News As U.S. Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.) fights for his political life, a favorite topic of conversation in political circles is trying to identify whom the Democratic Party might support to challenge him in a primary next year. Some of the most often mentioned names are Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner Brad Avakian; state  Sen. Suzanne Bomamici (D-Beaverton) and former state Rep. Greg ...   More

News  On Feb. 15, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner Brad Avakian filed an unusual and contentious legal brief [PDF]. Although Avakian is an experienced  lawyer, it's unusual that a bureau head would write the document himself rather than employing a lawyer from the Oregon Department of Justice, as state agencies normally do. The brief is contentious because Avakian minces no words ...   More

News The state Attorney General's office has decided that Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner Brad Avakian doesn't have to run for re-election in 2010, when his post would normally be scheduled on the state ballot. Gov. Ted Kulongoski appointed Avakian, formerly a Democratic state senator representing parts of Northwest Portland and Washington County, to the non-partisan labor commissioner's ...   More

News Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner today initiated a complaint [PDF] with his own agency against John Minnis, who resigned under pressure from his job directing the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in November after a female subordinate complained he sexually harassed her. A subsequent criminal investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice resulted in ...   More

News The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries today released the results of an investigation into the actions of former Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Director John Minnis. Minnis, a former Portland Police detective and Republican state senator from Wood Village, retired abruptly last November from DPSST. His retirement came after a subordinate accused Minnis, who's married to ...   More