Letters to the Editor, Week of Oct. 1, 2026

Guest Opinion: Our Quiet Operating System

By Lisa Cohen, interim executive director, Central Oregon LandWatch

Forest, east of the Cascade mountain range. Credit: Dan Meyers / Unsplash

Getting from downtown to the Deschutes National Forest in a matter of minutes. More teachers, firefighters, nurses and baristas finding affordable places to call home. New local businesses you can bike or walk to. Creating meals with fresh fruits and vegetables from local Deschutes County farms. Safe water to drink.

These qualities we appreciate about life in Central Oregon don’t just happen by chance —they’re evidence of Oregon’s land use program at work.

Think of Oregon land use as a quiet operating system humming along in the background, giving shape and form to nearly every aspect of our daily lives. From where we live, to how we travel to what amenities we can access, our state land use program quietly but profoundly shapes every urban and rural Oregon community. By directing equitable and sustainable growth within our cities, we can prevent the urban sprawl seen in Idaho, Utah, California and Texas, and preserve our vital farm and forest lands.

That puts land use at the heart of Oregon’s livability and economy — from world-class recreation, to a multi-billion-dollar agriculture sector to protected wildlife habitats and clean water. It’s the foundation of our “second paycheck”— those quality-of-life benefits drawn from our connection to nature and strong sense of place that attract and anchor working families, farmers, outdoor enthusiasts and entrepreneurs alike.

Oregon’s land use program has served us well, evolving over time to address emerging challenges, from affordable housing needs to climate-driven wildfires to the rapid growth of AI data centers. Recent updates like the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis make it easier to build more abundant affordable housing where we need it, while streamlined Urban Reserve processes help communities plan 30-plus years into the future. Our urban growth boundaries have always prioritized growth within existing cities and towns to create vibrant neighborhoods and make better use of existing infrastructure — and now they are also proving essential in preventing development in wildfire prone areas, protecting lives, properties and wildlife habitat.

Our land use system works because it’s rooted in our deepest democratic values — an embodiment of the “Oregon Way.” It places the community at the center of decisions about growth, balancing development with conservation. No single interest, organization or individual can manipulate the system for personal gain. We see this today as the City of Sisters navigates its UGB process, and we’ll see it again as Bend launches its “Bend Made” Growth Plan this fall.

Today, Oregon’s land use program is more important — and under more pressure — than ever. Private interests pressing to prioritize short-term gain over the public good, viral online misinformation campaigns targeting land use values and advocates and short-sighted legislation in Salem are all increasing.

Despite these challenges, our land use program continues humming along in the background, creating the Oregon we know and love, while helping us tackle the biggest issues of our time. Whatever the path ahead holds, let’s make sure it stays that way. Because if you love Oregon, you love land use—and Oregonians excel at standing up for what they love.

Vote Out Cliff Bentz

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome. If you live in CD2, voting for Cliff Bentz would be the perfect example of insanity. If you love paying upwards of $7 a gallon for diesel, love being in a forever war, love having Canada, Mexico, NATO, all of Europe, Australia etc. as enemies, and being friends with Putin and Kim Jong Un, vote for Bentz. Cliff Bentz is proud to have supported Trump in all of this and has made a mess of our district. He doesn’t care about what our needs are at all. He doesn’t care about the lack of healthcare, loss of SNAP benefits to our needy neighbors, loss of health insurance and the small hospitals serving our region. Tariffs are killing us, the cost of EVERYTHING has skyrocketed. Bentz won’t even have Town Halls with us. As of this writing, Bentz hasn’t had a town hall in 580 days. Sure, he’ll get an earful, but isn’t representing us what that entails? The people of District 2 deserve a Representative who shows up, isn’t afraid to face all his constituents, and puts the needs of those constituents ahead of party or self.
I’m supporting Chris Beck for Congress because he’s got his priorities straight. Republican, Democrat, Independent, we should join together to get rid of Bentz and vote for sanity in government.

—Abby Kellner-Rode

If you really want to prevent suicide

Preventing suicide takes more than locking up guns. The thing is a gun is just a tool. It doesn’t stop the underlying emotional pain that could cause someone to want to end their life. It can build over a long period of time. To me this means that the lack of mental health care is one of the causes of suicide. It should be more of a focus if we really want to prevent these kind of tragedies. Depression can be a tricky bug because some days you feel OK and it’s easy to think it’s not a big deal. Other days the downward spiral can get out of control. It hurts on a level that becomes unbearable. The end might seem like a good thing. The fear and stigma around seeking mental health support as well as the cost can be a barrier to accessing help. This is what we need to focus on if we really want to prevent suicide. Local leaders have the resources to make it a priority. So, yes please remind people to lock up their guns. But also do more than that. A person who has intent and a gun, even a locked up one, can simply unlock it. The problem goes deeper than that and that is what needs to be supported.

—Kayla Beet

Letter of the Week:

Thanks for your letter, Kayla. Come on by for your Letter of the Week gift card!

—Nicole Vulcan