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FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 2023
VOL. 131, NO. 46 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Gov. Kotek visits Columbia County STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
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The Governor visited Vernonia Elementary School. See more photos with this story at thechiefnews.com.
t is called, One Oregon Listening Tour, and Governor Tina Kotek brought the third stop of her tour to Columbia County Wednesday, March 22. Kotek participated in three community conversations on the topics of education, mental health and recovery, and housing and homelessness. “I heard from some of our youngest Oregonians who care about each other and their future,” Kotek said. “It puts a fine point on the need to invest in our children’s education so they have the chance to thrive. I was also impressed by the community service providers working hard to help their neighbors despite resource challenges and a large service area. They make up for those challenges through strong relationships across the community and their incredible ingenuity.” The day started at Vernonia Elementary School where Governor Kotek met with first graders, read the picture book “Be Kind,” and discussed the importance of reading and kindness with the students. She
also met with and took questions from a fourth-grade class about the work the governor does, ways she can help, and more. Kotek then led a roundtable discussion with school administrators and teachers. The discussion centered on efforts she is making to fund summer education and enrichment programs, with a focus on improving childhood literacy, and the increased mental health challenges facing students. In St. Helens, Kotek toured Columbia Community Mental Health (CCMH), including a crisis stabilization center being developed on the organization’s campus. CCMH offers holistic wraparound services from crisis intervention to residential and community services. In a subsequent behavioral health discussion, area providers noted the positive impact of the Measure 110 funding they received to expand service capacity, the successful work their outreach teams are doing, and the workforce challenges in a rural community. Following the visit to CCMH, the Governor had lunch in St. Helens with Mayor Rick Scholl and discussed local economic develop-
ment opportunities and the ongoing efforts the city is leading to update its historic downtown. Kotek ended the day with the Community Action Team (CAT), a community organization that works to provide supportive services for veterans, help people pay rent, find permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness, and more. CAT has 16 housing units on site to support Oregonians transitioning out of unsheltered homelessness and has successfully supported 45 individuals to reach permanent housing. The Governor heard about how CAT delivers services, followed by a roundtable discussion with regional service providers about the intersection between behavioral health and homelessness, social determinants of health, and the need to support veterans. Kotek has said she will visit every county in Oregon within her first year in office through the “One Oregon Listening Tour” to foster trust and build strong partnerships across the state to get results for Oregonians, with a focus on housing and homelessness, mental health and recovery, and early learning and education.
Historic housing, homelessness legislation approved JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
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ffordable Housing and Emergency Homelessness Response Package, House Bills 2001 and 5019, have passed the Oregon Senate with bipartisan support, following passage in the Oregon House. What House Bill 2001 and House Bill 5019 will do: • Fund the governor’s homelessness state of emergency to allow for a statewide and coordinated response to homelessness ($130 million) • Extend homelessness support to rural and coastal Oregon ($27 million) • Provide support for homeless youth by connecting them with rental assistance, shelter, culturally specific services and health care ($25 million) • Increase production of affordable modular housing in Oregon ($20 million) • Improve on-site workforce housing for farmworkers ($5 million) • Grant renters faced with eviction for non-payment more time to access rental assistance and other services
• Make affordable housing production the state’s top planning priority and ensure the state will work with local partners to identify effective strategies and tools to increase production “The Senate and the entire Legislature should be proud of what we achieved with this package,” Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) said. “Faced with a statewide housing and homelessness crisis, we worked across the aisle and with our partners in the House and Governor’s office to put Oregon on a path toward a future where housing is available and affordable for everyone.” House Bill 2001 and House Bill 5019 commit more than $200 million toward increasing Oregon’s housing supply, helping rehouse and shelter people experiencing homelessness and preventing future homelessness. The package addresses the immediate needs facing Oregon communities and lays the groundwork for long-term solutions, Wagner said. Sen. Dick Anderson (R-Lincoln City), was a co-chief sponsor of HB 2001. “This bill highlights the value of taking a more collaborative approach between the public and private sectors,” Anderson said. “The state needs more housing of all types, and
Governor Tina Kotek was expected to sign the legislation into law.
we need it now. We must engage all of the development community to unlock capital and accelerate our housing supply if we are going to meet the ambitious production goals set forth by the Governor.” “The people of Oregon need us to act,” Sen. Aaron Woods (D-Wilsonville) said. “We cannot allow the status quo of our homelessness and housing crisis to persist. This bill is critical to delivering real, meaningful change for communities in every corner of our state.” Homelessness and housing availability are statewide problems, according to Woods. The package provides resources for each community around the state to address their specific affordable housing crises
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with local flexibility. Sen. Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D - Beaverton) issued a statement saying housing and homelessness are two of the most urgent crises facing our state. “The people of Oregon need results now, and Senate Democrats are delivering,” Lieber said. “I am incredibly proud of our caucus members who worked to build consensus and pass this significant legislation. As the chair of the Senate Housing and Development Committee, Senator Kayse Jama ran an open and inclusive process that brought forward meaningful solutions to some of Oregon’s toughest problems. This package will help us produce more housing, get people off our streets,
and make our communities more safe. It’s a strong foundation that we can build on to make Oregon work for everyone.” “This is not a Republican or Democrat solution. This is an Oregon solution,” said Sen. Kayse Jama (D-Portland), co-chief sponsor of HB 2001, said. “This package is just a start, laying a foundation for what’s to come. This is a down payment on our longer-term investment in safe and affordable housing for every Oregonian.” Gov. Tina Kotek issued a statement commending the Oregon Legislature for passing bipartisan legislation to address the state’s housing and homelessness crisis, including the urgent funding she proposed in response to the homelessness state of emergency that she declared on her first full day in office. “I am deeply grateful to the housing providers, developers, landlords, advocates, impacted communities, and elected leaders on both sides of the aisle who have answered one of Oregon’s most pressing calls for help by supporting this response package,” Kotek said. “I want to extend a special thanks to the House Speaker Dan Rayfield and Senate President Rob Wagner for making sure this package was a priority early in the legislative session.”
Mass casualty impact, recovery preparedness WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
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n 2023, there have already been 9,169 total gun violence deaths in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive. According to the source, there have already been
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Contact The Chief Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 chiefnews@countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051
117 mass shootings and 11 mass murders committed with firearms this year. A mass shooting is characterized as having “a minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident,” according to the Gun Violence Archive. A mass murder is classified as an incident where four or more people are killed. The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) has launched a 9-part Mass Casualty Impact and Recovery virtual seminar series. The program is the result of federal, state, and private sector partnerships aimed at raising awareness and increasing knowledge for companies and organizations about the impact and recovery of an active shooter or other mass casualty events. To understand how Columbia County’s preparedness for an active shooter scenario, the Chief contacted the Columbia County Emergency Management team, St. Helens city officials, and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. (CCSO). “The county’s active shooter preparedness has several facets,” Columbia County Public Information Officer Mark Pacheco said. “The county requires that its employees complete Active Shooter Training every two years. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office staff will provide the county’s training sessions this year.” In October of 2022, the St. Helens Police Department sent one of its officers to a 40-hour active shooter
response training program, Communications Officer for St. Helens Crytal King said. “The program is nationally recognized by the FBI and the curriculum is the adopted standard of several states and major cities across the United States,” King said. “The training our St. Helens officer received will now be used to train our other officers in the curriculum standards.” Last year, the CCSO hosted a nationally accredited “Train the Trainer” course for active shooter response. Several agencies in Columbia County, as well as others from across the country, attended this class. Since then, CCSO trainers have taught classes throughout Columbia County, including at the City of St. Helens and the St. Helens School District, according to Pacheco. In addition to training, the Columbia County Emergency Management Department has also instated an Incident Preparedness Plan (IPP) to better define the county’s responses during all hazards, according to Pacheco. A Reunification Plan, which could be necessary after a mass shooting event, will be included in the upcoming Mass Care Plan per the IPP. While prevention and preparedness are critical to handling active shooter and mass shooting incidents, collaboration across agencies is vital to best handle these incidents. On the county level, CCSO is working with several local fire districts on response planning for active shooter situations. In addition, CCSO is part-
Jeremy C. Ruark / Country Media, Inc.
Law enforcement officers frequently conduct active shooter training sessions to be prepared for such an event.
nering with city and county agencies to provide Active Shooter Preparedness Training. “The EM Department has monthly meetings with county commissioners, local city management, CCSO, Fire Districts, and 9-1-1 Communications to maintain the close working relationships critical to emergency response,” Pacheco said. For St. Helens, the St. Helens Police Department, the City of St. Helens, and the St. Helens City Council are working to ensure the safety of the city and are collaborating with other agencies and community partners. “After 9/11, national response
protocols were developed at the federal level using a universal Incident Command System (ICS). This standardized response system is now used by all agencies across the nation, including all local, state, and federal agencies,” King said. “It allows emergency responders to work more easily with each other using a shared system. ICS is scalable for any incident, and all emergency responders, including police, fire, medical, public works, and other government agencies, are trained to use ICS.” In the case of an active shooter
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