Oregon’s Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) has been gasping for air, trying to stay afloat for years. It took a major dunking again in 2022, swallowing another $8 billion of added debt into its beleaguered balance sheet. The fund currently is about $28 billion short of the funds necessary to pay for its pension obligation to retirees.
When it comes to musical chairs, political candidates are masters of the game. Only one can claim the prize, the others are left scratching their heads. Oregon Congressional District 5 has attracted four notable entrants including a Republican incumbent and three Democrats jockeying for position in a race with national implications for party control in the next Congress.
In a forest of legislators, the majority of whom hadn’t yet been planted in their seats three years ago, Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene) stands like an obelisk of petrified wood. Serving nearly two decades in the House of Representatives, he is eclipsed only by Rep. Greg Smith (R-Heppner) in seniority in the chamber. This week, Holvey faces a recall election, composed and orchestrated by one of his long-time allies: the United Food & Commercial Workers union.
Hope. If a life could be described in those four letters, Joanne Verger’s life would match like a fingerprint.
The former Oregon State Senator, Representative, Mayor, Strawberry Queen, and standup performer lived a life of hope, based on faith, love, grace and resolve, and was generous in sharing it with all she met. Joanne left us today at age 93, leaving Oregon a little emptier yet a whole lot richer.
Mike was a quiet mentor to all he worked with. He didn’t tell you how to do things, he showed you by the way he went about his work. His grace and calm were a distinguishing contrast to the chaos that often permeated the newsroom on a busy day of breaking news.
Oregon entered unchartered waters last week with the announcement that Legacy Health System, a private healthcare provider, would ‘merge’ with the state-sponsored Oregon Health and Science University. In this proposal, OHSU will be the surviving entity and will continue to be governed by its board of directors.
Numbers may not lie, but our interpretation of their meaning is often critical. Kotek’s numbers in the poll show an approval rating of 45% and a disapproval rating of 39% for a net positive of six points. Last fall, the same numbers for Gov. Brown were 41% approval and 54% disapproval, or a negative 13 points. Combined, that’s a 19-point swing to the upside.
The City Council voted this week to impose a payroll tax on all employees and independent contractors “for work performed within the Salem city limits.” The ordinance particularly calls out employees of the “State of Oregon” and “any political subdivision of the state.”
On Wednesday, the Senate moved the final passage of HB 2426 by one vote to end the prohibition on self-serve gas stations – allowing Oregonians to pump their own gas.
Throughout our history there have been legislative issues that have deeply divided the Oregon assembly. Should our Democratic Republic survive, there will be many more. Democracy survives only by engagement, not withdrawal.
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