Oregon

Oregon’s ‘30 Years War’ over campaign finance reform approaches its final battle – Oregon Capital Chronicle

Published

3 months ago

February 29, 2024

Oregon’s ‘30 Years War’ over campaign finance reform approaches its final battle – Oregon Capital Chronicle

How did we get to the point in Oregon’s current legislative session that leaders of both parties and representatives of major business and labor groups are uniting in an effort to enact long-overdue limits on big money donations to candidate campaigns?

One reason: Voters clearly want something done. A 2023 poll by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center found 75% of Oregonians agree that “laws should be passed to regulate unlimited money in political campaigns.”

Another reason: Reformers have used the initiative process to keep this issue in front of voters and the courts for 30 years now.

But the real reason: With voter approval of a constitutional amendment to authorize campaign funding and spending limits in 2020, sponsors of the latest campaign finance reform initiative (Initiative Petition 9) have the political winds at their back as they work to qualify their measure for this year’s general election ballot.

In short, the good government reformers appear to be holding a winning hand, and institutional insiders want to reshuffle the deck. But it has taken too long, with too many election wins overturned in unfriendly courtrooms and promises made but never delivered by cagey lawmakers for the reformers to fold their hand now.

For three decades, Oregon voters have been supporting ballot initiatives to limit the role of big money in candidate elections. In 1994, they approved Measure 9 by 72% in favor and 28% against to limit contributions to candidates and campaign spending. But, just three years later, the Oregon Supreme Court gutted the measure and left candidates free to pursue unlimited contributions from wealthy donors and well-funded political action committees.

I remember sitting in a legislative hearing room on the February morning in 1997 when the Supreme Court released its decision (in Vannatta v. Keisling) invalidating the contribution limits in Measure 9. A staff person whispered the news to the chair of the committee, who immediately recessed the hearing, took a few steps from the dais and, gesturing like a gambler pulling the lever of a slot machine, quipped to those nearby: “Ka-ching, ka-ching.” I thought at the time: That says it all.

But the good government groups behind Measure 9 never gave up. They took a two-pronged approach to the ballot in 2006, with proposals to amend the state constitution to authorize campaign contribution and spending limits (Measure 46) and another to place specific limits in statute (Measure 47). The former failed, but voters approved the contribution limits in the latter, only to have the secretary of state declare them unenforceable and the courts to affirm them as inoperative without a constitutional amendment or a reversal of the Vannatta decision.

Then, in 2020, the reformers got both. The Oregon Supreme Court reversed its decision in the Vannatta case in response to yet another campaign finance measure approved by the voters in Multnomah County. And, later that year, voters statewide approved a constitutional amendment (Measure 107) to allow the enactment of campaign contribution and spending limits at the state and local level. The vote for Measure 107 was 78% in favor, even stronger than the vote for Measure 9 in 1994.

In the wake of these victories, the drafters of IP 9 are well on their way to delivering a viable campaign finance proposal to Oregon voters. According to the summary of IP 9’s provisions approved by the Oregon Supreme Court, the initiative would limit contributions to candidates and political committees, limit the carry forward of unspent campaign funds after elections and require political advertisements to identify their top four funders, among other provisions.

If ever there was a more determined and singularly focused use of the initiative process to advance the will of the voters over the entrenched and dogged resistance of institutional interests, I can’t think of one. And, whatever one thinks of the mind-numbing details of campaign contribution limits and the risk of driving big money into the dark corners of independent expenditure campaigns, the reformers who brought us to this point deserve our respect.

Perhaps it is a kind of respect that they’re now getting from the Legislature. Lawmakers are not only paying attention, they’re trying to enact legislation that will give themselves a first mover advantage on an issue they’ve been resisting for decades.

In these election year legislative sessions, it’s not unusual for the governor and lawmakers to engage with the sponsors of competing ballot measures, broker compromises and enact legislation to avoid what are always called “costly ballot measure fights.” In other instances, they’ve joined those fights, by referring their own alternatives to the ballot.

But what’s happening this time is different. Backers of IP 9 don’t want to negotiate any changes; they’re confident that they’ll have the support of the voters in November. Meanwhile, lawmakers and their major donors aren’t interested in going head-to-head with IP 9 by sending their own measure to the ballot. Instead, by enacting their own proposal, legislators hope to convince voters that there’s nothing to see here anymore and it’s time to move on to other issues.

I’m not taking sides at this point on the merits of the Legislature’s plan (House Bill 4024-3) versus IP 9. But I do think voters deserve to consider any alternative proposal from the Legislature on equal ground with IP 9.

For now, it’s worth recognizing what has created this moment of legislative urgency and business-labor cooperation. As a spokesperson for Oregon Business and Industry, the state’s largest business group, told Oregon Public Broadcasting, “We think the current system, frankly, works just fine. But we’re responding to a reality where campaign finance reform is coming. The days of the current system are over.”

Give credit to the backers of IP 9 for creating that reality. And stay tuned for what’s likely to be the final battle in Oregon’s “30 Years War” over campaign finance reform in which the good government reformers once again take on the institutional insiders.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Source link

Related Topics:Campaign finance Featured Legislature Trend – Election 2024

Click to comment

Oregon

‘They are stunt kings’: 36th Annual Oregon International Airshow kicks off

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

‘They are stunt kings’: 36th Annual Oregon International Airshow kicks off

HILLSBORO Ore. (KPTV) – Oregon’s 36th annual international air show kicked off Friday night in Hillsboro and hundreds of people showed up for the occasion!

For people who show up every year, including Chris Roman, he said it never gets old.

“You know, it’s like a birthday. It’s not quite the same every year but it’s still fun each and every year. There’s always something different and there’s always different stories you hear about the pilots so it’s a great time,” Roman said.

SEE ALSO:

Community members got the chance to sound off on a proposed rate hike by Portland General Electric Thursday night.

The show features the U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper and U.S. Navy F/A-18 Rhino demonstration teams which will both fly heritage flights with the P-51 Val-Halla and F6F Hellcat.

People who attended the event also got to see the F-15 Strike Eagles of the 366th Fighter Wing, the Air Force’s C-17 and KC-135 demonstration teams.

“These guys are acrobats, and they are stunt kings,” Perry Manns said.

Some planes even brought back memories for some, including Teresa Busch.

SEE ALSO:

Along with the K9 Trials will be a community fair where you can pick up some free doggie treats made by a special group of local kids.

“I brought my dad the last year, prior to this passing. He was a World War II vet and Korean war vet, and they treated him like royalty,” Busch said.

Another attendee said seeing the planes up close and personal made him regret his own career decision.

“Oh my God…I should’ve joined the Air Force, instead of the Coast Guard,” Perry Manns laughed.

The 2024 Oregon International Air Show will take the skies from May 17-19 at the Hillsboro Municipal Airport at 3355 NE Cornell Rd., Hillsboro, OR 97124.

Tickets can be found here.

Source link

Oregon

Oregon man charged with murder in suspicious deaths of 3 women in 'complex' case: DA

Published

9 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

Oregon man charged with murder in suspicious deaths of 3 women in 'complex' case: DA

An Oregon man has been charged in the murders of three women who were found dead under “suspicious circumstances” last year, officials announced Friday.

Authorities have identified one suspect in the deaths of the three women – Charity Lynn Perry, 24, Bridget Leanne Webster, 31, and Joanna Speaks, 32 – the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said Friday.

Bridget Leanne Webster, Charity Lynn Perry, and Joanna Speaks.

Multnomah County DA/Clark County Sheriff’s Office

Jesse Lee Calhoun, 39, has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse in connection with the women’s deaths, the district attorney’s office said, after a grand jury returned the six-count indictment on Thursday.

At a press briefing Friday, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt called the case “complex,” and said it required a “significant investigation” involving multiple law enforcement agencies.

“There’s still more work to be done, investigations are ongoing,” Schmidt said.

Calhoun has been in custody at Snake River Correctional Institution since July 2023 for unrelated charges and was scheduled to be released next month, online Oregon Department of Corrections records show. He is expected to be transferred to the custody of Multnomah County authorities for arraignment, prosecutors said. It is unclear if Calhoun has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Multnomah County authorities, citing the ongoing investigation, released few details about the case, including what alleged evidence led them to the suspect and how the women died.

Speaks’ body was found at an abandoned property in Ridgefield, Washington, on April 8, 2023, authorities said. Police in Portland, Oregon, said in November 2023 that the homicide was believed to have happened in Portland.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said in July 2023 that they were investigating whether the deaths of four women – including Perry and Webster – who were found dead throughout Oregon were related. The announcement came weeks after Portland police spoke out against online speculation regarding a possible serial killer in the Pacific Northwest.

PHOTO: This undated photo provided by the Oregon Department of Corrections show Jesse Lee Calhoun, who has been under investigation in the deaths of four women whose bodies were found scattered across northwest Oregon last year. — This undated photo provided by the Oregon Department of Corrections show Jesse Lee Calhoun, who has been under investigation in the deaths of four women whose bodies were found scattered across northwest Oregon last year.
Oregon Department of Corrections via AP

Perry’s body was found in a culvert near Ainsworth State Park in east Multnomah County on April 24, 2023, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon said Webster’s body was found six days later, on April 30, 2023.

Perry’s mother, Diana Allen, told reporters Friday that it’s been “very, very frustrating” for the families of the victims not to have answers amid the ongoing investigation, but that she has had respect for the district attorney office’s process.

“Even though they wouldn’t give me the answers, I knew they had answers,” she said.

The deaths of two other women – Kristin Smith and Ashley Real, both 22 – initially believed to have been linked, remain under investigation, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said Friday.

The body of Smith, who was reported missing in December 2022, was found on Feb. 19, 2023, in a wooded area in Portland, police said. Real’s body was found in a wooded area in Clackamas County in Oregon in May 2023, a month after she was reported missing to Portland police, authorities said.

“We keep waiting, we keep praying and stay hopeful,” Melissa Smith, Kristin Smith’s mother, said during Friday’s press briefing. “We stay hopeful that we soon can get justice for them as well.”

Source link

Oregon

Arizona drops opening game of Oregon State series | ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com

Published

16 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

Arizona drops opening game of Oregon State series | ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com

Arizona’s second largest crowd of 4,600 (second largest of the year)watching the Wildcats in their 9-2 loss to Oregon State. (Arizona Athletics photo)

No. 14 Arizona (32-19, 19-9) opened their three game series at Hi Corbett Field against No. 6 Oregon State a game and a half ahead of the Beavers in the race for the final Pac-12 regular season championship.

By the end of Thursday night, that lead dwindled to a half-game as the Beavers(40-12, 18-9) used a five-run third inning to defeat the Wildcats 9-2 in the series opener.

“There was not a facet of the game I thought we did very well at all,” Arizona coach Chip Hale said.

Aiden May, Oregon States starting pitcher, happens to be a familiar face for Arizona. The right hander transferred to Oregon State after spending the previous year with the Wildcats.

May pitched 7 innings, had 7 strikes, allowing 6 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) to improve to 6-0 on the season.

Jackson Kent, Arizona’s starting pitcher, opened the game with a strike out of Oregon States lead-off batter and No.2 draft prospect Travis Bazzana on a 96-mph fastball.

Kent pitched two solid innings before the Beavers opened the dam in the third inning including two 2 RBI homers one by designated hitter Gavin Turley and the other by right fielder Brady Kasper.

“First inning he looked dynamite, 95.. his breaking ball was snapping, just ran into a buzz saw there, they did a great job. Haven’t had many of those starts obviously all year he’s been great.” Said Hale.

Arizona, already skinny in the outfield position, with Easton Breyfogle (hamstring) day-to-day and TJ Adams (shoulder) out indefinitely, lost another one when right fielder Emilio Corona was hit in the hand while up to bat in the second inning.

Corona, in obvious pain, took the field in the third and fourth inning before getting pulled.

“The way it got so swollen so quick, it’s not good,” Hale said about Corona’s hand.

With Corona out, pitcher Casey Hintz may see some time in the outfield in Friday’s game.

Arizona’s first run came in the third inning when Brandon Rogers hit a single to the right side. A fielding error by Oregon State’s right fielder Brady allowed Rogers to show his speed, ending up safe at third base.

Richie Morales’ ground out brought Rogers across the plate.

The Wildcats’ second and final score of the night came in the eight inning. Freshman first baseman Andrew Cain doubled down the first base line and Morales hit into a double play, advanced Cain home.

Arizona, needing one win against Oregon State to secure the Pac-12 regular season championship, will start Clark Candiotti on the mound Friday night.

Game two in the series will start at 6:00 p.m. at Hi Corbett Field.