Endorsements: State Senate District 27 & Measure 99

Day after day, we here at the Source Weekly hear from readers who are deeply concerned about affordable housing and earning a living wage. The acute situation has left many Central Oregonians living in less-than-ideal situations, including living in cars, doubling up or permanently camping. Coupled with a need for meaningful reform in education funding, we believe these are the largest issues facing the most vulnerable populations in our area.

Greg Delgado doesn't just have issues of affordable housing and living-wage jobs on his radar as something to occasionally consider; he's living them every day, he says, as a man who works two jobs to maintain a residence in downtown Bend. A voice for the working person is one we need in Salem. We also like his stance on legislative accountability as it relates to PERS; Delgado believes in finding a solution that doesn't involve putting the burden on the backs of the workers who were promised a solid retirement.

Delgado's record working on the boards of CAUSA—the state's immigrant rights coalition—as well as Jobs with Justice and the Latino Community Association believe his personal passions for immigrant and workers' rights, raising the minimum wage and paid sick leave—problems that make living and surviving in our community most challenging for working families. This is not something he does for a job; it's something he advocates for because he feels passionately about the issues.

We are also impressed with Delgado's disbelief in the politicking within the two-party system. In a Senate district that's deeply divided in its political leanings, the person in this seat needs to be a moderate. While Tim Knopp has done good work on women's issues, he voted with the Republican party 91.71 percent of the time in 2016, according to The Oregonian. His party's average was 87.73 percent.

Delgado will be entering the legislature as an untested politician, but when it comes to being a voice of the working person, it's a worthwhile test. Vote for Greg Delgado for State Senate District 27.

Summer camp is something of a rite of passage for young people who are learning about the world around them. Unfortunately for many of our at-risk and low-income students in Oregon, it's something that's simply out of reach without outside help. It is for the sake of our student populations who wouldn't otherwise have access to this valuable form of science and outdoor-based education that we support Measure 99.

The outdoor school initiative designates about $22 million per year in state lottery funds for a full week of outdoor school for fifth and sixth graders in Oregon, through the nonprofit corporation Save Outdoor School for All. This programming, long heralded as evidence of Oregon's commitment to nurturing environmental awareness, is one that has seen waves of increased and decreased funding over its life span.

Because the measure includes a caveat that the allocation to outdoor school won't take money away from education, parks, beaches, watersheds or fish and wildlife, the money has to come from other parts of the Lottery budget. Opponents have criticized the measure for taking Oregon Lottery funds away from economic development agencies such as Business Oregon. While we agree that it's not an easy choice, we venture to say that Oregon's economy is strong at the present time.

What's not strong in our state? Educational funding that benefits our most vulnerable citizens—namely, our children. It's not an easy choice to decide between educational programming and backing budding businesses, but in this case, we have to side with the effort to leave no child left inside. Vote Yes on Measure 99.