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To contact me, please click here: Sen.MichaelDembrow@oregonlegislature.gov

September 16, 2024

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

Let me start off this newsletter by letting you know about a new development in my impending retirement from the Legislature.

Sadly, it once again reminds us that, in the immortal words of Robert Burns, “The best-laid schemes of mice and men go often askew . . .”

My plan, as you probably know, was to step down at the end of this month, after Legislative Days and the deadline for 2025 bill requests. That would allow Rep Khanh Pham (who won the primary to replace me and is uncontested in November) to be appointed by the County Commission to replace me and could thereby start work early as a senator.  It would also allow Willy Chotzen (who won the primary to replace her and is also uncontested in November) to be appointed to replace her and would thereby not have to wait till January to begin his legislative career.  I confirmed with the Elections Division back in June that this plan would work.

Unfortunately, I just learned a few days ago that it will not work.  A closer look at the statutes by the Department of Justice confirmed that when a vacancy occurs within 60 days of an election, whether the seat is being challenged or not, there cannot be an appointment process, and the seat would have to remain vacant until the next Legislature is sworn in on January 13^th.  Leaving the seat unrepresented is not an option for me, so it looks as if my time in the Legislature will continue for another few months (until Khanh is sworn in on January 13^th). 

In the immortal words of my late former colleague Albert (Bobbi) Ellsworth, “Such is life.”

So this newsletter won’t be one of my very last ones after all. 

In this one I'll be giving you a preview of the topics that will be covered in next week’s Legislative Days committee meetings.   

You'll also find a wildfire update and more on the remaining few stops on the Transportation Road Show. And a few final links of interest.

And to wrap it up, you’ll get a recap of Saturday’s 15^th Bike Town Hall, which was another big success despite some drizzle early on. 

Please do let me know if anything in this newsletter provokes any questions, concerns, or suggestions.  All the best to you and your loved ones.

September Legislative Days: Most of the Agendas

Next Monday marks the beginning of “September Leg Days,” when legislators return to Salem for a few days of intensive meetings.  You can find the schedule here.

These interim committee meetings are a very useful way for legislators (and the public) to get updates on implementation of new initiatives created by recent legislation, along with ongoing challenges, reports from task forces, and a preview of what is likely coming in the 2025 session.  

In addition to the committee meetings that you’ll see below, the full Senate will be meeting Wednesday morning to vote to confirm Governor appointments to boards, commissions, and agency heads. These will be based on recommendations from the Senate Rules Committee, which is meeting on Monday to interview and consider appointments. You'll find the list of those being considered for appointment here.

We normally have this meeting of the full Senate on the Senate floor, with an opportunity for observers to watch from the gallery as usual.  However, these are not usual times: as a result of the Capitol building’s final seismic mitigation work, the Senate floor will not be off-limits until the 2025 session gets underway in January. So we’ll have to meet in one of the committee meeting rooms (Conference Room A, I believe), and there won’t be room for observers.  As always, though, you can follow it via a livestream (or recording) on olis.oregonlegislature.gov.

One thing that you’ll notice is that the full Ways and Means (Budget) Committee or its subcommittees will NOT be meeting this time.  Instead, all of the interim budget appropriations are going through the Emergency Board.  It has three subcommittees (Public Safety, Human Services, and General Government), which will be making recommendations to the full E-Board.  But unlike during the regular Ways and Means process, you may need to dig a little to find the appropriation that you’re interested in. E.g., education budget issues will be heard in the Public Safety Subcommittee.  Natural resources, energy, and environment budget issues will be heard in the General Government Subcommittee. 

To help you navigate the various hearings, I’ve again put together a document with nearly all the agendas for you to review.  Links will provide you with more detail about the presenters, materials, and how to watch.

If there are no agenda items listed for a particular committee, that means the committee has not yet posted its agenda. They’ll all be posted over the next few days. For those not yet posted, I’ve provided a link to the committee website for you to track. I’ll have an update for you next weekend with an updated list.

Please let me know if you need further help in accessing this information or have any questions.

Wildfire Season: Cooler, Wetter, Calmer Weather and Shorter Days Are Helping Turn the Corner

Legislators won’t be receiving a wildfire briefing today, and that’s a good sign. 

None of the major fires is growing right now, and most are in the “mopping up” phase.  Temperatures are cooling overall, and we’re benefiting from the days becoming gradually shorter. Fortunately, the strong east winds that are always a risk in early September have not materialized to date.

While precipitation is increasing in most of the state, it’s not at a point where it’s actually putting the fires out.  Firefighters remain hard at work containing them. The reports on the individual fires make it clear that we’re not yet at the end of the season.  

Legislators will be receiving comprehensive update from the fire agencies during Legislative Days in several different committees.  See the section above on Legislative Days for more information.

We just received the following message from the Governor’s office confirming that a briefing won’t be needed:

Since our last briefing on Monday, fire activity has tempered across the state as rains and cooler temperatures have assisted firefighting efforts on the ground. While this has been a positive development, there are still 24 large fires on the landscape across Oregon. There is optimism that a corner has been turned on this fire season due to the change in weather conditions, but Oregonians should remain vigilant to prevent human-caused fires as the season continues. Resources on fire restrictions and prevention can be found here.

Once again, here are additional wildfire resources for you to follow:

You can follow the fire season here in Oregon in the ODF Wildfire Blog and the Oregon State Fire Marshal Blog..  For news about Oregon AND the entire Pacific Northwest, check out the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center blog, All three are updated each day.

Oregon Wildfire Response and Recovery also maintains a site that tracks evacuation orders in the state, providing daily numbers of those under Level 1, 2, and 3 orders. 

The wildfires in Eastern and Central Oregon are creating serious air-quality problems throughout that region.

Even when there is not a wildfire nearby, your region may be experiencing smoky conditions.  You can track those conditions at Oregon Smoke.

Upcoming Transportation Sessions

The Joint Transportation Committee is continuing its “Road Show,” visiting locations around the state for first-hand briefings on transportation project needs and meeting with local folks to hear their priorities.  Members of the Joint Committee on Transportation, along with other local legislators, are there to take testimony (in person and in writing) during those sessions. This is all in preparation for the 2025 legislative session’s deliberations over transportation funding as the current program is set to expire.

Here's a PowerPoint presentation from ODOT Director Kris Strickler that was delivered at the most recent stop (in The Dalles) that lays out the challenges we’re facing.

The final three sessions will occur next week. two in-person in the Portland Metro area, and one a virtual session coinciding with Legislative Days.

Here are the remaining dates:

• Virtual session during Legislative Days – Wednesday, September 25, 2:30-6:00 pm
• Happy Valley - Thursday, September 26
• Hillsboro - Friday, September 27

Here’s the link to the Joint Committee's website. If you’re interested in reading some of the written testimony that has come in, go to the individual meeting dates and click on “Meeting Materials.”

Additional Links of Interest 

• A recently released report shows that our improvements in energy efficiency here in the Northwest is having a very positive impact on the power grid. Here's reporting from OPB.
• We’ve just learned that a clerical error at DMV allowed 306 resident noncitizens in Oregon to register to vote. Apparently, two of them in fact voted in a recent election. That’s of course a tiny percentage of the millions who are registered, and the harm should not be overblown, but it’s obviously a problem that needs to be rectified. There’s still much that we don’t know. Here's what we do know right now.
• OPB has an interesting story related to the recent wildfire: how this record wildfire season has kept our meteorologists busy.
• On a more positive note, the Federal government has just granted Oregon nearly $9.5 million to PREVENT wildfires with prescribed burns and firebreaks. This comes on top of a $38 million grant that came in earlier in the year.  
• After months of research, public outreach, and debate, the Oregon Water Resources Commission has just voted unanimously to create greater protections for Oregon's dwindling groundwater sources. The new rules will create challenges for farmers in areas of scarce water, but it’s an essential step in recognizing that we live in a time of increasing drought and limited supply and adjusting to this new reality.
• The Portland Clean Energy Fund is distributing another round of grants to help low-income residents to fight the effects of climate change and prepare for a renewable-energy future. The current round of grantees will focus on a range of renewable energy projects, as well as workforce development in the energy sector  You can read about this round of projects ($92 million in all) here.
• In almost every state, rents are increasingly taking up an excessive share of a family’s income. Oregon is not among the very worst, but it is close to it.  Here's a story from the Capital Chronicle.
• The latest tracking data from the CDC show that COVID levels in the U.S. remain elevated, though most indicators have declined
• Meanwhile, in a very disturbing turn of events, the state of Florida is now discouraging older Floridians from receiving mRNA COVID vaccines.  Here's reporting from NBC News.

Another Memorable Bike Town Hall

The weather proved unpredictable, with rain coming down just before the start of the ride, then some misty drizzle, then strong sun mixed with clouds. It actually felt like a welcome return to fall, and it did nothing to dampen the spirits of the forty-some participants in this year's bike town hall.

There were more than forty of us this year on an excursion around 82^nd Avenue in the northern part of the district.  We started at The Yard at Montavilla for some welcoming speeches by the legislators (with a chance to introduce folks to Rep-Elect Willy Chotzen, who will soon be replacing Khanh Pham as HD 46 Representative). 

Rep Khanh Pham on the mic, me, and Rep Thuy Tran.

The happy participants.

We then moved across 82^nd to Vestal Elementary School, where we met with the PTA President and an activist parent with Safe Routes to Schools.  I then provided a brief overview of the prognosis for school funding, answered a few questions, and heard a few concerns.

At Vestal Elementary. (Rep-Elect Chotzen is waving to the left of me.)

Our next stop was at Rahab’s Sisters, an organization that helps houseless people transition into housing.  We also heard about a new shelter site that’s about to open—Montavilla Community Village, which will include 40+ individual sleeping pods for up to 40 adults.  It will have on-site 24-7 wraparound services and on-site trash pickup, kitchenette, showers, restrooms, and laundry facilities.  The site operator will be Straightway Services, an outreach nonprofit with a history of providing support to low-income individuals and underserved communities.  We got to hear from the organization’s leader, Pastor Dwight Minnieweather, who had himself been able to turn his life around through faith and a commitment to service. We also heard from Spencer Knowles, the current Chair of the Montaville Neighborhood Association, who walked us through the outreach process that was needed (after a somewhat rocky start) to get the neighbors on board with this project.

At Rahab's Sisters, following our briefing on their work and the upcoming Montavilla Community Village. Pastor Minnieweather is the man in orange.

We stopped briefly just off 82^nd Avenue, where we heard about the many infrastructure investments being made in the area thanks to the legislative funding that allowed that state road to become a city street. Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang also spoke about the larger revitalization of the area.

Our next stop was to The People’s Courts, located across 82^nd from McDaniel High School.  This entertainment facility has remade itself into a Pickleball center, and is drawing players/customers from all over the Portland area and introducing them to this area. It was exciting to see it doing so well (despite the competing Oregon/Oregon State Football game!).

Jacob Loeb from the 82nd Avenue Business Association with Rep Tran (herself an optometrist and small business owner) at The People's Courts.

We wrapped up our tour not far from The People's Courts, at the nearby Dharma Rain Zen Center.  A remarkably quiet and calming site nestled between 82nd Avenue and the tree-lined heights of Rocky Butte, the center is located on a former landfill that is now filled with wild grasses and native plants. It shows the transformative value of intentional planning. The Center's Kakumyo Lowe-Charde spoke to us about creating the center, overcoming challenges, and building a vision of a respite open to all.  Anahí Segovia Rodriguez from Verde NW, an environmental justice organization based nearby in Cully spoke to us about the need to plan with the needs of impacted communities foremost in our minds, a belief echoed by the legislators in attendance.  

It was an inspiring, beautiful way to wrap up this beautiful day.

Pulling into Dharma Rain. Here you can see one of our two pedicabs on the ride.

As always, many thanks to our staff for all their work on the Bike Town Hall, and of course to Greg Raisman from PBOT, for all his help with logistics and planning.  Greg has been helping us from the very beginning in 2009, and we simply could not pull off this event without him.

Until next time,

Senator Michael Dembrow
District 23

email: Sen.MichaelDembrow@oregonlegislature.gov
web: www.senatordembrow.com
mail: 900 Court St NE, S-407, Salem, OR, 97301