COFFEE BREAK
B6 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
THuRSDAY, ApRIL 7, 2022
Gay man wishes he had straight male friends
friends, but what I really want is
a male best friend or, hell, just a
male friend, period.
Of course, everyone has their
own opinions on what I should
do — “join a meeting, a group,
social activities and blah blah.”
I have done all of those things,
and I can’t figure out what’s
wrong. I have now learned to
just keep my mouth shut and not
invite anyone to do anything.
Any suggestions would
be welcomed, but I have
pretty much tried everything,
including seeing a counselor. —
CURIOUS IN OKLAHOMA
DEAR CURIOUS: The
problem you’re having with
straight men may be that they are
nervous about being perceived
as “gay by association” if they
DEAR ABBY: I am a
47-year-old gay man. I’m
well-educated, but there’s some-
thing I can’t figure out. Why
do straight guys not want to be
friends? I never hit on them, I
enjoy a lot of the same pastimes
like games, working on cars,
etc. I want to be transparent, but
when I tell them upfront, they
disappear.
Sometimes it gets back to me
that they thought I was asking
them on a date if I invited
someone to go to a ballgame, for
example. I have plenty of female
BOLI
bigger things. Incumbents
have run for governor, U.S.
Senator, Oregon Supreme
Court Justice, and sec-
retary of state. None has
won.
The three most active
candidates have been Helt,
Kulla and Stephenson.
Continued from Page B1
Tina Kotek, D-Portland,
state Treasurer Tobias Read,
and, before he was ruled
ineligible because of resi-
dency requirements, New
York Times columnist Nich-
olas Kristof.
In mid-January, Kulla
switched to run for BOLI.
With Hoyle running for
Congress, Kulla was briefly
the clear frontrunner.
Kulla says the labor
commissioner’s top priority
is ensuring the civil and
working rights of workers
and people seeking housing
are protected.
The commissioner’s
office has to be a place that
proactively gets out infor-
mation to workers that busi-
ness owners don’t make
the rules — and BOLI is a
place to get information and
if necessary, seek help to
resolve disputes.
“But first, they need to
know that BOLI exists,”
Kulla said. “It doesn’t
matter if there are rules
if people don’t know
about them and who
enforces them.”
Kulla said relations
between businesses and
workers that come to BOLI
don’t have to always be
adversarial. As one of the
first cannabis licensees in
the state, Kulla took part in
creating the rules and reg-
ulations that would guide
the legal marijuana business
into the future. Both the
state and the growers shared
expertise and dispelled
inaccurate information.
“It was a great example
of the regulators and the
regulated listening to each
other and finding solutions
that worked,” Kulla said.
Oregon’s economy
and workforce are rapidly
evolving, Kulla said, with
areas such as gig workers
and farm workers whose
jobs don’t fit easily into
pro-Trump and supported
by vaccine skeptics seemed
unlikely.
Hoyle’s decision to drop
her reelection bid for BOLI
was an opportunity.
“I liked that BOLI was
nonpartisan,” Helt said. “It
fits my experience well. I’ve
been a business owner for
18 years. We’ve had 103
employees. BOLI has 120.
No other candidate has run
a business with over 100
employees.”
Helt said she’d seen the
ups and downs of career
and technical training pro-
grams as a school board
member. She praised Hoyle
for realigning programs to
better fit with real world job
demands in Oregon. Her
time in the Legislature gave
her a view on how work-
place law evolves.
“The office takes all of
my hats and combines them
into one,” Helt said.
Helt rejects the label of
conservative in the race,
but wants to bring an open
and pragmatic approach to
the job.
“The job is to uphold the
civil rights of all Orego-
nians,” Helt said. “It has to
be a fair process and a bal-
anced process. Part of the
job is ensuring that every-
body knows the rules. This
shouldn’t be a ‘gotcha’
agency. I think most
employers want to do the
right thing. But for the bad
actors, I’ll enforce the law.”
• Portland employee
rights attorney Christina
Stephenson, who had unsuc-
cessfully run for the House
and Multnomah County
Democratic Party chair,
Cheri Helt
filed the day after Kulla.
• On the last day to file
A restaurateur in Bend,
for office, former Rep. Cheri Helt served about 10 years
Helt, R-Bend, jumped into
on school boards, and two
the race.
years in the Oregon
Rounding out
House representing
the field are Corne-
Bend.
lius forest manage-
Helt is a remnant
ment businessman
of a vanishing polit-
ical species that once
Aaron Baca, Aloha
dominated state pol-
banker Brent
itics: the moderate
Barker, Oregon City
Helt
Republican.
truck driver Chris
Elected to the
Henry, and Green-
horn laborer Robert
House from a Demo-
cratic-leaning district
Neuman.
If one can win
in 2018, Helt often
more than 50% of
bumped heads with
the vote in the May
the GOP caucus —
17 primary elec-
sponsoring legislation
Kulla
tion, the race is
for mandatory vac-
cinations for school
over — there would
children that was
be no run-off in
opposed by Republi-
November. With
cans. When the House
seven candidates
GOP caucus walked
and three with polit-
ical track records,
out to deny a quorum
Stephenson to consider a contro-
it’s a longshot that
versial carbon cap bill,
the final winner
Helt was the only one of 22
won’t be determined in the
Republicans who remained
Nov. 7 general election.
The BOLI job is part
in Salem.
workplace referee, part civil
After losing her 2020
rights enforcer, part job
reelection bid to now Rep.
training promoter, part gov- Jason Kropf, D-Bend,
ernment information desk
Helt’s focus was on main-
taining her family business
and complaint box.
There’s a $31 million
and employees during the
budget for the office — not
COVID-19 pandemic.
a lot by state government
Looking to return to
standards. The job pays
public office, Helt felt she
$77,000 — less than the
was a good match for the
$98,600 the governor makes politically moderate elec-
and barely twice the $32,839 torate in the newly aligned
5th Congressional Dis-
paid state lawmakers for
trict. She could win a gen-
their officially part-time
eral election, but winning
jobs.
Unlike other offices, it
a closed primary against
hasn’t been a springboard to opponents who are avidly
Casey Kulla
Kulla was the first candi-
date to sign up for the 2022
Democratic primary for
governor when the window
to file opened last autumn.
But as more candidates
entered the race, the Yam-
hill County commissioner
saw money and attention
among Democrats focused
on former House Speaker
weather
| Go to AccuWeather.com
become a real struggle.
I have a group of friends who
have not managed to do well
through it all. Previous issues
multiplied, and their lives have
become pitiable messes. Early on
in the pandemic, we attempted
to keep moods up with weekly
Zoom hangouts. It helped a little,
but because my mental status has
always been a little better than
theirs, I was never a focus of
support.
As the world has begun to
open up, we have been able to
see each other in person, and it
has become obvious to me that
I need to distance myself from
them to protect what I have
worked so hard to maintain. Do
I owe them an explanation about
why I cannot be with them?
are friendly with you. Some may
also find the concept of being
friends with a gay man to be
threatening.
Taking part in group activities
and outings is certainly a way to
connect with others regardless
of sexual orientation. Eventu-
ally, you’ll meet people and form
friendships. In the meantime,
appreciate those female friends
of yours and ask them for some
input, too.
DEAR ABBY: This has been
a rough pandemic for all of us.
We have all experienced the con-
stant fear of disease, job loss
and the pressure to react to those
stresses in prescribed ways that
aren’t always easy. For those of
us who deal with mental health
issues on the best of days, it has
existing definitions of jobs.
BOLI needs to keep both
workers and operators in
these areas up to date with
changes in the the rule.
On technical job
training, Kulla said he
wants to see more coopera-
tion with Oregon employers
so that the students who
commit to the programs
as a path to their post-high
school or community col-
lege working lives don’t just
end up with a certificate.
“There has to be a clear
path to real jobs at the end,”
he said.
Astoria
Christina Stephenson
The day after Kulla
filed for BOLI, he was fol-
lowed by Christina Ste-
phenson, a Democrat and
employee rights attorney.
Stephenson has won the
backing of at least 21 labor
union groups, including
the AFL-CIO, AFSCME,
Teamsters, along with
political action committees
for Planned Parenthood
and Pro Choice Oregon.
She’s been endorsed
by Hoyle, and four former
BOLIs. Political backers
include U.S. Sen. Jeff
Merkley, former Gov.
Barbara Roberts, House
Speaker Dan Rayfield,
DeFazio, and eight cur-
rent state lawmakers,
along with several local
officeholders.
Stephenson says she’s
had a front row seat to the
shortcomings of labor law
in Oregon.
“My job has been rep-
resenting workers getting
a raw deal for employers
who aren’t following the
rules,” Stephenson said.
Stephenson said BOLI
needs to be a resource
for both employers and
employees so that they
know what’s right and
wrong from the start.
Longview
45/51
Kennewick
47/54
St. Helens
51/57
50/57
Portland
Condon
49/62
SAT
SUN
MON
Partly cloudy
Rain and drizzle
A few showers
Morning snow
showers
A little rain
46 27
41 22
43 25
Eugene
0
0
0
49/59
45 30
43 30
47 30
0
0
1
48 60 35
Comfort Index™ 10
Enterprise
8
44 61 29
Comfort Index™ 10
43 30
0
0
0
9
TUESDAY EXTREMES
ALMANAC
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High Tuesday
Low Tuesday
High: 101°
Low: 10°
Wettest: 4.48”
45°
24°
48°
29°
49°
34°
Tuesday
Trace
Month to date
0.04
Normal month to date 0.13
Year to date
0.71
Normal year to date
2.19
0.00
0.08
0.29
2.46
4.91
0.02
0.11
0.40
7.30
8.26
PRECIPITATION (inches)
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
HAY INFORMATION FRIDAY
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
35%
WNW at 8 to 16 mph
10.9
0.13
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Wednesday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
47/56
10% of capacity
67% of capacity
42% of capacity
73% of capacity
38% of capacity
94% of capacity
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Tuesday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
3700 cfs
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder
1 cfs
Burnt River near Unity
4 cfs
Umatilla River near Gibbon
360 cfs
Minam River at Minam
349 cfs
Powder River near Richland
43 cfs
Zapata, Texas
Dakota Hill, Colo.
Hattiesburg, Miss.
OREGON
High: 58°
Low: 19°
Wettest: 0.19”
Eugene
Crater Lake
McMinnville
Lightning struck an oil refi nery on April
7, 1926, at San Luis Obispo, Calif. The
resulting fi re lasted fi ve days, scorched
900 acres and burned more than 6 million
barrels of oil.
SUN & MOON
THU.
FRI.
6:22 a.m. 6:20 a.m.
7:28 p.m. 7:29 p.m.
9:51 a.m. 10:41 a.m.
1:35 a.m. 2:29 a.m.
MOON PHASES
First
Apr 8
Full
Apr 16
Last
Apr 23
41/59
Beaver Marsh
39/53
48/60
New
Apr 30
Jordan Valley
Paisley
Frenchglen
48/75
City
Astoria
Bend
Boise
Brookings
Burns
Coos Bay
Corvallis
Council
Elgin
Eugene
Hermiston
Hood River
Imnaha
John Day
Joseph
Kennewick
Klamath Falls
Lakeview
Hi/Lo/W
51/41/sh
57/31/c
79/34/c
57/42/pc
72/23/c
54/43/sh
55/38/sh
70/31/pc
58/34/sh
59/41/sh
64/39/c
57/42/r
69/37/pc
67/29/sh
61/29/c
67/39/c
63/25/pc
70/25/c
Hi/Lo/W
49/37/r
45/31/c
51/30/pc
55/40/s
48/20/pc
52/42/sh
52/36/r
46/24/c
43/29/pc
53/38/r
55/36/pc
49/39/r
46/30/pc
44/26/pc
40/24/c
57/38/pc
47/22/s
48/18/s
Grand View
Arock
36/82
37/79
42/79
Klamath Falls
38/63
Lakeview
37/70
McDermitt
Shown is Friday’s weather. Temperatures are Thursday night’s lows and Friday’s highs.
SAT.
Diamond
45/74
Fields
50/62
FRI.
Boise
43/77
44/70
38/57
Medford
Brookings
38/77
44/79
46/61
45/57
Juntura
34/72
Silver Lake
Chiloquin
Grants Pass
Ontario
39/78
Burns
40/66
40/77
RECREATION FORECAST FRIDAY
REGIONAL CITIES
WEATHER HISTORY
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
Brothers
44/53
Roseburg
Huntington
41/65
Bend
Coos Bay
39/70
40/73
Seneca
45/57
Oakridge
Council
36/62
46/67
46/53
Elkton
Powers
37/67
42/58
John Day
42/59
Sisters
Florence
47/55
Halfway
Granite
Baker City
46/54
Comfort Index takes into account how the weather will feel based on a combination of factors. A rating of 10 feels
very comfortable while a rating of 0 feels very uncomfortable.
45/61
Redmond
48/59
39 24
Monument
46/55
Newport
Enterprise
44/61
48/60
46/51
48/56
Corvallis
45/52
40 25
43/58
La Grande
47/56
49/61
Idanha
Salem
FRI
La Grande
Elgin
Pendleton
The Dalles
51/58
48/57
TONIGHT
9
47/60
46/60
Newberg
Lewiston
46/63
Hood River
Maupin
Comfort Index™ 10
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
Walla Walla
43/67
Vancouver
48/56
TIllamook
36 62 29
“The law is compli-
cated,” she said. “There
are a number of dif-
ferent tests — civil rights
vs. wage and hour laws,
workers compensation,
unemployment. Both sides
are probably unsure of
where they stand. BOLI’s
role is to help everyone
understand rights and
responsibilities.”
Stephenson said the gig
economy in which busi-
ness consider themselves
middlemen between cus-
tomers and contracted
workers will be a challenge
to define in labor law. So
will the evolving status of
farm workers.
“It’s up to the Legisla-
ture to make the laws,” she
said.
That may mean taking
a step like California to
legally define the status of
gig workers as employees
or something else.
“What everyone wants
and needs is clarity and
simplicity,” Stephenson
said.
BOLI’s role in job and
technical training is to
align students as early as
middle school to know their
options. Programs have to
match employers’ needs.
The result has to be good
jobs that pay a living wage.
Stephenson said she was
proud of the support she’s
received from organized
labor, but that didn’t mean
she would come into the
job in an adversarial stance
to business.
“Quality jobs, fair
housing, fair wages, should
all be pretty non-contro-
versial issues,” she said.
“Our good employers
don’t want these bad actors
breaking the law. It puts
them at a competitive dis-
advantage when someone
else is making money
through wage theft.”
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
46/51
Baker City
I worry that pointing out that
things are not good would drag
them down further.
These are people I have
known for decades, but I don’t
have the energy to act as emo-
tional support for them anymore.
I’d like to leave them in the best
shape I can. What should I say
to them? — CARING FRIEND
IN THE EAST
DEAR CARING FRIEND:
Be less available when you are
contacted. When you do, your
excuse should be truthful. Say
you need time to yourself to
work on your own mental health
issues and therefore will be less
available. You do not have to
apologize for it, nor should you
feel guilty for taking care of
yourself.
City
Lewiston
Longview
Meacham
Medford
Newport
Olympia
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Powers
Redmond
Roseburg
Salem
Spokane
The Dalles
Ukiah
Walla Walla
FRI.
SAT.
Hi/Lo/W
63/40/pc
54/40/sh
58/33/pc
62/38/c
52/40/sh
52/38/c
78/39/pc
68/41/c
60/35/c
58/41/sh
56/42/sh
59/31/c
60/43/sh
56/39/sh
59/32/c
62/44/pc
56/29/c
60/39/c
Hi/Lo/W
52/34/sh
47/39/r
43/30/pc
56/35/pc
49/37/r
50/34/r
58/34/pc
59/37/pc
51/33/pc
51/40/r
52/40/r
45/29/sh
53/40/c
51/39/r
49/29/pc
54/41/r
40/25/r
51/33/sh
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice
ANTHONY LAKES
PHILLIPS LAKE
Cooler
A p.m. shower
42
16
60
30
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Showers around
A p.m. shower
48
25
71
35
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
Rain and snow
Rain and drizzle
48
20
51
27
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
Cooler in the p.m.
Cooler
61
29
58
35
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Showers around
Rain and drizzle
62
29
60
35