The Liftoff: Inside Kotek's budget and another agency shake-up
The Liftoff: Inside Kotek's budget and another agency shake-up
PLUS: Legislator gets pulled over twice; "war" declared in Medford; bill to ban nepotism is introduced; Greg Walden joins the podcast; what makes Damian Lillard great? and more!
Welcome back to The Liftoff!
Happy Black History Month! Oregon Black Pioneers, Oregon’s only historical society dedicated to preserving the experiences of African Americans, has a great list of events around Oregon to attend this month.
Now to the news—it’s been another busy week in Salem and throughout the state.
1. What’s in Governor Kotek’s first budget? And other state government news
What’s in Governor Tina Kotek’s first budget? Housing, housing, housing—and a lot more. Here are some highlights:
She is recommending well over $1 billion in programs to address Oregon’s housing and homelessness crises.
She is proposing a $9.9 billion State School Fund, which is about $400 million more than state analysts calculated for “current service level”—and about $400 million less than education groups calculated for “current service level”.
Additionally, Kotek supports an allocation of $200 million for Oregon’s semiconductor plan.
Kotek also recommends investments in behavioral health, early literacy, the Oregon State Hospital, and more.
Governor Kotek asked for the resignation of Steve Marks, who for the last decade has led the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. Agency staff and industry leaders were surprised by the move.
ICYMI: Governor Tina Kotek filled out her communications staff, including:
Elisabeth Shepard, who comes from Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt’s office, will serve as Press Secretary.
Danny Moran, who served as Communications Director in Speaker Dan Rayfield’s office, will serve as Strategic Communications Advisor. Moran previously worked for Kotek when she was Speaker.
Courtney Ryman, who served as Events Manager for Governor Kotek’s gubernatorial campaign, will serve as Events Manager in the official office.
2. News from the Oregon State Legislature
Rep. Travis Nelson’s (D-Portland) commute home from Salem to Portland was rocky last week. Nelson, who is one of Oregon’s few Black legislators, was pulled over by the Oregon State Police twice in three days. According to his tweets, both times he was pulled over but not given a ticket. Pamplin reports that Nelson believes he was racially profiled. Willamette Week released the videos of the stops, and quoted a spokesperson for the Oregon State Police saying they found no wrongdoing from the officers.
House Majority Leader Julie Fahey introduced a bill to ban lawmakers from hiring family members as aides, a practice that has long spanned both parties. While Oregon law prevents other public officials from employing relatives, legislators are exempt from that rule. Read OPB’s deep dive.
According to the OPB, at least 15 of the state’s 90 lawmakers have hired family members to work in their offices this session.
Oregon lawmakers are considering more than 100 proposals that could impact Oregon students. Natalie Pate (who was the Statesman Journal’s education reporter for years) has an update in the Oregon Capital Chronicle on education bills—including curriculum, school resource officers, parent choice, expanding the teacher workforce, funding, graduation standards and student equity.
Here are some more quick hits on legislative news:
OPB: Bills to make naloxone more accessible seek to slow opioid fatalities in Oregon
Oregon Capital Insider: Groundhog day politics: patriotic, playful and partisan
Capital Chronicle: State lawmakers consider allocating $1 billion towards I-5 bridge
Willamette Week: The Senate’s Top Republican Wants State Employees Who Work Remotely to Pay Their Own Travel Costs
Portland Tribune: Oregon's youngest-ever state senator wants to bring new energy to Legislature
A bonus update from the Idaho State Legislature, courtesy of the Capital Chronicle: Idaho legislators push for discussions about moving the state’s border with Oregon
3. Former Congressman Greg Walden joins The Bridge and explains how he almost didn’t go to Congress
Greg Walden is a giant in Oregon politics. In this episode the former Congressman and state legislator dishes on his 11 terms in Congress, what it was like serving alongside four U.S. presidents in 22 years, and his relationship with new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. He also shares the story of how he almost didn’t run for congress—and how he almost ran as a 3rd Party candidate (yes, really!).
4. Sponsored Message from Harrang Long P.C.: Public Records Reform Bill Introduced
This message is from our sponsor, Harrang Long P.C.
Oregon State Senator Kim Thatcher has introduced a bill at the request of the Oregon Public Records Advisory Council that would make substantial revisions to the way state and local government entities charge for access to public records. Among other things, Senate Bill 417 would impose an obligation on public bodies to explain the basis of their fees for responding to a public records request upon demand by a requester, requires that public records be provided for free if disclosure is in the public interest (unless outweighed by “substantial prejudice” to the public body), and creates a presumption that a request from the news media is in the public interest.
Harrang Long P.C. has deep experience representing public bodies responding to public records requests, as well as private parties seeking public records. We also represent public and private clients before the Oregon legislature. To speak with a lawyer about SB 417 or a matter involving the Oregon Public Records Law, contact us at info@harrang.com or (503) 242-0000.
5. Under-the-radar stories to watch
What’s going on in Medford? Veteran Oregonian reporter Jeff Manning digs into why the Medford Mail Tribune abruptly closed, and the future of Southern Oregon news. There appears to be an emerging rivalry between the Grants Pass Daily Courier and EO Media, both of which are attempting to fill the void. See tweet above from Daily Courier editor Scott Stoddard.
A state audit revealed that all of Oregon’s 12 health insurance companies in the individual, small group, and large group markets did not comply with the Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA). Passed in 2017, the new law guarantees that insurance companies cover, at no cost share, sexual health, preventive care, and other health care services, including contraception and abortion.
Vadim Mozyrsky is considering a run against Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt. This could set up a high profile (and expense) race in 2024. Mozyrsky told WW that he will not be running for Portland City Council or Mayor.
6. Oregon stories in the national spotlight
Oregon drove a significant amount of national news last week. Let’s take a look at three stories driving the dialogue:
We’ve long known that Damian Lillard may be Portland’s unofficial Mayor, and now the New York Times recognizes it too. Columnist Kurt Streeter writes, “Lillard is the rare basketball star who prizes loyalty to his city and team above all.” What Makes Damian Lillard Great? His Loyalty to Portland.
Is Oregon’s chip industry the future? A bipartisan group of lawmakers is considering proposals to bring millions of dollars to Oregon’s chip industry through tax credits, industrial land preparation, education and expedited regulatory review. What industry insiders want may go too far—or not far enough—depending on who you ask.
In other tech industry news, Intel appears to be in deep trouble.
In a story making national news, an Oregon women was awarded a $1 million settlement after facing racial discrimination while at the gas pump. An attendant told her “I don’t serve Black people” and refused her service.
7. Oregonians’ second paycheck: what it is—and why it matters
This section authored by our friends at ECONorthwest.
Ed Whitelaw, ECONorthwest's founder who died in 2021, was a visionary, and among the things that he saw before others was the advent of the knowledge economy. In this new era of accelerated scientific discovery and automation, he noticed that businesses increasingly decided to locate in regions with attractive natural amenities to draw top scientific and technical talent. As he saw it, those employees received two paychecks: one from the employer, denominated in dollars, and a second from the local environment, denominated in mountains, coasts, clean streams, and temperate climates. He dubbed the phenomenon “the second paycheck theory” and argued it would serve as a durable advantage for the Pacific Northwest economy.
In a 1997 report to the National Science Foundation, co-authors and he quantified the value of the second paycheck, drawing on findings from a job migration study. They calculated that an employer would have to increase a worker’s wages by 17 percent to move them out of Oregon, which has above-average environmental amenities, to a state with average amenities (see chart). New Hampshire and New Mexico had similarly valuable natural appeal.
Ed took his theory to the frontlines of the 1990s Timber Wars and argued that an influx of amenity-seeking knowledge workers would more than offset the decline in forest-sector jobs in the Northwest. As often happened, history did play out as Ed predicted.
8. News Roundup: Chavez-DeRemer is running for re-election, Crater Lake visits are down, and the death of a well-respected prosecutor
Oregon’s new Election Director, Molly Woon, who previously worked for the Democratic Party of Oregon, will not recuse herself from an investigation into a $500,000 donation that the Democratic Party of Oregon received from an executive with the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, FTX.
Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer is running for reelection—and Democrats are already launching attacks. Her race is expected to be one of the most competitive in the nation during the 2024 cycle.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is offering a $25,000 reward for more information on attacks against pro-life groups and organizations. Grant Stringer has the full story at the Oregon Capital Chronicle.
The Portland police officer who falsely leaked allegations against former city commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty has been reinstated.
A Portland State University professor won a 1st round ruling from U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez regarding his freedom of speech case against the University of Oregon. Professor Bruce Gilley was blocked on Twitter by UO’s Division of Equity and Inclusion Twitter page and claimed it infringed on his first amendment rights.
Police arrested the man who left a dead fish at one of Astoria’s most famous landmarks, the Goonies House. Jericho Labonte was finally arrested after he stole a $160,000 yacht from the Astoria port on Friday morning and then was dramatically rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Oregonian’s Aimee Green has all the Hollywoodesque details.
One of Oregon’s prized jewels, Crater Lake, last year experienced the smallest crowds in over a decade. The Oregonian’s outdoor reporter Jamie Hale digs into why. Could soaring gas prices or nearly inevitable wildfires every summer explain it?
Thousands of high-income earners haven’t paid their new Multnomah County universal preschool tax, or Metro’s new homelessness tax.
Longtime Multnomah County DA Mike Schrunk has passed away at 80.
Thank you for reading.
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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.
Sounds like Rep Nelson wants to make noise for being caught doing things that he admits were against the rules. Is that the way we want our society to be? In an on air interview, he admitted to setting his cruise control above the speed limit. And holding an electronic device while driving. Either have the laws enforced or throw them out