Murmurs: Legislation Could Block Dutch Bros. Pony Dreams

LEGISLATION COULD BLOCK DUTCH BROS. PONY DREAMS: Three conflicting bills in the current legislative session capture the muddled state of gambling in Oregon. Senate Bill 1503, sponsored by Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem), would legalize betting on college sports. SB 1504, also sponsored by Courtney, prohibits greyhound racing, or accepting bets on the same, no matter where a race is held. Meanwhile, the disagreement between Dutch Bros. CEO Travis Boersma and Oregon’s tribes over Boersma’s proposal to install 225 historical horse racing betting terminals at the Flying Lark resort at Grants Pass Downs continues. HB 4046, introduced at the request of tribes, would call a halt to any expansion of gambling for a year, giving all stakeholders, including the tribes, the Oregon Lottery and private interests, time to hash out the future. The bill explicitly blocks the Oregon Racing Commission from approving any new gambling operations in the meantime. On Feb. 8, the Racing Commission, which would regulate Boersma’s proposed development, met in executive session to “discuss written legal advice” from the Oregon Department of Justice on the Grants Pass dispute. The substance of that meeting is confidential, but the session lasted less than 10 minutes.

PORTLAND INKS NEW POLICE CONTRACT: The city of Portland released a copy of its collective bargaining agreement with the Portland Police Association on Tuesday following the Feb. 4 announcement that the parties had reached a tentative agreement after more than a year of contract negotiations, including more than six months of closed-door meditation. “I want to thank both sides of this labor negotiation for the difficult work they put in to bring this contract to a close. It is important to me that we are able to attract and keep quality police officers and that we have a discipline guide that ensures our officers are held accountable for their actions,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a statement Feb. 8. “We also agreed on an approach to develop and expand Portland Street Response in a way that allows for an integrated and appropriate public safety response, including responding to 911 calls for people experiencing mental health crisis. These accomplishments are gained by this new agreement.” The Portland City Council is slated to vote to ratify the agreement Feb. 24 following a Feb. 17 council session where the public can testify.

TOBIAS READ WINS VACCINE ENDORSEMENT: Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read, a Democratic candidate for governor, has won the “Green Light” from the vaccine advocacy group Our Shot Oregon. The group asked candidates to commit to supporting a legislative change that would limit the philosophical exemption to vaccines for school kids, in part because Oregon has among the highest vaccine exemption rates in the country. Read has championed COVID-19 vaccine mandates for teachers, staff and students to help keep schools open. “Every candidate seeking to hold our state’s top executive office should be able to state clearly and unequivocally that they stand on the side of the public’s health,” said Our Shot Oregon director Meg Olson. “We hope to add other candidates to this list.” The group is reviewing a questionnaire submitted by former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof after its deadline. Former House Speaker Tina Kotek has not responded to the group’s questionnaire. “I’m proud to have the support of an organization who is fighting misinformation around vaccines and prioritizing public health,” says Read.

CJ MCCOLLUM TURNS INTO A PELICAN: The Portland Trail Blazers are dismantling their roster. The dismissal of longtime general manager Neil Olshey, surgery for superstar Damian Lillard, and a glut of players no taller than 6-foot-3 have resulted in a fire sale at the trade deadline. The most notable departure? Lillard’s backcourt partner CJ McCollum, who helped propel the team’s magical 2019 run to the Western Conference finals. The Blazers traded McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 8, four days after sending Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Los Angeles Clippers. What did the Blazers get in return? A roster of youngsters and journeymen designed to fetch ping-pong balls for the NBA Draft Lottery. Read an analysis at wweek.com.