The Liftoff: Oregon's State of the Union guests
PLUS: Pappygate (the OLCC scandal); Kotek on Morning Joe; FTX wants its money back; a fight brewing over marijuana taxes; McLeod Skinner loses out on another gig; and more!
Welcome back to The Liftoff!
Happy birthday, Oregon! Oregon was founded on Feb. 14, 1859. With Valentine’s Day as her birthday, Oregon is for lovers!
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Now, onto the real news…because this week was a doozy.
1. Oregon’s guests at the State of the Union
Here’s who Oregon’s congressional delegation brought to last week’s State of the Union:
Rep. Suzanne Bonomici brought Adrien Bennings, the president of Portland Community College
Rep. Cliff Bentz brought husband and wife Skye and Penny Krebs, advocates for the cattle and sheep industry
Rep. Earl Blumenauer brought Robin Holmes-Sullivan, the president of Lewis & Clark
Rep. Val Hoyle brought Jeff McGillivray of the Union Association, Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 290
Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer brought Portland police officer Jordan Zaitz
Rep. Andrea Salinas brought her husband, Chris Ramey
Senator Jeff Merkley brought Liz Shuler, an Oregonian elected in 2021 as national president of the AFL-CIO
Senator Wyden brought his wife, Nancy
From the Oregon Capital Insider: “A freshman Republican from Oregon is one of the 20 members of Congress most vulnerable to defeat in 2024, according to a top national election forecast.”
In related news, Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer penned an op-ed in Pamplin touting a bipartisan approach—including working with the Biden Administration.
2. Pappygate: Everything you need to know about the Oregon Liquor & Cannabis Commission controversy—and other state government news
Pour one out for the the OLCC. Questions swirled last week as to why Governor Kotek asked for the resignation of OLCC Director Steve Marks, who had led the agency for a decade. Then things got even worse for Marks and the OLCC.
On Wednesday, the Governor asked Attorney General Rosenblum to open a civil investigation into potential wrongdoing at the agency and urged the OLCC to install new leadership.
Oregonian reporter Noelle Crombie provided juicer details, writing there was “a longstanding practice within the agency of reserving bottles of the popular bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle, for multiple employees.”
Willamette Week reports that yet-unnamed lawmakers benefited from the same practice.
On Friday, things escalated when Rosenblum announced she was opening a criminal investigation “involving ethics violations related to the purchase of liquor by some staff of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) and possibly others.”
The Oregonian’s Brad Schmidt offered context on how rare Pappy Van Winkle actually is:
Gov. Tina Kotek was in Washington D.C. last week for a National Governors Association conference. She also joined five other women governors on Morning Joe with host Mika Brzezinski (check out the YouTube clip).
The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday denied the state’s request to reverse a Harney County judge’s ruling that has blocked gun control Measure 114 from taking effect. Oregonians narrowly passed the measure with 50.7% of the vote in November, but it has been tied up in litigation. The Oregonian’s veteran courts reporter Maxine Bernstein has covered the legal drama every step of the way, writing “The Supreme Court declined to intervene, but said its decision…does it prevent future challenges.”
3. Why Tom McCall still matters: A conversation with Brent Walth on The Bridge
Brent Walth is one of Oregon's most decorated journalists. Now a professor at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, he previously worked as a reporter for the Register Guard, Willamette Week, and The Oregonian. In 2000, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and in 2001, he won the prize, along with three colleagues at The O.
Walth is the author of Fire at Eden's Gate: Tom McCall and the Oregon Story, one of the best books about Oregon ever written. It tells the story of the man who may be the most influential governor in modern Oregon history: Tom McCall. McCall was a giant personality with an outsized impact on the state. He is best remembered for a series of groundbreaking environmental policies, including Oregon's public beach bill, the bottle bill, the Willamette River cleanup, and—perhaps most relevant today—Oregon's land use planning system.
Here's the thesis: if you want to understand contemporary Oregon politics, you have to understand Tom McCall and his legacy. Most governors that followed McCall have tried, in some way, to emulate his image, oratory, style, or policy impact. A progressive Republican, McCall helped establish Oregon's identity as a place with independent spirit and a heart for environmental protection. He helped build our reputation as place where innovation and creative policy-making happens.
McCall was not perfect. He cold be thin-skinned, had a quick temper, and craved the validation of voters. But he also consistently stood up to powerful interests and always spoke his mind—and no one loved Oregon more than Tom McCall. In this episode with McCall's biographer, we discuss his lasting legacy—and why he still matters today.
4. Sponsored Message from Harrang Long P.C.: Harrang Long’s Government Relations Practice
This message is from our sponsor, Harrang Long P.C.
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For decades, we have played a role in shaping Oregon law on many subjects, from narrow regulations to major policy changes implicating billions of dollars. Our lawyers work with clients to draft legislation, prepare legal opinions and testimony to share with legislators, coordinate with professional lobbyists, and work directly with policymakers. To learn more about Harrang Long’s Policy and Politics Practice, click here.
5. WNBA, EV charging, and Oregon’s first natural gas ban: big stories to watch
Leah Feldon, was made the permanent director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on Friday in an unanimous vote by the Environmental Quality Commission. The other finalist vying for the position? Former Oregon congressional candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner.
FTX, the bankrupt cryptocurrency firm, wants its money back from the political candidates and PACs it donated to—including the SuperPAC backing Carrick Flynn. Flynn wrote to WW to correct their article.
Pacific Power is planning nearly $2 million in EV grants for 18 cities, community colleges, and nonprofits in Oregon. The Portland Tribune writes the projects include “bringing e-bike vouchers to Bend; installing EV charging stations in areas including Sweet Home, Pendleton and Grass Valley; and selling service electric trucks and vans to qualifying nonprofits and the Multnomah County public libraries.”
Last week we reported that Crater Lake is experiencing less visitors. But, now we learn that Oregon parks and campgrounds have the opposite problem—they recorded their second busiest year ever in 2022. Oregon’s premier outdoors reporter Zach Urness with The Statesman Journal breaks it down for us, writing “Oregon’s state park system recorded 52.2 million day visits and 2.97 million camper nights last year, the second-highest in the agency’s 100-year history.”
In a first for Oregon, Eugene has banned natural gas hook-ups in new low-rise residential buildings. The Eugene City Council passed the surprise resolution 5-3 Monday night. KLCC and The Register Guard have all the details on what this might mean for the future of Track Town USA. Could other Oregon cities follow?
How close is Portland to getting a WNBA expansion team? The Oregon sports community buzzed last week when Senator Ron Wyden and Portland Trail Blazers and Thorns executives made their case to WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert. As Blazers beat reporter Sean Highkin, wrote in the Rose Garden Report, Portland seems like a no-brainer to be a part of the long-rumored expansion.
6. News from the state legislature
The Oregon State Legislature welcomed its newest member: State Representative Court Boice, who is also a Curry County Commissioner, was sworn in last week.
Oregon Senate Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend) said last week that Republicans will continue to slow-walk voting on bills until Democrats give in to Republican demands like stopping new rent control and blocking gun control measures. In the meantime, Knopp says the Republicans will not waive the requirement that all bills be read in full on the Senate floor, something that slows down the legislative process.
The Oregon Capital Chronicle has a deep dive on bills this session aimed at addressing Oregon’s behavioral health system. With thousands of Oregonians needing treatment, bed and facilities across the state are scarce.
A bill in Salem would give the Oregon Attorney General more teeth to prevent incidents involving paramilitary groups or groups that use "dangerous weapons" in acts of civil disobedience. According to KATU, HB 2572 would expand the definition of illegal paramilitary activity in Oregon by allowing the AG to ask a judge to stop the actions of a group.
Only an estimated 39% of Oregon third graders are fully proficient in reading, an awful statistic that a group of bipartisan lawmakers are trying to change. The Oregonian’s education reporter, Julia Silverman, digs into House Bill 3198 that would set aside some of the state’s $1 billion a year corporate taxes for education to train teachers and principals how best to teach reading. The bill, with 13 sponsors, would also open up grant money for schools.
Senator Elizabeth Steiner’s (D-Portland) daughter, Mira, won the first round on Jeopardy Thursday night (see tweet above).
A fight is brewing over potential funding cuts to Measure 110, which directs marijuana taxes to addiction support programs. OPB looks at the debate in Salem over how to spend these hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes. OPB’s Dirk VanderHart reports, “While its rollout was far from pretty, that fund has sent more than $150 million to organizations throughout Oregon...Advocates say it has already helped tens of thousands of people access services that can steer them toward treatment and help them remain clean.” But, a proposal in Salem, House Bill 2089, would give cities, counties and state police millions of dollars of that revenue.
7. The Way: Housing Crisis is front & center
Housing is front and center in Oregon politics. From combatting homelessness to rising rental costs, political leaders have a lot of challenges to solve. Oregon Way contributors Gary Conkling and Mark Hester wrote about this topic in their ongoing columns. Give both columns a click below and let them know what you think!
8. News Roundup: Earthquakes, needles, and back taxes
Shane Kavanaugh with The O has a grim stat from Downtown Portland Clean & Safe: the number of needles cleaned off the streets from the group increased from 39,000 in 2018 to 176,000 in 2022.
The devastating earthquake in Turkey is a good reminder for those in Oregon who live on the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The Portland Tribune has a reminder list of things you can do now to prepare. As a reminder, only two of Portland’s bridges could withstand a powerful earthquake.
Shilo Inns founder Mark Hemstreet, once known for his big political spending and lavish lifestyle in the 1990’s, owes more than $20 million in back taxes. According to Willamette Week, there are nine IRS liens against Hemstreet, and none have been released or paid off.
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.