The Liftoff: A Supreme Court Justice makes headlines in Portland
PLUS: Two potential candidates "expected" to run for Portland Mayor; Congresswoman Hoyle takes the stand in court; HHS Secretary visits the suburbs; a potential legislative showdown in Bend; and more!
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1. Portland in the New York Times…again (and other PDX headlines)
Another week, and another national story about Portland’s fentanyl problem. The story and headline in the New York Times was hard for many to read: Scenes From a City That Only Hands Out Tickets for Using Fentanyl.
The national attention on Portland’s fentanyl problem has led to questions about the success of Oregon’s Measure 110, which eliminated criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs.
Devastating quote from the article: “A list of the reasons a fentanyl and meth addict named Noah Nethers likes Portland: He can do drugs wherever he wants, and the cops no longer harass him. There are more dealers, scouting for fresh customers moving to paradise. That means drugs are plentiful and cheap.”
The story was followed up by this headline “The Hard-Drug Decriminalization Disaster” from NYT’s conservative columnist Bret Stephens’s recent column.
Has Measure 110 been a success, or a failure? Do you feel like the national attention has been fair? We’d love to hear your thoughts in an op-ed for The Oregon Way!
In more local reporting of the crisis, The Lund Report mapped out where overdose 911 calls are coming from in Multnomah County.
From the article: “Calls to 911 reporting an overdose in Multnomah County jumped significantly in May and June of this year, doubling the number of calls made during those months a year ago,” writes Emily Green.
Other Portland news:
Portland City Commissioners Carmen Rubio and Mingus Mapps are working on competing plans to fix Portland’s permitting process, “a process that includes seven bureaus and which developers blame for the molasses like pace at which new projects are permitted,” writes WW. Last week, 11 industry and business groups signed a letter supporting Rubio’s plan to consolidate all permitting under a new permits office.
Commissioner Mingus Mapps’ office is having a staff shakeup ahead of his run for mayor, with his chief of staff and two policy advisors leaving, according to WW.
Meanwhile, the same article says that Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Carmen Rubio are “also expected to run for the city’s top job.”
From the Oregonian: “Multnomah County residents who moved away took more than $1 billion in income with them during the first year of the pandemic, as remote work allowed people to keep jobs in cities but live anywhere.”
2. Governor signs bills, Val Hoyle goes to court, and more state agency news
Democratic Congresswoman Val Hoyle, who previously served as Oregon Labor Commissioner, took the stand in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Wednesday to defend her treatment of the woman she hired to head her civil rights unit.
Gov. Kotek will award Intel $90 million in state funding designated for the semiconductor industry, according to a letter her staff sent to legislative leaders Monday. The Oregonian’s Mike Rogoway reports that it’s the first allocation of money lawmakers designated last year to support growth in of Oregon’s chip industry.
On Wednesday, federal and state lawmakers and industry leaders gathered at OMSI in Portland to talk about the future of Oregon’s semiconductor industry. According to the Capital Chronicle, “About 15% of the nation’s semiconductor workforce lives in Oregon, though the state only has about 1.3% of the U.S. population.”
The Oregonian and OPB both profiled Charlene Williams, the new director of the Oregon Department of Education.
From OPB: “Williams plans to prioritize early learning and literacy work in collaboration with Gov. Tina Kotek’s office. She remains focused on closing achievement gaps, ensuring schools are inclusive and addressing social-emotional needs following COVID, all while maintaining ‘high expectations’ for students.”
From The Oregonian: “Williams acknowledged that it may take years for students to recover from lessons they missed out on during building closures. But she said she needs more time to review how Oregon school districts have chosen to spend billions of dollars in federal pandemic relief aid and was hesitant to say that districts should be required to spend it on initiatives that researchers say can best help students catch up…”
More stories:
From Willamette Week: “Former OLCC Director Steve Marks Files Tort Claim Notice Alleging Kotek Fired Him at Rosa Cazares’ Behest”
Relatedly, from the Oregonian: “Alcohol recovery advocate says he’s the one who urged Kotek to fire OLCC director”
From Bike Portland: Governor Kotek last week signed the “Bike Bus Bill” (HB 3014), which will allow schools to apply for reimbursement through the Oregon Department of Education for walking school buses, crossing guards, and bike buses.
From the Capital Chronicle: “A former Oregon Department of Corrections assistant director has filed a $1.6 million whistleblower lawsuit against the agency, alleging she faced retaliation and was fired when she reported concerns about her superiors taking illegal actions in several instances.”
3. The scramble for statewide office in 2024 with Ben and Reagan
Ben and Reagan offer a rundown on the scramble for three key statewide offices in 2024: Attorney General, State Treasurer, and Secretary of State.
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4. Sponsored Message from Harrang Long P.C.: Harrang Long’s Political Law Practice
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5. The Way: Taking on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We have two great pieces for you this week from Oregon Way Editors and Contributors Mark Hester and Gary Conkling that seek to tackle artificial intelligence (AI). Conkling argues that Governor Kotek should put forth policies to make Oregon a leader in AI like with the semiconductor industry, while Hester offers advice on AI regulation—which has gotten a ton of attention from legislators in DC. Have thoughts on AI or another topic? Sound off in the comments and send us your pitches!
6. A Supreme Court Justice and a Cabinet Secretary visit Oregon (and other news from around the state)
Beaverton and Tigard: U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra visited two schools and a pharmacy in the southwest suburbs to tout Biden Administration accomplishments, alongside Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici and Andrea Salinas, and Senator Jeff Merkley.
Medford: KGW’s “The Story” visited the Rogue Valley Times, the new newspaper in Jackson County, that is filling the void left by the exit of The Medford Mail Tribune, which closed suddenly in January.
Bend: From the Oregon Capital Bureau: “Bend's Kropf and Knopp face off in legislative leadership”
With Rep. Emerson Levy running for reelection, the piece hypothesizes a potential match-up in 2024—if Sen. Tim Knopp is eligible to run. Here’s an excerpt: “As for Kropf, he already represents half the Senate district in the House. His name recognition, increased political profile in state politics, and the heavier Democratic tilt to the Senate district make a switch to the other chamber enticing.”
Portland: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan made headlines during a visit to Portland, where she explicitly disagreed with remarks from her colleague, Justice Samuel Alito, who said Congress cannot enforce a code of ethics on the Court. Here’s an excerpt of Kagan’s response: “Of course, Congress can regulate various aspects of what the Supreme Court does. Our whole system is one of checks and balances. It just can’t be that the court is the only institution that somehow is not subject to any checks and balances from anybody else.”
Her remarks were picked up by nearly every major national news outlet.
Grant County: From OPB: “With the support of the sheriff, the Grant County Court nixed a proposal Wednesday to send a public safety tax measure to the ballot.”
Columbia River Basin: How’s this for a depressing story, courtesy of OPB: “Decades of data show that despite billions in taxpayer investment, salmon and steelhead hatchery programs and restoration projects in the Columbia River Basin have failed to support or boost native fish populations and in fact are contributing to their decline.”
7. Major Sports News: The PAC-12 on the verge of collapses; Oregon heads to the Big Ten
The PAC-12 is on life support this week after the University of Oregon, University of Washington, and a host of other sports powerhouses announced they would be leaving the PAC-12 for the Big Ten. The dramatic announcement saw Oregon and others leave their historic league and join teams in the like of University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin—while leaving teams like Oregon State University behind.
Rep. Paul Evans (D-Monmouth) absolutely skewered the University of Oregon for their decision in a highly-quotable interview with the Oregonian’s sports columnist, Bill Oram. Here are a few highlights:
“Do major institutions exist to provide an education and have collegiate athletics as a part of it? Or have we now just accepted that the cart’s in front of the horse and the sports wing of the college wags its tail and the rest of the institution has to follow along?”
“I think there are so few things that unite us these days that, for the love of God in heaven, we need the opportunity for that sense of interfamily rivalry that that game gives us once a year.”
“When you go shopping for a new conference for money that doesn’t flow to the whole university, just the athletics side. What the hell are we doing?”
“They’re doing it for money and they need to own that.”
8. News Roundup: Pumping your own gas, Powell’s workers on strikes, and more!
Oregon finally lifted the ban on allowing motorists to pump their own gas; leaving New Jersey as the last remaining state to have such a law. The ban had been in place since the early 1951.
From the Oregon Capital Insider: “Former Rep. Jessica George, R-St. Paul, is now interim chief of staff for the House Republican Office.” This comes after former chief of staff Mark Cruz announced his departure.
Oregon Health Plan members are urged to monitor their credit after hackers accessed the personal information of an estimated 1.7 million members, reports OPB.
Willamette Valley Vineyards filed an $8.1 million lawsuit against PacifiCorp for smoke and soot damage from the 2020 Labor Day wildfires. The vineyard claims fire and smoke damage impacted its grapes, harvest, wine sales and profits, reports The Statesman Journal.
Workers at Powell's Books authorized a strike Wednesday, calling for a contract that includes access to a living wage and affordable health care, reports Axios Portland.
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About the Authors
Ben Bowman is the state representative for Oregon House District 25 (Tigard, Metzger, and South Beaverton) and a member of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board. In his day job, he works as an administrator for a public school district. Previously, he worked as a legislative aide for former Reps. Margaret Doherty and Val Hoyle. He also co-hosts The Oregon Bridge podcast. In the newsletter and podcast, he speaks only for himself.
Alex Titus is a small business owner and consultant to businesses, nonprofits, and associations. Previously, he served as an Advisor in the Trump Administration and as a Policy Advisor to President Trump’s Super PAC. His writing has appeared in National Review, Fox News, The Hill, RealClearPolitics, and other publications.
Kristina Edmunson has been everything from press assistant for Governor Kulongoski, media advance associate for Vice President Biden, and communications director for Attorney General Rosenblum. Born and raised in Eugene, she has been involved in some of the biggest policy and legal decisions in Oregon over the last decade. Today, she runs her own communications practice. She speaks only for herself in her contributions to The Liftoff.