More attention has been placed on law enforcement agencies in recent months, and with that comes a more informed conversation around the impact that its leaders can have on an organization. As Central Oregon grows and changes, we believe it’s time for new leadership at the Deschutes County Sheriff’s office. While L. Shane Nelson has […]
Oregon elections
Vote Shemia Fagan for Oregon Secretary of State
Deciding who to support in the Secretary of State race has come with much discussion and challenges, but Democratic nominee, Shemia Fagan, is the candidate we find most ready for the job. Amid a field of candidates in the primary, we opted to endorse Jamie McLeod-Skinner, while also lamenting that McLeod-Skinner did not choose to […]
Vote Jack Zika for Oregon House District 53
Throughout this campaign, Jack Zika has riffed about being “the housing guy.” While said lightheartedly, Zika has indeed had some big wins for housing for both Bend and Redmond in the two years he’s served as representative. He was behind the bill establishing a state pilot program that carved out land outside both Bend and […]
Vote Yes on Measure 107 – Campaign Finance Reform
Vote Yes on Measure 107 to amend the Oregon constitution and allow state and local governments to put campaign contribution limits in place. If this passes, it gives Oregon lawmakers the green light to draw up regulations around limiting contributions. The influence of multinational corporations and wealthy donors has disproportionally tipped the scales away from […]
Vote Jason Kropf for Oregon House District 54
We would love to be framing this endorsement solely around the various positive attributes these two candidates bring in representing Bend in the Oregon State Legislative Assembly. We’d love to focus on voting records and backgrounds, as we do with most campaigns. Unfortunately, this race has been positively stained by a voracious string of attack […]
Vote Yes on Measure 108 – Vape Tax
Measure 108 would create a tax on nicotine vaping and heated tobacco products. Under the ballot measure, the monies would first go to the administration and enforcement of the tax. The remaining revenue would then be allocated to the Oregon Health Authority for medical and health care-assistance programs, including mental health services and other programs […]
Vote Yes on Measure 109 – Clinical Use of Psilocybin
Measure 109 legalizes the use of the plant medicine psilocybin in a clinical setting. It was spearheaded by two Portland therapists, Sheri and Thomas Eckert, who have been working to make psilocybin legal and accessible for years. Psilocybin may induce an altered state of consciousness with feelings of euphoria, visual and mental hallucinations, changes in […]
Vote Yes on Measure 110 – Drug Decriminalization
We are all veterans of the War on Drugs. And at this point, we have little to show for it. Unfortunately, the history of this conflict is one where community members suffering from addiction have been thrown in jail and branded as criminals for life. But the tide is turning. This election, voters have the […]
Vote Alex Spenser for Oregon's Congressional District 2
Oregon’s Congressional District 2 is famous for its impossible construction. It’s so large it could be a stateโstretching from Ashland to Hood River and the border with Idaho. We were severely disappointed to see, after the stellar campaign that Jamie McLeod-Skinner ran in this district in 2018, winning Deschutes County, that the Democrats had little […]
Vote Jeff Merkley for Oregon U.S. Senator
A September poll from Civiqs had Jeff Merkley leading this race by 20 points. While this could be a sign of good governance on Merkley’s part, it doesn’t hurt that his Republican competitor, Jo Rae Perkins, is a QAnon conspiracist who falsely claimed Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler plotted to start Oregon’s wildfires. It turns out that […]

