The Liftoff: Betsy rejects Nearman; Oregon legislator gets arrested
PLUS: Business (and athletics) leaders' salaries; "chaos" in the public defense system; Portland charter reform proposal survives; a new podcast host; nationally-ranked community colleges; and more!
Welcome back to The Liftoff!
1. Johnson qualifies for ballot, won’t release tax returns
This was a big news week for Betsy Johnson. First, it’s (almost) official: after submitting 48,214 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office (more than double the number of signatures required) Johnson will almost certainly be on the ballot in November.
Last week, The Liftoff broke the news that former representative Mike Nearman had endorsed Betsy Johnson. The Oregonian then reported that Johnson has rejected the endorsement, including this quote from her: “I didn’t ask for his endorsement, I don’t want his endorsement and I reject his endorsement. He broke the law, he incited violence at our Capitol and he’s an extremist. I reject his views and any extremist who would try to tear the state apart.”
Last week, Tina Kotek and Christine Drazan both released their tax returns to journalists—a CPA who reviewed them told Willamette Week that their returns are not unusual or surprising. However, Betsy Johnson is refusing to provide her tax returns, bucking a voluntary practice that Kate Brown, Knute Buehler, Dennis Richardson, and John Kitzhaber all followed in previous elections.
The race for governor was recently moved to a “toss up” rating by Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the UVA Center for Politics, saying: “The race sets up an unusual situation where the winner may not need to crack even 40%.” The report said Johnson would be “the most surprising winner” of the three candidates
Betsy Johnson was interviewed by Chuck Todd on the weekday edition of Meet the Press.
2. Rep. James Hieb arrested (and other legislative news)
State Rep. James Hieb (R-Canby) was arrested for disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace offer at the Clackamas County Fair after an argument about a cigarette escalated. Hieb referred to the woman who reported him as “kind of a Karen” and said: “I’ve worked so hard to help my community over the years, and it may have just gone up in smoke.” The leadership of the House Republican Caucus released a statement encouraging him to “get the assistance he needs.”
Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin is working on a proposal to expand youth mental health services.
From OPB: “As of Monday, crews with the Oregon Department of Forestry have suppressed 418 fires, burning a total of 582 acres in ODF districts. This contrasts with a 10-year average at this point in the fire season of 590 fires and over 56,000 acres scorched. Levi Hopkins, ODF’s Wildfire Prevention and Policy Manager, largely credits Senate Bill 762, which spent $220 million to improve wildfire response across Oregon.”
More from OPB: “More than two dozen organizations along with Oregon lawmakers are calling on the state’s Department of Justice to investigate Oregon’s largest natural gas utility over what they claim is false advertising to the public and in schools.” Signers of the letter include Rep. Wlnsvey Campos, Rep. Khanh Pham, and Milwaukie Mayor Mark Gamba.
3. “Chaos” in Oregon’s public defense system comes to an end—for now (and other state government news)
Steve Singer, the head of Oregon’s public defense system, has been fired. Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters re-constituted the commission that oversees him after a previous attempt to oust him narrowly failed (i.e. she removed commissioners who did not support his removal and replaced them with new commissioners). Singer called the move “the most significant frontal attack on the independence of public defense ever in the United States.” Walters said: “We’ve been a chaos of Mr. Singer’s making.” Walters’ move was supported by Senate President Peter Courtney and Speaker Dan Rayfield, according to OPB.
Senior leaders at the Oregon State Lottery are working remotely in Texas and Florida (where there are no state individual income taxes) and use state dollar to occasionally travel back to Oregon, following new state policies that allow remote work.
From the Capital Chronicle: “With Oregon hospitals in crisis, state will seek ‘significant’ funds for stopgap measures”
4. The new host of The Oregon Bridge podcast is…
The Oregon Bridge is excited to announce a new co-host of the podcast. It's a familiar face and a longtime friend of the pod: Reagan Knopp. Listen in to find out whether it's Ben or Alex who is getting fired, and to hear about what the future of the podcast will look (and sound) like.
Thanks for all your continued support. Here's to another year of interesting conversations and a better Oregon.
5. EcoNorthwest: The connecting between housing underproduction and home values
Thanks to our friends at ECONorthwest for authoring this section.
It’s easy to watch the steady uphill march of housing prices, feeling hidden undercurrents of the economy tugging at the numbers and raising our hands in defeat. But the data tell another story: Underproduction of housing can lead to increased home prices over time. You can read more about the topic in Up for Growth’s spotlight-grabbing Housing Underproduction in the U.S. 2022 report.
ECONorthwest led the technical analysis for the report and analyzed data on housing stock and median home values from over 300 metro areas across the country. Here, we plotted the 2019 share of underproduction for total housing stock against the change in median home value from 2012 to 2019 for each of the 300+ metro areas. We observed that there is indeed a relationship between housing underproduction and increased home values over time. Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Bend all signal relatively larger shares of underproduction and larger changes in home prices over time. Unsurprisingly, at the state level (not shown here), Oregon has the fourth-largest share of underproduction for total housing stock in the nation (86k units in 2019). Metro areas with skyrocketing housing prices may need to shine light on their rates of underproduction if they want to understand their predicament.
6. Ted Wheeler expands emergency declaration; charter reform proposal moves forward (and other Portland news)
From The Oregonian: “Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to ban homeless camping along common walking routes to schools”
The charter reform proposal that would expand the Portland City Council and move council elections to ranked choice voting in multi-member districts has survived a legal challenge. A Multnomah County Circuit Court judge ruled that the proposal does not violate the “single subject” rule. Read how the proponents and detractors are framing the issue as the campaign heats up.
City Commissioner Carmen Rubio will split the Planning and Sustainability Commission into two separate entities.
7. New leaders and big salaries from across the state
The UO Board of Trustees has appointed Provost and Senior Vice President Patrick Phillips as the Interim President of the university.
Dana Altman, now the winningest men’s basketball coach in UO history, has extended his contract by one year for $4 million.
UO Athletics Director Rob Mullens had his contract extended by five years; his annual total compensation will eclipse $1 million.
The Oregonian has the list of the top-paid CEOs in Oregon. Pat Gelsinger of Intel tops the list with a total compensation package worth around $179 million—1,700 times higher than the median Intel worker. Dutch Bros’ CEO Joth Ricci was next on the list at about $64 million in total pay (which includes one-time bonuses related to the company’s public offering). Nike and Kroger are next on the list with compensation north of $20 million for the CEOs.
8. Would you pay more to address Oregon’s droughts?
Thanks to our friends at OVBC for this week’s graphic!
8. News Roundup: excellent community colleges, academic sanctions, and monkeypox
A personal finance website listed four community colleges in Oregon among the top 20 nationally: Tillamook Bay CC, Mt. Hood CC, Blue Mountain CC, and Clackamas CC.
From The Oregonian: “3 chipmakers are eyeing blockbuster Oregon projects – but land shortage, regulation and taxes may get in the way, task force says”
From OPB: “A prestigious scientific organization has sanctioned a renowned Oregon State University marine biologist and White House climate adviser for errors in a published paper she edited in 2020. The National Academy of Sciences has barred Jane Lubchenco from publishing in its acclaimed journal and participating in group activities for five years.”
From the Oregonian: “Former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith did not defame one-time mayoral adviser Baruti Artharee, jury finds”
Pamplin has put together a helpful everything-you-need-to-know guide about monkeypox in Oregon.
Thank you for reading.
Tips? Feedback? Ideas? Corrections? We want to hear from you! Email benjaminwbowman@gmail.com.
If you value this newsletter, please become a paying subscriber today. Your support will help us grow and offer more opportunities to this community. It’s just $10 a month!
Interested in advertising with us? Get in touch!
About the Authors
Ben Bowman is the chair of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board and the Democratic nominee for Oregon House District 25 (Tigard and Beaverton). In his day job, he works for the Oregon Department of Education. 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. He also co-hosts The Oregon Bridge podcast.