The Liftoff: Dysfunction in Portland—and the plan to save downtown
PLUS: Why Kotek is "not happy"; first candidates file for Portland City Council; legislator recall election is set; another state investigation of Shemia Fagan; and more!
Welcome back to The Liftoff! Thank you for reading, and sending your stories, tips and ideas. We love your mail, so feel free to write anytime!
A few weeks ago, we asked readers to submit op-ed pieces in The Oregon Way on Measure 110’s success or failure. This week we feature one of those responses, highlighting some of the treatment facilities that have opened because of Measure 110.
Like what you read in The Liftoff or The Oregon Way? Consider upgrading your subscription today! Interested in advertising opportunities? Reach out to Alex (Alex@or360.org)!
1. The plan to save downtown Portland (and other PDX metro headlines)
The plan to save Portland: Governor Kotek and Dan McMillan, president and CEO of The Standard, a downtown Portland-based insurance company, held the first meeting of the Portland Central City Task Force last week. The task force includes 47 people, with membership cutting across business, nonprofit, political, sports and health care leaders. The group will meet at least twice more, and will present a final plan at the Oregon Business Plan’s annual Oregon Leadership Summit in December.
The Gov’s office said in a press release, “the charge of the Task Force is to articulate a compelling vision for Central City Portland’s economic future and develop an action plan that will advance Portland’s role as an economic engine for the state by serving as a great place for business, residence, education, arts, entertainment, and shopping.”
According to OPB, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler requested at the meeting “nearly 100 Oregon state troopers — a full fifth of the statewide total — be deployed in Portland to address crimes city police have said they are too overwhelmed to handle.”
Meanwhile, a headline from the Oregonian: “Downtown Portland task force co-chair balks at making workers come to office, even as mayor calls it a priority”
The race for Multnomah County District Attorney is heating up with challenger Nathan Vasquez out-raising DA Mike Schmidt by more than 2-to-1 (so far). The primary will be held in May, with a runoff next fall if neither candidate wins 50% plus 1. According to The Oregonian, some big donors include:
Vasquez received $5,000 from former gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson’s political action committee.
Vasquez received $71,280 in the form of office space from Greg Goodman, a major downtown Portland developer, landowner and property manager.
Jordan Schnitzer and Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle each gave Vasquez $25,000.
Schmidt received $5,000 from a political action committee associated with former Gov. Kate Brown.
Schmidt also received $16,000 from former State Senator Chip Shields.
Portland officials are considering a plan to nearly triple the number of private security guards that provide round-the-clock patrols at the city’s five SmartPark garages. According to The Oregonian, a scheduled City Council vote on the $2.7 million proposal was abruptly tabled Wednesday.
“Searing Audit Highlights Homeless Services Dysfunction” is the headline of WW’s article on Multnomah County’s audit of the Joint Office of Homeless Services.
According to the audit, the office failed to pay providers on time and asked them to work before their contracts were finalized, suffered from a lack of organization and accountability and was unable to provide data on the number of people it had housed.Homeless service providers also told auditors that the agency had been a “confusing and chaotic organization.”
Former Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty accepted $5,000 and a written apology from Mayor Ted Wheeler to settle claims against the city stemming from her lawsuit over the leak of an erroneous report that Hardesty was a suspect in a March 2021 hit-and-run.
Here are (even more) headlines from Portland:
From WW: “Four Candidates File for Portland City Council Seats Opening in 2024”
For paid subscribers, check out the “Reagan Knopp Candidate Tracker” to see who’s running for statewide, federal, legislative, and Portland seats in 2024.
From OPB: “Multnomah County warns it may not have enough jail beds if Oregon doesn’t increase funding”
From WW: “Here’s How Portland’s Overdose Death Rate Compares With That of Other American Cities”
Multnomah County is one of three locations east of the Mississippi River, according to the article.
2. The recall of Rep. Holvey moves forward (and other news from Salem)
Oregon Gov. Kotek held a symbolic signing ceremony for seven new public safety bills Monday, where she touted legislation to crack down on "ghost guns" and fentanyl, bolster Oregon's overloaded public defender system, and clear a backlog at the state's police academy.
From KGW: Even though the deadline for Kotek to sign bills from the 2023 legislative session was July, the governor sought to highlight these bills as a group, declaring that they "represent concrete steps forward to ensure that Oregonians are safe and have trust in their justice system."
Gov. Kotek on Wednesday named the interim head of the Oregon Lottery, Michael Wells, as the permanent director. As chief, he serves as the secretary and executive officer of the Oregon Lottery Commission, a five-member board appointed by the governor that oversees the lottery.
A union-led campaign to recall state Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene) gathered enough signatures to hold an election on Oct. 3, according to the Oregon Secretary of State. The campaign needed 4,598 signatures, and the SOS found 5,055 valid signatures out of more than 10,000 submitted, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 said.
Gov. Kotek has tapped Kristina Narayan to be her health policy advisor in Salem, reports The Lund Report. For the last 8 months, Narayan was vice president of public policy at CareOregon. Previously, she worked for Kotek for more than five years as a health care policy advisor, deputy legislative director, then legislative director.
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted unanimously Friday to investigate former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan’s travel while in office, reports The Capital Chronicle. Allegations include spending thousands of dollars to bring her family with her on state-funded trips and double-dipping with campaign funds.
3. John Frohnmayer on polarization, ethics, and why third party candidates fail
John Frohnmayer served as the fifth chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1989. He has held numerous civic leadership roles and briefly ran as an Independent candidate for the United States Senate in 2008 (the election where then-Speaker of the Oregon House Jeff Merkley defeated incumbent Senator Gordon Smith). Frohnmayer is the author of seven books, including memoirs from his saga leading the NEA during a particularly turbulent time that still impacts contemporary politics ("Behind the right’s loathing of the NEA: Two ‘despicable’ exhibits almost 30 years ago" from the Washington Post).
His latest book is a novel, Blood and Faith, and a sequel will be released shortly. In this episode, we talk about what it was like growing up as Frohnmayer alongside his brother (future Attorney General Dave). We talk about the role of athletics in his life (and his thoughts on the PAC-12 shake-up), and the confusion of being a young person who isn't quite sure what they want to do. We also talk about him getting "canned" from the NEA, the first amendment, polarization, ethics, and what we might do to make our politics work better.
4. Sponsored Message from Harrang Long P.C.: Harrang Long’s Political Law Practice
This message is from our sponsor, Harrang Long P.C.
Now that the legislative session is over, Oregon’s activists, candidates, political committees, and ballot measure petitioners are turning their attention to the 2024 elections. Harrang Long P.C. has represented clients in the political arena for decades, handling matters that include the legal requirements of ballot measure petitions, campaign finance disclosures and regulation, political committee organization, ballot access, and election challenges.
Government regulation of political activities becomes more complicated nearly every year, and political actors increasingly initiate regulatory complaints and litigation to achieve political goals. More and more, having experienced legal counsel is critical to success in the political arena.
To learn more about how Harrang Long’s Political Law Practice, check out our website here.
5. The Oregon Way
6. A campaign finance reform update (and other big stories from around the state)
From the Oregonian: “Oregon labor group launches end run around effort to curb political donations, shed light on dark money”
An excerpt: “A political nonprofit long led by Oregon’s powerful public employee unions filed two ballot measure proposals last week that contain an end-run strategy aimed at killing a proposal that campaign finance reformers have been working to qualify for the ballot for more than a year to cap contributions and shed light on dark money.”
Oregon journalists Shasta Kearns Moore and Emily Harris produced a powerful NPR piece highlighting barriers that Oregon and other states face with accessing federal Medicaid dollars to help school districts pay for services for students with disabilities. The article says Oregon districts like Portland Public Schools haven’t billed Medicaid for these services for years, but new federal rule changes might help.
PeaceHealth is closing its Eugene hospital and moving services to its other location in Springfield, leaving Eugene without a hospital, reports The Register Guard. The PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center University District, which first opened in 1936, employs hundreds of nurses, healthcare professionals and staff. A release sent out by PeaceHealth called the hospital "underutilized."
Deschutes County is paying for armed security guards to patrol rural homeless encampments in Bend. According to OPB, the contract is worth up to $25,000, and requires a private company to visit the encampments in Juniper Ridge twice a day, checking on county-provided toilets and hand-washing stations, and assessing fire risks.
7. News Roundup: AFL-CIO leader takes shot at GOP senators, why Kotek is “not happy”, and more!
The president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, Graham Trainor, called the Republican walkout “a betrayal, and an affront to our democracy” in a new op-ed supporting the disqualification of Oregon senators who walked out from running for re-election.
From the Capital Chronicle: “Kotek ‘not happy’ about management of Oregon’s only women’s prison”
Parents with new children (birth, adoption, or foster placement) account for the bulk of early applicants for benefits under Oregon’s new paid family leave program. Payments will start the week of Sept. 3.
According to Southern Oregon’s Jefferson Public Radio, the nonpartisan group Citizens for Responsible Government is gathering signatures for the May 2024 ballot to replace the Josephine County charter.
From OPB: “Ontario diversity committee ponders path forward after facing scrutiny”
Tips? Feedback? Ideas? Corrections? We want to hear from you! Email benjaminwbowman@gmail.com or kristinaedmunson@gmail.com.
Consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps us grow and offer more opportunities to this community. It’s just $10 a month!
Want to advertise with us? Get in touch! Our readership has grown and we reach a wide variety of Oregonians!
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.