Eugene weekly., January 28, 2016, Image 9

• Eugene City Councilor George Brown told us earlier this week that he will not be seeking
re-election to a third term in the May Primary. It’s a decision he’s been pondering for a while, and
in earlier conversations we tried to talk him out of it. His progressive, thoughtful voice on the
council is in the minority and is vitally important to the future livability and prosperity of our
community. But he’s grown weary. “I feel the need to step away for a while, to recharge, to
spend more time with my family and our business, and to see a bit more of ‘the world outside
the window,’” he tells us. Serving on the council is a huge responsibility and Brown, co-owner
of The Kiva store downtown, has taken the Ward 1 position seriously, as Bonny Bettman
McCornack did before him, advocating for transparency and best practices, paying attention to
the details, working to kill the bad ideas that keep popping up, shepherding the good ideas that
are always under attack. The filing deadline for this position is March 2, and so far political
newcomers Chris Wig, Joshua Skov and Chad Anderson have taken out filing papers. Anybody
else out there now that Brown’s made his decision? Meanwhile, he tells us, “I plan to continue
working hard up to my last day and then some.”
LISA ARKIN AND BEYOND
TOXICS GO TO BATTLE
OVER PESTICIDES
PHOTO: AMY SCHNEIDER
BEYOND TOXICS CELEBRATES
15 YEARS OF ENVIRO ACTIVISM
On the corner of Lawrence Street sits a tiny white building that houses feisty non-
profit Beyond Toxics, which has advocated for environmental and social justice re-
forms in the state of Oregon since 2001 — you might remember it as Oregon Toxics
Alliance.
On Feb. 5, Beyond Toxics will celebrate its 15th anniversary at Capitello Wine
Bar in downtown Eugene, as well as introduce a state ballot petition banning aerial
chemical sprays.
“We have become the go-to venue for people because often times traditional ven-
ues are not responsive,” says Joel Iboa, environmental justice and community out-
reach manager for Beyond Toxics.
Lisa Arkin, executive director of Beyond Toxics, says she receives constant mes-
sages from community members from all over Oregon asking for the nonprofit’s as-
sistance and advice.
“We get calls from moms; we get calls from agencies; we just seem to be at the
nexus of where government and communities try to find solutions,” Arkin says.
Beyond Toxics has successfully worked with allies to protect Oregonians from
chemicals and pollution, from passing SB 637 in 2009, which called for protecting
children from pesticides on Oregon school properties, to collaborating with Western
Environmental Law Center to pass SB 528, a ban on field burning in the Willamette
Valley, also in 2009.
Most recently, Arkin says, Beyond
Toxics has partnered with nonprofit
Oregon Wild and other conservation
groups to push for a handful of bal-
lot measures banning aerial pesticide
sprays on private industrial and state
forests that provide drinking water for
Oregon communities or salmon habitat.
Arkin explains that according to Or-
egon community complaints and state
findings, “These chemicals are drifting
far away from where they were sprayed
— L I S A A R K I N , B E YO N D T O X I C S
and harming people, killing pets, blind-
ing livestock and getting into water sys-
tems.”
Arkin and Iboa say that Beyond Tox-
ics has relied on its tenacity to advocate for reforms where money and politics intertwine.
“Legislature has kind of been reluctant to take any action because a lot of legislators
receive donations from timber companies and chemical companies, and their lobbyists
are really powerful and very effective,” Arkin says. “We want to ban aerial spray because
we know it’s unnecessary for a healthy timber economy.”
Guests will have the opportunity to sign the aerial spray ballot petition at Beyond
Toxics’ anniversary party, where Arkin hopes to collect 1,000 signatures. Former EW
columnist and longtime environmental activist Mary O’Brien, now living in Utah, is
expected to attend.
The Beyond Toxics 15th anniversary celebration starts at 5:30 pm Friday, Feb.
5, at Capitello Wine Bar, 540 Charnelton Street in downtown Eugene. Tickets are
$30 in advance or $35 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at beyondtoxics.org.
— Claire Rischiotto
‘We just seem to be at
the nexus of where
government and
communities try to find
solutions.’
• Our city manager and some councilors are looking at continuing the 17-block Downtown
Urban Renewal District (affectionately known at DTURD) to pay for downtown high-speed
internet and rejuvenating the Park Blocks. We are reminded of a Bonny Bettman McCornack
column in our paper March 11, 2010, saying, “City Hall is where good ideas go to die and bad
ideas are repeatedly resurrected,” and “DTURD is a slush fund in search of a justification.” Once
the money is collected, it can be used for pet projects the manager and council want, and even
for administrative salaries. Keeping the decades-old DTURD alive is going to be a hard sell,
especially since letting DTURD sunset will free up millions in the fund for schools, local
government services and debt reduction. If the council goes ahead with this highly questionable
funding scheme, ignoring a 2010 “never again” council pledge, we predict a citizen initiative will
circulate to kill the district once and for all.
• The drama in Harney County is evolving but still unresolved as we go to press this week.
Some occupiers are behind bars, one is dead, others are still barricaded at the Malheur Wildlife
Refuge. We hope the hold-outs surrender peacefully but we don’t expect them to, and refuge
buildings and other facilities may be further damaged. How can we help? We hear from the
Lane County Audubon Society that donations can be made to the two nonprofits that operate
educational, environmental, recreational and cultural programs at the refuge. They are the
Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and the Malheur Field Station, which is supported
by the Great Basin Society. Both of these worthy groups have websites and Facebook pages
and make it easy to become members or donate. It’s time to reclaim this protected wildlife
sanctuary that belongs to all of us.
• Maybe the most discouraging words from Congressman Peter DeFazio at the City Club of
Eugene on Jan. 21 told us something we already knew. When asked if climate change figured
at all into transportation legislation, the ranking minority member of the House Transportation
Committee reminded us sadly that “the majority of the U.S. House of Representatives doesn’t
believe in climate change.” How can our elected representatives be that far behind the rest of
the world?
• The investiture of Lynn R. Nakamoto as an associate justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
in Salem Jan. 25 was a day of high praise for the first Asian-Pacific American on this state’s
highest court. One of seven justices, she will face election this year. Moving up from the Court
of Appeals, she was appointed by Gov. Kate Brown. She started practicing law in Oregon 30
years ago. One of her former Portland law partners said, “Probably the most extraordinary thing
about her is that she doesn’t think she is extraordinary.” One other woman, Justice Martha
Walters from Eugene, serves on the court.
• New and more restrictive rules for medical marijuana are being hashed out (see Biz Beat)
and lots of problems are still unresolved on recreational pot. It will be interesting to see if the
black market for cannabis products will actually diminish. Word on the street is that some
puffers are put off by the high prices of legal boo. In the end, the market will be driven by supply
and demand and if taxes, fees and rules are too onerous, the street market will continue.
eugeneweekly.com • January 28, 2016
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