On this day, November 21, 1992, Oregon Senator Bob Packwood, issued an apology but refused to discuss allegations that he'd made unwelcome sexual advances toward 10 women over the years.
Speaker of the house Dan Rayfield has appointed Representative James Hieb (R-Canby) as a non-voting advisor to the 11-member Willamette Falls Locks Authority.
In 2021, HB 2564 established the Willamette Falls Locks Authority as “a public corporation with the mission to establish ownership, oversight, and management of the Willamette Falls Locks project for the purposes of enhancing the economic vitality of Oregon through facilitating the resiliency and navigability of the Willamette River and repairing, maintaining, upgrading and operating the Willamette Falls Locks project…for commercial, transportation, recreational, cultural, history, heritage and tourism purposes.“ The 11-member Authority will assume ownership of the locks after the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) completes necessary repairs.
USACE will continue to oversees the locks until seismic repairs are completed. The official transfer of ownership to the Willamette Falls Locks Authority is expected to be in 2026. This will allow time to perform geotechnical explorations involving drilling a series of holes to investigate the systems substructure and ensure seismic anchors installed throughout the repairs have been properly designed.
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The Willamette Falls Locks Authority will oversee the ongoing refurbishments and preserve the water table for renewable energy generation at PGE’s Sullivan Power Plant. Steelhead and salmon habitat upriver will also benefit from repairing the locks.
The Growth Management Division at the City of Bend says that they want to hear from the community about where to locate areas where people can live, work, and play without requiring a car.
This concept is called a Climate Friendly Area. City staff are in the phase of analyzing locations throughout the city to designate as Climate Friendly Areas in a multi-year project driven by the state of Oregon.
As a part of this phase, the community is invited to the Climate Friendly Areas Community Open House on Nov. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. It will be held in the Audubon Room at the Environmental Center at 16 NW Kansas Ave. An online open house will also be available at the City of Bend: Climate Friendly Areas website.
Climate Friendly Areas are part of the Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities rules required by the state of Oregon that intend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by changing land use patterns. Bend says the end result will involve designating walkable, connected areas that provide a mix of businesses, housing and amenities such as parks and schools through code and policy amendments.
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The City of Bend says the process of adopting these changes is supportive of many Bend City Council goals, policies and plans already underway related to climate, equity, housing and transportation.
"It’s vital that we plan for a sustainable future", said Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler. "One where everyone in Bend has the chance to thrive, with a place to live that they can afford, a job that pays the bills, and a community where they feel welcome and safe."
Estimated upwards of 4,500 Ukrainians settled in Oregon
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Refugee Program has announced that it invites community agencies to apply for a portion of $2.25 million in funding that is available to provide services and support to certain individuals from Ukraine or those who entered through the Uniting for Ukraine program.
The application to apply for funding can be found online, the deadline to apply is Nov. 24. ODHS will be hosting an informational session for organizations who are interested in applying for this funding on Nov. 17. This session is to provide information on this funding and provide an opportunity for session attendees to ask questions before they apply for the funding. Details on how to join the learning session are available in the application that can be found online.
The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is operated by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) through contracts with national non-profit organizations called Resettlement Agencies. These organizations have local affiliate offices throughout the nation.
The ODHS Refugee Program is responsible for some of the services that are outside of initial resettlement provided by Resettlement Agencies.
The ODHS Refugee Program administers refugee cash and refugee medical benefits. Additionally, the ODHS Refugee Program contracts with Community-Based Organizations and Resettlement Agencies to provide culturally responsive services for populations deemed eligible by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Since February 2022, it is estimated that upwards of 4,500 individuals from Ukraine have resettled in Oregon.
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The Department says that the purpose of this request is to ask for applications from culturally or linguistically responsive organizations who provide services to immigrants or refugees (and those eligible for refugee services) to increase services and supports.
estimated that upwards of 4,500 individuals
ODHS says that funding is available to support:
$1 million for housing assistance services
$500,000 for employment services assistance
$300,000 for health and mental health promotion services
$300,000 for legal services
$75,000 for senior services
ODHS says organizations may express interest in supporting more than one service area. The application for this funding, and additional information regarding the ODHS Refugee Program can be found on the Oregon Refugee Services website.
The Oregon Department of Human Services says that their mission is to help Oregonians in their own communities achieve wellbeing and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.
Boosting of Oregon’s achievements using federal funds
Eight Democrat Oregon Legislators travel to Washington DC to boost about why Oregon is one of the highest taxed states in the nation. They joined state leaders across the country at the White House to discuss how federal dollars are being put to good use. Because of historic legislation like the American Rescue Plan Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS & Science Act, Oregon legislators have been able to create more good paying jobs, strengthen the state’s infrastructure, support small businesses.
Representative David Gomberg (D-Lincoln & Western Benton/Lane Counties) gives credit to Oregon’s recovery to federal dollars “helping us build back better and stronger. Projects in rural and coastal Oregon like the replacement of the Newport Dam in my district are going to revitalize our infrastructure, create jobs, and keep our economy strong.”
Senator Wlnsvey Campos (D-Aloha, Beaverton & South Hillsboro) says partnering with the Biden-Harris Administration is “empowering Oregonians to be more competitive in the 21st Century economy with access to broadband, expansion in the semiconductor industry, opportunity in green energy, and support for our small businesses.”
Does Campos not remember passing HB 4092 (2022) costing Oregonians $200 million in order to receive $100 million in federal help from the American Rescue Plan Act? And, in a special session, SB 1603 (2020) transferred $5 million from the Oregon Business Development Department each year to develope rural broadband. It passed without a 2/3 vote adding a tax surcharge to cell phone bills after the Emergency Board allocated $20 million to broadband.
House Bill 3201 enabled Oregon to receive an award of over $156 million to expand broadband infrastructure across the state through the American Rescue Plan Act Capital Projects Fund. This will secure high-speed internet access to an estimated 17,000+ new locations in the state, helping to connect rural and low-income communities with critical services like telehealth, jobs, education, and more. Criticism of the bill exposed the lack of funds being distributed equitably to rural areas having conflicting maps. Representative Anna Scharf (R-Polk) says “federal maps are based on carrier information not independent research, and the State of Oregon map is based on a survey.” Some local counties have done their own mapping. “This bill excludes locally collected data, which is the most accurate data available.”
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The semiconductor bill, SB 4 Oregon CHIPS Act, allocated $210 million. The biggest share, $190 million, pays for grants and loans for semiconductor companies competing for $53 billion in federal funding to expand in Oregon. Added to that, Governor Kotek provided $1 million to help small and mid-size firms prepare applications for federal funding. Oregon already employs 40,000 in the semiconductor industry, third in the nation with 15% of the nation’s semiconductor workforce. Oregonians should anticipate more legislation for companies to conduct research and development.
The group also praised $500 million available to K-12 schools to upgrade their HVAC systems, assess ventilation systems, place carbon dioxide monitors in each classroom, and submit a report on ventilation and carbon dioxide levels to a mechanical engineer for review. Districts will then implement any improvements recommended by the engineer. However, the legislature passed HB 3031 despite disagreement with unions on making it a fair process for HVAC businesses. The requirement for trained agents in order to contract directs the business to metropolitan areas and makes it difficult, if not impossible, for rural contractors to bid on projects in their own area, said Representative Lucetta Elmer (R-McMinnville).
Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association’s PNWH2 Hub was selected as one of the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs following a competitive nationwide process. The PNWH2 Hub will span across Oregon, Washington, and Montana, and will leverage the abundant clean power and innovative technology companies in the Pacific Northwest to accelerate the transition to clean hydrogen production and use. The hub’s projects will drive economic opportunity and are expected to create over 10,000 good paying jobs. No study has been made on the cost to residence to convert away from natural gas and fossil fuels. But if the federal government is providing fund, then surely it be good.
State Representative Christine Goodwin (R-Canyonville) announced her decision to run for the Republican nomination for the Oregon State Senate. Oregon Senate District 2 is comprised of great communities in Josephine, Southern Douglas, and Northern Jackson Counties.
“I am running for Senate to continue my fight to protect Southern Oregon values. Serving others has always been a passion for me, but my time in Salem has taught me just how crucial it is that we have experienced, conservative leaders fighting back against the radical agenda of Portland Democrats that has been ruining our great state for over a decade. Doing so is the only way we can meet the needs of our communities and ensure our voice gets heard in our State Capitol. The more our values were attacked and ignored in Salem, the more my constituents asked me to speak for them. I will be that energetic voice in the Senate refusing to give up."
Representative Goodwin has a lengthy history of public service outside of being a current State Representative: School Board Chairman, Urban Renewal Board member, Parks Advisory Board member, Douglas County Planning Commission member, and later as a Douglas County Commissioner.
She served Southern Oregon as a State Representative for House District 2 before being elected by an overwhelming majority to represent the people of House District 4 in 2022 after redistricting.
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“The more our values were attacked and ignored in Salem, the more my constituents asked me to speak for them," said Goodwin. "I will be that energetic voice in the Senate refusing to give up pushing for real solutions for our failing schools, out-of-control homelessness, rampant drug crisis and the surge in crime it brings with it. Now is a time for leadership in the State Senate, and I am up for the challenge.”
Goodwin is a former school teacher, successful owner of multiple small businesses, and was named Woman of the Year by Myrtle Creek/Tri City Chamber of Commerce. She is also a proud wife, mother, and grandmother.
The primary election will be held on May 21, 2024. State Senate District 2 is currently held by Art Robinson, whose eligibility for re-election remains uncertain at this time. Robinson, and other Senators await an Oregon Supreme Court opinion on the unclear language of Measure 113, scheduled to begin proceedings on December 14th. Art Robinson's son, Noah, has also filed to run for the position.
Reese was recently the Sheriff of Multnomah County
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has announced that she has appointed Mike Reese to head the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC). Reese has worked in public safety in the region for 30 years. Most recently, he was the Multnomah County Sheriff.
“I am grateful to Acting Director Heidi Steward stepping up to lead and staying the course through the pandemic,” Governor Kotek said. “I have confidence in incoming Director Reese’s ability to bring a clear vision and advance the organizational and cultural changes needed to bring forward the next chapter at DOC. He has an unparalleled record within the public safety sector for being a collaborator and a problem solver, guided by justice, equity, and a commitment to uphold the public’s trust.”
Incoming Director Reese began his career in law enforcement over 30 years ago as a deputy for the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in 1989. Five years later, he joined the Portland Police Bureau and rose through the ranks to serve as one of the longest-standing police chiefs in the City in recent history. In 2016, he was elected Multnomah County Sheriff where he managed a $175 million dollar budget and 800 employees and the largest jail system in Oregon. He served until 2022 when he retired from the office.
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Incoming Director Reese holds two degrees from Portland State University including a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and an Executive Master’s in Public Administration. He also attended the DEA Drug Unit Commanders Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute.
Reese has also held paid and volunteer positions for non-profits, including working as a counselor, director and later serving as a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Portland. He has also served as a board member of Transition Projects, the Irvington Community Association and the First Christian Church.
“As DOC Director, I will do my very best to lead this department, our staff, and adults in custody towards better outcomes. The Department of Corrections is a core pillar of our public safety system. Our ability to adequately rehabilitate adults in custody and recruit, train and retain a skilled workforce driven by accountability, integrity and professionalism has a direct impact on Oregon communities and I am resolved to ensure these standards are met.”
In a recently resurfaced video of a Congressional hearing, newly elected US House Speaker Mike Johnson objected to excluding parents from making decisions for their children. To the left, he said, they are the state’s children. Even a parent has no constitutional right to transition a child. “Whether it’s by scalpel or social coercion, it’s an aggressive attempt to transition the young people of our country. There is something deeply wrong…The coverup is extreme.”
While stating his views on LGBTQ issues in a hearing, Speaker Johnson revealed a deleted blog of Oregon Dr. Blare Peters, Oregon Health Science University. Dr. Peters is a double fellowship-trained plastic and reconstructive surgeon who specializes in gender-affirming surgery and peripheral nerve surgery.
Speaker Johnson summarized his criticism in his speech.
"...We see adults inflicting unspeakable harms on helpless children to affirm the adults' own worldview: that gender is somehow fluid, that sex can be surgically altered, that there are no lasting consequences of all this madness as the result of the sex-change procedures. What is even more alarming is that the central tenet of the trans-gender movement and its allies is to exclude parents as much as possible from making decisions about the health of their own children. Medical professionals and schools increasingly see parents as "trans-phobic bullies who must be prevented from standing in the way of a medical sexual transition of their own kids."
Speaker Johnson states that Dr. Peters calls himself the ‘Queer surgeon’ and he boosts about the shocking, fully experimental, irreversible and life-altering invasive procedures that he and others are performing on children to surgically modify their genitals. He admits that no one has published any studies on these procedures. They are “just kind of learning and figuring out what works,” rearranging anatomy and they know nothing regarding the outcome.
During the interview, which is embedded in the video below, Dr. Peters says:
"The one thing that is very new is genital surgery in someone who has underwent pubertal suppression. [It is] not so much an issue in someone with assigned female at birth anatomy that undergoes a phalloplasty because we're crating something new with a free tissue transfer -- a flap anyway, but a much bigger issue for a person undergoing a penile inversion vaginalplasty because we use all that tissue to create the vulva as well as lining the internal vaginal canal and as a specialty those of us who do a fairly high volume of genital gender-affirming surgery -- we've maybe done a couple, a handful, of fully purebertally suppressed adolescents as the field and no one's published on it yet, OHSU is still just putting our first series together as we're kind of learning and figuring out what works."
Long before HB 2002 was passed in June, OHSU was given research authority in 2001 under ORS 353.556. MEAWW News reported last July that Dr. Peters has been performing gender altering surgery for some time. They exposed a deleted video in which a surgeon going by the name "Dr Frankenstein," spoke openly about the drawbacks of performing genital reshaping procedures on transgender children and adults. They report that in the video, Dr Peters, a self-described "queer surgeon" with pink hair, who uses "he/they" pronouns, and has a "passion" for genital procedures, claims that patients must deal with lifetime post-operative difficulties related to fertility, sexual satisfaction, and other issues.
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Empower Physiotherapy in Seattle produced the 37-minute interview with Dr Peters, during which he made the confession to the comparison to another doctor, the fictitious researcher who creates a monster out of body parts in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Frankenstein.
In the video, Dr Peters discusses developments in phalloplasties and vaginoplasties, such as the use of a robot operated by a second surgeon to create a 'neo-vagina' from tissue taken from the penis and scrotum. He also discusses "nullification," a growingly common treatment that involves the total removal of genitalia from non-binary individuals. He controversially refers to the 'puberty-suppressed teenagers' having genital surgery at OHSU - young people who have used drugs to postpone puberty.
Dr Peters stated, "We're kind of learning and figuring out what works." After surgery, patients commonly experience issues, and says they might have "rectal injury and urinary incompetence." Some people find it difficult to get "sexual satisfaction" from changed bodily parts, and their odds of "future childbearing" are worse.
Some of them require "really demanding post-operative care." Over time nearly every patient who has had male-to-female genital surgery just aren't able to have sex, and they will lose a lot of depth.
As more Americans, both young and old, choose to have genital surgery, Dr Peters claims his methods and success rates will increase. However, there is still much to learn in this developing field of medicine. He said, "We're going to learn a lot more about it in the next five to 10 years as we're doing increasing numbers of these cases."
It appears that the initial video was posted and then removed last year, and recently found in an archive and reposted on social media. Speaker Johnson says he wants to shed light on what this problem is and how we can address it.
Ben Edtl exposes plans to surveil, compile and “mitigate” the speech of Oregonians
The Oregon Secretary of State completed a Request for Proposals seeking the development of software to “identify and mitigate harmful information online as it relates to elections (misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information or MDM).” Negotiations for the RFP is scheduled to execute October 27th, 2023, in time for the 2024 election season.
The RFP refers to a “significant increase in burdensome public records requests over the past two years seemingly fueled by MDM on social media.” It refers to MDM as “threats” throughout the RFP.
The purpose states, “In order to effectively promote accurate information regarding election administration and combat MDM, the OED and CC must have the capability to detect and analyze MDM. OED and CC currently do not have capacity or technology support to track, follow, and trace all of the threats.”
“The only way I can comprehend the SoS’s reference to threats is because the speech targeted by the SoS to ‘mitigate’ is confirmable truth,” states Ben Edtl. Edtl is a plaintiff in the lawsuit Thielman v. Fagan which claims there is a “crisis in confidence” in Oregon’s election system and challenging the legality of Vote by Mail. The case is now in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and was victoriously awarded expedition based on the timing of the upcoming General Election and the merit of evidence.
This past July Democrat House Speaker Dan Rayfield, who is now running for Oregon Attorney General, along with the Secretary of State’s Office conspired with Meta and USA Today to censor one of Edtl’s Instagram reels and suppress his account. In the video on X, Edtl discusses the evidence brought against the Secretary of State in Theilman v Fagan. Evidence obtained by those “burdensome public records requests,” which is now the last remaining channel for citizens to provide oversight on the integrity of State managed elections.
“This is extraordinarily scary,” states Edtl about the RFP. “Rather than address the blatant election security issues and the ever-increasing removal of transparency, the State is cracking down on the most basic of Civil Rights: Free Speech.”
The U.S. Supreme Court, in Brandenburg v. Ohio, established that speech advocating illegal conduct is protected under the First Amendment unless it is likely to incite "imminent lawless action." Brandenburg was convicted for a speech at a Klan rally advocating violence under the Ohio Criminal Syndicalism Statute. The syndicalism law made it illegal to advocate "crime, sabotage, violence, or unlawful methods of terrorism as a means of accomplishing industrial or political reform." The court found that the Ohio law violated Brandenburg's right to free speech and ignored whether or not the advocacy it criminalized actually led to imminent lawless action, rendering the law overly broad and in violation of the Constitution. If this case was unconstitutional, it will be impossible for Oregon to not violate free speech in this RFP in its attempt to limit speech.
Under Section 1.5.2 the RFP lists one of its primary objectives as sharing information with the FBI and State Police. The RFP also asks for reports to social media platforms that censors accounts sharing information opposed by the Secretary of State. The Minimum Solution Requirements are:
The Solution must have the capability to monitor online media.
The Solution must have the capability of providing notifications.
The Solution must not exceed a total cost of $146,000 for a 16-month period of performance.
The Secretary of State is using procurement statutes under ORS 279A.050(4) as the authority for contracting with a vendor to administer a censorship program. The Secretary of State's office did not respond to a request for a comment.
“I feel an immense call right now to step up and serve my community”
Bruce Starr, a current city councilor and former State Senator, filed and
announced that he is running again to serve in the Oregon Senate. Starr, a conservative
Republican, served in the State House and Senate from 1999 to 2014.
Starr and his wife, Rebecca, currently reside in Dundee. Since leaving the legislature, Starr cofounded a Christian preschool company which partners with local churches in several states
offering quality private-education. Starr also continues to farm his family’s nearly-60-year-old
Hillsboro farm and run Bulldog Fence Company which he founded in 2018. He and Rebecca have
a strong Christian faith and attend Living Hope Fellowship.
“I feel an immense call right now to step up and serve my community,” said Starr. “These last 10
years in the private sector, both as a contractor and founder of a Christian preschool, has really
sharpened my perspective and given me greater strength.”
Sen. Bruce Starr was known in the legislature as a transportation expert. One of his key
accomplishments was securing funding and groundbreaking for the Newberg-Dundee Bypass.
“Senator Starr was key in helping us get the Newberg bypass approved. His knowledge and
persistence were critical,” said Sen. Larry George, who served with Starr and says he will be supporting
him.
Starr says he is waiting to hear the outcome of incumbent Senator Brian Boquist’s ability to run for
reelection. Boquist, who Starr once served with, is one of the senators who helped deny
quorum as Democrats pushed what Starr calls the most extreme abortion and transgender agenda in the United
States.
“I 100% support Sen. Boquist and have utmost respect for him. The decision by the Republican
senators using tools available to them to best-represent voters was correct,” said Starr. “I will
continue serving Senate District 12 with effective, conservative leadership much like Senator
Boquist’s nearly-two-decades example.”
Bill Rosacker, Mayor of Newberg, said: “Bruce’s past accomplishments securing road
infrastructure speak for themselves. Having him in the Senate fighting for our community’s
needs will be quite an asset for us.”
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"Starr's record on protecting victims is stellar, from championing Jessica's Law to never wavering
on support for Measure 11, I look forward to working with him again in the Oregon Senate,”
said Steve Doell, who is the President of Oregon Crime Victims United.
Dave Brown, former Newberg School District Board Chair, said: “I’m excited at how driven
Bruce Starr is to influence positive change in Oregon’s failing public education system.”
“Bruce Starr has a great record of fighting tax increases,” said Jason Williams, who is the
President of the Oregon Taxpayers’ Association.
Lois Anderson, Executive Director of Oregon Right to Life, said: “Bruce is a tried and true pro
life leader, which is exactly what is needed in the Oregon Legislature.”
“Bruce Starr’s depth of knowledge and work ethic make him a perfect fit to represent us in the
Legislature at such a critical time,” said Chris Chenowith, who is a McMinnville City Councilor.
“The overwhelming majority of the state wants change”
Through Measure 110, Oregon was the first state in the nation to
decriminalize possession of drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and
fentanyl. Funding was shifted away from public safety, schools, cities, and counties and
redirected to the Oregon Health Authority to implement Measure 110. Representative Christine Goodwin (HD-4), a Republican serving in the House Chamber of the Oregon Legislature, says that the results have been atrocious and that Measure 110 policies have failed Oregonians miserably.
Goodwin says that the overwhelming majority of the state wants change that and many are calling for full repeal.
Representative Christine Goodwin (R-Canyonville) has been appointed to the
Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response and calls for a repeal of
Measure 110 to restore protections for our communities. She says Oregon needs to give law enforcement the
tools they need.
"Measure 110 is a failed experiment. The decriminalization of drug possession and lack of
required treatment has led to dramatic increases in drug addiction, open drug use in
public spaces, homelessness, and crime. We have reduced the deterrent effect of law
enforcement and taken away their ability to arrest, which has compromised community
safety. Oregonians are fed up and demand action," said Representative Goodwin.
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Goodwin points out that CDC data indisputably shows that drug overdoses from drugs like heroin and fentanyl
have tripled in Oregon and that of the 5,000 citations for drug possession, only 120 called the
treatment referral hotline, and 60% of those ticketed never paid their fines.
Oregon is #1
in the nation for meth use and #4 for opioid use. Overall, we have the 2nd highest addiction
rate in the country. Yet, our state ranks last in the nation in providing treatment options.
The Douglas, Josephine, and Jackson County Commissioners, District Attorneys, and
Sheriffs are passing resolutions requesting the Governor and/or the Oregon Legislature
repeal Measure 110. "I strongly support those requests and will work diligently with my
county governments to return public safety to our communities," concluded Goodwin.
In an unusually brief meeting, Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist and Sherrie Sprenger approved an agreement with the city of Albany, that supports county Justice of the Peace Jessica Meyer also serving as Albany’s Municipal Court judge.
Commissioner Will Tucker was not present.
Commissioner Sprenger said she strongly supports this agreement, calling it a “great partnership” and an “opportunity for Linn County and Albany to do something together.”
Judge Meyer is a partner in the Morley Thomas Law firm in Lebanon.
She was Linn County Justice of the Peace pro-tempore from 2012 to 2018 and has been Justice of the Peace since 2018. She also prosecuted cases for the city of Lebanon.
Judge Meyer has a degree in horticulture and business management from Brigham Young University. She earned her Doctor of Juris Prudence degree from the Willamette University School of Law in 2005 and joined what was then the Morley, Thomas and McHill Law firm in 2006. She became a partner in 2011.
While at Willamette, she served as an editor of Willamette Law Online and was a member of the Willamette Law Review.
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Judge Meyer will succeed Municipal Court Judge Forrest Reid.
The Linn County Justice Court and the Albany Municipal Court have similar responsibilities. The Justice Court has jurisdiction over misdemeanor crimes and other offenses committed in Linn County such as traffic, boating, wildlife and other county offenses.
In addition to county issues, the Justice Court handles similar issues for the cities of Brownsville, Halsey, Lyons, Millersburg, Sodaville, Tangent and Waterloo.
The Albany Municipal Court has jurisdiction over misdemeanors committed within the city limits of Albany.
Away from work, Judge Meyer serves on the boards of the Lebanon Community Hospital Foundation and the Oregon Justice of the Peace Association.
According to her law firm website, Judge Meyer enjoys, “running, skiing and spending time with her busy family.”
“Unintended consequences are wreaking havoc and destroying our communities”
The Douglas County Oregon Board of Commissioners Tom Kress, Chris Boice, and Tim Freeman
in conjunction with Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin and Douglas County District Attorney Rick Wesenberg have
joined forces to send a clear message to Salem asking for the repeal of the 2020 Oregon Ballot Measure 110 (aka Drug
Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act) and a return to the enforcement of Federal Drug Laws.
“In our humble opinion, Measure 110 was touted, promoted, and sold to Oregonians in 2020 as a supposed
‘humane solution’ for Oregon’s growing drug epidemic and overcrowded prisons," said Board Chair, Commissioner Tom Kress. "However, well-intended the
measure was, it has not held up to the promises made, and far more serious are the unintended consequences that are
wreaking havoc and destroying our communities and our families. The limitations placed on law enforcement and the
DA because of Measure 110 have made it impossible for them to effectively control drug use in our County. It has
created a society without penalties.”
A letter was sent by the Commissioners to Governor Kotek, Members of the Legislative Assembly, US Attorney Wight,
and Former US Attorney Billy Williams. Douglas COunty says the letter comes in response to several outcries from the citizens of Douglas
County who are concerned with the huge increase and rampant drug use, drug crimes, and drug related deaths in their
communities.
“The promise of Measure 110 was treatment not punishment," said Commissioner Tim Freeman. "But that has turned into a failed promise and
even more importantly the lack of legal consequences has proven disastrous for our citizens and communities. The
frustration we hear from our citizens about rampant drug use and punishment are the same frustrations that we share.
We feel the decisions being made [in Salem] are creating this systemic problem. Something has got to change! From
our standpoint as Commissioners, one of the roles we have is making sure that the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s
Office, and DINT all have the resources they need to do their jobs. Of the counties that are small timber receipt
counties like Douglas County, we are one of the last counties that still does 24/7 patrols, we are one of the last that still
prosecutes all crimes, and that’s because the Commissioners and the budget committee make public safety a priority. I
wanted to let you know that we are doing everything we can to combat drugs, but unless Measure 110 is repealed, our
hands are tied.”
Additionally, in response to community concerns, the quintet of Douglas County Officials, along with DINT
Commander Rick McArthur agreed to be part of a panel discussion during a special Town Hall Meeting in Yoncalla on
Tuesday, October 10, 2023. The Yoncalla Town Hall Meeting was held prior to the Yoncalla City Council Meeting and
offered an opportunity for Yoncalla area residents to speak openly and share their concerns with elected officials about the
ongoing drug epidemic.
“What has turned out to be fishy about Measure 110 is that the out of state measure financiers sold the voters
on the promise that, ‘We are not going to put people in prison for minor drug possession charges", District Attorney Rick Wesenberg said. "Because it’s not
going to be illegal anymore. This will decrease drug use and crime because everyone that needs it, is now going to get
treatment.’ But, what they didn’t tell everybody was that the treatment beds do not exist, the treatment programs do not
exist, and more importantly now there was no motivation or consequences to get addicts into treatment. Because now
it is essentially just a traffic ticket. For example, an open container of alcohol in a vehicle is currently around a $400-
$500 ticket. While possession of a personal amount of methamphetamine is less than a $100 ticket. According to law
enforcement, most people just crumble up the ticket and forget about it. Now there is a phone number on the ticket for
treatment, but statistics on that statewide show that of the people given tickets for drug possession only a small
percentage even call the treatment number and even less actually get treatment. The percentage is so small that it is in
the single digits and doesn’t even register. Sadly, what this has done is make Oregon essentially a free-for-all. It’s
absolutely terrifying.”
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Amidst answering questions and responding to comments made by the citizens, the panel reinforced their stance
about the use, misuse, sale, and distribution of illegal drugs. They firmly believe that possession or sales need be
considered a criminal offense and prosecuted as such. Discussion between citizens and the panel centered around the
following points:
Measure 110 and the negative impact it has had on the criminal justice system in Douglas County and all
across the State of Oregon.
The recent letter signed by the Board of Commissioners, District Attorney Wesenberg, Sheriff Hanlin
asking Governor Kotek to repeal Measure 110.
The impact of the public defender shortage.
How citizens can help Law Enforcement do their jobs by reporting crimes as they happen (even to the
point of being a squeaky wheel).
The process involved in investigating and prosecuting crimes.
The importance of educating youth in schools about preventing substance abuse and the realities of drug
addiction.
As well as vote and encourage others to "vote in ways that support public safety and law enforcement",
since many of the issues our communities are facing are because legislation coming out of Salem does not
address the serious uptick in drugs that is overrunning communities.
“Through state grant programs we received funding to support our Local Public Safety Coordinating Council
through our Justice Reinvestment Committee," explained Commissioner Chris Boice. "We utilize this funding to support a local program in our jail called
RSAT (Residential Substance Abuse Treatment). This program allows the opportunity for jail inmates convicted of
drug crimes to complete this program instead of serving time in prison. With this program they would stay in the local
jail and receive substance abuse treatment while serving their sentence. Up until Measure 110 was passed, we were
seeing significant success in this program and subsequent drug rehabilitation after-care programs that were giving
people a second chance to learn to live drug free, pay off their debts, be productive members of society and reunite with
their families. But Measure 110 has all but killed that program. We are having a hard time filling those RSAT spots
now, because no one is getting sent to prison for drugs anymore.”
On the law enforcement side of Measure 110, the situation is pretty grim as well. “This drug problem affects us
all. Me included," said Sheriff John Hanlin. "For any of you that have loved ones affected by drug problems, I feel your pain. But, it’s important
for citizens to continue to be vigilant in reporting crimes, all crimes. You’ve got to call dispatch when you see these
problems happening. When you get frustrated because an arrest wasn’t made, don’t get frustrated with us (law
enforcement) because we are just as frustrated that we can’t do anything. You need to get frustrated with the state
legislature and with the Governor and with our society that has made this drug problem unpardonable to everyone.
Your frustrations are exactly our frustrations. You say we aren’t doing our job, and you know what? We’re not doing
our job and you know why? Because the state has taken away our ability to do our job!”
