Issues

Return to full funding for schools.

Prior to Measure 5, local governments paid for around 70% of their school budgets, and the state picked up the rest. These days, the state covers around two-thirds of K-12 funding, doling money out to districts largely based on how many students they enroll.

That means that schools compete with all of the state’s other budget priorities — things like health care, social services, courts and housing — for a piece of the budgetary pie.“There is a terrible dynamic of competition, of K-12 elbowing the public university system and corrections and housing,” said former state Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, a former chair of the Senate Revenue Committee. “It’s just the Oregon way.

I wish it wasn’t like that.”Schools account for a huge chunk of spending from the state’s general fund — around 28% in the latest budget. But the state has never spent what its own modeling says is the appropriate amount (more on that in a bit).

Secure firearm storage and ammunition serialization.

Our largely rural community has lots of law-abiding gun owners. Though a lot of energy has been focused on banning assault weapons, background checks, and red flag laws, I'd would like to focus on two things we know can work:

Safe weapons storage -- something all gun owners understand and the primary source of child death and injury as well as "heat-of-the-moment" domestic violence)

Ammunition serialization -- we have the technology to serialize every bullet, meaning that when a shooting occurs and casings are found, law enforcement can at least track the ammunition purchase back to the retailer who sold it. This gives law enforcement a tool to investigate and possibly identify the shooter(s).

Healthcare for all Oregonians

The late western novelist, Edward Abbey, once observed that, “Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” This also seems to be the philosophy of the corporate raiders seeking to enrich themselves at the expense of the health of Oregonians. The hostile takeover of health care in Oregon is well under way, with Corporate America trying to get between patients and their doctors by directly acquiring medical practices and controlling clinical care. Certainly, corporate ownership of physicians is nothing new. For decades, hospital systems have been buying up physician practices, controlling more of the health care system and, in some cases, behaving exactly like expansionist, for-profit entities.

Return to fair taxation of corporations & wealthy.

Oregon stacks up pretty well in the national ranking. Though less inequitable than most others, our system is still regressive, analysts from the Oregon Center for Public Policy note: “Oregon’s poorest families pay more in taxes as a share of income than any other group in the state—more than middle-income families and the rich.”

Behavioral health crisis alternatives to police.

"Police themselves have been saying for years that they are asked to do too much. Why do we continue to ask them to respond to crisis calls that health professionals could address more safely and effectively?"

Change building zoning to encourage small homes.

Restrictive zoning codes contribute to socioeconomic divisions, worsen the housing affordability crisis, and artificially inflate housing prices. The insufficient housing supply further emphasizes the importance of exploring opportunities for increasing housing stock through land use reform. By examining existing zoning codes in communities, we identify potential strategies for changing zoning practices and policies at both the state and local levels.

Womens reproductive healthcare

I lost my job at a Catholic church because the Right to Life organization wanted to prohibit me from referring women to Planned Parenthood. My daughter had spearheaded a project in her high school to put crisis intervention numbers on the backs of student ID cards--Suicide Hotline, Police, Poison Control, Planned Parenthood, Eating Disorders, Sheltering Hotline, etc.

As a career Youth Minister, I spoke at the school board meeting in support of my daughter's project. The Chancery office got some calls and notes that I had publicly advocated Planned Parenthood and abortion, and that I should be fired. My pastor disagreed and was willing to take this issue on. A representative of Right to Life came and met with me, demanding my commitment to abandon referrals to Planned Parenthood.

Throughout my career I had ministered to women, many adolescents, who were sexually active, and too many who were pregnant. Too often, I accompanied teens to their homes to be present as she told them about her pregnancy. Sometimes it was ugly, sometimes it was profoundly loving. 1 in 4 women will have an abortion in their lives...Catholics included.

In the states I have worked, all women had access to contraceptives without parental consent and some had the same for abortion. In Oregon, women under 16 require parental consent. My referrals to Planned Parenthood were always last resort. Thank goodness they exist.

I chose not to stay with that parish and put them through pickets and protests. My daughter's project succeeded until Right to Life forces pressured the schools to confiscate the student body cards. My daughter was nearly suspended.

So I have history in this field of women's reproductive rights. My commitment is still 100%, but I fear voters in states that feel secure can still have access to mifepristone and contraceptives restricted through judicial and constitutional processes. Vigilance. Vote.

Some Oregon issues