TEMPORARY FOOD-SERVICE WORKERS at the Oregon Zoo, unhappy with their lack of paid sick time ["Left Out," News, July 3], have started down the long road toward joining a union. The zoo is run by Metro, the regional government whose oversight also includes open spaces, growth policy, and cemeteries. Laborers' International Union of North America Local 483 confirmed it filed union request paperwork on behalf of the temps on July 3. The decision comes after months of preparation and organization—with months of wrangling to come in front of the Oregon Employment Relations Board. NATHAN GILLES

A BILL THAT WOULD BAN landlords from refusing renters solely because they hold Section 8 vouchers for low-income housing passed the Oregon Legislature on Monday, July 8, just hours before lawmakers went home for the year. The bill, HB 2639, was a top priority of House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-North Portland, and heavily backed by Portland City Hall—which was ready to pass a Portland-only law if Salem balked. "My preference was a statewide fix for many reasons," Commissioner Nick Fish says. "But we had the votes in Portland to move forward."But the bill almost didn't pass—enraging Kotek. Former House Speaker Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay, joined Senate Republicans in voting no on Sunday, July 7, for a 15-15 split. He quietly reconsidered the next morning. DENIS C. THERIAULT

A SENIOR STAFFING SHAKEUP at the Portland Police Bureau that began last month, with new leadership placed atop East Precinct and the Transit Division among other units, saw its (presumably) final pieces slotted into place on Wednesday, July 3. Mike Crebs, formerly commander of the transit cops, will take over for Assistant Chief Eric Hendricks later this year. Hendricks—currently the subject of an investigation amid fresh accusations he interfered in a discipline hearing on behalf of Captain Mark Kruger (the cop who built the shrine to Nazi-era German soldiers)—has decided to retire, the bureau announced. Spokesmen for the bureau and Mayor Charlie Hales both said "no" when asked if the new probe led to the shift. DCT