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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2015)
“One of the reasons this is happening in cities is the de- mographic transformation of America,” Meyerson says. In his 2014 article, “The Revolt of Cities,” he writes that New York was 53 percent white in 1980 and 37 percent white in 2010, and immigrant advocacy organizations and labor unions play a role in banding together various organizations when they share a common cause, he says. He gives the example of a 2008 partnership between the Seattle is on a progressive kick. In 2013, then-Seattle mayor Sierra Club and Los Angeles labor unions, which created a Mike McGinn sought to block Whole Foods from building in program to help truck drivers at the Port of Los Angeles drive West Seattle, not because he opposed new development but be- more fuel-efficient trucks by easing the financial burden on the cause Whole Foods is notoriously anti-union. And under cur- truck drivers and holding the trucking agencies responsible for rent mayor Ed Murray, the Seattle City Council voted to raise upgrades. Meyerson says this kind of teamwork has resulted the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. in all kinds of progressive benefits to cities, from encouraging Journalist Harold Meyerson working class voters to elect pro- says this kind of progressive ac- gressive politicians to pressuring tion is not limited to Seattle and ‘It’s only in cities that you find the Target to change its hiring policy. is partly the result of alliances be- And the ever-controversial progressive majority that’s open to millennials tween unions and other commu- are bringing about these kinds of innovations.’ change by moving to cities in nity organizations, impacting U.S. cities such as Pittsburgh, Minne- large numbers, as well. “In the —HAROLD MEYERSON apolis and Phoenix. Meyerson will city I’m in, Washington, D.C.,” explore this idea further in his up- Meyerson says, “millennials are coming talk, “The Revolt of Cities: completely transforming the cul- How immigrants and young people tural tone and the demograph- are transforming urban politics,” ics of the city. They are part of Jan. 20 at the UO. this demographic recomposition, “It’s only in cities that you find which has pushed cities to the the progressive majority that’s open left.” to these kinds of innovations,” says So could Eugene, with its Meyerson, editor of The American sick-leave ordinance, be moving Prospect and a columnist for The toward this mode of change, or is Washington Post. With the 2014 this phenomenon only happening elections resulting in only seven in the big cities? Don’t rule it out, states controlled entirely by Demo- Meyerson says. “It’s happened in crats, Meyerson says that “this real- Sante Fe, New Mexico, which ly means cities are even more in the isn’t exactly a mega-metropolis. arena of progressive innovation.” Size is not the key determinant. A Jan. 11 op-ed in The New York It more depends on who is there Times argues that states are increas- than how many there are.” ingly partisan and less likely than Meyerson’s free talk is 7 pm before to produce new policies, and Tuesday, Jan. 20, Room 110 at Meyerson points out that cities are the Knight Law Center on the the new testing grounds. UO Campus. — Amy Schneider WASHINGTON POST WRITER TO SPEAK ON LEFT-LEANING TRENDS OF BIG CITIES HAROLD MEYERSON set by the Oregon State Legislature.” She cites a statute that says the State Fish and Wildlife Commission “shall not prescribe limitations on the times, places or amounts for the taking of predatory animals.” The second annual Harney Coyote Classic is scheduled to Beckstead says he contacted Les Schwab tires, which is list- kick off Jan. 16, and animal rights groups and conservation or- ed on the contest’s flyer as a sponsor, and was told, “A customer ganizations are fighting to stop the coyote-killing contest that asked us to make Harney County Coyote Classic registration takes place in Eastern Oregon near Burns. “It’s horrific, bla- forms available. Les Schwab is not sponsoring the event, is not tantly slaughtering wildlife for no reason,” says Brooks Fahy distributing forms and does not plan to participate in the event of Predator Defense. “You don’t eat coyotes.” in the future.” The tire center says, “Each store aims to sponsor The contest runs Jan. 16-18, and one- to three-person teams organizations and events that reflect the community’s interests; are given prizes for the most coyotes killed in that span of time this includes our Burns store.” and for “heavy dog,” “light dog” and aver- Both Beckstead and Fahy are concerned age weight. Fahy says no location is given on these contests, if left unchecked, could result ‘It’s horrific, in deaths of Oregon’s slowly recovering wolf the flyer for the contest because in the past, contests taking place on public lands have blatantly slaughtering population. They cite the instance of a wolf been protested and even stopped for lack of was shot last month in the Grand Canyon wildlife for no reason.’ that permit. by a Utah hunter who said he thought it was Scott Beckstead of the Humane Society a coyote. While wolves are protected in Or- — BROOKS FAHY, of the United States says the contest is “ter- egon, there is no limit on killing coyotes. PREDATOR DEFENSE rible and these killing contests evoke an era Fahy says that “The broader issue here is, where people were encouraged to go out and should we be killing coyotes and other preda- slaughter wild predators.” He calls the contests “out of touch tors at all?” He says there is a “huge body of science that says with mainstream Oregon values” and says he is looking for- ‘No, we shouldn’t be killing these animals,’” and that killing ward to the days they’re finally banned. The California Fish them actually upsets not only the pack structure, but also the and Game Commission recently banned killing predators for equilibrium of the ecosystem and causes damage to prey and prizes. even other predators. Oregon Fish and Wildlife Spokesperson Michelle Dennehy The bloody contests are a “glaring example” of tells EW, “ODFW does not have the authority to cancel the how out of control the killing of coyotes is, Fahy says. event. Coyotes are classified as predatory animals in statutes — Camilla Mortensen GROUPS SEEK TO STOP COYOTE-KILLING CONTEST The Ducks might have lost some feathers in Dallas this week, but we hear local pizza and other take-out businesses had one of their busiest sales times ever in the hours leading up to the national championship game. One pizza maker we talked to said he was swamped starting at 10 am Monday filling orders for home game-watching parties. As it turns out, comfort food was badly needed, particularly in the second half of the game. A panel of experts will speak on “Cannabis as a Biotechnology” from 3:30 to 5 pm Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce at 1401 Willamette St. Speakers include Troy Morris of MxResearch and colleagues who will explore medical and recreational cannabis as a “real resource, a clinical tool, which should benefit Oregon most if applied effectively. The approach creates a hub of biotechnology in Eugene, and converts the old-world I-5 drug corridor into a pipeline for research connecting performance agriculture with biotech quantification and clinical investigations that generate best practice, direction and policy,” reads a statement from organizers. Contact Paul Berger, paul@saavsus.com. A new restaurant in town is Placido’s Pasta Shop offering all organic, homemade pasta products. Joe Placido is the owner and the restaurant is at 150 Shelton McMurphey Blvd., in the Stellaria Building at the foot of Skinner Butte, where the delightful Carmelita Spats was. Find the eatery and its menu on Facebook or call 687-6445. Bloxi is a new Eugene web business startup that appears to be quickly growing an international audience. “Bloxi is a quiz site where anyone can create, take or share quizzes,” says Bailey Koharchick, director of marketing . Find it on bloxi. com or call the company at 505-8044. The new nonprofit Rapid Access Center (RAC) and Medical Clinic is having its grand opening from 4 to 6 pm Thursday, Jan. 15, at 195 W. 12th Ave. The facility offers same-day assessment and treatment for those suffering from behavioral health issues. Willamette Family, Inc. operates the facility and others in Lane County. Jon Smith is the senior program manager for the RAC. For more information, call Willamette Family at 344-0031. LANE COUNTY AREA SPRAY SCHEDULE • Transition Management, Inc., 521-5897, plans to ground spray and hack and squirt clopyralid, glyphosate, hexazinone, imazapyr, sulfometuron methyl and/or MSO Concentrate on 46 acres near Preacher Creek. See ODF notification 2015-781-00427, call Brian Peterson at 935-2283 with questions. • M.D. Yearous Logging, Inc., 729-8481, plans to ground spray Accord Concentrate, Oust XP, Transline and Velpar L on 7.6 acres near Doane Rd and 8.1 acres near Cottage Grove-Lorane Road and 2.7 acres south of Cottage Grove. See ODF notifications 2015-781-00728 and 2015-781- 00722 and 2015-781-00715, call Brian Peterson at 935-2283 with questions. • Rosboro LLC, 736-2100, plans to hack and squirt imazapyr on over 300 acres near Lake Creek tributaries. See ODF notifications 2015-781- 00102, 00103, 00104, 00105 and 00106, call Robin Biesecker at 935-2283 with questions. • Rosboro LLC, 736-2100, plans to hack and squirt imazapyr on 79 acres near Quartz Creek and 92 acres near Lingasher Summit on the McKenzie. See ODF notifications 2015-771-00109, 00138, and 00139, call Nikolai B. Hall at 726-3588 with questions. eugeneweekly.com • January 15, 2015 7
