Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan completed a 36-county tour of Oregon’s elections offices today with a visit to Columbia County.

Secretary Fagan said, “In every corner of Oregon, the state of our vote-by-mail system is strong. When I took office, I made it a goal to visit all 36 county elections offices to see their operations and hear directly from election workers about the challenges they face.”

Secretary Fagan predicts a smooth election in November, owing to the integrity of county elections officials. Still she says, “Our democracy is under attack, and our counties are the first line of defense. If every Oregonian could tour their county elections office, we could put to rest much of the false information that spreads from the Big Lie.” What she seems to be saying is that the five filed lawsuits over election improprieties has her office and election procedures under attack, and that isn’t the democratic way to seek the truth.

“Local elections officials are your neighbors, and they are dedicated to Oregon’s democracy," Secretary Fagan said. "Oregon's elections officials understand the value of vote-by-mail and are eager to build trust in our elections. The integrity of Oregon’s elections officials is rock solid.

Fagan claims the operations of county elections offices are transparent. Any voter can observe the pre-election certification of voting machines, the verification of signatures, the counting of ballots, and the post-election audits that verify accurate results in every county. Ensuring that observers have easy access to the process was a common topic of conversation on the tour. That isn’t the information coming from Clatsop County where Republican volunteers were excluded as election workers for signature verification, drop box collections and counting boards.

“Building trust with the public is the most important part of my job,” said Columbia County Clerk Debbie Klug. “Elections workers are part of the community. We are professionals doing extremely important work to make sure Oregon’s elections are free and fair.” Secretary Fagan spoke with the clerk about the County’s challenges — tight budgets, ever-increasing complexity, and false information that she is hearing across all 36 counties.

“Overstretched budgets and unreliable federal funding present a long-term risk to elections in Oregon,” Secretary Fagan said. Did she forget about the $2 million allocated to her in 2021 for election equipment that went unspent. This year legislators reallocated $1 million for postal barcode scanners and other equipment and where is the half that was to be distributed to the counties. The other half she is using on public campaigns and ballot tracking and the remainder is held for emergencies and divided among counties in 2023.

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Still Fagan says, “In the next legislative session, I will fight for legislation to address this risk.” The legislative proposal currently under consideration would create a commission to study funding needs and make recommendations for creating stable, long-term funding for county elections operations.

Secretary Fagan said that elections officials around the state also voiced concerns about safety, false information, and a flood of public records requests based on conspiracy theories. She claims that in response to the growing threats against election workers and increased challenges of dealing with the spread of false information, 22% of Oregon’s election officials will retire in 2021 and 2022. But is that the reason when county clerks are liable for what goes wrong during an election.

Conspiracy theories seem to be aimed at those seeking the truth. Janice Dysinger, Oregonians for Fair Election, has run head on with Secretary Fagan’s staff trying to silence her from training volunteers the protocols for being an observer and canvass for voter integrity. Fagan’s office has pressured county clerks to raise their rates for public records requests to discourage them. Dysinger says Deschutes County clerk quoted her public records request at $93,000, Douglas County was over $51,000, while Multnomah County charged $159 for the same data. She thinks these records shouldn’t be a burden if they were made available on a website as they are in some counties in California.

“In order to protect our democracy, we must protect the people who make our democracy work,” Secretary Fagan said. “I led the fight to pass the bipartisan Election Worker Protection Act in 2022, but we need to remain vigilant and stay one step ahead of threats.”

One proposal Secretary Fagan will pursue is creating a statewide coordinator for public records requests to help counties deal with a flood of requests for election-related records based on conspiracy theories. Elections officials are also working with local law enforcement on security plans for the November election.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-10-19 12:12:57

Last Update: 2022-10-19 16:25:40

In Oregon's upcoming Legislative House District 21 race covering Keizer and Central Salem, Democratic candidate Ramiro Navarro, Jr. has played up his “second chance” narrative, though it’s now becoming clear that he’s left off most of the story.

In 2020, Navarro ran for what was then House District 25, including Keizer, St. Paul and Newberg against incumbent Representative Bill Post and it was soon discovered that he had a criminal background. However, until now, the full details of his past and current lawbreaking were not public. Now, as a candidate running against Kevin Mannix in a race both candidates describe as focused on criminal justice, further details are being revealed.

In 2011, Navarro Jr. was indicted with delivery of marijuana with intent to sell, coercion, child neglect in the first degree, and endangering the welfare of a minor. The first three charges are felonies. Navarro threatened to kidnap his own child from his then wife, Veronica. He had a firearm and his child in the vehicle while delivering marijuana.

Navarro pleaded down to coercion and unlawful delivery of marijuana for consideration and was sentenced with fines and 18 months prison time. He then violated the conditions of his terms of release -- including a restraining order -- and was re-arrested on seven contempt charges. The District Attorney sought his immediate confinement.

Navarro never previously disclosed to voters any information about how his military service ended. In recorded conversations from prison, he acknowledged that “the Army washed their hands of me.” In fact, in a conversation with someone who appears to be his sergeant, he is told that the military was already working on expelling him before his guilty plea.

After serving his sentence, Navarro violated parole for failing to report to his probation officer and for having made contact with his former wife with whom he was not allowed to have any contact with. He was arrested and again sentenced to prison.

In 2013, Navarro was charged with criminal mischief for smashing the car windows of his ex-wife’s boyfriend. He was convicted not once, but twice for this crime.

In February of 2022, after once again announcing his run for office, Navarro was pulled over for driving 72 in a 55 zone. He was given a warning for speeding and switching license plates. He was also cited for driving with a suspended license. Navarro failed to appear in Court to answer the charge.

Navarro’s license had originally been suspended when he failed to appear in court in January. That court appearance was also for driving while suspended. Navarro’s fine was sent to a collection agency. Logs show that his license was suspended numerous times.

But there’s more. Navarro has had children with three different women who have all taken him to court to pay child support. His first, second, and third mothers of his children all filed for support. One court order applies to two children with one of the three women. Navarro Jr. only paid off almost $10,000 in past due support this February, after he filed to run for public office. The same happened in 2020 when he first ran for the Oregon House. He was also ordered to pay “back debt” to the US Army.

In 2021, Navarro was evicted even after his landlord agreed to a settlement to allow Navarro to stay. Navarro violated the terms of the agreement and the Sheriff was ordered to remove him from the apartment.

In 2021, Navarro was sued in small claims court for unpaid medical bills. He never responded to the lawsuit, forcing the court to garnish his wages to enforce the judgment against him.

Finally, it was recently reported that at least two workers and a volunteer left Navarro’s campaign after revelations that Navarro had hired a man to work on his campaign who has a conviction for sexually abusing a child.

This April, Navarro penned a letter to the editor saying that he is a “model for others to start their recovery.” Clearly, that recovery is yet to kick in.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2022-10-18 06:15:35

Last Update: 2022-10-18 12:27:43

Editor's note: In November, voters will be presented with four statewide ballot measures. This article deals with Measure 114 which was referred to the people by the citizens' initiative process.

Despite its length, the text of measure 114 leaves several questions unanswered -- most prominently, its constitutionality. The measure is sponsored by Walter John Knutson III, Michael Z. Cahana, and Marilyn Keller all of Portland.

The measure bans “Large-capacity magazines,” which it defines as "a fixed or detachable magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, helical feeding device, or similar device, including any such device joined or coupled with another in any manner, or a kit with such parts, that has an overall capacity of, or that can be readily restored, changed, or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition and allows a shooter to keep firing without having to pause to reload." A similar ban, enacted in California and other states, has been found unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court. But what few people understand is that the magazine ban will outlaw almost all sporting and home defense shotguns because the magazines that are built into the the guns will be banned.

The measure requires applicants to have a permit to purchase a firearm. The applicant must provide "proof of completion of a firearm safety course as defined."

The training includes live fire. According to the text of the measure, the training must include, "In-person demonstration of the applicant’s ability to lock, load, unload, fire [our emphasis] and store a firearm before an instructor certified by a law enforcement agency. According to Oregon Firearms Federation Executive Director Kevin Starrett "there are virtually no facilities that will be available for this training. For first time gun buyers this could well require that you have a gun before you can get a permit to buy a gun."

One proponent of the measure, John Hummel, the District Attorney for Deschutes County, has claimed that the “live fire” portion could be done with no ammo or with toys.But the measure specifically says that part of the training could be done separately from the rest of the class which could be online. Clearly there would be no need for that if the requirements could be met with toys. Though the measure is so badly written it includes references to Oregon Statutes that do not exist and even its drafters say it needs to be fixed by the legislature, Hummel called it “perfect.”

In interviews with the editorial boards of the Oregonian and Willamette Week, the proponents repeatedly stated they do not want people who commit violent crime to be incarcerated, and in fact the measure does not contain a single word about holding criminals accountable for their crimes.

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Another troubling feature of the measure is a requirement for a public database of anyone who applies for a permit to buy a gun. That would include victims of rape and domestic abuse.

"The measure only allows those approved by police to provide the required “training” to apply for a permit, Starrett continued. "Police in Oregon are underfunded and understaffed. There is no plan in place to actually provide any training and virtually no police have the facilities or manpower to provide classes. Police in urban areas are already not responding to most violent crimes. Police in rural areas are spread thin and rarely have the facilities for the required class."

Oregon State Sheriffs Association Executive Director Jason Myers expressed similar concerns. “If this measure does become law, OSSA will work to address the training requirements as we can within our resources, and we will certainly help local Sheriffs to the extent possible with providing training, but it is going to be nearly impossible to provide adequate training facilities and staffing without significant state funding assistance.”

Measure 114 will appear on the ballot this fall for adoption or rejection by the voters.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-10-17 06:34:54

Last Update: 2022-10-15 17:32:37

Editor's note: In November, voters will be presented with four statewide ballot measures. This article deals with Measure 111 which was referred to the people by the Oregon Legislature during the 2021 Session as SJR 12.

Oregon Measure 111 the right to healthcare, amends the Oregon Constitution to require the state to ensure affordable healthcare access to all residents, balanced against requirements to fund schools and other essential services. The measure made it to the ballot through legislative action with plenty of opposition. The Legislative Resolution that created Measure 111 was Chief Sponsored by Representative Rob Nosse (D-Portland) and Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward (D-Portland).

Current state law outlines the general requirements for health insurance policies and provides health care for low income and disabled residents who meet eligibility requirements. Measure 111 will amend the Oregon Constitution to establish health care as a fundamental right, and obligates the state to provide Oregon residents “access to cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care.” This amendment requires the state to balance that obligation against the public interest in funding public schools and other essential public services. If the state is sued to enforce the amendment, the court may not order a remedy that interferes with the state’s requirement to balance healthcare funding against funding for public schools and other essential public services.

While this measure establishes a new constitutional obligation for the state, it does not specify what the state must do to comply, how that compliance will be measured, or identify specific steps the state must undertake should this measure pass.

Representative Kim Wallan (R-Medford) sat on the committee writing the explanatory statement for the Measure. She writes in opposition, “This measure creates a new right, a "fundamental" right, in the Oregon constitution. It differs in one significant way from all other rights. Rights are limits on the laws the government can pass. Rights are freedoms from government. Measure 111 gives every person in the state a right of access to appropriate health care. This requires the state to force some people to provide health care to others. It means the state will have to send doctors and nurses to remote areas, at a salary set by the state, to give everyone their right to health care. After all, if you have a right to have health care, how are you going to get it if someone else doesn't give it to you? In fact, to those obligated to provide the service, and to those obligated to pay for it, it is the opposite of a freedom. It is coercion.”

Those in support are stakeholders that gain to profit. Dwight Dill, retired Union County Mental Health Director writes, “According to a report by the Oregon Health Authority, Oregonians' personal health care expenditures outpaced the rest of the US from 2013 to 2019. While the US saw an increase of 27% during this time, Oregonians' expenditures increased by 34%... In 2019, 60% of all bankruptcies in Oregon included medical debt. In the same year, almost 16% of Oregonians reported delaying medical treatment due to costs.” He then claims Measure 111 will not increase your taxes, so where does he propose the funding will come from to bring down healthcare costs and prevent bankruptcies?

A committee of five led by State Treasurer Tobias Read determined the financial impact to state and local expenditure and revenue is indeterminate. The measure does not require additional state government revenues or expenditures. The impact of the measure will depend on future legislative action to establish additional health benefits and determine how they will be paid for.

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Supporters have taken this to say this measure does not force the state to spend any money, but to be in compliance would require legislative funding to implement. Funding a heavy and rich in benefits system isn’t an answer to reducing healthcare costs. It would force taxpayers to continue to pay for the rampant fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicaid, Medicare and insurance systems. It is projected that to fund this measure would more than double the state budget. How can the state balance this obligation with its other obligations to fund public schools and other essential public services without raising taxes substantially? Taxpayers will have no recourse in the courts against harmful legislative actions.

Measure 111 will appear on the ballot this fall for adoption or rejection by the voters.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-10-16 06:13:21

Last Update: 2022-10-15 16:53:08

Oregon Secretary of State, Shemia Fagan, announced the launching of a series of “Voting in Oregon Feels Good” public education campaign. She says it is aimed to “pre-bunk” false election information by proactively reaching voters with accurate information from an official, trusted source.

This is the second media campaign to debunk common myths to combat false information. The first video of “Voting in Oregon Feels Good” launched in April was focused on registering to vote.

Secretary Fagan says, “I want the characters in these videos to be to Oregon elections what Smokey the Bear is to wildfire prevention.” It seems like a good analogue since Smokey was a fictional bear created by artist Albert Staehle in 1944. It was the bear’s publicity slogan that became the familiar pledge, “Only you can prevent forest fires.”

The campaign is animated with a pink Easter bunny and giant-colored eggs in a 1970’s style, featuring dozens of Oregon landmarks, characters and scenes from across the State. The first spot, Journey of a Ballot, Fagan says explains the features of how vote-by-mail protects the integrity of our elections. Let’s fact check:

• Every signature is verified. After the ballots are scanned, an election worker sets at a computer and compares signatures on the envelope to the voter registration signature. This is done before the ballot is scanned. Some counties are now experimenting with software to match signatures.
• Oregon keeps voter registration lists updated. It doesn’t appear that way from the backside. HB 2681 keeps people on the voter rolls forever. Unless someone moving out of state cancels their registration, it remains in the system to receive future ballots. Judicial Watch has filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of State for not cleaning voter rolls under the Voter Act of 1983.
• All counties do post election audits before the Secretary of State certifies the results. According to Deborah Scroggin, Secretary of State elections division director, Oregon law requires random sampling hand counts or risk-limiting audits in all counties following primary, general and special elections. Ballots are allowed to go through the postal system for seven days after election day with a postal indicator, but were allowed in the Primary without a postal indicator.
• You can track your ballot at Oregonvotes.gov. Tim Sippel testified in court that in his examination of ballots, every ballot had a unique identifying code on it and the ballots are not anonymous. This is what makes it possible for you to track your ballot. The post office also takes pictures of ballots and registration forms.

Secretary Fagan said. “This campaign is as fun as it is informative, with Oregon-focused animations that stand out from other government messages. When you see the videos and social media posts, I hope you’ll take a moment to remember why Oregonians are very proud of vote-by-mail.”

“Research shows that once a person forms a belief about elections it’s very hard to change their mind,” Secretary Fagan said. “That’s why it’s critical for elections officials to get ahead of false information by sharing the fact that Oregon has had free and fair elections through vote-by-mail for over 20 years. When Oregonians know all the steps elections workers take to protect the integrity of our elections, it completely undercuts the conspiracy theories from proponents of the Big Lie.”

To produce “Voting in Oregon Feels Good,” the Oregon Elections Division used a competitive bidding process to hire Oregon-based creative agency Happylucky, a Portland-based design firm. The budget for the project is $350,000 — allocated from one-time funding approved during the 2022 short session by the Oregon Legislature. The campaign will target low turnout voters with ad buys on social media, CTV, broadcast TV and podcast platforms. The ads will be produced in English, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Somali. The first ads launched on Monday, October 10.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-10-15 12:43:01

Last Update: 2022-10-15 17:49:34

Editor's note: In November, voters will be presented with four statewide ballot measures. This article deals with Measure 113 which was referred to the people by the citizens' initiative process.

Measure 113 is a response to strategic walkouts by the Oregon Senate and the Oregon House in recent legislative sessions. In 2019, the Democrats were pushing hard for HB 3427, a massive tax bill to fund education and heavily supported by the teachers' unions. Republican Senators walked out and later forced a compromise.

Later that same session, Republican Senators under the leadership of Senator Fred Girod (R-Lyons) -- later joined by many members of the Oregon House -- walked out to prevent the passage of HB 2020, a bill which would have tied Oregon to a massive carbon tax which Democrats wanted for their climate policy.

The text of the measure is simple. It reads:

Failure to attend, without permission or excuse, ten or more legislative floor sessions called to transact business during a regular or special legislative session shall be deemed disorderly behavior and shall disqualify the member from holding office as a Senator or Representative for the term following the election after the member’s current term is completed.

The chief sponsors of the initiative are Andrea Kennedy-Smith of McMinnville and Reed Scott-Schwalbach of Portland. Kennedy-Smith is a public sector vice-president of Service Employees International Union Local 503 which is one of the largest and most powerful public employee unions in Oregon. Scott-Schwalbach is the President of the Oregon Education Association, another very powerful public employee union.

Democrats may grow to regret taking tools from the minority party as they did under the leadership of Harry Reid in 2013 and then watched helplessly as President Donald Trump appointed Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and soon Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court bench.

Their day of reckoning came on Jan. 20, 2017, with a Republican president and Senate in control of judicial nominations. For the past four years, President Donald Trump and Republicans have done their constitutional duty in nominating and confirming federal judges, including now three Supreme Court nominations. But don’t blame Trump or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Blame Harry Reid who put politics ahead of principle and opened the door for Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and soon Amy Coney Barrett.

Measure 113 will appear on the ballot this fall for adoption or rejection by the voters.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-10-14 06:53:26

Last Update: 2022-10-13 16:12:22

Fox News is reporting that President Joe Biden will be visiting Oregon to Campaign for Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Tina Kotek. Attendance at the fundraiser is $500 each or $5,000 for a personal picture with President Biden.

President Joe Biden’s visit to Oregon this week falls at a time of rising inflation and soaring gas prices. Biden’s itinerary includes a speech on the economy, which will highlight “lowering costs for American families.” The average price of gas in Oregon is $5.54, a record high in state history and inflation has reached 8.3%.

Oregon has the third highest gas prices in the nation currently, following California and Alaska. According to OPB, average gas price nationally sits at $3.74 per gallon, “$1.39 below Oregon’s average.”

Inflation is hurting Oregonians as the price of groceries, the cost of rent, and other everyday expenses rose significantly this past year. As The Oregonian pointed out, the price of groceries “soared 13.5% — the biggest 12-month increase since 1979.”

According to a press release from Oregon Senate Republican leadership, "The real question is whether Oregon Democrats, who have enacted similar failed policies here at home, will stand by Biden during his visit and whether his trip helps or hurts Democrats this November. Biden’s trip comes on the heels of Oregon being dubbed a battleground state this cycle after decades of Democrat control."

Governor Kate Brown has decided to avoid President Biden altogether during his upcoming visit. The Governor’s staff announced she will be in Asia from October 14-16 on a trade mission to promote foreign investment.

"Let’s be clear, Brown would rather flee the country than be seen with the President of the United States, who could further tank Democrats numbers here ahead of the election," noted the Senate Republican release.

Kate Brown and the President share similar approval ratings, with a Morning Consult poll this week confirming Brown’s ranking as the least popular governor in the United States and Biden’s net approval in Oregon is -11 (that is, the share who approve of his job performance minus the share who disapprove).

"President Biden’s untimely trip to Oregon to bail out the Democrats and lecture Oregonians on the state of the economy is ridiculous," the Senate Republican release said.

Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp said, “We’re surprised anyone would want to be seen with the President who with the help of his Democrat colleagues caused the highest gas prices in Oregon history.”


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-10-14 05:00:00

Last Update: 2022-10-15 04:06:22

House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson has called for Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill to resign following the release of the 2022 Statewide Assessment results.

“As a mother of two boys in high school, I am not surprised by the plummeting test scores of students across the state. Governor Brown and the Democrat majority took their orders from the teacher unions and shut down schools with callous disregard to the impact those shutdowns would have on students. They deliberately ignored parents who foresaw the devastating impacts the shutdown and mandates would have on their students,” said Breese-Iverson.

As the ODE released disappointing numbers on student achievement, the response from those in charge was to look for more money and blame COVID. “Every student deserves the chance to graduate from school prepared for lifelong success,” said Governor Kate Brown. “As our schools, students and families continue to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, we must continue to accelerate state and federal investments in high-quality instruction and strategies that support academic success, student mental health and other student needs, with a particular focus on equity and helping the students who were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.”

“Their press release and statements are insulting to parents across the state. Rather than reflect on their actions, Governor Brown and Director Colt Gill took zero accountability.”

Breese-Iverson continued, “ODE needs to get it’s act together. Instead of focusing on improving our student’s ability to read, write and think critically, the Department has pushed a progressive political agenda in the waning days of their failed administration.”

“Today I am calling on Director Gill to resign. If he fails to do so, the Governor should send him home with a paper packet and ignore him, like he did to our students, until January.”

In the 2021 regular session, House Republican Education Committee members pushed HB 2962. The bill would have commissioned a study to understand students’ instructional needs caused by school shutdowns. However, the majority let it die in committee.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-10-13 12:54:14

Last Update: 2022-10-13 13:56:56

On October 9th, Kiley Delgado-Warren was arrested due to a series of sign thefts belonging to some of our Washington County candidates. This individual was bragging about stealing yard signs and posted a picture of about a dozen in her vehicle on multiple social media sites. According to Washington County Republican Party Chair Zack Murdock, "the Washington County Republican Party will not stand for this behavior. This doesn’t only affect the candidates but also the people donating their hard-earned money to these candidates."

"We want to thank the Washington County Sheriff's Office for their diligence and earnestness in arresting Kiley Delgado-Warren," Murdock continued. "She’s been charged with crimes related to the thefts of yard signs of multiple candidates including Senate District 18, Kim Rice. Delgado-Warren is a known left-wing extremist who is close to many metro area Democrat politicians." She’s known for her involvement with Antifa and other extremist organizations and has previously been arrested for rioting in Portland.

"During the District Attorney race in May, we saw similar posts by leftist vigilantes destroying signs and this needs to stop. The fact leftist extremists feel completely comfortable filming and posting themselves committing crimes speaks volumes to the lawless one-party rule this state has endured for decades," said Murdock.

"We call on The Washington County Democrats, Wlnsvey Campos, and all other Democrat elected officials who are close with Delgado-Warren to condemn these actions immediately. Furthermore, we ask Washington County Democrats to hold their surrogates accountable in the future and discourage political censorship. The Washington County Republican Party will never tolerate these crimes and we hope our counterparts agree."


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-10-12 13:46:21

Last Update: 2022-10-12 14:11:37

Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed an international ​West Coast Climate Agreement with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and British Columbia Premier John Horgan this week, promising to work together to halt climate change.

That agreement updates the charter for the Pacific Coast Collaborative, an international governmental agency formed by the three U.S. states and the Canadian province in 2008. The immediate problems it seeks to address are the recent drought, heat spells, climate change in general, and lack of equity among the communities

The new agreement commits the West Coast populations to low-carbon technologies, renewable fuels, electric transportation, and “forest resiliency”--that is, reduction of wildfires. Brown has been advocating a reduced dependence on diesel trucking for several years. The governors announced a mutual intention to "dominate" the world's green energy industries.

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The document specifies that the agreement has no status in law or mechanism of enforcement.

Some Internet commentators have commented on the unspoken contrast between the dire shortage of fresh water and electric power in California, and the abundance of water and hydroelectric power (potential) in the Northwest; some have wondered whether this Collaborative will become a foundation for sharing those resources.

Currently, Oregon generates about half its utility power from fossil fuels. Following California, Oregon is also developing its own Advanced Clean Cars II regulation to move to 100% zero-emission new vehicles by 2035. But some groups are skeptical that such a radical conversion would be possible or reliable within the time frame.

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Though the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board (CUB) advocates for nuclear power as a viable alternative to fossil fuels, nuclear is not included in the Collaborative's plans. Nuclear power has seen decades of bitter opposition on the West Coast. The region has also seen some strategic failures, what with the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in California that was built near a geological fault, the Trojan Plant in Oregon that became a maintenance nightmare, and the Columbia Generating Station in Washington that had some issues in the past with nuclear waste disposal.

At this time, the most practical solution for clean energy may be the Pacific Power proposal to build modern Natrium nuclear plants in the region, though there is no sign the state governments will permit those projects.


--Mark DeCoursey

Post Date: 2022-10-12 11:54:00

Last Update: 2022-10-12 11:55:25

A groundbreaking election integrity lawsuit was filed October 8, 2022, against the Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and names twelve counties as defendants. This suit is novel and has been filed as a class action lawsuit representing Oregon voters. It seeks a declaration that mail-in voting and computer tabulation of the votes are unconstitutional because voters are being disenfranchised. The ease with which the voting systems can be manipulated, the number of anomalies showing that the vote is being manipulated, and the reaction of government officials to hide and cover-up rather than disclose all serve to disenfranchise voters.

Plaintiff Marc Thielman, former Alsea School District Superintendent, spearheaded this case with the support of key funders and the legal expertise of Attorney Stephen Joncus. Thielman states, “Oregon is ground zero for the election integrity fight and this lawsuit seeks to build on prior cases, such as the Tim Sippel case recently held in Washington County. Already, Oregon officials have conceded in a court of law, that electronic voting machines can be accessed remotely and are vulnerable to hackers. This new lawsuit is intended to give voice to the election integrity minded community that is being steadily disenfranchised at the hands of State and County Officials who swear an oath to uphold the Constitution and serve the people.“

"The government has created a system that is not trustworthy and cannot be verified which causes people to turn away and not bother to vote. If the powers that be have already decided the election, why bother spending time on picking candidates? Why bother voting if my vote will be canceled by an illegal vote? There is a crisis of confidence in Oregon’s election system that has been created by our own government. The voters have to restore control by ending mail-in voting and use of computerized vote tallying machines.

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The Introduction to the case reads: Americans are confronted with a storm of election “anomalies” that have served to undermine the confidence of a significant percentage of the American electorate in the integrity of our free and fair elections. A citizen’s vote is a fundamental expression of the First Amendment. Voters are guaranteed Equal Protection under the US Constitution. Maintaining the sanctity of each vote is a duty of local, state and federal government agents and as such, the vigilance of federal, state, county, and city election officials for upholding voter confidence must be of the highest order. Unfortunately, state, county, city election officials have consistently demonstrated a profound lack of curiosity for alleviating the negative impact of these anomalies on the confidence of the average voter.

Counties sited as defendants are Clackamas, Washington, Multnomah, Linn, Lane, Marion, Jackson, Deschutes, Yamhill, Douglas, Klamath, and Coos. Thielman says, “This case will bring new evidence and expose the profound abuses and lack of curiosity among State and County election officials whose conduct clearly violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and promotes voter suppression and disenfranchisement at the hands of the government.”


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-10-11 19:18:49

Last Update: 2022-10-12 12:45:02

In what some consider to be a new height in politicization of the office of Oregon Secretary of State, Secretary Shemia Fagan has extended the reach of the audits department to perform audits on "Sexual and Reproductive Health Care, Gun Safety and Environmental Regulations."

According to a release from her office, "In response to emerging state and national trends, Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced additions to the 2022-23 Audit Plan. The additions include audits of Oregon's sexual and reproductive health care services and the Department of Environmental Quality, in addition to an advisory report on the state's 'Red Flag' gun safety policy. The additions seek to strengthen public services and improve outcomes for Oregonians."

The Oregon Constitution outlines the duties of the Oregon Secretary of state. They do not include audits in "response to emerging state and national trends."

Article VI, Section 2. Duties of Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall keep a fair record of the official acts of the Legislative Assembly, and Executive Branch; and shall when required lay the same, and all matters relative thereto before either chamber of the Legislative Assembly. The Secretary of State shall be by virtue of holding the office, Auditor of Public Accounts, and shall perform such other duties as shall be assigned to the Secretary of State by law.

“This year, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the constitutional right to abortion, and families in Oregon and across the nation have been heartbroken by gun violence. I can do something about it,” said Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. “That’s why I have directed the Audits Division to evaluate access to safe and legal abortions in Oregon and determine how effective Oregon’s red flag gun safety law is at keeping Oregonians safe.”

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 new additions include an audit of Oregon’s sexual and reproductive health care services. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has significant, wide-ranging impacts on state governance. Oregon has made substantive investments in reproductive health care services and is now operating in a new landscape. The audit will examine the risks to Oregon’s sexual and reproductive health care services, with a focus on potential inequities and public health outcomes.

Auditors will also complete an advisory report examining Oregon’s “Red Flag” policy, which allows courts to take weapons away from people who are at risk as a danger to themselves or others. In response to increasing gun violence in our communities -- including a deadly shooting at a Bend supermarket in late August -- this project aims to provide state leadership with timely, high-quality analysis and information related to red flag programs.

Oregon Firearms Federation Executive Director Kevin Starrett offered that "Secretary of State Fagan has a well known and extreme animosity towards law abiding gun owners, even once denouncing the Oregon Firearms Federation as an 'extreme organization.' Oregon’s red flag law deprives people who have not even been accused of a crime, let alone convicted of a crime, of their rights and property with no due process. But even more outrageous, it does this without even the pretense of making anyone safer."

According to Starrett, "Under the law, a person can have his firearms stolen from him by the state based on an unproven allegation by an unqualified accuser. But if the accused person really is experiencing a mental health crisis, no help is offered or available and that person is still free to do harm to themselves or others. And if that person is not a danger, they must somehow prove that in court, at their own expense."

The law, passed during the 2017 Legislative session as SB 719 includes, as reasons to take someone’s firearms away, the recent lawful purchase of a firearm or the use of legal marijuana. Additionally, if the accused person is examined by a qualified mental health professional, and found to be perfectly normal and a danger to no one, he is forbidden by the law from using that assessment in his defense.

Starrett Concluded, "We fully expect Fagan to further weaponize an already dangerous and faulty law."

Finally, the Audits Division will be executing an audit of the Department of Environmental Quality with a focus on enforcement activities and community relations. The timing of this audit is ideal in terms of providing new DEQ leadership with valuable, objective, and actionable information to assist them with moving the agency forward. Secretary Fagan received a written request from the Senate Republican caucus on September 23 to perform this audit.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-10-11 15:10:41

Last Update: 2022-10-11 23:03:07