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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018
Climate: Rep. Bonamici has
warmed to the group’s ideas
Marquis: ‘The county does not spend
any of its own money on mental health’
Continued from Page 1A
with space to expand in the
future. Commissioners may
decide on March 14 whether
to refer the proposal to voters.
Marquis pointed to the
fact that more than 40 percent
of those convicted of driving
under the influence of alco-
hol — one of the more com-
mon crimes his office prose-
cutes — live outside Clatsop
County.
“It’s mostly, frankly, tour-
ists,” Marquis said.
The district attorney also
addressed a recent idea from
Richard Elfering — a local
mental health advocate —
to convert the former youth
facility into a treatment cen-
ter. Marquis said the costs
would likely be double that
of building a jail and operat-
ing costs would be as much
as six times more.
“You know, not a bad
idea,” Marquis said of Elf-
ering. “However, there is no
such facility anywhere in
Oregon.”
About 75 percent of the
people the district attorney’s
office prosecutes likely have
a substance-abuse issue, Mar-
quis said. Nearly 70 percent
of those in jail at a given time
are awaiting trial. Several
heartbeat of their constituency,
and that’s our role at CCL — to
change the heartbeat in a way
that favors climate action.”
Climate caucus
The bipartisan House Cli-
mate Solutions Caucus formed
in 2016. With 70 members —
an equal number of Repub-
licans and Democrats — it’s
already larger than the Tea
Party Caucus.
The group’s lobbying efforts
played a critical role in the for-
mation of the climate caucus,
Staton said. Locally, the group
helped convince U.S. Rep.
Suzanne Bonamici to join the
caucus.
“I appreciate the efforts of
groups like Citizens’ Climate
Lobby to elevate the voices
of everyday Oregonians,” the
Oregon Democrat said in a
statement. “Citizens’ Climate
Lobby members have been
compelling advocates in meet-
ings in my Oregon office and
in Washington, D.C., where we
need to do all we can to con-
vince some of my colleagues
that the time to act is now.”
The group has met with
Bonamici on several occasions
in the past few years, and the
congresswomen has warmed
to their ideas as time has pro-
gressed, Staton said.
“Watching her come from
being silent and, sort of, on
the fence about climate change
and climate action to being a
huge advocate for it, for me
represents what’s really possi-
ble and what we’re aiming for
in our relationships with our
members of Congress,” Staton
said.
With the climate caucus
established, the national group
has shifted its efforts toward
legislation. A draft of a bill —
which has yet to draw a Repub-
lican sponsor or co-sponsor —
would place a fee on fossil fuels
at sources such as mines and
ports. The tax revenue would
be returned to households as
dividends.
Staton said the market-based
solution is the most effective
way to incentivize companies
to invest in renewable energy.
“Basically, we know how to
solve this. If we want less of the
dirty stuff, we need to make it
more expensive,” Staton said.
“Right now we are subsidizing
renewable energy, but it’s still
not enough to make it as com-
petitive as they need to be.”
The organization commis-
sioned a study in 2014 from
Regional Economic Mod-
els that detailed the poten-
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
A small home sits on the John Day River east of Astoria.
tial impacts of such a bill. It
found that within 20 years, the
law would net a family of four
nearly $400 per month, cut
emissions by 50 percent, cre-
ate nearly 3 million new jobs,
expand gross domestic product
by nearly $1.4 trillion and save
227,000 lives.
Accounting for factors
such as increased prices of
goods, the study found that 56
percent of Americans would
have more money in their pock-
ets, while the wealthiest per-
centage of people will lose less
than 1 percent of their income
per year.
Still, the group must con-
vince business owners and pol-
iticians that the lofty numbers
are accurate and the legisla-
tion is worth their support. It
hopes to have business owners
sign petitions and government
bodies draft resolutions, build-
ing political momentum that
they can point to when meeting
members of Congress.
When those conversations
take place, relationships such
as the one the group holds with
Bonamici will be key, Staton
said.
“We build relationships with
these members of Congress in
ways where they invite us back
and use us as their resource,”
Staton said.
Passion
But how will the plan reso-
nate in Clatsop County?
In the six years since she
co-founded the Portland chap-
ter, Staton has given at least 35
presentations similar to the one
in February. She only recalled
one other meeting — with a
progressive club soon after she
started in the position — that
attracted as much passion.
“The meeting was a lit-
tle more contentious on both
sides than I would have liked,”
said Justin Saydell, the Asto-
ria chapter’s volunteer group
leader. “But that’s what you
get for doing a presentation
like this in Astoria.”
Sea levels could rise in the
area by as much as 9 feet by
the end of the century, accord-
ing to the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administra-
tion. The rises could change
geographical dynamics on
John Day Road — a common
area for floods — large parts
of Warrenton and Hammond
and land along the Lewis and
Clark and Youngs rivers.
Increased ocean acidifica-
tion would adversely impact
sea life and, in turn, fishing.
“The Astoria chapter is
especially important because
it’s on the coast and so close to
the shellfish industries,” Sta-
ton said.
The chapter will also repre-
sent the second of its kind in
the 1st Congressional District.
“It’ll be really valuable to
Bonamici to have constituents
writing to her, businesses writ-
ing to her,” Staton said. “It’ll
be really helpful for her to
know she’s got backing, that
she’s not in this alone.”
The organization’s launch
event will take place March 24
from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
at the Astoria Library. It hopes
to utilize the meeting to attract
members.
Saydell has reached out to
the Port of Astoria Commis-
sion, Astoria City Council,
Warrenton City Commission
and Clatsop County Board of
Commissioners, he said. He
hopes to set up meetings with
those officials in the future.
Astoria City Councilor
Tom Brownson, who attended
the February presentation, said
he has not met with the orga-
nization yet but supports its
national strategy. Less clear,
though, is how much momen-
tum it can build in Astoria and
other places in the county.
“We’re sort of a mixed bag
here in Astoria,” Brownson
said. “I’d like it to be effec-
tive. I couldn’t tell you what
the read is locally.”
Continued from Page 1A
arrestees are released each
week due to overcrowding.
“The fact of the matter is
that there are a certain num-
ber of people who commit
crimes that are of such danger
to the community that if you
do not detain them — and
sometimes they are at rock
bottom — they will either kill
themselves, kill somebody
else or destroy somebody
else’s lives,” Marquis said.
“A jail is a place where peo-
ple who have demonstrated
their inability or unwilling-
ness to follow even the most
basic rules are kept until you
can have a trial.”
Clatsop County and
local hospitals should use
more resources to aid those
with mental health and sub-
stance-abuse issues, Mar-
quis said. He proposed that
the county spend $350,000
for mental health profession-
als and that hospitals pick up
more of the slack for such
treatment.
“The county does not
spend any of its own money
on mental health,” Marquis
said. “The county’s got to put
some skin in the game.”
Discussions about prison
and jail populations through-
out the country have become
more prominent in recent
years. But about 75 percent
of those convicted of a felony
in Oregon are never trans-
ferred from a jail to a prison
because they are not incar-
cerated long enough, Mar-
quis said.
“We are not Texas, we are
not Louisiana and we are not
Florida,” Marquis said.
In a question-and-answer
session following the talk,
George McCartin — a county
commission candidate in the
May primary — asked why
the county stopped discuss-
ing the $12 million option.
Two previous bond measures
have failed largely due to the
cost.
Marquis said the cost of
reconstructing the pod-like
structure of the former youth
facility would be less than the
price tag to upgrade the cur-
rent, vertically shaped jail
downtown.
“It’s very different from
a jail but it still has the same
bones,” Marquis said.
The district attorney com-
pared the need for a jail to the
necessity of an emergency
room at a hospital.
“You don’t want to use it.
You don’t want to go there,”
Marquis said. “But you want
it to be up and running when
you do go there.”
Worker: Sweet Relief leased the building
and subleased a space to Oei and West
Continued from Page 1A
oil with the open-air system
in contradiction of state law,
felonious behavior barring his
claims.
The “evidence of record in
this case is that plaintiff didn’t
actually make hash oil at any
time,” Jonah Flynn, Magley’s
lawyer, wrote.
Magley was a construc-
tion worker who played
a minor role without any
profit in the operations at
the
site,
unlike
the
defendants, Flynn wrote.
Clatsop County District
Attorney Josh Marquis, who
prosecuted West and Oei
for felony assault and reck-
less endangerment, has said
he does not believe Magley
committed a crime.
Sweet Relief leased the
building and subleased a
space to Oei and West for
growing marijuana and man-
ufacturing hash oil. Flynn
claimed Sweet Relief was
responsible for preventing the
release of hazardous materials
such as the odorless butane
gas that caused the explosion,
while Delphia as the property
owner was responsible for
installing proper ventilation,
sprinklers and other safety
equipment.
“It was the negligence
of Delphia, Harper, Sweet
Relief, and (Rich & Rhine
and United Brands) herein
which directly led to this
explosion,” Flynn wrote.
Your local janitorial and paper supply...and much more!
Election: Primary is coming May 15
Continued from Page 1A
Tim Josi — a Tillamook
County commissioner — John
Orr — an Astoria attorney —
and Tiffiny Mitchell — a pro-
gressive activist with Indi-
visible North Coast Oregon
— have filed for the Dem-
ocratic primary. Warrenton
author and educator Melissa
Ousley filed as a Democrat but
withdrew her candidacy late
last month.
Gene Stout — a general
contractor from Banks — and
Vineeta S. Lower — a Sea-
side teacher — will compete in
the Republican primary, while
Brian Halvorsen — a Rocka-
way Beach community orga-
nizer who founded North Coast
Progressives — filed as an
Independent.
Josi has received the stron-
gest financial backing of all the
District 32 candidates.
Ron Brown filed earlier this
year as a district attorney candi-
date. Brown is a longtime dep-
uty for Josh Marquis, who has
held the position since 1994 but
will not seek another term.
Circuit Court Judge Cin-
dee Matyas also filed for
re-election.
The primary election is May
15, and the general election
will take place Nov. 6.
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