Health Options Digest
October 23, 2005
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
Two Weeks In Review
There's been a flood of news in the past two weeks, but we will focus mostly on just two stories: a new Triad hospital and the court ruling on Measure 37.
First, Triad rejected the Eugene Clinic site for a new hospital after consulting with PeaceHealth and the City of Eugene. So Triad will keep dancing around looking for a place to land in the continuing game of "Musical Hospitals."
Reportedly, Triad rejected the Eugene Clinic site because PeaceHealth wasn't willing to vacate the site fast enough.
But we wonder if there was another an unspoken reason, as we believe the Eugene Clinic site could have worked if there had been the will to do so. In particular, architects who looked at the site talked about building a new hospital on underutilized parking lots owned by PeaceHealth while the Eugene Clinic continued to operate. The City of Eugene could have helped with parking by building a parking structure nearby.
So now what?
The EWEB site? We don't think so. If PeaceHealth, which is already constructed a new facility, couldn't vacate fast enough, then EWEB, which hasn't even found a new facility, certainly couldn't.
The rumors we are hearing are that the top possibilities are in Glenwood or in north Eugene. But we hope that Triad hasn't forgotten that PeaceHealth tried to move to the Crescent site (now owned by John Musumeci) in north Eugene just a few years ago. Can you say neighborhood outrage and traffic problems?
A new possibility is the U of O's Westmoreland Apartments, which it just announced it wants to vacate soon. But it won't begin to vacate them until the end of this academic year, which may not be fast enough for Triad's ambitious schedule. In any case, the same doctors who nixed the Second & Chambers site will most likely nix the Westmoreland site.
We really wish someone with strong leadership skills would step into the game of "Musical Hospitals," stop the music, and show everyone where they should sit.
Second, in a sweeping opinion a Marion County Circuit Court judge ruled that Measure 37 is unconstitutional. Our understanding is that this ruling does -- or should -- put a halt to all Measure 37 activity. Any waivers that have already been granted are now "null and void" -- at least until such time as the Oregon Supreme Court might reverse the lower court's decision. But some counties, including we understand Lane County, are acting as if the court ruling doesn't apply to them and are now proceeding to carry out an unconstitutional law.
You can read more news and views about Measure 37 in the sections below.
Here we will merely note that the radical right is screaming about "activist judges" and the "will of the people." We really wish that those who profess to stand for law and order would, in fact, respect the rule of law, both in terms of land use regulations that apply equally to all Oregonians and in terms of our constitutional system of checks and balances that prevents the legislature or the people from going too far with the passions of the day.
More broadly, we think that what is happening now is the sign of a healthy democracy. People are actually talking about and discussing the pros and cons of Measure 37, what is important to them, and what should be done. This is exactly the kind of discussion that is needed before deciding to make a significant change to how Oregon protects our land and our property values. It is the kind of discussion that should have occurred, but unfortunately to a great extent didn't, prior to the passage of Measure 37.
There are problems with land use regulations unfairly harming some property owners. In particular, people who own land udnerstandably want to live on that land. Oregon needs to find a sensible way to address legitimate cases of hardship, but in a way that is affordable and fair to all Oregonians.
We lament that the legislature appears to not be up to the task of helping find such a solution. That is too bad, and makes one wonder why we have a legislature. But if the legislature is bad, trying to pass significant laws through the initiative process is probably even worse, as people don't have the time or interest to read the important fine print before voting "yes" or "no." In the case of Measure 37, the fine print was the problem. The devil often is in the details.
In other news, America's system of health care is broken and it is resulting in the loss of living wage jobs, hence in the ability of average Americans to afford housing. See how the various topics we cover are intertwined?
Bucking the trend, Recreational Equipment Inc. is offering health insurance to all its employees.
Some local doctors are providing more personal care, but for a price.
There is renewed interest in a conference center now that Eugene will be the site of the 2008 Olympic Trials.
Lane County is looking to impose some kind of new tax to pay for public safety. But it may see less revenue from the federal government in lieu of forest receipts. On the other hand, Lane County may be able to raise more money by allocating enough money to accurately assess rising property values.
Lane Transit District was named transit system of the year by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Finally, LTD board member Dave Kleger has said he will step down after his third term ends later this year. People who live in the Bethel-Danebo area who are interested in serving on the LTD board should contact the governor's office for more info: http://www.governor.state.or.us/Gov/pdf/forms/Interestformdown.pdf
Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Opportunities
LTD Board Seats Open
By Kera Abraham
Eugene Weekly | September 22, 2005 |
Lane Transit District has had a hectic year. A worker strike in early 2005 punctuated accusations of mismanagement by General Manager Ken Hamm, and riders have complained about sweeping service cuts and fee increases. Reactions to the planned Bus Rapid Transit System, which will use hybrid-electric buses for quicker routes between Eugene and Springfield, have been mixed.
Whether you give LTD a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down, you can direct it toward the agency's board of directors, which must approve all major decisions. Three of the seven board members' terms expire at the end of the year, creating an opportunity for change.
Unlike other local agencies funded by public dollars, the LTD board is appointed by the governor rather than elected, in accordance with the state statute. Last legislative session, State Sen. Bill Morrisette of Springfield introduced a bill requiring local election of the LTD board, but the bill died in committee.
LTD board members Susan Ban, Gerry Gaydos and Dave Kleger's terms will expire at the beginning of 2006. LTD spokesman Andy Vobora says that the agency will set a Dec. 1 deadline for potential board members' applications. The governor will then recommend three candidates, and the Senate will confirm or reject the appointments at a January meeting.
LTD doesn't plan to run paid advertisements about the open positions in local newspapers. Vobora says that the governor's office directs the agency not to spend money on recruitment, but governor spokeswoman Holly Armstrong says that LTD is free to advertise as it wishes.
The lack of advertising frustrates LTD rider Dorothy Ehli. "It's a good-old-boy network going on here," she says.
Sen. Morrisette echoes her concerns. "I have always felt that the LTD management makes the recommendations to the governor and that's how appointments are made. It's a closed circle," he says. "There should be some public posting of these positions. We want people over a wide range of socio-economic groups to apply, not just the people who the board thinks would fit. To me, that defeats the whole idea of representation."
Applicants must live within specific geographic areas: north Eugene (east of River Road) and Coburg for Position 4; Central and West Eugene, including the UO area, downtown, and the Whiteaker, Jefferson, and West Side neighborhoods for Position 5; and West Eugene/Highway 99, River Road, and Junction City areas for Position 6. Candidates can download applications from http://www.governor.state.or.us/Gov/pdf/forms/Interestformdown.pdf
PeaceHealth
Letter -- Hilyard hospital site has it all
By Ron Davis, Cottage Grove
The Register-Guard | October 10, 2005 |
In the near-perfect world, religious-based hospitals would live up to their mission statements. PeaceHealth's includes a desire "to promote personal and community health."
After the recent national disasters we can all see a need to have a full service hospital on both sides of the river. With this thought, perhaps PeaceHealth will donate the Hilyard Street facility to the city or county when they have their new RiverBend medical center built.
This will probably not happen. So in the next-to-perfect world, we would hope that our city and county officials would step into their leadership roles. Rather than condemnation of individual property owners, take the property that can best serve our personal and community health needs.
The Sacred Heart Hilyard site has it all. It doesn't need to be torn down and rebuilt. Its construction was partially funded with tax monies.
We need to reclaim our public assets and move toward making health care accessible and affordable.
Letter -- Competition good for hospitals
By Bob Eastgate, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 11, 2005 |
I'm for hospitals making a profit, as no business needs to live in the red, and I believe in the free enterprise concept. Money fuels health care, whether paid for or provided by charity. It's a social issue that needs to be addressed.
Those who have planned their life right seem to be able to take care of themselves. I was a recent guest of Sacred Heart General Hospital with prostate cancer surgery and experienced good and bad services. Waiting two hours past a pain medication time is not what I expected.
I've also willed my entire estate to Sacred Heart and will soon change that.
A for-profit hospital in our area should make health care very competitive, and I believe the open-market concept of health care will greatly improve things, be more competitive and make health care options more available and affordable. I was appalled at the article about people going to India for health care because of costs here.
Have our Lane County health care providers forgotten their Hippocratic oath? The health care elite are living at the benefit of those who have insurance to fuel their lifestyle.
Mel Pyne -- Big changes afoot in Lane County health care
By Mel Pyne
The Register-Guard | October 19, 2005 |
As the new CEO of PeaceHealth in Oregon and a former member of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center's management team, it is exciting to return to Lane County at such an important juncture in the history of health care in this community. Many changes are afoot, and along with change comes the constant imperative to communicate.
By way of introduction to the community, I wanted to take this opportunity to communicate PeaceHealth's plans for the new RiverBend campus, the Hilyard campus, and our position regarding McKenzie-Willamette's new hospital site: (more...)
Mel Pyne -- PeaceHealth CEO: Time to heal, focus on community
By Mel Pyne
The Springfield News | October 19, 2005 |
As the new CEO of PeaceHealth in Oregon and a former member of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital's management team, it is exciting to return to Lane County at such an important juncture in the history of health care in this community. Many changes are afoot, and along with change comes the constant imperative to communicate. By way of introduction to the community, I wanted to take this opportunity to communicate PeaceHealth's plans for the new RiverBend campus, the renovation of the Hilyard campus, and our position regarding McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center's new hospital site. (more...)
Editorial -- RiverBend will be great; just don't look back
| The Springfield News | October 21, 2005 |
With a wonderful new hospital being built in north Springfield right now, the future looks really bright for health care in our town. Looking forward, into the future, should put a smile on the face of anyone who loves Springfield; the most advanced medical facility between Portland and San Francisco is about to land in our city.
But do stay focused on the future. If you look over your shoulder, you might break down and cry.
It's time to talk turkey about the game of Musical Hospitals we've gone through. Call it a catharsis -- getting it out of our system so we can move on. Because what's done is done and there is no going back. (more...)
McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
Clinic site unavailable, hospital told
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | October 14, 2005 |
The long-held Eugene City Council goal of luring a new hospital to the downtown core has hit the brick wall of reality.
The council's latest preferred spot for a new McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center -- the PeaceHealth Medical Group clinic and adjacent property at West 12th Avenue and Willamette Street -- is not now, and may never be, for sale, hospital and city officials agree.
The 9-acre, four-square-block area officially fell off the negotiation table following a Wednesday afternoon meeting between executives of PeaceHealth, McKenzie-Willamette, and Eugene City Manager Dennis Taylor.
Even if PeaceHealth decided to sell the clinic site, which it has not done, the property wouldn't be available until 2010, according to a Thursday letter to the City Council signed by PeaceHealth CEO Mel Pyne, McKenzie-Willamette CEO Roy Orr and Taylor. (more...)
Letter -- Eugene already has a hospital
By Glen Campbell, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 14, 2005 |
I'm beginning to understand the actions of the Eugene City Council related to hospitals. Like George Bush, councilors apparently don't read newspapers.
Our city leaders seem to be hyperventilating at the prospect of luring Triad into town under the guise of needing a hospital in the central downtown area, south of the Willamette River. Has anyone noticed the city of Eugene already has one of those? It's known as Sacred Heart Medical Center -- fairly big place, you can hardly miss it. But just to be sure, it's located at 1255 Hilyard St. The City Council should wander over some day and take a tour.
Ah, but you may think Sacred Heart is moving out of downtown. Actually, not true. Yes, PeaceHealth is building a new hospital at the RiverBend site in Springfield. But as reported in this paper, PeaceHealth will also be redeveloping its Hilyard Street location, leaving a hospital with more than 100 beds -- and an emergency department -- right where it is. Downtown, south of the river.
Does Eugene really need two downtown hospitals? Residents should ask why our City Council needs to do much of anything to assist a for-profit health care corporation based in Texas to build a second downtown hospital, particularly if the incentives involve taxpayer money.
Eugene already has what the City Council seems to covet so dearly, and it's not going anywhere. To the council: Read the paper!
The R-G's Triad Site
By Alan Pittman
Eugene Weekly | October 20, 2005 |
Is The Register-Guard going to cash in on Triad?
The R-G owns a vacant 47-acre business park on Chad Drive in north Eugene that has enough room to accommodate Triad's proposed new hospital. The R-G's developer for its Summer Oaks Business Park, Dan Tucci, said he hasn't heard the hospital is interested in the site.
The paper announced in April that it was asking the city to rezone the land from an industrial designation to commercial. That zoning change could make it easier to build a hospital on the land. (more...)
Letter -- Relocate O'Hara
By Mark Sixel, Eugene
Eugene Weekly | October 20, 2005 |
As an alternative to the PeaceHealth Clinic site for a new McKenzie-Willamette hospital, Eugene and Triad should consider the location of Jefferson Memorial Park and O'Hara School locations on West 18th.
As opposed to the myriad of problems for the downtown site, not the least of which are timing, cost and what to do with the clinic until RiverBend is completed, acquiring the sites near O'Hara would involve only the relocation of the school and a few older houses along 18th. The sites contain plenty of open space, are located across Amazon Creek near the Fairgrounds (for future expansion possibilities), are larger than the four blocks presently being considered, are located along one of Eugene's major bike paths (for alternative transportation) and could have easy road access from 13th, 18th, Jefferson and the 105 ramps. In addition, Amazon Creek provides an opportunity for enhanced landscaping possibilities throughout the site.
As an alternative for O'Hara, the city owns plenty of park space near Kid Sports (in Westmoreland Park) that could be devoted to a new O'Hara School with fields shared by Kid Sports, O'Hara and Jefferson Middle School. This location would allow O'Hara's entrance to move off of busy 18th Avenue, would eliminate land acquisition costs to the city and allow Triad's land purchase dollars be spent on a new O'Hara school.
Letter -- Certificate of Need process
By Jana Fussell, Program Coordinator, Certificate of Need Program, Department of Human Services, Portland
The Register-Guard | October 12, 2005 |
Readers of reporter Joe Harwood's Sept. 19 article "Whither McKenzie-Willamette?" may be left with a mistaken impression of how Oregon's Certificate of Need process works. I'd like to set the record straight.
The role of the CN program is to explain to applicants the options available to them, but they are then responsible for deciding what actions to take. In April, McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center submitted a letter of intent for a new hospital to be located in downtown Eugene. Our response was that the project was subject to CN review. Under CN rules, McKenzie-Willamette was then free to submit an application anytime after the end of May.
Their application was submitted on Aug. 29. It is up to applicants to decide when to submit an application. Once it has been received, our first step is to review it for completeness. Once the application is found to be complete, it is then evaluated on its merits.
Acceptance of an application for review is a procedural step; it does not foreshadow any particular outcome. There has been no reversal of position by the CN program.
Finally, we do not give rulings to applicants, or reporters, over the phone. Our decisions are made in written form and are in response to written materials submitted by applicants or affected parties.
Hospital files court petition
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | October 18, 2005 |
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center late Monday filed a petition in Lane County Circuit Court alleging that state hospital regulators violated their own rules when they declined to process McKenzie- Willamette's application for a $225 million hospital in Eugene.
The petition for judicial review asks the court to order the Oregon Department of Human Services to begin processing the application, as well as order the agency to review the request simultaneously with a competing proposal submitted by larger rival PeaceHealth, according to court documents. (more...)
State may process hospital proposal
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | October 19, 2005 |
A Lane County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday declined to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent state hospital regulators from further processing PeaceHealth's application to turn its campus on Hilyard Street in Eugene into a 104-bed specialty hospital once the new RiverBend regional medical center opens. (more...)
EWEB's possible relocation isn't all about a hospital
By Ron Farmer
The Register-Guard | October 20, 2005 |
The Eugene Water & Electric board's need to upgrade its aging field operations facilities has been overshadowed by the more contentious community debate about where our two hospitals will be located. It is worth underscoring EWEB's role in this community issue.
First and foremost, EWEB's role is to ensure that its own needs are met, regardless of decisions that the hospitals may or may not make. Simply put, the hospitals are not "driving" EWEB's decision to move. Our process is being driven by the operational needs of the utility.
Our central issue is: Does it make sense to have field operational buildings, pole yards and truck shops downtown on the river's edge, in an area of congested traffic? (more...)
Breaking News: University plans to sell housing complex
Proceeds from sale could help fund new residence halls
By Jared Paben, News Editor
Oregon Daily Emerald | October 19, 2005 |
The University has decided to sell the 26-acre Westmoreland housing properties approximately 2.5 miles west of campus, hoping to use the potential tens of million of dollars from the sale to improve housing closer to campus, several officials announced Thursday. (more...)
University plans sale of housing complex
By Bill Bishop
The Register-Guard | October 21, 2005 |
The 582 tenants of the University of Oregon's Westmoreland Village family housing were to be notified Thursday that the UO intends to sell the 37-building apartment complex after their leases expire at the end of June.
The proposed sale requires approval by the state Board of Higher Education, which will consider the matter at its next meeting in early November. (more...)
University officials aim to sell Westmoreland Apartments
Students may have to move if higher education board approves the decision to sell the 404-unit housing complex
By Meghann Cuniff & Jared Paben, News Editors
Oregon Daily Emerald | October 21, 2005 |
The University hopes to sell 404 apartments, a childcare center and the 26 acres they occupy with the aim of using the potential tens of millions of dollars for projects that include improving student housing closer to campus, several officials announced Thursday. (more...)
Health Care
Editorial -- Disappearing coverage
| The Register-Guard | October 19, 2005 |
It's not hard to remember when a year like 2015 only appeared in science fiction novels. Now, it's a scant decade away. The way time roars by at warp speed already, 2015 will be here before a lot of people figure out how to make sense of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.
Hold that thought on Medicare, because it's related to 2015, the year when as many as 25 percent of Americans will be without health insurance. One in four. Uninsured. (more...)
REI expands health benefits
By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard | October 15, 2005 |
If you thought a two-day-a-week job at REI might be your ticket to hang out with an active crowd and get discounts on outdoor gear ... well, you were probably right.
But the Seattle-based retailer is about to extend an even greater benefit to every part-time employee: health insurance.
The retail co-op announced this week that a new health care benefits package will be offered to every employee who has been with the company at least 30 days -- regardless of weekly hours and whether the person is a regular employee or seasonal help.
REI already has a health care plan for its full-time employees and part-timers who work more than 1,500 hours per year and average at least 20 hours per week. (more...)
Health care costs straining patients
By John Leland
The New York Times | October 23, 2005 |
CAMBY, Ind. -- Until the fourth trip to the hospital in 1998, Zachery Dorsett's parents thought their son was an average child who was having trouble getting over a passing illness. He was 7 months old, and it was his second case of pneumonia.
Sharon and Arnold Dorsett were concerned about Zachery's health, but they were not worried about the financial consequences. They were a young, middle-income couple, with health insurance that covered 90 percent of doctors' bills and most prescription drug costs.
Then the bills started coming in. After a week in the hospital, the couple's share came to $1,100 -- not catastrophic, but more than their small savings. They enrolled in a 90-day payment plan with the hospital and struggled to make the monthly installments of nearly $400, hoping that they did not hit any other expenses.
But Zachery, who eventually was found to have an immune system disorder, kept getting sick, and the expense of his treatment -- fees for tests, hospitalizations, medicine -- kept mounting, eventually costing the family $12,000 to $20,000 a year. Earlier this year, the Dorsetts stopped making mortgage payments on their house, outside Indianapolis, because they could not afford them. In March, they filed for bankruptcy. (more...)
The doctor is in: Two Eugene physicians cut patient loads in order to provide easier access to health care and longer appointments
By Susan Palmer
The Register-Guard | October 9, 2005 |
When Dennis Howard came down with bronchitis on the Friday afternoon before Labor Day, he figured it would be challenge to get a prescription for antibiotics before Tuesday.
A Eugene resident, Howard was with his wife, Linda, in Florida visiting their grandchildren. The family doctor was 3,000 miles away.
But he put in the call to her office anyway. Dr. Lisa Quillin had come through for him in unusual circumstances before, agreeing to see him at 8 p.m. the night before a business trip to China. Within an hour, she had faxed in a prescription to a Florida pharmacy.
It's the kind of availability and attention the Howards are willing to pay extra for. (more...)
Letter -- Money dominates medical care
By Wayne Pierce, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 21, 2005 |
A recent article (Register-Guard, Oct. 9) discussed the fact that doctors suffer due to tight schedules, lack of adequate time with patients and the large number of patients they must see.
Patients also suffer from these conditions, often feeling like they are shuffled in and out without really connecting with their doctor. I believe the problem can be attributed to the fact that doctors are no longer independent but have joined groups or businesses that dominate and manage their practices. This requires that doctors place more emphasis on making money.
The effort in the health care business is to capitalize on the doctor's time, which produces the most profit. Today, a call for a doctor's appointment results in a review of the patient's personal information, insurance information and a brief description of the problem and symptoms. When we arrive at the doctor's office, someone pulls our file and checks us in. Someone else weighs us, takes our blood pressure, discusses medications, allergies and once more asks about the problem and symptoms. By the time the doctor sees the patient, he or she can perform only the work requiring a doctor.
However, this method of operating a doctor's office leaves little flexibility or breathing room for the doctors. Doctors are not the only ones who suffer from the work of the efficiency experts. Most jobs are broken down into repetitive, boring tasks that offer little challenge or pleasure.
Editorial -- A real-life happy ending: LIPA turns its critics into satisfied customers
| The Register-Guard | October 17, 2005 |
It's time to pause amid the polarization over Supreme Court nominees, the war in Iraq and the creationism vs. evolution debate to celebrate some good news.
A group of patient advocates who have been sharply critical of the private insurance company that administers the Oregon Health Plan to thousands of elderly and disabled poor clients in Lane County says the situation has markedly improved. So much so that it seems "inconceivable to us that 'the bad old days' of the Health Plan in Lane County could return." (more...)
Nearby Developments
Editorial -- Where are good jobs?
| The Register-Guard | October 20, 2005 |
Why is it that broad indicators such as gross domestic product and housing starts can paint such a positive picture of a prosperous economy and yet so many working people feel like they're barely hanging on?
One reason is that the U.S. economy overall has failed, despite its strong performance, to create enough stable, high-quality jobs -- the kind of jobs that give workers a sense of security.
A study released this week by the Center for Economic and Policy Research -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and public education organization based in Washington, D.C. -- reported that only one in four American workers has a "good" job. The study defined a good job as one that pays at least $16 per hour and provides employer-paid health insurance and a pension. (more...)
Balance returns to home sales
By Scott Maben
The Register-Guard | October 13, 2005 |
It may be the change to a slower season, or it could be a sign that the red hot real estate market is starting to cool.
Lane County home prices dipped in September after reaching an all-time high in August. At the same time, the number of homes for sale began growing again after six months of unusually tight inventories, a summary of residential listings shows.
The market has favored sellers for at least a year as demand for homes surpassed the supply and buyers drove up prices, often with bids well above the asking price. That may be changing, according to the latest report from RMLS Inc., the Portland firm that provides the multiple listing service in the county. (more...)
Rising mortgage rate may slow sales
By Aleksandrs Rozens
The Associated Press | October 14, 2005 |
NEW YORK -- Hear that hiss? That may be the sound of air starting to come out of the housing bubble.
On Thursday, a survey of housing lenders showed that the rate on 30-year mortgages rose above 6 percent for the first time since March. While it's bounced above that psychologically important threshold a few times in the last year, only to drop back, analysts say this time the direction looks to be headed in one direction -- higher.
For prospective homebuyers, that means bidding adieu to rates that hadn't been seen since the president was named Eisenhower and Elvis' music was hitting airwaves for the first time. And these increased borrowing costs are likely to put a brake on the bidding wars that have stoked astounding housing gains and may even slow consumer spending that has fueled economic growth. (more...)
Homebuyers look to other states for affordable markets
By Alex Veiga
The Associated Press | October 15, 2005 |
LOS ANGELES -- While many would-be homebuyers have been scared off by dire housing market predictions, Debbie Harris has taken out mortgages on five homes in the past 18 months. She's among a growing number of fledgling real estate investors around the country using equity earned in overheated housing markets to stake their claims to rental property in more affordable areas.
The investors say there's no reason to fear the housing market will collapse -- although each purchase increases their risks of losing money if prices do take a dive. (more...)
An unaffordable community?: As the land runs out, so do the opportunities to build low-income housing
By Scott Maben
The Register-Guard | October 23, 2005 |
Soaring land prices and a shrinking supply of vacant property in Eugene and Springfield are straining nonprofit agencies that build low-income housing.
Escalating real estate values coupled with constraints on growth in the metro area have made it far more difficult to find new sites for affordable housing projects, including apartment buildings, duplexes and single-family homes, the groups say. (more...)
Downtown Springfield due for makeover?
By Stacy D. Stumbo
The Springfield News | October 19, 2005 |
Springfield is 154 years old. It's time for a facelift.
At least, that's what Springfield's Community Planning Department has in mind if the City Council agrees to rezone portions of the downtown core.
The council held a public hearing on the issue of rezoning parts of downtown from mixed-use to "nodal" during a meeting at City Hall Monday night. (more...)
Olympic conference center?: Coming trials for '08 games may breathe new life into bid for a new conference center
By Ben Raymond Lode
The Springfield News | October 21, 2005 |
The 2008 Olympic Trials will bring elite athletes, coaches and spectators from all over the country to Hayward Field and the greater Springfield area.
But will the trials also give those who are working hard to build a conference center in Springfield a specific goal to reach for?
Ask various city officials and you get different responses -- at least for the time being. (more...)
City works toward wetlands Strategy
By Stacy D. Stumbo
The Springfield News | October 19, 2005 |
For Springfield's ducks and beavers -- the animals, not the sports fans -- the city government has some good news.
The city's planning commission discussed a natural resources study designed to protect the city's waterways, plants and animal life during a work session at City Hall on Tuesday. The 450-page document is expected to come before the City Council during a public hearing on Nov. 7.
Mark Metzger, Springfield city planner, said the study outlines the economic, social, environmental and energy consequences of allowing, limiting or prohibiting development near wetlands and riparian sites within the city. (more...)
Developers fix roles in Whole Foods plan
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | October 12, 2005 |
Two hurdles cleared, another major one to go.
That's the status of the proposal to bring a Whole Foods grocery store to downtown Eugene.
The backers of a Whole Foods store for downtown have reached agreement on their roles in the possible development, said Jenny Ulum, a spokeswoman for the property owner that wants to attract the store. Attention now will shift to the city's possible role in building a public parking garage to complement the development, she said. (more...)
Home Depot nears completion, sets Dec. 1 opening
By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard | October 20, 2005 |
Home Depot is coming soon to a former theater site near you. (more...)
Developer's lawsuit comes back for fight
By Christian Wihtol And Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | October 16, 2005 |
The city is claiming partial victory in a property rights lawsuit that has dragged on for five years and promises to keep going for a while yet. (more...)
Lane commissioners to give Molecular Probes $175,000
| The Register-Guard | October 12, 2005 |
The Lane County commissioners will deliver $175,000 Thursday to Molecular Probes for helping spur economic recovery in Lane County.
The payment to Oregon's largest biotechnology employer was approved as part of a state and local incentive package totaling $1.45 million designed to encourage Invitrogen, the parent company of Molecular Probes, to embark on the first phase of a multiyear plan to rebuild and expand the company's facilities in west Eugene. (more...)
Paul Ries -- Urban forests provide insight into the health of our communities
By Paul Ries
The Register-Guard | October 12, 2005 |
This is the time of year that brilliant yellow, orange and red fall colors draw our attention to the trees in our cities. It is hard to ignore the beauty of trees at this time of year, or the signs of the changing seasons all around us, but in actuality the trees in our communities, cities and parks are working for us all year long. (more...)
Coburg reserve is urban treasure
By Jim Feehan
The Register-Guard | October 10, 2005 |
COBURG -- A conservation effort well under way aims to conserve a rich mix of fish, mammals and birds on former farmland just minutes outside of Eugene. (more...)
Public Facilities and Services
Architect picked for planned justice center
By Stacy D. Stumbo
The Springfield News | October 14, 2005 |
Although finding a way to pay $1.5 million annually to operate a Springfield justice center continues to vex officials, an architect to construct the building has been found.
Last fall, roughly 53 percent of the city's registered voters approved a $28.7 million bond measure to construct a new facility that will house the police department, city prosecutor, municipal court and -- if funds are found to staff it -- jail.
The existing structure was built in 1949, and once contained city offices and a fire station. Inadequate space, safety concerns and a county jail that's struggling to keep inmates from being released due to overcrowding led Springfield officials to propose construction of a new facility.
After examining seven proposals from architecture firms nationwide, Springfield's City Council has accepted Eugene-based Robertson Sherwood Architects' offer. (more...)
City may skip bids on justice center job
By Stacy D. Stumbo
The Springfield News | October 21, 2005 |
A design for a multimillion dollar Springfield Justice Center isn't expected until November 2006, but city officials continue to consider strategies that will accelerate the construction process.
Earlier this week, center project managers met with the Springfield City Council to discuss the potential of bypassing a public bidding process and hiring a construction manager-general contractor to oversee the project.
The effort could hasten construction of the voter-approved $28.7 million police department, city prosecutor's office, municipal court and jail, while keeping costs down. (more...)
Design plans proceed for justice center
By Jack Moran
The Register-Guard | October 22, 2005 |
SPRINGFIELD -- Plans to build a voter-approved justice center are continuing despite the fact that the city has not yet determined how to pay for the operation of a city jail that would be part of the project.
The city is now working to finalize a contract with Robertson Sherwood Architects, a Eugene-based firm that would complete design plans for the justice center by November 2006, project manager Carole Knapel said. That firm will work alongside staff of an Atlanta-based company, Rosser International, in designing the building, which would include space for a new police department, municipal court and 100-bed city jail. (more...)
Commissioners given a pair of taxing paths
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | October 13, 2005 |
Lane County commissioners in the coming weeks will finalize proposals for a sales tax and a business tax -- or some combination of the two, along with a possible decrease in property taxes -- to better fund public safety efforts.
The two taxing paths are the top recommendations from a public safety task force of county officials and representatives from the county's 12 incorporated cities. The task force met for three months, and on Wednesday delivered its final report to commissioners. (more...)
Public safety tax opponents speak up
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | October 15, 2005 |
The first sign of opposition to a new countywide tax for public safety emerged this week in Cottage Grove, and observers warn that it's not likely the last. (more...)
Tax on business revenues favored in survey
| The Register-Guard | October 19, 2005 |
A new survey paid for by Lane County found that a majority of those surveyed would vote in favor of new taxes to fund increased public safety work in the county. (more...)
County looking at public safety tax alternatives
By Diane Dietz
The Register-Guard | October 20, 2005 |
The County Board of Commissioners voted 3-1 Wednesday to advance a plan to enact either a sales tax or a business gross receipts tax to pay for public safety.
But what exactly that vote could mean to future taxes or the solvency of the county's law enforcement, jail and drug treatment system is unclear. (more...)
County survey says new tax would be OK
By Stacy D. Stumbo
The Springfield News | October 21, 2005 |
Lane County residents may be willing to pay more to assure safer communities. At least, that's what the results of a county-sanctioned survey conducted last week suggest. (more...)
Editorial -- Redundant taxes waste millions of our tax dollars
| The Springfield News | October 21, 2005 |
Lane County is trying to find some source of revenue to pay for law enforcement. And clearly we need one. In a survey recently commissioned, 53 percent of respondents were willing to support a sales tax -- a sales tax! -- if that's what it takes to get the job done.
Our question is, how much is it going to cost to administer a whole new system of tapping the people for cash? (more...)
Editorial -- Feds will probably quit sending Lane County money
| The Springfield News | October 14, 2005 |
Right now, our republic's resources are stretched really thin, and we're already borrowing money like a binge drinker with a brand-new MasterCard.
With that in mind, we the people of Lane County need to start worrying. (more...)
Assessor's new hires aim to cut backlog
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | October 17, 2005 |
In March, Lane County was told that its understaffed tax department is the worst in the state at collecting property taxes.
Now, the county is doing something about it. (more...)
Transportation
Kudos: Lane Transit District
| The Register-Guard | October 13, 2005 |
The Lane Transit District was named transit system of the year by the Oregon Department of Transportation at a recent state transportation conference. LTD was cited for its user-friendly services, including exceptional services for people with disabilities. Also, LTD has received a Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects, Southwest Oregon chapter, for the design of its new Springfield Station. The architects also gave LTD an Innovation Award for the sustainable elements included in the station project.
LTD receives honor for Springfield Station design: ODOT hands LTD Transit System of Year award for top service
| The Springfield News | October 14, 2005 |
LTD was honored by the Oregon Department of Transportation as the transit system of the year at last week's state transportation conference. Martin Loring, ODOT Public Transit Division Manager, made the presentation. (more...)
Measure 37: News
Statement by Governor Kulongoski on Measure 37 ruling
By Governor Ted Kulongoski
Press Release | October 14, 2005 |
SALEM, Ore. -- "With today's ruling, we've gone from having many unanswered questions about Measure 37 to having many more. Since Measure 37 was enacted, I have been urging all interested parties-governments, landowners and interest groups alike-to proceed with caution. We all knew that Measure 37 raised many land use policy and legal questions. It has been clear from the beginning that the courts would need to sort these issues out. Today, the Marion County Circuit Court took the first step towards that resolution. This ruling will not be the final word."
"Today's ruling demonstrates that the issues addressed in Measure 37 may be too complex to be resolved through a single ballot measure. Significant policy changes that alter the very nature of governmental processes and the rights of individual citizens must be examined and enacted with thoughtful and careful deliberations to ensure they meet the test of the constitution and needs of the citizens. While litigation over Measure 37 continues to work its way through the courts, I expect that the Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning created by Senate Bill 82 will address many of the issues intended by Measure 37."
"This ruling regarding the Constitutionality of Measure 37 creates additional uncertainty for landowners who are attempting to proceed under the measure. I have asked the Department of Land Conservation and Development and the Department of Justice to work with my office in order to best address the needs of all interested parties."
Judge overturns property rights law
By Charles Beggs
The Associated Press | October 15, 2005 |
SALEM -- A judge on Friday struck down as unconstitutional a voter-passed property rights law that had required state and local governments to pay owners whose land was affected by land use regulations, relaxing some of America's strictest zoning laws.
Land use policies adopted by the state in 1973 widely have been regarded as a national model for protecting America's farmland and other open space from unbridled development. The combination of local and state regulations had confined most new housing to areas that already are built up.
But a property owners' revolt led an overwhelming margin of voters last November to pass Measure 37 -- a state law requiring that state and local governments either compensate land owners when regulations lower property values or waive the rules.
In the decision Friday, Marion County Circuit Judge Mary James struck down Measure 37 as violating five provisions of the state and federal constitutions.
Her decision created more confusion around a law that already has perplexed officials, who are unsure how to enforce it. The law is now bound for further appeals and legal tussling. (more...)
Judge razes Measure 37 land law
Property rights The ruling, which will be appealed, says the voter-approved law violates Oregon's constitution
By Laura Oppenheimer
The Oregonian | October 15, 2005 |
A judge obliterated Oregon's voter-approved property rights law Friday, uprooting the way the state plans its communities for the second time in a year.
Marion County Circuit Judge Mary James ruled that Measure 37 violates the Oregon Constitution by favoring longtime property owners over those who have purchased land more recently. She also said the measure prohibits the Oregon Legislature from exercising its authority.
The ruling was so sweeping, it will not only halt thousands of acres of rural development, but also may force property rights advocates to try a different approach if they want to weaken Oregon's land-use laws. (more...)
Marion judge overturns Measure 37
The county judge rules that the voter-passed land-use plan favors some people over others
By Peter Wong
The (Salem) Statesman Journal | October 15, 2005 |
A Marion County judge, in a decision some farmers cheered and some landowners jeered, ruled Friday against the property-compensation measure that Oregon voters approved last year.
Judge Mary Mertens James decided that Measure 37 violates some state constitutional provisions, including one that bars laws favoring one group of citizens over another, and was invalid for other reasons. (more...)
Judge: Measure 37 Is Unconstitutional
By James Sinks
Wescom News Service | October 15, 2005 |
SALEM -- A landmark ballot measure that allows longtime property owners to seek waivers from zoning laws was ruled unconstitutional Friday, throwing into limbo thousands of claims filed since voters passed the law just 11 months ago. (more...)
Judge rules Measure 37 land-use act unlawful
Circuit judge declares property rights law unconstitutional, which sparks a local debate
By Christopher Hagan, News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | October 20, 2005 |
There is a common feeling this week among those involved with Measure 37: shock.
Marion County Circuit Judge Mary James' decision Friday that the land-use planning law voters approved in November is unconstitutional instantly changed the debate about the law and about land-use planning in Oregon. (more...)
Judge rules Measure 37 unconstitutional
By Mitch Lies, Oregon Staff Writer
The Capital Press | October 21, 2005 |
SALEM -- A Marion County Circuit Court judge uprooted Oregon's land-use laws for the second time in a year and put in question the status of more than 2,500 Measure 37 claims last week when she ruled the measure unconstitutional.
Judge Mary Mertens James' Oct. 14 ruling reaches to the core of the attempt to expand private property rights in Oregon.
The ruling, which will be appealed, is considered more significant than the ruling that nullified Measure 7, the property rights measure voters passed in 2000 that also was rejected by the courts. Measure 7 was thrown out because of a technicality. (more...)
Mannix announces petition drive for Measure 37
Appeals to Governor to call special session to uphold the voice of Oregon voters
SALEM -- Candidate for Governor Kevin Mannix has announced his campaign will launch a petition drive in response to a Kulongoski-appointed Marion County Judge's decision to overturn voter approved Measure 37. The petition drive urges Governor Kulongoski to call a special session of the Oregon Legislature to address the reversal of the now twice approved measure which protects Oregonian's property rights. (more...)
State officials ask judge to uphold Measure 37
SALEM -- State officials are asking the judge who struck down Measure 37 as unconstitutional to continue it until the fight to save it is resolved.
The attorney general's office, which is bound by law to defend voter-passed initiatives, plans to take the ruling of Judge Mary James of Marion County to the Oregon Supreme Court.
James is widely expected to deny the request. (more...)
State argues to enforce Measure 37 law
Property rights State attorneys will contend it's the law until an appeals court decides otherwise
By Laura Oppenheimer
The Oregonian | October 22, 2005 |
Oregon officials on Friday asked the judge who struck down Measure 37 to let the voter-approved property rights law continue while they fight to save it. (more...)
Washington County holds off Measure 37 claims
By Richard Colby
The Oregonian | October 19, 2005 |
HILLSBORO -- Washington County commissioners delayed action Tuesday on 13 property-owner requests to bypass land-use restrictions under Measure 37 while county and state officials explore whether a judge's decision last week ended the practice.
Taking advice from county counsel Dan Olsen, the commissioners rescheduled hearings on the requests to their Oct. 25 session. Commissioners acknowledged they might not hold the hearings then, either, because the county's legal situation regarding the measure may still be unknown. (more...)
Measure 37 mess warrants Big Look
Regardless of law's future, Legislature to assess land-use issues
By Don Hamilton
The (Portland) Tribune | October 21, 2005 |
The City of Portland has not stopped processing Measure 37 applications, despite last week's Marion County Court ruling striking down the controversial property compensation law.
The next Measure 37 application probably won't reach the Portland City Council until late November, a time lag that should give the city time to decide whether to put all the requests on hold until the issue is resolved by the Oregon Supreme Court. (more...)
Measure 37 put on hold in Marion
Cities, counties are unsure what to do in wake of court ruling against land-use law
By Crystal Bolner
The (Salem) Statesman Journal | October 21, 2005 |
A handful of counties, including Marion County, have stopped accepting Measure 37 claims after a decision last week by a Marion County circuit judge that declared the land-use law unconstitutional. (more...)
Ruling on Measure 37 has county scrambling
By David Bates
The (McMinnville) News-Register | October 18, 2005 |
Friday's sweeping order striking down the state's voter-approved property rights law had county officials scratching their heads Monday.
Priority one is figuring out how to treat local claims, both those already approved during the 11 months since Measure 37's passage at the polls and those still flowing in. (more...)
Measure 37 claimants in legal limbo
By David Bates
The (McMinnville) News-Register | October 22, 2005 |
James Stiverson arrived home Wednesday from visiting family in California and learned he's landed in a weird sort of Measure 37 limbo. (more...)
Measure 37: County halts process until appeal, backs landowners
By Damian Mann
The (Medford) Mail Tribune | October 15, 2005 |
A Marion County Circuit Judge's ruling Friday that a land-use law violates the state and federal constitutions has scuttled Jackson County's ability to grant Measure 37 waivers. (more...)
County to fight Measure 37 ruling
Jackson commissioners will back the state in its appeal
By Damian Mann
The (Medford) Mail Tribune | October 18, 2005 |
Jackson County will join the state in fighting a Marion County Circuit Court judge's ruling that Measure 37 is unconstitutional. (more...)
Jackson County puts Measure 37 on hold
Commissioners agree the court ruling stops them from processing claims
By Damian Mann
The (Medford) Mail Tribune | October 20, 2005 |
Measure 37 is dead for the time being in Jackson County as commissioners heeded a recent court ruling declaring the property rights law unconstitutional.
In approving a county order Wednesday spelling out their position, the commissioners said they would honor the 85 Measure 37 waivers they've approved, though with a strong caveat. (more...)
County to continue processing Measure 37 claims
Rulings in favor of applicants will come with a warning that decisions depend on law being upheld
By Tom Bennett
The Daily Astorian | October 19, 2005 |
Clatsop County will continue processing claims under Measure 37 despite a state court's ruling that invalidated the land-use law. (more...)
Action on Measure 37 claims is delayed
By Joel Gallob
The (Newport) News-Times | October 21, 2005 |
The Lincoln County Commissioners this week put off deciding five Measure 37 claims filed with Lincoln County, following the recommendation of County Counsel Wayne Belmont and Planning Director Matt Spangler. They both urged the commissioners to postpone any decision on these claims pending further court review of the status of the controversial property rights measure. (more...)
Rejection of Measure 37 leaves owners in limbo
By Joseph Frazier
The Associated Press | October 23, 2005 |
PORTLAND -- Jean Jesse and her husband built roads, wells and a barn on land in rural country near the Portland suburb of Hillsboro -- assuming a land use regulation law passed by voters last year would let them put up a one-story home there. (more...)
State challenges land use waivers
| The Associated Press | October 14, 2005 |
MEDFORD -- The state attorney general is challenging Jackson County's policy of allowing waivers of land use laws under Measure 37 to be passed on to new owners of a piece of property. (more...)
Opposing groups gather to debate on Measure 37
Oregonians in Action and 1000 Friends of Oregon met Friday to discuss the future of the law
By Christopher Hagan, News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | October 10, 2005 |
Foes in the battle over Oregon's controversial Measure 37 met in a symposium at Knight Law Center Friday. Much of the debate focused on ambiguities of the law, such as what is a valid claim, which government bodies have the right to give waivers and whether Measure 37 rights are transferable or not.
Oregon voters approved Measure 37 last November, and the law went into effect last December. The law allows property owners who file claims to receive compensation when new land-use laws restrict how they can develop their land. Governments can either pay the owners or waive the new law, allowing owners to use their property as the law allowed at the time of acquisition. (more...)
Measure 37: Views
Editorial -- Measure 37 interpretation should be voters' job
| The (Bend) Bulletin | October 10, 2005 |
We never thought we'd want an initiative created by the sponsors of Measure 37 to qualify for the ballot, much less one that would elaborate upon Measure 37 itself. Yet we do. This support isn't due to a sudden liking for last November's land-use land mine, however. It's due, rather, to a desire for clarity, and who better to provide it than the voters who supported Measure 37 in the first place? (more...)
Editorial -- Measure 37 goes against Oregon's constitution
| Oregon Daily Emerald | October 17, 2005 |
It's about land. And money. But what is Measure 37, really?
Measure 37 dictates that owners of property affected by land-use regulations in Oregon are owed "just compensation" for the loss of profits related to the restrictions on how they use that property. It also allows governing bodies to exempt land from regulations in order to avoid compensating landowners.
Measure 37 applies to land use regulations already in effect. Thus, many claims for compensation are based on hypothetical and often questionable estimates of profit loss.
Although voters approved Measure 37 in last year's election, last week, a Marion County judge found it unconstitutional. (more...)
Editorial -- Time to take Big Look: Measure 37 ruling puts panel in spotlight
| The Register-Guard | October 18, 2005 |
Suddenly the Big Look has become the Big Hope. (more...)
Editorial -- No easy solutions to land use problems
| The (Bend) Bulletin | October 18, 2005 |
Tens of thousands of Oregonians were undoubtedly relieved last week when Marion County Circuit Judge Mary James threw out Measure 37 on constitutional grounds. Why shouldn't they be? Nobody really knows how the measure might change Oregon's land use laws, though its effects would certainly be both sweeping and unpredictable. A few flying champagne corks are understandable.
Hold off on the ticker-tape parade, though. Measure 37 is far from dead, last week's development notwithstanding. Also far from dead is the dissatisfaction with Oregon's land use system that gave rise to Measure 37. Not until that dissatisfaction is addressed will voters stop supporting such expressions of frustration.
As for Measure 37 itself, last week's legal drubbing was thorough. Judge James decided that the measure violates the state constitution in multiple ways, from its preferential treatment of longtime landowners to its effective limitation of the authority of the state Legislature. Nevertheless, the ruling represents no more than the opinions of a single circuit court judge. Measure 37 maay or may not be vindicated on appeal.
And if the state Supreme Court declares the measure a constitutional clunker? Don't expect its sponsors to quit. Dave Hunnicutt of Oregonians in Action said in the wake of James' ruling, "If this means a Measure 38, we'll be back with a Measure 38. At some point, the courts will understand that people deserve the right to have their property protected." We doubt he's bluffing. Oregonians in Action certainly didn't quit when Measure 37's predecessor, Measure 7, was deemed unconstitutional in 2002. (more...)
Editorial -- Don't be too quick to dance on grave of Measure 37
| The Springfield News | October 19, 2005 |
Hold it right there, Oregon State Legislature. Put that champagne bottle down and stick the cork back in it. You're not celebrating anything yet -- not if you're smart. (more...)
Editorial -- Oregon Supreme Court will have to sort out Measure 37
| The Capital Press | October 21, 2005 |
It is no surprise that Oregon Measure 37 would be challenged in court. Nor should it be a surprise that the challenge will ultimately be decided in the state's Supreme Court.
As Oregonians debated the merits of Measure 37 during the run-up to last year's general election, two conclusions became obvious.
First, the state's unique land-use laws introduced to protect farmers from encroaching suburbs -- which it did -- lacked a means of fairly treating landowners whose property was diminished in value.
Secondly, during the 30 years since those laws were adopted the state Legislature had failed to adequately address that issue. (more...)
Editorial -- Judge's Measure 37 ruling puts onus on commission
State should return to its roots to find a land-use compromise
| The (Salem) Statesman Journal | October 23, 2005 |
Measure 37 was a goofy law but popular with the public. Marion County Circuit Judge Mary Mertens James saw through the goofiness. She ravaged Measure 37 in a recent ruling, declaring that the property-compensation initiative violated the state and the federal constitutions.
Her reasoning seems sound, but that's for higher courts to decide. Meanwhile, Oregon's leaders must figure out what to do about the other part: the popularity of Measure 37. Once again, a judge has struck down a measure overwhelmingly approved by voters, an action that won't sit well with a large group of people. (more...)
Slant -- Measure 37
| Eugene Weekly | October 20, 2005 |
We can't help but celebrate news that Measure 37 last week got a thumbs down from Marion County Circuit Court Judge Mary James. The new law goes to the Oregon Supreme Court, leaving thousands of land-use decisions in limbo. The proponents of M37 are fuming, of course, complaining that the voters have been run over, but we don't think voters knew that they were approving an unfair, confusing, contradictory sack of trash wrapped in pretty paper. Plus, our initiative system allows anybody with enough signatures to put anything on the ballot, even something illegal and discriminating. It's up to the courts to determine legality. Should the Legislature reconvene to try to clean up the mess? There's been no consensus on this issue in Salem, and Kulongoski's attempted "solution" during the legislative session only would have made Measure 37 more destructive. Let M37 die quickly in the courts to settle the pending decisions. And let's support broad-based new efforts to clarify and strengthen Oregon's land use planning. The rest of the nation is watching our grand experiment.
Andy Parker -- Stopping the madness of Measure 37
By Andy Parker
The Oregonian | October 19, 2005 |
A Beavercreek couple want to divide 22 acres of farmland into 1-acre residential lots. Or they want $1.2 million in compensation from taxpayers.
Another couple want to subdivide 47 acres outside Oregon City into 1- and 2-acre lots. Or they want taxpayers to hand them $2.9 million.
A Tualatin man wants to develop 52 acres in the Stafford area. Or he'll settle for $9.6 million from taxpayers.
It's been almost a year now since well-intentioned, frustrated voters chugged the Measure 37 Kool-Aid and dove headlong into the land-use slop created by legislators and self-interest groups such as Oregonians in Action and 1000 Friends of Oregon. (more...)
Russell Sadler -- Constitutional checks and balances
| By Russell Sadler | October 23, 2005 |
The decision by Marion County Circuit Judge Mary Merten James declaring Measure 37 unconstitutional is a timely reminder that initiatives are not mere popularity contests. Initiatives are lawmaking, and the citizens and their lawyers who write initiatives are bound by the same constitutional checks and balances as the Legislature sitting in Salem. (more...)
John Burt -- Best intentions of Measure 37 can be revived in new law
By John Burt
The (Salem) Statesman Journal | October 23, 2005 |
It's not often an entire state gets to have a second chance, but that's what it looks like for Oregonians and our land-use laws. The recent court action that overturned all of Measure 37 is sending shockwaves throughout the planning community and to the measure's supporters and opponents.
Local governments have been trying to deal with the provisions of Measure 37 since it went into effect, and now that is all on hold. Property owners who thought they had a course of action also are on hold. It is likely the case will go to the state Supreme Court so "on hold" could go on for quite a while.
It appears to me that this break in the action affords the perfect opportunity to deal with the real issues behind Measure 37 and try to get it right this time. (more...)
Brian and Laurel Hines -- Measure 37 struck down
By Brian and Laurel Hines
HinesSight blog | October 14, 2005 |
O Joy! We will be doing some celebrating tonight. Judge Mary James has ruled that Measure 37 is unconstitutional.
You can bet that there will be much wailing and knashing of teeth from Oregonians in Action. They'll try to get a clone of Measure 37 on the 2006 ballot, but I'm betting that real Oregonians will see through their B.S. this time around and vote for the 1000 Friends of Oregon alternative.
This is a happy day for everyone who loves Oregon.
Brian and Laurel Hines -- Measure 37 and the voters' will
By Brian and Laurel Hines
HinesSight blog | October 17, 2005 |
Yesterday I listened to the Kremer and Abrams talk show on KXL. The conservative member of the duo, Rob Kremer, was frothing at the mouth about how 61% of the voters had voted for Measure 37 and now a single judge had struck it down, thereby thwarting the will of the people.
Outrageous, fulminated Kremer. He thought Judge Mary James should be recalled. Yeah, that would teach a lesson to judges who have the temerity to be independent and exercise their duty to uphold the constitution. Rob, do you recall the notion of "checks and balances" from your high school civics class?
Sometimes the will of the majority usurps the rights of a minority. It didn't matter how many people were in favor of slavery, denying women the right to vote, or keeping schools segregated. Society eventually came to see that each of these policies was unfair. (more...)
Brian and Laurel Hines -- Wise Measure 37 commentary
By Brian and Laurel Hines
HinesSight blog | October 20, 2005 |
Opening up the Statesman-Journal today, I was deeply impressed with the wisdom of a letter to the editor about Measure 37. Then I saw the letter writer's name and exclaimed, "I know that guy!" In fact, he was me. (more...)
OIA -- Marion County Decision on Measure 37
| Oregonians In Action | October 17, 2005 |
TO: The 1,054,000 Oregonians who Voted for Measure 37
FROM: Oregonians In Action
DATE: October 17, 2005
RE: Marion County Decision on Measure 37
As you are no doubt aware, a Marion County Circuit Court Judge -- Mary Mertens-James (Kulongoski appointee) -- declared on her own last Friday that Ballot Measure 37 was unconstitutional. The judge accepted the novel legal theories presented by property rights opponents who filed the lawsuit -- all of whom actively opposed Measure 37 during the 2004 campaign.
Essentially, the judge's decision can be distilled into this one argument: she didn't think Measure 37 was fair. Fair to whom it is unclear, but the primary argument of the property-rights opponents was that Measure 37 was unfair, and the judge apparently bought into that specious argument. (more...)
OIA -- Q&A Regarding the Recent Decision by the Marion County Circuit Court holding that Ballot Measure 37 (2004) is Unconstitutional
1. When did the Court issue its decision?
October 14th, 2005
2. On what legal theories did the Court hold Ballot Measure 37 to be unconstitutional?
The legal theories upon which the Court rested its opinion are: (more...)
Oregon's Land Use Planning System, etc.
Douglas E. Morris -- Sorry, it's against the law to found a new town!
By Douglas E. Morris
The Springfield News | October 21, 2005 |
Talk to anyone about what is quintessentially American, and more often than not, small towns feature prominently in peoples' hearts and minds. Considering this appreciation for community life, isn't it odd that it is illegal to build small towns in America?
Yes, you heard correctly -- zoning laws make it illegal to build community-oriented small towns complete with main streets of shops and homes, schools and offices within walking distance. Instead, suburban sprawl, which segregates, isolates and fragments our lives, has been the only legal form of development in America for 60 years. (more...)
Editorial -- A dream of urban density without drawbacks
Pringle Community's plan for mixed housing a good start
| The (Salem) Statesman Journal | October 19, 2005 |
If Mid-Valley communities want to avoid sprawl, they'll have to get better at encouraging density within their boundaries. That's tough, because density has a bad rap, sometimes with good cause.
Spread word that an apartment complex is planned nearby and neighbors immediately picture ugly blocks of housing, with too much traffic pouring onto local streets. Homeowners may start planning to raise fences between their lots and the apartments-to-be.
Yet healthy communities need a choice of housing types for all ages and income levels. Healthy communities use land efficiently to preserve forest and farmland on their fringe. Healthy communities encourage mass transit by offering frequent service to densely settled areas. (more...)
Urbanism springs from suburbia
By Gillian Flaccus
The Associated Press | October 23, 2005 |
SANTA ANA, Calif. -- With land running out and housing still in huge demand, developers in Orange County are making a radical about-face from the sprawling tract homes and gated communities that have defined the nation's prototypical suburb for decades.
They're building high-density lofts, townhouses and high-rises within walking distance of grocery stores, art galleries and movie theaters, often in nondescript downtowns and industrial zones strangled years ago by crisscrossing freeways.
The projects reflect a new urbanism that has been reshaping the nation's metropolitan areas for years. Orange County, however, poses a unique challenge because its cities never fully developed in the race to suburban utopia. Now, developers are trying to create an urban core from scratch. (more...)
Other News
Bill Moyers -- A Question for Journalists: How Do We Cover Penguins and the Politics of Denial?
| By Bill Moyers, Keynote Speech to the Society of Environmental Journalists Convention | October 1, 2005 |
Thank you for inviting me here today and for counting me as a colleague.
I don't fit neatly into the job description of an environmental journalist although I have kept returning to the beat ever since my first documentary on the subject some 30 years ago. That was a story about how the new Republican governor of Oregon, Tom McCall, had set out to prove that the economy and the environment could share the center lane on the highway to the future.
Those were optimistic years for the emerging environmental movement. Rachel Carson had rattled the cage with Silent Spring and on the first Earth Day in 1970 twenty million Americans rose from the grassroots to speak for the planet. Even Richard Nixon couldn't say no to so powerful a subpoena by public opinion, and he put his signature to some far-reaching measures for environmental protection. (more...)
Todd Huffman -- We can't be a shining city on a hill without national conscience
By Todd Huffman, M.D.
The Springfield News | October 12, 2005 |
Americans have long been enchanted by the story of our own magnificence. Deep in our national psyche lies the myth of our divine exceptionalism. As children, we were read the great American fairy tale -- the one about the precious God-blessed paradise, and its shining "city upon a hill," whose holy light leads the way in a dark and unholy world. As adults, we're still reading this story, only now to our own children.
Viewing ourselves as the embodiment of absolute goodness in a world of evil, and of justice in a world unjust, we mistake our methods as entirely wholesome, and our purpose as completely pure. We even go so far as to sing "God Bless America" at our baseball games, and put "God Bless America" bumper stickers on our cars, believing somehow that America is divinely entitled, deserving of God's special favor.
God, indeed, has blessed America abundantly, as He has in varying ways all nations and peoples of His earth. We live in a time of unparalleled abundance. Our nation is blessed with riches and possibilities far beyond anything imagined by our ancestors. That we should be so fortunate to live in America at this time in history cannot be understated.
How is it, then, that in the midst of all this greatness we are giving unwitting consensus to allowing more and more of our fellow citizens, disproportionately children, to fall into vulnerability, and into poverty? We profess to pollsters a high regard for "moral values," and yet why isn't poverty immoral? Why isn't lack of medical care immoral? Surely there is no more commanding moral imperative than to "value" the poor and the vulnerable, for whom the God of all religions admonishes us to care? That as a people we take so little interest in the troubles of those less fortunate demonstrates plainly that America is failing to honor God's blessing. (more...)
Anne Hill Thomas -- Homeless folks present a real moral dilemma for most of us
By Anne Hill Thomas
The Springfield News | October 14, 2005 |
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"
-- Genesis 4:9 (RSV)
Last week a homeless man died in Glenwood. A photo in The Springfield News showed the spot where the man was found under one of the two bridges going into Springfield from Franklin Boulevard.
The photo showed a wheelchair, and I thought to myself, "I might know who that is." (more...)
Joel Kotkin -- A New Look At Progressives: With two dysfunctional parties, it's time to revive the politics of reason from the early 20th century
By Joel Kotkin
The Washington Post | October 16, 2005 |
Hurricane Katrina did more than drown a city last month. It also exposed how water-logged partisan politics in the United States have become.
Conservative Republican attitudes toward planning, conservation and investment in basic infrastructure clearly contributed to the tragedy along the Gulf. But so did the failures of the corrupt, inefficient liberal Democratic administrations that have controlled cities such as New Orleans for generations. Dominated by narrow, self-interested elites, America's political parties have built a dysfunctional system that's run aground on the constant conflict between two flawed ideologies.
Neither of these ideologies seems equipped to deal with the wrenching challenges we now face. We need a new political model that rejects the narrow and sectarian for a broader notion of national interest, a politics of reason rather than one that appeals to peoples' worst fears. We need something like the early 20th century Progressives. (more...)
Fifty Leading Economists Warn Oregon: Global Warming to Come With a Big Price Tag
Letter to Oregon Leaders Says State Faces Major Economic Costs If Global Warming Not Tackled
PORTLAND -- More than 50 economists from across the Northwest and most of Oregon's major colleges and universities say that global warming poses an imminent threat to Oregon's $121 billion economy. A new report says temperature increases, rising sea levels, and altered precipitation patterns will directly impact Oregon's Agricultural, Forestry, Tourism and Hydroelectric industries. These four sectors alone account for at least 25% of Oregon's economy.
In an open letter to the state's top decision makers, including Governor Ted Kulongoski, the economists describe a set of immediate actions to reduce global warming impacts while ensuring Oregon's future economic prosperity.
The economists' report cites regional and international global warming studies and, for the first time, analyzes the effect of expected further warming on eight sectors of the Oregon economy. The report notes that more than four dozen area scientists last year said they were "very certain" the Pacific Northwest is warming, that the region has been growing warmer faster than the global average, and that it is likely to warm three times as fast by the middle of the century.
Oregon's economists say that the impacts of this warming on Oregon resources and economy have no precedent in the state's history. (more...)
Economists fear warming's effects
By Sherri Buri Mcdonald
The Register-Guard | October 12, 2005 |
Global warming isn't just an environmental issue, it's an economic issue, with potentially dire consequences for Oregon's economy, according to a letter from nearly 50 economists to the state's government and civic leaders.
The economists, who are affiliated with colleges and universities all over the country, including many in Oregon, on Tuesday released the letter and a 21-page report assessing the economic impacts of climate change in Oregon.
The report said the effects of global warming -- higher temperatures, rising sea levels, loss of mountain snowpack and a change in precipitation patterns -- will affect a wide range of Oregon businesses and industries, including forestry and agriculture, ski resorts and hydroelectric power generation. (more...)
Editorial -- It's all about water
| The Register-Guard | October 13, 2005 |
If you want to understand the economic consequences of climate change in Oregon, don't dwell on greenhouse gas emissions or rising temperatures.
Instead, think about water: Water that pounds the shores of the Oregon Coast. Water that builds mountain snowpacks and feeds the rivers that provide water for cities and hydroelectric power for the Northwest. Water that helps grow potatoes in the Klamath Basin, grapes in the Willamette Valley, pears in the Columbia River Gorge and wheat in the high desert. Water that blankets Mount Bachelor with snow and keeps sailboats skimming on Fern Ridge Lake. Water that keeps our forests green and moist and free of wildfires. (more...)
Editorial -- Shutting off, plugging in
| The Register-Guard | October 14, 2005 |
Anyone who has ever pulled into an interstate truck stop has seen, heard and smelled them -- long rows of big rigs parked and idling for hours while their drivers eat and sleep.
While the drivers are taking these government-mandated rests, their trucks often keep working, engines running through the night to ensure that drivers have power to run the air conditioning, heat and appliances in their sleeper cabs. It's a hugely wasteful practice that burns expensive fuel and spews thousands of tons of pollutants into the air.
An estimated half million heavy-duty trucks haul freight across this country. If these trucks idle an average of eight hours a day for 300 days of the year, they churn out nearly 200,000 tons of pollutants, including carbon monoxide and other emissions that contribute to global warming.
Two recent developments offer hope for a solution. (more...)
Ernie Niemi -- Climate shift already affects our economy
By Ernie Niemi
The Register-Guard | October 14, 2005 |
Global warming is a reality affecting Oregon today. And like any large-scale change in our environment, it poses risks for Oregon's economy. After reviewing the best scientific evidence, more than 50 economists recently signed a letter asking the state's elected officials and business leaders to take steps now to reduce these economic risks. (more...)
People
Springfield mayor to run for county seat
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | October 14, 2005 |
SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken announced his candidacy Thursday for the Lane County commissioner seat held by Bill Dwyer, setting up a battle against the longtime incumbent to represent a city in which both men are well-rooted.
At a gathering of supporters outside City Hall, the 43-year-old Leiken criticized Dwyer and the rest of the county board for failing to involve the 12 local cities in initial plans for an expensive upgrade of countywide public safety. A city-county task force was later organized and has recommended either a retail sales tax or a tax on businesses to pay for an array of additional services.
What does Leiken hope to bring to the board of commissioners?
"The big word's 'consensus,' " Leiken said. "Consensus and partnerships." (more...)
The guru of government
By Diane Dietz
The Register-Guard | October 16, 2005 |
Meet Jim Johnson, the mild-mannered Mr. Fix-It of sideways governments -- large and small -- over three decades in Lane County. (more...)
Retired, ex-manager still signs up for work
By Diane Dietz
The Register-Guard | October 16, 2005 |
Jim Johnson's found a lucrative post-retirement occupation doing pretty much the same thing he did all his career. (more...)
The great Christmas tree fiasco of 2000
By Diane Dietz
The Register-Guard | October 16, 2005 |
Jim Johnson's grimmest month in government was December 2000, the month of the great national Christmas tree hullabaloo, when he couldn't escape the glare of public attention. (more...)
Slant -- Jim Johnson
| Eugene Weekly | October 20, 2005 |
Last Sunday The R-G published a front-page feature story lauding the high-priced consulting work of Jim Johnson, the former city manager of Eugene. The story, headlined "Guru of government," contained 2,300 words, but did not mention that Johnson presided over one of the biggest scandals in city history. While Johnson was at the helm, Eugene police officers Roger Maga–a and Juan Lara were out raping and sexually abusing women. The city is now being sued for its lack of supervision, hiring controls and discipline regarding the two officers. Under Eugene's form of government, the city manager is responsible for all such personnel issues.
Piercy bolsters ties with sister cities on trip to Asia
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | October 23, 2005 |
Mayor Kitty Piercy did two things at once on a recent trip to Japan and South Korea: She met a lot of nice people and she bolstered Eugene's standing with a pair of sister cities. (more...)
Torrey campaign hinges on education
The state senator candidate's platform pitches a revival of Oregon's workforce by increasing time children spend in elementary school
By Emily Smith, News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | October 19, 2005 |
Education is the base holding up Jim Torrey's campaign platform for Oregon state senator in District 7 in the 2006 election.
He said he wants public education to start at a younger age, higher education to be more affordable to those who qualify and ultimately, that education to be used as means to strengthen Oregon's economy. (more...)
Jessica Derleth -- Telltale problem is too much talk
By Jessica Derleth
Oregon Daily Emerald | October 21, 2005 |
Former Eugene mayor Jim Torrey plans to run for State Senator in the 2006 election, and he wants to improve education. He wants to make higher education more affordable. He wants a strengthened education system to lead to a strengthened state economy. Sounds great, right?
Oh, but it is not that simple. (more...)