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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 2014)
Opinion “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ERNIE F OSTER Founder/Publisher General Election 2014 the Skanner News Endorsements B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER Executive Editor ———— BALLOt MEASuRES ———— J ERRY F OSTER Advertising Manager L ISA L OVING News Editor H ELEN S ILVIS Multimedia Editor P ATRICIA I RVIN D AVID K IDD Graphic Designer M ONICA J. F OSTER Seattle Office Coordinator J ULIE K EEFE S USAN F RIED Photographers The Skanner Newspaper, established Systematic attacks on voting rights around the country, alongside explod- ing issues of street violence and civil rights, are bringing the public focus firmly to the ballot as a tool for making our communities better places to live and work. We at The Skanner News believes strongly in voter participation. The Skanner News encourages our readers to support these ballot meas- ures and vote on Nov. 4. OREGON STATE Measure 86 amends the Oregon Constitution to create a fund for Orego- nians pursuing post-secondary education; authorizes debt to finance. If passed this law would allow the legislature to sell bonds for a higher education loan fund benefitting college students as well as career training pro- grams; it would not raise taxes, but it would give state lawmakers more tools to help college and trade school stu- dents get the best education they can. We vote YES. has not resulted in nicer elections or more ethnic representation in the two states in which it has passed – despite claims to the contrary. We vote NO. Measure 91 legalizes recreational marijuana; tasks Oregon Liquor Con- trol Commission with regulation of its sale. Of all ballot measures facing voters in Oregon, this might be the most far- reaching. As the so-called War on Drugs has failed to stem their use and has filled our jails and prisons with low- level offenders – all at taxpayer expense – this measure might be the best chance we have to restore some sanity to the system. Legalize it, regu- late it like alcohol, and create a new revenue stream for the state. We vote YES. Measure 92 mandates labeling of certain foodstuffs that contain geneti- cally modified organisms. We want to know what’s in the food we’re eating – what’s wrong with that? We vote YES. in October 1975, is a weekly publica- tion, published each Wednesday by IMM Publications Inc., 415 N. Killingsworth St., P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228. Telephone (503) 285-5555. E-mail: info@theskanner.com World Wide Web site: http://www.theskanner.com Fax: (503) 285-2900 The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ- ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re - spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. © 2014 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. To see The Skanner News on your smart phone go to theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. • • • • • • • • Local news Opinions Jobs, Bids Sports Entertainment Music reviews Bulletin board RSS feeds Measure 87 allows judges to be hired by the National Guard and public universities; allows school employees to serve in the legislature. This is little more than a housekeep- ing measure, brushing cobwebs out of our state Constitution. It would have no financial impact; why shouldn’t state court judges join the National Guard or take a teaching job at a college if they choose? We vote YES. Measure 88 upholds four-year driver licenses for those who cannot prove legal presence in the United States. Our communities are far from reach- ing a consensus on improving our immigration laws and processes; but whatever you may think about the reform debate, this measure would make our roads safer and encourage a more humane attitude towards working families across the state. We vote YES. Measure 89 guarantees equal rights regardless of sex. Some people say Oregon doesn’t need an Equal Rights Amendment for women; at the same time, women are at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder, with lower pay, less political representation and few corner offices in the corporate sector. Four retired state Supreme Court justices have made an open appeal for passage of this measure. We vote YES. Measure 90 creates an open, top- two primary election system. We are leery of changing the state elections system, especially after a sketchy campaign in which the ‘Yes on 90’ camp filed fake Voters Guide state- ments and even created a fake website to lampoon its opponents. Top Two Page 2 The Portland and Seattle Skanner October 15, 2014 CITY OF PORTLAND Measure No: 26-159 continues bonds to fix playgrounds, trails; improve park facilities, safety, and accessibility. This measure continues the already- existing parks bond, which is modest and has so far been very well spent by Portland Parks & Recreation. Funding parks is one of the best investments we can make in community health, vio- lence prevention and quality of life. We vote YES. METRO DISTRICT Measure No: 26-160 would retain the prohibition on Metro-required sin- gle-family neighborhood density increases. If passed, this measure would contin- ue a voter-imposed limitation on Metro’s planning power – specifically it keeps Metro from requiring more infill homes in neighborhoods for the next 16 years. We are all for affordable housing, but our concern is that so many beautiful houses are being torn down to make room for multiple, cheaply made but overpriced homes. We vote YES. PORTLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT #1JT Measure No: 26-161 continues Port- land Public Schools levy renewal for schools and educational programs. We don’t support every single thing the Portland Public Schools does, nor do we support an avalanche of bond measures pouring additional costs on every single household in the district. But this is, at its heart, a tool for creat- ing and maintaining jobs – one of the best ways taxpayers can invest directly in our local communities. We vote YES. WASHINGTON STATE — Initiative 1351 would lower class sizes in public schools. Why vote for a measure without any funding included? Unlike Portland Pub- lic Schools’ bond measure, this isn’t going anywhere. We vote NO. — Initiative 591 would prohibit gov- ernment agencies from requiring background checks on firearm recipi- ents unless a uniform national standard is required. We believe in gun control, even the most modest measures can save lives. Because this measure was crafted to prevent realistic gun control measures, we vote NO. — Initiative 594 would require uni- versal background checks on gun purchases. This is a baby step for an issue that has torn communities apart for years. We vote YES. CITY OF SEATTLE Early Learning programs, Proposi- tion Numbers 1A and 1B This is going to be a wildcard for vot- ers. Struggling to fire up an early learning system from a dead stop, a lot of well-meaning people have compiled their ideas into what looks like two competing measures; now voters must sort that out. First, voters tick the box for whether either of the plans should be implemented – THEN voters tick the box that says WHICH MEASURE SHOULD BE ENACTED. The clunky instructions don’t help. “Simple Majori- ty as to the first question; if first question is approved, then the option with the most votes as to second ques- tion,” the ballot says. Faced with Proposition 1A (submit- ted by Initiative Petition No. 107), which has many great ideas to recom- mend it including limiting the cost of childcare and requiring an effective wage floor, we instead support Propo- sition 1B because it has built-in yet limited funding – a new tax for the next four years. We vote YES on WHETHER EITHER OF THESE MEASURES SHOULD BE PASSED, and then, YES on Proposition 1B. Seattle Transportation Benefit Dis- trict Proposition No. 1 — Transportation Funding Seattle is one of the most transporta- tion-plagued big cities in the country. But do voters support public transit? This measure would increase the tax on vehicle tags by $60 per year with a 0.1 percent sales and use tax – includ- ing a $20 rebate for low-income riders – to shore up crucial bus routes set to be cut in 2015, with modest support for low-income riders. The fee and the tax would sunset Dec. 31, 2020. It’s a real financial bite – but is it worth it to avoid ever-growing traffic snarls in the Emer- ald City? We vote YES.
