Friends and Neighbors,

This past week the Oregon legislature successfully voted in redistricting maps for the third time since 1911. I’ll share more about the process and new maps, but first, I want to talk about something that happened a little closer to home. 

Three months ago, Mark Shull called vaccine verification “Jim Crow 2.0.”  At that time I condemned his insensitive actions as they ignored the realities of systemic oppression, driven by Jim Crow laws, exclusion acts, mass incarceration, voter disenfranchisement, disinvestment, health disparities, gentrification, redlining, and police violence. 

Now Mark Shull has again insulted our community by sharing a meme comparing public health protections meant to slow the spread of a virus to the atrocities of the Holocaust. 

I was contacted by several constituents who were appalled by his actions. One told me, “What Mark shared on his Facebook page hit me right in the heart. To believe that wearing a Star of David to indicate which members of the population were to be sent to their death, somehow equates with being asked to wear a mask or get a vaccine to ensure the protection of lives of your community, is not only offensive, but it also indicates a basic lack of understanding of history and the Holocaust.”

Claiming mask and vaccine mandates during a pandemic are in any way similar to the policies that evicted European Jews from their homes, stripped them of their livelihoods, forced them into crowded, unsanitary ghettos and ultimately sent them to camps, is offensive and is simply not how an American elected official should behave. 

Like many people who live in Clackamas county I am the family member of a Holocaust survivor. By the end of the war my grandfather had lost his wife, two daughters, two brothers, two sisters, several nieces and nephews and his parents. He spent most of the war in a death camp until he was liberated by the Allies. He was a man without a country, or a family. He was a refugee in a camp with only a will to live. He immigrated to the US and started a new life and a new family, my family.

I will repeat the words I shared three months ago: The Holocaust and Jim Crow are not memes or catchpharases to be appropriated for cheap political rhetoric. These events were horrific, real experiences for millions of people, events whose legacy we continue to deal with today. 

Mark Shull does not represent our community, and his rhetoric serves only to divide us. I am once again calling upon Mark Shull to resign. 

Please join me in signing the petition to recall Mark Shull online at https://recallmarkshull.com/

Special Session on Redistricting

Despite the Census data being delayed and a shortened timeline, yesterday the Oregon Legislature passed new legislative and congressional maps. The redistricting committee held 22 hearings and saw nearly 2,000 pieces of public testimony submitted from a diverse group of voices and backgrounds across the state making this year’s redistricting process the most inclusive and accessible process in Oregon history. After feedback from the public, final maps were voted on yesterday, and signed by the governor last night.

From my perspective, I have watched the House Redistricting Committee work to produce fair and representative maps for the State of Oregon. In the face of extraordinary circumstances, like hosting virtual meetings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to a 6-month delay in the arrival of Census data, the committee still engaged thousands of Oregonians across the state. They used census data and public feedback to draw maps that meet the highest legal standards.

Speaker Kotek and Chair Salinas have acted in good faith, have been focused, self-aware, listened well and asked good questions. I am grateful for their leadership. 

Redistricting is a challenging process for all legislators because we have all spent countless hours communicating with constituents and knocking on doors to become the best public servants possible. New boundaries mean some of the relationships we’ve built with our communities over the years will change; we will all have some new constituents and lose some others. 

 House District 37 has changed slightly-- we have new neighbors in Wilsonville, Tualatin, and Lake Oswego. I look forward to knocking new doors, and welcoming new constituents into this wonderful district.

Even though yesterday was intense, I still found time to have fun on the floor yesterday. One reporter said- “Tuned in for the Oregon House debate on redistricting and I hear, ‘I don't know what the hell TikTok is.’ Sounds like they're having fun in Salem.”

In response I made a TikTok! nothing like singing into a spatula and dancing in the kitchen.

If you’d like to learn more about the redistricting process, see the new maps, or listen to previous hearings, visit www.oregonlegislature.gov/redistricting.  

You can also use Oregon’s interactive mapping software to view finalized maps and previous district boundaries here.

'Safe Storage Safe Communities' Becomes Law

This past session, I was a proud chief sponsor of SB 554, which requires firearms to be safely stored when not in use. Research shows secure storage legislation can prevent unintentional shootings and gun suicides. Right now, more than 80 percent of gun deaths in Oregon are suicides.

SB 554 also allows the state capitol, airports, schools and universities to prohibit firearms in their buildings. These provisions aim to prevent unintentional shootings and gun suicides. A recent Everytown for Gun Safety report in partnership with the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), shows that Oregon had the highest number of armed protests between January 2020 and the end of June 2021. Research shows that allowing guns on school grounds is likely to lead to more shootings, homicides, and suicides, and the presence of firearms on campus is unlikely to prevent mass shootings.

I, along with several of my colleagues and advocacy organizations, championed this bill during an unprecedented session. I’m thrilled to report the law went into effect statewide on Saturday, September 25, 2021. 

COVID-19 Updates

 

COVID-19 data is changing constantly as Oregon deals with new variants. Here is a snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon this past week:

 Last week, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup completed its review of the federal process and has recommended a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. A booster is recommended at least six months after their primary vaccination series for people older than 65, people at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and frontline workers. The decision paves the way for a quick rollout of the booster shots as soon as this week for millions of people who had their second dose of the vaccine at least six months ago. The change to the vaccine's emergency use authorization will allow boosters for groups such as health-care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons. Schedule an appointment with your primary care provider or with your local pharmacy. 

The Oregon Health Authority reported 3,606 new confirmed and presumptive cases of 

COVID-19 as of Monday morning, bringing the state total to 324,571. The overwhelming majority of cases in the past six weeks have been identified as the Delta strain. As of last week, there were 27,185 confirmed cases in Clackamas County, and 35,615 in Washington County. 

 Oregon reported 27 new deaths related to COVID-19 this weekend, raising the state’s death toll to 3,709. There are 877 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon and 244 of those patients are in intensive care unit beds.

OHA’s most recent update on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, released Thursday, found that 76.8% of the 11,994 reported COVID-19 cases between Sept. 12 through Sept. 18 occurred in people who were unvaccinated. There were 2,778 breakthrough cases, accounting for 23.2% of all cases. The number of vaccine breakthrough cases identified in Oregon remains very small when compared to the more than 2.71 million Oregonians who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination series. 

Getting vaccinated remains the safest and most effective way of protecting yourself from COVID-19. Find where to get your vaccine here. 

All data from our weekly reports comes from Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 data dashboards, updated weekly here.