Category Government
Marion County cultural audit underway
Marion County officials say an audit of its workplace culture, stemming in part from sexual harassment allegations that surfaced last fall, is officially underway. Marion County commissioners in early March gave the contract to Clarity Scientific, a Beaverton-based corporation. Costs aren’t to exceed $30,000. The…
Nicotine taxing bills face opposition from vaping and tobacco retailers
Of the handful of nicotine-related tax initiatives, Gov. Kate Brown’s proposed $2 a pack tax increase has gotten the most attention. However, a proposed vaping tax ended up being the hot-button issue when the proposals got public hearings this week. Sixty-five people showed up Wednesday…
From state to local: how government puts lobbyists to work
(Tiffaney O’Dell and Molly Filler of Pamplin Media Group) SALEM — Lobbying is largely synonymous with interest groups, but every year, government agencies big and small spend money to amplify their interests at the Capitol. Yet lobbyists for the city or county you live in…
Popular vote bill passes Senate, but not before discussion was derailed by Linthicum
A debate about national elections reform on the Senate floor was hijacked Tuesday when Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls, brought up the political treatment of slaves in the 1700s. After senators James Manning, D-Eugene, and Lew Frederick, D-Portland, talked about the historical disenfranchisement black people…
Salem Housing Authority administrator on medical leave
The entrance to Salem Housing Authority, pictured Tuesday. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) The city of Salem department tasked with providing affordable housing for thousands of residents has been without its administrator for nearly two months and is undergoing an organizational shift. Andy Wilch, who has led…
Nike lobbyist and PPS official who disputed state audit now aids Secretary of State Clarno
Secretary of State Bev Clarno gives a speech at her swearing in April 3. Behind her, (middle) Nike lobbyist Julia Brim-Edwards looks on. Brim-Edwards orchestrated the press event as part of her volunteer position with the office. (Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau) A Portland Public Schools…
Business group takes aim at PERS benefits, with Kulongoski’s help
SALEM — Current and future public employees wouldn’t have as generous a retirement under initiative petitions being pushed by business interests in yet another effort to reform the state’s notoriously complex and expensive retirement system. The effort has attracted two big names in Oregon politics…
Should DAs defend record requests? Lawmakers tinker with complicated system
SALEM — Legislators are weighing a proposal that would put Oregon’s attorney general and district attorneys in the position of defending public records requests in court. Oregon law allows anyone to request records from any public entity, from school districts to state agencies. In some…
Backed by an ACLU report, bipartisan lawmakers push for district attorneys to publish policy guidelines
The House Judiciary Committee (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has found that at least 40 percent of the state’s district attorneys don’t have written policies to guide their core work. These policies could outline whether to charge teenagers accused of…