Can 49 Trump 37?

This November, Oregon voters will decide on a new ballot measure, number 49, designed to take some of the sting out of the horrific, catastrophic Measure 37 that has raped our state's land use laws. Tonight and tomorrow, the environmental nonprofit 1,000 Friends of Oregon will host two campaign-kickoff meetings.

Tonight's, on the East Side, will be held from 6:30 to 8:00pm at the Hollywood Branch Library, 4040 NE Hollywood. Tomorrow's, on the West Side, will be at the same time but held at the Northwest Branch, 2300 NW Thurman.

If you'd like to get involved but can't make either of those meetings, the phone bank is already underway and seeking volunteers at its Lloyd Center headquarters. This Saturday at Colonel Summers Park (SE 17th and Taylor) from 11:00 to 3:00 kicks off canvassing on the issue.

Unless you want rural strip malls to go with the clearcutting and pickup trucks, please consider getting involved. Besides, the activism will be good practice for the real battle: November 2008.

Comments

[Keith Daly]

I recently spoke to a family friend in Southern Oregon about measure 37 and his thoughts. He said 'Big cities don't work - measure 37 helps keep us rural.'

That was a new (if short-sighted) one on support of 37. For a lot of folks maybe they supported opening up land so they could live further out in the country in new homes - while not thinking that long term it meant the city would just grow out to meet them eventually.

Hopefully Friends will be a bit more vigorous this time around in defending what's left to defend. We got the real sense that no one thought Measure 37 could pass, so here we are - much work is left to be done.