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THE ASTORIAN " TuESdAy, MARcH 15, 2022
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
Founded in 1873
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circulation Manager
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Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
GUEST COLUMN
Legislature had a diferent tone this session
H
Agricultural overtime oght was a
repeat of redistricting
ere are three takeaways from
the 32-day session of the Legis-
lature that adjourned March 4.
Key protagonists were the same 3
Rep. Andrea Salinas, of Lake Oswego,
for the Democrats and Rep. Shelly
Boshart Davis, of Albany, for the
Republicans.
Public hearings on HB 4002 were
more compressed than for last year9s
special session on redistricting, but the
testimony seemed equally rehearsed
on all sides, and the eventual outcome
largely predetermined.
When the session began Feb. 1,
House Democrats probably had the
votes in hand to pass the bill, whose coa-
lition of traditional Democratic interests
included unions, conservation groups
and Latino organizations. Yet some
Democratic legislators who voted for the
bill said they were torn between fairness
for farmworkers and the economic hard-
ship for family farmers.
It was surprising to hear Courtney
later say that he had not realized how
much the Republicans disliked HB
4002.
Tone was diferent
There was more behind-the-scenes
collaboration between the state Sen-
ate and the House, as well as between
key Democrats and Republicans, despite
their public partisan diferences.
Few people might
have noticed that new
state House Speaker
Dan Rayoeld frequently
was on the House noor,
talking with individual
legislators from either
party about issues while
DICK
someone else presided
HUGHES
at the rostrum. His <I9ll
come to you= approach
was a marked diference from his prede-
cessor, Tina Kotek.
From the beginning of the session,
Democrats and Republicans commented
on the new atmosphere with Rayoeld,
D-Corvallis, as speaker and Rep. Julie
Fahey, D-Eugene, as the new House
majority leader. They clearly were try-
ing for a less contentious relationship,
though not always successfully. Both
Republican leaders also were relatively
new 3 Sen. Tim Knopp, of Bend, and
Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson, of Prineville.
Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner,
D-Lake Oswego, has been in that job
less than two years.
Longtime Senate President Peter
Courtney, D-Salem, praised the caucus
leaders. He was onto something in his
end-of-session media availability when
he said those personalities drove the
Legislature9s success: You must have the
right people in the room 3 people who
know how to oght for their side but who
also can come back together and work
cooperatively.
To slow the supermajority Demo-
crats9 agenda, Republicans had insisted
that bills be read aloud word-for-word
before being voted on. When that hap-
pened this year, Democrats abandoned
Governor leaves on a high note
Faith Cathcart
Farmworker overtime was the session’s most controversial issue.
their past tactic of publicly accusing
Republicans of obstructionism. Instead
they acquiesced to the bill reading as
a legitimate form of political protest,
although Courtney made sure senators
knew how much time was being wasted.
No one paid attention as the ster-
ile computerized voice read a bill. At
one point, House members interrupted a
reading to let colleagues know that treats
honoring Dairy Day were available out-
side the chamber.
The Democratic leadership in both
chambers adjusted schedules so their
priority legislation could be completed
while still reading bills. That proved
unnecessary once Republicans were
unable to block the session9s most con-
troversial bill, House Bill 4002 mandat-
ing overtime pay for farmworkers. At that
point, Republicans agreed to end the bill
readings so the session could end soon.
This was Gov. Kate Brown9s last reg-
ular legislative session before leaving
oïce, and she pretty much got what
she wanted. She entered with a careful
agenda that had bipartisan support.
The challenge is for her administra-
tion to handle the money that the Leg-
islature allocated for diferent programs
3 job training, housing, homelessness,
child care and more.
Lawmakers long have wanted greater
oversight of agency spending and per-
formance. The well-documented prob-
lems with pandemic-related unemploy-
ment beneots and rental assistance are
among the latest examples.
At their media availability last week,
Democratic leaders Wagner and Fahey
said they are committed to ensuring tax-
payer dollars are spent appropriately.
Stay tuned.
dick Hughes has been covering the
Oregon political scene since 1976.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Fueling around
he day President Joe Biden took over
for President Donald Trump, he inher-
ited a stable geopolitical world, a nation
with a recovering economy from the
COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines that helped
keep the virus from going further into the
American population and gas priced at less
than $2.50 a gallon.
In just over a year these things have
changed mostly due to unforced errors on
the part of the Biden administration. One
of the orst things Biden did as president
was to open the door for Russian oil sales
to America when he hobbled the nation9s
domestic energy supply.
And, it was only after bipartisan agree-
ment in Congress that Biden was forced
to halt energy sales from Russia. How
much thought did it take to ogure if Amer-
ica was sending billions of dollars to Rus-
sia through oil sales that some of that
money was going for Russia9s invasion
into Ukraine?
President Trump in 2018 told NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during
a meeting that the Western alliance, par-
ticularly Germany, is <totally controlled=
by Russia through oil and gas deals. He
added, <So we9re supposed to protect you
against Russia, but they9re paying billions
of dollars to Russia? I think that9s very
inappropriate.=
What is sad is that even as Americans
quit buying Russian oil, other nations like
China will be happy to buy all the oil and
natural gas they can. They need cheap
energy to make cheap products for Ameri-
cans to purchase.
And so it goes &
MATT JANES
Jefers Garden
T
Transparency
have been going to Gearhart City Coun-
cil and Planning Commission meet-
ings since about 2002 because I wanted to
know what is going on in my city.
Transparency? Not once have I ever
felt the city government was keeping
something from me, or any of the pub-
lic. I have always been able to ask ques-
tions, or get any information. I can meet
with the mayor and the city manager at
any given time. All I have to do is make an
appointment.
Since I have been going to these meet-
ings, there have always been notices
regarding the upcoming meeting, includ-
ing when and what was on the agenda.
Each was posted on the bulletin board at
I
City Hall, the post oïce and the grocery
store for everyone to see.
And now, anyone can go to the city9s
website and get just about anything needed.
Or they can join the city blog and get
notices for all city meetings, along with all
the information the councilors and commis-
sioners get. Plus, if you can9t ond it, ask!
I was just at City Hall a few days ago,
and asked for Planning Commission meet-
ings for 2005 and earlier, and they helped
me out. I also went over to the ore station
for a walk through to see some of the things
that are out of code. Fire Chief Josh Como
and one of the oreoghters took me around.
Any questions I had were answered.
Transparency! They listened to any-
thing I had to say, with interest.
THOMAS THIES
Gearhart
Doesn9t make much sense
s a 27-year resident of Gearhart, I
understand and appreciate the respon-
sibilities the paid and volunteer oreoghters
are willing to assume. I think the need for
a ore station with more space, that is better
constructed, is obvious. The police chief
and oïcers must think so, as well.
I have two diïculties with the ambi-
tious plan proposed. First, in most com-
munities an efort is made to place equip-
ment and staf in a central location for
quick response time. Annexing land to the
north and locating oreoghters, police oï-
cers and their equipment there seems like a
bad idea to me.
Rebuilding the current ore station, per-
haps expanding it, and relocating City
Hall, seems to be more sensible. In addi-
tion, the resilience part of the relocation
proposes that the building provide for
emergency response when needed, with
the focus being on the tsunami that might
come tomorrow, or might come in 800
years.
Camp Rilea is a short distance north,
and a regional center for emergency
response. I have no doubt that with their
training, the Gearhart Volunteer Fire
Department will respond as well as it can
in a disaster.
It can9t replace Camp Rilea; their orst
responsibility will be saving their families,
and helping their neighbors. They might
not be able to get to the station, in any
case. It will be some distance from most of
Gearhart. Whatever the cost, which is con-
siderable, it doesn9t make much sense to
me.
JIM CASTERLINE
Gearhart
A
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Saving lives
s a bone marrow transplant recipi-
ent and advocacy ambassador for the
National Marrow Donor Program/Be The
Match, I understand that working with
Congress on policy is critical to ensuring
that all blood cancer and disease patients
have access to a transplant if needed.
In 2012, I was the recipient of an anon-
ymous donor bone marrow transplant. My
donor wished me <more= of whatever I
might need more of 4 as a result I want
to ensure that every patient who needs
<more= has the opportunity.
I recently participated in a virtual ny-in
and met with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and
U.S. Sen. Jef Merkley to advocate for
increased funding for the C. W. Bill Young
Cell Transplantation Program. Every three
minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed
with blood cancer, and 70% of patients
don9t have a fully matched donor in their
A
to other letter writers should address
the issue at hand and should refer to
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family.
The nation9s registry is how those
patients ond donors who can save their
lives. Fully funding for oscal year 2022,
and increasing funding by $5 million for
oscal year 2023, will help expand the
Human Leukocyte Antigens Today pro-
gram, which ofers HLA typing at the time
of diagnosis.
This can shorten the time to trans-
plant for patients whose most valuable
resource is time. In pilot phases, HLA
Today has especially helped ethnically
diverse patients, who are historically rec-
ommended to transplant at lower rates than
white patients.
I want to thank Senators Wyden and
Merkley for their support. This funding
plays a major role in helping to continue
matching donors with patients and saving
lives.
CYNTHIA SPECKMAN
Manzanita