With more plot twists than a John Grisham novel, the continuing drama surrounding PGE’s ownership became even stranger this week. Early Tuesday morning, Enron, the parent corporation of the utility company, announced they would sell PGE to an investment group headed by none other than Neil Goldschmidt–former Portland mayor, Oregon governor and, most recently, the […]
City
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Council Member Leonard: Our Hero
Tow Truck Companies Forced to Tow the Line
Randy Leonard is poised to become the city’s most popular council member–and all it took was standing up to the towing companies. For the past several months, the newest member of city council has been hammering together a plan to curb fees and practices for local tow truck operators. Under the new rules, those companies […]
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Justices Peek at Nude Dancers
Stripping Industry Caught in Legal Tango
The fate of our state’s strippers is now in the hands of the Oregon Supreme Court justices. Last week, two cases dealing with strippers and live-act sex shows were argued in front of the court. Unlike 48 other states, free-speech allowances in Oregon are so liberal that strippers can take it all off and can […]
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NOW Are You Telling the Truth?
Terrorism Task Force Vote Reveals Fibs of the Past
With eyes glazed over from boredom, the small crowd at the city council meeting last Wednesday barely flinched when a sudden plot twist came into full view. As expected, city council voted unanimously to reauthorize the Joint Terrorism Task Force; a controversial agreement allowing local law enforcement officers to work and share notes with federal […]
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Shame on Us!
PGE Unplugs a Populist Movement
More than anywhere, Portland should have celebrated a power-to-the-people fairytale ending in the struggle for PGE ownership. Instead, the special election on Tuesday–a chance for citizens to own their electricity company–unfolded as expected, with a well-funded campaign crushing the hopes of a handful of ordinary residents. Proponents of Measures 26-51 and 52 had hoped to […]
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A PUD We Can Live With
Vote “YES” for Electrical Justice
Old habits apparently die hard. Two years ago, Enron set a new benchmark for corporate swindling when they gutted pension funds and outright lied to shareholders. Now it seems as if PGE, Enron’s corporate lapdog, has learned from its master. In the campaign to halt the formation of a people’s utility district (PUD), PGE has […]
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Looking for Officer Friendly
Can Marches Make the Police Nicer?
by Erin Ergenbright At nearly every demonstration in Portland–whether the topic is war, President Bush, or labor unions–police brutality is a constant subtext. Marches and protests are, at least in some part, defined by the friction between protesters and police. The number of activists arrested or pepper sprayed is kept like a scorecard. But last […]
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Spies Among Us
Council Expected to Re-Approve Terrorism Task Force
Members of Peace Fresno were bewildered when they saw the obituary for Aaron Kilner. The photo accompanying the article was familiar: Mid-20s, short cropped hair, and shaggy goatee. But the activists in Peace Fresno, a progressive California-based organization, knew the man as Aaron Stokes, a regular at their meetings and peace vigils. He died in […]
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An Agreement with Teeth
City Plans To Stiffen Drinking Laws
by Anna Simon Councilman Randy Leonard wants a “time, place and manner” ordinance. The new rule would give power to the city to regulate so-called “problem” liquor stores and bars–that is, any business that has three complaints lodged against them in 30 consecutive days. Enough complaints in one month and the establishment would be sent […]
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Me For Mayor
Oh, To Be Liberal Again!
This week Portland could become as politically liberal as Grants Pass. On Wednesday, city council is scheduled–finally–to take a vote on an ordinance denouncing the USA Patriot Act. This is a position that nearly 200 city councils throughout the U.S. long ago approved, including most cities along I-5. In fact, when the ordinance was first […]
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Garden of Evil?
Police Project Tears Down Community Garden
Until last week, the small sliver of ground wedged between SW 13th Avenue and the I-405 overpass had been a bustling and colorful garden. It was transformed nearly a decade ago by a group of children from the church across the street on a then-vacant plot of city property. In springtime, marigolds and asters bloomed […]
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Less Money for More Work
Is Powell’s Selling Out Its Progressive Ideals?
by Anna Simon Last Sunday afternoon was busier than usual at Powell’s on Burnside. In addition to the casual weekend shoppers drifting through the store, a large group of employees on their lunch break stood outside the main entrance with balloons, leaflets, and a bullhorn. Far from pushing a super sale, workers were amplifying their […]