Greetings:

In the face of adversity, our community continues to stand together and look out for one another. Organizations have teamed up to provide Chromebooks and school supplies for our children headed back to school, non-profits have created opportunities to connect people with resources, and neighborhoods are finding responsible ways to stay connected amid the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases. 

It is amazing to see what we can do when we all work together. As we approach Labor Day weekend we must make safe and smart decisions. Our emergency departments are overwhelmed and emergency physicians are calling on all of us to avoid large gatherings, mask up, and refrain from dangerous activities. Below, you’ll find information on the current state of COVID-19 in Oregon, important opportunities to participate in the redistricting process, upcoming events, and more.

Help Draw Oregon’s Electoral Maps!

Oregon has received the 2020 census data and the Legislature needs your input on how to redraw the electoral maps with census data and public testimony with input from people all across the state. This process impacts how much federal funding communities receive, which voices are reflected in our governments, the diversity of the candidates running for office, and what policies are passed for the next 10-years. Please save the dates below to testify and tell lawmakers about your community and how lines should be drawn for fair representation.

Redistricting Timeline

There are many important dates coming up to testify and participate in the redistricting process. Due to COVID-19, all public testimony will be held virtually. You can provide testimony on video, over the phone, or upload written testimony online. There will be a public hearing for each congressional district in Oregon. Folks that live in NE Portland, Parkrose, and Maywood Park are currently part of Congressional District 3. If you are unsure of which congressional district you live in, please use this link​ to find out.

Friday, September 3

The Committee on Redistricting held a remote informational hearing to discuss drafts of potential maps. You can watch a recording of the hearing here and view the Committee’s submissions at this link. 

Tuesday, September 7

Deadline for individuals to draw and submit redistricting maps with new House, Senate, and Congressional lines to the Committees. To learn how to draw and submit maps please click here. 

Wednesday, September 8

8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (residents of Congressional District 1)
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (residents of Congressional District 2)
5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. (residents of Congressional District 3)

Thursday, September 9

8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (residents of Congressional District 4)
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (residents of Congressional District 5)
5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. (residents of Congressional District 1)

Friday, September 10

8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (residents of Congressional District 2)
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (residents of Congressional District 3)
5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. (residents of Congressional District 4)

Monday, September 13

8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (residents of Congressional District 5)
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (statewide: open to residents of any district)
5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. (statewide: open to residents of any district)

Save the Date: Our Annual Joint Bike Town Hall

For over a decade, the legislators representing Senate District 23 (a good chunk of NE and SE Portland) have hosted a Bike Town Hall. Rep. Khanh Pham, Sen. Michael Dembrow, and I are looking forward to keeping this fun family-friendly tradition going. Please save the date for Saturday, September 18 at 9:00 AM. We will be meeting at Montavilla Park located at NE 82nd Ave and Glisan Street. 

This year, we will make appropriate accommodations to ensure the health and safety of all participants. Face masks, physical distancing, and helmets will be required for the entire town hall. Due to the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, we may also choose to reschedule or make modifications if needed. We will ride through NE Portland visiting sites, learning about transportation infrastructure, and hear presentations from community organizations such as the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT). Want to join the Bike Town Hall but don't have a functional bike right now? Or, are you unsure if riding a two-wheeled upright bike for a few hours will work for you? Please reach out by email or phone at rep.barbarasmithwarner@oregonlegislature.gov or 503-986-1445 and let us help connect you with something that will let you join us on this great ride.

Oregon Health Authority Update

The Oregon Health Authority reports up-to-date information regarding COVID-19, testing statistics, and resources that can be found on their website. You can review the daily update and read the weekly report that details the overall picture of COVID-19 response efforts. Here are some recent developments from OHA:

• Schools can register now to test students and staff for COVID-19. Robust testing programs are offered through the Oregon Health Authority, in partnership with the Oregon Department of Education. Opt-in programs include diagnostic testing for students or staff with symptoms of COVID-19 or exposure to COVID-19, weekly screening testing for unvaccinated K-12 staff, and weekly screening testing of unvaccinated students.
  
  
• OHA’s COVID-19 Weekly Report shows continued increases in daily cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.OHA reported 16,252 new cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, Aug. 23 through Sunday, Aug. 29. That represents a 10% increase over the previous week and the eighth consecutive week of increases.
  
  
• There were 1,000 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from 601 last week. That also marked the eighth consecutive week of increases. There were 119 reported COVID-19 related deaths, up from 87 reported the previous week and the highest weekly death toll since January 2021. There were 160,605 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Aug. 22 through Aug. 28.  The percentage of positive tests increased to 12.4%.
  
  
• As a reminder, masks are required in most public outdoor settings regardless of vaccination status. 

Stamping Out Hate and Violence

I have heard from many Parkrose residents and small business owners that felt terrorized and abandoned after recent violent demonstrations in NE Portland. I am deeply concerned about the violence in our community and this was a stark reminder of how different communities are policed distinctively. The vibrant, diverse neighborhood of Parkrose was left to its own devices and this is unacceptable. For PPB to not respond appropriately raises serious questions about their ability to effectively do their jobs as public servants. Our democracy continues to be at stake and we need leaders at every level to take responsibility, take action and advance long term reform of our institutions from top to bottom. I will continue to work with Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office, as well as other state partners, on how to best respond to issues of public safety.

National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month in Oregon. For this year’s National Preparedness Month, the state is calling on Oregonians to “honor with action,” empowering citizens to take actions to help keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe. The office of Emergency Management is encouraging everyone to take the following actions: 

• Sign up with OR-Alert for area emergency alerts. 
• Consider donating or volunteering with a disaster-relief organization like the American Red Cross
• Help start or join an existing Community Emergency Response Team or Neighborhood Emergency Team
• Check-in on neighbors and loved ones during severe weather, utility outages, or other emergencies 
• Learn evacuation routes from your home and neighborhood and practice an emergency plan. 

Parkrose Marketplace - September 25-26

Parkrose Marketplace is happening the last weekend of September on NE 108th Ave between NE Sandy Blvd and NE Wygant St. A variety of BIPOC vendors will fill the nearby parking lots, and customers can use surrounding street parking. OHSU will be there both days: on Saturday, they'll have an information booth for any questions you have about the COVID-19 vaccine, and on Sunday, they will be staffing a vaccine clinic.

Please reach out to my office if you have any additional questions, or if there’s anything you think I could help with. 

Sincerely,

Representative Barbara Smith Warner
House District 45
email: Rep.BarbaraSmithWarner@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1445
address: 900 Court St NE, H-295, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/smithwarner