Cascadia today: OR to vote on gas tax + WA coal plant closes + new exhibit on Emily Carr

Dems seek to move OR gas tax vote to May

Oregon's contentious transportation plan is again in limbo, with Democrats in the legislature seeking to move a ballot referendum on gas tax increases to the primary election in May, Oregon Capitol Chronicle reports. The hope is that they might have a better chance of prevailing during the lower-turnout primary rather than the general election. Oregon governor Tina Kotek initially sought to repeal the $4.3 billion measure she supported, which faces a ballot challenge from anti-tax activists. Meanwhile, the Puget Sound regional transit agency Sound Transit is proposing to extend its bonds from 30- to 75-years in order to address a $34 billion shortfall in its light rail expansion plans.

Dunno, maybe someone needs to tax the immense wealth in Cascadia in order to meet our infrastructure needs rather than putting it on the backs of working people?

Will WA replace cuts to college scholarships?

According to Washington State Standard, some state senators in the Washington legislature are working to replace cuts to the Washington College Grant program, which was cut by nearly a third in governor Ferguson's austerity budget last year. The grants help low to middle income students pay tuition. The bill is SB 5828.

Join me and Cascadia Democratic Action at noon, Monday January 26 on the steps of the Washington legislative building for Progressive Revenue Lobby Day as we oppose governor Ferguson's austerity budget. Email cascadiademocratic@protonmail or andyjourno.55 at Signal to RSVP.

Vancouver looks to increase tenant protections

The Tyee reports that the Vancouver city council is considering new tenant protections seeking to address problems of landlords installing surveillance cameras, unsafe room dividers, and pursuing evictions in an overly aggressive manner. If you're confronting a sketchy landlord in Vancouver, check out the Vancouver Tenants' Union.

Seattle moves toward diversion for drug use

KUOW looks at how Seattle's new city attorney and mayor will likely increase getting people in diversion programs like LEAD rather than charging people under the city's public drug use law. I wrote about how diversion programs are helping people transition to more stable lives for PubliCola late last year.

WA coal-fired plant shuts down, despite feds suing

Centralia, Washington's coal-burning power plant – the last in the state and one of the region's worst polluters, has been shut down, says KUOW, thanks to several Washington state laws looking to shift the state to cleaner energy sources. The Trump administration, seeking to appease its fossil-fuel corporate pals, is violating the state's sovereign right to manage its affairs by suing the state of Washington to keep the climate-killing plant running.

Vancouver Art Gallery offers Emily Carr retrospective

For the first time in twenty years, the Vancouver Art Gallery is staging a major exhibition on the life and work of Emily Carr, British Columbia's most famous painter, the Georgia Straight reports. More about the artist and her influence on art across Cascadia can be found at Wikipedia.

“Carr created a way of seeing the Pacific Northwest landscape that was so compelling that we often tend to take it for granted. This makes it all too easy to overlook how her paintings continue to actively shape our visual understanding of our region’s natural environment." – curator Richard Hill

Thanks for reading. --Andrew