Though the direct threat to Portland is diminishing, the wildfires are burning at a furious pace throughout our state. Thousands of people have had to evacuate, and many thousands have lost their homes and places of businesses. This enormous devastation affects all of our lives. If you are moved to donate, you can give to this network of seven organizations providing critical relief to displaced families.
Two Critical Races in our Backyard
In a presidential election year—especially this momentous one!—we cannot lose sight of important races here at home.
There are two especially tough Oregon House seats that need our attention: State Representative Anna Williams in HD 52 (Hood River/East Gresham/Clackamas County) and Debbie Boothe-Schmidt in HD 32 (Clatsop/north Tillamook/west Washington counties).
Please join us virtually to meet and support these two candidates. Hosted by Paulette Wittwer, Lynn Youngbar, Phyllis Oster, Beverly Stein, and Jeffry Gottfried, the meet-the-candidates fundraiser will take place onOctober 5, from 5:30- 6:30pm. RSVP here.
Representative Anna Williams is running to protect the seat she won in 2018. In her first term she has been a strong progressive, supporting climate legislation, the student success act, healthcare expansion, and more. The Sheriff’s Association endorsed her because she increased funding for search and rescue. However, HD 52 is purple and she won by only 800 votes in 2018. Her conservative opponent in that race, Jeff Helfrich, is back to make another bid for the seat. Anna needs our support to extend her lead and solidify her position! To donate directly, go here.
Debbie Boothe Schmidt stepped up to run in the North Coast area after Representative Tiffany Mitchell moved out of the district. Debbie comes from a background of loggers and understands the deep conflicting needs of the district. She’s a small business owner and community leader and is supported by unions, independents, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, and the Working Families Party. She's an advocate of public education, increased internet access in rural areas, and climate legislation. Her opponent, Suzanne Weber, has collected big dollars from national corporations and Timber Unity for her promises to oppose climate legislation. She also opposes Student Success funding and supports Right To Life. As a first timer in the political arena, Debbie Schmidt needs our financial support to build name recognition and run a competitive race. Donate directly here.
Please attend the virtual meeting. Use this link to register and receive your Zoom link.
Peter DeFazio’s Faces a Challenging Opponent who Embraces Timber Unity’s Agenda
The dean of Oregon's House of Representatives delegation and co-founder of the House Progressive Caucus, Representative Peter DeFazio has been serving the 4th congressional district, which includes the southern coastal communities as well as Eugene and Corvallis, for over 30 years. In this year’s re-election race he faces Alek Skarlatos, who could prove to be his toughest threat yet.
Twenty-seven-year-old Skarlatos gained international attention for his heroism in helping to stop a terrorist attack on a train from Amsterdam to Paris in 2015. He supports the anti-environmental group Timber Unity and is a staunch ally of President Trump.
Aside from losing a highly respected champion for Oregon in DC, a DeFazio loss could have serious consequences on the impact of redistricting and lead to the GOP picking up a new House seat.
Representative DeFazio needs our support. As he said, “we can’t take anything for granted.”
One Small Thing-PDX Meeting September 30 @ 5:30 Stay Informed: Key November Ballot Measures
Stay informed and stay engaged! Join One Small Thing members at our September 30 Zoom event from 5:30 – 7 pm.
Leaders working to pass key measures on the November 3 ballot will share their knowledge and suggest actions we can take to support statewide and local initiatives:
Sonny Mehta of Fair and Honest Elections will speak about the Campaign Finance Amendment to the state constitution that mandates campaign finance reform
Rachael Bowen of Yes for the Libraries will talk about the Multnomah County Library Bond measure
Anca Matica of Yes for a Healthy Future will address the proposed statewide tax on tobacco and vaping to fund the Oregon Health Plan
Passage of these measures will make a difference here in Oregon as we also give our attention to the Biden vs Trump race and out-of-state candidates.
Register now HERE and receive the Zoom link to attend.
Be part of a massive blue wave locally, at the state level, and nationally!
Recording of September 10 Book Club Form Metro Election and Transportation Bond Measure
Here is the link (enter passcode g2vGMc@N) to the recording of the September 10 book club discussion about the upcoming Metro election (position 5) and the November transportation bond measure.
It starts slowly with introductions, followed by short presentations by candidates Mary Nolan and Chris Smith and then a Q&A. Thanks to Julie Walcer for setting this up.
###
To receive the OSTPDX newsletter, announcements of events and activities, and other information, sign up here.
Comments