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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 2014)
ACTIVIST LERT • A Grupo Latino de Acción Directa (GLAD) public safety forum is planned for 5:30 to 7:30 pm Thursday, Jan. 16, at César E. Chávez Elementary School, 1510 W. 14th Ave. Speakers include Police Chief Pete Kerns, District Attorney Alex Gardner and others. Find the event on Facebook. • “What to Do About Kesey Square” is the topic of City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, Jan. 17, at the Downtown Athletic Club, third-floor ballroom. Speakers include Rob Bennett, John Rowell, Craig Opperman and Ben Brubaker. $5 for non-members. The City Club’s first program of the year Jan. 10 overwhelmed the DAC kitchen, but we hear the food service should be better this week. Lunch orders can be placed a day earlier with payment online at cityclubofeugene.org. • A fundraiser for Friends of Civic Stadium featuring Kelly Thibodeaux and Acoustic Etouffee will be from 7 to 10 pm Sunday, Jan. 19, at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave. $5 donation requested. See friendsofcivicstadium.org. • Numerous Martin Luther King Jr. Day events are being planned for Monday, Jan. 20. See a listing in our Calendar section this week. WILL CONGRESS FAST TRACK SECRET TRADE AGREEMENT? In a time when government secrecy is becoming both more prominent and more criticized, it’s no longer hard to believe that Congress would “fast track” a vote on a secret document devised by international corporations. On Jan. 9, Republican Sens. Dave Camp and Orrin Hatch together with Democrat Sen. Max Baucus intro- duced the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014. The bill would grant the White House fast-track authority, meaning the controversial and confidential trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership could be passed in Congress with a straight up or down vote — no amendments. The TPP is a proposed trade bloc between the U.S. and 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region that make up 40 percent of the global economy. Rep. Peter DeFazio opposes the TPP and the fact that it’s being negotiated in secret by corporations. He also opposes the fast-track authority that would allow President Obama to sign off on the legislation before passing it to Congress for a vote. DeFazio says more people need to know about fast-track authority and the TPP, which he calls “incredibly destruc- tive.” The congressman is hosting two forums on the TPP, in Corvallis and Eugene Jan. 21 and 22, in which he will discuss the issue along with local experts, including Tom Chamberlain of the Oregon AFL-CIO and Gordon Lafer of the UO’s Labor Education and Research Center. DeFazio says he has only seen the leaked portions of the TPP document, which has copyright and patent pro- visions that could affect everything from pharmaceutical prices in developing nations to intellectual property laws and the internet. DeFazio says that if he were to see the classified document he would not be allowed to take notes on it or talk about it afterward, yet he says that while Con- • Public hearings on Eugene city budget options have been scheduled for 5:30 pm Tuesday, Jan. 21, at Harris Hall and 5:30 pm Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the Eugene Public Library. Community members will be asked to respond to a list of Budget Committee options or suggest their own. Five of the six current options being put forward present different combinations of service reductions, while the sixth option calls for a citywide across-the-board reduction of 2 percent for all departments. See eugene-or.gov/budget. • Local climate recovery activists and affiliated groups are forming a new 350.org group with a meeting at 7 pm Thursday, Jan. 23, at First United Methodist Church (small chapel), 1376 Olive St. The group is “intent on preventing catastrophic climate chaos by reducing atmospheric CO2 to 350 ppm,” and will use grassroots organizing, online campaigns and peaceful, mass public actions in 188 countries. Email marydemocker@gmail.com or call CALC at 485-1755. CLOSED FOR MLK DAY Offices at EW will be closed for MLK Day Monday, Jan. 20. The deadline for reserving display ad space will still be 5 pm Friday, Jan. 17, for our Jan. 23 paper. For more information, call 484-0519. CONTINUED P. 10 >>> We believe in Greenpower GREENPOWER Clean energy that is local, renewable. Join thousands in the community who support Greenpower from Eugene Water & Electric Board. Get started for as little as $1.50 per month. Sign up at eweb.org/greenpower or call 541-685-7000. eugeneweekly.com • January 16, 2014 9
