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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Many of you have reached out to me to share your thoughts and feelings about the ongoing protests around the country sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I too, am saddened and troubled by the images I have seen. What’s worse is that this is not the first time this has happened. In fact, deaths from police harm disproportionately affect people of color. Acknowledging this has been hard for even me as a white person who, from adolescence onward, has a step-father I love and respect in law enforcement. The rose-colored glasses that come from lived experience different from that of others have only come off in recent years as more and more of these stories have come to light. Racism is not dead in this country, and unfortunately, there is more work still to do.
That said, I am heartened by the peaceful protests in our own communities and proud to personally know so many of the participants. From Astoria to Seaside, to Tillamook and small parts of rural Washington County, people are standing up peacefully to show that we need to do better as a community to keep vulnerable populations safe. The movement acknowledges that while all lives are important, currently in our country we, whether consciously or not, elevate the lives of some over others based on the color of their skin and the privileges that come with it. The “Black Lives Matter” movement sparked years ago and brought to the forefront again with the death of Floyd, continues to gain traction as more and more people come to grips with this reality and develop a resolve to create and see real change. I support this movement.
In recent years as a legislator, I have been working to advance racial equity in Oregon. As a member of the Oregon Legislature, we created a new law to address hate crimes, collecting data on police stops, and we passed a law to penalize those who call 911 for frivolous or discriminatory reasons and advanced legislation to hold law enforcement officers who commit misconduct accountable.
Though many of us will never truly know what it is like to be on the receiving end of racial injustice, I believe that it is my place to listen and support my colleagues for whom this is their lived experience. I am proud to support these concrete actions that were put out by the POC Caucus on Tuesday.
- Recommend changes to the state’s laws regarding use of physical force or deadly physical force in making an arrest or in preventing an escape.
- Prohibit an arbitrator from lessening disciplinary action against a law enforcement officer if the arbitrator and the law enforcement agency determine that the officer has committed misconduct.
- Require the Attorney General to investigate and prosecute, if the evidence dictates, any death or serious physical injury resulting from the use of force by a law enforcement officer.
Washington County approved for Phase I and Tillamook and Clatsop Counties have been approved for Phase II which begins today! The guidance for Phase II was also recently issued. Not a lot will change for Phase II--but definitely enough to notice.
Updated Phase II guidance:
- Gathering limits will be raised to 50 people indoors, and 100 people outdoors.
- Indoor and outdoor venues, including theaters and churches, with 6 feet of physical distancing and other measures in place, can reach a COVID-19 occupancy limit of up to 250.
- Offices can begin reopening and employees can return to workplaces with physical distancing and other measures in place, though remote work is still strongly recommended whenever possible.
- Increased travel will be allowed throughout Oregon, though staying local is still recommended to prevent overloading county health systems.
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Indoor and outdoor entertainment facilities.
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Restaurants and bars.
- Swimming pools, spas, and sport courts
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Recreational sports.
You may have heard the news this week that the Governor has requested and received the resignation of Kay Erickson, who led the Employment Department. We now have a new Interim Director, David Gerstenfeld, who has been with the department since 2011. While I’m hopeful that this shakeup at the Employment Department will yield some positive impacts for the constituents I hear from every day who are suffering while waiting for their unemployment benefits, I’m also cautious in accepting that this change will resolve some of the underlying root causes that the agency has identified as stumbling blocks in issuing benefits. An antiquated UI program to process benefits takes years to replace, and the department continues to add staff to try to keep up with processing the hundreds of thousands of claims in Oregon, many of which remain outstanding in status. I’m not entirely optimistic that much will change--but I want the constituents of District 32 to know that if you’re struggling through the UI process, you are more than welcome to contact my office and we will do what we can to help you.
This will be an incredibly difficult job for anyone to take on, and I wish the new interim director success in this difficult role. There is no higher priority in our government right now than getting through this backlog and ending the suffering of thousands of Oregonians. This has led to an “all hands on deck” strategy, where many state employees from multiple agencies have been asked to shift some of their own time and energy to help the Employment Department through the mess. This even includes in my office where my Knappa aide, Tallie Spiller will be spending 15 hours of her time per week with the Employment Department to help address status issues on UI claims.
The Employment Department is also bringing on five senior level staff from other departments to act as liaisons between the Employment Department and legislators. This will mean that our office will be better able to get information about our constituents' cases, and hopefully help our constituents resolve whatever issues may have caused their claim to be delayed. If you are a constituent of HD 32 and are having issues with your unemployment or applied many weeks or even months ago and still are not receiving your benefits, please email our office at rep.tiffinymitchell@oregonlegislature.gov. We will do everything in our power to get you an update quickly.
If you do not know what district you reside in or who represents you, use this link and enter your address and you can find your representatives at the federal and state level.
I wanted to highlight this warning from the FTC about a new scam that involves the scammer posing as a contact tracer. Do not click any links or download anything from a text message. Scammers can spoof a phone number and make it look official. If you are unsure if a text message is legitimate you can call the Clatsop County Public Health Department at 503-325-8500. Here is an article from the Daily Astorian with more information.
Did you know that every completed Census response translates to more than $30,000 per household in federal funding to our local community? Think about that! Filling out the Census takes less than 5 minutes and earns our community more than $30,000! I can’t think of anything else that has that kind of return on investment. Please help spread the word and encourage your friends and neighbors to fill out the Census today!
After my last newsletter, several people throughout the district reached out with some valuable information as well. Those who receive their mail by post office box will not receive a Census form in the mail and will instead be visited by a Census taker. Unfortunately, with COVID-19, this creates some pretty huge obstacles to ensuring as many people as possible complete their Census. So we will have to work extra hard to reach those in rural communities that do not have mail delivery. Even if you did not get a notice in the mail, you can still fill out the Census online at https://2020census.gov/ Please go fill it out if you haven’t already, and encourage everyone you know to do so as well!
If you or someone you know is out of work and wants to get paid to help their community, the Census is hiring! You can earn $18-$20/hour in Tillamook County and surrounding areas!
This is a great resource for small businesses looking to get support during the pandemic.
Navigating Employment Issues During COVID-19
Ready to bring back your employees? Learn what you need to know to protect your employees and yourself! Katie Tank Law PC walks employers through the employees and yourself! Katie Tank from Law PC walks employers through the ever-changing landscape of legal obligations and the corresponding liabilities during COVID-19. Register here.
SBA PPP Forgiveness: Official Guidelines and Application
Join Jessica Newhall, lead advisor at the Clatsop SBDC, and a panel of local banking experts from Wauna FCU, as we review the recent Paycheck Protection Program forgiveness application process recently announced by the SBA and Treasury. Register here.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1432
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-285, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.TiffinyMitchell@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mitchell
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