May 06 2021
Three seats are on the May ballot, with political newcomers filling out the ranks of other races.
Voters this month have a chance to elect three of the seven members of the Portland Public Schools Board of Education.
The race for Zone 6 is a sure bet. Julie Brim-Edwards needs to be re-elected to continue her good stewardship of the district s money and policies.
The other two races depend on each voter s priorities.
Brim-Edwards, who is running against Matthew Margolis and Libby Glynn, has experience as an executive at Nike and as a staffer at the Legislature. Both of those roles have given her a solid understanding of budgets and policy. And her endorsement list is a who s-who of the region s essential leadership, including former Gov. Barbara Roberts, current and former school board members, and the entire Multnomah County Board of Commissioners. They know what voters should know: This last year has been one of the most challenging years in history for s
Oregon House passes bill on diversity for public companies
Women of color hold just under 5% of board seats on Fortune 500 s publicly traded companies, and women make up 20% of Russell 3000 board seats.
Posted: May 5, 2021 11:50 AM
Posted By: Kyle Edwards
SALEM, Ore. The Oregon House has passed a bill addressing diversity for public companies.
Bill 3110 A will require boards of directors for publicly traded companies in Oregon to have at least one female director and one director who is a member of an underrepresented community by Jan. 1, 2024.
According to House members, the bill looks to diversify the work force and ensure historically excluded populations are given a seat at the table.
CROWN Act Steps Closer to Law
May 2, 2021
The Oregon House of Representatives unanimously voted to support a bill which would prohibit public schools and employers from discriminating against people based on hairstyles associated with race.
Similar laws to House Bill 2935, colloquially referred to as the CROWN Act, have been passed in other US states in recent years. According to Rep. Janelle Bynum from Clackamas, “It’s an act of self-love for the Black community to be able to show up at work and school in public places as ourselves.”
In many situations, African Americans who wear their hair straightened or trimmed, or who wear wigs instead of their natural hair, are perceived as more professional and “clean cut.” But for hair with small, tight curls like African hair, natural hair or “protective styles,” which are sometimes perceived as unprofessional or a breach of dress code, are much better for hair health.
The bill would prevent public schools and employers from discriminating against cultural hairstyles like locs and braids. Author: Christelle Koumoué (KGW) Updated: 5:46 PM PDT April 30, 2021
SALEM, Ore. The Oregon state House passed the CROWN Act unanimously this week, making the state one step closer in joining Washington, California and other states prohibiting race-based hair discrimination.
The CROWN Act is an acronym for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. State Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Clackamas) is a chief sponsor of the bill in Oregon. It s common for women to be shown the corporate grooming guide if they wear their hair in locs, said Bynum. It’s also common for people to not get jobs. It’s common for students to have to take extra measures to cut or restrain their hair.
Oregon House passes bills to change policing April 26 2021
Five from official package, plus four related measures, move on to the Senate after weeks of work.
Five bills aimed at changing policing practices, plus four related measures, have cleared the Oregon House by near-unanimous votes.
All the bills go to the Senate. Five other policing bills, which are likely to affect state agencies, are pending in the Legislature s joint budget committee.
All emerged from the Judiciary Committee and a subcommittee focused on policing. It follows up the work of a 2020 special session called by Gov. Kate Brown after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. A former officer was convicted April 20 on charges of murder and manslaughter; three other officers await trial. Floyd s death touched off nationwide protests for racial justice, among them more than 100 nights in Portland.