Murmurs: Kotek’s Homeless Order Omits Rural Oregon

KOTEK’S HOMELESS ORDER OMITS RURAL OREGON: On her first day in office, Gov. Tina Kotek attacked one of the state’s biggest challenges, declaring a state of emergency and earmarking $130 million in funding to alleviate homelessness. It’s a colossal undertaking: Oregon has the nation’s highest rate of unsheltered homelessness for families with children. But the order covers only 11 counties, omitting 25 rural counties in Eastern Oregon and along the coast. That’s because those counties did not meet the threshold of an increase in homelessness of 50% or more from 2017 to 2022. On Jan. 11, lawmakers representing Oregon’s Coastal Caucus sent Kotek a letter of protest, noting rural counties already have far fewer resources than urban ones and face challenges just as severe. The letter urged Kotek to extend the same level of concern to rural Oregon “as you have demonstrated to the rest of the state.” Kotek said Jan. 17 her initial allocation “underrepresents the need” in rural counties and encouraged them to formally apply for aid.

STATE OFFICIALS PROPOSE STOPGAPS TO RESOLVE PUBLIC DEFENDER CRISIS: Oregon lawmakers approved $10 million last month to address a statewide shortage of public defenders. Since then, the state agency responsible for allocating the money, the Office of Public Defense Services, has been brainstorming how to spend it. The latest plan floated by the agency’s new director, Jessica Kampfe: $6 million for “retention incentives” and the bulk of the rest to hire more “professional staff.” An appointed commission is still refining the final proposal, to be submitted to lawmakers. It meets again Thursday. According to a report presented to the commission last week, nearly 800 defendants across the state lack court-appointed attorneys. It blamed the “systemic underresourcing of public defense” and described a vicious cycle: High caseloads, exacerbated by pandemic court closures, burn out lawyers, who leave, thus increasing caseloads and leading to even more burnout. It’s unclear if the $10 million solution offered by legislators will be enough to break the cycle. An October survey found 60% of public defenders in the past two years had left their jobs. The agency’s last approved budget was $340 million.

TRIMET’S BENDY BUSES ARE COMING BACK: TriMet pulled its brand new articulated buses two months after their launch in September after drivers reported hearing weird noises while turning. Now, the transit agency says the buses are coming back, following an “industrywide” recall by their Canadian manufacturer, Nova Bus, a subsidiary of Volvo Group. The problem: loose bolts. The solution: replace a “spherical washer” with a “solid spacer” that allows “full tightening” of the bolts. “Riders may start seeing the big green buses back on the road as early as this week,” TriMet spokeswoman Roberta Altstadt said in a press release Tuesday morning. The buses run on the brand new FX-2 lines along Southeast Division Street. Although billed as “Frequent Express,” the new $175 million line is actually slower on some trips than the line it replaced, WW reported in September. Still, the agency is heralding the concept as the future of TriMet. It’s embarking on the “biggest redesign of bus service in agency history” amid declining ridership. That involves expanding to underserved neighborhoods and more “frequent service” lines running every 15 minutes, according to a presentation at a TriMet board meeting last month. Meanwhile, the agency is considering a 12% fare increase to shore up its finances, which would raise fares to $2.80.

GIANT OF OREGON JURISPRUDENCE DIES: Former 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ted Goodwin died Dec. 27 in Bend at age 99. Goodwin served on the federal bench for 51 years, making him one of the longest-serving federal judges in history. A graduate of the University of Oregon and Oregon Law, Goodwin distinguished himself as a state Supreme Court justice in 1969, according to The Oregon Encyclopedia, writing the majority opinion in the case that guaranteed unfettered public access to Oregon’s beaches. In 2002, he wrote the majority opinion for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declaring the requirement that students recite the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, a decision later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Goodwin grew up working on ranches in Central Oregon and retired to Sisters, where, according to a New York Times obituary, he continued riding horses well into his 90s.