Blog Archives

April 24th, 2021

4/24/2021

'No Place for Hate'

More than 200 people gathered at the Linn County Courthouse on Friday evening, April 23, in support of Nehemiah Miller, a 13-year-old Albany youth who was beaten by white teenagers after they taunted him with racial slurs earlier this month, according to Albany police. He was hospitalized as a result. Police have arrested two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl in connection with the incident. At the rally, many people brought signs and others wrote words on the sidewalk with chalk. Among the speakers were Jason Dorsette, Corvallis-Albany NAACP president, and Jewel Larsen, a member of Black Joy Oregon, a nonprofit that works to support Black Oregonians. Click here for the Democrat-Herald coverage of the event.

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April 24th, 2021

4/24/2021

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Linn Dems endorse Bricker, Sheppy,
Ecker and Newton-Vasquez for GAPS board

The Linn County Democratic Central Committee has unanimously endorsed four candidates in school board races for the Greater Albany Public Schools in the May 18 Special District Election.
The Linn Democrats endorse:
• Frank Bricker, Zone 1.
• Will Sheppy, Zone 2.
• Alison Ecker and Denee Newton-Vasquez, At Large, Position 2.
Seventeen Linn County Democratic Precinct Committee People voted in the special endorsement session April 17.
Ballots will be in the mail April 28. Deadline to return ballots is 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 18.

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April 14th, 2021

4/14/2021

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Rep. Marty Wilde: Legislature moving forward slowly

April 12, 2021
The foot-dragging on the floor by the other party continues in Salem, slowing our work for the people. The best and most appropriate response to this is exactly what we are doing – working long hours to pass bills that will benefit all Oregonians. We stayed late into the night 6 days last week, and that allowed the House to pass legislation to meet challenges in housing, healthcare, and education. We will continue to stay as long as it takes to get the work done.
Housing. Oregon does not have adequate housing for its population at almost every income level. The pandemic has worsened this problem. Last week, we passed a foreclosure moratorium to help people stay in their homes and to provide super-siting authority for shelters for the unhoused, funding for Eugene’s navigation center, and property tax relief for the owners of property damaged by the fires. Most of these passed by wide, bipartisan votes, although the foreclosure moratorium only received two votes from the other party. We’ll keep working on bills to fund hundreds of millions of dollars in rental assistance.

Healthcare. We passed a number of bills to ensure affordable healthcare for all. In the last week, we moved a bill forward to make sure that immigrants do not jeopardize their ability to stay in the US simply by seeking healthcare. Bills to improve contact tracing and to support adequate nurse staffing in our hospitals also passed.

Education. Joining the House in supporting education, the State Senate passed our budget measure to fund summer school and school reopening this week. The bill now goes to the Governor for her signature.

Equitable Policing. The House Judiciary Committee successfully passed police reform bills out of committee and to the floor on unanimous votes. If passed on the floor and through the Senate and Governor, these will improve policing from hiring through termination. In addition to the benefits that they will bring to all of us, the bills will help provide clearer guidance and a better working environment for officers themselves.

Other Important Bills. Two of my good government bills, HBs 2214 and 2221, passed the House almost unanimously. HB 2214 requires public justification for hiring outside lawyers at high hourly rates – a recurring problem for both the Executive and Legislative Branches. HB 2221 similarly requires a public justification to hire a state public servant at a salary of over $240,000 a year. If passed by the Senate and signed by the Governor, these bills will introduce an element of transparency to how we spend your tax dollars and hopefully provide at least some restraint on excessive spending.

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April 14th, 2021

4/14/2021

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Linn Dems to consider GAPS school board candidate endorsements on April 17

If you've been reading local or statewide news, its apparent that Albany is quickly becoming the next target in a sweeping effort to roll back diversity, equity and inclusivity in our education system, and to silence our neighbors from underrepresented communities. Intimidation and threats have been levied against the parents and children who've had the courage to share their own lived experiences, leading to even more marginalized voices being silenced. Instead of leading, some school board candidates are perpetuating the vitriol.
The three candidates with support from conservative organizations, conservative leaders and political action committees have coordinated their campaigns in order to stoke anger and propagate misinformation regarding district power in school openings, school resource officers, and more.
Their campaigns are doing nothing but pitting parents against one another in an effort to score political points. You don't have to look too hard at their voters' pamphlet statements, their social media posts or their press releases to see that they have no real plans, only anger and empty rhetoric. But there is hope.
There are several progressive-minded candidates running for Albany School Board as well in the May 18 Special District Election, and those individuals have a positive vision for improving educational outcomes, resources for kids returning to classes, and they understand that we do better as a community when all voices are heard, valued and considered. It is for this reason the Linn County Democrats will hold a special session, starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 17, on Zoom (registration required), to endorse in the Greater Albany Public Schools races. There is too much on the line, and we must do our part to help defeat those who would love to tear down the progress that has been made.
We hope you will join us in our work to make Albany, and all of Linn County, a community that truly respects and values all voices and one that we can all be proud to call home.
Jerred Taylor
Linn County Democrats Chair

Registration for the special session at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 17, is required. Click here to register and receive Zoom access.
Agenda for the April 17 Linn County Democrats Special Session

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April 14th, 2021

4/14/2021

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Oregon Democrats condemn
Georgia's voter suppression law

Resolution urges lawmakers to do everything in their power to pass H.R. 1, the For The People Act
March 14, 2021
The Democratic Party of Oregon (DPO) State Central Committee last weekend passed an emergency resolution condemning Georgia’s recently passed voter suppression law, and calling on legislators to do everything in their power to pass H.R. 1, the "For The People Act."
The resolution was submitted by DPO Vice Chair and Black Caucus Chair, Dr. Rosa Colquitt, in response to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signing Senate Bill 202 into law in late March.
"SB 202 serves no purpose other than to make voting more difficult, especially for Black and Brown voters, low-income voters, and other racial and ethnic minorities," said Dr. Colquitt. "This is just one of hundreds of voter suppression bills filed in nearly every single state this year, and each of them poses a fundamental threat to our democracy. I am proud that the Democratic Party of Oregon is taking a strong stand against Jim Crow 2.0, and we urge our legislators to take swift action to pass the For The People Act to expand Americans’ access to the ballot box and stop states from enforcing discriminatory voting laws like SB 202."
The resolution details how SB 202 violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by making it harder for Black and Brown Georgians to access the ballot, violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution by creating burdensome and discriminatory effects on the right to vote for all citizens, substantially restricts the use of ballot dropboxes, and imposes many more voter suppression policies.
"As Oregonians, we are proud of our best-in-the-nation voting rights laws," said Democratic Party of Oregon Chair Carla "KC" Hanson. "With this resolution, we stand firmly in solidarity with voters in Georgia and everywhere who are facing voter suppression, and call on elected leaders to act accordingly."
In addition, the resolution calls upon state and local governments to look to Oregon’s nation-leading model to simplify the voting process and expand voters’ access to their democracy, including conducting all elections by paper ballots sent to voters that can be returned at any county dropbox until polls close on Election Day.
The full text of the resolution can be found here.

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April 24th, 2021

'No Place for Hate'

April 24th, 2021

Linn Dems endorse Bricker, Sheppy,
Ecker and Newton-Vasquez for GAPS board

April 14th, 2021

Rep. Marty Wilde: Legislature moving forward slowly

April 14th, 2021

Linn Dems to consider GAPS school board candidate endorsements on April 17

April 14th, 2021

Oregon Democrats condemn
Georgia's voter suppression law

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April 24th, 2021

'No Place for Hate'

April 24th, 2021

Linn Dems endorse Bricker, Sheppy,​Ecker and Newton-Vasquez for GAPS board

April 14th, 2021

Rep. Marty Wilde: Legislature moving forward slowly

April 14th, 2021

Linn Dems to consider GAPS school board candidate endorsements on April 17

April 14th, 2021

Oregon Democrats condemn​Georgia's voter suppression law

News & Updates

Archives

Categories

Linn Dems endorse Bricker, Sheppy,
Ecker and Newton-Vasquez for GAPS board

Oregon Democrats condemn
Georgia's voter suppression law