Sockeye Blog Archives

May 17, 2012
Tax Breaks Soar While School Funding Falls
By Alina Harway

In this time of deep budget cuts across the state that are leading to larger class sizes and shorter school years (examples here and here and here), it seems fair to take a look at what priorities the Oregon Legislature spent money on du

In this time of deep budget cuts across the state that are leading to larger class sizes and shorter school years (examples here and here and here), it seems fair to take a look at what priorities the Oregon Legislature spent money on during the last legislative session. It turns out that at the same time the Legislature was choosing to underfund Oregon’s schools, they were also increasing tax breaks to big corporations and the richest Oregonians.

Last year, the Legislature gave away a new tax break to big corporations to the tune of $93 million.  They additionally allowed Measure 66 to expire on January 1, 2012, leading to a tax cut for high-income households that will cost the state $118 million in just this first year alone.  Together, this amounted to $200 million more dollars in tax breaks across just one year.

It’s not a new trend. In recent years, tax breaks to corporations and the rich have soared while spending on schools has stalled.

In the chart below, over a decade of state spending on tax breaks and K12 schools are plotted. Leave aside for now the glaring gap in how much more the state gives away in tax breaks versus what it spends on schools and just take a look at the spending rate trend.

 
Total Tax Break source: State of Oregon Tax Expenditure Reports. Total State Spending source: Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office. Dotted lines indicate projected or approved spending when summative data is not yet available.

When we zoom in on the most recent five year spending period (2007-present), we find that total tax breaks grew at a +12% increase while school funding dropped by -5%.

 
Total Tax Break source: State of Oregon Tax Expenditure Reports. Total State Spending source: Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office. Dotted lines indicate projected or approved spending when summative data is not yet available.

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May 17, 2012
Kicker For K-12 Update, May 16
By Scott Moore

The drumbeat for school funding gets louder

It was another fantastic week for signature gathering—we’ve now brought in more than 67,000 signatures statewide.

Volunteer Spotlight

We continue to have a great response from volunteers around the state. This week’s Volunteer Spotlight shines on schools advocate and parent Barbara Smith Warner. Barbara has gathered more than 100 signatures largely by talking to other parents at her kids’ events.

The drumbeat for school funding gets louder

It was another fantastic week for signature gathering—we’ve now brought in more than 67,000 signatures statewide.

Volunteer Spotlight

We continue to have a great response from volunteers around the state. This week’s Volunteer Spotlight shines on schools advocate and parent Barbara Smith Warner. Barbara has gathered more than 100 signatures largely by talking to other parents at her kids’ events.

Thanks to her help, we’re that much closer to reaching the ballot in November. Thanks, Barbara!

Will you help get signatures from family and friends? Go here to get everything you need.

Parents, Students, and Teachers March

Last Friday, as many as 2,000 parents, teachers, students, and community members rallied in Portland to demand an end to school budget cuts. It was an inspiring action by people who see the impact of cuts every single day.

Did you miss it? Never fear, we were there with video cameras. Here’s a short video of the event!

Great News from the May Election

They may not have been the most prominent races on your local ballot, but there were school bonds and levies that were decided in this May’s election.

The results held great news for school supporters: There were 10 communities that had school measures on the ballot, and a whopping 8 of them passed. From East Portland to North Douglas to Klamath Falls, voters lined up to support their local schools.

It’s yet more evidence that local communities have had enough of ongoing cuts to their schools. 

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May 16, 2012
Oregonian jumps further to the right with new hire
By Scott Moore

They may not have hired an actual corporate shill, but the Oregonian today signaled that they’re moving even further to the right by hiring Erik Lukens to be the new Editorial Page Editor.

Lukens comes from the Bend Bulletin, widely viewed as the home to the most conservative editorial board of any major paper in the state. While there, he built up a back catalog of right-wing opinions, steadfastly opposed to taxes, union protections, and spending on basic services like schools. (Unless you’ve got a paid subscription, you won’t be able to read his Bulletin editorials, but here’s a sample courtesy of—surprise surprise—the Oregon Republican Party: http://www.oregonrepublicanparty.org/node/231)

Bottom line: The Oregonian Editorial Board has long been out of touch with its community of readers, taking positions diametrically opposed to their readership on just about every important issue and candidate.

By hiring Lukens to run the Editorial Page, Oregonian Publisher N. Christian Anderson III has made it clear that his intention is to push the paper even further away from their base of subscribers. Oregonian readers who believe their paper should be a reflection of the community will be sorely disappointed.

They may not have hired an actual corporate shill, but the Oregonian today signaled that they’re moving even further to the right by hiring Erik Lukens to be the new Editorial Page Editor.

Lukens comes from the Bend Bulletin, widely viewed as the home to the most conservative editorial board of any major paper in the state. While there, he built up a back catalog of right-wing opinions, steadfastly opposed to taxes, union protections, and spending on basic services like schools. (Unless you’ve got a paid subscription, you won’t be able to read his Bulletin editorials, but here’s a sample courtesy of—surprise surprise—the Oregon Republican Party: http://www.oregonrepublicanparty.org/node/231)

Bottom line: The Oregonian Editorial Board has long been out of touch with its community of readers, taking positions diametrically opposed to their readership on just about every important issue and candidate.

By hiring Lukens to run the Editorial Page, Oregonian Publisher N. Christian Anderson III has made it clear that his intention is to push the paper even further away from their base of subscribers. Oregonian readers who believe their paper should be a reflection of the community will be sorely disappointed.

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May 16, 2012
Election results show big support for schools
By Alina Harway

 

The cry for help in our schools continues to grow louder, and Oregon voters are listening: In Tuesday’s election, Oregonians approved multiple local bonds and levies in attempts to keep their local schools afloat.

Voters faced five K-12 school bond measure and five K-12 school levy measures across the state. Results tallied after Tuesday's elections showed that 8 of 10 education measures passed.

Our schools across the state continue to face tough times. Deep budget cuts are leading to a still more dire situation for our students and community. Classrooms are overcrowded and class options are dwindling. Schools are understaffed and teachers are overburdened. But this election, Oregonians showed that they have had enough and took action to work towards restoring funding to their local schools. 

Klamath Falls City was among the eight that supported a school funding measure. This was the first time in at least 15 years that voters in Klamath passed a school levy. (The last attempt in 2006 failed, and there hasn’t been an attempt at the ballot since at least 1997.) Yet 57% of voters voted yes this May, in response to the needs of their community.

The other successful measures spanned the state, including measures in Washington, Morrow, and Douglas Counties.

For a list of the K12 school bonds and levies, visit the Oregon School Bond Association’s page where they list all education funding measures from the May 15 primary election.

One of the school measures turned down by voters was a levy in Canby School District which, notably, is located smack in the middle of conservatives’ latest strategic grounds: Clackamas County.

 

The cry for help in our schools continues to grow louder, and Oregon voters are listening: In Tuesday’s election, Oregonians approved multiple local bonds and levies in attempts to keep their local schools afloat.

Voters faced five K-12 school bond measure and five K-12 school levy measures across the state. Results tallied after Tuesday's elections showed that 8 of 10 education measures passed.

Our schools across the state continue to face tough times. Deep budget cuts are leading to a still more dire situation for our students and community. Classrooms are overcrowded and class options are dwindling. Schools are understaffed and teachers are overburdened. But this election, Oregonians showed that they have had enough and took action to work towards restoring funding to their local schools. 

Klamath Falls City was among the eight that supported a school funding measure. This was the first time in at least 15 years that voters in Klamath passed a school levy. (The last attempt in 2006 failed, and there hasn’t been an attempt at the ballot since at least 1997.) Yet 57% of voters voted yes this May, in response to the needs of their community.

The other successful measures spanned the state, including measures in Washington, Morrow, and Douglas Counties.

For a list of the K12 school bonds and levies, visit the Oregon School Bond Association’s page where they list all education funding measures from the May 15 primary election.

One of the school measures turned down by voters was a levy in Canby School District which, notably, is located smack in the middle of conservatives’ latest strategic grounds: Clackamas County.

 

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May 16, 2012
Primary Election: News Clips Roundup
By Jenny Smith

BLOG: The day after: Clackamas strategy pays off for conservatives
Sockeye Blog
"Despite a relatively low turnout rate, the election that wrapped up yesterday featured some results that will have lasting impacts for years to come. One of the most intriguing developments has been the shift in political strategy by the state’s top conservative campaign donors. Last week, we outlined this shift: conservative donors appear to have largely abandoned statewide races, and instead are focusing on local races, starting in Clackamas County."

Turnout 32 percent in Oregon primary election
KGW
"Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith will face off in the November election for Mayor of Portland. Eileen Brady, one of the front-runners for most of the campaign, finished third. Amanda Fritz and Mary Nolan will also head to the run-off after neither gained the 50 percent vote required to win outright."

Your lobby report on Oregon's 2012 Legislative primary election
Oregonian
"Hey, forget about how the legislative candidates did on Tuesday night.  How about the lobbyists and the special interests behind them?  They like to think of themselves as the permanent government in Salem anyway. Let's start with Mark Nelson, the influential business lobbyist who is the big force behind the Oregon Committee -- a group of like-minded lobbyists who strategize on legislation and political strategy."

BLOG: The day after: Clackamas strategy pays off for conservatives
Sockeye Blog
"Despite a relatively low turnout rate, the election that wrapped up yesterday featured some results that will have lasting impacts for years to come. One of the most intriguing developments has been the shift in political strategy by the state’s top conservative campaign donors. Last week, we outlined this shift: conservative donors appear to have largely abandoned statewide races, and instead are focusing on local races, starting in Clackamas County."

Turnout 32 percent in Oregon primary election
KGW
"Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith will face off in the November election for Mayor of Portland. Eileen Brady, one of the front-runners for most of the campaign, finished third. Amanda Fritz and Mary Nolan will also head to the run-off after neither gained the 50 percent vote required to win outright."

Your lobby report on Oregon's 2012 Legislative primary election
Oregonian
"Hey, forget about how the legislative candidates did on Tuesday night.  How about the lobbyists and the special interests behind them?  They like to think of themselves as the permanent government in Salem anyway. Let's start with Mark Nelson, the influential business lobbyist who is the big force behind the Oregon Committee -- a group of like-minded lobbyists who strategize on legislation and political strategy."

Voters overwhelmingly pass Multnomah County Library funding measure
Oregonian
"Voters approved a levy for the popular Multnomah County Library by a huge ratio -- 82 percent to 18 percent -- in partial returns. Measure 26-125 will renew a three-year levy of 89 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value to support the library system's Central Library and 18 branches. The current levy expires in June. Portland voters, meanwhile, easily passed nine housekeeping measures to change the Portland City Charter."

Steve Novick wins his city council race
Willamette Week
"Steve Novick, a political upstart four years again in a narrow U.S. Senate race, won election to the Portland City Council on Tuesday night, easily getting a majority of the votes against six lesser-known opponents. In early returns, Novick has 73 percent of the vote. His nearest opponent, Scott McAlpine, has 8 percent."

In Metro races, Stacey and Chase win
Willamette Week
"Bob Stacey and Sam Chase have won seats on the Metro council. Stacey leads his opponent, Jonathan Levine, 85 percent to 15 percent, for Metro Council Seat 6. The seat was vacated by councilor Robert Liberty in 2011; former Gov. Barbara Roberts was appointed to fill out the term. In the Metro District 5 race, Chase was leading his four opponents with 58 percent of the vote. They’re vying to replace current councilor Rex Burkholder."

Oregon state Rep. Mike Schaufler and state Sen. Chris Telfer lose seats
Oregonian
"Two incumbent state lawmakers have their  lost seats to primary challengers, suggesting, perhaps, that party regulars are willing to shake things up in Salem. One of the state's most hotly contested primary races occurred in Bend, where Republican challenger Tim Knopp  defeated incumbent Sen. Chris Telfer in District 27. Knopp, who is executive vice president of the Central Oregon Builders Association, isn't a newcomer to Capitol politics. He served in the House from 1999 until 2005, including a stint as Republican majority leader in 2002-2003."

Washington County money measures win, lose; Commissioner Dick Schouten wins third term
Oregonian
"Proposed Washington County money measures were meeting mixed fates Tuesday night, and an incumbent county commissioner won re-election to a third term. In the race for commissioner Position 1, Dick Schouten, in partial returns, was defeating challenger Betty Bode, 56 percent to 44 percent. Schouten, who has held the seat since 2001, is now on his way to a fourth term on the five-member board. This is a very nice win tonight,' Schouten said. 'I got a lot of support from folks who don't necessarily agree with me on everything.'"

Ben Unger defeats Katie Riley in House District 29 2012 Democratic primary election
Oregonian
"Democrat Ben Unger claimed an easy win over opponent Katie Riley, 65 percent to 35 percent, in the race for House District 29. Unger will represent the party in November against Republican incumbent Katie Eyre. The district includes western Hillsboro, Forest Grove and Cornelius. 'Six months of hard work, a lot of volunteer hours and a lot of teamwork went into this first race,' Unger said. 'We'll need every little bit of it again as we head to November.' Unger, a political consultant who ran campaigns for Attorney General John Kroger and Measure 49, raised more than $87,000 -- mostly in cash donations -- for the race. Riley raised nearly $44,000, about half of which was in-kind from her husband, former representative Chuck Riley."

Knopp beats incumbent Telfer for District 27
OPB
"In Central Oregon, former Republican House Majority leader Tim Knopp handily defeated incumbent State Senator Chris Telfer in Tuesday's election. Republican primary voters turned out in favor of Knopp by margins of more than 2 to 1. Knopp describes himself as "Reagan Conservative." And his message to voters was a lot like Reagan’s famous question in the 1980 campaign when he asked "Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?" Telfer’s District -- Number 27 -- is decidedly Republican -- and Knopp was able to successfully hammer his opponent on an early vote to raise Oregon’s gas tax."

John Ludlow, Charlotte Lehan lead in race for Clackamas County chair, Martha Schrader appears to win seat outright
Oregonian
"Former Wilsonville Mayor John Ludlow and current Clackamas County chairwoman Charlotte Lehan appear headed for a November runoff in the heated race for county chair. With nearly 90 percent of ballots in hand counted by 11 p.m., partial returns indicate Ludlow leads the four-way race with 28.3 percent, with Lehan in second with 27.2 percent. County Commissioner Paul Savas and state Rep. Dave Hunt trail in third and fourth with 24.3 percent and 20.1 percent, respectively."

Students have mixed feelings about primary election
KEZI
"The majority of University of Oregon students only live in Eugene for four to five years, which is why many of them say they don't feel a need to participate in local elections. But some say they feel like they should have more of an input. If they're registered in Lane County, they can vote here, but do Oregon students care about municipal or Lane County elections? Some say they don't vote because they feel overlooked by candidates and are uninformed about the election. Others say they aren't planning on staying in Eugene after they graduate and don't see a reason to vote."

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May 16, 2012
The Day After: Clackamas Strategy Pays Off For Conservatives
By Alina Harway

Despite a relatively low turnout rate, the election that wrapped up yesterday featured some results that will have lasting impacts for years to come. One of the most intriguing developments has been the shift in political strategy by the state’s top conservative campaign donors.

Last week, we outlined this shift: conservative donors appear to have largely abandoned statewide races, and instead are focusing on local races, starting in Clackamas County.

Money from Loren Parks, Oregon Transformation Project (controlled by Spam King Dennis Richardson) and big timber companies (primarily Stimson Lumber) poured into Clackamas County to fund their slate of conservative candidates for the county commission. The groups poured nearly $300,000 into the county positions;  $200,000 of this went to candidate John Ludlow’s bid for County Chair.

The goal, apparently, is to use local races like this one to start pushing conservative political positions, since they have such difficulty passing them at the state level.

The strategy, led by the Oregon Transformation Project, appears to have paid off.

Despite a relatively low turnout rate, the election that wrapped up yesterday featured some results that will have lasting impacts for years to come. One of the most intriguing developments has been the shift in political strategy by the state’s top conservative campaign donors.

Last week, we outlined this shift: conservative donors appear to have largely abandoned statewide races, and instead are focusing on local races, starting in Clackamas County.

Money from Loren Parks, Oregon Transformation Project (controlled by Spam King Dennis Richardson) and big timber companies (primarily Stimson Lumber) poured into Clackamas County to fund their slate of conservative candidates for the county commission. The groups poured nearly $300,000 into the county positions;  $200,000 of this went to candidate John Ludlow’s bid for County Chair.

The goal, apparently, is to use local races like this one to start pushing conservative political positions, since they have such difficulty passing them at the state level.

The strategy, led by the Oregon Transformation Project, appears to have paid off.

As reported by the Oregonian, with 90% of Clackamas County ballots counted, Transformation Project candidate Ludlow scored the most votes out of four candidates for chair and will move on to a runoff in November. They also succeeded in using their cash to bury former House Speaker Dave Hunt, who placed fourth.

Despite Hunt’s long history in the county—he represented Gladstone in five terms at the legislature—and strong business background, Hunt became Public Enemy Number One for some members of the corporate lobby. As Speaker of the House, he helped pass legislation raising the $10 corporate minimum tax and increasing the tax rates on high-income households in order to pay for schools and basic services.

That decision was backed up by a wide majority of Oregon voters when they passed Measures 66 and 67 in 2010, but corporate lobbyists never dropped their grudge.

Oregon Transformation Project also scored a victory with Tootie Smith, their candidate for one of the Clackamas Commission seats. Smith, perhaps best known this election cycle for auctioning off a 9mm Glock pistol for campaign contributions, received nearly $50,000 in contributions from the Oregon Transformation Project; she too will move on to the November runoff.

Elsewhere, Loren Parks and the Oregon Transformation Project dropped money into the GOP primary race between State Sen. Chris Telfer and former legislator Tim Knopp. Transformation Project gave Knopp $10,000, and Parks gave him $25,000. The race was also a priority for business lobbyist Mark Nelson—perhaps not surprisingly, many of the largest corporate interests in the state (and out of the state) donated big to Knopp’s campaign. The infamous Koch Industries even pitched in $5,000.

Because of the flood of right-wing dollars, Knopp outspent Telfer 3-1. The result, again, was a big payoff. Knopp won the primary by a margin of more than 2-1.

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May 15, 2012
Rumor Mill: Steve Buckstein to the Oregonian?
By Scott Moore

Over the weekend, an interesting rumor emerged about who was being picked to replace Bob Caldwell as the Editorial Page Editor of the Oregonian. According to a tip picked up by blogger Jack Bogdanski, publisher N. Christian Anderson III & Co. have decided to hire Steve Buckstein, founder of the right-wing think tank Cascade Policy Institute.

This tip is far from being confirmed and could just be a wild rumor (Buckstein and CPI have reportedly responded to questions by saying “No comment”). But if the rumors were true, it would be the biggest lurch to the right the paper has taken since Anderson took over as publisher.

Steve Buckstein isn’t a household name, so we thought we’d fill you in on just a few examples of the corporate-funded extremism Buckstein has pushed while at Cascade Policy Institute:

1. Cascade Policy Institute has an intimate relationship with Americans For Prosperity, the Koch Brothers-funded organization pushing the tea party ideology around the country. AFP-Oregon’s president is Karla Kay Edwards, who used to work for CPI. She refers to CPI’s publications as the “intellectual capital” of Americans For Prosperity. We don’t fully know who funds CPI, but their summer internship program is funded by Charles Koch.

Over the weekend, an interesting rumor emerged about who was being picked to replace Bob Caldwell as the Editorial Page Editor of the Oregonian. According to a tip picked up by blogger Jack Bogdanski, publisher N. Christian Anderson III & Co. have decided to hire Steve Buckstein, founder of the right-wing think tank Cascade Policy Institute.

This tip is far from being confirmed and could just be a wild rumor (Buckstein and CPI have reportedly responded to questions by saying “No comment”). But if the rumors were true, it would be the biggest lurch to the right the paper has taken since Anderson took over as publisher.

Steve Buckstein isn’t a household name, so we thought we’d fill you in on just a few examples of the corporate-funded extremism Buckstein has pushed while at Cascade Policy Institute:

1. Cascade Policy Institute has an intimate relationship with Americans For Prosperity, the Koch Brothers-funded organization pushing the tea party ideology around the country. AFP-Oregon’s president is Karla Kay Edwards, who used to work for CPI. She refers to CPI’s publications as the “intellectual capital” of Americans For Prosperity. We don’t fully know who funds CPI, but their summer internship program is funded by Charles Koch.

2. Buckstein and Cascade Policy Institute are closely aligned with the Oregon Tea Party. Buckstein spoke at the Oregon Tea Party PAC event in April, along with James O’Keefe, the infamous right-wing hidden camera “activist.”

3. Cascade Policy Institute was the lone voice to side with the chemical industry last year against the legislative ban on BPA in baby bottles. 

4. Buckstein is an ardent supporter of the American Legislative Exchange Council, otherwise known as ALEC.

And there’s much, much more…

Again, this might just be a crazy rumor, but if it’s true, it would put to rest any lingering doubts about Anderson’s goal of turning the Oregonian into the state’s GOP newsletter.

Hey O, say it ain't so!

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May 14, 2012
UPSET about School Funding
By
Alina Harway
Jenny Smith
Scott Moore

Last Friday's UPSET rally monopolized the news this week. Missed it?

Check out our video here.

And our photos from the event here.

Why are these students and parents upset?

Last Friday's UPSET rally monopolized the news this week. Missed it?

Check out our video here.

And our photos from the event here.

Why are these students and parents upset?

You don't have to look hard to find evidence of school closings, teacher layoffs, increased class sizes, and cut programs and classes.  As our state continues to feel the effects of the economic meltdown, students are outraged that state leaders would choose to balance the budget by cutting the funding needed to educate our next generation.

Students, parents, teachers, and other school advocates are working to organize the next steps.

Want to join them? Here are some of the groups organizing to stop school budget cuts:

UPSET

Save Our Schools

Invest in our Kids

Oregon PTA

What's next?

Want to do something now? IP 35 would send corporate kicker funds to K12 education. It's a good, first step and you can sign the petition here or sign up to gather signatures here.

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May 11, 2012
UPSET Rally, May 11
By Alina Harway

According to city estimates, more than 1,500 students, parents, and teachers came out this afternoon to rally against school budget cuts.

Marching from the Rose Quarter to Pioneer Square, the crowd chanted "Whose schools? Our schools!" and "Get UPSET!"

According to city estimates, more than 1,500 students, parents, and teachers came out this afternoon to rally against school budget cuts.

Marching from the Rose Quarter to Pioneer Square, the crowd chanted "Whose schools? Our schools!" and "Get UPSET!"

At Pioneer Square, the crowd was joined by even more of their peers. Students, parents, teachers, and business leaders took turns at the microphone to explain just how significant school funding is; as student Kiah Stern said, "We are commited to learning, but how can we learn without teachers to teach us?"

Check back at Sockeye Monday for more about the rally, including a short video and details why these students, parents, and teachers are UPSET. But, for now, we simply want to get back out there with the crowd!

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May 11, 2012
The Bright Side of Life!
By Alina Harway

Let’s face it, the news today can be downright depressing. It’s important to remember that things aren’t all bad — in fact, there are some really great things happening around us all the time. Introducing, The Bright Side of Life!

Happy Friday, folks!  Here are a few stories that brightened things up around the OO office this week:

Let’s face it, the news today can be downright depressing. It’s important to remember that things aren’t all bad — in fact, there are some really great things happening around us all the time. Introducing, The Bright Side of Life!

Happy Friday, folks!  Here are a few stories that brightened things up around the OO office this week:

Bust out your jams with pride -- turns out singing karaoke is good for us and helps with brain function!

Portlanders have been known to go a little Timbers-crazy, but the Timbers love their fans right back: KGW reports that "Midfielders Rodney Wallace and Mike Chabala stopped by to hang out with Jake Dering Thursday" as the young Timbers fan recovered from one of many surgeries to treat a rare genetic disorder. Jake's mother said that the visit was"the first I've seen him be happy and smile, and be awake for more than a few minutes.”

An Oregon Habitat for Humanity affiliate made national news, as the New York Times examined the nonprofit's innovative plans during the shaky economy, in order to fulfill their longstanding mission to help families secure stable housing.

And, of course, there's a lot of excitement and happiness this week after President Obama's public and powerful statement of support for marriage equality.

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