The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission -- chaired by Jennifer Allen -- voted to allow beach driving to continue in fall, winter, and spring at one access point in Lincoln City and to prohibit it year-round at the other starting Oct. 1 due to ongoing safety issues.

The new rules were adopted September 20 in cooperation with Lincoln City Council, which voted earlier to support the proposal based on its staff recommendations. Fire and rescue crews encouraged the city and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to make the changes for public safety.

“I’m grateful for our partners in Lincoln City and around Oregon who voiced their concerns and helped find a solution that balances the needs of our visitors at the Oregon Coast. This rule change provides a safer experience at the beach access points in Lincoln City,” said Central Coast District Manager Preson Phillips.

Motor vehicles will be allowed to access the ocean shore at NW 15th Street, and drive 150 feet in either direction from Oct. 1 to April 30. Motor vehicles are prohibited at all other times except for emergency vehicles.

Motor vehicles will be prohibited year-round from driving on the ocean shore at NW 34th Street in Lincoln City. Safety concerns included crowding, a lack of separation of pedestrians and vehicles and the risk of injury to visitors playing in the stream directly below the access point.

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OPRD will install signs that communicate the rule changes to the public. It will also work to improve signage and communication around both access locations regarding where individuals with disabilities can access the ocean shore.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-10-09 10:33:10

Last Update: 2023-10-09 11:40:47

Umpqua National Forest is seeking applicants to fill 15 positions on the Rogue-Umpqua Resource Advisory Committee (RAC). As reauthorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act in Public Law 115-141, RAC members participate in collaborative decision making and recommend distribution of Title II funding for projects to improve forest health, watersheds, roads and facilities on, or adjacent to, the Umpqua and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests.

The Rogue-Umpqua RAC represents Lane, Douglas, Jackson, and Klamath counties and includes the Umpqua and Rogue River-Siskiyou national forests. RAC members must be a resident of Oregon and reside in one of these four counties. Applications are due to the Supervisor's Office in Roseburg by Friday, October 13, 2023. More information and application forms can be found on the website.

Past projects include noxious weed control, road realignment, trail construction and improvement, timber sale preparation, and the restoration of fish passages to restore native species.

The volunteer positions are unpaid; however, travel costs may be covered by the agency. The committee typically has one full day meeting each year in Roseburg.

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RAC committee members will be officially appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture for a term of up to four years. RAC committees are to be balanced and diverse with equal representation from industry, environmental groups, recreation groups, elected officials, and local residents.

Applicants will be evaluated based on their training and experience working in the interest group they represent, their demonstrated commitment to collaborative decision-making, and their contribution to the balance and diversity of the RAC.

Each nominee is required to submit an application to Misti-Kae Bucich, RAC Coordinator, by Friday, October 13, 2023. If you are interested in serving on the Rogue-Umpqua RAC, please visit the Umpqua National Forest website or you can email Misti-Kae Bucich, Partnership/RAC/Volunteer Coordinator for the Umpqua National Forest.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2023-10-08 11:29:15

Last Update: 2023-10-08 16:29:58

Amidst declining gas tax revenues, the Oregon Transportation Commission -- the policy setting board for the Oregon Department of Transportation -- has decided to scale back several projects in its Urban Mobility Plan, including tolling on parts of I-205 and I-5. ODOT still plans to toll the section of the Abernathy Bridge, located where I-205 crosses the Willamette River, when that part of the project is complete.

In 2017, then Governor Kate Brown signed HB 2017, known as Keep Oregon Moving. The new law directed the Oregon Transportation Commission to establish a congestion relief program, to seek federal approval to implement value pricing and to implement pricing on specific facilities. These provisions and others, including amendments made in 2021 by HB 3055, reside at Chapter 383 of Oregon Revised Statutes. Since 2017, ODOT has taken steps to establish a tolling program and to prepare to implement tolling on Interstates 5 and 205, as prescribed by statute. In January, 2023, the OTC adopted an amendment to Oregon Highway Plan Goal 6 Tolling and Pricing to modernize policy.

Urban Mobility Strategy Projects include:

• OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes
• Interstate Bridge Replacement Program
• I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project
• I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement
• I-5 Boone Bridge Replacement Project
• Oregon Toll Program

In late June, the Oregon Transportation Commission held a special meeting to discuss their draft finance plan for major Portland region projects such as the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project, I-205 Improvements Project and the Oregon Toll Program. The commission approved the plan and the agency sent this plan to Governor Kotek for her review.

This finance plan was requested by Gov. Tina Kotek , she directed to delay toll collection until 2026, recognizing that projects that were meant to be funded by toll revenue would be impacted by this delay.

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The Transportation Commission says that tolling was always a central component of paying for these projects. They state that With tolling revenue now delayed, they face the need to manage spending more conservatively.

The Commission has said that there is still commitment to the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project and the Historic Albina community. The commission advised ODOT staff to move forward with the baseline which will provide roughly $40 million in further funding to bring the project to a higher level of design, making it more competitive for future funding opportunities. I-205 Improvements Project includes proposed two options regarding the I-205 Improvements Project. The baseline includes indefinitely postponing the second phase of construction, which includes adding a missing third lane and seismic upgrades to a total of eight bridges. Construction on the Abernethy Bridge would continue, and tolls would begin in 2026 to repay the costs of the bridge. The alternative option envisions doing the above but would also include additional funding to replace the Tualatin River Bridge to make it earthquake ready.

The commission advised ODOT staff to move forward with the baseline option of finishing construction on the Abernethy Bridge, tolling at the bridge to repay the cost of construction, and indefinitely postponing phase two of the project.

“This is how we’re going to move forward for the time being unless given different direction. If the direction is that we’re not going to toll at all, then we’re going to have to pivot hard and make really difficult decisions,” Chair Julie Brown shared.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-10-07 17:05:36

Last Update: 2023-10-07 19:17:46

Five people were arrested in the Portland metro area on Wednesday in a large-scale drug and gun bust throughout three states.

During the operation – which involved over 150 officers, agents and personnel from federal, state and local agencies – law enforcement seized nearly nine kilos of cocaine, 25 firearms (11 from one location), nearly $50,000 in cash and thousands of suspected fentanyl pills.

“The amount of suspected fentanyl alone that we seized in this operation will make a difference in our communities. 25 guns now off the streets, kilos of drugs out of circulation, that’s an impact,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office. “In a coordinated effort across three states the FBI and our partners, worked seamlessly to cut into the capabilities of these criminal enterprises and we are working hard to put the most violent offenders and facilitators behind bars for as long as we possibly can.”

The five people arrested were on a complaint of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Additional charges could follow.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Portland Field Office and the Portland Police Bureau conducted the operation with the assistance of the FBI Seattle, FBI Los Angeles, HSI, IRS, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Gresham Police Department, Vancouver Police Department, Oregon State Police, Washington State Department of Corrections, Port of Portland, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Marshals Service.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2023-10-06 19:17:43

Last Update: 2023-10-06 20:32:55

The Oregon Department of Transportation has now announced that customers can take their DMV knowledge test anywhere that has reliable internet. There is now no need to go into a local DMV office to take those tests. You can test online instead with a computer that has a webcam, keyboard and mouse.

Online knowledge testing is now part of DMV’s expanding menu of online services at DMV2U. By going online, customers can take their test at a time that works best for them. No waiting in line at the office, or for appointments to become available.

“We hope customers embrace this new way to take their knowledge test,” said DMV Administrator Amy Joyce. “It is an easy and convenient option that we are proud to offer to Oregonians.”

The online test closely mirrors the testing screens shown in a DMV field office, so customers can expect a similar experience. There is no cost difference to use online testing.

Teens under 18, DMV’s largest group of testing customers, need an adult 21 years or older to supervise their test as they take it.

The Class C (regular driver) knowledge test and motorcycle endorsement test are available online in English and Spanish. DMV plans to add additional languages in the future to serve even more customers.

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“Testing online allows customers the chance to know that they have passed their exam before coming into the DMV office. This can save some people multiple trips into the office if they don’t pass the first time,” said Joyce. “You don’t need an appointment to come in once you pass online, but do come prepared with all the documentation you need to make sure it is a smooth visit.”

After customers pass their test online, they will need to come into the office with their identity documents, and pass a vision screening. Then they will be issued a permit or be eligible to schedule a drive test, depending on their age.

DMV partnered with an expert in the online testing industry, Intellectual Technologies Inc., to develop the new service. Their online testing platform is already used in other states. Proven identity verification and anti-cheating features protect the safety purpose of the knowledge test.

Learn more about online testing at the DMV2U Online Service Center website.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2023-10-04 13:46:16

Last Update: 2023-10-04 14:37:37

What could be the largest lithium deposit in the world may pit one camp of environmentalists against others environmentalists as the element used to make batteries for electric cars is being mined just outside the Oregon border in Nevada.

The Thacker Pass Project is located within an extinct 25 by 19 mile supervolcano named McDermitt Caldera that sits on the Oregon-Nevada border -- though the mine pit will be only in Nevada. The caldera was formed approximately 16.3 million years ago as part of a hotspot currently underneath the Yellowstone Plateau.

Following an initial eruption and concurrent collapse of the McDermitt Caldera, a large lake formed in the caldera basin. This lake water was extremely enriched in lithium and resulted in the accumulation of lithium-rich clays. Late volcanic activity uplifted the caldera, draining the lake and bringing the lithium-rich moat sediments to the surface resulting in the near-surface lithium deposit called Thacker Pass.

According to the mine owner Lithium Americas, the open pit mine will cost $2.2 billion to develop and will produce 80,000 tons of lithium per year over its 40-year life.

“The Montana Mountains landscape has long been identified as a key area for biodiversity protection in Nevada,” said Katie Fite, Public Lands Director for Wildlands Defense. “Along with adjacent Oregon wild lands, it constitutes one of the last big blocks of the sagebrush sea free of development. Pygmy rabbits, migratory birds and other wildlife suffered a major blow from wildfire a decade ago and habitat has not yet recovered. Now this mega-mine will obliterate vital remaining sagebrush. The mine’s regional disturbance footprint will wallop struggling wildlife populations, causing new declines.”

The Nevada Department of Environmental Protection sees it differently. According to its website, "Approval for these permits comes after an extensive application review and revision process, as well as months of public engagement with the Orovada community and the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes. All three permits, which are required for Lithium Nevada to start construction and operate the mine, come after NDEP determined the project can operate in a way that protects public health and the environment.

The Trump administration provided federal approval near the end of his term and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to vacate that approval, meaning that the mining activity can proceed.

The world is currently not producing enough of it to keep up with demand produced by the sale of electric vehicles. This could be a major bottleneck this decade.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-10-02 11:14:14

Last Update: 2023-10-02 12:16:45

Oregon Right to Life, a PAC that focuses on electing pro-life officials in the state of Oregon, has now announced their endorsement of Darin Harbick. Harbick is challenging the incumbent, Representative Charlie Conrad (R-Dexter), in the 2024 Republican primary election for House District 12.

“Darin Harbick is a committed pro-life candidate,” said ORTL executive director Lois Anderson. “He has deep roots in the district, years of community involvement and business experience that will provide what he needs to be an excellent representative. I’m confident Darin Harbick will represent the values of the citizens of HD 12, and I’m proud to express my support.”

Earlier this year, ORTL PAC announced a campaign to defeat Representative Conrad due to his support for what ORTL says was dangerous abortion and assisted suicide legislation. Representative Conrad voted to pass House Bill 2002 and House Bill 2279 in the 2023 Oregon state legislative session.

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ORTL points out that as introduced, HB 2002 was a dramatic expansion of abortion in Oregon, going as far as making it illegal to notify parents if an abortion is performed on their child unless the child provides explicit written permission. Although the most extreme aspects of HB 2002 were removed following the Republican Senate walkout protest negotiations, ORTL says the bill that Conrad voted for and helped pass still weakens the parent-child relationship and creates virtual immunity for abortion providers who violate the laws of other states.

HB 2279 repealed the residency requirement for physician-assisted suicide in Oregon, making lethal prescriptions available regardless of where a person lives.

“Charlie Conrad’s votes on these bills are dangerous to vulnerable Oregonians,” continued Anderson. “A vote for Darin Harbick is a vote to protect the most vulnerable members of our society—unborn children and those who are pressured to end their own lives.”

According to Harbick's campaign website, he has successfully built, purchased, and founded several businesses located in the Upper McKenzie Valley. While managing his businesses and he served 14 years on the McKenzie School board, the Lane County Tourism board, and coached high school and college women’s basketball.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2023-09-30 08:38:09

Last Update: 2023-09-30 09:53:34

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Portland Central City Task Force Co-Chair Dan McMillan, president and CEO of The Standard, have now announced the launch of a Portland Central City Task Force (PCCTF) website, which features a public survey soliciting input.

Kotek says that the website also features more information about the task force, a page for progress updates from each committee as the work advances, news highlights and more.

“I want to hear from everyone,” Governor Kotek said. “When you have lots of folks weighing in, even if we don’t agree, I believe it helps us get better outcomes. We’re not leaving any stone unturned when it comes to solutions. So, Oregon, tell us what you think.”

“Between the full task force and five committees, we have brought together the collective experience and energy of over 120 people committed to implementing solutions. We intend to move with urgency, and welcome all actionable ideas to reimagine and revitalize Portland’s Central City,” Co-Chair Dan McMillan said.

The survey, which is anonymous, asks participants to name what they value most about the Portland area, what would bring them downtown more often, and for solutions to the challenges facing Portland’s Central City. The survey takes no more than 15 minutes. A summary of the results will be made public at a later date.

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The full PCCTF will meet Tuesday, September 26, and provide an after-action press release to the public following the meeting. The five committees, which include task force members and additional subject matter experts and community leaders, have started their work and will continue to meet regularly between task force meetings.

. Those who are interested in participating in the survey can find it online.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2023-09-30 06:39:59

Last Update: 2023-09-29 15:46:22

Oregon’s drug decriminalization experiment known as Ballot Measure 110, passed by the voters in 2020, has failed to address our state’s drug addiction crisis. Since its implementation, overdoses have skyrocketed and deadly drug use has increased. Meanwhile, according to some observers, law enforcement has felt alienated, and addicts haven’t sought the treatment they desperately need.

“Oregonians have spoken clearly. They don’t feel they were told the whole truth about Measure 110. Now it is the Legislature’s job to hear voters and respond to their concerns,” said Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend). “Communities across Oregon feel the drug addiction crisis worsening. We need a solution, and we need it now. The Senate Republican Caucus will ask the newly formed Joint Addiction and Community Safety Response Committee to consider a bill referring Measure 110 back to Oregon voters.”

Legislative Democrat leaders have created a Joint Interim Committee on Addiction and Community Safety. Senator Tim Knopp will represent the voice of Senate Republicans on the committee.

According to recent polls:

• 63% of voters would support bringing back criminal penalties for the possession of hard drugs.
• 65% of voters felt that Measure 110 has made addiction and overdoses in the State of Oregon worse.
• 63% of voters felt that Measure 110 has worsened the homelessness crisis.

House Republicans put out a statement saying that they "remain dedicated to advancing solutions to the crisis created by Measure 110. With the announcement of the Joint Addiction and Community Safety Response Committee, the Legislature will soon begin to create legislation meant to deal with the crisis. The same Democrat leaders and committee chairs who chose not to advance bills in the last legislative session to address Oregon’s drug and crime crisis are finally willing to deal with the pleas of desperate Oregonians. Ironically, the Democrats chosen to serve on this committee are the same members who refused to hear Republican solutions in their committees as chairs. While Republicans are happy to see movement on the issue, they are concerned it may too little, too late."

“The Democrat majority has allowed the drug crisis to worsen each day by ignoring nearly every opportunity to fix Measure 110 when we had the chance. I am relieved that Democrat leaders have finally recognized the responsibility we have to address a problem exacerbated by their failed policies and prolonged by their inaction. However, the same people who helped create the problem and continue to perpetuate the problem will not solve the problem. House Republicans are committed to hearing all potential solutions to fix Measure 110 and urge Democrats to do the same,” said House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River).

In 2020, Oregonians approved Ballot Measure 110, bought and sold to voters as an experiment to address drug addiction from a public health approach instead of criminalization. It has had deadly consequences. Measure 110’s shortcomings have fallen most heavily on drug users in every community across Oregon. Since its implementation, overdoses rose 61% compared to 13% nationally. On average, 3 Oregonians die each day from unintentional drug overdose.

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Fentanyl, a drug that is 50 times stronger than heroin, has surpassed methamphetamine as the most frequent drug involved in overdose deaths in Oregon. For all ages, fentanyl overdoses surged nearly 600% between 2019 and 2021. And it kills Oregon’s teenagers at a rate higher than any other state. The Oregon Health Authority reports that the amount of seized fentanyl in Oregon's high intensity drug trafficking areas increased from 690 counterfeit pills in 2018 to more than 2 million in 2022.

Recognizing the urgent need to solve Oregon’s drug crisis, last session House Republicans proposed several measures fixing or reversing the most ineffective portions of Measure 110. They included:

• HB 2973: Referral to the People. Allows voters to decide whether Measure 110 is still Oregon’s chosen path to solve the drug crisis.
• HB 2310: Reestablishes criminal penalties for possession and distribution of hard drugs, including fentanyl, that were stripped by Measure 110, while still supporting funds that go towards expanding access to rehabilitation programs.
• HB 3549: Restores criminal penalties for possession of controlled substance offenses to level prior to enactment of Measure 110 when person has been previously cited for Class E violation for possession of hard drugs.

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-09-29 16:19:04

Last Update: 2023-09-29 17:01:26

Going into an election year, the conversation is all about uniting – uniting the party, uniting the country, uniting the state, uniting the legislature. While they are busy campaigning for unity, bills are passed that do the opposite with a big price tag. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a money guzzler that drives a wedge to divide.

Of deep concern is the amount of education funds that are spent on DEI. The Heritage Foundation has just published a study measuring how many Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) “instructors” there are at major public state universities. The analysts measured the size of DEI bureaucracies in the 65 universities that were members of one of the Power 5 athletic conferences (the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac-12, the Southeastern Conference, and the Atlantic Coast Conference) in 2021.

The study reported that DEI staff and departments urge students to embrace radical leftwing ideologies, including that people should be treated differently due to their race. Ideological indoctrination is utterly unacceptable at taxpayer-funded universities and the DEI bureaucracy should be abolished in state-funded schools.

DEI bureaucracies are better understood as an academic version of a political commissariat that articulates and enforces an ideological orthodoxy on campus. That orthodoxy tends to make many groups of people feel unwelcome, promotes division, and encourages conformity rather than diversity on various social and political issues.

Heritage analysts found that surveys of students reported worse campus climates—measured, for example, by how accepted or respected students feel at the campus—at universities with larger DEI bureaucracies than at those with smaller DEI staff.

The worst state is Virginia with 6.5 average DEI personnel for every 100 faculty members on the payroll that the researchers could identify. Oregon came in second with an average 4.6. However, University of Oregon exceeded all but the top two universities in Virginia at 6.2 DEI ratio. Oregon State University in the Power 5 conferences in 2021, has much smaller DEI bureaucracies pulling down the average with a 3.0 DEI. Both schools exceeds UCLA at 2.8 and U of O exceeds Cal Berkeley at 6.1 DEI.

For the academic year 2021-2022, the average undergraduate tuition & fees of 4-year Oregon colleges is $12,907 for in-state and $31,542 for out-of-state. Its tuition & fees are higher than the national average, which is $6,979 for in-state students and $12,905 for out-of-state students. Both Oregon State University and University of Oregon's undergraduate tuition and fees for the academic year 2022-2023 raised to $15,054 for Oregon residents and $41,700 for out-of-state students,

It isn’t enough that the University of Oregon provides services to help the underserved manage their way through college, but it operates five units in the DEI Division with 24 staff and 10 student staff. It runs a multicultural center and sponsors events and activities. It funds units and groups that offer grant opportunities to staff for professional development and external mentoring along with financial sponsorships for DEI programs.

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U of O operates DEI websites and working groups with resources that doesn’t have a uniting theme or scholarly benefit and are indoctrinating in general. For instant, the Deconstructing Whiteness Working Group (DWWG) consists of a number of employees who lead monthly self-work meetings to reflect on their complicity in white supremacy, anti-Blackness, and racism. In previous years, the group has facilitated a "What's Up With Whiteness?" retreat that aims to help participants find their place in conversations around race and systemic injustice in their own lives.

Then there are DEI groups with a philosophical bent: L.A.C.E. (Love, Authenticity, Courage, Empathy) embodies the universal tenets of Love, Authenticity, Courage and Empathy. These interlocking values represent the being and doing of individuals and the institutions in which they engage. Other strategies groups interact and advocates for issues within the community, which may be helpful if it’s a supporting role. But to often it is the opposite.

The Heritage study suggests that rather than raise tuition next year, states should defund DEI programs that drain resources from classrooms and instructions.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2023-09-29 13:15:27

Last Update: 2023-09-29 00:05:38

Oregon Democrats are crowing about making attending college easier and more affordable for Oregonians, but the reality may be that more funding creates more unfairness. And while getting a college education may mean more opportunities for some, it may mean more opportunities for failure for others.

In a recent press release, the Democratic Legislative offices said, "With many Oregon college and university students returning to school, Democrats today are reflecting on the 2023 legislative session’s higher education investments. Democrats passed critical legislation that will make it easier for low-income and historically underserved Oregonians to pursue higher education through financial support, including tuition relief and grant opportunities. With these investments, legislators are working to ensure more Oregon students have greater career opportunities and high paying jobs out of college."

"Education — from early learning, to K-12, to higher education and vocational training -- is the best way people can improve their lives and the lives of their families," said Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego). "I am proud the Legislature is stepping up to meet our obligation as a state to see that our education system is accessible by all and prepares our students for their futures."

“This is how we make sure Oregon’s economy stays competitive in the 21st century and help students gain the skills they need for good paying jobs without having to go into crippling debt,” said Representative Ricki Ruiz (D - Gresham), vice chair of the House Committee on Higher Education.

These efforts complement the Legislature's historic funding for K-12 classrooms and child care services for toddlers and infants signed into law last week by Governor Tina Kotek. Oregon’s Higher Education Opportunity Budget invests more than $3.7 billion responding to the college affordability crisis. It includes:

• More than $300 million for the Oregon Opportunity Grant;
• $24.2 million to continue the successful Tribal Student Grant program;
• $800 million for the Community College Support Fund; and
• $1 billion for the Public University Support Fund.

Many analysts say that Oregon is using taxpayer money -- potentially from taxpayers who never had the opportunity themselves to attend college -- to provide opportunity for students who failed to achieve enough academically in public schools to be able to succeed at college. They say that Oregon Public Colleges are too focused on "junk" degrees and not on knowledge that is useful for creating wealth in the real world.

Even as the legislature pumps more and more money into higher education, tuition rates have outpaced inflation. According to analysts, part of this unsustainable upward tuition spiral is caused by the legislature increasing funding for higher education. Simply put, if you are able to pay more for something, suppliers will charge more, and this is what is happening. $1 billion was allocated for the Public University Support Fund, supporting university operational expenses -- according to the release -- "with the goal of making sure students have what they need to get through school."


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-09-29 12:54:36

Last Update: 2023-09-29 15:42:09

Representative Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River) was selected by House Republicans to serve as their new Leader. Also elected to the leadership team were Representative Mark Owens (R-Crane) as Deputy Leader and Kim Wallan (R-Medford) as Whip.

“It is both an honor and privilege to be chosen to lead our caucus,” said Leader Helfrich. “Oregon is in crisis. Residents are leaving because they can’t afford housing, they feel unsafe on our city streets and their taxes keep increasing. Inaction or failed action only makes the situation worse. The status quo must change.”

“Politics is a team sport, and our caucus looks forward to working together to bring forward new ideas and solutions to help everyday Oregonians.”

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Representatives Helfrich, Owens and Wallan for a while now and am excited for the future of Republicans in Oregon. Each of these representatives hail from different regions of the state and will represent us well in leadership,” stated Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville). “I am confident in Leader Helfrich’s ability to continue advocating for the interests of all Oregonians and look forward to his thoughtful leadership of our caucus moving forward.”

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“It is an honor to be chosen by my colleagues for this leadership role. I look forward to working with all of our caucus members for the benefit of all Oregonians.” stated Rep. Owens.

According to his bio, Representative Helfrich has been a public servant his entire adult life. He proudly served in the United States Air Force during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm before spending 25 years as a sergeant with the Portland Police Bureau. He and his wife are raising their two children in Hood River.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-09-29 11:33:21

Last Update: 2023-09-29 15:42:51