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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 2014)
News Chief continued from page 1 in the city of Portland for 20 years, he said, although he has now moved just south of Oregon City so his wife can have a horse. Asked what would be the worst thing Port- landers might discover about him, he said that after 28 years on the force, Portlanders know pretty much everything about him. O’Dea joined the Portland Police Bureau in 1986. He has been a uniformed patrol officer, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. Read O’Dea’s bio here. The Human Rights Commission issued a statement saying O’Dea is known for his support of equity and inclusion. “Chief O’Dea’s compassion, empathy, ‘Increased diversity in the Bureau will improve community trust and improve the way we think and work’ cal in managing all of our major initiatives. “Lastly, it is very important to me to be fiscally responsible. People work very hard and pay a lot of taxes. As the biggest Gen- eral Fund Bureau, it is very important to me that every dollar we spend is needed and used wisely.” On the weekends O’Dea builds homes as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer. He lived PHOTO BY HELEN SILVIS have them work together on their priori- ties to build safer and healthier neighborhoods to better meet community needs.” “I also want to increase diversity in the Bureau and in the Bureau’s leadership. Every community member should be able to look at the Bureau and see someone who shares their same culture and background. Increased diversity in the Bureau will improve community trust and improve the way we think and work. “I also want to focus on increasing com- munication and collaboration both internally and externally. This will be criti- and understanding; qualities that will serve the Police Bureau and community well,” commissioners said in a press release. “We hope to see him continue the suc- cessful work that has been accomplished around racial equity through the HRC’s Community and Police Relations Commit- tee, such as the institutional racism trainings that have been provided to command staff O’Dea says he wants to increase diversity in the Bureau and in the Bureau’s leadership. and sergeants. Asst. Chief O’Dea has been instrumental as both a member of the CPRC and command staff in moving this work for- ward and has communicated his vision of a shift from enforcement policing to relation- ship-based policing.” Chief Reese said now is the right time for a handover, as the bureau finalizes its com- mitments to the Department of Justice settlement agreement by hiring a Compli- ance Officer/Community Liaison and creating a Community Advisory Board. proposition authorizes regular property taxes above RCW 84.55 limits, allowing additional 2015 collection of up to $14,566,630 (approximately 11¢ per $1,000 assessed value), totaling $58,266,518 over four years. islature. Measure 88 upholds four-year driver licenses for those who cannot prove legal presence in the United States. Measure 89 guarantees equal rights regardless of sex. Measure 90 creates an open, top-two pri- mary election system. Measure 91 legalizes recreational mari- juana; tasks Oregon Liquor Control Commission with regulation of its sale. Measure 92 mandates labeling of certain foodstuffs that contain genetically modified organisms. Requires revote in 2030 to remain effective. This prohibition was approved by voters in 2002 and is required by Metro Charter to be voted on again at the November 2014 gen- eral election. A “yes” vote on this measure would retain the prohibition for 16 years; a “no” vote repeals the prohibition on June 30, 2015. Ballot continued from page 1 City of Seattle Ballot Measures Simple Majority as to the first question; if first question is approved, then the option with the most votes as to second question (Seattle City Charter, article IV) Proposition Numbers 1A and 1B Proposition 1A (submitted by Initiative Petition No. 107) and Proposition 1B (alternative proposed by the City Council and Mayor) concern early learning pro- grams and providers of such services for children. Proposition 1A (Initiative 107) would establish a $15 minimum wage for childcare workers (phased in over three years for employers with under 250 employees). As an alternative, the Seattle City Council and Mayor have proposed Proposition 1B (Ordinance 124509), which would fund the four-year initial phase of a City early learn- ing program with the goal of developing a widely-available, affordable, licensed, and voluntary preschool option. The Ordinance requires support, training and certification for teachers. The program uses research- based strategies, includes evaluation of results, and provides tuition support. This Seattle Transportation Benefit Dis- trict Proposition No. 1 — Transportation Funding Portland School District #1j Oregon State Ballot Measures Metro District Measure 86 amends the Oregon Constitu- tion to create fund for Oregonians pursuing post-secondary education; authorizes debt to finance. Measure 87 allows judges to be hired by the National Guard and public universities; allows school employees to serve in the leg- Measure No: 26-160 would retain the prohibition on Metro-required single-family neighborhood density increases. Retains provision in Metro Charter pro- hibiting Metro from requiring local governments to increase density in identi- fied existing single-family neighborhoods. Measure No: 26-161 continues Portland Public Schools levy renewal for schools and educational programs. This measure renews current local option taxes. PPS’ current local option levy was approved by voters in 2011 to provide fund- ing for schools over 5 years. In 2013, the Oregon Legislature ended the diversion of some local option levy rev- enues to certain urban renewal districts for levies passed after January 2013. Renewal of local option levy will direct approximate- ly $4 million more to the approved purpose of supporting education, without increasing taxes. The renewed levy will provide $64.3 million, equivalent to 640 teaching posi- tions. allows the district to focus its efforts on improving our processes to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual harassment, and provides funds for the student to pursue her education,” the district’s statement says. “Since the incident, the district has focused on improving overnight field trip procedures and working to ensure compli- ance to the federal Title IX mandates, which cover response to sexual harassment.” The victim’s parents say she went from being an academically successful student and gifted musician to being withdrawn and suicidal; she never returned to Garfield after the attack, but instead spent time in an inpa- tient mental health facility. She and her family have moved out of state. The family has started a Facebook com- munity called, “Stop Sexual Assault in High School.” “Our entire family was devastated when our family member was raped on a public high school field trip,” the Facebook com- munity page says. “The Seattle School District’s failure to extend her federal Title IX rights, to acknowledge her report of sex- ual assault, and to treat her with basic human dignity has been life-scaring beyond description.” The boy received a 10-day suspension from school. Meanwhile, demonstrations have been held at Seattle School Board meetings call- ing for the resignation of Garfield Principal Ted Howard and a Change.org petition urg- ing the district to fire him now has more than 2,400 signatures. “I am a student at Garfield,” one petition- er writes. “My close friend was raped at a School Dance freshman year. Nothing was done in response to multiple reports.” Another wrote: “STOP CODDLING VARSITY ATHLETES ALREADY!” According to the district’s Wednesday statement: “As a part of the mediated settlement, the parents have agreed not to pursue any mon- etary claims against the district, and to dismiss all of their pending actions in front of the Office of the Superintendent of Pub- lic Instruction (OSPI), the Office of Civil Rights, and anywhere else. They have also agreed not to pursue any new actions, or to file further public records requests with the district. They have also agreed not to com- municate further with the district regarding this incident or subsequent response action, and to not publicly identify or complain about the male student accused of the assault.” If approved, this proposition would fund preservation of transit service on existing routes primarily serving Seattle that are pro- posed to be cut beginning in 2015, with an annual vehicle license fee of $60 per regis- tered vehicle with a $20 rebate for low-income individuals and authorize a 0.1 percent sales and use tax. Both the fee and the tax would expire by Dec.31, 2020. City of Portland Measure No: 26-159 continues bonds to fix playgrounds, trails; improve park facili- ties, safety, accessibility. Garfield continued from page 1 the female student’s rights are protected. “ Neither the girl nor the boy who admitted to school officials that he raped her have been identified; the facts of the assault have been reported widely and even school offi- cials do not deny that the boy admitted anally raping the girl even though she repeatedly said “no.” However the district’s position is that even though the girl reported the rape and was hospitalized, a subsequent District Attorney investigation was “inconclusive,” as was the district’s own investigation; the family disputes that and has publicly claimed the district selectively released public records that left out details of the police investigation’s conclusion. “While the settlement does not hold the district liable for the incident, district offi- cials do consider this a fair settlement that October 8, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 3
