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Charles McGee and Aubré Dickson Indicted: On May 8, a Multnomah County grand jury indicted former Black Parent Initiative CEO Charles McGee and Aubré Dickson, a banker and former chairman of the Oregon Housing Stability Council. The two men will be arraigned later this week on felony charges that include first-degree sexual assault, unlawful sexual penetration and sodomy. The charges all stem from an incident in May 2012. After the two men's alleged victim, Erica Naito-Campbell, told her story to WW ("No Way Out," Feb. 7, 2018), McGee dropped out of a race for Multnomah County commissioner and Dickson resigned his position on the state housing panel. Neither man's attorney nor Naito-Campbell would comment.
Eudaly Plans Reforms for Rental Screenings: Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who championed last year's landmark renter protections, is preparing for another round of reforms. The new effort, which would regulate the screening criteria landlords use to determine who gets housing, is in draft form and expected to go to the City Council in August. Eudaly's office is pushing for landlords to evaluate renters on a first-come, first-served basis using standardized criteria. "There is so much subjectivity; housing access relies exclusively on landlords' feelings about a tenant," says Eudaly policy director Jamey Duhamel. "The goal is to create clear channels to access housing of choice for all renters that are consistent, fair and equitable."
Campaign Emails May Violate Elections Law: Two recipients of Gov. Kate Brown's endless stream of campaign fundraising emails are calling foul on a pitch that the campaign has donors who will match contributions. Alan Koloen, a Salem retiree, says the campaign rebuffed his questions about a matching donor's identity. Portlander Seth Woolley, a campaign law activist, says the state's reporting system allows candidates to document matching contributions, but Brown isn't properly reporting them. More importantly, Woolley says, Brown's promotion of matching donations may violate a state "undue influence" law that prohibits offering voters an inducement for their support. Both men are preparing elections complaints. Brown spokesman Christian Gaston says the campaign complies with all reporting laws and is doing nothing wrong. "The 'match' doesn't offer anything of value to the contributor," he says.
A Royal Strain in Grants Pass: An Oregon man is making headlines in England for developing a strain of cannabis to honor his aunt: soon-to-be British royal Meghan Markle. Tyler Dooley, 25, a grower in Grants Pass, named a strain "Markle Sparkle" after his famous relative, an American actress who will marry Prince Harry next week. The strain, according to the London Daily Mail, is part of a line of cannabis products Dooley is branding as "Royally Grown." Dooley hopes they will bring in big money at a time of low profits for the marijuana industry. After a massive harvest last fall, wholesale prices plummeted. But Oregonians won't be able to toast the royal wedding with Markle Sparkle. The strain will debut at a cannabis convention in California in June.
