(Shared by Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock.)
To: Public Officials
From: George Murdock
Subject: Weekly Public Officials Update – Providing Information, Advocacy and Commentary
Date: May 4, 2021 – Volume 54
Total Cases – 8,079
Deaths – 84
Recent Counts:
Week 1 – 333
Week 2 – 237
Week 3 – 155
Week 4 – 96
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Week 23 – 435 – (including 170 at EOCI & TRCI)
Week 24 – 466 (including 198 at EOCI & TRCI
Week 25 – 456 (including 154 at EOCI & TRCI)
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Week 33 – 59 (including 4 from the Department of Corrections
Week 34 – 43 (including 3 from the Department of Corrections)
Week 35 — 27
Week 36 – 33
Week 37 – 54
Week 38 – 60 (including 1 from the Department of Corrections)
Week 39 – 60
Medical Report
Umatilla County recorded 60 cases for the week, which suggests we will likely remain in high unless we see a dramatic drop. It is hard to project implications for the future since there is no predictable pattern such as happened last week when the rules suddenly changed and fifteen counties went to extreme high and we were pushed from moderate to high ahead of schedule.
All of that being said, the Governor continues to be quoted as saying she plans to open Oregon at the end of June.
It has become popular to share with the commissioners they lack the courage to defy the governor and simply open up the county. In visiting with legal counsel, it isn’t quite that simple –starting with the millions of dollars in state funding that would not come our way.
In addition there are a great number of laws, regulations and legal entanglements. Beyond the huge loss of state revenue, would be the impact on businesses. It sounds simple for the county to simply declare its independence but the impact would be on the business community and anyone foolish enough to follow suit. Both the Liquor Control Board and OHSA are state entities with power and authority to wreak havoc on those businesses as they have shown.
Fortunately, while our businesses are desperate to open normally, they haven’t been the ones leading the charge to take on the State of Oregon as tempting as that might seem. It is easier to suggest defiance when you are sitting on the sidelines and don’t have a dog in the fight.
That being said, we will continue our weekly communication with the Governor on behalf of opening. With 80 percent of the people of Oregon living under extreme risk, our chances are greater. I’m not naïve enough to think we carry much weight alone, but with Multnomah and Clackamas Counties in the mix, the voices become louder.
State Stimulus Funds
Oregon has received $2.6 billion from the latest round of stimulus funds, about half of which is being used to balance the state budget. Another $800 million is being set aside for capital requests throughout the state.
If the funds were distributed on a per capita basis our share would be about $16 million and both the country and our local communities have an impressive list of requests. We would like to be optimistic about all of that $16 million finding its way here but based upon past experience, we are not holding our breath. However, we applaud the state for taking a major bi-partisan step in providing each senator with $4 million to distribute in their district and each representative for $2 million to distribute. Rep.’s Levy and Smith have not committed to a plan, however Senator Hansell had pledged his $4 million to the construction of a new fire station to serve the East Umatilla County Fire District.
For our part, all three of our legislators are actively pursuing FARM II and the Jail Renovation projects as well although they are likely to come from other funds – hopefully, the lottery bonds where they were housed originally.
Emergency Declaration
Last week the Governor extended her emergency declaration for another sixty days. This is very likely
the longest emergency declaration in the history of Oregon despite pleas from Oregon’s county commissioners to return to the days of local control rather than extensive state oversight.
The primary foundation of an emergency declaration is to provide immediate and centralized direction rather than participatory management. As we head toward fourteen months without the ability to manage our own affairs, the prevailing opinion is that it is time to trust local elected officials to chart their own destiny.
Umatilla County has also been operating with emergency declarations, but in our case ,that authority basically allowed the board chair and the chief fiscal officer to approve expenditures primarily related to public health and COVID-related expenditures. Our status in declaring an emergency declaration is on the agenda tomorrow and I suspect we will make a statement about moving out of emergency status.
Last week the Association of Oregon Counties took the unprecedented step of joining with the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association to appeal the Governor’s decision regarding restaurants. The letter was signed by 77 county commissioners from every corner of Oregon including all three of Umatilla County’s Commissioners. A copy of the letter is included with this edition. I included the signatures because they were gathered in one day and 77 is more than we have probably ever had.
At the end of the week, the Governor wrote back indicating she would not rescind the order. We certainly don’t doubt her good intentions because as she noted, she is concerned Oregon is leading the nation in the rate of new infections, we just want to try other strategies. But that being said we also feel it is high time
Redistricting
The subject of redistricting normally comes accompanied by fears – primarily because the effort is usually accompanied by recommendations that shift the political power structure. State guidelines recommend the boundaries should make sense geographically, however, the party in power generally overlooks those guidelines. That usually doesn’t get quite as much attention in Eastern Oregon because of our geography and what would have to happen in order to modify our Senate and House Districts enough to change the tendency of the majority. While absurdity isn’t out of the question these days, doing so would defy all reason. That consideration could go either way regarding blue vs. red and vice versa across the state.
On the west side, it usually involves efforts to incorporate a sliver of the Portland, Eugene, or Salem area into rural districts. There were efforts to have an independent commission involved in the decision like Washington that isn’t the case here. At the moment, it is in the hands of the Legislature and ultimately the secretary of state should the Legislature fail to come up with a plan.
In the Oregon House an unusual level of bi-partisanship has been inserted by Speaker Tina Kotek who, in order to forge an agreement with the Republican caucus that includes expediting legislation, the committee on redistricting has been set to include three members from each party.
Wyden Town Hall
Sunday I spent an hour on a small-group discussion with Senator Ron Wyden. The event could be viewed on Zoom.
My particular area of interest is a bill sponsored by Senator Wyden for the purpose of addressing mental health alternatives to policing. Wyden chairs the Finance Committee.
In particularly, the Senator is strongly supportive of the CAHOOTS program which operates in Eugene and possibly Washington County. One of his interests is trying to pilot models of the CAHOOTS program in rural areas where it has yet to be tried.
CAHOOTS is a program designed to replace law enforcement in response to mental health crises in favor of utilizing response teams made up of mental health proposals. It can also be used as a vehicle for making contact with those experiencing mental health difficulties literally on the streets.
Umatilla County is strongly in favor of utilizing this approach and in the preparation of the annual budget including such a program as a high priority and set aside funding. In cooperation with our law enforcement officers, we are working to get them out of the mental health business and replace them with people trained in this area. We are also trying to help identify places where mental health patients in crisis can be taken in the absence of the Blue Mountain Recovery Center which served the county for many years.
I sensed from the conversation that Umatilla County would be considered an excellent candidate for a rural pilot – particularly since the county is willing to provide a portion of the funding.
Current Oregon Congressional Districts
“It matters because it makes up the state Legislature and who represents you in Congress,” said Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, the newly appointed co-chair of the House committee. She said having equal representation on the committee opens the door to having equitable political representation in Oregon for the next decade.
Redistricting is even more complicated this year because Oregon, thanks to our population growth and other states’ declines will get a sixth seat in Congress. The boundaries of every current district will be affected, including that of the lone Republican in Oregon’s congressional delegation, Cliff Bentz, in the 2nd District.
Regardless of which political party is in power, that party doesn’t want to give up its ability to draw partisan lines while keeping a straight face and promising fair, reasonable, nonpartisan decisions. Incumbents of both parties look out for themselves; they want district boundaries that ensure their re-election. Thus, Oregon has few competitive districts, according to a report from Salem.
Republican Minority Leader Christine Drazan said the Republican agreement with Kotek at least gives Oregonians a chance for less-partisan redistricting. Kotek added Drazan to the redistricting committee and elevated Boshart-Davis to serve as co-chair with Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Lake Oswego. Again we applaud Speaker Kotek for this step.
The committee is still collecting information, not drawing lines. That will happen late this summer and early fall, presumably followed by a special legislative session to turn the new boundaries into law. Of course, that assumes that the House, Senate and governor all agree.
Not everyone embraces Speaker Kotek’s efforts at balance. For her part, Salinas, the Democratic co-chair did not appear pleased with her committee changes, writing in her constituent newsletter: “Prior to these appointments, Democrats held 3 of the 5 seats on the committee, and I held the gavel. I will now Co-Chair, and Democrats hold only 3 of the 6 seats.” We are fortunate that leaders like Speaker Kotek, in cooperation with Rep. Drazan, the house minority leader, view their duties as an obligation to the well-being of all of Oregon and see value in equal balance.
Applause should also go to Rep. Anna Williams, D-Hood River, for comments that are all too rare in today’s divisive political environment. She told her constituents: “I’ll be honest with you: this may be harder for me, politically, but I think it’s good for the state and for the country. As a swing member who narrowly won my last election, I probably stood to benefit from a redistricting process under Democratic control. Our district could have been reshaped in a way that would include more likely Democratic voters and fewer likely Republican voters. That outcome is unlikely now, under a dual-party redistricting system – and that’s a good thing!”
But the House is only half the Legislature. Senate President Peter Courtney has given no indication that he will equalize membership on the Senate side. It’s also telling that Kotek and Courtney did not create a unified House-Senate redistricting committee this year and instead had each chamber go its own way.
And, regarding the decision by Courtney, who generally gives a nod to both sides of the aisle, that’s disappointing and in response the Senate Republicans are protesting by having every bill read aloud.
Mental Health/Rockit
- The Crisis and Opportunity:
I mentioned this in my last update but in Umatilla County, like many parts of the nation, there is a serious mental health crisis exacerbated by COVID. It is an issue many residents are talking about in community forums, and the County seeks to make it easier for individuals and families to access critical care and services, especially in times of crisis. I think that because mental health is such an area of interest here, there were a number of questions – particularly regarding Rockit with whom we are working, who they are, and why they are helping us.
Community ROCKit is a grant-funded program fueling Umatilla County Commissioners and community members to make actionable changes, leveraging grant funding provided by the Morris-Singer Foundation to X4 Health. Here is an FAQ for those of you interested in learning more.
- What’s the status of Community ROCKit and how can I join in?
We’ve completed a series of meetings that resulted in a draft asset map and a list of possible immediate actions that can help improve access to mental health services for people in crisis in Umatilla County. Right now, meeting participants are reviewing the meeting materials. We expect to release the asset map once finalized. There will be an online form that anyone in the county or surrounding areas can fill out to add an asset. There will be another meeting 30 days from now to check in on progress made and decide how the asset map can be used going forward.
- What is community ROCKit?
Community ROCKit is a grant-funded program designed to help communities develop solutions to problems created or exacerbated by COVID. It is being piloted in 3 communities, the first of which is Umatilla County.
ROCKit aims to empower community leaders to unite across sectors, using local relationships as rocket fuel for mapping out valuable resources on hand in the community, ensuring those resources are coordinated and developing new solutions to local issues selected by the community.
- Who funds Community ROCKit?
The program is funded by the Morris-Singer Foundation, a family foundation committed to health and a healthy democracy. ROCKit is aligned with their commitment to help communities create healthy public dialogue in service of local problem solving.
The grant supports the work of X4 Health, a social impact design organization who creates tools and methods, facilitates the process and provides staffing and technical assistance to local leaders (the grant is not given to local communities directly). ROCKit will be piloted in 3 communities in 2021.
- What has the Umatilla County group come up with so far?
There are a number of interesting actions individuals and the County can take which will continue to evolve. However, as I mentioned last week: things the group is aware of and which have some momentum include:
* Putting out a request for proposals to oversee mental, drug, and alcohol abuse programs in the county.
* Identifying effective strategies for addressing the intersection between law enforcement and reducing the role of law enforcement in addressing mental health crisis situations and replacing them with specialized programs or personnel.
* Assuring that equity is a part of the discussion surrounding mental health and substance abuse.
* Identifying all of the entities, programs and resources currently available in the county that can play a role in this effort.
More on this project and the outcomes will appear in the Weekly Update on a regular basis.
Here’s Latest on the Milton-Freewater Junior Show
It’s just going to be online only similar to last year. It will be open for bidding May 8 at noon and begin closing May 9 at one pm. Floor or turn buyers are available this year instead of only sending animals to custom.
The website is currently built and open for registration and the link should now be available.
The sale can be viewed once registered but is not complete or correct, as we still need to weigh, sort by placings and remove double entries from two animals pre-weighed.
If you would like to register this is the direct link to that site:
https://auction.showorks.cloud/fair/milton/buyersignin?returnUrl=%2ffair%2fmilton
If you just want to see what the platform looks like it can be viewed here:
https://auction.showorks.cloud/fair/milton
Talking Points Regarding Vaccine Hesitancy from UCo Health
- COVID-19 vaccines teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. It typically takes two weeks after vaccination for the body to build immunity against the virus that causes COVID-19. That means it is possible a person could still get COVID-19 before or just after vaccination and then get sick because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection. People are considered fully protected two weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, or two weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
- It’s normal to experience some mild discomfort following a vaccine. This means it’s working and creating an immune response in your body– without the danger of getting COVID-19 or an actual infection. None of the COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus that causes COVID-19 so a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19.
- Getting immunized against COVID-19 will protect most people from getting sick or becoming seriously ill. Protecting yourself also helps protect the people around you, including those at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 or those who can’t get vaccinated — like infants and children, or people with weakened immune systems.
- Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines, and these vaccines have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe.
Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/keythingstoknow.html
