A2
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022
IN BRIEF
Astoria Bridge temporarily closed
after man climbed to top
A man who climbed to the top of the Astoria Bridge
on Saturday afternoon came down safely after more than
an hour.
Police closed the bridge to traffi c, which backed up on
both the Astoria and Washington state sides of the Colum-
bia River.
Around 4 p.m., police received a report that a vehicle
had parked on the bridge after driving erratically up to it.
The driver left the vehicle and began climbing the structure.
A friend of the man’s family and Offi cer Alex Whitney,
of the Astoria Police Department, went up the structure to
talk with him.
Whitney asked the man to come closer. “And he’s like,
‘OK,’ and started walking down,” Astoria Police Chief
Stacy Kelly said.
The man climbed down just before 5:15 p.m. The
bridge reopened minutes later.
The man was taken to Columbia Memorial Hospital in
Astoria. No criminal charges are pending, Kelly said.
The man had been listed as a missing person. Police said
he has a history of mental health challenges and ascended
the Astoria Bridge in March, as well.
Fire at Astor Building
causes minor damage
A fi re on the seventh fl oor of the Astor Building caused
minor, mostly smoke damage on Saturday afternoon.
The apartment building on 14th Street downtown was
briefl y evacuated. Shortly afterward, all residents, except
those who live on the seventh fl oor, were allowed to return.
The resident of the apartment where the fi re started was
not home at the time, Astoria police said. No injuries were
reported.
The Astoria Fire Department will determine the cause
of the fi re, police said.
County residents invited to
participate in internet speed test
Clatsop County residents are invited to take a one-min-
ute internet speed test in an eff ort to improve internet
access in Oregon.
The test will help Faster Internet Oregon — a col-
laboration among economic development districts and
other agencies — locate the gaps in the state’s internet
services. The results will be used to enhance broadband
infrastructure.
The project in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook coun-
ties, and the western Washington County area, is being led
by the Columbia-Pacifi c Economic Development District,
which encourages people to participate as soon as possible.
“Currently, the only data we have for the availability
and speed of internet connections is inaccurate,” Col-Pac
said in a statement. “With enough tests in the region, we
can use this data to advocate for internet infrastructure
funding to improve fast and aff ordable internet services.”
Participants must test with a home internet connection,
not with a cellular or VPN, the organization said. People
without a home internet connection can use their cellphone
to report zero internet access at their location.
No identifying information besides a participant’s
address will be shared, Col-Pac said.
People can go to www.fasterinternetoregon.org to par-
ticipate and for more information.
— The Astorian
Family of Hillsboro couple
killed in Pier 39 crash
suing carmaker, repair shops
The family of a Hillsboro couple killed in a crash in
Astoria is suing their carmaker and several repair shops.
The lawsuit seeks $50 million in wrongful death res-
titution. The estates of Wenyi Chen and Yuzhi Fei say the
couple’s Honda CRV accelerated by itself — causing it to
crash through the railing on Pier 39 and plunge into the
Columbia River back in August 2020.
The lawsuit claims the car had accelerated on its own
three times before that. The suit states it was taken to Hill-
sboro Honda twice and Beaverton Honda once for repairs.
— KOIN
MEMORIALS
Saturday, July 23
Memorial
BACKER, William Carl (Bill) — Celebration of
life from 2 to 4 p.m., Seaside Golf Course, 451 Ave-
Next governor will have a
big say in abortion rights
Chief executive can
set the policy tone
By LAUREN DAKE
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Across the country, the
U.S. Supreme Court’s deci-
sion to overturn the consti-
tutional right to an abortion
has reshaped contests for
governor, raising the stakes
for a role that could serve
as the last line of defense in
protecting a pregnant per-
son’s right to choose.
But in Oregon, after Roe
v. Wade was overturned,
advocates and politicians
hailed the state as a sanctu-
ary for those seeking access
to an abortion. Oregon has
some of the strongest protec-
tions in the country and pol-
iticians promised it would
continue to be a safe haven
for those who come from
more restrictive states.
Those on the front line of
the battle to retain access to
abortion warn, however, that
Oregon is not immune to the
political shifts that caused
the downfall of Roe v. Wade.
“There is absolutely a
sense of complacency in
our state that the fact that
abortion is legal and it will
remain legal,” said Grayson
Dempsey, who has worked
in the reproductive rights
arena for years. “It would
be silly to think fi ve hours
to the east they are passing
laws to imprison abortion
doctors and passing bans at
six weeks, and we’re totally
fi ne because we have this
state line.”
This
November
is
expected to be a red wave
year across the country,
and Oregon’s next gover-
nor could have a consequen-
tial infl uence on the future of
abortion care in state. Of the
three major candidates, two
favor unrestricted access to
abortion. One, the Republi-
can, called Oregon’s abor-
tion laws “among the most
extreme in the country.”
Depending on which
woman wins the job, future
conversations about abor-
tion rights — and other pri-
vacy-related issues — could
look very diff erent in the
state.
It’s not simply a matter
of whether a candidate is for
or against access to abortion
services.
The next governor will
be instrumental in determin-
ing how much state money
is invested in reproduc-
tive health care. The gov-
ernor holds the power to
both propose and veto bud-
gets, which in Oregon have
often carved out money for
reproductive rights. Gov.
Kate Brown, who cannot
run again due to term lim-
its, has also been supportive
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Tina Kotek, the Democratic candidate for governor; Betsy Johnson, the independent candidate;
and Christine Drazan, the Republican candidate, are pictured.
of using taxpayer dollars,
part of a $15 million health
equity fund, to help peo-
ple from other states get an
abortion in Oregon.
Former state Sen. Betsy
Johnson, who is running as
an unaffi liated candidate,
has a long record of support-
ing abortion access. Still, she
does not support using Ore-
gon tax dollars to help peo-
ple from other states access
an abortion.
“Oregon tax dollars
should be spent on Orego-
nians,” said Johnson, a for-
mer chair of the legislative
budget-writing committee.
The Republican can-
didate for governor, for-
mer House Minority Leader
Christine Drazan, said she
opposes using state money
to help people access an
abortion, no matter if it’s
a resident of Oregon or
another state.
Former House Speaker
Tina Kotek, the Democratic
contender, said she sup-
ports continuing the policy
of using Oregon state funds
to help people from more
restrictive states access an
abortion here. Kotek said
Oregon has long been a
leader in the reproductive
rights arena and she would
further that legacy.
Sets the tone
The governor also sets
the tone on topics such as
abortion.
After justices struck down
Roe v. Wade, Gov. Brown
announced she was creat-
ing a “West Coast off ense”
with the governors of Wash-
ington state and California.
The idea: to make the Dem-
ocratically-controlled West
Coast a safe haven for peo-
ple in other states seeking an
abortion.
Brown has also made it
clear, as some other states
move to criminalize abor-
tions, that she will not direct
state law enforcement to
help extradite any individ-
ual who comes to Oregon to
receive an abortion.
Christel Allen, the execu-
tive director with ProChoice
Oregon, said advocates are
always working behind
the scenes to stop eff orts to
restrict access.
In 2017, Oregon law-
makers codifi ed the right to
access an abortion into state
law.
Like any law, it could be
undone, changed or chipped
away by adding barriers that
limit access.
“I think folks … might
not recognize the amount of
vigilance that organizations
and advocates have been
working on for the past 45
years,” Allen said. “We have
a dozen abortion bans intro-
duced every (legislative)
session.”
Most never receive a leg-
islative hearing.
“That’s because we have
(Democratic)
majorities,
and it’s been a moment since
we have had a Republican or
anti-choice governor,” Allen
said.
When Lois Anderson, the
executive director of Ore-
gon Right to Life, heard the
U.S. Supreme Court rul-
ing, her reaction was one of
joy, she told Oregon Public
Broadcasting’s “Think Out
Loud.” Anderson said her
group is working on a bill
for the 2023 legislative ses-
sion to ban abortions later in
pregnancy.
And, she noted, “there is
no right to abortion in the
constitution.”
On this point, too, the
three candidates could chart
vastly diff erent paths. Both
Kotek and Johnson said they
support the idea of enshrin-
ing the right to access
an abortion in the state
constitution.
Oregon Public Broad-
casting
asked
Drazan
whether she would support
a constitutional eff ort to
enshrine the right to abor-
tion and other civil rights.
She declined to answer and
instead off ered a statement
from her spokesperson:
“Our
campaign
is
focused on addressing
high gas prices, homeless-
ness, crime and our failing
schools. Christine has never
shied away from her pro-life
values and her affi rmation
of marriage equality is well
established.”
Drazan’s
statement
makes sense politically. For
Republicans, it’s politically
smarter to focus on the array
of other pressing issues on
which Democrats might
seem more vulnerable to
voters: the economy, a spike
in gas prices, public safety
and crime.
But for Democrats, it’s
advantageous to argue civil
liberties are on the ballot
and to mobilize voters who
fear more rights being rolled
back.
Rank lower
John Horvick, with the
polling fi rm DHM Research,
said surveys generally show
abortion rights continue to
rank lower on the scale of
importance to voters than
some of the economic issues.
After a major news event,
such as the Supreme Court
decision, there is some fl uc-
tuation in voter concerns,
but it’s often fl eeting, Hor-
vick said.
After justices struck
down Roe v. Wade, Ore-
gon politicians tweeted
and sent out press releases.
There were large, but lim-
ited, public protests. Some-
one hurled a Molotov cock-
tail at the Oregon Right to
Life building.
But overall, the debate
over personal freedom in the
hotly-contested governor’s
race has remained relatively
muted.
With about four months
to go before the election,
however, that could change.
Despite what stance they
take, both sides agree the
Supreme Court ruling was
just one step in an ongoing
battle.
nue U in Seaside.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY
Port of Astoria Commission, 4 p.m., 10 Pier 1, Suite 209.
Seaside Planning Commission, 7 p.m., work session, City
Hall, 989 Broadway.
WEDNESDAY
Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, 10 a.m., work
session, (electronic meeting).
Seaside Tourism Advisory Committee, 3 p.m., City Hall,
989 Broadway.
Seaside Tree Board, 4 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway.
THURSDAY
Seaside Transportation Advisory Committee, 6 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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Johnson faces questions about
her handling of a 2013 car crash
Former senator’s
lawyers claimed
she had immunity
By HILLARY BORRUD
The Oregonian
Former state Sen. Betsy
Johnson, who is running for
governor as an unaffi liated
candidate, is under scrutiny
for her handling of a 2013
car crash in which John-
son rear-ended and injured
another driver who was com-
ing to a stop at a red light in
Scappoose.
At the time, news reports
focused on Johnson’s serious
injuries, which caused her to
miss more than a month of the
Legislative session and use a
wheelchair for six months.
It escaped notice that
Johnson, through her law-
yers, subsequently cited her
position as a state lawmaker
to argue that the driver John-
son rear-ended, Melissa Gal-
lentine, could not sue Johnson
for personal injury because
she was driving as part of her
offi cial work duties.
Willamette Week fi rst
reported Johnson’s eff orts to
avoid responsibility in the
case , primarily highlighting a
diff erent but related argument
Johnson made, that she was
shielded from being served
with a lawsuit during a legis-
lative session.
When Johnson pushed
for a judge to drop her as a
defendant and leave only her
employer, the state , to answer
for the crash, the Oregon
Department of Justice, led
by Ellen Rosenblum, did not
object.
But Gallentine’s lawyers
argued a judge, not Rosen-
blum’s offi ce, should deter-
mine whether Johnson’s inat-
tentive driving in Scappoose
was in fact part of her offi cial
duties as a legislator.
“A simple ‘I’m sorry’ and
‘I’m responsible’ would have
been greatly appreciated,’”
Gallentine said by phone this
month . “(Johnson) just kept
forcing more the other aspect
which was, ‘I didn’t do any-
thing wrong’ and trying to win
a case, to show zero fault.”
Johnson has pledged that
if elected governor, she will
emphasize personal respon-
sibility — specifi cally for
Oregon’s homeless residents
— and push for more govern-
ment accountability.
Christine Drazan, the
Republican nominee for gov-
ernor, weighed in on social
media. “This is a clear abuse
of legislative immunity. No
one should be above account-
ability or above the law, espe-
cially those in power. Orego-
nians are tired of self-serving
politicians. We deserve lead-
ers who follow the law and
tell the truth,” she tweeted.
Democratic nominee for
governor Tina Kotek also
issued a statement on John-
son. “Sen. Johnson certainly
suff ered a serious injury,
but her callous indiff erence
to Ms. Gallentine’s injuries
and her weaponizing of leg-
islative immunity to bully
an Oregonian is truly shock-
ing,” the former state House
speaker said. “Then, attempt-
ing to pass off the costs of her
mistake to Oregon taxpayers
— that’s atrocious.”
Jennifer Sitton, a cam-
paign spokesperson for John-
son, questioned why news
organizations would report
on the incident. “This is literal
ambulance chasing media
doing the bidding of the party
opposition researchers who
are afraid of our campaign,”
she said in an email.
See Johnson, Page A3