THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A5
LOCAL & STATE
Union County sheriff chastises
Brown’s mask mandate in letter
■ Sheriff Cody Bowen contends governor’s requirement is unconstitutional
The (La Grande) Observer
By SARA CLINE
Associated Press/Report for America
Alex Wittwer/The (La Grande) Observer
Union County Sheriff Cody Bowen sent a letter to Gov. Kate Brown on Friday, Aug. 13
opposing her mandate for students and staff in public schools to wear masks to help
curb the spike in the coronavirus.
by “strongly advising” masks
and following the governor’s
recent decision, some school
leaders expressed surprise at
the governor’s announcement
— Union County Sheriff Cody Bowen
and voiced their interest in
making school health deci-
school boards both voted in
individual person’s job to put sions at the district, rather
favor of wearing masks this
their neck on the line, but if I than the state, level.
school year, amid pushback
have to be the guy that does
In a statement from the
from parents. Imbler makes
that and stand up for what I Oregon Department of
its decision on Tuesday, Aug. believe is right, then so be it,” Education, offi cials said they
17. Bowen supports parents’ he said.
are working to create a rule
choice to send their children
Brown announced in late
requiring face coverings in all
to school in masks, but he op- July that masks will be re-
indoor school settings — both
poses forced mask use.
quired for anyone inside of a public and private — for all
In the letter, Bowen im-
school in Oregon this year.
individuals age 2 and older.
plored Gov. Brown to listen to
“The science and data are
This includes students, staff,
her constituents and stop ig- clear: the delta variant is in
contractors, volunteers and
noring the eastern side of the our communities, and it is
visitors.
state. Bowen also stated that more contagious,” Brown said
Offi cials say the rule will
as sheriff, the mandate is not in a statement at the time.
take effect upon adoption,
a law and not something he
“My priority is to ensure our but the exact date is unclear.
can enforce. That being said, kids are able to safely return Summer school and students
Bowen has a vested interest
to full-time in-person learning and staff in other summer
based on his constituents and this fall, fi ve days per week
programs will also be re-
his own personal opinion.
and with minimal disrup-
quired to wear face coverings
Bowen was elected to
tions. With many children still when the rule is instituted.
the Union County sheriff’s
ineligible to be vaccinated,
The rule will include provi-
position in 2020. According to masks are an effective way
sions for eating, drinking,
Bowen, calls to his offi ce from to help keep our kids safe in
playing a musical instrument
the community were a major the classroom, the learning
that requires using the mouth
reason in his decision to write environment we know serves and certain sports — includ-
the letter to the governor.
them best.”
ing swimming, gymnastics
Bowen said he does not expect
During the outbreak in
and wrestling.
other sheriff’s offi ces in the
2020, the decision to require
Oregon Public Broadcasting
region to make similar state- masks was in the hands of
reporters Jeff Thompson and
ments, but would appreciate local school districts. Most dis-
Elizabeth Miller contributed to
the support.
tricts followed the Oregon De-
this report.
“I don’t think it’s one
partment of Education’s lead,
“I don’t think it’s one individual person’s job to put their
neck on the line, but if I have to be the guy that does that
and stand up for what I believe is right, then so be it.”
Brown extends foreclosure moratorium
million in a homeownership
assistance fund, which is in
Gov. Kate Brown has
its fi rst stages. The Oregon
extended a temporary halt
Department of Housing and
to residential foreclosures
Community Services awaits
through Dec. 31.
guidance from the U.S. Trea-
Monday, Aug. 16, was the
sury about the fund, which
deadline under a law passed should be ready in the fall.
by the 2021 Legislature
About 70% of Oregon mort-
for Brown to announce the
gages are federally backed,
second of two extensions. She according to the Federal
had already announced the
Housing Finance Agency,
fi rst extension, which is in
which regulates mortgages.
effect through Sept. 30 — the Its moratorium was sched-
same day that the current
uled to end June 30, but it
federal moratorium ends.
was extended to July 31, and
Brown said in a statement now, it’s to Sept. 30.
announcing the second exten-
Unlike the original state
sion:
moratorium, which applied
“As we continue to see
to all properties, House Bill
record high numbers of
2009 passed by the 2021 Leg-
COVID-19 hospitalizations
islature applies only to a total
driven by the Delta surge,
of fi ve residential properties
I am committed to ensur-
per owner. Each property can
ing that Oregonians have a
contain no more than four
warm, dry, safe place to live
units. Commercial property
during this pandemic.
is excluded.
“Extending the tempo-
Foreclosures are separate
rary residential foreclosure
from evictions of tenants,
moratorium another three
who still can seek rental as-
months will prevent removal sistance from the state hous-
of Oregonians from their
ing agency and community
homes by foreclosure, which action agencies. Under that
would result in serious
program as of Aug. 11, 26,925
health, safety, welfare, and
applications have been fi led
fi nancial consequences, and
requesting $195 million;
which would undermine key 2,797 have been approved
efforts to prevent spread of
for a total of $17 million.
COVID-19.”
The state agency dashboard
People behind in their
reported almost 10,000 more
mortgage payments and fac- applications have not been
ing foreclosure are advised to completed.
meet with housing counselors
The Legislature passed
in their communities. They
a separate bill (Senate Bill
also will have access to $90
278) that bars evictions from
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
Oregon hospitals
nearly at capacity
■ Officials said on Tuesday, Aug. 17
that 93% of adult beds, and 90% of
intensive care beds, were filled
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
LA GRANDE — Frustra-
tion.
That is the theme echoed
throughout Union County
Sheriff Cody Bowen’s
personal letter to Gov. Kate
Brown regarding the recent
statewide mask
mandate for
public schools.
Bowen listed his
reasons for con-
cern and called
Brown
for local control
on decision mak-
ing in a letter to Brown on
Friday, Aug. 13, and posted on
social media.
“I believe that as Ameri-
cans, we have a right to
choose,” Bowen said. “This
isn’t a law and it hasn’t been
voted on by the people.”
Bowen, a parent himself,
advocated for parents mak-
ing their own decisions on
whether children in school
should wear masks. In the let-
ter, Bowen wrote he hopes to
open a dialogue and speak on
behalf of the people of Union
County.
The letter states he believes
the mandate is unconsti-
tutional and he is against
threatening the livelihoods
of teachers. Bowen is refer-
ring to the potential fi nes and
loss of teaching licenses for
teachers and staff who do not
enforce the mandate. This has
been a hot topic of debate at
recent school board meetings
in the area, with concerned
parents and community
members voicing their opposi-
tion.
“They know what’s right,
but they’re scared that if they
stand up, then teachers might
lose their jobs,” Bowen said.
“They’re trying to do what’s
best and I don’t envy any of
the superintendents because
they’re in a terrible spot.”
At the Union and Imbler
board meetings, a majority
of members on the board ex-
pressed their opposition to the
mandate. However, with the
risks facing the schools and
teachers, little ground was
made in negotiations between
parents and board members.
The La Grande and Union
COVID-19 SURGE CONTINUES
being initiated for 60 days if
tenants show proof they have
applied for rental assistance.
That aid started with $200
million in state funds, but the
federal government boosted
it by more than $200 million
after Congress passed Presi-
dent Joe Biden’s pandemic
recovery plan.
Multnomah County has a
separate ordinance setting a
90-day period.
State housing offi cials said
Aug. 4 they have contracted
with an outside vendor, Pub-
lic Partnerships LLC based
in Boston, to work on reduc-
ing the huge backlog of ap-
plications from Multnomah,
Washington and Clackamas
counties. They account for
almost 60% of total applica-
tions statewide.
Under a different law (Sen-
ate Bill 282), tenants have
until Feb. 28, 2022, to pay
past-due rent from April 1,
2020, through June 30 of this
year without fear of eviction.
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~REALTOR~
PORTLAND — As Oregon’s health system continues
to be clobbered by the state’s worst COVID-19 surge,
offi cials reported on Tuesday, Aug. 17 that 93% of the
state’s hospital beds for adults and 90% of the intensive
care unit beds are full.
There are 838 people
hospitalized with CO-
Oregon sets
VID-19 in Oregon —
surpassing the state’s
daily record
record, which was set
for new
the previous day, by 86
patients. Before this
COVID-19
month, the hospitaliza-
tion record was 622 in
cases
November, during a
Oregon set a new
winter surge and when
daily record Tuesday,
vaccines were not
Aug. 17 with 2,941
available.
identifi ed coronavirus
“If you are healthy
cases, shattering the old
today, you may not
mark, as the number of
think this impacts
Oregonians hospitalized
you. But when our
with COVID-19 soared
hospitals are full, all
higher.
Oregonians are at
Health offi cials
risk,” Gov. Kate Brown
reported 838 people are
tweeted on Tuesday
currently hospitalized
afternoon. “When our
in Oregon with CO-
hospitals, emergency
VID-19. That’s 86 more
departments, and ICUs
COVID-19 patients than
are full, that means
Monday, or an overnight
a staffed hospital bed
increase of 11%.
may not be available
Tuesday’s numbers
when you and your
also included more
family need urgent or
grim news: 15 reported
intensive care, whether
deaths, and a daily test
for COVID-19, or a car
positivity rate of 12.2%.
crash, or a heart attack
Oregon’s old records for
or stroke.”
daily cases both came
As of Tuesday a
last week: 2,329 on Aug.
mere 66 ICU beds and
10 and 2,387 on Aug. 12.
275 available adult
non-ICU beds are
— Douglas Perry,
available, the Oregon
The Oregonian
Health Authority
reported.
Oregon also set a
new daily case record with 2,941 identifi ed coronavirus
cases — fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant,
which has rapidly spread, especially in southern Oregon
where vaccination rates lag.
“If you are unvaccinated, you are at incredible risk
from the Delta variant,” Brown tweeted. “Almost ev-
eryone hospitalized for COVID-19 could have avoided
severe illness if they had been vaccinated.”
Over the past month Brown has announced measures
to decrease the infection rate and hospitalizations and
boost vaccinations. Recent measures include requiring
that health care workers and state employees be vac-
cinated.
In addition, on Friday, Aug. 13 a statewide mask man-
date was reimplemented — everyone in Oregon who is
5 years or older, regardless of vaccination status, must
wear a mask in indoor public spaces.
Last month, Brown announced that masks would be
required regardless of vaccination status in K-12 schools.
However, some education leaders have pushed back,
including school board members in public meetings and
administrators in written communications to parents.
On Tuesday, Brown urged leaders to follow her mask
mandates and not “jeopardize” the return to full-time
in-person instruction.
“I have heard much about personal freedom when it
comes to masks in school board meetings and on social
media. I have not heard as much said about personal
responsibility,” Brown wrote in a letter. “As leaders, we
have a great responsibility to our students and their fu-
tures. One of the sacred, fundamental responsibilities of
a school district and its leaders is to keep the children in
their care safe. It is up to us to make clear-eyed decisions
based on science and fact.”