• Looks like Eugene’s urban growth boundary will be expanding onto farmland in order to
accommodate future industrial growth, along with some parkland and school land. The
majority on the City Council this week gave a nod to the expansion, and it goes now to city and
county planning commissions and public hearings. Why do we continue to develop and pave
over prime farmland when such lands will become more valuable, even critically so, in the
future? Meanwhile, Eugene has hundreds of acres of undeveloped or underdeveloped
industrial and commercial lands, including brownfields, lands that need to be cleaned up
before they can be redeveloped. Our focus should be there, rather than sprawling on the
outskirts, burdening our infrastructure and reducing future agricultural opportunities.
• Any ideas on how to get rid of the personal “kicker” in Oregon, the only state that has
it? That question came up at the City Club of Eugene discussion July 17 on the wrap-up of this
legislative session. House Majority Leader Val Hoyle and Sen. Lee Beyer, both Democrats,
agreed that public polling does not support a change. So when state revenue is higher than
estimated, the margin kicks back to taxpayers. This biennium’s kicker will be a tax credit for
individuals next year, reducing state revenues in 2016. The corporate kicker has been
modified, and Rep. Phil Barnhart is exploring a way to reduce the personal kicker, which is a
sorry drag on funding for education, human services, transportation, climate change
measures, infrastructure and all the progress Oregon needs. The kicker also prevents Oregon
from growing any significant rainy day fund to level out the ups and downs of the economy.
We could stop polling and work on educating and persuading voters.
• The campaign to recall Sen. Floyd Prozanski is cranking up with robo-calls along with
letters making downright false and inflammatory statements and asking for donations. The
letter from Patricia A. Michaelson-Duffy of Cottage Grove this past week claims SB 941, the
Oregon Firearms Safety Act, “bans virtually all private transfers of firearms.” Really? The
legislation supported by Prozanski and signed into law by Gov. Kate Brown May 11, “Requires
private persons to complete transfer of firearm by appearing with transferee before gun dealer
to request criminal background check or shipping or delivering firearm to gun dealer in certain
circumstances.” Giving or selling a gun to a relative is exempt. Why the lies about SB 941 and
other false claims about Prozanski? The petitioners are obviously targeting people who don’t
read newspapers or follow the Legislature and will respond to any perceived threat to gun
ownership — and send them money. We call “foul” on this group.
Sandal
Clearance
Prices as low as $19.97!
Men’s • Women’s • Kids’
How did Amy
end up at SELCO?
lighten up
BY RAFAEL ALDAVE
Donald Trump’s final outrage against the Republicans in his
campaign for president will be to vote for Hillary Clinton.
• Our annual Pets issue this week has lots of good information and some much-needed
fun in these sometimes dreary dog days of summer. Many dedicated people in Lane County
are doing commendable work on animal issues, and one group that doesn’t get much
attention is the Community Veterinary Center. The nonprofit clinic serves low-income people
in our area with veterinary services beginning at $25 and some free care is available through
grants. Deanna Larson is the board president. The center is located at 470 Highway 99 N. and
the phone number is 636-3324. To find out if you qualify or to donate, see communityvet.org.
• Corvallis is holding its fourth annual Edible Front Yard Garden Tour Thursday evening,
July 23, and maybe Eugene and Springfield should be taking notes. Even little Philomath is
doing a similar tour Aug. 20. The Corvallis tour begins at 6 pm at 2110 N.W. Mulkey Ave. The tour
is sponsored by the Food Action Team of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition to encourage
residents to consider edible plants when they landscape their yards. Great way to celebrate
and revive an old idea.
• This unseasonably warm, dry weather is hard on fish, and we’re hearing from
conscientious anglers that regardless of new fishing restrictions on the lower Willamette, it’s
good to check water temperatures before you cast that line anywhere. Trout Unlimited has a
visual guide for what water temperatures mean, and it can be found though the Oregon
Flyfishing Blog at wkly.ws/21s. The guide shows that at 65 degrees F, trout will be sluggish and
stressed as oxygen levels drop. One local fly-fisherman confessed to us that he once hooked
a 14-inch native redside trout in Eastern Oregon and intended to release it, but it died while
still on the line. The water temp was 68 degrees. Optimal fishing range is 45 to 58 degrees.
Local fishing shops have water thermometers.
Which reminds us, what’s happened to our summer steelhead run? Any fish biologists out
there? We know steelhead and salmon runs are affected by river and ocean conditions, plus
the number of smolts that survive their journey downriver to the sea. Hardly any steelies are
making it up from the Columbia into the Willamette.
She wanted instant access to her
accounts from the classroom to
the trailhead.
Amy maximizes her time by depositing
checks with her phone between classes.
After a hike, she locates the nearest ATM
to get cash for a quick snack.
SELCO’s Mobile Banking gives Amy the
freedom to manage her fi nances while
focusing on what matters most.
How will you end up at SELCO?
Visit us to see what SELCO can do for you.
selco.org / 541-686-8000
Several locations in Eugene and Springfi eld
NMLS# 402847
Membership requirements apply. See SELCO for details.
SL ANT INCLUDES SHORT OPINION PIECES, OBSERVATIONS AND RUMOR-CHASING NOTES
COMPILED BY THE EW STAFF. HE ARD ANY GOOD RUMORS L ATELY? CONTAC T TED TAYLOR AT 484-0519,
EDITOR@EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
Banking | Mortgages | Insurance | Retirement | Business Lending
eugeneweekly.com • July 23, 2015
9