News No recent political issue polarized Oregonians more than Measures 66 and 67, the personal and corporate income tax increases voters approved in 2010. In the Portland mayoral race, the tax measures have been a point of contention between State Rep. Jefferson Smith (D-Portland) and Eileen Brady. In 2009 and 2010, Brady served on the board of the Oregon Business Association, which lobbied hard to make ...   More

News Selected Oregonians this week got a "straw ballot" on Measures 66 and 67, two income tax hikes on the January ballot, from a Salem outfit calling itself "The Nelson Report." Like an earlier mailer purporting to come from a struggling Tillamook dairy farmer, the Nelson Report straw poll requires some explanation. First, although the name "The Nelson Report" might sound like a generic information ...   More

News ...   More

News Oregonians received a remarkably thick Voters' Pamphlet last week, considering there are only two items on the Jan. 26 ballot—Measure 66, a personal income tax increase; and Measure 67, a corporate tax increase. The 92-page pamphlet contains 204 arguments, 136 for the measures and 68 against. But what's really unusual is the the first and last arguments against each measure were submitted ...   More

News On Jan. 26, Oregonians will vote on Measures 66 and 67. Measure 66 would increase personal income taxes on those state residents making more than $125,000 a year. Measure 67 would increase both the corporate minimum tax and the corporate income tax. The biggest individual contributor (as distinct from institutional or corporate donors) to either campaign is Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, ...   More

News An estimated 500-plus people packed this morning into the Vote Yes on 66-67 campaign office in Northeast Portland, as they readied themselves for a statewide day of canvassing about the mail-in Jan. 26 election. The effort was part of a statewide push that included Salem, Medford, Bend, Corvallis and Eugene — which together brought in around 200 more volunteers in those cities. In Portland, ...   More

News If Oregonians get nothing else out of the Jan. 26 election on Measures 66 and 67, they now know an arcane newspaper term for an ad wrapped around the daily paper. They may also have learned something about standards at the Northwest's largest newspaper. To recap, on Jan. 17, opponents of Measures 66 and 67 bought a "spadea" that trumpeted The Oregonian's editorial endorsement of a "No" vote ...   More

News Janice Thompson at Common Cause Oregon pores over campaign finance reports like many citizens read the sports page or stock prices. And while we await tonight's election results on Measures 66 and 67 (You can still turn in your ballots at one of these dropoff sites until 8 pm, then check back here to see how the whole thing turned out), we got this report from her that shows what she gleaned ...   More

News Election night at the Wonder Ballroom on North Russell Street. At 8 p.m. when the polls close on Measures 66 and 67, the room is filling but by no means full. The normally ebullient Steve Novick, the public face of the Yes campaign, seems subdued. "For 78 years the people of this state have waited for progressive tax reform," Novick told the crowd from the stage. "And still we wait." But ...   More

News The 53 percent to 47 percent margin by which Oregonians approved Measures 66 and 67 surprised even those responsible for crafting the campaign that convinced voters to raise personal and corporate income taxes during a deep recession. "I was nervous," says Kevin Looper, the campaign manager for the tax hike proponents. Here are a few other observations about last night: 1. Notable Absences: ...   More