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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017 Women at Capitol stand up against harassment Letter follows claims against lawmakers By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — One hundred and thirty women have signed a letter standing up against and casting light on harassment and sexism at the Oregon Capitol. Spearheaded by state Rep. Jodi Hack, R-Salem, and House Speaker Tina Kotek and Rep. Jennifer Williamson, who are Portland Democrats, the letter is modeled after one cir- culated in Sacramento follow- ing accusations of widespread sexual harassment in the Cali- fornia statehouse. “Oregon has more women in political leadership than any other state, and that has made a positive difference,” the letter states. “But it’s still not enough. As women working in the halls of our democratic institutions, we want to empower women to speak up without fear when they have been harassed, bul- lied, or dehumanized.” The letter coincides with an Oregon landing page on the “We Said Enough” web- site. California lawmakers created the website last week to encourage women to tell their stories of harassment and unwanted advances. About 150 women signed the California letter. Circulation of the Oregon letter follows accusations by Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, and another unnamed female senator earlier this month that Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Rose- burg, repeatedly inappropri- ately touched them. Kruse has denied the allegations . Gelser’s revelation has sparked other women who work at the Capitol to come forward with other instances of subtle sexism and harassment, as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The letter urges lawmak- ers and others at the Capitol “to create a culture where it is expected that people (both men and women) will speak up when it is happening in front of them, and ensure that it is safe to report it when it happens in private.” The Legislature will hire an outside consultant to exam- ine its personnel policies, the House Majority offi ce con- fi rmed Friday. Women who signed the let- ter include existing and former Democrat and Republican law- makers, legislative staffers and lobbyists. “Changing the culture of any institution starts at the top Holy Mola mola! The Daily Astorian Visitors to Cannon Beach met up with a huge sea crea- ture Sunday morning. It was tentatively identifi ed as a Mola mola, an ocean sun- fi sh, nearly 7 feet long, The Oregonian reported. The Mola mola are a type of sunfi sh that live off the Oregon C oast. They get to be about 11 feet long and are the largest bony fi sh known. They also carry a multitude of eggs — up to 300 million, the larg- est of any vertebrate in the world. and that’s ultimately what this letter is about,” Williamson, D-Portland, said. “We are com- mitted, as a bipartisan group, to improving the culture of the Capitol and ensuring that it is a positive work environment for everyone. That starts by ensur- ing individuals feel empowered to come forward with issues. This isn’t about politics — it’s about making this institution better.” Rep. Julie Parrish, who signed the letter, said she hopes the letter sparks dialogue about incidents that have stayed largely private until now. “Oregon has a larger seg- ment of elected women than other states — and in recent years, we have seen an uptick in female lobbyists, but politics is still a male-driven industry,” said Parrish, a Republican from West Linn. A reminder to respect boundaries is “a good check for everybody,” she said. “Every woman’s threshold for what she thinks is appropriate or inap- propriate is going to be differ- ent, but hey, if she says no, back off, listen to her. She means it.” Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, imposed “unprecedented” sanctions against Kruse in response to the allegations that Kruse con- tinued to touch the two sena- tors after he was asked not to. As punishment for that and for Kruse’s habit of smoking inside the Capitol building, Courtney ordered the removal of Kruse’s offi ce door and stripped him of his committee assignments, which weakens his power to infl uence legislation. The door was removed early Friday. Gelser fi rst hinted at the alle- gations in a tweet in which she asked a Republican Senate aide if he would ensure members of his caucus don’t inappropriately touch or grope female lawmak- ers or staff in the Capitol. Gelser made an informal complaint that Kruse had touched her inappropriately in March 2016. At that time, Courtney followed protocol and reported the alle- gation to Legislative Counsel Dexter Johnson and Employee Services Manager Lore Chris- topher. Johnson and Christo- pher told Kruse to stop touching women at work, Courtney’s let- ter stated. Gelser told The Ore- gonian that Kruse’s behavior didn’t stop. Courtney also has reported the latest accusations by Gelser and the other female sena- tor to Legislative Counsel and Employee Services, and those offi ces are conducting a fact-fi nding inquiry. The Capital Bureau is a col- laboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Portland man allegedly fi red shots during chase The Daily Astorian A Portland man allegedly shot at a car that was chasing him after he was suspected of burglarizing an Ilwaco storage facility early Saturday morning. John Wilson, 45, allegedly stole items from a storage unit before 3 a.m. As he was driving away in a red Ford Explorer, the owner of the items chased him in a vehicle until Wilson was eventually arrested by Astoria Police on the south side of the Asto- ria Bridge near West Marine Drive. W A NTED Brenna Visser/ The Daily Astorian The Mola mola that washed ashore in Cannon Beach. Safe and covered Trick-or-Treating Clatsop County unemployment inches upward The Daily Astorian Clatsop County’s unem- ployment rate inched upward in Septem- ber, according to season- ally adjusted fi gures from the state Employment Department. Seasonally adjusted rates compare expected with actual changes in employ- ment. The county had a 4.3 percent seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Sep- tember, up from 4.1 per- cent in August. The coun- ty’s unemployment reached its lowest point in May, at 3.5 percent. Clatsop County was tied for the eighth-lowest unemployment rate in the state with Deschutes and Wasco counties. Oregon and the U.S. were both at 4.2 percent. The county lost 310 jobs in September, 50 more than expected. The private sec- tor cut 470 jobs, while the government added 160. Leisure and hospitality cut 290; retail trade, food man- ufacturing and other ser- vices 40; and professional and business services 30. Local government and edu- cation added 170 jobs as the school year began. Nonfarm payroll employment was at 18,120, a drop of 20 compared with a year before. Leisure and hospitality added 160 jobs over the past year, and fi nancial activities another 50. Manufacturing cut 200 jobs over the past year. Clatsop Retirement Village is the place to trick-and-treat With many friendly faces and bowls of candies sweet Young children are invited to travel from floor to floor And places to visit will be marked clearly on each door No need to fret about the traffic or the weather Traveling about the CRV building is warmer, drier, and safe r Little Goblins are welcomed from six until eight It will be lots of fun! Don’t come late! 6–8pm HALLOWEEN 974 Olney Ave. Astoria Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 tuesday October 31st Join us Halloween evening Trick - or - Treat 3 - 6 PM Get your picture taken first and trick-or-treat while it’s printing! Suite 114 next to Kitchen Collection. Free with request of donation to benefit adopted families during The holidays. 12 Th Ave. & Hwy. 101, SeASide, Or • 503.717.1603 • SeASideOuTleTS.cOm
