Digest: Monday, February 7, 2022

The Oregon State Legislature’s schedule is packed this week with committee hearing about a variety of bills. You may also want to put some time on your own schedule to contact the state representative and state senator for your home district. Share your opinions on these bills before they go to votes. After all, eliminating… Continue reading Digest: Monday, February 7, 2022

February State of the Ballot

There’s just over a month left until the March 8th deadline for candidates to declare for or withdraw from the May primary. This feels like a good time to take a preliminary look at what’s likely to be on the May ballot. Remember, though, that there will be plenty of changes in the next four… Continue reading February State of the Ballot

Public election finance, political contributions, and other money mechanics in the state of Oregon

Money matters in elections. Even if a candidate has significant community support, they need a serious amount of money to run a successful campaign. But the amount of money necessary to participate in Oregon’s political processes is unusually high — and rising. The 2018 gubernatorial race between Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Knute Buehler set… Continue reading Public election finance, political contributions, and other money mechanics in the state of Oregon

Calendar: January 25 to January 31

Tuesday, January 25 DEADLINE — “Let’s Talk” Listening Sessions Sign Up A partnership of multiple news organizations and non-profits are organizing virtual listening sessions with Oregon voters to learn about voters’ impressions of the gubernatorial election, as well as what topics voters would like to hear about from candidates. To join a listening session, voters… Continue reading Calendar: January 25 to January 31

Digest: Monday, January 24, 2022

Small Donor Elections deadline approaching Portland’s Small Donor Elections (formerly Open and Accountable Elections) program provides candidates with public funds — provided they qualify. The deadline for qualification is at the end of the week, on Friday, January 28th. In order to receive funds, candidates must collect at least 250 small donations from Portland residents.… Continue reading Digest: Monday, January 24, 2022

Digest: Friday, January 21, 2022

Portland Street Response set for expansion as People for Portland attempts to take advantage Portland Street Response is only a year old and is already slated for expansion across the entire city in March. The emergency responders, who focus on building trust with community members and providing unarmed support during crises, will start responding to… Continue reading Digest: Friday, January 21, 2022

Digest: Wednesday, January 19, 2022

City employees may strike as soon as Thursday Union members working for the City of Portland are voting on whether to strike and results are expected late today. The District Council of Trade Unions, which represents most of the unions contracting with the City, reports that the City has violated state laws governing collective bargaining… Continue reading Digest: Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Calendar: January 18 to January 25

Tuesday, January 18 10:00 a.m. — Multnomah County Board Briefing Multnomah County’s board of commissioners’ briefing are broadcast live on YouTube. The agenda is online and includes two briefings. One covers planning by TriMet and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office for a transit crisis response team, while the other is an update from the Joint… Continue reading Calendar: January 18 to January 25

Digest: Monday, January 17, 2022

Rachel Armitage appointed to fill remainder of Betsy Johnson’s term as state senator County commissioners representing the six counties in State Senate District 16 selected Rachel Armitage to represent the district until the beginning of 2023. Armitage’s selection was likely helped by her lack of plans to run for the seat during the 2022 election… Continue reading Digest: Monday, January 17, 2022

Digest: Friday, January 14, 2022

Updates on Portland’s city-wide races Exactly who is running for city offices in Portland has changed a lot in the last few weeks. Here’s a quick update: City Commissioner Position 2 AJ McCreary, the executive director of Equitable Giving, entered the race for the city commissioner seat currently occupied by Dan Ryan. McCreary filed a… Continue reading Digest: Friday, January 14, 2022