Portland Current
2008 March 12
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[from Vancouver for Peace]
Vigil In memory of Rachel Corrie
Note: No candles. Bring flashlight and paper cup for 'candle effect.'
RTF file of formatted flyer: http://www.thesocialistparty.org/spo/action/Rachel-flyer.rtf
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Rachel Corrie
Of Olympia, Washington
April 10, 1979 - March 16, 2003
Activist
A campaigner for environmental and justice issues from her grade school days through college and her young adult life.
Peacemaker
Rachel promoted non-violent conflict resolution methods through learning for herself, then teaching others, and finally acting them out in the Gaza Strip.
Martyr
Killed by an Israeli army bulldozer (made in the USA) while defending the home of two Palestinian families who had, as Israel admits, no connections with any violence or any terrorist organizations.
March 16, 2008 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Esther Short Park -- Bell Tower
If raining -- in band shell
Multnomah County Socialist Party
Sunday, March 17, 1-3pm
Belmont Library, 1038 Se 39th Ave.
Monthly meeting of the Socialist Party of Oregon's Multnomah County Local.
Showdown At The HAP Corral
March 19th 10:30 AM
Portland City Hall
Every vote by the Portland city council to confirm a citizen appointment to the board of the Housing Authority of Portland is a public affirmation of public housing policy in Multnomah county.
The time to vote for HAP nominees based only on their presumed interest or background in public service is past. The job of HAP commissioner is to make public housing policy which guides the spending of $90,000,000 in public funds every year. No vote should be cast by any Portland city commissioner without knowing the nominee's positions on a range of public housing policy issues.
The mayor of Portland, who is singularly empowered to nominate (and dismiss) candidates to the HAP board, is obliged to vet HAP candidates on their public housing policy positions before making his nomination and then announcing to the city council and the public his findings well before the vote. Thus far the current lame duck mayor has failed to carry out his responsibility in these and all previous HAP nomination proceedings. No doubt this indefensible procedural failure will be corrected during the next administration.
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Oregon Consumer Issues Summit 2008, Saturday, April12th.
The Oregon Consumer League and Marylhurst University Cordially Invites You to Attend the Oregon Consumer Issues Summit 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
10:00am – 3:00pm
Old Library, BP John Administrative Building,
Marylhurst University
17600 Pacific Hwy (Hwy 43)
Marylhurst, Oregon (2 miles out of Lake Oswego)
Free Admission/Lunch Included
Highlights and Topics to be covered in the Forum:
* Keynote Presentation: Cory Streisinger, Director, Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and Oregon Insurance Commissioner
* Health Care Reform Issues
* Fraud Issues
* Credit Issues
* Privacy Issues
Spread the word among consumers, advocates, providers, and friends so they can attend this a stimulating and informative event. Registration for this event begins at 9:00am. The program begins at 10:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. There is no registration fee.
Please RSVP to Dr. Jim Davis, Human Sciences Department,
Marylhurst University and the Oregon Consumer League,
503-699-6276 or jadavis@marylhurst.edu
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West Portland Streetcar System Plan Workshop
Monday, April 14th, 7-9pm
Lincoln High School in room #169
Attached is an announcement [Editor's Note: The attachment can be downloaded from:
http://www.thesocialistparty.org/spo/action/west_workshop_announcement.rtf ] about the Portland Office of Transportation's Streetcar System Plan District Workshops. We will be holding the West Portland District Workshop on Monday, April 14th at Lincoln High School in room #169 from 7-9pm. The goal of the workshop is to come to a community decision about whether or not to pursue a study of proposed streetcar lines in the district. As leaders of neighborhoods that would be affected by the proposed streetcar lines, I wanted to invite you to the meeting and make sure to get your input on this important decision. Also, because you all know your communities much more intimately than we possibly could, I would like to ask your help in getting this announcement out to folks who are affected by transit issues like this one. If you could pass the word on to interested parties or clue me in on underserved populations that should be invited, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks to those of you who have already contacted me with advice and ideas. I look forward to seeing you at the workshop.
Caroline Griffith
griffithcaroline@yahoo.com
(503)281-1190
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Urban renewal needs to work for everyone, including working families and their kids.
Urban Renewal was originally designed to help struggling neighborhoods with the tax revenues needed to build public facilities, address over-crowding, and revitalize ailing neighborhoods. Urban renewal has been successfully used to keep Portland's downtown a vibrant and attractive place — so attractive, in fact, that families with children have been priced out of inner Portland neighborhoods. Many of these families have moved to outer Southeast, straining the already-overburdened resources in the David Douglas school district. In the past ten years, enrollment in David Douglas schools has increased by more than 36 percent, and there is no indication that this growth will stop anytime in the near future.
Despite its critical need for expanded school facilities, David Douglas faces nearly insurmountable challenges to finding adequate resources to build new schools. With its largest employer a non-profit hospital that pays no property taxes, David Douglas lacks the strong tax base of downtown Portland. The district's population also includes many seniors and working families, further limiting the district’s ability to raise funds through property taxes.
A billion dollars in new development in the River District Urban Renewal Area (which includes the affluent Pearl District) is generating new property taxes that could be used to help meet the needs of working families in parts of Portland that desperately need the funds. Commissioner Erik Sten is proposing that a small portion of the David Douglas School District be included as a non-contiguous portion of the River District. The creation of this “satellite” urban renewal area will allow the Portland Development Commission to fund the construction of a new school and community facility on 8 acres of land already owned by the David Douglas school district using River District funds.
Concerns have been raised that creation of a satellite Urban Renewal Area will result in a flood of other such proposals. However, to address this concern, Commissioner Sten’s proposal includes an additional resolution that would establish criteria for PDC to employ in evaluating future satellite proposals.
Ensuring adequate educational opportunities for all children in our city ultimately benefits the entire community. Please ask the City Council to support this effort and share the wealth!
Take Action
For more information and to take action, click on www.onwardoregon.org/ExtendUrbanRenewal
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The draft Public Engagement Strategy for the Portland Plan:
http://www.thesocialistparty.org/spo/action/Public_Engagement_Strategy_Draft-3_10_08.pdf
The Portland Plan combines a Comp Plan update with review of the Central City Plan. The work on the Comp Plan is a state mandated update which could potentially affect land use in all neighborhoods. The original public engagement plan was criticized for not creating a broad enough process. The draft will move next to the Planning Commission