Local Politics

Enabling the Homeless Crisis: How State Laws Undermine Local Enforcement in Oregon
City Politics / County Politics / Homeless / Local News / Local Politics / National Politics / State Politics

Enabling the Homeless Crisis: How State Laws Undermine Local Enforcement in Oregon

Two recent articles at Oregon Capital Chronicle entitled, “2 years after Grants Pass, 14 states, 350 cities have tougher laws on street homelessness” and “Year-over-year homelessness declines”. The first article points out two years after the landmark Grants Pass v. Johnson ruling originated from Oregon, over 350 cities and 14 states nationwide have utilized the decision to implement aggressive public camping bans and crackdowns on street homelessness. The other article points out while nationwide homelessness…

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June 26, 2026
Procedural Timeline: John West v. Jay Meredith (Case No. 25CV43500)
County Politics / Election 2026 / Lawsuit / Local News / Local Politics / Recall

Procedural Timeline: John West v. Jay Meredith (Case No. 25CV43500)

Opinion Former Josephine County Commissioner John West filed a $2 million defamation lawsuit against Jay Meredith. The suit targeted a "recall dossier" and various news articles published during and after West’s December 2024 recall election. While the lawsuit survived initial challenges, it was ultimately dismissed on a strict statutory timeline technicality rather than the actual truth of the statements. The Three Court Hearings February 25, 2026 – Anti-SLAPP Motion Denied: Judge Galli denied the defendant's…

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June 23, 2026
Budget Framing: How Officials Rewrote the DA’s 36% Raise
County Politics / Local News / Local Politics

Budget Framing: How Officials Rewrote the DA’s 36% Raise

Opinion Introduction: Regarding the Josephine County budget committee meeting on June 4, 2026. Watching the video of this meeting sat poorly with me. I believe the public needs to be aware of what happened and decide for themselves. The video starts about 3 hours and 18 minutes into the budget meeting.During the meeting, committee members openly altered the wording of an official voting motion specifically to manage public perception. To avoid taxpayer backlash over a…

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June 6, 2026
State Statute Violations & Former Democratic Chair New Voice For BCC
County Politics / Election 2026 / Local News / Local Politics

State Statute Violations & Former Democratic Chair New Voice For BCC

Opinion Last month, the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) terminated all three budget committee members, allegedly because "they all thought the same." While the board needed to stagger terms, they could have simply let current terms expire in November or asked for volunteers to accept one, two, or three-year seats. Instead, by dissolving the committee entirely, the BCC violated ORS 294.414, ignoring established state statutes. The board claims to want "diverse thinking," which explains their…

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May 8, 2026
The Liberal Long Game: How We Lose Our County
City Politics / County Politics / Election 2026 / Local News / Local Politics

The Liberal Long Game: How We Lose Our County

This is a long four part series I posted on Facebook recently. I wasn't sure if it was something I wanted to share here or not - till today. I think it's a very useful series for those interested and for referring back to from time to time. Part I: The Liberal Long Game: How We Lose Our County I have become deeply disgusted and concerned. One of the Facebook groups among our local Josephine…

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May 3, 2026
Red Flags: The BCC’s War on Transparency
County Politics / Election 2026 / Local News / Local Politics

Red Flags: The BCC’s War on Transparency

Opinion In a very short time, the current Board of County Commissioners has raised serious red flags regarding our tax dollars: Rate Hikes: They already voted to increase SOS rates. Deficit Hiring: They want to hire 21 new employees that the Budget Committee says we cannot afford. See BCC agenda below. Tax Burdens: They are pushing a tax levy instead of exploring recommended alternatives. The Budget Committee Purge: In a move that undermines independent oversight,…

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April 12, 2026
In Oregon: Do political parties endorse candidates for the primary and for non-partisan elections?
City Politics / County Politics / Election 2026 / Local News / Local Politics / State Politics

In Oregon: Do political parties endorse candidates for the primary and for non-partisan elections?

Opinion You will often see it happen at the local or county level, and the rules vary significantly depending on which party and which county you're looking at.1. State vs. Local "Neutrality"Generally, the Democratic Party of Oregon (DPO) and the Oregon Republican Party (ORP) maintain a policy of neutrality during the primaries. Their goal is to let the voters decide who the strongest nominee is. They typically save their resources and official "seal of approval"…

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March 18, 2026
The Reality: Why Freshmen Rarely “Bring Home the Bacon”
City Politics / County Politics / Election 2026 / Local News / Local Politics / State Politics

The Reality: Why Freshmen Rarely “Bring Home the Bacon”

The reality of funding in a legislator’s first (freshman) year is simple. If someone tells you they can bring a bunch of money back to the district in their first year, they are most likely not telling you the truth.If you don’t understand how funding actually works for freshman legislators especially those in the minority party here are a few facts you should try to understand. In the world of Oregon politics, it is actually…

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March 10, 2026
Governing With the Community, Not Around It
City Politics / County Politics / Local News / Local Politics / State Politics

Governing With the Community, Not Around It

Election season is underway, hopefully this is useful for those in office and those running for office. What are the key elements of any governing body? In my mind, it comes down to transparency and accountability. When both are present, they create a bidirectional trust factor, which is essential to the success of any government or business.With full transparency and accountability, leaders can earn trust and, in turn, be trusted by the very people they…

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March 5, 2026