moved from the LPA in their county to PPL.
Multnomah County is not included in this as a comparison because they have a 90-day window.
Their average processing time is 75 days. On average, PPL processed applications within an
estimated 57 days from when they received the application.
Last week Commissioners from Marion, Yamhill and Washington
Counties selected Jessica George to represent House District 25. On Monday, she was sworn in
as a member of the Legislature.
“The House Republican Caucus welcomes Jessica George to the Legislature and looks
forward to the contributions she will bring, starting with this week’s special session,â€
said House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville).
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“There were some fantastic candidates running for this position and I am extremely
honored to be selected as the new State Representative for House District 25,†said
Representative Jessica George (R-St. Paul). “A big thank you to former Representative
Bill Post for representing this district for the past seven years. I’m very excited to step
into this roll and serve my communities.â€
Representative George is a former legislative staff member for former senators Ted
Ferrioli (R-John Day) and Larry George (R-Sherwood). She now works as a project
manager for the George Packing Company located in Newberg.
Are we really doing science here, or do we just like to use the word?
It has been over a year since Governor Kate Brown announced her pick of Oregon doctors to serve on the Western States’ Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. The group was formed to do an “independent review on the safety and efficacy of any vaccine approved by the FDA for distribution.†Governor Brown said, “The independent review conducted by this panel of doctors, scientists, and health experts will ensure that a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is available to everyone...[and] to guide the review of any vaccine approved by the FDA.â€
The panel of Democrat western states governors and the driving force behind its formation is political. They didn't trust President Trump administration's FDA to perform an expert review for approval of the vaccine. Even though the FDA is staffed with experts, the western states governors made it a political showing to protest President Trump. The Workgroup doesn’t do anything more than read the FDA filing from pharmaceuticals to determine if they are believable. They do not test, examine or investigate content of the vaccines. They have no data to make a judgement, so how scientific is their review? it's a show that is cheated out of an ending.
Governor Brown writes, “these top health experts will review any vaccine that receives federal approval and verify its safety before California, Washington, Oregon and Nevada will make the vaccine available to the public.†“The workgroup will conduct a review of available data to ensure safety and effectiveness.†What is the available data? How is the effectiveness determined without outside testing?
Even though the workgroup is completely unnecessary to have another layer of approval on top of the FDA approval, the western states seem to have created the workgroup to support each other in rolling out mandates that are unconstitutional. The more they test the constitution, they create a precedent in people’s minds that convinces them they are legal.
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In addition to the Western States’ Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, the Oregon Health Authority formed a Vaccine Advisory Committee––a decision-making group that worked with OHA to co-created a vaccine distribution plan that prioritizes communities most affected by COVID-19 and those impacted by past and current health inequities. It guides community engagement strategies to build trust and increase confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. However, transparency hasn’t been forthcoming.
It's only recently that CDC has posted the ingredients in the COVID-19 vaccines that the manufactures reported. The statistics on possible side effects is still hidden from the public. CDC does list possible side effects including myocarditis and pericarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle and outer lining, in adolescents and young adults as being higher after getting the second dose.
OHA filed, December 11, 2021, a hearing on January 24, 2022, for two proposed rules. One exempts health care staff from vaccine mandates if they have had COVID-19 or for religious reasons. The second proposed rule requires wearing face coverings in health care settings. Instructions on how to participate are on the filing.
“There is no epidemiological reason to force vaccinate 5-11-year-old children â€
While attention is being drawn to Oregon Health Authority rulemaking to make masking permanent under the direction of Oregon Governor Kate Brown, in a sly move, OHA has launched amendments to a more controversial rule effectively mandating the COVID vaccines for school and daycare children. With little to no transparency, no media coverage, only one virtual public meeting held in November that was buried from the public, their unethical maneuvering is being exposed.
OHA is trying to hide their lack of authority by tying a COVID vaccine mandate to a school and childcare exclusion. OAR 333-019-0010 and OAR 333-019-1005 effectively grants unelected members of OHA the authority to “determine†if a vaccine, such as the 5-11-year-old COVID-19 immunization, should be added to the list of vaccine requirements, and it allows OHA to set an arbitrary “School Exclusion†date pressuring all students to meet or be “Excluded†from in-person attendance at school if they do not comply. However, the required list of immunizations is approved by the legislature with one exclusion date established, and, by law, Oregon has medical and non-medical exemptions for children.
The Stand For Health Freedom lists the damage they have “unearthed,†so far. The proposed rule changes:
do not require that OHA offer Exemptions, as is currently required by law for all other immunizations.
adjusts or removes definitions for natural immunity, attempting to create a new definition for immunity to effectively be vaccine-induced-only with the requirement to show proof.
lays the groundwork to exclude anyone who already has established natural immunity or individuals who wish to exercise the right to decline a medical treatment.
prevents any methodology from testing to use the “Test to Stay†option outlined by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE).
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These rules are attempting to do what SB 442 (2015), HB 3063 (2019), and SB 254 (2021) have all failed to do, which is to mandate immunization as a prerequisite to attend school in Oregon and openly discriminate against students and families who exercise their right to decline. Out of all the issues that have been protested against at the state capitol, medical freedom tops the list. These bills drew hundreds of furious families out to protect their children.
The Stand For Health Freedom organization says there is no epidemiological reason to force vaccinate 5-11-year-old children as the risks from Covid are lower than the risk of vaccine injury. Pfizer’s own research verifies this fact, but executives and CDC officials moved forward with the mass vaccination of children anyway. Now the Pfizer wants 75 years to release their data burying trial results.
CDC does list possible side effects for the COVID vaccines including myocarditis and pericarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle and outer lining, in adolescents and young adults as being higher after getting the second dose. This isn’t as rare as they’d like you to believe. Even CDC’s website says 1-10 cases of myocarditis per 100,000 persons occurs among young people in the United States adjusted for the 7-day risk period – meaning it is higher during the first 7 days after vaccination, which is when most cases occur. Why would government mandate an experimental practice?
The Joint Interim Committee met December 11 in preparation for the
second Special Session in 2021. The primary reason for the session was
a push by Tina Kotek to help renters who face eviction. She is waging
for an opportunity to put her leadership skills upfront and center to
boost her visibility as a governor candidate.
However, the meeting Saturday only proved what Representative David
Brock Smith said, “to get resources to Oregonians that need them and
condemns the purely political fanfare of a Special Session as their hail
mary attempt to cover up their disasters in leadership.â€
As the meeting neared the two-hour mark on LC 9 related to emergency
rental assistance, testimony was halted to the end of the hearing, but it
was clear that Kotek’s reasons for her push was blowing up. Testimony
after testimony spoke of the Oregon Housing and Community Services
Department failure to process the applications that were already
submitted.
It was stated that only four percent of the applications had
been processed. Testimony from both rental owners and tenants were
of unprocessed applications waiting for payment.
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Department and their failure to get needed checks to workers that lost
their jobs due to her closing businesses and industries in Oregon.
“Businesses continue to be crippled by a lack of workforce and data
from other states clearly shows that an end to their eviction
moratoriums had evictions lower than pre-pandemic numbers.
An extension will only increase existing fraud within the system, hasten
inflation, perpetuate a lack of workforce and add to the looming
recession facing Oregon. What we need is Oregonians to have the
ability to get back to work, not this political posturing by the Governor
and her Democrats. The Speaker’s Gubernatorial campaign doesn’t
need another headline of broken promises,†said Rep. Brock Smith.
There may be other more important reasons for a second special
session. Potential legislative concepts that were discussed are:
Drought Relief Policy
Illegal Cannabis Grows Policy
Emergency Rental Assistance Policy
Related Appropriations
Monday’s session will tell whether any of the testimony impacted the
proposed bills.
Asking for a friend who is really upset with Governor Brown
According to the New York Times Oregon is one of five states that has a statewide mask mandate. Nine states have banned local mask mandates. Why does Oregon, who prides itself as a policy leader on so many issues, lag on this one?
According to Representative David Brock Smith (R-Port Orford), “Contrary to the Governor’s recent maskless escapades back east, she’s currently directing the Oregon Health Authority to draft permanent mask rules. Oregon’s current mask rules do not allow any number of unmasked individuals in indoor spaces while not actively eating or drinking. Oregonians are ready to move forward, get back to work and grow our economies, they are not fans of the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ mentality.â€
Promises broken is not new for Governor Brown. What Oregonians thought was a clear roadmap to reopening the economy and discarding those infecting masks once 70 percent of adults were vaccinated was achieved in late June. But, here we are facing permanent masking rules without any real correlation between the vaccinated and new COVID cases.
At Thanksgiving OHA said new cases were down and infection were down too. Pat Allen, director, said “a steady drop in new infections during the past month allowed for a lifting of Oregon’s order mandating masks in large public gatherings outdoors.†Now that they are claiming success due to high vaccination rates, why not give Oregonians the option.
The Blaze conducted a study of cases over 229-days found that mask mandates are actually counterproductive. Even though conducted on the original COVID-19, variants have had smaller particles making the study more valid. The difference on a daily average was 10 cases more in states with mask mandates.
OHA established a Rules Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from faith-based organizations and the hospitality sector they claim covers stakeholders. The discussion was to get agreement on implementing the “indefinitely permanent†proposed rule. The “permanent†nature of the rule is because the law doesn’t allow for a temporary rule to go beyond 180 days. Their response is that it can be repeal at any time.
The public is skeptical that the rule is legal, and tends not to believe OHA’s assurance that the rule will be terminated when no longer needed. It does seem that reduced cases over the past month warrants a termination of masks now, especially since the Omicron variant has light flu-like symptoms. So, if not now, when?
Teachers are withdrawing their membership from unions
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE), Oregon School Board
Association (OSBA) and Coalition of Oregon School Administrators
(COSA) met to work together on a roster of bills:
Board and Superintendent Professional Learning Bill
Racial Equity and Justice Student Collaborative Bill
Superintendent Contract Protections Bill
Funding for Wildfire Impacted Districts Bill
These bills include what was SB 334 in the 2021 session. The planned
difference is to give unelected superintendents more power than the
elected school board and limits the authority of the school board from
firing the superintendent without cause. This will protect
superintendents to follow the framework that ODE suggestions
including what is put forth in SB 334 regardless of the school board and
community positions.
Senator Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) and
Representative Janeen Sollman (D-Hillsboro) sponsored SB 334 in 2021
to require minimum professional learning and training for leadership
positions that is under the control of ODE.
Their control suggests
training in controversial areas of equity, diversity and sexual identity to
be decided at ODE outside of local input as the law requires.
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The bill listed training to include the basics for critical race theory:
Prohibitions against discrimination, including requirements for
compliance with ORS 659.850
Methods for promoting inclusion and for eliminating racism and
bias in the classroom and the workplace
Methods for achieving equitable academic outcomes for all
students
Failure to provide specified training causes the school district to
be nonstandard and in jeopardy of losing funding under ORS
327.103
The Coalition of Oregon School Administrators and the Oregon School
Board Association provided an amendment to SB 334.that eliminated
the CRT content and focused on collaboration to strengthen the
partnership between boards and superintendents to enhance student
success. They eliminated the threat and replaced it with a self-
assessment of the adopted plan every two years that gives each board
the flexibility for local decision making. It remains to be seen whether
the proposed legislation will include these amendments.
The amendment may have had good intentions, but it still allowed ODE
to control the training and framework to include CRT elements. How
much input are parents really allowed? This framework eliminates
feedback from parents when it is dictated by ODE. When parents object
in numbers, it made the news when the National Association of School
Boards proposed making parents that demonstrate domestic terrorists.
ODE wants to not just silence parents’ voices, but handicap school
boards from disciplining administration when not following the board
directives. As of November, Oregon school districts filed 29 openings
for school superintendents this year. Recently there were three
superintendents removed from their positions.
Adrian School District Superintendent Kevin Purnell for mandating
masks
Newberg Superintendent Joe Morelock for not enforcing a ban on
political flags in classrooms
Greater Albany Public Schools District fired Superintendent
Melissa Goff to resolve a polarizing situation
Dr. Sue Reike-Smith, Superintendent of Tigard Tualatin School District,
made national news when students forced her hand to address racial
slurs at Tigard High School by walking out. The video that instigated the
walkout was racist and needs addressing. However, Suzanne Gallagher,
Executive Director of Parents’ Rights in Education, says “Dr. Sue†is
telling students if someone says anything offensive to you, the one
saying it should be punished. Those remarks have inspired students to
ask for those responsible be expelled for what they do on their own
time. That is unlawful, and goes against the First Amendment and
Discrimination statutes. Since the video was made on school break, the
superintendent is not responsible for speech outside her domain and
giving students the wrong guidance puts her leadership into question.
It may be poor ODE leadership that is ultimately causing teachers to
withdraw their membership from unions including Oregon Education
Association (OEA). More then 1,100 have terminated their membership
as a result of Freedom Foundation efforts informing employees of
political and social stances the unions have taken that seems to be
carrying out the agenda of ODE.
Teachers see the cry of parents that OEA, OSBA, COSA and ODE seem to
ignore for the political agenda of state leaders.
Community-based organizations will receive funding
Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division has announced a new funding opportunity for community-based organizations.
OHA has released a request for grant applications from community-based organizations that will create partnerships with communities of color, Tribal communities, disability communities, immigrant and refugee communities, undocumented communities, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, LGBTQ2SIA+ communities, faith communities, older adults, houseless communities and others.
The funding will supposedly support community-based organizations as an important part of Oregon’s public health system working toward equity.
OHA says their strategic goal is to eliminate health inequities by 2030.
OHA has available more than $31 million in funding provided by eight Public Health Division programs, including:
Adolescent and School Health, $2 million
Commercial Tobacco Prevention, $20 million
Public Health Modernization (Environmental Public Health and Climate Change, Climate Change Health Impacts, Communicable Disease Prevention and Emergency Preparedness), $8.6 million
HIV, STD, TB Prevention and Treatment, $225,000
Overdose Prevention, $140,000
ScreenWise (breast and cervical cancer detection and services), Patient Navigation and Barrier Reduction, $100,000
On the website, the public can view program activities eligible for funding. Community-based organizations can apply online using the website. Paper applications are also available and can be downloaded from the website.
Grant applications can be submitted now through Jan. 31, 2022. OHA welcomes applications from organizations of all sizes and perspectives, especially those that are new and have not received funding from OHA before.
Over here in Oregon where we have a one-party government, they seem to have solved every other problem that it seems that they have to turn to fake problems to keep themselves busy.
The Blaze conducted a study of cases over 229-days found that mask mandates are actually counterproductive. Even though conducted on the original COVID-19, variants have had smaller particles making the study more valid. The difference on a daily average was 10 cases more in states with mask mandates.
