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The reversal comes as other high-profile liberal jurisdictions are also getting tougher on drugs and crime. And on Super Tuesday, San Francisco voters approved ballot measures that expand police powers and impose mandatory drug-screening and treatment requirements for welfare recipients. San Francisco had more than 800 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents and – though a decline from 2022 – more than 20,000 car break-ins, according to The San Francisco Standard . In 2019, the year before voters approved the decriminalization measure, Oregon saw 280 accidental opioid overdose deaths, according to state public health authorities . “If you were to ask the public at large I think there’s a perception that it hasn’t worked,” says Hansen.

Persons: ” Kassandra Frederique, “, ” Leo Beletsky, –, Bob Lee, Henry Cuellar, Democrat –, Mayor London Breed, It’s, ” Beletsky, Tina Kotek, George Floyd’s, ”, Ben Hansen, hasn’t, Hansen Organizations: Drug Policy Alliance, Washington , D.C, San Francisco, Northeastern University, D.C, San Francisco Standard, Republican, Democrat, Mayor London, University of Oregon Locations: Oregon, Washington ,, Washington, carjackings, San Francisco, downtown San Francisco, Portland, Portland –, West Coast

Tina Kotek wants to scrap a plan to implement tolls on large sections of two Portland-area interstates, she said Monday. Kotek sent a letter to the Oregon Transportation Commission on Monday saying the Regional Mobility Pricing Project for Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 should be halted, KGW-TV reported. Kotek’s letter came a few weeks after a survey found a majority of Oregon voters opposed the Regional Mobility Pricing Project tolls, KOIN-TV reported. Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesThe move also came after the Oregon Department of Transportation produced a report on the equity impacts of tolling and the agency’s plan to mitigate the impacts on low-income Portlanders. Beyer said “metro leadership views on tolling have changed” and “local and regional opposition to tolling makes clear that Oregon is not ready for regional tolling."

Persons: Tina Kotek, Kotek, ”, Julie Brown, Lee Beyer, Kris Strickler, Beyer, Strickler, ” Brown, ” Kotek, Washington that’s Organizations: —, Oregon Transportation, Oregon Department of Transportation, ” Oregon Transportation, Washington Locations: PORTLAND, — Oregon, Portland, Oregon, ” Oregon

Tina Kotek said she was committed to developing a transparent roadmap for exploring offshore wind opportunities with the input of coastal and tribal communities. As a next step, BOEM said it will prepare an environmental assessment on the potential impacts of leasing offshore wind farms. The offshore wind industry in the U.S. is growing after lagging behind Europe for decades. The first auction of leases to develop commercial-scale floating farms was held in 2022, for five sites off the coast of California. The administration has set a goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 using traditional technology that secures wind turbines to the ocean floor.

Persons: Tina Kotek, ” Kotek, ” BOEM, Brad Kneaper, BOEM, Joe Biden Organizations: of Ocean Energy Management, Oregon Gov, Tribal Locations: PORTLAND, Oregon, Coos Bay, Brookings, California, Coos, Lower Umpqua, U.S, New York

☆ Fentanyl crisis in Oregon: 90-day state of emergency declared in downtown Portland
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Amy Simonson | Lauren Mascarenhas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Oregon leaders joined forces to declare a 90-day state of emergency in downtown Portland, funneling resources into the city’s deadly fentanyl crisis. Oregon voters passed Measure 110 in 2020, which decriminalized some use of hard-drugs, including fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid. The measure has received criticism, as opioid overdose deaths steadily climbed since. Opioid overdose deaths in the state increased from 280 in 2019 to 956 in 2022, according to the state’s data. Experts say reversing the trends in overdose deaths really depends on broader access to and use of treatments for opioid use disorder.

Persons: Tina Kotek, Jessica Vega Pederson, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, ” Kotek, ”, “, ” Pederson Organizations: CNN, Oregon, Oregon Gov, Portland Mayor, US Centers of Disease Control, CDC, Portland Central City Task Force, Portland Police Bureau, Oregon State Police Locations: Portland, Multnomah, Portland’s Central City, Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Several elected leaders in Oregon declared a state of emergency on Tuesday for downtown Portland over the public health and public safety crisis fueled by fentanyl. The declaration is a recommendation from a governor-established task force that met for several months last year to determine ways to rejuvenate downtown Portland. The effort also extends the Portland Police Bureau’s partnership with Oregon State Police to jointly patrol downtown streets for fentanyl sales. At the state level, Oregon lawmakers have introduced a new bill that would undo a key part of the state’s drug decriminalization law. Public opinion has soured on it as public drug use has become more visible because of growing homelessness.

Persons: Tina Kotek, Ted Wheeler, Jessica Vega Pederson, ” Kotek, Mike Myers, Nathan Reynolds, Kotek, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping Organizations: Oregon Gov, Staff, Portland, Portland’s Community Safety Division, state’s, Resilience, Emergency Management, Portland Police, Oregon State Police Locations: PORTLAND, Oregon, Portland, Multnomah, Portland’s, Narcan, China, America, Mexico, U.S

Storms have walloped the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, Plains, South and Northeast with low temperatures, heavy snow, ice storms, freezing rain and high winds for the past two weeks. Tina Kotek on Thursday declared a statewide emergency following deadly ice storms. Trees and power lines already coated with ice could topple if they get more, the National Weather Service warned. “Stay safe out there over the next several days as our region tries to thaw out,” the weather service said. The National Weather Service said there could be a thaw next week, when the forecast calls for above-average temperatures across almost the whole country.

Persons: Bob Johnson, ” Johnson, Doug McGowen, Joe Biden, Tina Kotek, Jonathan Mattise, Kristin M, Claire Rush, Carolyn Thompson, Jeffrey Collins, Colleen Long Organizations: Midwest, D.C, National Weather Service, Tennessee, Sheriff’s, Memphis, Water, Blood Assurance, The West Virginia Legislature, Capitol, Washington D.C, U.S . Capitol, White House, U.S . Conference of Mayors, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Michigan, West Coast , Oregon Gov, Associated Press, Hall Locations: MEMPHIS, Tenn, Memphis, U.S, Canada, New York City, Baltimore, Washington, Pacific Northwest, Midwest, Plains, South, Arkansas , Mississippi , Missouri , Tennessee , Kentucky, Kansas, Lewisburg, Marshall, Memphis , Tennessee, Chattanooga , Tennessee, West Virginia, The, In Buffalo , New York, Michigan City , Indiana, West Coast , Oregon, Columbia, Willamette Valley, Nashville , Tennessee, Portland , Oregon, Buffalo , New York, Columbia , South Carolina

Tina Kotek said Tuesday she has directed state police to launch new strategies aimed at disrupting the fentanyl supply chain and holding sellers of the frequently deadly drug accountable. Kotek said in a statement that she made the announcement at a Tuesday meeting of her task force created to revitalize downtown Portland. “I want all Oregonians to know that the state is moving forward with several new fentanyl strategic enforcement and disruption strategies,” Kotek's statement said. So far this year, the Oregon State Patrol has seized nearly 233,000 fentanyl pills and 62 pounds of powder, the statement said. Illegally made fentanyl is often added to other drugs, including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, to increase its potency.

Persons: Tina Kotek, Kotek, General Merrick Garland Organizations: —, Oregon Department of Justice, Oregon State Patrol, Washington , D.C, U.S . Justice Locations: SALEM, Ore, — Oregon, Portland, “, U.S, Washington ,

Fewer than half of rural hospitals now have maternity units, prompting government officials and families to scramble for answers. The closures have worsened so-called “maternity care deserts" — counties with no hospitals or birth centers that offer obstetric care and no OB providers. Ultimately, doctors and researchers say, having fewer hospital maternity units makes having babies less safe. “It feels like you’re held in a way.”Some states and communities are taking steps to create more freestanding birth centers. It was a novel and “innovative” idea to request federal nurses to boost staffing at a rural maternity unit, Wyden’s office said.

Persons: Alisha Alderson, ”, Alderson, “, Eric Scott Palmer, It’s, —, Peiyin Hung, Saint Alphonsus, Odette Bolano, Dina Ellwanger, John Tucker, Tucker, we’ve, ’, Lacy Kee, she’ll, She’s, Kee, Henry, Pamela Evans, Evans, she’s, Katie O’Brien, Paris, Bennett —, O’Brien, Corina Fitch, Fitch, Betsy Baarspul, you’re, Ned Lamont, Alecia McGregor, ” McGregor, Tina Kotek, Sen, Ron Wyden, Shane Alderson, Alisha's, ” ___ Rush, Kuna , Idaho . Ungar, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: OB, Henry County Medical Center, American Hospital Association, University of South, University of South Carolina’s Rural, Minority Health Research Center, Saint, Henry County Medical, Associated Press, Medicaid, Midwifery, Connecticut Gov, Harvard, of Public Health, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, AP, Oregon Gov, U.S . Public Health Service, Corps, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Locations: Oregon, Boise , Idaho, U.S, Tennessee, University of South Carolina’s, Baker City, Paris , Tennessee, Kentucky, Henry County, Summertown , Tennessee, Connecticut, Chan, “, Baker, Baker City , Oregon, Kuna , Idaho

☆ Oregon Secretary of State Resigns Over Cannabis Consulting Job
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Talal Ansari | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Shemia Fagan’s salary as Oregon’s secretary of state was $77,000 in 2022, according to state records. Photo: Matthew Hinton/Associated PressOregon’s secretary of state is resigning after it was revealed that she worked on the side as a consultant for a cannabis company, earning $10,000 a month, while her office was overseeing an audit of the state’s marijuana regulator. Democrat Shemia Fagan announced her resignation Tuesday, as fallout and political pressure over the consulting job grew. Tina Kotek last week asked the Oregon Government Ethics Commission to investigate Ms. Fagan’s dealings. Kotek also asked the state’s Justice Department to look into a recent audit of the cannabis industry overseen by the secretary of state’s office.

☆ Executions in U.S. continue decline but many ‘botched,' report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Kate Brown commuted the sentences of all 17 of the state’s death row inmates to life in prison without parole. There have been no federal executions since January 2021 following a historic use of capital punishment by the Trump administration. Dunham said he believes ongoing issues with botched executions or reviews of execution protocols by states is helping to erode public support of capital punishment. In 2000, Texas executions reached a high of 40, according to this year’s annual report by the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Dunham said he believes the number of botched executions has contributed significantly to the movement among lawmakers, particularly conservatives, to express doubts about the death penalty.

☆ Oregon Gov. Kate Brown commutes sentences of 17 people on death row
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Kate Brown announced plans Tuesday to commute the sentences of the 17 people on death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole, most likely using her executive clemency powers for the last time as governor. “Unlike previous commutations I’ve granted to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary growth and rehabilitation, this commutation is not based on any rehabilitative efforts by the individuals on death row. Instead, it reflects the recognition that the death penalty is immoral." Brown said the commutations were consistent with a moratorium on the death penalty Gov. The death penalty was first legalized in Oregon in the 19th century, but it has been abolished and reinstated three times since then.

☆ Oregon Gov. Kate Brown commutes sentences of all 17 inmates on death row in her final month in office
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Oregon is one of 27 states in America that allows for the death penalty. Kate Brown commuted the sentences of all 17 inmates on death row. Kate Brown commuted the sentences of all of the state's 17 death row prisoners to life in prison without the chance of parole. Brown added that the commutation "is not based on any rehabilitative efforts by the individuals on death row" but instead "reflects the recognition that the death penalty is immoral." She is the seventh US governor in the past 50 years to commute all death sentences in a state.

☆ Oregon governor lifts death sentences for 17 inmates facing execution
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 14 (Reuters) - Oregon Governor Kate Brown, who leaves office at the beginning of the year, has commuted the death sentences of all 17 inmates facing capital punishment in the state, leaving them to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Democrat said she decided to use her executive clemency powers to commute the sentences because she believes capital punishment is immoral. Legal and ethical questions have swirled around capital punishment in the United States in recent years as states have found it difficult to procure drugs to carry out the death penalty. Nine years later, the state's department of corrections closed its death row and reassigned condemned inmates to special or general population housing units. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and policy changes, the number of executions in 2021 fell to 11, the fewest since 1988.

Democrat Tina Kotek has won the race for governor in Oregon, NBC News projects, narrowly defeating Republican Christine Drazan. With her victory Kotek will be one of the first out lesbian governors in the United States. She joins another out lesbian governor-elect, Democrat Maura Healey of Massachusetts, in making history in the 2022 midterms. Drazan came close, bombarding Kotek with relentless attacks over record-breaking crime and homelessness and tying her to term-limited Democratic Gov. Her victory suggests those messages may have broken through to Oregon voters.

Nov 10 (Reuters) - Democrat Tina Kotek won a tough three-way race to become the next governor of Oregon, the Associated Press projected on Thursday, enabling Democrats to extend nearly four decades of control over the Oregon governorship. Official returns from Tuesday's election showed Kotek winning 47.1% of the vote to 43.5% for Republican Christine Drazan. The last time a Republican was elected governor was in 1982, and Kotek was always favored to succeed Democratic governor Kate Brown, who could not run again due to term limits. With the polls tightening late in the race, President Joe Biden visited Oregon in mid-October to campaign with Kotek, a former state legislator. In Michigan, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer was re-elected and voters flipped the state House and Senate from Republican to Democratic control.

☆ A record number of LGBTQ candidates claim victory in another 'rainbow wave'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

A record number of LGBTQ candidates won their midterm races this year, creating what some advocates are calling yet another “rainbow wave.”Many races are still too close or too early to call, but as of Thursday afternoon, at least 400 out LGBTQ candidates had won their elections, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which supports queer people running for office. “With so much at stake this election, from the future of marriage equality to abortion, LGBTQ candidates’ grit and exceptional grassroots support is paying off.”National firstsQueer candidates celebrated a number of notable victories and firsts across the country. Alaska is one of four states with zero out LGBTQ state lawmakers, according to the LGBTQ Victory Institute. Magni said the results prove that LGBTQ candidates can successfully compete in both blue and red states. “This is a powerful message, saying, ‘Hey, LGBTQ candidates can win elections and can win elections in many states and many districts across the country.’” he said.

☆ Democrat Tina Kotek faces off against Republican Christine Drazan in Oregon's gubernatorial election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Democrat Tina Kotek is running against Republican Christine Drazan, independent Betsy Johnson, and three others in Oregon's gubernatorial race. Just months after being elected, she was chosen by her peers to become the state House minority leader. While serving as the Republican leader of the Oregon House, Drazan opposed the governor's emergency COVID-19 orders and fought against implementing additional taxes. Prior to personally serving in office, Drazan was the chief of staff for Oregon House Speaker Mark Simmons. Her opponent, Drazan, has raised $17 million and spent nearly $16.3 million, while Johnson has raised just over $16.9 million and spent $16.1 million.

☆ GOP Has a Chance at Oregon Governorship for First Time in Four Decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Eliza Collins | Photographs Kristina Barker For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

PORTLAND—Oregonians might choose a Republican governor for the first time in 40 years, polls show, as voters look for new leadership to take on homelessness and crime and a well-funded independent candidate complicates the race. Former Democratic state House Speaker Tina Kotek and former state House GOP leader Christine Drazan are running evenly at just under 39%, according to the polling average on the website FiveThirtyEight.

Christine Drazan, the Republican nominee in the tight three-way race for governor in Oregon, is ratcheting up attacks on Democrat Tina Kotek on homelessness and education in a new ad that will launch later Monday. The 30-second ad, shared first with NBC News ahead of its release, will run statewide on television and on digital. It is part of a weekly ad buy for more than $1 million, Drazan campaign spokesperson John Burke said. “Leaders like Tina Kotek and Kate Brown have let us down,” Drazan says in the ad in a direct-to-camera appeal. Oregon voters have not elected a Republican governor since 1982.

☆ The U.S. has never had a lesbian governor. These two women could change that.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

And in 2014 she broke barriers again, becoming the nation’s first out lesbian elected state attorney general. Nearly 3,000 miles west, Kotek became the country’s first out lesbian speaker of a state House of Representatives in 2013. This coming Election Day, these lesbian trailblazers could shatter glass ceilings once more, simultaneously becoming the first out lesbians ever elected governor in the United States. Kate Brown, who is bisexual and became the first openly LGBTQ person to be elected governor in 2015, and Colorado Gov. This past summer, some of those threats were pointedly directed at the LGBTQ community in Massachusetts’ state capital.

☆ Crime Wave Gives the GOP a Chance in Oregon Governor’s Race
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-11 | by ( Faith Bottum | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Portland, Ore.Masked antifa gangsters, armed with crowbars, smashed their way through Portland’s Bison Coffeehouse’s windows on Oct. 5. The vandals were angry that the owner, Loretta Guzman , was planning to hold a “Coffee With a Cop” event—an opportunity for residents to chat with officers patrolling their neighborhood. That Ms. Guzman is a Native American who approaches her business with a slightly mystical Portlandian leftism bought her no sympathy from the radicals. “Then the tables and benches and my work area, everything.” She adds, “Right now a lot of people are scared. Other people supported me, other small businesses, but they don’t want me to say anything .

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