MICHAEL DUNNE: I'm Michael Dunne. While the Oregon legislature is not full time, the representatives and senators nevertheless work hard doing the people's business, and they're more than happy to leave Salem when it's time to go home. So, when the governor calls an additional special session, it can feel like being called into the principal's office, and as such, the men and women of the legislature are back in action to try and hammer out a transportation package they couldn't get done in the regular session. Today, on the show, you'll hear from a reporter at The Oregon capital Chronicle about how they got here and what they need to do to get the legislation over the finish line. Then at the end of the show, we check in on a recent meeting to discuss safety solutions in downtown Eugene. Alex Baumhardt, who is a senior reporter with The Oregon capital Chronicle, always good to talk to you. Welcome back to the program.
ALEX BAUMHARDT: Thank you so much for having me.
MICHAEL DUNNE: So, you wrote a story about the long and winding road, and pardon the pun there of the transportation funding that the legislature is working on. Why don't we do this first to remind us how we got to this special session of the legislature, and then give us a status report on this signature piece of legislation?
ALEX BAUMHARDT: I guess the long, the looking back, longer road is there have been some pretty big-ticket projects in Oregon, you know, of varying degrees of urgency, but the state has been invested in them and sort of neglected to fully fund them. So, in 2024 the state goes on this or not the state, but a handful of legislators on this joint committee for transportation. They go on this statewide tour. They want to hear from Oregonians. What do you need to tell us about your roads? Do you use public transit? How do you get around? They take this back. They discuss for over a year sort of these major policy decisions that they could make to advance the state's goals. You know, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, get more people on public transit, reduce burdens on roads, get roads modernized, get funding streams modernized for the Department of Transportation, right? The bulk of our state transportation department's money comes from gas tax. Well, it's fewer people buying gasses, they buy EVs. So how do you make up for that? So, they come to the legislature, they've got this big package, House Bill, 2025, we're talking billions of dollars over about a decade that'll be invested in these projects and roads and in public transit and vehicle electrification, all these things. And to do it, you need to raise money. So that's where things fell apart, right? You had Republicans come into this session saying no new taxes, and Democrats with this proposal that required an increase in the payroll tax, increase in vehicle registration, licensing fees, plan to get EV owners paying at least some sort of per mile fee. Because, you know, they don't pick ass tax, but they do use the roads, sure. So, it falls apart during the legislative session, right? The package gets introduced way too late. There's way too much in fighting. A lot of discussions happening behind the scenes that the public and journalists aren't privy to. Nothing passes by the time the session wraps. The big issue there was the Department of Transportation was left with a three $50 million budget hole. And that's 300 million of that was, like, pretty immediate. So, you know, the governor basically announced, in perhaps a little bit righteously or indignant, you guys failed to pass this. We've got 500 ODOT employees we can't pay for anymore, so they're going to be laid off, unless you do something. And then the governor scheduled this special session, ideally, you know, these lawmakers had over two months, or maybe just about two months, to come together and sort of come up with an idea, something that could be possible, that could save these jobs, that could restore some investment in transportation. So that is my 3000 level, jam packed version of how we got here, basically kicking the can down the road, fighting for too long when we had the opportunity to negotiate and make something happen, Special Session wherein Democrats are basically hanging on by a razor's edge to get this thing through.
MICHAEL DUNNE: And so, I'm wondering if the governor calls a special session. Is the idea that this is a compressed period of time only focusing on one thing, so, those sorts of restrictions are going to help get this passed? Is that the thinking?
ALEX BAUMHARDT: Yeah, and I think maybe some. Of it, too, is being pretty vocal about the collateral damage of not having passed something earlier, right? During the special session, everybody came in very clearly, understanding that they were going to have to look at 500 some ODOT employees who no longer had jobs if they didn't get something through. So, I think that, you know, the special session was more or less a, it was sort of like a public slap on the wrist for the legislature, I think, to say, like you guys’ sort of dropped the ball. Figure it out and in the meantime, we'll ratchet up the pressure as far as what, what state, what we stand to lose if you don't do something?
MICHAEL DUNNE: Okay, so if it comes out of this special session. What is this legislation gonna look like?
ALEX BAUMHARDT: For the average Oregonian? It means you'll pay six cents more per gallon of gas. You already pay a state gas tax of 40 cents. It'll go up to 46 cents. It means you'll probably the average Oregonian in payroll tax will pay $68 a year instead of $34 a year towards public transit. So, in 2017 the legislature passed its 1/10 of 1% of payroll employees, employers, goes to public transit. This really expansively, as much as we might bemoan public transit, I live in Portland, and sometimes I feel like TriMet is 1000 years behind. Years behind. It really did expand service. So, the average Oregonian would go from paying $34 a year for that to about $68 a year for that, which is 560 a month. Okay, your registration, vehicle registration and title fees will go up, I want to say to the tune of like, 40 bucks a year or 40 bucks on the biennium, I add a check, let me so it'll go from, excuse me, title fees, which, you know, we don't pay that often, but we do when we're buying or transferring a car, okay? $77 to $216, okay? And then the registration fees will go from we currently pay 35 bucks annually. Typically, you go do it every two years, let's say 70 bucks every two years. Now you're going to pay 130 bucks every two years. Okay? And then EVs are going to have to either opt into a two cent per mile charge that they'll report to the state, or they can pay a $340 annual fee. So annual fee. So that's new, and that's to make up for the money that we don't collect as a state because they're not buying gas. Okay?
MICHAEL DUNNE: So, the Democrats are trying to push this forward, get it across the goal line, talking about the need to keep state transportation workers employed and providing this kind of infrastructure boost. What are the Republicans saying? And can they gum up the works again, like they did in the regular session?
ALEX BAUMHARDT: Well, the concession that Democrats made to the Republicans was not an insignificant one. So, to begin with, Republicans are still beating the drum of no new taxes. You know, Oregonians, by and large, the message is, Oregonians can't afford this. The state has already become wildly expensive. Too expensive. People are leaving. Businesses are closing. That was sort of the story from the Republicans and certainly plenty of people who gave testimony who were pretty anxious about the idea that they were being put upon with more money, or, I'm sorry, more expenses that they didn't get to have a say in, right? A lot of people like small businesses, especially, who are like, hey, you know, an extra six cents a gallon in gas is not nothing to me, especially when I drive, you know, 1000s of miles a year. So, the Republicans, the plan was sort of just to use money that already exists, that the Oregon Department of Transportation has through different funding streams that are specific to bike lanes, you know, developing bike lanes, developing safe pedestrian crossings, sidewalks. One big thing that I think was real about face was the idea of using the Climate Protection Program to pay for some of these things. And I will say, as somebody who's followed the Climate Protection Program quite closely, I mean, first and foremost, people should know it's been so wrapped up in litigation. It's not like collecting a bunch of money yet, like no money has even been distributed from that program, which is, in essence, Oregon sort of pseudo cap and trade system, because, like, for the last. I mean, it's been, like almost five years since it was mandated, and then it was derailed by a lawsuit from the gas companies. So anyway, the idea that the Climate Protection Program is like this big pot of money just sitting there. Not the case yet, okay, but that was sort of the idea for them was, let's redirect money and not make a new tax. Will just give ODOT the ability to move some money around. ODOT, right now they don't get to touch, you know, bike lane money for roads. The Republican plan was more. It was basically just to shore up money so that ODOT wouldn't have to lay anybody off the concession they got. Democrats was this payroll tax I was telling you about initially, that was that it had no end date. It was going to be continuous, right? Which kind of makes sense if you're running a transit agency, you kind of need to be sure that you're going to have consistent money, especially if you're going to expand your services. What Republicans got from Democrats was a limit on that. So it'll end in 2028. What both sides have said is, by putting a deadline there, by saying that we're only going to do this for two years, it will force them back to a conversation about sustainable funding for some of these things. So the Republicans, at this point are a little less sort of hands on their hips about it. They're obviously not going to vote for any package, which is sort of why we're in a delayed situation now as Democrats desperately try to get one more member back so they can get this over the finish line. But yeah, so at this point, Republicans are perhaps a little less fiery against the package because they got something, but they are not happy.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Well, to that point, and I think the news just came across late yesterday or early today, that Senator Chris Gorsuch is, is injured or sick and can't make it to Salem, so that kind of puts things on hold for a little bit. What's the status with that?
ALEX BAUMHARDT: Yeah, he had a previously scheduled surgery, a back surgery, so he wasn't going to make it to this past weekend session to begin with. But all we know so far is there were some complications. His recovery is taking longer than expected. So, in order to give the Senate, because this is the last thing right, the Senate just needs to approve this. It's already passed the house to get over the finish line, they literally can't afford to lose his vote, so they have pushed the vote out a couple weeks. And the governor has pushed out this sort of deadline for ODA, either having to lay people off or not to October. Um, so hopefully in the next couple weeks, Gorsuch will be back and we'll have a vote. Um, I can't, you know, it's, I'm, no doubt, something unexpected, that both sides of it. I don't think anybody particularly, you know, I think everybody's ready to have this behind them.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Assuming that the senator feels better and comes back. I mean, do you think this is going to pass? I mean, if he's there to vote, do they have the votes? And then pretty much assume that the governor would sign it?
ALEX BAUMHARDT: I think, I think if he comes back, they have the votes. There are more. You know, you've got. Javadi, the Republican Representative from Tillamook crossed over and voted with Democrats on the House side, you also had a Democrat cross over and vote with the Republicans against the bill. On the Senate side, there's usually, especially with Senate President Rob Wagner. He really doesn't go to a vote unless he knows he has the votes. So if there was a Democrat who decided at the last minute to radically shift gears, that would be shocking. But even his one outlier, I think this last session, was State Senator Mark Meek Gladstone, who sided with Republicans. You do not hear Meek talking like he did before. It seems like Wagner and him are in line about this, so I do expect this will pass once they have their one Gorsuch vote back.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Okay, okay, we will look for that in the next couple of weeks. Hey, Alex, while I've got you here, you also wrote a great article about our Oregon Senator, Jeff Merkley, went to Gaza and has come back to talk about what he said about that trip, and, of course, the larger context about the seemingly endless war, conflict that's happening there.
ALEX BAUMHARDT: Yeah, he went for about eight days with Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, who maybe a lot of people know is sort of the first senator that went to Guatemala, or, I'm sorry, Honduras, to see Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the wrongfully deported Maryland man. So, they're both, you know, two high profile senators. Merkley has said record turnout at his town halls over the last six months. A lot of people really wanted him to do something about this sort of ongoing, escalated military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, which is obviously, you know, the Israeli soldiers who have killed over 60,000 Gazans. Many of the remaining are facing starvation. So Merkley went back. This is the sixth trip he's taken in his life. The first time was, you know, when he was in his 20s backpacking and he met. They went to Israel, met with families of some of the hostages that had been taken by Hamas on October 7. There's about 30 that are believed to be alive. He visited a kibbutz that had been attacked by Hamas. Then he went to the West Bank, so the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, occupied West Bank, to talk with people who had been attacked by Israeli settlers, by IDF soldiers, Israeli Defense Force soldiers. He said there's really been a massive escalation of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, which tends to be less under you know, the Palestinian Authority has more of the control of the West Bank, whereas Hamas is maybe more active in Gaza. They were not allowed to go into Gaza by the Israeli government. So, they went to two of the entry points into Gaza where aid was flowing. They met with aid workers, UN Food Program workers. Everybody painted a really dire picture. In essence, the Israeli government and Israeli Defense Forces are very fickle about what's being allowed to go into Gaza. As far as aid workers have been attacked, the sort of casualties of war are exacerbated by starvation. So even if you are, even if a Gazan sees a doctor about an injury, having enough nutrition to recover is a huge problem. Merkley has been very vocal in Congress about making any more military aid to Israel contingent on immediate and urgent aid to Gazans, food, medicine. He has not gotten this. He has not gotten a large scale response from Republicans in Congress about that or the urgency of it, he's teamed up with Bernie Sanders, Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont to pass bills that would bar more weapons sales to Israel. For the first time, the majority of Senate Democrats did vote for that.
MICHAEL DUNNE: She does a great job up at the Oregon Capitol Chronicle. Alex Baumhardt, thank you so much for coming on and talking about transportation and a very difficult subject, what's going on in Gaza.
ALEX BAUMHARDT: Yeah Oh, thanks for having me. There's a lot of news right now, huh?
MICHAEL DUNNE: Yeah, absolutely. That's why, that's why we give you a call. Thanks again.
ALEX BAUMHARDT: Thanks so much, Michael.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Let's hear about safety concerns and potential solutions in Eugene, from our KLCC colleague, KLCC. Nathan Wilk, as always, thanks so much for coming in and joining us.
NATHAN WILK: Thanks so much for having me, Michael.
MICHAEL DUNNE: You did a big story a little while ago about safety concerns in downtown Eugene. Give us the highlights of your story.
NATHAN WILK: So essentially, a number of business leaders, starting in June, although I imagine some of the issues date back further, but starting in June, started speaking out about downtown Eugene, saying that they didn't feel safe walking around areas of the downtown core, and that also some customers didn't feel safe and that They felt like they were losing in person business.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Did they give sort of details of activity that they saw that really concerned them?
NATHAN WILK: So, to start, in June, there was an incident where someone went up to someone and asked for money, and they said no, and they threw them to the ground. And the report, the police report, seemed to show they were, they were injured. And you know, that really is something that a lot of the business leaders I spoke to cited, you know, essentially the idea that, you know, they get asked for money in downtown Eugene all the time, and now when, when that interaction happens, and you know, a lot of those interactions are with houseless people that that they feel afraid of what happens next. I mean, the other things that were talked about was, you know, harassment, gender harassment, you know, on the street, as well as, you know, profanity and, you know, there were some, there was one business leader I spoke to who, who said there are customers that are less likely to come down here because there's homeless people and because there's trash in the street. So, safety sort of stretches between violent crime to behavior with aspects of violent crime into sometimes those sorts of areas as well.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Yeah, I also noticed, too, you talked to some folks and this sort of straddles this issue to some degree, which is yes, of course, downtown Eugene has a very large population of people who live unhoused. And your story talked to some advocates saying, Yeah, that's true, but that doesn't necessarily mean that your life is at risk or this is dangerous. Talk a little bit about what some of those who advocate for the unhoused said?
NATHAN WILK: Well, I should start that talking to the police, the police chief, Chris Skinner, you know, violent crime is down in downtown Eugene quite starkly from the year before, according to their figures. So, you know, I spoke to homeless advocates who said that, you know, they felt that this was a sort of hysteria, and you know, that homeless people would be unfairly targeted. And in fact, a lot of the homeless people I spoke to, you know, some of them were sympathetic to the idea that, you know someone might be nervous and afraid of, you know certain people who are down in downtown Eugene who are unpredictable, but you know that they felt like this path, that that is implied and in their eyes, in action from the reports that they talked to me about what they've been experiencing from The police in recent months this year, this action of pushing them out does not solve the problem, and of course, generalizes this community. You know, many of whom are not violent, most of whom are not violent.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Sure. I want to get to what the chief said, in addition to crime statistics, but just generally speaking, are there potential solutions, increasing patrols? What is the police answer to some of these questions and concerns?
NATHAN WILK: Right. So, you know, something that Chief Skinner spoke to me about is one that he didn't want the police to be involved in situations that are mental health struggles, when possible, things that might make people uncomfortable but aren't actually criminal behavior and but he cited a couple things. The first is he said that downtown Eugene already has dedicated resources as other areas of Eugene don't, especially given some of the restrictions on budget that you and I are familiar with the city of Eugene.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Nathan Wilk, thank you so much for your reporting. I know you'll keep on top of this story. I really appreciate you coming in.
NATHAN WILK: Yeah, thank you, Michael.
MICHAEL DUNNE: That's the show for today. All episodes of Oregon On The Record are available as a podcast at KLCC.org. Monday, on the show, we'll talk with two reporters about the unprecedented move by the three West Coast states to strike out on their own when it comes to vaccine guidance. I'm Michael Dunne, and this has been Oregon On The Record from KLCC. Thanks for listening.
