“HOW WILL I KNOW WHO MY FELLOW DEMOCRATS ARE?” P. 4
WILLAMETTE WEEK
PORTLAND’S NEWSWEEKLY
BY RACHEL MONAHAN PAGE 13
NEWS
CALIFORNIA WANTS OUR MUSHROOMS. P. 9 FOOD
OUR SIX FAVORITE TAKE-AND-BAKE LASAGNAS. P. 22 WEED WWEEK.COM VOL 48/19 0 3 . 1 6 . 2 02 2
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LIMONENE. P. 24
ONE OF THESE REPUBLICANS COULD ACTUALLY BE YOUR NEXT GOVERNOR.
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Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
FINDINGS ESTUDIO BLOOM
POTLANDER, PAGE 24
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM READING THIS WEEK’S PAPER VOL. 48, ISSUE 19 Vladimir Putin effectively created a carbon tax. 5
Seventy autographed guitars were stolen from Oregon Music Hall of Fame’s storage unit. 20
St. Mary’s mascot is a Scottish or an Irish person wearing a headband. 6
Dan Hedaya gives the best
The “cosmic engagement officer” of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps is donating heavily to Oregon psilocybin advocacy. 9
You can order fresh lasagna on Instagram. 23
A Catholic middle school intends to address “the national boys crisis.” 11
The biggest cheers at a GOP governor’s forum went to a candidate who stormed the U.S. Capitol. 13 “B-1 Bob” Tiernan was nick-
named after the supersonic heavy bomber. 16
Richard Nixon impression ever recorded on film. 21
LA Kush Cake has developed a reputation as a highly effective aphrodisiac. 24
A new play chronicles the lives of transgender characters during President Obama’s first term. 25 A ’90s fishing stoppage in Alaska inspired a new documentary. 26
ON THE COVER:
OUR MOST TRAFFICKED STORY ONLINE THIS WEEK:
A herd of GOP candidates is running for governor this year, photo illustration by Brian Breneman.
John Canzano leaves The Oregonian.
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Mark Zusman
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Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
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DIALOGUE
• •••• • • • •
TA R E B A LRO S ER E T A •••• E H T
At 11:59 pm on March 11, Oregon’s indoor mask mandate ended—perhaps for good. Oregon and Washington were among the final U.S. states to drop the requirement for face coverings to reduce spread of COVID-19. (If you miss the reassurance, you’ll have to travel to Hawaii, the only state still mandating indoor masking—at least until March 26.) Oregon Health Authority director Patrick Allen expressed confidence that Oregon was equipped to handle new virus variants but didn’t rule out future mask requirements. Here’s what out readers had to say:
MAR 16
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EILEEN IVERS
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legendary Folk/Blues songwriter
Patty Larkin John Gorka Chritine Lavin Cliff Eberhardt
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CHRIS SMITHER MAR 25
Blues guitar diva
six string wonder
ANA POPOVIC
WILLY PORTER
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Espacio Flamenco presents
FALL IN LOVE WITH FLAMENCO MASTERS OF HAWAIIAN MUSIC
MAR 30
APR 1+2
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Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
surreal this morning going into a restaurant for breakfast without the hypocritical mask walk to the table only to take them off for the rest of the 50 minutes we were there. Oh, and if OHA director Patrick Allen thinks for a second that the state population will abide another bullshit set of mandates, he has a rude awakening in store.”
JACOB ADAM, VIA FACEBOOK: “I guess we’ll just have
to see the consequences of just pretending that COVID is over before it actually is. We don’t have second-generation vaccines yet, and we don’t have an above 95% vaccination rate. “But it’s nostalgic to have a government that’s pretending that it’s not a problem; reminds me of the Trump administration.”
LEON TROTSKY, VIA WWEEK. COM: “But how will I know who
my fellow Democrats are?”
JMPDX83: “It’s not enough to
follow the rules, apparently you have to ‘like it.’ Hated every damn minute of it, stoked beyond words to stop, and will never ever do it again voluntarily. Next up, hopefully we drop the public transportation rules after they expire on April 18.”
WHIP INFLATION NOW?
I found it glaring that the article on soaring gas prices did not even mention electric vehicles [“Gassed Up,” WW, March 9]. They are the most obvious hedge against volatile gas. And with a $7,500 federal tax credit and $2,500 state tax credit, they also are a no-brainer investment in Oregon. So are used electric vehicles that can be had for less than $10,000. The article mentions bikes (kudos)
Dr. Know
MAR 27
MAR 26
KURT CHAPMAN, VIA WWEEK.COM: “It was totally
but missed the boat on electric vehicles. I sure am thankful I don’t have to pay for or worry about the price volatility of gas anymore. Dave Vant Hof After reading the article about the best beat-inflation deals “in town” (NOT), I am fed up (pun intended) with WW food writing [“10 Items for Less,” WW, March 9]. If you are advising on how to get deals on steak, beer and latte, you clearly are not speaking to people who are just getting by (what a shame), but to the privileged, and then you advise them to drive all the way to Hillsboro for their latte and the ’Couv for most other things. Wait, how much did you say gas prices rose? But it’s so much worse than bad logic. ...There is a connection between food and health, climate change and food, and the source of the food and how it’s produced matters. For many people, buying more expensive eggs is not an option. But for privileged, entitled people, seeking out a “deal” may just be immoral given the actual cost and context. Recent historic climate events all over the globe (and here at home) fly in the face of any further denial. Suzanne Zuniga LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include the author's street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210 Email: mzusman@wweek.com
BY MARTY SMITH @martysmithxxx
Why are gas prices so high? Is it really the war, or is it The Man screwing us? We never got much of our oil from Russia to begin with. Seems like price gouging to me, and I bet 2022 will be a record year for oil company profits. —Walking in Beaverton Say what you will about American profligacy, we never let perfectly good blame go unweaponized. When we encounter a problem, we don’t waste time trying to figure out who’s genuinely responsible; we just think of somebody we already hate and start coming up with reasons why it must be their fault. No shade to you, Walking; I’m as guilty of this as anybody (watch for my upcoming book, Sean Hannity Basically Gave Me Hemorrhoids), and God knows I have no love for Big Oil. In this case, however, we don’t need fat-cat villains to explain what is pretty clearly a basic supply-and-demand problem. As noted in last week’s paper (“Gassed Up,” WW, March 9), oil is a global commodity. It doesn’t matter that we never relied on Russian oil; what matters is that everybody who was relying on Russian oil is now bidding against us for whatever’s still available.
Interestingly, this petrochemical Donner Pass scenario persists even though we now actually export more oil and gas than we import: Yes, you may have missed it amid all the riots, fires, plagues of locusts and general breakdown of society, but the U.S. actually achieved energy independence in 2021. Go us! It doesn’t do us any good in this situation, mind you, I just figured it would piss you off. Still, look on the bright side: Remember how the world is ending because of climate change?* And one of the big reasons is a market failure where the negative externalities associated with fossil fuels aren’t reflected in the price we all pay? Well, now they are, if only by accident. It’s like that carbon tax—the one we all voted for because we knew it’d never happen—actually happened. Say you assign a social cost of $100 a ton to carbon (in the ballpark, if a bit low). That raises the at-the-pump price by about 90 cents a gallon. Sound familiar? I wouldn’t stand up and shout it at the local Arco station on Free Turnip Day, but…this is probably what we should have been paying all along. *Probably not the best sentence to begin a “look on the bright side” argument, but oh well. Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com.
MUSIC MILLENNIUM
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The SUMMER OF SOUL (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is a joyous musical celebration and the rediscovery of a nearly erased historical event that celebrated Black culture, pride and unity.
Billy Joel The Vinyl Collection Vol.1 Boxset
LP BOXSET: $260.99
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ANDREA DURBIN CITY BUREAU DIRECTOR OUT: Andrea Durbin, director of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, announced March 15 she would leave the job she took a little less than three years ago. Durbin, who came to the city after 13 years at the Oregon Environmental Council, where she served as executive director, struggled to make the transition from advocate to administrator. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Durbin’s bureau proposed a controversial new tax on smokestack emissions (“Glass Houses,” WW, Jan. 27, 2021). Emails showed that she had shared policy details with environmental groups in advance but had given far less notice to companies that would pay the tax. Those companies put tremendous pressure on Durbin’s new boss, City Commissioner Carmen Rubio, who withdrew the initial tax proposal and has moved gingerly toward a replacement plan. Durbin’s departure also comes after a city audit found that the Portland Clean Energy Fund, which is administered by in her bureau, lacked metrics and oversight of its spending. For her part, Durbin says it was time to go: “If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it is that life is too short. I’ve decided it is time to prioritize my family.” THREAT TO ABORTION RIGHTS REACHES OREGON’S BORDER: Oregon now borders a state that outlaws abortion. The Idaho Legislature on March 14 passed a “heartbeat bill” that closely mirrors an abortion ban in Texas that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block following a 5-4 vote in September. Idaho’s bill prohibits abortion of a “preborn child” once a fetal heartbeat has been detected—usually around six weeks into a pregnancy when the embryo is the size of a pomegranate seed. The bill states that “any female upon whom an abortion has been attempted or performed, the father of the preborn child,” a grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle may sue the medical provider for up to $20,000 in damages. On the heels of the Idaho’s bill passage, Oregon lawmakers on March 15 announced the $15 million Oregon Reproductive Health Equity Fund approved in the session’s final budget bill to “address immediate and urgent patient needs for abortion funds and practical support” like travel and lodging. State Rep. Tawna Sanchez (D-North Portland) noted that Texas’ and Idaho’s abortion bans can affect Oregon. “People from states with more restrictive laws already travel to Oregon for abortion care, and we face the very real
likelihood that other states will ban abortion and shutter clinics,” Sanchez said. “We are rising to this alarming moment to invest in abortion access as a central foundation of Oregon’s health care infrastructure.” NEW OLCC WAREHOUSE ADVANCES: The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission announced March 8 it would move forward with a longplanned replacement of the Milwaukie warehouse that receives nearly all of the liquor shipped to Oregon. The bad news? Inflation in land prices and construction costs have pushed the price tag from $62.6 million in 2019 to $145.8 million. The commission last week approved the purchase of land in Canby for the new warehouse, which will serve 280 state-licensed liquor stores—unless grocers get their way to sell liquor on their shelves. “If we’re going to continue to be able to offer the diversity of products, the amount of products, be able to get products to our customers and also make money for the state, this is going to be an investment that will truly pay off,” Commissioner Jennifer Currin said in a statement. The agency faces an existential threat this year from the Northwest Grocery Association, which hopes to privatize liquor sales through a ballot measure. A dispute over the ballot measure title is currently before the Oregon Supreme Court. PORTLAND STILL LAGS IN USE OF HOUSING VOUCHERS: Last year, the federal government awarded 476 emergency housing vouchers to Home Forward, the city’s housing authority. The agency has only secured leases for 28 of those vouchers. That’s 23 more leases than it had secured as of Jan. 19, almost two months ago. (Spokeswoman Monica Foucher says 19 other units are “nearly leased” and seven vouchers initially awarded to Home Forward moved to other jurisdictions.) But Portland continues to lag significantly behind its neighboring counties. Washington County has secured 70% of its potential leases, and Clackamas has secured 95%, according to a dashboard maintained by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In related news, HUD awarded $46 million to programs across Oregon aimed at helping homeless residents access services and find housing as part of a nationwide annual package. Those yearly funds make up about a quarter of the funding for homeless services in the metro area.
The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1 boxset is comprised of Billy Joel’s first six studio albums and two live albums, including previously unreleased Live at The Great American Music Hall.
Siam Jem IN-STORE LIVE PERFORMANCE
la
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march 18th
6pm
“Siam Jem, founded in 2017 in Los Angeles, is the darling dream-pop project of one Michaela Rabina. Shoegazing, an unfathomable adoration for both Kevin Parker and Kevin Shields as well as incredibly memorable synth-laden melodies encompass all that Siam Jem has been percolating on for these past few years” - Dylan Robinson
Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
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NEWS
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
HOT TICKETS
Four Shining Moments March Madness returns to the Rose Quarter. Here’s what to watch. BY C O R B I N S M I T H
@corbinasmith
Is it maybe a little strange that a city with absolutely no college basketball juice frequently hosts games in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament? Yes. Should this prevent you from attending one or more games this Thursday at Moda Center when March Madness starts in earnest? No. If the past is any guide, early-round contests rarely sell out—which means you stand a decent chance of getting seats for even lower prices than the already-reasonable $27 for two games. (That’s a lot more than the $5 price of a Blazers ticket, but at the tournament both teams are trying to win.) Speaking of the Blazers: For the first time in a decade, they’re wretched enough they will get a lottery pick in this summer’s NBA draft. That means these games are your chance to act like a Blazers scout and fall in love with somebody whose knees will shatter into a thousand pieces. Here are the four games you can attend Thursday, March 17.
10:45 AM: MEMPHIS vs. BOISE STATE WHY SHOULD I CARE? This is an No. 8-No. 9 seed matchup, and those are usually the most competitive games in the opening rounds. From a pure competitive leverage perspective, this is probably the biggest bang for your buck. Indulge! COULD SOMEONE IN THIS GAME SOMEDAY BE ON
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THE BLAZERS? Memphis big man Jalen Duren is projected to go 12th in the upcoming NBA draft. The Blazers will probably have a better pick than that because they’re already slotted ninth and are really doing a heroic job of tanking, but hey: Maybe Duren will light shit up and you can say you were there when the Blazers brass knew that he was the future of the team. And hey: Infamous title-winning NBA coach Larry Brown is an assistant for Memphis, working under Penny Hardaway—and if you ask me, the Blazers need to take this opportunity to sweet-talk him into coming back home to the Association. Am I being sincere? I’ll never tell.
1:15 PM: GONZAGA vs. GEORGIA STATE WHY SHOULD I CARE? Gonzaga is the top-seeded school in America, so they could, theoretically, win the whole dang tournament. But don’t they say that about Gonzaga every year, and doesn’t it never happen for a series of more and more hilarious reasons? Yes. But will it be different this time? No. But will you care, when you’re seeing them thrash Georgia State? Also no! Attach your dreams to the PNW’s finest collection of young Canadian men and dream. COULD SOMEONE IN THIS GAME SOMEDAY BE ON THE BLAZERS? Chet Holmgren, projected third pick? He could theoretically end up on the Blazers, if they get exceptionally lucky in the lottery. Holmgren is a center who looks as if Oscar Isaac did one of those Christian Bale-style starvation
roles, or if Luigi didn’t have a goatee but was thinking about growing one. He also shoots threes, which is wack aesthetically and ethically (twos are how a non-coward racks up their points) but is very useful in the NBA nevertheless. WILL THERE BE ANY PROMINENT ANTI-VAXXERS AT THIS GAME? Really specific question, but OK. Former Utah Jazz point guard and Gonzaga alumnus John Stockton has spent the past year or so telling everyone that athletes who take COVID-19 vaccines have been dropping dead for no reason in the middle of the court. Because this game is pretty close to Spokane, where he lives, and they just now ended vaccine mandates, it stands to reason that Stockton might be there, and you can confront him and try to change his mind in the middle of the concourse! Wouldn’t that just be so exciting?
4:20 PM: WYOMING OR INDIANA vs. ST. MARY’S WHY SHOULD I CARE? At the time of this writing, Wyoming and Indiana hadn’t contested their play-in game yet, so we don’t know which of the two will be squaring off against the St. Mary’s Gaels. A Gael, it turns out, is a Scottish or an Irish person. Their mascot is a monstrous, horrifying, Saxon-looking eldritch homunculus wearing a headband. You’re telling me you don’t want to see that abomination in person? COULD SOMEONE IN THIS GAME SOMEDAY BE ON THE BLAZERS? No. WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR IN THIS PLAYOFF? Indiana. Those corn-fed young men need to be exposed to a kale city, where they can finally try kombucha for the first time. The Wyoming boys are already leading lives of sinful, dairy-related excess. Portland is just a step down for them.
6:50 PM: AKRON vs. UCLA WHY SHOULD I CARE? Because you are a sicko pervert, and the only thing you want in the whole world is to get blatantly overserved at an NCAA tournament game that is taking place at 7 in the evening, heckle anyone and everyone in sight, stumble out of Moda Center sometime after dark, and try to figure out which MAX line will take you to Sassy’s. Or you’re from Los Angeles, which is the same thing. COULD SOMEONE IN THIS GAME SOMEDAY BE ON THE BLAZERS? The Blazers love drafting guards, even when they don’t need any. So keep a wary eye on UCLA’s Johnny Juzang. HOW EXPENSIVE WILL A LYFT HOME FROM THIS GAME BE? Buddy, if you gotta ask, you cannot afford it.
THE BIG NUMBER
That’s how many 2021 Oregon House members won’t run for reelection 6
Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
Of the 60 members of the Oregon House sworn in last year, 26—or 43%—will not run for their seats this year. Another, state Rep. Brad Witt (D-Clatskanie), is relocating from the Columbia County seat he’s held for 16 years to run for a Salem seat. House members and longtime Salem observers cannot recall a time since the state briefly enacted term limits in the 1990s when there was so much turnover. They cite a confluence of a pandemic that led to five special sessions last year; redistricting, which cost Witt and state Rep. Marty Wilde (D-Eugene) safe seats; a wide-open governor’s race; a new congressional district; and the retirement of baby boomers.
“I really think it’s a perfect storm of factors,” says state Rep. Barbara Smith Warner (D-Portland), who gave up her position as House majority leader and will retire at year’s end. “Five freakin’ special sessions. Do I think it’s part of the great resignation? Yes.” Here are three things you need to know about the turnover: Lawmakers gave up their seats for all sorts of reasons. State Rep. Gary Leif (R-Roseburg) died in office. Rep. Diego Hernandez (D-Portland) resigned ahead of an expulsion vote after harassment allegations. Rep. Greg Nearman (R-Independence) became the first Oregon lawmaker ever expelled (he allowed
rioters into the locked Capitol). Some left because the pay, just under $33,000 a year, is too low. Others just got tired, and still others are seeking to advance. Seven 2020 House seat winners are running for the Oregon Senate (which has vacancies thanks to baby boomer retirements); three are running for the newly established 6th Congressional District seat concentrated around Salem; and the two senior members—former House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland) and onetime House Minority Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby)—are running for governor. Both parties have reasons for optimism. Republicans hope to take advantage
DONOR
CONTRIBUTION OF THE WEEK
TWO QUESTIONS
How Would You Handle Police Oversight?
Advocates want a new Multnomah County tax to fund eviction defense lawyers. BRIAN BURK
We asked the candidates in a surprisingly competitive city auditor’s race. The city auditor’s race is perhaps less glamorous than those for Portland City Council, but the auditor plays a critical role in watchdogging the city’s ethical and financial responsibilities. The current auditor, Mary Hull Caballero, is not running for reelection. That leaves two candidates vying to fill her seat: Simone Rede, principal management auditor at Metro, and Brian Setzler, a Portland CPA. Hull Caballero has long been critical of Measure 26-217, which 82% of Portland voters passed in November 2020. The measure replaces the city’s current police oversight system, Independent Police Review, with a new police oversight board composed exclusively of community members. The new board will have the authority to compel Portland Police Bureau officers to testify if they are under investigation and to discipline or terminate them if deemed appropriate. IPR—which lives under the umbrella of the City Auditor’s Office—will be dissolved in order to implement the new board. Hull Caballero oversaw IPR. In January, she announced she would no longer assist the transition process from IPR to the community police oversight board. Effective July 1, that responsibility will fall to the City Council. (It is also worth noting Rede has received a $250 campaign contribution from Hull Caballero and another $250 from her husband, Raymond Caballero, a writer who served as mayor of El Paso, Texas, in the early aughts.) WW wanted to gauge how the next city auditor would respond to the transition process from IPR to the new community police oversight board, as well as whether their stance today has changed from how they voted on the measure more than 14 months ago. We asked the candidates to answer the following two questions in 100 words or less. T E S S R I S K I .
of the midterm weakness that often plagues new presidents and polling that shows voters are very unhappy. Democrats are hoping to hold on to a supermajority that allows passage of tax bills without a vote of the people. They hope to do that in part by continuing to diversify their membership. The House Democratic caucus included a majority of women for the first time in 2017 and, in 2020, formed its first-ever BIPOC caucus. House Democrats are likely to become even more diverse in this year’s election. Rep. Jeff Reardon (D-East Portland), for instance, is retiring and
will be replaced as the Democratic nominee in District 48 by Hoa Nguyen, a David Douglas School Board member and Portland Public Schools employee. In some metro-area Democratic primaries, both candidates are people of color. In Salinas’ District 38 seat in Lake Oswego, Neelam Gupta, an Oregon Health Authority official, will face Bambuza restaurant owner Daniel Nguyen; in District 35 in Aloha, Zeloszelos Marchandt, a journalist and chair of the Washington County Black American caucus, will face Farrah Chaichi, an Iranian American human rights activist.
WHO GOT IT? Tenants Organizing Against Displacement WHO GAVE IT? The Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America
1. During the November 2020 election, did you vote yes or no on Measure 26-217? 2. If elected, how would you address the transition from Independent Police Review to the community police oversight board? Simone Rede: I voted yes on Measure 26-217 during the November 2020 election to amend the city’s charter to establish a new police oversight board. The transition to the new oversight board will be in the city’s hands when I take office in January 2023. There may be opportunities for the Auditor’s Office to inform improvements to the new oversight board’s functions before or after the board is up and running. Regardless of when the Auditor’s Office provides its services, I am committed to using my authority to improve po-
HOW MUCH? $3,025
lice accountability and community safety through independent audits and investigations. Brian Setzler: I voted yes on Measure 26-217. Portland needs and voted for a strong independent oversight board to increase transparency, accountability and community trust. As auditor, I will work with city leaders to implement the will of the voters.
Whether the heavy turnover in the House serves Oregonians is a matter of debate. Some think it places more power in the hands of lobbyists and state agency bureaucrats who are the permanent interests in Salem. Four-term incumbent Rep. Rob Nosse (D-Portland), chair of the House Behavioral Health Committee, says the complexity of legislation and existing policy makes experience a plus. “It took me six years to understand the Oregon Health Plan,” Nosse says. “It’s a little bit like being in college—you start with the 100-level courses
and work your way up, but it takes a while to get to grad school.” Smith Warner says there are risks in trading more experience for less, but she thinks filling the House with newer, more diverse representatives who bring different life experiences to the Capitol will be good for Oregon. “There’s a tendency for people in the building to say this is how we always do things,” Smith Warner says. “With new members, there will be a lot more questioning and a willingness to say screw the conventional wisdom.” N I G E L J AQ U I S S .
WHY DOES IT MATTER? In 2020, when COVID-19 made signature gathering difficult, the Democratic Socialists of America worked the streets aggressively and gathered enough support to put a first-of-its-kind, preschoolfor-all income tax on the Multnomah County ballot. Officials tweaked the DSA measure and put their own version in front of voters instead (it passed with 64% of the vote). Now, the DSA is throwing its might and its money behind a measure that would pay for attorneys to represent renters facing eviction. The idea, aimed at the November ballot, would follow similar policies now in place in New York, California, Washington state and other jurisdictions. It would impose a 0.75% capital gains tax— which, like the preschoolfor-all tax, would mostly hit high-income earners— to raise an estimated $12 million to $15 million a year for lawyers. WHAT DOES THE CAMPAIGN SAY? Colleen Carroll, an organizer for the campaign, says the numbers of evictions filed in other cities and those that are successful have both dropped when tenants have access to lawyers. Her group is seeking a stand-alone tax to ensure the funds don’t get diverted to other uses. “We are looking at a salaried group of lawyers with a reasonable case load,” she says. “We want the funding to be sustainable and not easily cut.” N I G E L J AQ U I S S .
Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
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$35 OUNCES HI-QUALITY HI-TESTING ALL DAY, EVERY DAY $2 JOINTS | $3 EDIBLES | $10 EXTRACTS NE PORTLAND 7817 NE Halsey St
148th + POWELL 14800 SE Powell Blvd
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Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
162nd + SANDY 16148 NE Sandy Blvd
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NEWS
Mushroom Rush California psychedelics investors are closely monitoring Oregon’s psilocybin market. BY T E S S R I S K I
tess@wweek .com
Nearly 20 years ago, Harvard undergraduate Joe Green turned down a business opportunity from his college roommate, a then-unknown computer geek named Mark Zuckerberg. The decision to walk away from the offer to run Facebook’s business operations, in exchange for 4% to 6% of the company, cost Green anywhere from $3 billion to $30 billion, depending on whom you ask. Today, Green’s not passing up the chance to be an early investor in another first-of-its-kind industry: psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound derived from “magic mushrooms.” In 2018, tax records show, Green co-founded the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Santa Cruz, Calif. The other founder is Graham Boyd, a lawyer who worked for the American Civil Liberties Union’s national campaign to reform drug laws and provided legal counsel to billionaire philanthropist Peter Lewis in his efforts to end cannabis prohibition. Part of PSFC’s mission has been to get Food and Drug Administration approval for psychedelic compounds like MDMA. In recent months, these Silicon Valley investors have turned their eyes to California’s northern border—and Oregon’s nascent psilocybin market. Last week, the state’s top psilocybin adviser, Tom Eckert, resigned from his role as chair of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board amid scrutiny by WW and other news media of possible personal and professional conflicts of interest. His departure was a reminder that psilocybin legalization in Oregon isn’t just the new frontier for consciousness expansion: It’s potentially a $1 billion industry that could be a windfall to those who run it. An examination by WW of stakeholders seeking an audience with state health officials shows California psychedelics investors are not just watching Oregon’s mushroom experiment—they want to participate in it, too. That’s because they plan to reproduce it in other states. In November 2020, almost 1.3 million Oregonians voted yes on Ballot Measure 109, effectively legalizing the supervised use of psilocybin. Following the measure’s passage, PSFC began pursuing what Boyd describes as “parallel tracks” for psychedelics: FDA approval and state-by-state legalization. “To me, the promise of Oregon is tremendous in terms of public health. I think it’s a great opportunity. It’s also really hard,” Boyd tells WW. “It’s a long list of stuff that has to be figured out, and that doesn’t just happen spontaneously or by magic. That’s real work that requires expertise. It also requires financial support for all of those areas. And so PSFC made a decision to support that.” In 2020, the organization helped raise about $30 million for the internationally recognized Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, to fund Phase 3 clinical trials for MDMA-assisted therapy. In its most recent filing with the Internal Revenue Service, PSFC reported over $6.6 million in revenue for the 2019 tax year. A notable portion of the organization’s money has been funneled to Oregon. A month after the psilocybin measure passed, campaign manager Sam Chapman formed the Healing Advocacy Fund, also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, “to protect the spirit and the intent of Mea-
PSYCHED: Mushrooms containing psilocybin have attracted the interest of Silicon Valley investors. C H R I S T O P H E R O T T/ U N S P L A S H
There is one final throughline that draws all the groups together: David Bronner, the “cosmic engagement officer” of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, who happens to be a longtime advocate of the psychedelics legalization movement in the U.S.
sure 109 as passed by Oregon voters throughout and beyond the implementation process,” Chapman tells WW, “to ensure that the program is safe, effective and accessible for all who stand to benefit.” To date, the Healing Advocacy Fund has raised approximately $1 million, the vast majority of which came from its partner, PSFC. Boyd says a lot of that funding is paying the salaries of HAF employees and contractors. But, both groups assert, it’s not just about the money. “As PSFC, we decide who we want to fund. And when we do that, it’s a deep relationship,” Boyd says. “We don’t just write checks and, you know, send them the money and say, ‘See you later.’ It is a relationship in which we are connecting to our groups of experts and we offer our advice.” PSFC is not shy about its intent to replicate Oregon’s psilocybin model throughout the U.S. In fact, that plan is one of two “key priorities” outlined in the organization’s 2021 online annual report: to “ensur[e] Oregon’s psilocybin therapy program provides a high-quality model for psychedelic healing in a non-prescription context that could be replicated in other states.” Chapman says being funded primarily by Silicon Valley inves-
tors does not put the Healing Advocacy Fund at odds with the group’s mission to “protect the spirit and the intent of Measure 109 as passed by Oregon voters.” “I don’t actually think it has to do so much with where people are coming from,” he says, “but rather there’s an opportunity here in Oregon to prove a model that works and that can actually help people. And that’s what they’re interested in funding.” So what, precisely, are the groups hoping to accomplish in their efforts to support the “implementation process” of Measure 109? One answer: data. “One of the things that I believe the good system in Oregon needs is data collection,” Boyd says. “And that data collection needs to protect people’s privacy. So it can’t be personally identifiable. I think it needs to be data that’s in the public good. So it should be at a university or in the government’s hands—something like that rather than a private company doing it for profit.” PSFC combed through its national network to bring in “some internationally recognized leaders on data” to help advise Oregon, Boyd says. Some of those conversations have taken place between outside experts and affiliates of Oregon Health & Science University, the largest research institution in the state, according to Boyd. “Now there are some really good, rich discussions happening with people at OHSU around data collection.” He declined to name the OHSU affiliates who have spoken with PSFC’s experts, or to say whether any of those affiliates are also on the Psilocybin Advisory Board, which is crafting Oregon’s psilocybin policy. The board’s final recommendations will be made to the Oregon Health Authority by June of this year. Ultimately, OHA is the final decision maker on the matter. The Healing Advocacy Fund is not directly connected to the Psilocybin Advisory Board, though it’s worth noting that former board chair Tom Eckert spearheaded the ballot measure alongside his late wife, Sheri Eckert. The pair worked closely with Chapman during the campaign. It is unclear what impact PSFC’s efforts might have on the state’s psilocybin rulemaking process, if any. But it’s also worth noting that Chapman’s group meets as often as once a month with Oregon Psilocybin Services officials at OHA, says health authority spokesman Jonathan Modie. “OPS has a monthly check-in with Healing Advocacy Fund,” Modie says. Chapman says he meets with OHA staff behind closed doors on an “as-needed basis,” and those discussions pertain to ensuring the implementation process happens on schedule. “We’re not here to influence the process,” Chapman says. “We’re here to ensure that the program is operational and successful, and defining success is easier said than done.” Asked why HAF has these conversations behind closed doors rather than during public Psilocybin Advisory Board meetings, Chapman says, “The board is very constrained for time and focused on exactly what they need to do.” The Healing Advocacy Fund has also been in contact with the governor’s office. “I can confirm that our office has communicated with Sam Chapman as an advocate on cannabis and psilocybin issues, just as we have many other stakeholders on a variety of issues,” says spokesman Charles Boyle. And HAF has taken its efforts to Salem. During the previous legislative session, OHA requested $2.2 million to hire 14 fulltime employees who would develop and implement the ballot measure. HAF lobbied for OHA to receive that funding, the organization tells WW. There is one final through-line that draws all the groups together: David Bronner, the “cosmic engagement officer” of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, who happens to be a longtime advocate of the psychedelics legalization movement in the U.S. Bronner is on the board of MAPS, the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative and the Healing Advocacy Fund. He is also one of the major donors of the Sheri Eckert Foundation, which Eckert formed to honor his late wife. Eckert, who plans to begin operating his own psilocybin facilitator training program as early as this summer, hopes the foundation will act as a scholarship fund to help offset the cost of such training programs. (Bronner did not respond to WW’s request for comment.). As of February, the fund had raised $170,000, Eckert told WW during an interview last month. “We have new conversations,” Eckert said. “We’ll wait on those. But David has pledged formally.” Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
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NEWS MICK HANGLAND-SKILL
“Our biggest driver in all this: to establish and operate such a school to be a small but important step in the fight to alleviate the boys crisis and help them on their path to honorable Christian Manhood.”
plenty of sway in what arrives on the block, a religious institution has the right to lease its property to whomever it pleases. That means Columbia Boys School, assuming no internal failures in starting it, could soon become an uncomfortable fit in a neighborhood where 93% of voters went for Joe Biden.
UNWELCOME: Tiffany Lane, center, leads a group of neighbors in Sunnyside opposing the school.
Boys Fort
Three men want to bring a Catholic all-boys middle school with hardline views on gender to one of Portland’s most progressive neighborhoods. BY S O P H I E P E E L
speel@wweek .com
A Portland church that kicked a preschool out of its building last year wants to put a Catholic all-boys middle school in its place. Last spring, WW reported that St. Stephen Catholic Church, located in the Sunnyside neighborhood, had terminated its lease with Childswork Learning Center, the largest preschool in Portland. Childswork vacated the building July 1, 2021. At issue, the preschool’s operators thought, was parking. The church tore down the playground and replaced it with freshly striped parking spaces. At the time, the parish’s attorney told WW the parish had plans for the space “more directly connected to its core ministry.” That replacement is the rare item that might prove even more contentious in Portland than parking: a religious school with hardline views on gender identity. “We plan for this school to be a force for good against evil, right against wrong, and in a local but significant way, the betterment of boys in the continuing national boys crisis,” the Columbia Boys School website reads. “Boys have been under attack from the broader American culture for quite some time.” The all-boys Catholic middle school will be run by Brian Burby, the president of the school’s board of directors. He says it will be independent of the Archdiocese of Portland, meaning it can’t call itself
Catholic but can operate “in the Catholic tradition”—a move, Burby tells WW, that will shield the school’s values from any archbishop’s influence, either present or future. That’s because he believes Portland’s Catholic schools have become too progressive. “Our biggest driver in all this: to establish and operate such a school to be a small but important step in the fight to alleviate the boys crisis and help them on their path to honorable Christian Manhood,” Burby tells WW via email. Catholic schools have gradually become more progressive on certain social issues—like LBGTQ+ rights and premarital sex—in the past few decades. In Portland, that shift has been swifter—a partial product, theologians say, of a region’s politics and beliefs. Some Sunnyside residents have recoiled at the school’s mission statement. Tiffany Lane, a third grade teacher in Portland Public Schools, wrote to Burby: “I urge you to reconsider these plans and I fully plan to fight for justice and equality.” In another email, a neighbor who asked to remain anonymous added: “I don’t want my daughters to grow up next door to a school that teaches boys that they are profoundly different from girls…or that toxic masculinity deserves quotation marks.” WW obtained five other emails sent by neighbors, expressing their intent to fight the school’s opening. But there’s little they can do. Even in a city where neighborhood associations hold
A letter that St. Stephen’s Rev. Eric Andersen sent March 1 to homes surrounding the church was the first time neighbors heard of Columbia. “The new school would serve a group with a clear need: boys in grades 6 through 8,” Andersen wrote. “Our country is witnessing a crisis of teenage boys and young men losing their way these days.” Andersen wrote that the church would pursue a land use review from the city to allow the school; that’s the same permit the church would have needed to keep Childswork last year. The city had told the church it needed a land use change to avoid rules that required converting the playground into parking spaces (“Careless,” WW, May 26, 2021). Childswork started applying, but Rev. Andersen signaled he would terminate the lease either way, and Childswork never finished the paperwork. Andersen invited neighbors to a March 8 listening session at the church’s gym led by a consulting firm that specializes in advising Catholic schools. The hum of the lights in the beige and dusty gym made it hard to hear. The 11 neighbors who showed up clustered together at round tables. For an hour, two representatives of the Wisconsin-based Meitler firm, hired by Burby, were peppered with detailed questions about its study and how the church was chosen as the location for the school. “Are you aware this neighborhood doesn’t want an anti-LGBTQ, sexist institution training boys in this neighborhood?” asked neighbor Edith Casterline. Many of them characterized Rev. Andersen as a polarizing figure who was unfriendly to neighbors and flouted the mask mandate during large services. A meeting held three hours later for prospective students’ parents felt markedly different. Beverages were offered. Burby listened to parents and answered questions about the school’s mission. No one wore a mask. Ten parents showed up. One father said, “The only Catholic school that I trust is our own home,” and all opined how Catholic education options in Portland weren’t truly Catholic anymore. One woman said she disliked that her son played with girls: “There’s such a push on inclusion that boys forget how to be boys….That’s mental insanity when boys try to be girls.” Public records show Columbia Boys School was first registered as a business with the state in 2014 under Burby’s name. It’s classified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It was dissolved in 2017 and reinstated in July 2021. Burby, 69, is a former corporate businessman, marketer and salesman. He tells WW he first approached Andersen last summer about using
the space. The school plans to use a teaching approach called the Gurian model that bases its methods on the premise that men’s and women’s brains work differently. (The model has been named in Title IX complaints by the American Civil Liberties Union in at least three states in the past decade.) Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers is listed as board vice president. He’s a Portland-based evangelist who has written books on masculinity, hosts overseas faith retreats, and appears on Catholic and Christian podcasts and television shows. He preaches a “return to a proper biblical understanding of femininity and masculinity,” says gay marriage is a mockery of what “God has established between a man and a woman,” and tells parents to “not give in” to kids’ desires to transition between genders. Andersen is listed as leader of the Portland chapter of EnCourage, a ministry “dedicated to the spiritual needs of…relatives and friends of persons who have same-sex attractions.” Its parent, Courage International, advocates that gay Catholics abstain from sex for life. Andersen will serve as the school’s spiritual director. (He did not respond to WW’s questions.) Burby tells WW the school will be independent of the Portland Archdiocese in order to protect its mission: “We need to be independent because bishops come and bishops go, some of them may like this, some of them may not.” He did not elaborate on particular values that might be compromised by the church’s oversight. Portland Archbishop Alexander Sample declined to comment. The school’s blueprint is unlike any other in Portland. That’s perhaps in part a response to the progressive leanings of Pope Francis, who’s broken step with his predecessors by softening the church’s position on certain social issues like gay marriage and by broadening the church’s acceptance umbrella. Dr. Zach Flanagin is a professor of theology and religious studies at Saint Mary’s College of California. He says there’s “massive distaste” among some conservative Catholic circles for Pope Francis, “so they’ve decided that they’re the guardians of Catholic tradition.” Flanagin says this particular movement adopts the “idea that I personally preserve Catholicism, or my subcommittee preserves it, and the bishop cannot be relied upon to do that.” Burby says “any boy” in grades 6 to 8 is welcome to apply. At the parents’ meeting, Burby told them there was no school like Columbia in the Northwest, except for one high school in Seattle. He said the school is for the glory of God: “It’s going to take a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of prayer.” Two hours earlier, during the neighbors’ session, McKay Larrabee had a warning for the school. “I will not make it comfortable,” she said. “I will hold up signs and I will wrap my house in a rainbow. I will not make it fun or comfortable for them to push their ideology on me.” Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
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ONE OF THESE REPUBLICANS COULD ACTUALLY BE YOUR NEXT GOVERNOR. BY R AC H E L M O N A H A N
rmonahan@wweek .com
CONT. on page 14
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There are three reasons why:
1. Oregon Republicans nearly always win at least 40% of the vote in statewide races.
O
ne Thursday evening in February, hundreds of maskless Republicans packed into The River Church, a nondenominational evangelical house of worship located in a Salem strip mall. While all the leading GOP candidates for governor were there, pitching an alternative to four decades of Democratic rule in Oregon, it wasn’t your average candidate forum. Instead, it was billed as a prayer service “for governor candidates followed by question and answer time, so as to be informed how to pray for them in the future.” Charismatic pastor Lew Wooten preached on his defiance of Gov. Kate Brown’s order to close churches at the height of the pandemic and his experience facing down antifa in Portland, which has made him something of an online sensation. The party was in full revolt against the last days of pandemic restrictions—that much was obvious. Older men and women who had brought their masks to the church wore them below their chins once they saw all the uncovered faces. Eleven candidates were there, from Bud Pierce, the Salem oncologist who lost to Gov. Brown in 2016, to Christine Drazan, the onetime House minority leader. Virtually all of them told the audience they wanted to restrict abortion, get tough on crime, and trash Oregon’s vote-by-mail system. A mild-mannered candidate in a red tie, Reed Christensen told the crowd: “The puppet Biden is a perfect example of the garbage you get when you order your president through the mail.” Rousing applause ensued. (Christensen is under federal indictment for allegedly assaulting a police officer while storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.) In multiple ways, the GOP is still nursing a massive hangover from the last election. A contingent of the party, led by the ex-president himself, won’t accept the results. And to get elected, Republicans may have to bite into that red meat of politics an appeal to their base. If the party seems stuck in the past, it also has an unusual opportunity to do something it hasn’t managed to accomplish in 40 years: win the governor’s mansion. A competitive, unpredictable GOP primary promises an especially meaningful prize: the chance to face a Democrat when most Oregonians think the state is headed in the wrong direction. “If the right message can be delivered to the right people with enough frequency to hit home, then I think this could be a year for a Republican governor, even in a very blue state like Oregon,” says former state Rep. Jeff Kropf (R-Sweet Home), onetime state director of Americans for Prosperity, a Koch brothers group. WW spoke to party insiders and outside observers, who agree that a perfect storm of conditions makes Republicans surprisingly relevant in deep blue Oregon. “Everywhere you turn, there’s a bad issue for Democrats right now,” says Lars Larson, the KXL talk radio host. “It’s a very tough choice to make. We have a wealth of talent on the Republican side.” This year is their best shot, perhaps in four decades, to win the state’s highest office.
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Despite Oregon’s status as a solidly blue state, governor contests here are always reliably close. In the past three governor’s races, the Republican nominee received at least 43% of the vote. In 2014, Dennis Richardson won 44.1%. In 2016, Bud Pierce won 43.5%. Knute Buehler? In 2018, he captured 43.7%. Sure, Buehler spent more than $19 million for little better than 4 out of 10 votes. But Richardson spent less than $2 million and got a better result. Those numbers suggest a hard floor of 40%. In Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s last race, in 2020, her Republican opponent spent less than $12,000 and still won more than 40% of the vote. Since 2002, in the governor’s race, “the average margin of victories has only been 5 percentage points,” says pollster John Horvick of DHM Research. “There is a possibility for a Republican to win.”
2. Virginia could be a harbinger of this election cycle.
A Republican win in the governor’s race last November in Virginia—a state Biden won by 10 points—doesn’t necessarily translate to a win for Republicans in Oregon, where Biden won by 16. But it is a warning to Democrats and a clarion call to Republicans. Drazan entered the race not long after. All politics are national now. Two years into a new administration, Democrats control the White House and the U.S. House and Senate. That means any problems in the country accrue to the Democrats. Say, 7% inflation and a lingering pandemic. In 2010, the last time a first-term Democratic president was proving a disappointment, Republican Chris Dudley lost to John Kitzhaber by 22,000 votes. Obama’s approval rating was at 50% at the same point in his first term, while Biden began the year with 40% approval, according to national polls by Gallup. “I’ve never seen anything quite like this at the most basic grassroots level,” says Kropf. “We’ve got national politics. We’ve got geopolitical issues going on: war. And we’ve got a very unpopular governor in this state. I mean, you start adding all this stuff up, not to mention inflation—yeah, people are looking for alternatives here.” To top it off, Gov. Kate Brown has the dubious honor of being the least popular governor in the country, at least as of November.
3. Oregon’s race for governor has a well-funded, centrist, third-party candidate.
Betsy Johnson, the former state senator and Democrat turned independent, is changing the math of the race. Her entry means Republicans could win with 40% of the vote. “Republicans have the best chance they’ve had in 12 years,” says Jim Moore, a Pacific University professor who is working on a biography of Oregon’s last Republican governor. “And the reason is, because Betsy Johnson is in the race.” The most famous third-party candidate in the past three decades, presidential candidate Ross Perot, helped propel Bill Clinton to the White House. Johnson, too, could entice Republican votes. She has Republican donors and is taking Republican positions on many issues. “There is no viable path—mathematically, philosophically, politically—[for a Republican] between here and November,” says Dan Lavey, a former
Republican consultant working for Johnson. But she could also hurt Democrats. Some Republicans see her as a pro-choice onetime Democrat who voted for some of the biggest tax hikes in state history. “Our internal polling shows that Betsy Johnson, as a lifetime, insider Democrat, takes twice as many votes from the Democrat candidate than the Republican,” says David Kilada, Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam’s campaign consultant. And yet: There is the Trump problem. The publicity-seeking ex-president not only endorses candidates but revels in the limelight, and disaffected Democrats and even the unaffiliated recoil at the orange-haired menace. Whether he controls who wins the GOP primary in Oregon by extending his endorsement is key to how the race unfolds. As of November, more than 60% of likely Oregon Republican voters wanted to see a candidate for governor more like Trump than less. He still repulses unaffiliated voters. It’s a common problem politicians face: winning the party faithful in the primary and the party ambivalent in the general. But the problem is notched up to an extraordinary degree by Donald Trump never conceding the last election and his demand of hard-and-fast loyalty. “You have to have this craven allegiance to Cult Trump,” says Elaine Franklin, the longtime Republican political consultant. “These Republicans motivated to vote in the primary, when did they become part of a cult? It defies logic and reason to think that Biden stole the election in Oregon.” Consider the example of Jessica Gomez, a Latina gubernatorial candidate from Medford with the sort of homeless-to-entrepreneur bootstraps narrative that might have crossover appeal. At a Feb. 26 forum in Springfield, she urged the audience to consider that a fellow Republican had indeed gone looking for fraud in Oregon elections and found none. “So our last [GOP] statewide elected official, Dennis Richardson, did an audit on our election systems and was pretty comprehensive. And at the end of the day, he didn’t find any evidence of fraud.” She received a politely quiet response—the same sort of reception given to Brandon Merritt, a political newcomer who asks Republican forums to cheer him on with “Let’s go, Brandon!” (WW apparently likes dad jokes better than Republican diehards.) To be sure, a sliver of daylight has opened up between Republicans and Trump: An NBC poll in January found that 56% of Republicans support their party more than they do the former president, while 36% chose Trump over party—a reversal from just months prior. What happens in November may boil down to the simple calculus of which is more repellent to voters in the Willamette Valley suburbs: Trump or the hellscape of rising inflation, gun murders, and the ongoing pandemic? After the Oregon Supreme Court evicted New York Times reporter Nick Kristof from the ballot, the Democratic primary became a rather sleepy affair between two leading contenders. But 19 Republicans are slugging it out in a primary race in which there is still no overwhelming favorite, and the victor won’t have to receive a majority of the vote. Here are five who have the cash or name recognition to separate themselves from the rest of the pack—and how much they are willing to embrace the Big Lie.
CHRISTINE DRAZAN BUD PIERCE STAN PULLIAM Age: 40 Occupation: Mayor of Sandy, insurance executive Money raised: $1 million, but only $286,000 on hand Signature moment: Whenever Gov. Kate Brown restricted schools and businesses during the pandemic, Pulliam provided the GOP response with a press conference demanding they be allowed to reopen. Chances to win the primary: Pulliam’s opposition to COVID shutdowns and his loyalty to Trump once made him the candidate to beat in the primary. But last month, Pulliam told WW that he and his wife were briefly part of a Portland swingers’ club. In a GOP primary, traditional sexual mores still matter. Last week, he was not among four Republican gubernatorial candidates to get an endorsement by the Oregon Right to Life political action committee—even though he opposes abortion. What he says about the Big Lie: Right after the Jan. 6 insurrection, Pulliam faulted Trump for the violence that ensued—a statement he has since tried to walk back. At The River Church, he told the audience: “Willamette Week reached out to all the leading Republican candidates, and I was the only one who stood up and said the last election was fraudulent.”
Age: 65 Occupation: Oncologist Signature moment: Won the Republican nomination for governor in 2016. Money raised: $1 million, but he can self-fund. Chances to win the primary: Pierce has arguably the best name recognition among Republicans, thanks to his 2016 campaign, which won him 43% of the vote. He is beloved in Marion County, where he’s tended to cancer patients for decades—and he’s liked by Republicans who watched him carry the party banner at times when momentum was against them. A recent tragedy engenders even more sympathy. On the campaign trail, he brings up the untimely death of his beloved wife, Selma, who was killed by a car as she walked near their home in 2020; at a forum, he cited prayer as helping him through. But with a personality as dry as cabernet, he seems unlikely to excite the party. “I like Dr. Pierce a lot,” says Larson. “As much as I like him, I think you’ve got to have a real fire in your belly.” What he says about the Big Lie: In 2016, Pierce pivoted from endorsing Trump in the primary to un-endorsing him in the general—a gambit that does not make him a leading contender for the ex-president’s endorsement. He concedes Biden won the election.
Age: 49 Occupation: Former House minority leader Signature moment: Led a walkout to shut down the Oregon Legislature, derailing the Democrats’ climate change package in 2020. Money raised: $1.4 million, with more than $1 million on hand Chances to win the primary: As the leader of House Republicans for two years, Drazan is a professional who’s still a staunch conservative on issues like abortion. And many speculate that if she wins the primary, she is most likely to receive significant cash from the Republican Governors Association. But some conservatives fault her for failing to block more Democratic bills by walking out. And she may not be able to excite the MAGA-hatted GOP base in May or November. The base may prefer an angry, ass-kicking outsider in the mold of Trump. One hint she can persuade them: Sen. Dallas Heard (R-Roseburg), the hard-right chair of the party who recently resigned after accusing his internal party opponents of “communist psychological warfare,” prefers Drazan over other leading candidates. “I’m a small-town girl from Klamath Falls,” she says on the campaign stump. “Kate Brown and Tina Kotek have harmed Oregon. They have hurt our beautiful state.” What she says about the Big Lie: She was never a Trump diehard and opposed her party’s resolution to call Jan. 6 a “false flag” operation. “The election is over. It is time to govern,” her statement read. But she attacks Democrats when asked about election security—pointing to a bill that would have given inmates Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
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Two other GOP candidates could take a notable chunk of the electorate and factor into who wins the nomination:
BILL SIZEMORE the right to vote in prison. “It is just stunning to me the extent to which they will go to rig the system,” she says on the campaign trail.
BOB TIERNAN Age: 66 Occupation: Former legislator and chair of the state GOP, business consultant Money raised: $1 million, half of it a loan from himself Signature moment: Co-petitioned Measure 11, an initiative passed in 1994 that set mandatory minimum sentences for certain violent crimes. Chances to win the primary: Tiernan has been out of the Legislature for two decades, and it’s been more than 10 years since he chaired the Oregon Republican Party. His name recognition is nil. “It’s hard when you jump back in and you’ve been out a long time,” says former House Speaker and Secretary of State Bev Clarno, who overlapped with him in the Legislature and endorsed Jessica Gomez in the primary. Then again, his style is Trump-like—he was a pugnacious lawmaker whose nickname was “B-1 Bob,” after the supersonic heavy bomber, and he once told two veteran GOP lawmakers to resign from the party after they supported a tax hike. (They ignored him.) Tiernan entered the race just last month and can selffund his campaign (he was once marred to the daughter of the founder of PayLess Drug Stores). What he says about the Big Lie: “I think Trump lost the 16
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election, for many reasons,” Tiernan told WW on Feb. 17, after announcing his run. “Part of that could have been voter fraud; part of that could have been bureaucratic bumbling; part of it could have been just what happens when you have over 3,000 counties trying to do a process.”
Age: 70 Occupation: Contractor Signature moment: Authored and successfully campaigned for Measure 47, a limit on property tax hikes, in 1996. Money raised: $500, from himself Chances to win the primary: None, given that he’s the only Republican nominee to get less than 40% of the vote in an Oregon governor’s race since the Great Depression (he was slaughtered by John Kitzhaber in 1998, with 30% of the vote). Sizemore was a charismatic leader of tax revolts in the 1990s and still has a higher profile than Barton or Tiernan. But he’s been in the wilderness for two decades and filed for bankruptcy in 2013. A former carpet salesman and keen softball player, Sizemore dusted off his lawn signs after Pulliam admitted to swinging.
BRIDGET BARTON Age: 68 Occupation: Writer, publisher and consultant Signature moment: Helped fund a campaign to defeat liberals in school board races in suburban districts, including Sherwood, where Oregon Health Authority director Patrick Allen lost his seat. Money raised: $708,000 Chances to win the primary: Barton published Brainstorm NW magazine alongside Jim Pasero for years and was well known among a small but influential group of prominent conservatives writing about politics and policy. For more than a decade, she was the architect of the Oregon Transformation Project, which roiled Clackamas County politics, electing conservatives to leadership roles. With no elective history, Barton focuses on her personal story: training horses, a triumph over alcoholism. On the campaign trail, she likes to describe her childhood in Williamsburg, Va., an early historic colonial capital, as a source of her patriotism. But she is not without political experience. Most recently, she and former state Rep. Kevin Mannix filed a successful lawsuit in 2020 against COVID mandates. What she says about the Big Lie: When asked whether Biden won, she refused to answer.
KERRY MCQUISTEN Age: 49 Money raised: $165,000 Occupation: Mayor of Baker City, businesswoman Chances to win the primary: Like Pulliam, McQuisten is a small-town mayor who attracted national attention, in her case when she pushed for a city resolution that blamed the “economic, mental health and criminal activity crisis” on Gov. Kate Brown’s COVID-19 restrictions. She is a naturally gifted speaker, but she lacks Pulliam’s connections to donors in the Willamette Valley, and there’s no indication she’ll have the funds for TV ads and campaign mailings. She does have the backing of a “Trump-endorsed expert on election integrity”—Dr. Kelli Ward, Arizona Republican chair, who is hosting a fundraiser for her later this month.
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For the first time since 2019, the Shamrock Run returned to the streets of Portland as an in-person event. On Sunday, March 13, more than 15,000 runners participated in races of varying lengths, from a 1-mile Leprechaun Loop for kids to a half-marathon. A little rain didn’t dampen spirits, and as usual there were plenty of creative ways to wear green on display.
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STARTERS
T H E MOST I MP ORTANT P O RTLA N D C U LTU R E STORI E S OF T H E W E E K—G RA P H E D .
R E A D M O R E A B O U T TH E S E STO R I E S AT WW E E K .CO M .
RIDICULOUS
COMFORT SHOES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Former Police drummer Stewart Copeland will perform old hits with the Oregon Symphony.
Mon-Sat 10-6pm Sunday 11-5pm
1433 NE Broadway St Portland • 503 493-0070 Dream Team Hazy IPA, the latest collaboration of Astoria’s Fort George, Portland’s Great Notion, and Reuben’s Brews in Seattle, hits store shelves.
“A swelling battle hymn of transporting beauty.” -The New York Times
California-based Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf opens its first Oregon store, in Lake Oswego.
AW F U L
AW E S O M E
The Waterfront Blues Festival announces its 2022 lineup.
Mt. Hood Meadows releases spring passes, which will not be restricted to weekends like last year. After a two-year absence, Kells is bringing back its Irish Festival, although this may be the last time it’s held at the historic downtown pub.
ON STAGE THROUGH APR. 3, 2022 503.445.3700 | PCS.ORG SEASON SUPERSTARS
The Oregon Symphony announces its 2022-23 season lineup.
Henry Noble in August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean. Photo by Shawnte Sims.
Portland Center Stage managing director Cynthia Fuhrman is leaving the company for New York.
NW Film Center rebrands itself as PAM CUT.
The Rose Quarter lifts mask and proof-of-vaccination mandates.
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Performances of Svetlana! Svetlana! at Portland Center Stage will benefit Ukrainian relief efforts. SERIOUS
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Seventy autographed guitars intended for an Oregon Music Hall of Fame fundraiser get stolen.
M I C H A E L S H AY P O L A R A S T U D I O
GET BUSY
STUFF TO DO IN PORTLAND THIS WEEK, INDOORS AND OUT.
SEE | Nineteen*Twenty
BodyVox is so brilliant it could simply call its latest dance performance “The New BodyVox Show” and tickets would still sell out. But just in case that’s not enough, Nineteen*Twenty will feature Chamber Music Northwest, the Akropolis Reed Quintet and choreography that seeks to capture the vibrancy of the 1920s. Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 SW Crescent St., Beaverton, 971-501-7722, bodyvox.com. 7:30 pm Thursday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, March 17-19. $24-$64.
� WATCH | Dick
Praise be unto the Hollywood Theatre for screening this 1999 teen comedy, which presents a smashingly silly alternate history of Watergate. Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams play two unstoppably cheerful teenagers whose misadventures inadvertently lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon (Dan Hedaya, doing the best Nixon impersonation EVER). Part of the Hollywood’s Isn’t She Great series celebrating women in comedy, the screening is hosted by Elizabeth Teets and Anthony Hudson and will feature standup comedy by Anna Valenzuela. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128, hollywoodtheatre.org. 7:30 pm Saturday, March 19. $8-$10.
�
LISTEN | Night on Earth Two years ago, the public premiere of Night on Earth, pianist-drummer-composer Elihu Knowles’ 30-minute funk-jazz work with the Aaron Space Cosmic Orchestra, was canceled due to the pandemic. It’s finally coming out this week on PJCE Records—and getting an album release party at Knowles’ alma mater, Reed College. Reed College’s Eliot Hall Chapel, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., 503-771-1112, pjce.org. 6 pm Friday, March 18. Free, suggested donation $5-$25.
SEE | Svetlana! Svetlana!
Writer Dan Kitrosser is best known for the coming-of-age film We the Animals and inventive all-ages plays like The Legend of Ichabod Crane. With Svetlana! Svetlana!, he ventures into fresh creative territory by co-starring with Cassie Greer in a play about Josef Stalin’s daughter, Svetlana Alleluyeva, who in 1967 defected from the Soviet Union. The play is free, but audiences will be encouraged to donate to relief efforts for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Ellen Bye Studio at Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave., 503-445-3700, linestormplaywrights.com. 7:30 pm Saturday and 2 pm Sunday, March 19-20. Free.
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EAT | McMenamins Edgefield St. Patrick’s Day
Families looking for Irish-themed festivities where kids can have fun while the adults take a breather with a pint should head directly to their nearest McMenamins. All locations will have food and drink specials March 17-19. But for the optimal experience, head to the best of the chain’s properties, Edgefield, to get your fill of potato and cabbage dishes. Practically every nook and corner of the former poor farm will host live music, a golf tournament is scheduled for St. Patrick’s Day proper, and members of the Whiskey Club can participate in a special tasting at the distillery and meet the makers. McMenamins Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale, mcmenamins.com. All day Thursday-Saturday, March 17-19. Free.
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Top 5
Hot Plates WHERE TO EAT THIS WEEK.
1. REPÚBLICA
Editor: Andi Prewitt | Contact: aprewitt@wweek.com
THOMAS TEAL
721 NW 9th Ave., 541-900-5836, republicapdx.square.site. À la carte menu served 9 am-3 pm, chef’s tasting menu served 5-9 pm daily. República has introduced Portland to another thread of Mexico’s complex gastronomic tapestry: the modernist-leaning tasting menu, which the Pearl District restaurant began serving in 2021. Packaging indigenous Mexican ingredients with sophisticated technique in a town known for its disdain of pretension was bold as hell. But they have been pulling it off with aplomb. And the idea of simultaneously serving each twosome one vegetarian-leaning tasting menu and one with a meatier bent is brilliant, especially for good eaters who share.
FOOD & DRINK
2. PICCONE’S CORNER
3434 NE Sandy Blvd., #400, 503-2658263, picconescorner.com. 9 am-7 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 9 am-5 pm Sunday. This combination butcher shop-restaurant continues to fill a hole in the city’s dining scene that was left when Old Salt Marketplace closed. Now, Piccone’s Corner is serving all-day breakfast, setting our ham-loving hearts awhirl. The updated menu includes a substantial plate of two eggs, polenta cakes and bacon or sausage links, mushroom toast, and an obligatory grain bowl. But our eyes are set on the breakfast sandwich topped with your choice of house-cured pork from Wallow & Root farms.
3. ECLIPTIC BREWING
825 N Cook St., 503-265-8002, eclipticbrewing.com. Noon-8 pm Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, noon-10 pm Friday-Saturday. Portland Dining Month, traditionally held in March, has been scrapped yet again due to COVID, but Ecliptic is pressing ahead anyway, serving its own limited-edition, three-course meal for a fixed price. Choose between two appetizers and entrees, which include the house soup or a Bibb lettuce blue cheese salad start; then move onto grilled flank steak, or a Yukon gold potato gnocchi. All dinners end with a cheesecake brownie crumble. Pub grub this ain’t, proving breweries can serve upscale fare alongside stellar pints.
4. PACIFIC CRUST PIZZA COMPANY
400 SW Broadway, 503-719-5010, pacificcrustpizzaco.com. 11 am-10 pm Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-11 pm Friday-Saturday. The pies at this outdoors-themed pizzeria blur the line between New York and New Haven styles, which is a delightful hybrid for those who like to fold their slices as easily as a book yet appreciate a hefty rim for its chew and crunch. However, Pacific Crust’s greatest strength is its ability to allow each topping to have its moment. Nowhere is that better exhibited than in the Traverse, a crimson-and-gold disc of lightly smoked tomato sauce and corn kernels adorned with a tuft of peppery arugula.
5. SUNSHINE NOODLES
2175 NW Raleigh St., Suite 105, sunshinenoodlespdx.com. 5-9 pm Monday-Thursday, 11 am-3 pm and 5-9 pm Friday-Sunday. Diane Lam, the former chef de cuisine at Revelry, is back in full force with Sunshine Noodles, a relaunch of her pandemic pop-up that now has a brick-and-mortar home in Slabtown. Snag a seat at the countertop, where you can watch the kitchen team work the wok station, then dig into the catfish spring rolls. Though not a noodle dish, it’s the current standout. The fish is blackened, rolled into rice paper with herbs, vermicelli noodles, a slice of watermelon radish, and then topped with a citrusy nuoc cham sauce that’s a mixture of bitter, sweet, salt and funk.
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CUT ABOVE: East Glisan Pizza’s lasagna has 12 layers.
Battle of the Bolognese and Béchamel
Ripe Cooperative
These six take-and-bake lasagnas will get you through Portland’s chilly, early spring days.
5425 NE 30th Ave., 503-841-6968, ripecooperative.com. Noon-8 pm Thursday-Saturday, noon-5 pm Sunday. Lasagna Bolognese: $48 Suggested serving size: 4 Layers: 6 The lasagna at Naomi Pomeroy’s cafe-market in the former Beast space looks smaller than it eats. It is richness upon richness, with what is currently a duck Bolognese (made with Carman Ranch beef and Liberty Farms duck), ricotta and, per the website description, “lots of mozzarella and Parmesan.” That’s no lie: This is more or less a white lasagna, and something of a dairy bomb, with a big layer of ricotta (seasoned with parsley, garlic and lemon), béchamel and a three-cheese blend (Parm, grana Padano and pecorino), plus the mozzerella that’s ready to get browned on top. It’s cheesy, chewy and meaty, but not saucy, with delicately gorgeous sheets of pasta, and only a hint of tomato (made with chopped San Marzanos and a housemade conserva) in the Bolognese. You won’t need bread for sopping at the end, but you could probably fry a few potatoes in the slick of duck fat that’s left over. J C .
BY JA S O N C O H E N A N D A N D I P R E W I T T
Mercato at Caffe Mingo
Yes, we’re finally back in restaurants (again). But take-home food and the restaurant-as-market model are here to stay. And nothing splits the difference between elaborate professional kitchen prep and ease of home reheating quite like lasagna, with its handmade sheets of pasta, slow-cooked meat ragùs, and decadent blankets of béchamel and cheese. Some of these lasagnas were on menus before the pandemic, while others were added as a direct result of it. All are meant for home consumption (though a few are available for dine-in service), and make for a satisfying rainy springtime Portland meal—including leftovers, especially if you have an orange cat.
807 NW 21st Ave., 503-226-4646, caffemingonw.com. 11 am-9 pm Tuesday-Friday, 2-9 pm Saturday-Sunday. Jerry’s Lasagna: $18 Suggested serving size: 1-2 Layers: 5 “Jerry” is Mingo chef Jerry Huisinga, who’s been feeding Portland pasta for three decades (dating back to his stretch at Genoa). This is a petite and classic white lasagna, with a strongly nutmegged béchamel sauce playing the starring role in every bite. The noodles and the pork-andbeef Bolognese add texture as much as flavor, with one cheese, grana Padano, capping it off. As with Ripe’s lasagna, a little creamy richness goes
Top 5
Buzz List WHERE TO DRINK THIS WEEK.
C O U R T E S Y C O O P E R AT I VA
a long way—make yourself a salad and some bread (including, yes, for sopping) and you’ll definitely get two servings from one order. J C .
Cooperativa
1250 NW 9th Ave., Suite 100, 503-342-7416, cooperativapdx.com. 7:30 am-9 pm Wednesday-Saturday. Cooperativa Lasagna: $24 Suggested serving size: 2-3 Layers: 5 Bologna-inspired pastas and sauces are a big part of the program at former Irving Street Kitchen chef Sara Schafer’s Italian food hall, but Cooperativa’s lasagna will also remind you of Sunday dinner at a friend’s house in North Jersey, or even Olive Garden (except, y’know, good). The basic construction is the same as Mingo’s: pasta, a beef-and-pork Bolognese that also includes bone marrow, béchamel and Parmesan. Except, in this case, it’s a tomato-forward Bolognese—you could almost call it red sauce—that is showcased more than the béchamel. It also teams with the Parmesan to create a caramelized top layer, complete with crispy noodle edges. J C .
112 SW 2nd Ave., 503-227-4057, kellsbrewpub.com. 11 am-1 am Thursday, 2 pm-midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday, March 17-19. After a two-year absence, the pipers will be back at both Kells locations this St. Patrick’s Day, though this may be the last time you’ll get to mark the occasion at the historic downtown property. The longtime Portland brand is reviving its Irish Festival at the downtown pub and the Nob Hill brewery—but the Southwest 2nd Avenue building is up for sale. The future of the site is uncertain, so be sure to guzzle plenty of ale in honor of the place that has always made you feel authentically Irish for at least one weekend out of the year.
2. 503 DISTILLING LOUNGE
4784 SE 17th Ave., Suite 150, 503-9755669, 503distilling.com. 3-9 pm Thursday-Saturday, 1-7 pm Sunday. Portland has a new outlet where you can sample draft cocktails right next door to the source. 503 Distilling recently opened a lounge adjacent to its distillery inside the Iron Fireman Collective building. That’s where you’ll find six rotating cocktails on tap, plus made-to-order mixed drinks, beer and wine. The draft options offer visitors first tastes of some of the newest concoctions coming out of the distillery, acting as something of a laboratory. And once you’ve had your fill of spirits, Ruse Brewing is a short stumble away.
3. SUCKERPUNCH
1030 SE Belmont St., 503-208-4022, suckerpunch.bar. 6-11 pm Thursday-Sunday. Suckerpunch, the local business that started as a no-booze cocktail kit vendor in 2020, has launched an experimental pop-up in the Goat Blocks— further proof the alcohol-free trend is gaining steam after a well-documented spike in pandemic drinking. Here, you’ll find a regular rotation of zero-proof, seasonally inspired cocktails along with events like tasting flights and dessert pairings.
The Lasagna Project
Instagram.com/lasagnaprojectpdx. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Lasagna Bolognese: $44, $6 for delivery Suggested serving size: 3-4 Layers: 6 Thomas Boyce has a bit of an unfair advantage here: all the former Spago and Blue Hour chef does is lasagna, and just three days a week. His repertoire includes such varieties as butternut squash with chard and braised beef shank with porcini mushroom, as well as a “traditional” (or “OG”) Bolognese. Boyce’s version of the classic is a perfectly balanced stunner of ragù, Parmesan and béchamel. The meat sauce has a fair amount of tomato, but not too much, with a deep umami flavor coming from the inclusion of both pancetta and prosciutto (as well as pork and beef ). This is also one of the biggest of the bunch. Six servings are not out of the question. Request it—as well as Boyce’s sourdough focaccia—via Instagram, though online ordering with Tock is coming soon. J C .
basil leaf, all provided by East Glisan. This is filling food. This is comforting food. This is “slow down and pay attention” food. There’s no better time than Sunday to engage in the ritual of eating lasagna. A P .
East Glisan Pizza Lounge
Providore Fine Foods
8001 NE Glisan St., 971-279-4273, eastglisan.com. Meatless lasagna available 4-8 pm Sunday, new lasagna pinwheels available 9-11 pm Friday-Saturday. Meatless Lasagna: $15 Suggested serving size: 1-2 Layers: 12 Perhaps best known for its Detroit-style pies with tall cheese edges that act as dams holding back a reservoir of red sauce, East Glisan makes room on its menu for lasagna every Sunday, and the pasta is just as hefty as the shop’s square pizzas. With 12 lustrous layers—the tallest in this roundup—each slice is as thick as a brick and feels sturdy enough to construct a wall. East Glisan includes heating instructions on its website, though not a baking time, so you’ll want to have a meat thermometer handy to ensure the lasagna’s internal temperature reaches 110 degrees. It will then emerge from your oven brown and bubbly—the whisper-thin ribbons are every bit as important as the creamy ricotta and crushed DiNapoli San Marzano-style tomatoes since there are no fillings like meat or spinach. The restaurant attributes the strength of its earthy noodles to the dough’s fresh eggs, which are laid by content chickens with room to roam and roost on a local farm. To complete the dish, coat the lasagna in a slightly chunky tomato sauce heated on the stovetop, and then adorn it with shredded mozzarella and a
1. KELLS IRISH RESTAURANT & PUB
SAUCED: A tomato-forward Bolognese is the star of Cooperativa’s lasagna.
2340 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-232-1010, providorefinefoods.com. 10 am-7 pm daily. Carne Lasagna: $14 a pound Suggested serving size: 1-2 Layers: 7 Providore is the super-sized pantry of every home chef’s dreams, its shelves loaded with a fine selection of groceries you’d expect to see cooking-show contestants fighting over. If your kitchen skills end at “flipping on the burner to heat a can of soup,” this gourmet market fortunately has an abundance of prepared dishes, including two kinds of take-and-bake lasagna. The store is the next evolution of Pastaworks, which has been making fresh noodles since 1983, so all of that experience means that even the waves on cold-case hunks of lasagna look as pretty as layered sand art. Without heating instructions, there’s a risk of leaving your square in the oven for too long. The carne version is forgiving, however, resulting in extra-crispy edges that some lasagna lovers reach for first. Texturally, Providore’s take never bores between the crumbly pork bits, stretchy mozzarella and thick, milky ricotta. Yet the lasagna could have used more sauce—a housemade marinara and Bolognese with a spunky tang—since you only receive two condiment cups that aren’t much bigger than a thimble. A P .
4. TURN! TURN! TURN!
8 NE Killingsworth St., 503-284-6019, turnturnturnpdx.com. 4-10 pm Wednesday-Monday. Open later on event nights. You’ll still find records and CDs for sale at this bar, music venue and event space, as well as food and drink. However, the menu has changed under the new ownership. There is now an intentionally simple lineup of brown rice and black bean bowls with various garnishes. Six Northwest beers are on tap, and there’s a refrigerator case full of more beverages. Behind the bar there’s also liquor, though no cocktails per se—order as you would in a dive bar or most rock clubs.
5. PUNCH BOWL SOCIAL
340 SW Morrison St., #4305, 503-3340360, punchbowlsocial.com/location/ portland. 11 am-11 pm Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-1 am Friday-Saturday. If you’re looking for a bar to hunker down in and watch nonstop March Madness games, head to Punch Bowl Social. Sure, the 32,000-square-foot gaming palace may be in a mall, but it fills a wonderful niche in downtown Portland—there’s something on the menu for everyone, a deep beer list and creative cocktails, to boot. New brunch items like chicken and biscuits, raspberry waffles and Southwest green chorizo fries should also help you fuel up for those early morning matches.
Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
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POTLANDER
Limonene Dreams With a citrus aroma and reported theraputic uses, cultivars with limonene lead to a mood-boosting high. Here are six of our favorites. BY B R I A N N A W H E E L E R
One of the most common terpenes found in cannabis can also treat acne, clean wood floors, and keep pests from overtaking a garden. It also contributes to a euphoric smoke sesh. Limonene is an abundant terpene found in both pine and mint, but our familiarity is mostly relegated to its presence in essential oils and citrus peels. That’s why a fresh eight can smell like everything from overripe lemons, candy sweet pastilles, tart limes or grapefruit. Numerous cultivars have been bred from limonene-rich heritage strains like Maui Wowie and Lemon Haze, so much so that the terpene has become an expected part of a robust profile, especially when shopping for eye-opening, mood-elevating phenotypes. Limonene also delivers therapeutic benefits, acting as an anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and anticancer agent as well as an absorption facilitator, assisting other terpenes in penetrating the skin, visceral and mucous membranes. Furthermore, limonene has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Though not quite an antidepressant, limonene has been found to boost the brain’s serotonin output, which explains why these limonene-rich cultivars are heralded for their euphoric effects. For cannathusiasts battling anxiety, chronic illness or typical pandemic malaise, or if you’re just in the mood for a bright, feel-good strain, here are a few cultivars to sample.
Jet Fuel OG Jet Fuel OG is a cross of Aspen OG and High Country Diesel, strains renowned for their potent effects. The cultivar is strong and long-lasting, and results in a focused and manageably energetic wake-and-bake smoke. Patients report this strain’s efficacy at treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, chronic pain, depression and nausea. Recreational enthusiasts describe super-peppy highs overall, with a slim minority of users experiencing more mellow, relaxing effects. Expect a gassy, lemony perfume, a velvety citrus-skunky exhale, and a bold, swooning onset. BUY: Rose Budz PDX, 2410 N Mississippi Ave., 503-2083955, rosebudzpdx.com.
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Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
Blue Runtz Although technically Blue Runtz’s genetics are couched in indica, this cultivar’s reputation is far more razzle dazzle than chillax and unwind. Bred from tranquilizing Blueberry and balanced hybrid White Rhino, Blue Runtz inherited desirable traits from both parents—namely, reported effectiveness in treating anxiety, chronic pain, depression and even symptoms of fibromyalgia. For recreational users, this strain leads to a brassy creative streak and calm euphoria, which is a great match for a low-stakes, project-filled afternoon. Expect an aroma of ripe berries and tart citrus, and a woody, vanilla exhale. BUY: TreeHouse Collective, 2419 NE Sandy Blvd., 503894-8774.
LA Kush Cake This hybrid of Wedding Cake and Kush Mints, two extraordinarily euphoric strains, has established a reputation as a highly effective aphrodisiac. LA Kush Cake delivers a dreamy yet physically stimulating high that unravels into a mood that’s soothing enough for bedtime. Medicinal users say this strain relieves pain, anxiety, depression and insomnia. Expect a lemon-pine perfume and a stiff cottony, vanilla-wood exhale. BUY: Green Muse, 5515 NE 16th Ave., 971-420-4917, gogreenmuse.com.
Sundae Driver
Numerous cultivars have been bred from limonene-rich heritage strains like Maui Wowie and Lemon Haze, so much so that the terpene has become an expected part of a robust profile. Sour OG For users who dig peppy, get-stuff-done strains, Sour OG is likely already part of your repertoire. This cultivar’s genetics straddle the line between fiery sativa and sleepy indica, and the resulting high is reportedly a precise balance of manageable euphoria and clean, effervescent energy, enabling users to accomplish tasks, maintain their mood, and effectively bliss out for an hour or two. Medicinal Sour OG users report relief from issues such as bipolar disorder, appetite loss, migraines, nausea and PTSD. Expect a toe-curlingly pungent, citrus-spiked diesel aroma, and a commensurately gassy exhale. BUY: Gram Central Station, 6430 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 503-284-6714.
Starfighter
Sundae (or Sunday) Driver is a balanced hybrid with potent indica and sativa genetics. This cultivar is bred from the somewhat rare Fruity Pebbles OG and Grape Pie, resulting in a frosty, lavenderesque flower that delivers a singular euphoric relaxed state. Patients prefer this strain when it comes to treating conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, insomnia and depression, while recreational users report magic carpet ride psychotropic effects that are both potent and lasting. Expect a deep chocolate fragrance with ripe fruit undertones and a creamy, sweet exhale.
For users interested in the benefits of limonene but perhaps less enthusiastic about what may develop into an overly energetic buzz, Starfighter is a limonene-forward cultivar with a deeply stoney head high and syrupy, languid physical effects. Starfighter is a cross of Alien Tahoe OG and Lemon Alien Dawg, delivering a powerful, cerebral onset that typically melts into a super-soothing, couch-lock scenario. Patients report this strain’s efficacy at treating arthritis, bipolar disorder, hypertension, inflammation and insomnia. Expect a lavender aroma with top notes of lemon essence and funk, and an exhale that’s both nutty and piney.
BUY: Pacific Green, 710 NE Killingsworth St., 971-2428535, pacificgreenportland.com.
BUY: Cannabis Curb Dispensary, 4069 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 971-255-1542, cannabiscurb.com.
PERFORMANCE
Editor: Bennett Campbell Ferguson | Contact: bennett@wweek.com
G R E G PA R K I N S O N
MUSIC Now Hear This Listening recommendations from the past, present, Portland and the periphery.
BY DANIEL BROMFIELD // @BROMF3
SOMETHING OLD
Early metal might be about as smart and subtle as a cinder block, but it’s a trip to hear stoned kids discover the possibilities of rock after it developed an awareness of itself as an art form. Deep Purple in Rock might be one of the best examples of rock stretching its legs and spreading out, especially “Child in Time,” which fails as a political statement but succeeds spectacularly as a rock-’n’-roll epic (see also Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”—though Sabbath never had the gut-grinding organ tone of Jon Lord). SOMETHING NEW
HERE’S TO YOU: Cosmo Reynolds and Kyran McCoy in The Queers.
We Are Here The Queers is about transgender characters living, loving and fighting for acceptance. BY B E N N E T T C A M P B E L L F E R G U S O N
@thobennett
In The Queers, characters reckon with the aftermath of bigotry, breakups, deceptions and suicide attempts. Yet all it takes is a single sentence to sum up what they’ve been through. “They’re trans in a transphobic world,” says Smith (Kyran McCoy). “And that’s hard.” Smith is right, but The Queers, a world-premiere play by Mikki Gillette being performed by Fuse Theatre Ensemble, is not simply about transgender characters. It is about transgender characters who are nuanced, contradictory, eccentric and alive. According to Fuse, The Queers is the first play by a trans playwright produced with a trans ensemble in the Portland area. Yet the play matters not only because it is making history, but because it defends the rights of its characters to be as beautifully dysfunctional and human as any cisgender protagonist. The Queers, directed by Asae Dean, starts with a stomach-churning scene where Lisa (Naomi Jackson), a substitute teacher, is falsely accused by her boss, Caroline (Adriana Gantzer), of inappropriately touching two students. “I know people,” Lisa warns Caroline. “People” turns out to mean Smith, a transgender rights activist who recently secured trans health care for city employees. With some hesitance, Smith agrees to support Lisa, organizing a press conference and, later, a picket line. The Queers seeks to capture the scope of Smith and Lisa’s social circle, which is rife with overlapping love triangles. Smith is in a relationship with Pim (Cosmo Reynolds). Pim is feuding with Smith’s ex, Ally (Juliet Mylan). Ally is furious about being abruptly dumped by Lisa. Andrea (Harper York), who is newly out as trans, has a thing for Ally and Smith. As the one person in the group with a measure of political power, Smith fulfills the demanding dual role of advocate and confidant. “You are a giving person, and people like you can get taken advantage of,” Pim cautions.
Even when Smith lies in a hospital bed, friends seek their counsel, like planets orbiting a life-giving star. It’s a poignant scene because McCoy’s performance radiates both quiet compassion and frantic energy, suggesting that Smith is compelled to help as many people as humanly possible, even if the effort physically and emotionally rips them apart. Gillette lets us share in Smith’s despair, but cynicism is a luxury the characters can rarely afford. “You just want everyone to accept you!” Caroline wails histrionically at Lisa, missing the fact that Lisa doesn’t just want to be accepted—she believes that acceptance is worth fighting for. In The Queers, that fight takes place in the shadow of relatively recent history. The play begins during Barack Obama’s first term, and the passage of time is marked by everything from news about Occupy Portland to a smug sound bite from Mitt Romney (it’s not a random reference—as a teenager, Romney was reportedly the perpetrator of a violent homophobic hate crime). The day that The Queers opened, a Texas district judge blocked the state from investigating the parents of transgender youth. While it’s sobering that the battles that Gillette depicts are far from over, the play’s very existence is evidence of change. When I saw The Queers, you could feel the audience viscerally connecting to the play. There was fury at Caroline’s machinations, delight at Lisa’s charisma (in a memorable scene, Jackson emphasizes a line of dialogue by biting down on a piece of licorice), and tangible affection for Andrea. Ally refers to Andrea as being “baby trans,” an experience she says is defined by “all of the hormones you never got to use during puberty switching on all at once.” For Andrea, it’s a messy but triumphant journey—and like The Queers itself, it feels like the beginning of a revolution. SEE IT: The Queers plays at the Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 214-504-6350, fusetheatreensemble.com. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, 3 pm Sunday, through April 10. Pay what you will.
Until this horrific dystopia engineers a pianist with 4 Hands, here’s an album of that name by Tim Story and Hans-Joachim Roedelius, in which each sits on one side of the piano stool. Instead of exploiting the virtuosic potential of a four-handed keyboard duet, they let their melodies blossom like flowers and stretch out like spider webs; it’s the best solo piano album of the year so far, even if it’s not really solo at all. Don’t forget to check out Roedelius’ work with Cluster and Harmonia and his incredible Selbstportrait series. SOMETHING LOCAL
Day Dreems, aka singer-songwriter Day Ricardo, crams a whole album’s worth of hooks into two and a half minutes on their first officially released single “Make That Go.” It’s a hell of an entrance: a tough I-VII-IV guitar riff instantly reminiscent of The Who, a malleable voice perfect for wrapping around a melody. They’ve got more material on Patreon, but they’re also planning to release a single every month. Keep your eye out for one of Portland’s hottest new power-pop artists. SOMETHING ASKEW Ata Kak’s voice is so compressed it sounds like it’s disappearing into music, but the Ghanaian rapper’s 1994 album Obaa Sima won’t disappear from your head in a hurry; it’s one of the great head-trip albums and one of the great lo-fi dance albums. The beats are booming and chintzy at once, and I suspect even speakers of Twi might have a tough time making out the layers of garbled and multitracked vocals (though “funky, funky, funky” is pretty self-explanatory). Don’t miss his Polaris Hall show on March 24. Willamette Week MARCH 16, 2022 wweek.com
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G ET YO U R R E P S I N
Editor: Bennett Campbell Ferguson Contact: bennett@wweek.com
PHOTO CREDIT
SCREENER
MOVIES
Umberto D. (1952) DAYS OF FISHING PAST: One Drift and We All Go Home looks back at a government-ordered fishing stoppage in Alaska in 1998.
Drift Kings In the documentary short film One Drift and We All Go Home, Portland filmmaker Thom Hilton captures a defining moment in his father’s fishing career. BY CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER @chance_s_p
One Drift and We All Go Home was born of two pauses, the first lasting two weeks and the second lasting 23 years. The former began in July 1998, when gillnetter Tom Hilton uncapped his camcorder on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. With fellow commercial fishermen confined to shore by a government-ordered fishing stoppage on the Cook Inlet, Hilton set about capturing the camp’s clambakes, one-liners and fading hopes for a profitable summer. At the time, he aimed to submit a feature documentary to the Sundance Film Festival in 1999, but given his lack of directing and editing experience, that ambition stalled. After all, Hilton had a 30-year fishing career to continue. Then, last year brought a happenstance baton-passing, described in the opening moments of One Drift and We All Go Home, which was assembled and co-directed by Hilton’s son, Thom: “Last February, my dad sent me a care package: a camcorder, a handful of Hi8 tapes, and a T-shirt…they all smelled like smoked salmon.” Thom Hilton, a Portland actor, writer and filmmaker, shaped his father’s raw footage into the 14-minute short that will premiere at the Oxford Film Festival on March 25 (and will be streamable anywhere via festival pass March 27-April 3). The junior Hilton says he initially explored the care package’s tapes out of boredom, later creating a 40-minute cut for his father as a gift. That was supposed to be the end of it, until encouragement from friends and a series of films nudged Thom toward officially tackling the project. Thom took a twisty road to One Drift. First, he encountered the short film Trade Center by Adam Baran (who produced One Drift), which collages audio interviews into an underground gay history of the World Trade Center. Then, he acted in the movie Swan Song starring Udo Kier, a vignette-driven film ripe with small-town eccentricities. Finally, like many cinephiles in 2020, he was struck by the unvarnished performances by blue-collar non-actors in Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-winning film Nomadland. “[One Drift] is kind of like an episode of The Muppet Show,” says Thom, emphasizing the film’s comedic face. “Stakes on a human level are incredibly high. Everything is falling apart, but the most important thing to everybody is the joke.” One Drift finds its rat-a-tat pulse in the camp’s constant 26
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cracks about the weather, antacid dependencies, and being flat broke. To an extent, the fishermen delivering their best material to Tom’s camera lens masks their growing impatience with the stoppage’s indefinite span. “Nobody wants to believe they’re going to lose money,” Thom says. “And those moments before it is confirmed that you have lost money, people have no idea what to do.” Ironically, for a project defined by found footage, Thom almost withheld key scenes of a father-son fishing trip circa 2001. Initially hesitant to foreground the family relationship that created One Drift, Thom changed his mind because of a line of dialogue from Wes Anderson’s 2021 anthology film The French Dispatch. “‘That’s the reason for it to be written,’” quotes Thom, recalling what magazine editor Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray) tells reporter Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright) when he finds out the writer has omitted a poignant anecdote from an article, leaving it stranded in his notes. After seeing the film, Thom went home and sent the father-son footage to his producer. “Adam was like, ‘That’s it. That has to be the beginning and the end,’” Thom remembers. Because of that choice, the viewer understands at once that fishing is Tom’s chosen method for bonding and that the camcorder is a vessel of affection between father and son, just as it was between Tom and his Alaska compatriots. Created by time, love and coincidence, One Drift appears to be the definition of a one-off project. Thom is looking toward the future and preparing to direct a suite of four original shorts, the first of which will begin production this June in Rhododendron, Ore., following a fundraising screening of Kogonada’s Columbus (2017) at the Clinton Street Theater on April 24. For his part, the elder Hilton owns Hanthorn Crab Company and Pier 39 Seafood in Astoria, serves on the city council there, and exercises his creativity penning fisher poetry, as seen near the film’s conclusion. Right now, One Drift and We All Go Home is living out a sweeter version of the summer feeling it preserves—a unifying, suspended instant of respirating memory. It won’t be the same tomorrow. SEE IT: One Drift and We All Go Home streams March 27-April 3 at 2022oxff.eventive.org.
The Eviction Representation for All campaign is sponsoring a screening of this Italian neo-realist classic. It’s a sensitive, heartfelt and humanely political look at postwar Italy through the eyes of a retired government worker struggling to find food and shelter for himself and his dog after his meager pension runs out. Clinton, March 18.
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
The Clinton’s John Cassavetes retrospective continues with the independent auteur’s grittiest feature: a neonoir starring his frequent collaborator Ben Gazzara as a strip club owner frustrated by his lowbrow patrons’ lack of appreciation for the art of burlesque. When a gambling debt gets him into hot water with the mob, he’s ordered to kill the titular bookie. Clinton, March 17.
Dick (1999)
2022 Academy Award nominee Kirsten Dunst stars (alongside four-time nominee Michelle Williams) in this Watergate-era political comedy about two 15-year-old best friends who, through a series of hilarious events, become the legendary informant “Deep Throat.” Hosted by Elizabeth Teets and Anthony Hudson, this screening will open with standup comedy by Anna Valenzuela. Hollywood, March 19.
Mary Jane’s Not a Virgin Anymore (1996) This underseen coming-of-age dramedy from “Queen of the Underground Cinema” Sarah Jacobson follows a sex-obsessed teenage movie theater employee who’s convinced that losing her virginity will finally make her cool. A punk and brutally honest depiction of the ways in which young women are socialized to have skewed and unrealistic perspectives on sex. Clinton, March 21.
3 Women (1977)
One of Robert Altman’s several masterpieces, this dreamy Palm Springs-set drama stars Shelley Duvall and Sissy Spacek as new roommates. As their relationship deepens, their personalities begin to blend, along with the psyche of a third woman: a pregnant painter (Janice Rule) who creates murals in their building’s pool. A must-watch for fans of Ingmar Bergman’s Persona (1966)! Hollywood, March 21. ALSO PLAYING: Clinton: Labyrinth in the Field: Films of the Japanese Avant-Garde, March 16. Dark Water (2002), March 17. Multiple Maniacs (1970), March 18. Mulholland Drive (2001), March 19. Original Cast Album: Company (1970), March 20. That’s Sexploitation! (2013), March 22. Hollywood: Zero Effect (1998), March 16. The Harder They Come (1972), March 17. The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), March 18. Infra-Man (1975), March 22.
MOVIES TOP PICK OF THE WEEK
OUR KEY
: THIS MOVIE IS EXCELLENT, ONE OF THE BEST OF THE YEAR. : THIS MOVIE IS GOOD. WE RECOMMEND YOU WATCH IT. : THIS MOVIE IS ENTERTAINING BUT FLAWED. : THIS MOVIE IS A STEAMING PILE.
TURNING RED
DEEP WATER Vic (Ben Affleck) is rich. By designing a computer chip used in drone warfare, he bought himself ample time to pursue his favorite hobbies—biking, cultivating a snail colony and quietly murdering the many lovers of his wife, Melinda (Ana de Armas). Based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith and directed by Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction), Deep Water savors the thrills of sadistic foreplay. “Finally, some emotion,” Melinda sneers when Vic confronts her about one of her affairs. Cuckolding him turns her on, but they’re both aroused by his vicious hunger to control her. Melinda’s conquests may think that they’ve captured a slice of her soul, but they’re merely pieces on the chess board that is her marriage to Vic—just like Lionel (Tracy Letts), a snoopy acquaintance who knows too much about their relationship for his own good. All of this is sick, slick fun, thanks to Lyne’s mastery of the film’s menacing atmosphere and the peerless pairing of de Armas and Affleck. Her teasing cruelty clashes delectably with his sinister stoicism, creating a confounding balance between their performances. Deep Water could have been a hysterical thriller about the horrors of having an unfaithful wife or a post-#MeToo indictment of a deadly husband, but it’s neither. Lyne, Affleck and de Armas have instead created an erotic game in which man and wife have an equal stake in the inevitably twisted outcome. Progress? Possibly. Entertainment? Undeniably. R. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Hulu.
AFTER YANG
A film critic once said all great movies are about being a human being who loves other human beings. That holds true in After Yang, but the film is also about being a being who loves other beings, human or not. Set in an unspecified future, it chronicles the quiet grief of Jake (Colin Farrell) and Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith), who are mourning the death of their robotic “son,” Yang (Justin H. Min). Jake believes Yang can be revived, but he’s more interested in using a device called a reader to immerse himself in Yang’s experiences—including his secret romance with a clone named Ada (Haley Lu Richardson). Ada’s longing and loneliness haunt After Yang—your heart shatters as you watch her hold it together, even when her eyes threaten to unleash a sea of tears—but somehow the film leaves you burning with hope. Adapting a short story by Alexander Weinstein, writer-director Kogonada (Columbus) fuses his deeply felt screenplay with sublime images, like a cosmic vista that represents Yang’s consciousness. When Jake falls into one of Yang’s recollections, a pale dot enlarges, becoming a memory. Therein lies the wondrous idea that defines the film—that a moment, whether beautiful or ordinary or both, can be a star. PG. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Hollywood.
DRIVE MY CAR
After you see Drive My Car, you will never look at snow, suspension bridges or stages the same way again. When you see the world through the searching eyes of director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, there is no such thing as mere scenery. There is only the living fabric of the places and objects that envelop Yûsuke (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and Misaki (Tôko Miura), whose compassion and complexity are a world unto themselves. Most of the film is set in Hiroshima, where Yûsuke is directing a production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. Misaki is assigned to be his driver, but their relationship transcends the divide between the front seat and the back. During drives, conversations, and surreal yet strangely believable adventures, their reserve gradually erodes as they reveal their losses and their inner lives to each other, building to a cathartic climax that leaves you at once shattered and soaring. The film, based on a novella by Haruki Murakami, isn’t afraid to face the agony of grief and loneliness, but Hamaguchi’s obvious love for his characters suffuses the entire journey with life-giving warmth. A tender, hopeful coda set during the pandemic could have been cringeworthy, but like every moment of the movie, it’s worth believing in because Hamaguchi’s sincerity is beyond question. “We must keep on living,” Yûsuke tells Misaki. With those words, he speaks not only to her but to us. NR. BEN-
NETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Fox Tower, Hollywood.
FEAR
Bulgarian writer-director Ivaylo Hristov’s Fear portrays humanity with brute honesty and moments of levity. Shot in beautifully ominous black-and-white, the film drops in on the life of Svetla (Svetlana Yancheva), a gruff widow and recently unemployed teacher living near the Turkish border who runs across an African refugee named Bamba (Michael Flemming) attempting to make his way to Germany. With the authorities bogged down as they deal with the many immigrants coming to Svetla’s dilapidated town, she finds herself reluctantly taking Bamba in while town officials figure out what to do with him. A fascinating relationship starts to take shape between Svetla and Bamba, despite the socially constructed obstacles posed by language, nationality and race. Before long, word is spread around town of the African man staying with Svetla, sparking rash speculation filtered through xenophobia, racism and misinformation. Hristov’s cleverly injected comedic beats in the face of absurd situations become fleeting as the looming danger grows, tapping into the gut-wrenching lessons of history that subconsciously warn the audience of what’s to come. NR. RAY GILL JR. On Demand.
In Turning Red, the latest kinetic gem from Pixar Animation Studios, 13-yearold Meilin (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) howls, “I’m a gross red monster!” Given her age, you might think she’s talking about pimples, but Meilin is speaking literally—when her emotions rise, she transforms into a fuzzy red panda. It’s a metaphor, but for what? Puberty? Coming out? Discovering a furry fetish? Audiences are likely to put forth dueling perspectives, which is a sign of the film’s smarts—it’s too sweeping and mythic to be confined to a single interpretation. Meilin’s mother, Ming (Sandra Oh), wants to perform a ritual to banish the panda in her daughter’s soul, but Meilin cheerily and firmly tells her, “My panda, my choice, Mom,” a characteristically loaded line from a studio that specializes in serving up allegorical baggage for all ages. Both kids and adults will appreciate that Turning Red, directed by Domee Shi, revels in Meilin’s panda-mode exultation—she beats up a bully and bounds across rooftops—but above all, the film is for girls Meilin’s age. As a triumphant “Pandas, assemble!” climax suggests, Turning Red, the first Pixar film with an all-female creative leadership team, wants them to feel both entertained and seen. PG. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Disney+.
THE BATMAN
“What’s black and blue and dead all over?” In The Batman, the Riddler (Paul Dano) poses that question to the Dark Knight (Robert Pattinson), but blacks and blues don’t figure into the film much—visually, morally and emotionally, it’s a gray movie. While director Matt Reeves brought a majestic mournfulness to the Planet of the Apes series, he seems utterly lost in Gotham City. His nearly three-hour film is less a narrative than a mechanistic survey of a political conspiracy that the Riddler wants to expose—the story starts after the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents not just because we’ve seen it before, but because Reeves is more interested in plot than pathos. Even the soulful, sultry presence of Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman can’t liven up the film—she and the Batman flirt so chastely that if it weren’t for a few F-bombs and clumsily
staged fight scenes, Reeves could have easily gotten away with a G rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. When Christopher Nolan was directing the Dark Knight trilogy, he tore into the Batman mythos with fervor, whereas Reeves just seems to be lackadaisically marinating in misery—especially when the film attempts an embarrassingly halfhearted critique of Bruce and the rest of Gotham’s 1%. What’s dead all over? The Batman. PG-13. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Academy, Bagdad, Cedar Hills, Cinema 21, Cinemagic, City Center, Eastport, Fox Tower, Laurelhurst, Lloyd Center, Pioneer Place, St. Johns, St. Johns Theater & Pub, St. Johns Twin, Studio One, Tigard.
HUDA’S SALON
This West Bank-set espionage drama opens on Israel’s so-called separation wall, reinforcing that the events of the film occur in a cauldron of sorts. Suspicion and oppression are stirred by invisible forces until they self-perpetuate, as filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad (Paradise Now, Omar) spotlights a baffling treachery based on true events. Huda (Manal Awad), a Palestinian salon owner, blackmails a client named Rema (Maisa Abd Elhadi) for the Israeli secret service, erecting a fence within the story itself. One half of the film focuses on Huda’s black box theater-style interrogation by a Palestinian intelligence leader, while the other is devoted to Rema debating whether she can tell her jealous husband that she’s being blackmailed. That mirrored structure should offer character insight, but script contrivances evacuate its promise. Huda’s interrogation too loudly and conveniently informs Rema’s domestic debacle, allowing for only flickers of organic drama between husband and wife. The gist, sharply explicated but thuddingly shown, is how state violence and conservative oppression prey on women until they prey on each other. While Awad is memorably doe-eyed, however, the movie becomes bogged down in the sociopolitical backstory of why she jeopardized her community. It’s a portrait of a traitor, but with a big dialogue box where her face should be. R. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Living Room.
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Oregon Beer Awards April 6th at Revolution Hall
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t s k an
ur o o
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JONESIN’
FREE WILL
B Y M AT T J O N E S
"PR Stunts"—most sounds the same
ASTROLOGY ARIES
(March 21-April 19): Singer, dancer, and comedian Sammy Davis Jr. disliked the song “The Candy Man,” but he recorded it anyway, heeding his advisors. He spent just a brief time in the studio, finishing his vocals in two takes. “The song is going straight to the toilet,” he complained, “pulling my career down with it.” Surprise! It became the best-selling tune of his career, topping the Billboard charts for three weeks. I suspect there could be a similar phenomenon (or two!) in your life during the coming months, Aries. Don’t be too sure you know how or where your interesting accomplishments will arise.
TAURUS
(April 20-May 20): I love author Maya Angelou’s definition of high accomplishment, and I recommend you take steps to make it your own in the coming weeks. She wrote, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” Please note that in her view, success is not primarily about being popular, prestigious, powerful, or prosperous. I’m sure she wouldn’t exclude those qualities from her formula, but the key point is that they are all less crucial than selflove. Please devote quality time to refining and upgrading this aspect of your drive for success.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “I’m not fake in any
way,” declared Gemini actor Courteney Cox. On the face of it, that’s an amazing statement for a Gemini to make. After all, many in your tribe are masters of disguise and shapeshifting. Cox herself has won accolades for playing a wide variety of characters during her film and TV career, ranging from comedy to drama to horror. But let’s consider the possibility that, yes, you Geminis can be versatile, mutable, and mercurial, yet also authentic and genuine. I think this specialty of yours could and should be extra prominent in the coming weeks.
CANCER
ACROSS
57. Pablo Picasso’s designer daughter
28. It forms part of the Poland-Germany border
59. Musical Myra
30. Cpl.’s inferiors
60. “Fight of the Century” contender
31. “Ruh-_ _ _!”
14. Hanoi bowlful
61. “Baba _ _ _” (The Who classic)
33. Take a sickle to
15. Pad kee mao cuisine
62. Prefix with -phyte or -lithic
17. Melon liqueur
63. “_ _ _-haw!”
18. Heavily promote the top of the house?
64. Edges (along)
1. Venus’s sister 7. Have a copy of 10. Adult ed. course, often 13. 1950 Isaac Asimov novel
20. Inhabitants of a necklace fastener?
DOWN
32. Gel pack kin 34. ‘70s prog rock supergroup, for short 37. Prank that’s never gonna give you up? 38. Honorary poem 39. “Born,” in some notices
22. Had food
1. Kind of card in a smartphone
23. Soothing plants
2. Actor Bana
24. “_ _ _ Beso”
3. Tennis’s Australian “Rocket”
42. English illusionist/ mentalist Brown
25. 1055, to ... someone who knows Roman numerals
4. German torpedo craft of WWII
43. Plaza Hotel girl of fiction
27. Campus in Troy, NY
5. Ancient Scandinavians
28. Top-left square
6. “Let me give you _ _ _”
47. Barely audible, in music notation
29. Smoke detector chirp, after getting fixed?
7. Daughter of Polonius in “Hamlet”
48. Assortment
35. Verizon’s onetime in-flight calling system
8. “_ _ _ serious?” (“The Dark Knight” quote)
36. Trademarked Intel chip
9. Three Little Kittens’ punishment (I mean, that sounds pretty dire if you really wanted it!)
50. Pong maker
10. Raison d’_ _ _
54. NASDAQ debuts
11. “_ _ _ Jump” (manga magazine since 1968)
55. “Hook” sidekick
40. Transportation for when you have to jump to avoid burning your burger? 42. _ _ _ Moines, Iowa 44. 1991 Naughty by Nature hit 45. 2.0 GPA 46. It’s often served with rice 47. _ _ _ New Guinea 50. Pose questions 52. Users who post about a group of Boy Scouts, then upvote it? 56. Delicacy in the cookbook “Fried Food for Felines”?
12. “Tao Te Ching” philosopher 16. “Based on that ...” 19. Rolling Stone staffers, for short 21. Wu Tang member, e.g. 25. CEO’s degree, possibly
41. It stands out against a standard dress shirt
46. Do art on glass
49. “Positive thinking” advocate Norman Vincent ___ 51. Tried-and-true 53. _ _ _ buco (Italian dish)
58. Cries heard in Tejano music
last week’s answers
(June 21-July 22): “Sometimes I prayed for Baby Jesus to make me good, but Baby Jesus didn’t,” wrote author Barbara Kingsolver about her childhood approach to self-improvement. Just because this method failed to work for her, however, doesn’t mean it won’t work for others. In saying that, I’m not implying you should send out appeals to Baby Jesus. But I suggest you call on your imagination to help you figure out what influences may, in fact, boost your goodness. It’s an excellent time to seek help as you elevate your integrity, expand your compassion, and deepen your commitment to ethical behavior. It’s not that you’re deficient in those departments; just that now is your special time to do what we all need to do periodically: Make sure our actual behavior is in rapt alignment with our high ideals.
LEO
(July 23-Aug. 22): Leo classicist and author Edith Hamilton specialized in the history of ancient Greece. The poet Homer was one of the most influential voices of that world. Hamilton wrote, “An ancient writer said of Homer that he touched nothing without somehow honoring and glorifying it.” I love that about his work, and I invite you to match his energy in the coming weeks. I realize that’s a lot to ask. But according to my reading of the astrological omens, you will indeed have a knack for honoring and glorifying all you touch.
VIRGO
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Starhawk, one of my favorite witches, reminds us that “sexuality is the expression of the creative life force of the universe. It is not dirty, nor is it merely ‘normal’; it is sacred. And sacred can also be affectionate, joyful, pleasurable, passionate, funny, or purely animal.” I hope you enjoy an abundance of such lushness in the coming weeks, Virgo. It’s a favorable time in your astrological cycle for synergizing eros and spirituality. You have poetic license to express your delight about being alive with imaginative acts of sublime love.
LIBRA
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In 1634, English poet John Milton coined the phrase “silver lining.” It has become an idiom referring to a redemptive aspect of an experience that falls short of expec-
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© 2022 ROB BREZSNY
tations. Over 350 years later, American author Arthur Yorinks wrote, “Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.” Now I’m relaying his message to you. Hopefully, my heads-up will ensure that you won’t miss the silver lining for any reason, including the possibility that you’re fixated on gold.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “This is the most
profound spiritual truth I know,” declares author Anne Lamott. “That even when we’re most sure that love can’t conquer all, it seems to anyway. It goes down into the rat hole with us, in the guise of our friends, and there it swells and comforts. It gives us second winds, third winds, hundredth winds.” Lamott’s thoughts will be your wisdom to live by during the next eight weeks, Scorpio. Even if you think you already know everything there is to know about the powers of love to heal and transform, I urge you to be open to new powers that you have never before seen in action.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Witty Sagittarian
author Ashleigh Brilliant has created thousands of cheerful yet often sardonic epigrams. In accordance with current astrological omens, I have chosen six that will be useful for you to treat as your own in the coming weeks. 1. “I may not be totally perfect, but parts of me are excellent.” 2. “I have abandoned my search for truth and am now looking for a good fantasy.” 3. “All I want is a warm bed and a kind word and unlimited power.” 4. “Do your best to satisfy me—that’s all I ask of everybody.” 5. “I’m just moving clouds today, tomorrow I’ll try mountains.” 6. “A terrible thing has happened. I have lost my will to suffer.”
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “All experience is
an enrichment rather than an impoverishment,” wrote author Eudora Welty. That may seem like a simple and obvious statement, but in my view, it’s profound and revolutionary. Too often, we are inclined to conclude that a relatively unpleasant or inconvenient event has diminished us. And while it may indeed have drained some of our vitality or caused us angst, it has almost certainly taught us a lesson or given us insight that will serve us well in the long run—if only to help us avoid similar downers in the future. According to my analysis of your current astrological omens, these thoughts are of prime importance for you right now.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Life swarms with
innocent monsters,” observed poet Charles Baudelaire. Who are the “innocent monsters”? I’ll suggest a few candidates. Boring people who waste your time but who aren’t inherently evil. Cute advertisements that subtly coax you to want stuff you don’t really need. Social media that seem like amusing diversions except for the fact that they suck your time and drain your energy. That’s the bad news, Aquarius. The good news is that the coming weeks will be a favorable time to eliminate from your life at least some of those innocent monsters. You’re entering a period when you’ll have a strong knack for purging “nice” influences that aren’t really very nice.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Never underestimate
the wisdom of being easily satisfied,” wrote aphorist Marty Rubin. If you’re open to welcoming such a challenge, Pisces, I propose that you work on being very easily satisfied during the coming weeks. See if you can figure out how to enjoy even the smallest daily events with blissful gratitude. Exult in the details that make your daily rhythm so rich. Use your ingenuity to deepen your capacity for regarding life as an ongoing miracle. If you do this right, there will be no need to pretend you’re having fun. You will vividly enhance your sensitivity to the ordinary glories we all tend to take for granted.
Homework: What small change could you initiate that will make a big beneficial difference? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
26. Fragrant garland 27. “General Hospital” Emmy winner Sofer
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