Local Convention
Keynote Speaker: Richard Harris, Executive Director, Central City Concern

Tuesday, May 13
Registration begins at 5:30 pm
Business Meeting begins at 7:15 pm
Carvlin Hall, St. Philip Neri, 2408 SE 16th, Portland

Richard Harris will be our featured local convention speaker. He has spent the last 29 years directing the programs of Central City Concern. Central City Concern provides a comprehensive array of services to individuals affected by chemical dependency and homelessness.

From the CHIERS van that picks up public inebriates, to the Hooper Sobering Center and the Workforce Program, Central City Concern’s continuum of services helps meet the needs of individuals along their path to recovery and self-sufficiency. In 2007 they served over 15,000 individuals with a staff of nearly 500, 1,300 units of low-income housing, and a $28 million budget. The agency is an invaluable resource to the individuals it serves and to all of Portland. Plan on joining us to hear firsthand about their important work.

Dinner: $20. Coffee only: $5.00.
Menu: Spanakopita with sides, dessert, and beverage.

Reservations to the League Office (lwvpdx@aracnet.com or 503-228-1675) by 12:00 noon on Thursday, May 8. Cancellations after deadline are re-sponsible for fee.

Parking: Available in church parking lot (enter from 16th).
By Bus: TriMet Bus line: 4-Division to Gresham TC, deboard at SE Division & 17th.

Please note that the proposed budget included in your April Voter contains an error in Line 15 PMP LWVUS. The calculation used an incorrect amount for the per member payment. The amount in both the Regular Fund and the Education Fund columns should be $2254.00 with a total of $4508.00.

Because of the error in Line 15 a correction is also necessary for Line 3 Fundraising. Add $144.50 to both the Regular Fund and Education Fund columns. The Total should be $9790.00.

The Budget presented in your Lo-cal Convention Handbook will have these corrections.

The League year draws to a close with a flurry of activity. The last of three candidate forums will be for mayoral candidates on Monday, May 5, at the Multnomah County Library. Besides the forums we initiated, we provided tables, information and voter registration at other candidate forums, and another outstanding edition of the Voters’ Guide was published and distributed. All of this was orchestrated by Kathleen Hersh, Barbara Stalions, Carol Wild and Jen Wilson, along with support and participation by numerous members, including a spring term intern, Lisa Richards, from PSU. We look forward to the primary election, and the opportunity to begin anew for a busy fall election season.

Our final general meeting is in con-junction with our annual meeting on May 13, at St. Philip Neri. The meetings have had outstanding speakers, and good attendance, as we have addressed important issues throughout the year. Many thanks to Carol Wilson for the organization, Barbara Fredericks for the publicity, and Mary McWilliams for providing the support for discussion and consensus to our many unit chairs. Carol Wilson has also done research in our local archives to add the perspective of past actions in the subject areas. It takes the concerted effort of many players to produce these excellent programs.

Many activities continue through the summer into the next year. Lynn Baker continues to keep LWV presence at the Naturalization Ceremonies each month. Bev Wilson and Pat Russell maintain contact with new and prospective members, welcoming them to active participation. Pat Chor has edited the Portland Voter; expect a summer issue in July before the September Voter again introduces the new program year.

Pat Osborn, along with Jan Wolf, has spent many hours seeking financial and in kind support within the community for League activities. Corinne Paulson and Anne Davidson, along with Jeanne Steed and Elizabeth Joseph and others have been careful stewards of our endowment, providing us with funds necessary to support our office and provide a public face for LWV Portland. Heather Drake contributes enormously to our everyday operations as she capably keeps our office, our presence to many in the community, running smoothly.

Debbie Aiona, our own perpetual motion machine, tracks the many meetings surrounding the issues of our action agenda. Other board members have each played a special role, plus stepping up to take on extra tasks: Rita Fawcett, Adrienne Aiona, Vicky Leary and Betsy Pratt who besides her board responsibilities has chaired the local arrangements committee for national convention this June. A number of local members as well as members from neighboring locals have helped move us toward a successful convention. I particularly want to acknowledge the great wealth of experience Debbie Kaye has brought as she and I have scheduled the many volunteers to work at convention.

Thank you to the many past presidents and other members who have provided counsel and assistance throughout the past three years. I hesitate to name names for fear of omitting vital individuals, but I would not have remained sane without them. Thank you to everyone who enthusiastically attended or participated in the many events we have sponsored. I have enjoyed my extended term as your president, and I hope to see many of you at our local convention on Tuesday, May 13, and again at the LWVUS Convention, June 13 – 17.

The Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) is making huge progress on the back-stage logistics for the upcoming national convention, with impressive results. Most visible has been the call for volunteers from across the region to take on multiple roles – welcoming and guiding our visitors, registering the delegates, assuring they have the right documentation (“credentials,” in League parlance); counting votes, or even getting microphones to the right place at the right time. As volunteers get matched with specific assignments and time blocks, the LAC will be making sure everyone has the information needed to do the their jobs properly.

When the delegates aren’t in business sessions, we’re inviting them on local tours - to Powell’s City of Books, the Chinese Garden, and Saturday Market, among others – for some fresh air, exercise, and an introduction to Portland’s special places, thanks to Carolyn Rundorff’s Tour Committee.

They will also be participating in a typical League event, the Sunday evening “Dine Around,” when delegates get to sample Portland’s restau-rants and chat with members from across the country. Kris Hudson’s committee has scouted out nearly two dozen restaurants to share with our guests.

If this list hasn’t piqued your interest yet, maybe “Chocolate Confessions” will grab you. To raise money for the fall Voters’ Guides, we are inviting everyone to the Saturday night performance of a one-woman musical comedy, fea-turing Joan Freed. The ticket price of $30 includes a taste of chocolate during the performance, and we are expecting a real treat. If you have signed up to help elsewhere at Convention, or if you haven’t, please support this event by buying tickets - for yourself and your friends - so we can fill the hall.

So, as we’ve said before -- where will you be between June 13-17, 2008? Come and be part of the production team at the Portland Hilton.

Mary was born in Los Angeles in 1943, but within a year moved to Eugene, OR. In 1962 she moved to Seattle, worked her way through the University of Washington, and met her husband Robert. They lived for the next 37 years in Oxford, OH, where Robert was a geology professor at Miami University. Before their children were in school, Mary joined the local League of Women Voters because those were the women (“No men back in the 1970s” Mary notes) that she closely identified with for their leadership abilities and interest in the betterment of the community. Mary has worked in a variety of jobs, spending her last 14 working years in the university re-search office.

Mary and Robert retired to Portland in November 2004, where her daughter and her family live. Besides caring for her granddaughters, Mary is an avid reader, does volunteer work in the park on Mt. Tabor, and enjoys music, hiking and golf. Mary says: “I knew that I would eventually join the League in Portland and I was pretty sure that I would meet women and men with leadership skills, and interests similar to my own. I did!” For her part, Mary has done a stellar job as Unit Chair this year, managing the many complexities of unit activities with great enthusiasm and skill.

March 10 Action Committee meeting: 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness

Heather Lyons, program manager for Portland’s 10-year plan, shared the results of the 2007 Annual report. Following is a brief recap:

• Portland is in its third year of the 10-year plan. In January 2005, the annual street count found 2,500 people sleeping on the streets of Multnomah County. The January 2007 count was 1,400. This can be attributed to other factors besides the plan such as improvements in the unemployment rate.
• Three-year cumulative totals (2005-07): Chronically homeless persons moved into housing: 1,286. Homeless families housed: 1,681. High resource-using families housed: 376. Permanent sup-portive housing units opened or in development: 1,008.
• The program uses the Housing First approach. In other words, instead of requiring individuals to meet certain requirements before placement, they are placed in housing first and then encouraged to participate in treatment and utilize appropriate services.
• Upon release from jail, a homeless discharge planner provides placement services. In 2007, 285 homeless persons leaving jail received services and of those 145 were placed directly into stable housing.
• Welfare reform adopted during the Clinton administration contributes to a constant flow of new homeless.
• The city has a strong partnership with Multnomah County, the Housing Authority of Portland, and the Portland Development Commission.
• Underlying thread found in the chronically homeless is the breakdown in family structures. It is important to house families in order to prevent future homelessness.

April 4 Action Committee meeting: Multnomah County Tax Supervising and Conserva-tion Commission (TSCC)

Tom Linhares, executive director of the TSCC, reviewed the commission’s purpose, history, and accomplishments.

• The Oregon Legislature created the TSCC in 1919 because it believed the state’s largest county would benefit from coordination and oversight of its various taxing jurisdictions. It is the only county in Oregon with such a body.
• The governor appoints its five vo-lunteer commissioners.
• TSCC produces a comprehensive annual report with detailed and easily understood explanations of Oregon’s property tax system, impacts of Measure 5, property tax schedules, real market value and assessed value by county, urban renewal, outstand-ing debt, and budget summaries for each of the jurisdictions in Multnomah County, including Metro.
• All taxing jurisdictions in the county are required to submit their proposed budgets to TSCC for staff review.
• The commission conducts pub-lic budget hearings for the eight largest jurisdictions, including Metro, Portland, Portland Public Schools, and Multnomah County.
• The commission conducts pub-lic hearings on property tax meas-ures headed to the ballot. These sometimes lead to changes in a proposal.
• If ten or more taxpayers contact the TSCC because they believe an official has spent public money inappropriately, it is the re-sponsibility of the TSCC to investigate.
• TSCC staff provides technical assistance to the taxing jurisdictions, especially the smaller ones. They are always there to help with budget and taxation questions.
• Mr. Linhares observed that long term debt taken on by taxing jurisdictions has increased over time. In 1987, debt payments as a percentage of the total budget were three percent. In 2007 that increased to 5.7 percent. The increase is due partially to unfunded Public Employee Re-tirement System liability and to water and sewer infrastructure upgrades.
• He also pointed out that Port-land’s urban renewal districts are extended well beyond their original plans, thus departing from how urban renewal is typically implemented.

The Portland Plan is an inclusive, citywide effort to guide the physical, eco-nomic, social, cultural and environmental development of Portland over the next 30 years. All LWV members welcome, brown bag lunch optional. Ques-tions? Call or email Debbie Aiona.

The League of Women Voters com-pleted a two-year Immigration Study aimed at helping communities under-stand the implications of immigration at the local, state, and federal level. Local members participated in consensus at Unit meetings in October and November following two educational meetings presented by our local study committee; the resulting LWVUS position on Immigration was published April 1, 2008.

LWVUS Immigration Position

The League of Women Voters believes that immigration policies should promote reunification of immediate families; meet the economic, business and employment needs of the United States; and be responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises. Provision should also be made for qualified persons to enter the U.S. on student visas. All persons should receive fair treatment under the law.

The League supports federal immigration law that provides an efficient, expeditious system (with minimal or no backlogs) for legal entry of immigrants into the U.S.

To complement these goals the League supports federal policies to improve economies, education, job opportunities, and living conditions in nations with large emigrating populations.

In transition to a reformed system, the League supports provisions for unauthorized immigrants already in the country to earn legal status.

The League supports federal payments to impacted communities to address the financial costs borne by states and local governments with large immigrant populations.

Criteria for Legal Admission to the U.S.

The League supports the following criteria for legal admission of persons into the United States:

• Family reunification of spouses or minor children with authorized immi-grants or citizens;
• Flight from persecution or response to humanitarian crises in home countries;
• Economic, business and employment needs in the U.S.;
• Education and training needs of the U.S.;
• Educational program opportunities; and
• Lack of a history of serious criminal activity.

The League supports due process for all persons, including the right to a fair hearing, right to counsel, right of appeal and right to humane treatment.

The League supports:

• Improved technology to facilitate employer verification of employee status;
• Verification documents, such as status cards and work permits, with secure identifiers;
• Significant fines and penalties for employers who hire unauthorized workers;
• Improved technology for sharing information among federal agencies;
• More effective tracking of individ-uals who enter the United States; and
• Increased personnel at borders.

Unauthorized Immigrants Already in the U.S

In achieving overall policy goals, the League supports a system for unauthorized immigrants already in the country to earn legal status, including citizenship, by paying taxes, learning English, studying civics and meeting other relevant criteria. While policy reforms, including a path to legal status, remain unachieved, the League does not support deporting unauthorized immigrants who have no history of criminal activity.

March units reviewed our position regarding the Portland Police Bureau in light of information presented in the Voter and by speakers at the General Meeting forum on Police Accountability in Portland.

Members agreed that the current position is still relevant although a number of changes have occurred since it was first adopted in 1982. They noted positive changes including the formation of a civilian review board, better training for police, increased awareness of mental health issues and support for the community policing model. More challenging issues include increased ethnic and cultural diversity, the release of mental health patients without adequate support systems, and high profile reports of violent crime and police shootings.

In general, unit members felt that the current position provides adequate support for effective action, although some thought it could be stronger in support of civilian oversight and should address the length of the appeals process. One unit suggested expanding the “human relations” statement to include “crisis management” in order to address police activities in situations such as protest demonstrations, natural disasters and police shootings, especially when minorities are involved and cultural issues and problems may arise. Another unit recommended increased emphasis on crime prevention training and the services of the Office of Neighborhood Involvement.

Revisiting this position was not regarded as a priority item at this time.

Political reporter Amy J. Ruiz gave members attending the League’s annual Meet the Press Luncheon on March 8 fascinating glimpses into “the weekly drama” of the Portland City Council and the “soap opera” of local, regional and state politics. She also discussed the effect on newspapers as they evolve into media companies that provide information to different audiences in print and on the web.

Amy covers the City Hall beat for the Portland Mercury, an alternative news weekly with a focus on Portland proper—what is happening here and now. She shared her passionate interest in local political events and important issues that shape the conversation of the moment and the future of the city, saying there are only about two spots where information about what will happen at City Council tomorrow morning will be available, and she wants to be one of those two. Her articles appear in print and on the Portland Mercury blog, which expands the potential audience and increases her capacity to communicate from 500 words/week to 500 or more words/day. She believes that the web site will continue to grow while the newspaper version won’t get much larger.

When asked how the City Council will operate with only four members after the departure of Eric Sten, Ruiz predicted there will be much more negotiation and discussion behind the scenes, noting that passage of an emergency ordinance will require all four available votes. She also predicted a populist buy-in to public financing for candidates, who will be able to benefit from the mistakes that have been made. She questioned whether the reason for public financing is to level the playing field for candidates or to get special interests out of the system.