Murmurs: Hip-Hop is Back on Portland School Buses

In other news: Steve Novick tacks left with tax.

Steve Novick Wants to Tax Companies That Pay CEOs Big Salaries

Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick is pushing a proposal to tax publicly traded companies that give big salaries to their CEOs. The idea is to add a surcharge to the business license tax that companies pay in Portland, if they pay their CEOs more than 100 times what they pay a typical employee—information that will be disclosed publicly starting in 2017 under federal Wall Street reforms. The proposal could generate about $2.5 million a year to help Portland address its homelessness problem, Novick says. Business leaders, including those at the Portland Business Alliance, aren't on board. "We're very skeptical," says Sandra McDonough, PBA president, "that doing this is going to have any effect on pay equity nationally." Novick's proposal comes as he faces a tough re-election challenge from progressive candidate Chloe Eudaly—and the proposal looks like a defense of his left flank. But Novick says he's proposing it to place a larger spotlight on pay inequality—and because he thinks he might lose to Eudaly, and wants to tackle the issue before December. "This, for me, is a legacy issue," he says.

District Reverses Its Hip-Hop Ban on School Buses

Uproar over whether school bus drivers on duty should be allowed to play hip-hop has resulted in Portland Public Schools reversing its ban on rap. The district now allows bus drivers to tune the radio to hip-hop, assuming they deem it appropriate. As first reported on wweek.com last week, the district issued a memo in March ruling out stations that play rap or religious programs, but allowing those that play pop or jazz. The policy fueled charges of racism, and the district hastily withdrew it. A new memo, released Aug. 30, still urges caution. "It is our responsibility to limit the exposure of our students to religious teachings, profanity, violent lyrics and sexually explicit content while they are on our bus," writes Teri Brady, PPS's director of student transportation.

Oregon's Senators Endorse Sharon Meieran

As the traditional Labor Day kickoff of fall election season approaches, the arms race for endorsements is heating up between Multnomah County Commission candidates Eric Zimmerman and Sharon Meieran. Zimmerman, chief of staff for Commissioner Diane McKeel, announced in July he'd been endorsed by former Oregon Gov. Barbara Roberts. Now Meieran, an emergency room doctor, says she has the support of U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley. Wyden and Merkley join U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici—meaning Meieran has swept Portland's congressional delegation. "As an ER doctor, Sharon knows how to set priorities and make tough decisions," Wyden said in a statement. "She'll make the most out of our county's limited resources."

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