Willamette Week, June 21, 2023 - Volume 49, Issue 32 - "The Good the Bad & the Awful"

NEWS: The Fate of the Organ Grinder. P. 10

OUTDOORS: Summer Skate Dates. P. 28

FILM: Del Toro Dreams at PAM. P. 32

Our ranking of Portland-area lawmakers.

By Nigel Jaquiss Page 11

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM READING THIS WEEK’S PAPER

VOL. 49, ISSUE 32

Scabby the Rat might not be made in America. 4

A man fell asleep at the Gateway McDonald’s with a sawed-off catalytic converter between his legs. 6

Yamhill County seized Sheryl Lynn Sublet’s house because she was dealing meth from it. 7

Project Respond has performed 292 involuntary holds this year. 8

Beloved pizzeria the Organ

Grinder had two capuchin monkeys in its vestibule. 10

Capitol insiders love Sen.

Janeen Sollman’s pancakes 14

Senate President Rob Wagner “has the charm of a used mattress salesman ,” says a lobbyist. 15

Rep. Annessa Hartman was

“very aggressive in the charity basketball game.” 19

A lobbyist swears Rep. Farrah

Chaichi has a photo of Karl Marx in her office. 23

This week, you can listen to an orchestra of legit Dr. Dre fans play hits from his album 2001 25

The signature artwork at new bar Dirty Pretty has Zulawski’s Possession vibes. 26

“HEALTHFUL EXERCISE DELIGHTFUL PLEASURE ” is painted on the wall of the Oaks Park Roller Rink. 28

In between songs, Joanna Sternberg likes to discuss the Beatles, Red Bull, hoarding tendencies and ADD. 31

MoMA flew out 1,400 objects for the Portland Art Museum’s Guillermo del Toro exhibit. 32

JACKSON TUPELO 12.5SELECT PATAGONIA MEN'S BAGGIES UP TO 20% OFF MSRP

SOLTRAIN CLASSIC PADDLE BOARD In Stock Now!

$999.00

ALBERTA ROSE THEATRE •••••••••

JUN 22

JUN 23

CONSTRUCTIVE INTERFERENCE

presents

TRANSATLANTICISM

a circus tribute to Death Cab for Cutie a gender-bending burlesque cabaret

JUN 29 + 30

DRUNK HERSTORY

Queer history as told by Portland’s most intoxicated drag performers.

JUL 12

JOHN CRUZ + Johnny Helm

JUN 24

Dare to be different.

Dare to be desirous. Dare to be DAPPER.

Last week, WW learned that Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is crafting a city ordinance that would outlaw the public consumption of hard drugs, including fentanyl, and he’s proposing criminal penalties. We reported his intentions June 16 at wweek.com. Oregon voters decriminalized the personal possession of small amounts of hard drugs with the passage of Measure 110 in 2020. That leaves the mayor with a narrow window for reducing public use: He’s can’t unilaterally recriminalize the possession of drugs, but he can outlaw smoking or injecting them in public. Here’s what our readers had to say:

COLDANTEATER344, VIA REDDIT: “Still waiting on the abolitionists to do anything but complain that doing anything to help people or protect our neighborhoods is evil. I think a lot of people are done waiting.

a night of acoustic guitar magic with

JUL 21

“Mr. Telecaster”

ALBERT

LEE

JUL 29

REVENGE OF THE SCI - FI EDITION

JUL 20

DANIEL CHAMPAGNE + Amber Russell

JUL 28 RIDERS IN THE SKY

JUL 30

GREG HOWE + JENNIFER BATTEN

“I have a brother who’s been on the streets robbing people, doing drugs in public—broke into a guy’s house with a shotgun. He did a couple of years for that and was more of a human in jail and off meth but now just lives on the street, shoplifts and mugs people. The government has been giving him a pass for a decade. He refuses all treatment. I have no doubt he’s going to kill someone. Making public drug use illegal might be the only thing that saves his life and whoever is in his way. I’m all for alternatives, but it can’t be an alternative we don’t have or nothing.”

BRUCE POINSETTE, VIA TWITTER: “ALL his solutions seem to lean on criminalizing people. To put it another way, everything is either a path to increase the police budget and/or fill empty

jail beds. It’s a fundamentally destructive way to run a society, and we’re watching the effects in real time.”

SFAB, VIA WWEEK.COM: “This problem is not unique to Oregon, and 35 states have higher rates of deaths from drug overdoses than Oregon. However, Oregon has one of the lowest rates of availability for drug treatment. Oregon will not have much success in dealing with this problem until they put many more resources into prevention, treatment and enforcement. With enforcement focused on keeping the supply from coming into the state and finding and arresting the manufacturers and sellers.

“There is no magic bullet that will solve this problem that is the No. 1 killer of people between the ages of 18 and 49 in this country. Countries that have legalized some use of illegal drugs have had some success at reducing the use and deaths, but they also increased their prevention and treatment efforts. Addiction is a disease, and making any disease

Dr. Know

BY MARTY SMITH @martysmithxxx

a crime is no cure.”

EVERYDAY ABOLITIONIST, VIA TWITTER: “Wheeler is on a carceral rampage.”

SLOM68, VIA REDDIT: “I’d also like them to start enforcing missing or stolen license plates.”

ZBIGNEW, VIA WWEEK.COM:

“Seems like more work for an absent/understaffed police force. Which of the limited calls they are responding to now will drop off the priority list to make these arrests? And even if they do make the arrest, will [Multnomah County] DA [Mike] Schmidt indict or will the revolving door just go into high gear? And let’s say Schmidt actually indicts; the understaffed public defenders office can’t handle the load they have now. How many cases will be dropped because they didn’t get their day in court in a timely manner? And finally, if this gets through the whole fucked-up system, do we have the beds in the jail to actually incarcerate them?”

BACONPANTHEGATHERING, VIA REDDIT: “But can I still hide in the bushes and smoke weed on my lunch break?”

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: P.O. Box 10770, Portland, OR 97296

Email: mzusman@wweek.com

newsletter in 1989.)

Since then, Scabby has doubled or tripled in size and spread internationally, becoming as indispensable to labor protests as Dancing Flappy Tube Guy is to tire store clearance sales. The rat used in last week’s protest appears to be the original (and still most popular) design trademarked by Big Sky Balloon and Searchlight in Plainfield, Ill., which created the first Scabby. By 2013, Big Sky was reportedly selling around 100 Scabbys a year, because management’s greed never sleeps.

two of MICHAEL JACKSON’S lead guitarists shred AUG 2 Vienna Teng

UPCOMING SHOWS

8/29 - LOS COGELONES

8/31 - KRUGER BROTHERS

5 Gina Yashere the woman king of comedy

9/1 - I PUT A SPELL ON YOU – NINA SIMONE TRIBUTE

As WW recently reported, a giant inflatable rat made an appearance last week during a labor dispute in Portland. I have seen this tactic deployed in other such disputes over the years. Where does one acquire a giant inflatable rat? Who makes them?

And are they manufactured and shipped by union-represented folks? —Kirby G.

I passed your question along to International Union of Operating Engineers Local 701, Kirby, but as of my deadline I hadn’t heard back. (This may or may not have had something to do with your final question, which reminds me of those guys who feel the need to ask every vegan they meet if they wear leather shoes.) Lucky for us, the rat’s history is well documented elsewhere.

Had IUOE responded, I was primed to let them take a victory lap, since they’re the union that first brought Scabby the Rat into the world. Riffing on the expression “rat contractor,” Chicago engineer and union organizer Jim Sweeney created the Ratmobile, topped by a then-unnamed 6-foot inflatable rat, back in the late 1980s. (The name “Scabby” was chosen through a reader contest in IUOE Local 150’s

Today, the link on Big Sky’s website for “Union Inflatables” takes you to the site of a different company: Brunswick, Ohio’s Inflatable Images, where an extensive gallery includes photos from protests featuring not only Scabby the Rat, but also Corporate Fat Cat and Greedy Pig—a veritable Labor Cinematic Universe! (It’s like a distant RC Cola to Marvel and DC’s Coke and Pepsi.)

One can’t help noticing that Inflatable Images’ website doesn’t include the words “Made in USA”—a selling point you’d think they’d make if they could. Also, seemingly identical versions of the characters above are for sale from Chinese-everything retailer DHGate. com. Are the unions—or rather, their American suppliers—having their rats manufactured in China? Maybe. But given that no one even makes bicycle tires on U.S. soil anymore, there may well be no other choice. (Short of doing without entirely, of course—but what could be more un-American than that?)

Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com.

MURMURS

Portland's Best Boiled Bagel

FORMER PRISON CHIEF EYES MEASURE 110

FIX: Max Williams, a former senior lawmaker, onetime director of the Oregon Department of Corrections and, most recently, ex-CEO of the Oregon Community Foundation, wants to fix Measure 110, the 2020 ballot measure that decriminalized many hard drugs and allocated cannabis tax money for addiction treatment. Williams, now a consultant, has been holding widespread conversations with people who want to make the measure more effective at connecting addicts with treatment. He is in the early stages of proposing tweaks to the measure. “My first hope would be that we could work on a package that the Legislature could consider taking a look at in a special session or in the 2024 session,” Williams says. He wants lawmakers to consider changes that would reduce the impact on communities and also do more to encourage drug users to seek treatment—and ensure that cannabis money funds evidence-based programs. As a former lawmaker, he thinks the best solutions will come from legislation debated and shaped in Salem, but he also believes there is ample support for a ballot measure if that’s what it takes. “There’s a lot of momentum toward repeal,” Willams says. “And while I don’t think that’s the right strategy, a ballot measure that allows people to consider adjustments might make sense if the Legislature doesn’t act.”

WHEELER TO OFFER DOWNTOWN BUSI -

NESSES A TAX HOLIDAY: Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said at an event last week he will soon bring an ordinance to the City Council that offers companies a break from the city’s 2.6% business tax if they renew or sign new leases in downtown Portland. Such an incentive is meant to both retain existing tenants and draw new businesses to the downtown core, where businesses fled commercial digs when the pandemic hit—and have been reluctant to return. “The mayor and his team feel this is a needed policy intervention,” says Wheeler spokesman Cody Bowman, “to preserve activity and tax revenue from office tenants that may otherwise decide to relocate out of the central city.”

CITY OMBUDSMAN HAMMERS POLICE REFUS -

AL TO CERTIFY VISA APPLICATIONS: The Portland Police Bureau refused to certify paperwork for three dozen immigrants who were eligible for special temporary visas given to crime victims, the city ombudsman says in a report released June 21. Federal guidelines say local agencies are not responsible for determining eligibility for an immigration status, but Oregon law requires them to certify applications. It’s generally a rubber stamp. The Portland Police Bureau, like many other agencies, had approved 90% of the appli-

cations in recent years. But that rate dropped to under 50% in 2021. An investigation by the city ombudsman concluded why: A new cop, Lt. David Jackson, was assigned to review the applications, and he was much pickier than prior reviewers. The ombudsman began investigating the bureau’s certification process after receiving a complaint from a woman who applied for the visa, but was rejected because police said they were unable to find “probable cause” of a crime. When she was 17, she told police she had been physically abused by her older domestic partner. The ombudsman reviewed the police reports, which included documented injuries and the name of a witness, and concluded the rejection “appeared to be an oversight, or poor police work.” In a response to the report, Police Chief Chuck Lovell said the bureau had reached out to victims in cases flagged by the ombudsman and was “happy” to reconsider its determinations.

Lowell also noted the bureau was conducting a “regional training opportunity” this year on the visa process.

BLAZERS REACH A CROSSROADS THIS THURS -

DAY: Will the Trail Blazers trade their third overall pick in the NBA draft June 22? General manager Joe Cronin’s decision will shape the franchise’s future for the next decade. Team superstar Damian Lillard has made two things clear in repeated public comments: (1) He would prefer to stay in Portland, and (2) he wants the Blazers to push their chips in, trading for another star so they can contend now. Any megatrade would likely involve sending out the third overall pick and guard Anfernee Simons. Which star Cronin gets back for that package is less clear. Speculation has swirled around the franchise, narrowing in recent days to New Orleans’ Zion Williamson and Miami’s Bam Adebayo. (Miami, however, wants to trade for Lillard.) The other option? Draft one of the blue-chip draft prospects, Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller, and risk the end of Dame Time. Read a full analysis at wweek.com.

SKIDMORE PRIZE NOMINATIONS OPEN: Help

Willamette Week honor four young nonprofit professionals by nominating them for the coveted Skidmore Prize. Awards include cash, a profile in WW ’s Give!Guide, and the kind of attention that makes an award-worthy nonprofit employee blush. We’re looking for people who are making a significant difference in the community through their work at a local nonprofit. Your nominee needs to be 35 or younger during 2023 and, more importantly, deserving of the honor. The nomination period is open now through midnight July 14. Read the details and apply at giveguide.org/skidmore-winners.

DAMIAN LILLARD

Cat Burglars

BY LUCAS MANFIELD lmanfield@wweek.com

Amid a catalytic converter crime wave in 2021, legislators tweaked the state’s laws banning the unauthorized sale or transport of scrap metals.

The following year, prosecutors put those changes to use. WW recently requested from the state a list of charges brought under laws affected by Senate Bill 803, which was designed to ease prosecution of people caught illegally trafficking in stolen catalytic converters.

What we found: In 2021, charges under those laws were brought in only one case. It was the theft of wiring and other scrap metal from an unfinished residential development in Forest Grove. 2022, however, was a different story. Prosecutors brought 65 charges in around a dozen cases.

And it appears that some of those prosecutions, at least, have made a difference.

In 2023, there was only a single charge, filed nearly six months ago, on Jan. 2. As WW first reported last week, that’s one of several signals that the catalytic converter theft spree is on the decline.

Gresham police report catalytic converter thefts are down 80% this year. In Portland, it’s harder to say, because police won’t. A spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau told WW last year that the bureau doesn’t have that data “on demand anymore” due to the high volume of public record requests. WW submitted a request for updated numbers May 31 and has yet to receive them.

Still, there’s ample evidence that the crime is down across Portland. “We still get a few,” says Jerry Clemmer, a mechanic at Darrel’s Economy Mufflers on Southeast 82nd Avenue, “but not nearly as much as we were.”

It’s helped that prices for precious metals contained in emission reduction devices have come back to earth after skyrocketing during the pandemic.

So, with the cat burglary wave receding, who actually got busted? WW reviewed the charges.

THE LAKE OSWEGO SYNDICATE

In August, Beaverton police busted a $22 million catalytic converter trafficking ring run from a suburban lake house. Its alleged ringleader, Brennan Doyle, 33, was a former Uber driver who allegedly teamed up with a few pals to purchase catalytic converters in bulk from street dealers, then shipped them cross country to New Jersey, where a separate criminal ring extracted the devices’ precious metals and sold them to a local refinery (“From Portland to Jersey,” WW, Nov. 20, 2022).

Doyle has been charged with 19 counts of the unlawful purchase of “metal property,” a misdemeanor, among other far more serious charges like racketeering and money laundering. His attorney withdrew from the case in April, and Doyle is waiting to be assigned a public defender. Five of Doyle’s associates also face scrap metal charges in Washington County.

THE BEND KINGPIN

Doyle, however, wasn’t the Oregonian hit with the most scrap metal charges last year. That honor goes to 25-year-old Cedrus

Mowing the Grass

New state rules make sure businesses structured like La Mota meet new tax compliance requirements for dispensaries.

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission approved temporary rules last week that require dispensaries and their owners to provide proof of tax compliance from the Oregon Department of Revenue when seeking a new license or annual renewal of an existing license.

The rules come on the heels of WW’s reporting on La Mota, the second-largest dispensary chain in the state, whose principals and affiliate companies have been issued more than $7 million in tax liens by state and federal agencies in recent years.

As they racked up liens for unpaid taxes, La Mota co-founder Aaron Mitchell bought dozens of properties in Oregon to turn into dispensaries—and the chain allegedly stiffed vendors, too. More than 30 La Mota dispensaries now operate across the state.

Gov. Tina Kotek, herself a recipient of the cannabis couple’s generous political giving,

directed the DOR and the OLCC on May 16 to clamp down on tax-noncompliant dispensaries.

Last week, the two agencies provided details of the temporary tax compliance rules during a meeting of the OLCC board. The agencies will set permanent rules later this year. Here’s how the temporary rules will work.

THE RULES

Each person with a 20% or more ownership stake in a dispensary must obtain a certificate of tax compliance from the state and present it to the OLCC to obtain or renew a license, or to change the business’s ownership or structure. “Compliance” means the person or entity is paid up in full, is on a payment plan, or is in an active tax appeal.

If, for instance, four limited liability companies with a 20% ownership stake are listed, each LLC must obtain a certificate of tax compliance.

King, who was arrested in Bend late in 2022 (he kept a residence in Medford) and charged with trafficking $7 million in catalytic converters. Medford police said he was a “key player” who bought up the stolen car parts and, like Doyle, shipped them out of state. He now faces 22 scrap metal charges, as well as two counts of racketeering. Prosecutors have asked for an “enhanced” sentence given King’s lack of remorse for his alleged crimes. His trial in Jackson County is scheduled for September. He declined to comment through his attorney.

STREET-LEVEL RANDOS

The rest of the cases reviewed by WW appeared to involve street-level thieves who were caught with catalytic converters, sometimes red handed. Most were in Multnomah County. Generally, but not always, the scrap metal charges were attached to more serious felonies like first-degree theft or drug dealing.

In one typical example, police responded to reports of two men “slumped over” in an idling car parked at a McDonald’s along Northeast Halsey Street in the Gateway District last July. One had a meth pipe on the dashboard in front of him—and a sawed-off catalytic converter between his legs. Two other catalytic converters were in the car, as well as a baggie full of blue fentanyl pills. The driver, who had fallen asleep with his foot on the brake while the engine was still running, said one of the catalytic converters was taken from the very car he was driving, which he said his girlfriend had previously purchased from a dead man.

The car was registered to neither his girlfriend nor a man. He and the passenger were both charged with felony drug delivery and unlawful transport of metal property, a misdemeanor.

One of the men, Pavel Kuzik, is currently in prison after pleading guilty to a subsequent December hit-and-run in Washington County.

The other, Yuriy Zvozdetskiy, failed to show up to a court date in March. He has yet to be assigned an attorney. A warrant is now out for his arrest.

Additionally, if someone has a 90% ownership stake in one of the listed LLCs, and that LLC has a 25% ownership stake in the dispensary, then that person must also obtain a certificate of tax compliance.

To put it more simply, because the rules are written to include tax compliance by “nested” LLCs, it will be difficult for someone—Aaron Mitchell, for instance—to form several LLCs and thus avoid complying with the tax rules.

HOW THE RULES APPLY TO LA MOTA

Mitchell and Cazares are the sole listed member and manager, respectively, of 60 active LLCs in Oregon. In a recent deposition for an ongoing court case, Cazares said Mitchell was the sole owner of 57 of the 60 La Mota companies registered with the state. If true, that means the new rules require Mitchell to be in personal tax compliance for each of the La Mota dispensary renewals.

One outstanding lien issued to Mitchell by the state in 2019 includes unpaid personal income taxes stretching back to 2015. At the time it was issued, Mitchell owed $600,000 in personal income taxes for 2017. The DOR declines to say if any particular taxpayer or taxpaying entity is on a payment plan.

More than two dozen LLCs controlled by Cazares and Mitchell have been listed on tax liens issued by the Internal Revenue Service and the DOR in recent years, suggesting the couple has unpaid taxes across dozens of their companies.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

The temporary rules are now in effect, but they kick in only for license renewal requests submitted after Sept. 1.

The Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon, the largest cannabis guild in the state, recently wrote its members that it had submitted “a large number of questions to the OLCC that are still unanswered at this time” about the new rules.

The tone of the email to members was anxious, with guild leaders warning that the commission had hastily cobbled together the rules after WW’s coverage of La Mota.

“This is a very fast-moving issue that is of great concern to the CIAO,” wrote executive director Jesse Bontecou. “That being said, we don’t have all the answers yet for how these rules will be implemented and what all the implications will be.”

At least one OLCC commissioner says the intent is to help law-abiding business owners succeed. “We want good business people. I do recognize that there is the ability for abuse with something like this, where we can get overkill,” commissioner Jennifer Currin said during last week’s rules hearing. “I’m hoping we can address a problem that we can easily identify.”

The rules already appear to be having an effect. The DOR says 18 marijuana tax customers were on a payment plan when Kotek announced the directive in May. Now, says spokesman Rudy Owens, 27 customers, who control 85 dispensaries altogether, are on payment plans. SOPHIE PEEL.

Police have cracked down on catalytic converter thieves in more than a dozen cases. Here’s who they nabbed.

THEORY AND PRACTICE

State of Oregon v. Sheryl Lynn Sublet

An appeals court ruling says voters outlawed civil forfeiture.

The Oregon Department of Justice is scrambling to save the state’s civil forfeiture laws after the state Court of Appeals all but ruled them unconstitutional earlier this year.

The state is looking to the Oregon Supreme Court to save the legal tool, which is most commonly used by law enforcement in busting drug rings. It allows police to seize not only cash and contraband but also the property where the drugs were grown or sold, resulting in long-standing criticism that it represents an abuse of police power. A few states, including North Carolina and Nebraska, have banned civil forfeiture outright, limiting asset seizures to criminal proceedings.

Oregon voters sharply limited the practice with a 2000 ballot measure that required law enforcement to first win a conviction before seizing property and then prove that the value of the seizure was proportional to the crime.

More than two decades later, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled in March that voters did more than just limit civil forfeiture in 2000—they rendered it unconstitutional.

The Oregon Supreme Court is expected to decide next month whether to review the ruling.

A lot of public officials hope it will. Attorneys for the Oregon DOJ, Yamhill County, the cities of Salem, Kaiser, Medford and Springfield, and the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association have filed briefs arguing the Court of Appeals overstepped, noting that the ruling “opens the door to a wave of post-conviction claims for violation of the Fifth Amendment” and could have a “potentially substantial fiscal impact” on law enforcement agencies that rely on it for revenue.

In other words, a lot is riding on whether the March ruling, first reported by The Oregonian, is the last word on the matter. “If this case holds,” says Zach Stern, the lawyer who argued the case before the Court of Appeals and won, “civil forfeiture is dead in Oregon.”

THE CRIME

There are, thanks to the legal oddity that is civil forfeiture, two guilty parties in this case. One is Sheryl Lynn Sublet, a 66-yearold military veteran who, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, became addicted to hard drugs. She subsequently got clean with the help of Central City Concern in Portland, working there for more than a decade as a case manager before moving to Yamhill County.

Then, she relapsed. Police walked into a Lake Oswego storefront of Federal Express

and intercepted a package of methamphetamine and heroin bound for her home. Sublet admitted to police the package was hers and that she planned to resell the drugs to 10 customers, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The other party is a piece of real estate: Sublet’s two-bedroom house, which prosecutors argued was instrumental to the crime. The Yamhill County Interagency Narcotics Team searched it twice, the second time in a 2018 raid with 30 police officers armed with flashbang grenades. There, they seized $50,000 in cashier checks from the sale of her Portland home, digital scales, and “trace amounts” of drugs, according to legal filings.

Sublet pleaded guilty to delivery of methamphetamine, forfeited her checks, and was sentenced to 72 months in prison. And, thanks to a jury ruling in a subsequent civil forfeiture lawsuit, lost her lone remaining asset: her house.

THE ARGUMENTS

Sublet appealed, arguing the seizure was both disproportionate and unconstitutional. The Court of Appeals ignored the question of proportionality and focused on whether Oregon’s civil forfeiture laws were constitutional to begin with.

Sublet’s attorney, Stern, argued that voters had acknowledged the punitive nature of forfeiture by tying it to a criminal conviction. The court agreed, ruling that the case should be dismissed on the basis of double jeopardy. The Supreme Court must now decide whether to review it.

Meanwhile, the cities of Salem, Springfield, Medford and Keizer have signed on as “friends of the court” to fight it. So has the Oregon Department of Justice, which noted there have been 1,200 civil forfeitures since 2009 and that the ruling would “have significant ramifications for criminal prosecutions.” (Disclosure: Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is married to the co-owner of WW’s parent company.) If the Supreme Court does decide to take the case, a ruling isn’t expected until next year.

Kevin Jacoby, a lawyer who works on civil forfeiture cases, says the state’s going to have a tough battle. “I think they’re going to be hard pressed to convince the Supreme Court that the Court of Appeals got it wrong,” he tells WW

In the meantime, Sublet’s sentence was commuted by Gov. Kate Brown. She’s currently living in her house—at least for now, until the courts decide its fate. LUCAS MANFIELD.

ROOM AT THE INN

Downtown Portland hotels are a bargain vacation.

last year, and we see opportunity for, and anticipate growth again, this summer,” says Megan Conway, chief strategy officer at Travel Portland. “We have a strong convention calendar this year and anticipate a robust calendar of events and the summer season will result in growth over last summer.”

And the numbers are better than they look, Conway says. Downtown has 40% more hotel rooms than it did in 2018, she says, and 2019 was the peak in occupancy.

But figures that control for supply show the same dead-cat bounce that occupancy does. Hotels in central Portland rented 215,000 rooms in April 2019, 155,000 in April 2022, and 167,000 this year, says Jason Brandt, president of the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Looking for a hotel getaway in July? As usual lately, Portland is on sale.

A room at the Heathman Hotel for the weekend of July 7-9 would cost you $161 a night, according to Hotels.com. A room at the Motel 6 in Seaside, meantime, is $240.

Why does a bargain motel in a kitschy town on the Oregon Coast cost 50% more than one of the nicest properties in Portland? Visitors are still afraid of downtown, says Skip Rotticci, a broker at Macadam Forbes who specializes in hotels. “Why would I spend a lot of money to go to a downtown location where crime is rampant?”

There are, however, signs that Portland hotels are beginning to rebound from the colossal crash caused by the pandemic, protests, riots and lingering blight. Occupancy in Portland hotels was 58.6% in the first five months of this year, up from 55% in 2022, 44.5% in 2021, and a dreadful 41.4% in 2020, according data firm STR.

Revenue per available room, a closely watched metric in the industry, appears to have bottomed, too, STR data show. After crashing to $41.92 in the first five months of 2021, “RevPAR,” as it’s known, was back up to $78.05 so far this year.

Portland’s boosters say they are optimistic. “Portland saw positive growth over the

“ We’re seeing some noticeable improvements,” Brandt says, “but we have a long journey ahead.”

Brandt and Conway are both encouraged by a revival in convention business. The Association on Higher Education and Disability is coming in July with 1,500 delegates. The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science is bringing 4,000 in October, the same month the National Association of Minority Architects is coming with 1,200.

Bigger numbers are in the pipeline. Portland will see the largest convention in its history in June 2025, when the National Education Association will book an estimated 34,950 rooms, Conway says. In 2030, the NCAA Women’s Final Four is coming, along with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Another thing that can’t hurt: Kann, chef Gregory Gourdet’s gluten-free, dairy-free Haitian-inspired restaurant, won best new restaurant in the U.S. from the James Beard Foundation.

It might take more than dairy-free vegan foodies to fill the glut because more rooms are coming soon. Block 216, a new high-rise downtown, will have 251 Ritz-Carlton hotel rooms available in August.

“I don’t know who’s going to fill up those rooms,” Rotticci says. ANTHONY EFFINGER.

DARK DAYS: The Hilton downtown.

Held Up

Portland Street Response’s futile quest for authority to hold distressed people against their will shows previously unreported tensions.

BY SOPHIE PEEL speel@wweek.com

Just two months into the launch of Portland Street Response, supervisor Britt Urban encountered a problem mental health clinicians couldn’t resolve.

“Today, we were out on the side of the freeway talking to a woman who was very unwell and dangerously close to traffic and acting erratically,” Urban wrote to the program’s manager, Robyn Burek, on April 21, 2021. “[Police] got there and assumed we would write a Director’s Custody, but we explained we are unable to.”

By “director’s custody,” Urban meant what’s more commonly known as an involuntary hold. Mental health workers authorized by Multnomah County can decide that someone in distress on the streets poses enough of an imminent risk to themselves or others that they may be held against their will. When a social worker writes such a hold, an ambulance takes the person to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation and care.

It’s the first step in a civil commitment, one of the more controversial practices in major cities battling homelessness and worsening mental health crises. In Multnomah County, 258 people may perform involuntary holds. Portland Street Response workers can’t.

That’s because county officials won’t let them.

For two years, PSR leaders have wanted that authority. The county

still refuses—and it’s not entirely clear why.

Portland Street Response is both widely popular and politically embattled, thanks to a city commissioner, Rene Gonzalez, who’s reducing its funding and a firefighters’ union that remains unfriendly to it (“Flame War,” WW, May 31). But the dispute over involuntary holds shows other tensions that threaten the program’s long-term prospects.

WW reviewed correspondence within PSR and between program leaders and the county since the spring of 2021. What emerged were two themes.

First, the clinicians who work for the program are divided on whether they should be performing such holds. Some don’t like the optics of working with police to effect what amounts to an arrest. Others argue such holds are sometimes necessary to help the most fragile clients.

“PSR has two camps,” wrote a former supervisor in the program during a recent exit interview obtained by WW. “Those who see themselves as Mobile Crisis Responders and those who see themselves as activists for the houseless community.”

Second, county officials appear skeptical that the newest arrivals on the scene can be trusted to perform work that county employees and contractors have handled for decades. PSR is stepping into the business of social services that the county runs—and the correspondence reviewed by WW suggests

some county officials view the program’s role as incompatible with custody holds.

The stakes in this turf war are high. The number of people unable to adequately care for themselves and acting erratically on Portland’s streets raises the question whether more civil commitments should be taking place.

“This is so complex. We are dealing with significant issues of civil liberties and the state’s power to hold someone against their will,” says Scott Kerman, executive director of Blanchet House. “And the other side of the coin is, we have adults who, if they were children, would probably be subject to significant action from Child Protective Services.”

Some 258 people are authorized to perform what are formally known as “director’s custody holds” on behalf of Multnomah County. Those with the authority range from residential facility workers to street outreach workers to treatment facility workers. Overall, the county gives employees from about 10 different county contractors authority to perform such holds.

Project Respond, a decades-old mobile crisis unit partly funded by the county, performed 435 holds last year and has performed 292 holds so far this year. The county did not provide statistics for the total number of holds performed in recent years under the county’s authority.

But Juliana Wallace, senior mental health director at Central City

PHOTO BY BRIAN BURK

Concern, one of the contractors to which the county delegates hold authority, says her organization has increased its authorized ranks in recent years due to more acute mental health outbursts among its clientele.

CCC added at least three such designees per operating facility, Wallace says, which in turn relieves Project Respond to go out on more calls on the streets. But involuntary holds, she says, are not performed lightly.

“ We do holds with extreme caution,” Wallace says. “We have a deep respect for the rights that you’re taking away when it happens. It’s a legal intervention.”

As soon as a hold is written and the person is transported to the hospital, a five-day clock begins for a county investigatory team to determine whether they want to bring a case to a judge, who rules if a civil commitment is warranted. Once the person arrives at the hospital, they’re psychiatrically evaluated. If they meet the criteria for being held, they stay until the county’s investigation is complete. If they fail to meet criteria, they’re released.

Police can write similar “peace officer holds,” but are sometimes more conservative when writing them.

Urban, in her April 2021 email, wrote to Burek that police officers “generally have a more black-andwhite assessment of a situation since they are not trained mental health professionals” and that when Portland Street Response has called cops for assistance before, they are “not willing to write a hold because they felt they did not have enough, as the risk was not as explicit as they would need in order to justify it.”

In 2021, Burek urged the county to grant PSR permission to write holds.

“I have tried for several months now to connect with the County around this topic,” Burek wrote in October 2021 to a city director, who then looped in a county supervisor to the conversation.

The county EMS supervisor responded later that day, suggesting PSR workers needed classroom time before receiving such authorization. (Everyone is formally trained by the county before being handed hold authority.) The program never got the county’s green light.

The county would not say directly why it opposes PSR having permission for holds, but health department spokeswoman Sarah Dean says the county is responsible for ensuring that “authority is properly extended and the hold is safe, constructive and defensible and that the designee is held accountable for their actions.”

In other words: legal liability.

“For the agencies that have individuals who [perform holds],

they have a whole hierarchy of governance that holds those individuals accountable for those actions,” says Jason Renaud, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Portland. “It’s not a power to be given out lightly.”

Dean says PSR has a direct line to Project Respond, which can perform such holds—and fewer than 1% of PSR calls ended in a call to Project Respond, she adds. “Expansion would require a significant expansion in law enforcement that needs to be present, and expansion in our ability to enroll, train, track and hold accountable all providers. Those resources don’t exist at this time.”

Ryan Gillespie, deputy chief of the division of Portland Fire & Rescue that oversees PSR, says the program has dropped the matter—and hasn’t asked the county for permission to perform holds since the end of 2021. “We may reengage this conversation later,” he tells WW

But as recently as November 2022, PSR workers were being trained on hold criteria, even though they can’t perform them. And the possibility was once again floated in Portland State University’s December 2022 review of the program, which noted that some officers within the Portland Police Bureau “said that PSR’s values to police would expand considerably if PSR could authorize holds.”

Other officers, the report noted, were less confident.

P olice Bureau personnel “warned of a slippery slope that could cast PSR too much into an enforcement role,” the report read, “which is antithetical to their philosophy and purpose.”

PSR’s future is less certain than it was last year. The program’s champion, former City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, was replaced by Commissioner Gonzalez this year, who ousted her in last November’s general election and is loyal to the fire union, which endorsed him. In recent weeks, Gonzalez has signaled he’s open to offloading PSR to the county or to a contractor. (Gonzalez tells WW he supports PSR having the authority to perform holds.)

In her original email to Burek in April 2021, as the city fawned over the new program, Urban warned that what she witnessed in its first weeks on the street was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Obviously, writing a hold is a major responsibility, and it should only be done in very specific and limited circumstances (as it is taking away someone’s civil rights),” Urban wrote, “but after being out in the field for just a short time with PSR, I am already seeing the need in our context.”

wynton marsalis

jimmie herrod

the music critic with john malkovich

OWNER: You Fa Inc.

WHY IT’S EMPTY: The pandemic struck (and, before that, Chuck E. Cheese muscled in).

Organ Donor

The glass structure once home to the Organ Grinder is poised for another trip to the buffet.

BY ANTHONY EFFINGER aeffinger@wweek.com

This is the story of a vacant building on Southeast 82nd Avenue, of which there are many.

It’s also a story about a man who fell in love with a silent movie-era theater organ and started a pizza restaurant to support it, with the help of Oregon’s original tech entrepreneur.

From 1973 to 1996, the angular building at the corner of Southeast Raymond Street was home to the Organ Grinder, an 1890s-themed pizzeria where the star of the show was a monstrous 1927 Wurlitzer organ. Through a combination of electric circuits and air pressure, the four-level keyboard activated 4,000 pipes (some of which were 32 feet high) and a motley array of drums, cymbals, marimbas, castanets— anything one operator needed to mimic the sounds of an orchestra, a choir, a train whistle, a telephone, and even birds or wind.

More recently, the building was home to the Super King Buffet, an Asian restaurant that closed during the pandemic in 2020, leaving another void on 82nd Avenue.

The building is owned by an entity called You Fa Inc., according to state records, which is controlled by Wen Xu. We couldn’t locate Xu, but on Sunday, a man named George Shi was at work on the building. He says he’s the leaseholder and plans to reopen his restaurant as the “Super King Buffet II” in the next month or so.

Shi says he closed during the pandemic because he couldn’t get enough help to keep his restaurant open. Now he’s ready for another go, he says.

“If you know how to eat it, we know how to make it,” Shi says in an interview outside the rear door of the restaurant. “If you know how to pay for it, I know how to get it.”

But the organ is long gone, and it’s not coming back. The story of how it ended up on 82nd Avenue starts with Portlander Dennis Hedberg, now 81.

Hedberg loved organs. During the silent movie era, a pianist would play along with the movie to add sound. Larger theaters had orchestras, which were expensive. The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company and others made an alternative: an organ played by one person that could mimic an orchestra and make all the sounds one might hear in a movie. At the peak of its popularity in 1926, Wurlitzer was shipping one organ a day.

Wurlitzer stopped making theater organs in 1943, according to Smithsonian magazine, and by the time Hedberg came along, they were expensive curios. Organ lovers rescued the machines from decrepit movie palaces.

When San Francisco’s Paramount Theater closed in 1965, Hedberg went to inspect its organ for another enthusiast, Howard Vollum, founder of Tektronix, the OG of Oregon’s Silicon Forest. Tektronix made oscilloscopes—machines that create visual displays of electrical current so it can be measured and analyzed— and oscilloscopes made Vollum a lot of money, much of which he gave away.

Vollum bought the organ. Hedberg packed it up, brought it to Oregon, and spent four years reconstructing it. Vollum put up a separate building at his property on Skyline Boulevard to contain it, Hedberg says. In 1969, Hedberg

became an employee of Rodgers Instruments Corp., a Beaverton-based organ maker founded by two Tektronix engineers.

But Hedberg wanted his own organ. The hulking instruments were going homeless as old movie palaces fell to the wrecking ball. The Oriental Theatre on Southeast Grand Avenue was slated for destruction, and Hedberg bought the organ there in 1970, just before it was torn down.

Buying the organ was the easy part. Now he had to move all the pipes, some of which weighed 600 pounds. Then he had to store the thing. It took two warehouses.

At last, Hedberg had his organ, but it was homeless. Unlike Vollum, he couldn’t afford a private building. Hedberg tried to reopen an old theater in North Portland, where the organ could at least pay its way, but the plan fell through, and he let the theater lease go.

Then, he met two brothers, the sons of a successful restaurateur. One of them had an interest in organs. It was the early 1970s, and strange though it may seem, pizza restaurants with huge theater organs were a thing. Ye Olde Pizza Joynt in Hayward, Calif., was among the first, along with a Bay Area chain called The Cap’ns Galley Pizza & Pipes.

Hedberg partnered with the brothers, Paul and Jerry Forchuk, to open their own pizza palace. They needed a building and found one on Northeast 82nd. Built as a Thom McAn shoe store in the 1950s, it had been vacant off and on for years. By 1972, the owner was ready to sign a lease with just about anyone, Hedberg says. “It was a mess, but the price was right.”

The partners contracted with architect Will Martin (who would go on to design Pioneer Courthouse Square) and remodeled the building, putting a tower in the front to accommodate the tallest organ pipes. The front was all glass, so people could see the Rube Goldberg mechanics of the organ, which spread along one entire wall. The entrance was a square passageway modeled on the openings atop wooden “diaphone” pipes in a theater organ.

Hedberg moved in his organ, connecting the pipes, drums, castanets, tambourines, telephone bells, and everything else with thousands of feet of wire. An enormous blower, housed in a concrete vault, created the high-pressure wind that drove the whole apparatus.

The Organ Grinder opened in September 1973, and business boomed. “It was unbeliev-

able,” Hedberg says. A dough mixer from Franz Bakery and a rolling machine from Switzerland helped ensure the pizza kept up with the music.

Much of the clientele was families. Kids loved the theater organ and another attraction: two capuchin monkeys that hung out in the vestibule with a man playing a smaller street organ. Health codes didn’t allow wildlife in the dining room, so Hedberg hooked up a mechanical monkey that would bang cymbals along with the music. “It was a hoot,” Hedberg says.

The partners expanded, opening a disco called Earthquake Ethel’s in Beaverton in 1977 and another Organ Grinder in Denver in 1979. Business was terrific until the Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge over the Columbia River was completed in 1982, extending Interstate 205 and slashing traffic volume on 82nd.

“The whole area went to hell,” Hedberg says.

Another blow came when Chuck E. Cheese opened not far away on Southeast Powell Boulevard. The animatronic shows and arcade games crimped the Organ Grinder’s birthday business.

To keep the restaurant open, and his organ housed, Hedberg gave up his shares in Earthquake Ethel’s and the Organ Grinder in Denver and bought out his partners in Portland. He got help from his old friend Howard Vollum, who guaranteed a loan from U.S. Bank, he says. Hedberg hung on for another decade, but by then the building was falling into disrepair. The roof leaked and the parking lot needed repaving. The bank was breathing down his neck, and he didn’t have the money to repair a building he didn’t own.

So, he closed the Organ Grinder and put his beloved organ up for sale. “That was the worst day of my life,” Hedberg says. “I had to admit that this was the end.”

He took an offer for $150,000 from a buyer in Indiana, who came and crated up the organ. Hedberg couldn’t bear to take it apart after spending so much of his life putting it together. The man who bought it sold it for parts. Hedberg says he doesn’t miss the restaurant, but he does miss the old Wurlizer.

“For me, pizza was just a means to an end,” he says.

Every week, WW examines one mysteriously vacant property in the city of Portland, explains why it’s empty, and considers what might arrive there next. Send addresses to newstips@wweek.com.

DENNIS HEDBERG

BEAUTIFUL RUIN: The vacant Super King Buffet had a famous Portland architect and an organ built in 1927 for silent movies.

MIGHTY WURLITZER: Dennis Hedberg’s organ was a collection of castanets, marimbas, drums, bells and 4,000 pipes.

Our ranking of Portland-area lawmakers.

BY NIGEL JAQUISS njaquiss@wweek.com

WW news intern Lee Vankipuram oversaw data collection for this story.

Reader, beware: What follows is mostly gossip and opinion.

Ever since 1977, when we first began our biennial Good, Bad & Awful survey of metro-area legislators, we’ve started the story with that warning.

Normally, we traffic in facts and attributed quotes. But people in the Capitol—lobbyists, staff members and other regular observers—are uncomfortable speaking on the record about lawmakers. So for this issue only, we grant sources anonymity in order to provide readers with candid assessments of the Portland-area legislators who craft Oregon’s laws and shape its biennial $30 billion general fund budget. They fill out surveys—adding comments—and also tell us what they think in background interviews.

The consensus about this year’s session: Yecch!

Lawmakers did pass some bills early in the session: most notably a $200 million emergency housing package. But on May 3, Senate Republicans walked out. They blamed Democrats for overreaching on reproductive rights and gun control and, in a self-own, complained that bill summaries exceeded their reading comprehension. It amounted to a cry of frustration at Democrats’ electoral dominance and set the stage for last-minute drama when they returned last week.

In hindsight, the 2023 legislative session never could have been other than a train wreck.

For the first time in 20 years, the Senate got a new president: Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego), who rocketed to the Capitol’s top position just five years after being appointed to a vacant seat. His coronation left bruised feelings on both sides of the aisle. The House also got a new speaker for the first time in a decade. Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) took over from Tina Kotek, the first new governor in eight years. That’s three decades of leadership experience, replaced with rookies.

The musical chairs extended to both chambers: More than half of the 60 House districts sent new representatives to the Capitol, either from turnover or redistricting. The Senate, where the 30 members serve four-year terms (versus two in the House) welcomed eight members who were either new or in different seats.

So while Democrats maintained control of both chambers, they lacked the sophistication, experience and personal relationships with their GOP counterparts to defuse the minority party’s tantrum. It was like the Democrats got a new Tesla but couldn’t charge the battery.

On a more positive note, both chambers saw diversity unprec-

The Excellent

edented in Oregon’s lily-white history, with record numbers of women and people of color winning seats.

Former Sen. Rick Metsger (D-Welches), who served in the Senate from 1999 to 2011, returned to the Capitol this session as a lobbyist. He found lawmakers struggling to adjust to all the changes—including in-person meetings—amid the jackhammering, pounding and general cacophony of a $500 million renovation that closed many public and meeting areas.

“ Whether you are an advocate or a lawmaker, success in the legislative process hinges greatly on building relationships,” he says. “With two-thirds of the legislators serving only their first or second sessions, that is a challenging task.”

Thanks to the longest walkout in Oregon history—43 days—far fewer bills than normal got robust debate in both chambers. The Republicans’ June 15 return created a mad rush to catch up ahead of the session’s scheduled June 25 conclusion.

And while GOP senators deployed their nuclear option, Oregonians should also know that Democrats failed to solve the walkout problem with 2022’s Measure 113.

Instead of changing the definition of a quorum—the number of lawmakers who must be present in a chamber to pass bills—from two-thirds to a simple majority, the rule in 45 states, Oregon chose to be exceptional. That cost lawmakers and, more importantly, harmed the general public that depends on them to do their jobs.

“The learning curve is steep under the best of circumstances,” Metsger says. “But with the walkout, everyone seems to be making up plays as they go without a clear idea of where the goal posts are or how to get there.”

With so many new names and such dysfunction, it would be understandable if our jurors admitted to being baffled. But some clear themes emerged: Housing and homelessness and the related issues of mental illness and addiction are top of mind. In fact, they are of such importance that Oregon’s vaunted land use system faces its greatest threat in 50 years, as lawmakers confront the difficult balance between protecting what makes Oregon special and providing the most basic human services.

Let’s hope they are up to the task. Our respondents had thoughts on that.

Some new names rose to the top of this year’s rankings. Rep. Dacia Grayer (D-Southwest Portland) is hardly well known, but those we surveyed think she should be. Sen. Kate Lieber (D-Southwest Portland) also scored highly. Meanwhile, two of the three GOP House members in our survey, Reps. Brian Stout (R-Columbia City) and James Hieb (R-Canby) racked up historically abysmal scores.

Here’s how they and the rest of the metro-area lawmakers scored this year:

Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber

D-SOUTHWEST PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

8.26

8.31 INTEGRITY

8.78 BRAINS

7.7 EFFECTIVENESS

Lieber, 56, a former prosecutor turned community college instructor, brings the skills both those jobs require: She’s capable of busting heads but also of herding cats. “She’s the future, and we are lucky for that,” says a health care lobbyist.

In a hidebound chamber where the average member is eligible for Social Security, Lieber’s energy and her sense of humor set her apart. No surprise that she rose to Senate majority leader in her first term and would be a good bet to replace Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) if his colleagues decide his first term should also be his last.

The Good

D-NORTHEAST PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

7.69

8 INTEGRITY

8.16 BRAINS

6.92 EFFECTIVENESS

A phlegmatic former community college English professor, Dembrow, 71, chairs the Senate Education Committee. “His humor is so dry it would kill a cactus,” says one staffer. “Wonderful person,” says a business lobbyist. “Has learned how to compromise to get results.”

Now in his 15th year in the Legislature, Dembrow passed a bill that expanded the opportunity to expunge juvenile convictions and another that aimed to improve drug treatment for inmates. A strong environmentalist, he also co-chairs the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources. A zenlike presence amid a needy group, he channeled his inner academic in a widely read newsletter. “Absolutely devastating when he leaves, as his newsletters were all some of us had to show employers and clients that we were ‘in the know,’” says one longtime lobbyist.

D-NORTHWEST PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

7.51

7.6 INTEGRITY

8.07 BRAINS

6.86 EFFECTIVENESS

An intense family practice physician, Steiner, 60, like most of her medical colleagues, catches flak for reminding colleagues regularly of her credentials, but even her detractors consider her among the most intelligent lawmakers. “Book smart—did you know she’s a doctor?—but not street smart in terms of in-the-building skills,” says a lobbyist. As co-chair of the budget-writing Joint Committee on Ways and Means, she’s also among the most powerful and has enjoyed no longer having to share her gavel with Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose), who left the Legislature to run for governor. “Hardworking and detail oriented—perfectly suited to crafting state budgets,” says a business lobbyist.

7.12

6.98 INTEGRITY

7.54 BRAINS

6.83 EFFECTIVENESS

A former auditor who brings an analytical mindset to lawmaking, Taylor, 56, fell short in a bid to replace Peter Courtney as Senate president. Already feared by many lobbyists, she became even tougher to approach. “Isolated from her caucus after a failed bid for president,” says a longtime observer. Taylor chaired the Senate Committee on Labor and Business effectively, although she infuriated many employers by unilaterally amending a bill that would have allowed hiring bonuses and put Oregon on an equal footing with other states. “Worst move of the session,” says a lobbyist. “Both public and private employers begged for it with strong real-world evidence.”

She led passage of Senate Bill 594, a labor-friendly bill that requires demolition jobs with more than $750,000 in public funding to pay union wages, and a bill that prohibits lobbyists from leading work groups that shape legislation. She also helped persuade Senate Republicans to return. “Can be tone deaf on some subjects and brilliant on others,” says a lobbyist.

Sen. Elizabeth Steiner

Sen. Michael Dembrow

Sen.

D-NORTHEAST PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

7.05

8.4 INTEGRITY

7 BRAINS

5.73 EFFECTIVENESS

In his second long session, Jama made the difficult transition effectively from advocate to lawmaker. Born into a nomadic family in Somalia, Jama, 49, fled his home country as a refugee and landed in Portland 25 years ago. He founded the social services nonprofit Unite Oregon and was appointed to his seat after his predecessor, Shemia Fagan, won the secretary of state’s race in 2020. This session, he chaired the Senate Committee on Housing and Development, which required him to mediate between an industry hellbent on meeting Gov. Tina Kotek’s goal of producing 36,000 new housing units and environmental and land use advocates determined to protect the state’s natural resources. He won over some skeptics. “How he handled the explosive topic of statewide rent control, via Senate Bill 611, was demonstrative of true leadership,” says one business lobbyist.

The Average

Sen. Lew Frederick

D-NORTHEAST PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

6.9

8.49 INTEGRITY

6.61 BRAINS

5.61 EFFECTIVENESS

Frederick, 71, a former television newsman and Portland Public Schools spokesman, is a steady influence on his colleagues, which helps explain his astonishing workload: He has no less than nine committee assignments, including subbing for Sen. Chris Gorsek as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation. Frederick led passage of bills that fix a loophole in rural fire districts and will outlaw a dangerous vehicle modification nicknamed the “Carolina squat” in which the front bumper is higher than the rear. Of all senators, Frederick scored the highest on integrity. “Conscience of the Senate,” says one longtime observer, “but needs to be more assertive.”

6.81

8.26 INTEGRITY

6.84 BRAINS

5.33 EFFECTIVENESS

In redistricting, Senate District 13 got sharply redrawn, eliminating the GOP voter registration advantage that enabled Sen. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer) to hold it for two terms. Into that vacuum (and a new 14-point Democratic advantage) stepped Aaron Woods, a retired Xerox executive. Woods, at 73 the Senate rookie of the year, brought military discipline (he served for six years) and private sector experience.

As a rookie, he got six committee assignments, a hefty workload, including co-chairmanships of the Joint Committee on Information Management and Technology and the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development.

Views on Woods were mixed. “He’s been noticeably effective for a freshman, especially on issues where he can use his tech background,” says a business lobbyist. “He’s kept his head down as a freshman,” says another veteran lobbyist. “Too far down.”

Sen. Janeen Sollman

D-HILLSBORO

OVERALL RATING

6.59

7.49 INTEGRITY

6.12

BRAINS

6.18

EFFECTIVENESS

Some lawmakers become closely associated with one issue. Sollman, 53, a longtime Hillsboro School Board member and employee of an educational software company, is among them. As she has testified, she grew up the daughter of a physically abusive father, which shaped strongly held views on domestic violence and substance abuse legislation. “One of the biggest hearts in the Legislature,” says a respondent.

Capitol denizens love the pancakes she periodically cooks on a portable griddle. “Word spreads like wildfire,” says one regular. This term, Sollman chaired the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment and co-chaired the Joint Committee on Semiconductors, which passed her bill to get $200 million to entice new investment. “Shined in her work on the Joint Semiconductor Committee and behind the scenes on related efforts,” says a business lobbyist.

D-GLADSTONE

OVERALL RATING

6.59

6.99

INTEGRITY

6.47 BRAINS

6.31

EFFECTIVENESS

Meek, an Air Force veteran who ran bars before moving into real estate brokerage and management, is the Senate everyman—and also a noted crooner who reliably sings “Happy Birthday” to whomever is celebrating. And with Betsy Johnson gone, the first-term senator has inherited her position as the moderate in the Democratic caucus around whom some closely fought bills pivot. “Adeptly figured out how to leverage his position as a key vote to push through his priorities,” says a Senate insider. Meek, 59, chaired the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue, a lower-stress post than in other sessions because of the state’s overflowing tax receipts. Like Johnson, Meek incurred the wrath of progressives. One calls him “a vengeful weasel, threatening the caucus agenda in order to placate the moneyed real estate interests.”

D-TROUTDALE

OVERALL RATING

6.28

7.42 INTEGRITY

5.95 BRAINS

5.47 EFFECTIVENESS

A former Portland cop turned community college geography professor, Gorsek, 65, possesses an unusual biography. “An old-school Democrat rather than an ideological one, he’s a voice of moderation in his caucus and a no-BS guy,” says a lobbyist. Gorsek missed much of the session because of open-heart surgery, and by the time he returned in early June, the Senate Republicans were gone. “His colleagues think well enough of him that senators on both sides of the aisle adopted his bills when he went out on medical leave,” notes a lobbyist. Two of his priority bills, SB 615, which makes it easier for cops to crack down on street racing, and SB 256, protecting Oregonians against fake airbags in vehicles. Colleagues felt Gorsek’s absence as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation. That committee’s agenda included funding a new Interstate Bridge and finding a path forward on tolling. Both efforts went mostly sideways.

6.28

7.42

6.58

Although Weber’s home is on the coast, her newly drawn district sprawls from Astoria to Lincoln City and into western Multnomah County, making it among the most politically diverse and evenly balanced in the state (registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 1.2%). A retired elementary schoolteacher and former mayor of Tillamook, Weber, 76, brings a softer touch to Salem than her longtime predecessor, centrist Democrat Betsy Johnson, although lobbyists were surprised at the zeal behind her conservatism. “She’s got a lot of Jesus in her,” says one.

Weber served as vice chair of the Senate Committee on Education but made little impression before Republicans walked out. “Extremely kind and surprisingly quiet,” says a staffer. “Her reputation in the House was ‘grandma bulldog,’ but I don’t recall seeing it much so far in the Senate.”

Sen. Chris Gorsek

Sen. Mark Meek

Sen. Suzanne Weber

Senate President Rob Wagner

D-LAKE OSWEGO

OVERALL RATING

6.18

6.4 INTEGRITY

6.95 BRAINS

5.18 EFFECTIVENESS

Seldom has anyone risen faster in Salem than Wagner, 50, who before his appointment in 2018 to replace Sen. Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin) worked in administration at Portland Community College and before that as longtime lobbyist for the American Federation of Teachers. Always ambitious, Wagner vaulted to the head of the pack of lawmakers itching to succeed Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem), who ruled the Senate for two decades. The father of four has little time for one of his favorite hobbies—playing the guitar—as he tries to ride herd on the fractious Senate. Many observers blame him for the duration of the Republican walkout. “A very effective majority leader, he’s proven the Peter Principle as Senate president,” says a longtime lobbyist.

He is still learning, but it’s unusual for a chamber leader to score so low. “Has the charisma and charm of a used mattress salesman,” says a progressive lobbyist.

The Bad

Sen. Wlnsvey Campos

R-THE DALLES

OVERALL RATING

5.66

6.14 INTEGRITY

6.5 BRAINS

4.33 EFFECTIVENESS

A gregarious purveyor of wood stoves and hot tubs, Bonham, 46, moved up to the Senate this session after the retirement of Sen. Chuck Thomson (R-Hood River). He won a seat in a district where Democrats hold a 2-point voter registration advantage, in part because he acquitted himself well in two House terms and has shown a willingness to cross the aisle. (Bonham was the chief sponsor of Senate Bill 449 that passed before the walkout and expanded college tuition and breaks on all fees for foster children who have been adopted.)

A fiery competitor in the Senate vs. House basketball game, which his team won this year, he broke two teeth and bent his back in this year’s contest. (In a bipartisan moment, Rep. Hai Pham [D-Hillsboro], a dentist, helped with on-court emergency dental care.) He hasn’t fared much better on the job. “Smart, tough cookie,” says one lobbyist, “but brash style makes him ineffective in the minority.”

D-ALOHA

OVERALL RATING

5.44

6.97 INTEGRITY

4.97 BRAINS

4.37

EFFECTIVENESS

By far the youngest member of the Senate at 27, Campos moved up after just one term in the House to claim a seat long held by Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick (D-Portland).

“Has a lot of potential, but she has yet to realize how to effect change,” says a progressive lobbyist. Many found her hard to read: “Lobbying her is like lobbying a houseplant.”

Campos, who grew up on the Central Coast and was often homeless as a child, has worked as a case manager for a transitional housing nonprofit. She co-chaired the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Services. “Not always clear she’s paying attention in committee and isn’t a curious person in meetings,” says a health care lobbyist.

Sen. Daniel Bonham

The Excellent The Good House

Rep. Dacia Grayber

OVERALL RATING

8.27

8.64 INTEGRITY

8.25 BRAINS

7.91

EFFECTIVENESS

A firefighter for Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue in her day job, Grayber, 48, rocketed to the top of this year’s rankings. “Smart, tough and a quick learner” was a typical assessment. People say the experience of helping her husband, also a firefighter, battle for insurance coverage for what the couple believes was workplace-induced cancer shaped her. Grayber led passage of a bill that extends retired public employees’ ability to come back to work for unlimited hours without losing pension benefits. She also shepherded a bill aimed at curbing violent extremism.

Grayber chaired the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans. She (along with Sen. Kathleen Taylor) led passage of Senate Bill 592 to step up state inspection of dangerous workplaces. “She does a very good job of retail politics,” says another lobbyist. “Not surprised people like her.”

Rep. Ben Bowman D-TIGARD

OVERALL RATING

8.23

8.35 INTEGRITY

8.74 BRAINS

7.58 EFFECTIVENESS

Bowman, 31, our rookie of the year in the House, is a rookie in name only. A lanky former legislative staffer, he won election to the Tigard-Tualatin School Board before capturing his House seat. He works in school administration and hosts a political podcast with Reagan Knopp, the son and chief of staff of Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend). He’s a seventh-generation Oregonian in Salem to do things rather than make a name for himself. “He’s smart, hardworking and a team player,” says a progressive lobbyist. “He hired good staff and knows what he’s doing.”

Bowman worked on a bill that ensures treatment for people possibly exposed to HIV, and is on track to win passage of a bill that would transfer Southwest Hall Boulevard from state to local control. “Best new legislator,” says a health care lobbyist. “Does his homework, thoughtful, willing to move, and accessible.”

Rep. Rob Nosse

D-SOUTHEAST PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

7.72

7.69 INTEGRITY

7.81 BRAINS

7.65 EFFECTIVENESS

A former union organizer now in his fifth term, Nosse, 55, chaired the busy House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care, which handled big bills on hospital staffing, expansion of mental health and addiction treatment, and Measure 110, the controversial 2020 drug decriminalization bill. His biggest win, passage of a hospital staffing bill, came 20 years after workers first propsed it.

An everyman who uses the Hawthorne Boulevard coffee house Oui Presse as his district office, Nosse has a lot of fans, in part, one lobbyist says, because he’s an open book and, unlike most lawmakers, he carefully reads the bills that come before him. “The legislator easiest to relate to, puts the work in every day to stay educated on issues and listen to others,” says a health care lobbyist. The knock on him: He’s not always firm in his beliefs. “Can be swayed by the last person he talks to,” says a health care lobbyist.

D-NORTHWEST PORTLAND OVERALL RATING

7.57

7.85 INTEGRITY

8.24 BRAINS

6.61

EFFECTIVENESS

A Kaiser pulmonologist in her day job, the second-term lawmaker moved away from health care this session to focus on arguably the state’s most pressing issue as chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee. In that role, she pressed for passage of House Bill 2002, which would set goals for speeding development, and House Bill 3414, which would chop away many state and land use protections and rules that advocates and developers say impede housing production. “Wants to roll up her sleeves and solve problems through collaboration,” says one lobbyist.

Dexter, 50, also led the charge on House Bill 2395, aimed at reducing opioid overdose deaths. “Her focus on fentanyl poisoning will literally help save lives,” says a lobbyist. The knock on Dexter: “Still suffers from smart-doctor syndrome.”

OVERALL RATING

7.53

7.77 INTEGRITY

7.28

BRAINS

7.55 EFFECTIVENESS

Sanchez, 61, took a major step up this session, trading her gavel as chair of the House Judiciary Committee for co-chair of the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee. She’s handled the jump with the calm assurance that has marked her four terms. A longtime leader at the Native American Youth and Family Center, she helped raise 18 foster children.

A person in recovery, Sanchez has pushed for greater access to mental health and addiction services and, unsuccessfully, higher beer and wine taxes. “Sanchez has called an all-out war on alcohol and believes that taxation is the key to making us all stop drinking,” says one critic. She killed a bill on the House floor that would have expanded home delivery of beer and cider. It’s unusual for a bill to die after it’s sent to the floor and even rarer for the beer and wine industry to suffer a setback. “Just because she’s quiet,” says a progressive lobbyist, “doesn’t mean she’s not tracking.”

7.49

7.62 INTEGRITY

8.09 BRAINS

6.75 EFFECTIVENESS

Reynolds, 59, is sometimes overshadowed by the other members of the westside medical corps—Sen. Elizabeth Steiner and Rep. Maxine Dexter. The low-key pediatrician chairs the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services. “Smart and savvy,” says a lobbyist who is much more critical of the other two doctors. She worked with Republicans to pass a bill requiring insurers to pay out 70% of the value of a home’s contents even if the homeowner has no inventory of possessions—a win for people in the rural fire belt. She came up just short on a bill that would have banned flavored tobacco statewide. Not everybody loves Reynolds. One staffer says she smacks of “elitist entitlement,” but the consensus is, she’s growing into her job. “Has really stepped up her game for the ’23 session,” says a public sector lobbyist. “Most improved sophomore.”

Rep. Hai Pham

D-HILLSBORO

OVERALL RATING

7.44

7.84 INTEGRITY

Rep. Ken Helm

D-SOUTHWEST PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

7.2

7.5 INTEGRITY

Rep. Daniel Nguyen

D-LAKE OSWEGO

OVERALL RATING

7.06

7.61 INTEGRITY

The Average

7.96

BRAINS 6.52 EFFECTIVENESS

One of the four rookie Vietnamese American candidates who won a House seat in 2022, Pham, 43, a pediatric dentist, earned high marks for being a quick study and for working with Rep. Cyrus Javadi (R-Tillamook) on two bills that expand the dental workforce and improve Oregonians’ dental health. “He reached across the aisle and included his Republican counterparts in health care legislation,” says a lobbyist. Pham also won a lot of friends by installing a commercial grade espresso machine outside his office.

7.69 BRAINS

6.42 EFFECTIVENESS

A strait-laced land use lawyer—he’s made the vest a fashion item—Helm, 58, now in his fifth term, chairs the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water. Visitors to his office often linger over the photographic entries to Helm’s “big fish contest” meant to highlight angling skills. That puts him at the intersection of the battle over Oregon’s resources between environmentalists and loggers, farmers and anglers. And the comments about him show a sharp divide. “Rep. Helm has worked hard to meet the needs and concerns of Eastern Oregon communities that are facing serious and significant challenges with drought and water management,” says a business lobbyist. “‘If Helm were a Marvel hero he’d be Captain Disappointment,” says an environmental lobbyist. “Thinks he can work across the aisle, while those across the aisle just know they can take advantage of him.”

7.5 BRAINS

6.07 EFFECTIVENESS

Nguyen, 44, came to Salem with business and political experience: He’s an owner of the Bambuza restaurant chain and served on the Lake Oswego City Council. He was vice chair of the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business and a vocal member of the Joint Committee on Semiconductors. Progressives don’t trust him. “He’s a Republican wrapped in a Democratic voter registration card,” says one. “I think he’s smart enough to hide it, but that doesn’t make him trustworthy; it just makes him dangerous.”

But business lobbyists are happy to have somebody who speaks their language. “Pro-business Democrat, which was a great addition to the caucus,” says one of them. “Wish he would have spoken up more in committees to have a better sense of what he was thinking.”

Rep. Annessa Hartman

D-GLADSTONE

OVERALL RATING

6.98

7.81 INTEGRITY

Rep. Janelle Bynum

D-HAPPY VALLEY

Rep. Thuy

OVERALL RATING

6.97

7.11 INTEGRITY

6.96

8.12

INTEGRITY

Rep. Nathan Sosa

D-HILLSBORO

OVERALL RATING

6.94

7.31 INTEGRITY

7.13

BRAINS 6 EFFECTIVENESS

A member of the Haudenosaunee, Cayuga Nation, Snipe Clan, Hartman, 35, is just the third Native American elected to the Oregon House. (Rep. Tawna Sanchez and the late Rep. Jackie Taylor [D-Astoria] preceded her.) As a first-termer, Hartman got in the middle of a battle over how the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Commission should be constituted. Environmentalists want to preserve the status quo, which favors the Willamette Valley, while agricultural, timber and sporting interests want a greater share of representation. She argued the current system shuts out the tribes and advocated for changing it so members are appointed from the state’s large river drainages rather than by congressional district. She also showed sharp elbows, on and off the court. “Very aggressive in the charity basketball game,” noted one lobbyist, in reference to the House vs. Senate contest. “Stood up to [the Oregon Department of Transportation] on tolling,” says a staffer. “Smart move in Clackamas County.”

6.98

BRAINS

6.82 EFFECTIVENESS

Now in her fourth and probably final term, Bynum, 48, has carved out a position in the middle of her caucus. The co-owner of McDonald’s franchises, she’s too moderate for the left and, as a leader on police reform, too liberal for many Republicans. Outside her office: life-sized cutouts of the Obamas, Ruth Bader Ginsberg and one of her sons in his Ducks football uniform.

Bynum’s fearless, as evidenced by her willingness to publicly challenge then-House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland) to turn over power to a person of color. And although that effort failed, Bynum wields considerable clout as chair of the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business. “Excellent committee management skills,” says one lobbyist. “If all chairs ran their committees like hers, we would have been out of here by Memorial Day!” (She was a chief sponsor of Senate Bill 4, the semiconductor bill that passed.) Bynum is mulling a challenge to U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), whom she twice defeated in legislative races.

7.14

BRAINS

5.6 EFFECTIVENESS

An optometrist, Tran took over the seat long held by House Majority Leader Barbara Smith-Warner. She brought more political experience than many rookies, with previous service on the Parkrose School Board. This session, Tran, 56, served as vice chair of the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans, a nod to her career in the Oregon Air National Guard. Tran worked on bills that would beef up the workforce for early childhood education and create an incentive for state agencies to contract with companies that have “benefit company” status. “An overachiever and will patiently work with others to get her colleagues on board with her policy ideas,” says a business lobbyist. “Nice person, but it’s hard to tell if much sinks in. Seems to get conflicted between her ideological inclinations and what she sees in the real world.”

7.64 BRAINS

5.89 EFFECTIVENESS

A personal injury lawyer who formerly served on the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, Sosa, 39, got off to a reasonable start in his first session. He challenged some of the most entrenched financial interests in Salem, sponsoring bills that would increase regulation and oversight of the insurance and debt collection industries. “A rare (and welcome) voice for consumer protection,” says one lobbyist. Not everybody appreciated his zeal. “The trial lawyers’ new call girl,” sneered one staffer.

Like a lot of rookies, Sosa found there’s more to legislating than good ideas. “Hasn’t mastered the art of negotiating with those opposed to him yet, and seems prone to letting the perfect be the enemy of the good—but come back in five years and I have no doubt he will have risen in the ranks.”

Susan McClain

D-FOREST GROVE

OVERALL RATING

6.8

7.72 INTEGRITY

6.61 BRAINS

6.06 EFFECTIVENESS

A former schoolteacher and Metro councilor who first won election to the House in 2014, McClain, 74, cochaired the Joint Committee on Transportation, Joint Committee on the Interstate 5 Bridge, and the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education. Views on her diverge wildly. “The ninja of transportation. Nothing happens or gets by her. She’s quick to pick up and pull things together,” says a lobbyist. “The only thing holding her back are the other dimwits on the committee.”

Others blame her. “A good soldier, but no original thinking,” says an observer. Opposition to tolling and the scope of the bridge project complicated her work, as did the absence of Transportation co-chair Sen. Chris Gorsek. “She’s slipping, but still bulldogs her way through,” says a public sector lobbyist, who notes: “Couldn’t get the IBR bill, her top priority, out of her own committee.”

6.79

7.75

6.75

5.88

Nguyen, 39, an attendance officer for the Clackamas Education Service District, jumped into her rookie session with enthusiasm, even coming up with a Woody Guthrie-esque description of the contours of her district: “From Kelly Butte to Powell Butte, Barton to Carver.” Nguyen served as vice chair of the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services.

Respondents had little to say about Nguyen, who worked on bills on alternative transportation for students and improving educational outcomes for Pacific islanders. “Friendly, personable and, once she finds her voice, could be an effective legislator long term,” offered one GOP staffer. In testimony on a bill that would create a task force on campus sexual assault, Nguyen gave a searing account of her own experience while a student. “Her testimony was extraordinary,” says a veteran lobbyist.

Rep. Jeff Helfrich

R-HOOD RIVER

OVERALL RATING 6.76

7.25 INTEGRITY

6.83 BRAINS

6.19 EFFECTIVENESS

For Helfrich, the third time was the charm. A retired Portland cop and former Multnomah County sheriff’s deputy, Helfrich achieved a rare comeback in 2022, retaking a House seat to which he was appointed in 2017 but lost in 2018 and failed to retake in 2020. Most respondents think that Helfrich, 55, who now works for an aviation company, came back a better lawmaker. Along with Dexter and Jama, he was chief sponsor of House Bill 2001, which passed early and established aggressive housing production goals. “Unlike his previous tenure in the House, Rep. Helfrich showed up and worked on a lot of bipartisan legislation,” says a lobbyist. “This guy is a lot smarter than you think he is, and your underestimating—that is what he counts on.”

Rep. Jules Walters

D-WEST LINN OVERALL RATING

6.74

8 INTEGRITY

6.58 BRAINS

Walters, 52, entered the Legislature after serving as mayor of West Linn, where fractious politics belie the bucolic suburb’s placid appearance. She served as co-vice chair of the House Committee on Revenue and the Joint Committee on Tax Expenditures. Lobbyists struggled to get a read on her. “Hello, is anybody in there?” wrote one. “Best poker face ever or is she a Stepford wife?”

Like many of the representatives whose districts are adjacent to Interstate 205, Walters got engaged around a bill that forced a delay in the Oregon Department of Transportation’s plan to toll that highway. She also brought personal experience to bear on one of the most contentious issues of the session: “Walters describing what it’s like to be the parent of a trans teenager was a moment of humanity in the political process I won’t soon forget,” says one lobbyist.

Rep.

Rep. Ricki Ruiz

D-GRESHAM

OVERALL RATING

6.7

7.56

INTEGRITY

6.76 BRAINS

5.78

EFFECTIVENESS

Now in his second term, Ruiz, 29, is the youngest member of the House. He first won elected office at 22, joining the board of the Reynolds School District from which he graduated. A first-generation American, he’s also the first in his family to graduate from college. This term, he served as vice chair of the House Committee on Higher Education.

There may be nobody in this survey who is better liked by lobbyists and staff on both sides of the aisle. “If I had to pick a legislator to go to a comedy show with and laugh, it would be Ricki,” says a no-nonsense business lobbyist. “Nice guy,” says a GOP staffer. “Gets hung out to dry by his leadership way more than a guy who had a close election should.”

Pham, 44, came to the Legislature from a series of advocacy positions. Observers say she hasn’t wavered from that mindset. Pham aimed big, pushing a controversial $25 million guaranteed income program to give people $1,000 a month; divesting fossil fuels from state pension funds; and downsizing the Interstate Bridge replacement. None succeeded.

“Doesn’t realize she’s no longer an advocate and was sent to govern,” says a lobbyist. But she also co-led the charge to refer a ranked-choice voting measure and another to end walkouts. The latter bill proposed late in the session, defines a quorum as a majority of members rather than the current two-thirds.

Many cheer her zeal. “The only person who really cares to dig deep on natural resource budgets rather than rubber stamping whatever agency leaders tell them,” says a lobbyist.

Rep. Courtney Neron

D-WILSONVILLE

OVERALL RATING 6.61

7.76 INTEGRITY

6.28 BRAINS 5.9 EFFECTIVENESS

Now in her third term, Neron, 44, a former teacher, chairs the House Education Committee. “Definition of ‘average legislator,’” says one respondent. “She just wants you to tell her what she wants to hear,” says a business lobbyist. The ed committee used to be a plum post, but K-12 education has taken a back seat to more pressing issues, particularly after passage of the Student Success Act in 2019. Neron worked on House Bill 3043, which would require greater disclosure of toxins in products used by children. Detractors noted that Neron scurried to join the opposition to tolling I-205 this session despite having voted for tolling in 2021 (along with all other House Democrats): “The bell ‘tolled’ for this one when she realized she was on the wrong side of tolling during her campaign, biggest flip-flop ever.”

6.55

6.67

6.9

6.07

Valderrama, 34, who works for the ACLU of Oregon, got appointed when Rep. Diego Hernandez resigned in 2021. (She was one of the people who accused him of misconduct.) Some progressives love her: “Absolutely a rising star in the Democratic caucus. She works hard [and] has the right values.” But others noted the turnover in her office. “I’ve never seen a full legislative office quit during session before,” says a progressive lobbyist.

As the caucus whip, Valderrama’s job was to count votes. Respondents panned her performance. “Definitely doesn’t know how or doesn’t count votes properly—your job!” says one.

The prediction of more than one lobbyist: She’s a short-timer: “I assume she’ll be running for City Council next year—that may be a better fit.”

Rep. Travis Nelson

D-NORTH PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

6.42

7.05 INTEGRITY

6.7 BRAINS

5.55 EFFECTIVENESS

Nelson, a registered nurse and nurses union official, won appointment to this seat of the longtime incumbent, Tina Kotek, when she resigned in 2022 to run for governor. Perhaps the first lawmaker to show up in a sleeveless shirt-and-tie ensemble, he won notice for his sense of fashion. “Best dressed in the building,” says one lobbyist. Nelson also generated ink for an early session complaint that Oregon State Police targeted him for driving while Black—a complaint that police video did not appear to support.

Nelson, 44, served as vice chair of the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care, where he helped pass the hospital staffing bill. Some people found him scattered. “For someone who is a health care worker by profession, Rep. Nelson doesn’t seem to know how health care works,” says a health care lobbyist. “He could spend more time reading bills and less time on Twitter.”

The Bad

D-TROUTDALE

OVERALL RATING

6.01

7.14 INTEGRITY

5.76 BRAINS

5.14 EFFECTIVENESS

A special education teacher at Reynolds High School, Hudson, 43, is one of the leading advocates for changing the way Oregon votes—but rather than the ranked-choice voting lawmakers referred to the ballot, he’s an advocate for STAR voting, a more obscure variation. To some respondents, that captures Hudson’s quirkiness. “He’s just a goodhearted, weird dude,” says a progressive lobbyist. “Nice guy, but five-minute meetings feel like a whole hour,” says a public sector lobbyist. Hudson put in a lot of work on Senate Bill 819, which would require schools to provide more and better instruction to students with disabilities.

One of the Capitol’s longest-serving lobbyists has run out of patience with the second-termer. “A terrible legislator,” the lobbyist says. “Just a complete dolt and robot; thank god he has decent staff to prop him up.”

Rep. Mark Gamba

OVERALL RATING

5.78

6.7 INTEGRITY

5.86 BRAINS

4.78 EFFECTIVENESS

A former professional photographer, Gamba, 64, turned to politics later in life, winning election to the Milwaukie City Council in 2012 and moving up to mayor in 2015. He mounted an unsuccessful 2020 primary challenge to former U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) before winning this seat, formerly held by Rep. Karin Power. Observers noted he struggled being one of 60 members rather than mayor. “He’s got a lot of thoughts about a lot of things, and he really wants to share them with you,” says a Democratic lobbyist.

Gamba, who served as vice chair of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness, staked out a position on the left of his caucus and pushed for a smaller I-5 bridge and aggressive divestment of fossil fuel holdings by state pension funds. “Brought big ideas that went nowhere—needs to recognize what’s doable and what’s not,” says a progressive lobbyist. One idea still alive: a bill creating a task force to study a state bank.

Rep. Zach Hudson

Rep. Farrah Chaichi

D-BEAVERTON

OVERALL RATING

5.76

7.59 INTEGRITY

5.55 BRAINS

4.15 EFFECTIVENESS

Chaichi, 37, who works at a Portland law firm, struggled in her first session. She served as co-chair of the House Committee on Gambling Regulation. She also sponsored the controversial Oregon Right to Rest Act, which would grant people who are homeless equal access to public spaces. It generated a lot of ink but went nowhere. “Chaichi is the legislative equivalent of a toddler,” says a longtime Capitol veteran. “Lucky for Oregon she appears to be about as skilled at passing legislation as a 2-year-old would be.”

GOP lawmakers might decorate their offices with a photo of Ronald Reagan; Democrats, John F. Kennedy. Chaichi has a photo of Karl Marx in hers. “Likes to present policy ideas that are best reserved for a theoretical dissertation that only Marx would appreciate,” says a business lobbyist. “Totally ineffective, unrealistic and impracticable.”

The Awful

Rep. James Hieb

3.48

4.4 INTEGRITY

3.2 BRAINS

2.84 EFFECTIVENESS

Constituents in this Clackamas County district traded down when Hieb got appointed in 2022 to replace House Minority Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby), who quit to run for governor. A veteran who works in his family’s child care business, a visibly intoxicated Hieb, 37, got arrested last summer for refusing to put out his cigarette at the Clackamas County Fair.

“One of the oddest people I’ve ever encountered in the Legislature, and he’s had, charitably, a rough start,” says a lobbyist. “His [traumatic brain injury] history unfortunately shows, but after learning early in session from him about some of his hard personal history, I admire his effort to try to make a positive difference.” He was the only GOP chief sponsor of House Bill 2395, the opioid harm reduction bill, and gave an impassioned floor speech on its behalf. But mostly, people wondered why he was there. “Clackistan, you’ve done it again,” says a lobbyist who hails from Clackamas County. “Another village idiot.”

Rep. Brian Stout

R-COLUMBIA CITY

OVERALL RATING

2.17

1.71 INTEGRITY

3.08 BRAINS

1.7 EFFECTIVENESS

Republicans celebrated the redrawing of the district that Democrat Brad Witt served from 2005 to 2023. But their victory was an empty one—a Columbia County judge issued a sexual assault prevention order against the Republican, Stout, 55, a printing company owner, after he won in November. House Speaker Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) refused to give Stout any committee assignments, so he haunts Capitol hallways and hearing rooms like a ghost (a hearing subsequently upheld the order against him).

“Dude should resign,” says one progressive, echoing a common sentiment. “Legislative career blew up on the launch pad due to a blow job he claims he didn’t even want,” says one lobbyist. “The kid nobody wants to sit with at lunchtime.”

GET BUSY

JUNE 21-27

Saturday and Sunday, the heavy drinking gets underway on the property’s concert lawn, which will feature more than 100(!) craft brews and ciders from Oregon and Washington producers. If the former poor farm’s hotel isn’t already booked, might as well spring for a room and make it a whole weekend. McMenamins Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale, 503-669-8610, mcmenamins.com/edgefield. 6-8:30 pm

Friday, noon-7 pm Saturday, 11 am-6 pm

Sunday, June 23-25. $30 for a glass and 10 tasting tokens, $90 for Friday Brewers Dinner, $110 for Friday Brewers Dinner and one day of Brewfest, $130 for Friday Brewers Dinner and two days of Brewfest.

GO: World Beat Festival

approval. This first-of-its-kind production by Disney Concerts, the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, and the Oregon Symphony features more than 40 songs from House of Mouse classics like The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Mary Poppins. Newer hits from Frozen, Coco and Zootopia will also be performed. Video projections from the Disney film vault will accompany the music. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 503-226-2588, pdxgmc. org. 7 pm Saturday, 3 pm Sunday, June 24-25. $20-$65.

LISTEN: Poetry in Music 2023 Summer Festival

WORTH THE RISK: Risk/Reward’s upcoming 2023 festival features works that have never been staged.

DRINK: New Oregon Brewery & Cidery Showcase

Need to better acquaint yourself with the state’s newest crop of craft beverage producers? This event allows you to try their beer all under one roof. The 12 brewers and cidermakers who attend have all been open for a year or less, and each will bring two beers or ciders to sample. This year’s tap takeover spills into the street, giving everyone a little more room—including the brewers, who will be on hand to explain their background and work to excite every beer nerd. Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom, 3090 SE Division St., 971-3026899, pdxbeerweek.com. 3-8 pm, brewers and cidermakers present 4-7 pm Thursday, June 22.

DRINK: Rye Beer Fest

Go ahead and plan to make Imperial Bottle Shop your primary beer hang this week because the venue also hosts the Rye Beer Fest, which returns to Portland Beer Week after a six-year absence. By focusing on this particular adjunct, curious drinkers can taste how wildly different rye tastes in everything from a Pilsner to a saison to an IPA. Proceeds from the event go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness Multnomah, which will also have volunteers on hand to share information about free mental health resources in Portland and beyond. Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom, 3090 SE Division St., 971-3026899, pdxbeerweek.com. 3-10 pm Friday, June 23.

means the Montavilla business faces high expectations this time around while also acting as host. And owners Jarek and Sara Szymanski have some tough competition: chef Doug Adams and brewer Whitney Burnside of Grand Fir Brewing along with StormBreaker, Great Notion and Vice Beer—one of the newer entries in the Vancouver, Wash., market. Come hungry because these burgers may be small, but they’re very filling. Threshold Brewing & Blending, 403 SE 97th Ave., 503-4778789, pdxbeerweek.com. 5-8 pm Friday, June 23. Burgers $6, a burger and 5-ounce beer pairing $8, VIP access $50.

LISTEN: An Orchestral Rendition of Dr. Dre 2001

Dre Day at the Crystal Ballroom promises to deliver a musical rendition of the rapper’s iconic second studio album, 2001, like you’ve never heard it before. A modern orchestra of bona fide Dre fans will play hits like “Still Dre” and “The Next Episode,” while a production team projects images to accompany the songs. This tribute to one of the greatest rappers and producers of all time should release a wave of millennium nostalgia, which is just what the Dr. ordered. McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 503-2250047, crystalballroompdx.com. 9 pm

Friday, June 23. $25-$45. 21+.

DRINK: McMenamins Edgefield Brewfest

What started decades ago as simply a dream shared by two young moms has grown into a long-running Salem tradition. The World Beat Festival is a celebration of diversity that highlights the culture of a different country every year. This time around, the Philippines will be showcased, and you can expect everything from an international food court to live music to dragon boat races to a beer garden. It remains true that trips to Salem should be few and far between, but this event, held on the sprawling waterfront, is actually worth the drive to our state capital. Riverfront City Park, 200 Water St. NE, Salem, 503-581-2004, salemmulticultural.org. 5-11 pm Friday, 10 am-11 pm Saturday, 11 am-6 pm Sunday, June 23-25. $10 for adults and teens; kids 14 and under and SNAP cardholders free.

WATCH: Ten, Tiny, Talks

Portland Pride may have moved to July, but there are still plenty of events this month that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. One not to miss is Ten, Tiny, Talks, a series of 10 performances by and for Black and Indigenous queer and trans people. You can expect three days of film screenings, drag performances and a street fair, as well as an opening night red carpet ceremony, so dress to impress. Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 971-808-3331, cstpdx.com. 6 pm Friday-Sunday, June 23-25. $15-$50.

WATCH: 2023 Risk/Reward Festival of New Performance

Chamber Music Northwest hosts its 53rd consecutive summer festival, whose title and theme this year is Poetry in Music to highlight the masterfully written verses in songs played by small instrumental ensembles. The five-week event kicks off Saturday and, during its run, features more than 70 musicians from around the globe. There are far too many performances to list here, but participating venues range from the new Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton to Lincoln Recital Hall at Portland State University to the Alberta Rose Theatre. Also keep an eye out for free outdoor community concerts and pop-up events at farmers markets and other public places. Multiple locations, 503-223-3202, cmnw.org. Multiple times and days, June 24-July 29. Prices vary.

DRINK & EAT: Portland Beer and Cheese Fest

We’re still mourning the loss of downtown’s Chizu and Cheese Bar in Mount Tabor, Steve Jones’ duo of beloved dairy dens. But we can celebrate the return of the Portland Beer and Cheese Fest, which the master cheesemonger helped curate. Work your way through 10 beer and cheese pairings, plus chocolate from Xocolatl de David, Olympia Provisions charcuterie, and an exclusive new flavor of Salt & Straw (for the first couple of hundred people only, so get there early). Living Haus Beer, 628 SE Belmont St., 503477-6792, pdxbeerweek.com. 11 am-noon

VIP entry, noon-2:30 pm Session 1, 3-5 pm Session 2 Sunday, June 25. $39 general admission, $49 VIP.

DRINK: Queer Wine Fest

Come sip and savor wines from more than a dozen queer-owned producers from Oregon, Washington and California while meeting the amazing people behind them as they proudly share their stories and passion for the craft. You can take in live music while indulging in delicious food from J&F Catering, like truffle risotto, pork belly and vegan ceviche. So grab a glass of your favorite red, white, rosé or sparkling and raise a toast to Pride! Remy Wines, 17495 NE McDougall Road, Dayton, 503-864-8777, queerwinefest.com. 4-7 pm Sunday, June 25. $95 in advance online, $120 at the door.

DRINK

& EAT: Brewers Burger Brawl

Threshold Brewing impressed the judges last year with its burger in this meat-and-condiment throwdown, which

The Oregon Brewers Festival won’t return to Waterfront Park this summer, but McMenamins is stepping up to help fill that void by expanding its Edgefield Brewfest. The event is now three days long, launching Friday with a picnic-style buffet dinner and a special selection of both McMenamins and guest beers. On

When the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works announced last year it would take a “strategic hiatus” in 2023, the local art community was a bit stunned. While we wait for its return, there is fortunately a similar roundup of performances at Risk/ Reward. The selected works are all in development and have never been fully staged. Each is only 20 minutes long at most, creating an experience that’s kind of like binge-watching your favorite sitcom—only here, the lines between theater, music, dance and installation are blurred beyond recognition. The Judy Theatre, 1000 SW Broadway, T-100, 503-893-4739, risk-reward.org. 7:30 pm Friday-Sunday, June 23-25. Pay what you can, suggested donation $20. VIP tickets $100.

LISTEN: Portland Gay Men’s Chorus Presents Disney Pride in Concert

Any event that would piss off Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gets our stamp of

Hot Plates

WHERE TO EAT THIS WEEK.

1.

HIGGINS PIGGINS

On the Oregon Historical Society terrace at 1200 SW Park Ave., 503-222-9070, higginspiggins.com.

One of downtown’s most charming pandemic patios is back open for the summer season. Higgins Piggins returned to the South Park Blocks in early June, and this year’s iteration pays tribute to Venice’s backstreet locals bars known as bacari: cozy, simple inns that typically serve wine and small plates built around seasonal ingredients. At Piggins, you can expect a Pacific Northwest take, with a menu that includes artisan cheeses, charcuterie, salads and cicchetti—snacks like tea service-sized sandwiches.

2.

JANKEN

250 NW 13th Ave., 503-841-6406, jankenrestaurant.com. 5-11 pm Tuesday-Thursday, 5 pm-midnight Friday, 4 pm-midnight Saturday, 4-10 pm Sunday.

At this stage of Portland’s evolution as a food-loving city, Janken may be just the right tonic. Whether intended or not, the symbolism of the dining room’s striking faux cherry tree in full bloom suggests renewal and an emergence from our extended COVID winter. That opulence extends to the menu, where you’ll find prices ranging from high to silly, but portions tend to be generous. Begin with one or more of the nontraditional maki, like a soft-shell crab roll, then move on to top-grade A5 wagyu you cook yourself on a hot stone. For those truly splurging, there is $229 Imperial Gold osetra roe.

3. STACKED SANDWICH SHOP

2175 NW Raleigh St., 971-279-2731, stackedsandwichshop.com. 11 am-7 pm

Tuesday-Saturday.

Among the many pandemic-related closures, the loss of Stacked was painful. Now, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, chef Gabriel Pascuzzi has revived the shop with a slimmed-down menu of old favorites and new creations that feels faithful to the original. Your go-to order should be the famous oxtail French dip, once considered one of Portland’s iconic dishes. At the moment, Stacked makes only about 25 a day, so we recommend placing an order online in advance.

4. RINGSIDE STEAKHOUSE

2165 W Burnside St., 503-223-1513, ringsidesteakhouse.com. 4:30-9 pm

Monday-Thursday, 4-9:30 pm Friday-Saturday, 4-9 pm Sunday.

A few good things emerged during the pandemic. One of the greatest was the addition of a patio at Portland’s premier steakhouse, which is making its return now that temperatures are climbing.

It’s not easy to imagine carving into one of RingSide’s dry-aged rib-eyes while sitting in the parking lot, but the meat palace’s grand canopy is dressed to the nines with faux-wood flooring and vibrant emerald plants. A handful of new seasonal sides complement all of that greenery: English peas with ricotta dumplings, grilled Washington asparagus with black truffle egg sauce, and roasted heirloom carrots in a zhoug salsa verde.

5. ENOTECA NOSTRANA

1401 SE Morrison St., #105, 503-2367006, enotecanostrana.com. 5-9 pm

Monday-Thursday, 5-10 pm Friday-Saturday.

Most patrons go to Nostrana’s neighboring wine bar to sample from its extensive bottle collection. But the next time you’re in search of sustenance, don’t overlook this place and head directly next door. Enoteca Nostrana just rolled out a new happy hour menu that includes three of chef Cathy Whims’ classics for a steal: the Insalata Nostrana ($6), capellini in Marcella’s tomato butter sauce ($10), and a Margherita pizza ($10). You can then finish your discounted meal with a delightfully fun adult take on a childhood classic: a boozy popsicle ($4).

FOOD & DRINK

Editor: Andi Prewitt Contact: aprewitt@wweek.com

Pay Dirt

Dirty Pretty is a welcome third property in the Pink Rabbit bar portfolio.

BY THOM HILTON

When Fools and Horses opened earlier this year, it was easy to refer to it as “the new bar from the Pink Rabbit guys right next door.” Now, with the opening of Dirty Pretty in the former Bar Dune space across the river, it feels like owner Collin Nicholas and chef Alex Wong have created a brand. Each of their properties has a distinct color palette and theme, but the core feeling and elements of flair—from patterned ice cubes to Hawaiian-inspired snacks—unmistakably unite the three rooms.

Like an eastside variant of Fools and Horses sans the paniolo touches, Dirty Pretty has a sort of spooky 1970s vibe—the tungsten-lit room is decorated with a large framed artwork evoking the poster for Zulawski’s Possession and dark imported wallpaper featuring ghostly images of tendril-y arms reaching for the heavens. All of that seems to indicate it will become a destination bar for fall and winter, but it’s a surprisingly

great summer hang, too. The just-opened patio has built-in benches, and cabanas create an entirely different atmosphere (this is where they keep the silly people), while the enormous circular booth by the front door is flanked by windows that let the majority of light into the space, making it an ideal spot for happy hour and Burnside people watching.

Given his Pink Rabbit alumni status, the cocktails by beverage director Ben Purvis are fun and extravagant. Guava Wars ($13) drinks like a tropical smoothie thanks to the use of coconut, banana, and creamy clarified guava, though its name raises the question, “Is this supposed to be a pun and, if so, of what?” The Jungle Juice ($14) with Jamaican rum and pinot noir is a rich maroon color, served over pebble ice (you know, the GOOD ice) and tastes like something that has the potential to make one act very, very sassy. To prove that not everything has to be wild, there’s also the Olive Branch ($13), a pisco martini that’s…a good pisco martini! Beer and

wine are also available—on the night we were there, a group of four all drank Kokanee, which is OK too, but back to the fun stuff.

Some of the edible flower-topped cocktails feel concocted with patio season in mind, like Spirited Away ($12), a clear gin and sake soda with subtle notes of lychee, ginger and lemongrass. The Blush ($13)—a not too smoky mezcal and rosé paloma—almost demands to be enjoyed with a sun hat, despite tasting somewhat confusingly like apple rather than the promised grapefruit, aloe and lime.

On the non-alcoholic side, mocktails hold their own, like Dawn Patrol ($8), a bitter, sippable blueberry malt iced tea, served up. The more chuggable option, a kiwi-juniper shrub, incredibly called Setting Boundaries ($8), is fantastically frothy, creamy and vinegar tart.

Chef Alex Wong continues to be at the top of his game, imparting soaring flavors into the dishes we crave when tipsy. The fried saimin ($11), teriyaki noodles served in a giant takeout

I’M SO PRETTY: Dirty Pretty may have spooky ’70s vibes, but the cocktails and dishes deliver bright and summery flavors.

box that encourages passing between friends— or walking right out of the bar with it—are salty, chewy and deeply flavorful, brightened by fresh scallions and carrots, and emboldened by a Japanese fish cake.

The Charlie burger ($10) is maybe my new favorite smash burger in Portland; the dish’s sometimes exhausting sameness is here brightened by paper-thin fresh onions, green leaf lettuce, and a side of spiced cucumbers. Smash burgers, when done right, are little technical marvels, and it’s these thoughtful touches that add what’s needed to make them work. The patty is lacy and crispy, sauce and cheese rich but not overwrought, and the Franz bun toasted yet squishy. After eating one, I wanted to eat 10 more. All 10 should be ordered alongside the hurricane jojos ($9) covered in green onion and furikake, served atop a generous swipe of pleasantly sweet and spicy mayo. It’s simply a great plate of potatoes.

A couple of dishes felt just shy of living up to their potential, like the dirty edamame ($7) tossed with soy, sesame, Chinese sausage, and fried shallots that would probably work better if the soybeans were freed from their pods. The steamed pork-hash hash ($14), a spicy potato and shishito number, is topped with two incredibly salty, melt-in-your-mouth pork-shrimp shumai. One wishes these were two more focused dishes that could be ordered separately.

One dish, however, is just about the entire reason to come to Dirty Pretty, and a rare case of food requiring a spoiler alert. As it reads on the menu, the pork-stuffed scallion pancake ($11) might suggest you’d get something like a Taiwanese beef roll. When the plate arrives, however, these are not flaky, folded-and-rolled scallion pancakes. Instead, a plate of two fluffy

Buzz List

American-style flapjacks loaded with pork sausage and yuzu greens arrives, topped with Szechuan peanuts, honey and watercress. It looks like someone gave the ingredient list to Amelia Bedelia. It tastes unbelievable. Like a maniacal riff on chicken and waffles, chef Wong has brought the post-bar diner breakfast straight into the place where you’re already drinking. Maybe when we think “hip and moody cocktail bar,” it’s time to think “pancakes.”

DRINK: Dirty Pretty, 638 E Burnside St., 503841-5253, dirtyprettypdx.com. 4 pm-1 am Sunday-Thursday, 4 pm-2 am Friday-Saturday.

1.

PORTLAND

BEER AND CHEESE FEST

Living Haus Beer, 628 SE Belmont St., 503477-6792, pdxbeerweek.com. 11 am-noon VIP entry, noon-2:30 pm session one, 3-5 pm session 2, Sunday, June 25. $39 for general admission, $49 for VIP.

We’re still mourning the loss of downtown’s Chizu and Cheese Bar in Mount Tabor, Steve Jones’ duo of beloved dairy dens. But we can celebrate the return of the Portland Beer and Cheese Fest, which the master cheesemonger helped curate. Work your way through 10 cheeses, plus chocolate from Xocolatl de David, Olympia Provisions charcuterie and an exclusive new flavor of Salt & Straw. Oh, and we’re sure the beer is pretty good, too.

2. ZULA

1514 NW 23rd Ave., 503-477-4235, zulapdx. com. 11:30 am-9 pm Wednesday-Sunday. We now know what Rotigo’s reimagining looks like: Roasted chicken is out and Mediterranean cuisine is the focus. Although we haven’t had a chance to sample the food just yet, the brightly colored collection of cocktails should transport you to the coast of Israel. Not only are they named after neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, where Zula owner Tal Tubitski once lived; the concoctions are made with ingredients from the region. The tequila-pomegranate blend of the Levontin, or the Montefiore, made with date-infused rye whiskey, would be our first picks.

3. TORO MEXICAN KITCHEN

1355 NW Everett St., Suite 120, 503-673-2724, toropdx.com. 4-10 pm Sunday-Thursday, 4-11 pm Friday-Saturday. The former Pearl District Tilt space is empty no more. Toro, a Mexican eatery operated by the ever-expanding Urban Restaurant Group (Bartini, Brix, Swine), has transformed the dark, industrial-themed space into an airy cantina. The initial food offerings we’ve sampled have all been satisfying—but the delightful surprise was the lengthy cocktail list. Early favorites were the sunny Passionfruit (vodka, passion fruit puree, pineapple juice and a Tajín rim) and Ocean (vodka, lemongrass and basil syrup, cucumber), which is a shade of turquoise so alluring you’ll wish you could swim in it.

4. THE SHAKU BAR

3448 NE Sandy Blvd., 971-346-2063, theshakubar.com. 4 pm-midnight Tuesday-Thursday, 4 pm-1 am Friday-Saturday, 3-10 pm every other Sunday.

This year-old spot proves that good things come in small packages. The closet-sized bar serves cocktails with big flavors, like the Princess Peach, which is a refreshing mix of local Aria gin, Aperol, St-Germain and lemon juice topped with a half-centimeter of creamy-white Fee Foam (Google it!). We’re definitely coming back for a Kvothe the Bloodless—pickle juice, hot sauce, lime and a secret sauce. Shaku calls it a bloody mary “without the blood.”

5. GRAPE APE

77 SE Yamhill St., 503-261-3467, grapeape. wine. 11 am-bedtime Tuesday-Sunday. Sorry to break it to fans of the ’70s Hanna-Barbera cartoon of the same name, but you won’t find a 40-foot purple primate at this new Central Eastside bar. However, much of the décor is from that era, and the lineup of fine natural wines should soften the blow. The curated list highlights selections from low-intervention labels, including Oregon’s Hooray for You chardonnay, California producer Populis’ sauvignon blanc and a Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme gamay from France. Pair one with marinated white beans and mayo on toast or a jamon baguette and pretend you’ve made an escape to Paris for the afternoon.

ESCAPES

High Rollers High Rollers High Rollers

BY BRIANNA WHEELER ILLUSTRATIONS BY MCKENZIE YOUNG-ROY

Bicycles aren’t the only way to have fun on wheels this summer, so strap on some skates and get rolling.

Portland might be considered a bike town, but cycles aren’t the only wheels we’re enthusiastic about. In case you missed it, roller skating is locally known to be a “HEALTHFUL EXERCISE DELIGHTFUL PLEASURE.” Well, at least that’s what’s painted on the exterior of the iconic Oaks Park Roller Rink. And now that warm temperatures have arrived, quad rollers and inline bladers can finally venture out beyond the glossy enclaves of Oaks Park and Mount Scott’s indoor rink to flex their physical dexterity in the wild, i.e., roll around Portland’s flat parks, covered playgrounds, and well-maintained paved trails. All you need is a pair of skates, some safety gear and the will to groove. Plus, this week marks the official start of summer, which means you’re practically required to get some outdoor exercise. Consider this a mental “Escape From Portland,” even if you don’t actually leave the city—because on skates, baby, you’re flying wherever your imagination takes you. Here are a few of our favorite spots to roll:

Before you start:

For the uninitiated, skating en plein air requires slightly different gear than rink rolling—namely your wheels. Make the seasonal switch to outdoor wheels for successful cruising (find them at Oaks Park’s pro shop or Five Stride on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard). Knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards are also pretty crucial, especially for novices, but really anyone who prefers to keep their joints intact should consider wearing them lest you trip and tumble.

Serene Routes for Scenic Cruises

Marine Drive

Start at the M. James Gleason Memorial Boat Ramp (pay to park and access Broughton Beach) and establish your footing on the soft grass shoulder before leaning into a slow cruise along the picturesque Columbia River as it winds toward the Gorge. Turn back at the Interstate 205 bridge for an approximately 6-mile loop (or sooner, depending on your horsepower). Bonus: Whether you’re coming or going, you’ll likely get a windy assist from either the consistently stiff breeze that travels along the river banks, or the rush of semitrailer traffic on the other side of the walkway.

Springwater Corridor Trail

There is a particular stretch of the Springwater Corridor Trail that passes by the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. The smooth paths have mild grades that make for a fun, if slightly challenging, round-trip cruise. Nature-minded roller-skating rubberneckers should consider bringing a pair of binoculars and getting sidetracked by bird watching.

Tom McCall Waterfront Park

98 SW Naito Parkway, 503-823-7529, portland.gov/parks/ governor-tom-mccall-waterfront-park.

One of my first Portland roller-skating adventures was down the promenade at Waterfront Park along the Willamette. My derby buddy’s pro tip has served me well for every outdoor skate jam since: Warm up on the rough asphalt under the west side of the Burnside or Morrison bridges. That’ll make the gritty pavement of the riverside walkway feel as smooth as hard wood.

Best Spots for Rolling With the Homies

Luuwit Skate Spot

Located at the terminus of Northeast

131st Place north of Failing Street.

Folks looking for a place to practice

roller disco moves or just get into a good cruising groove should appreciate the low-stakes shallow bowl and smooth curves of the Luuwit Skate Spot, east of Parkrose High School. This could be an especially sweet area for couples or trios learning to skate together, or for intermediate skaters building their skills.

Glenhaven Park

7900 NE Siskiyou St., portland.gov/parks/glenhaven-park.

Glenhaven features another low-key skatepark with wide curves and shallow bowls designed not just for skateboards, but also for scooters and skates. If you and your posse are working on a routine that’s sure to save the local rec center, Glenhaven can most likely serve as your practice space.

Alberta Park

1905 NE Killingsworth St., portland.gov/parks/alberta-park. The covered baseball courts at Alberta Park are a local favorite for pre- and after-hours skating. Though typically used by the neighborhood baller contingent, when open, the court’s even surface makes for a smooth, silky skating experience. Dancerly types who want only to bliss out and cruise in smooth concentric circles might dig Alberta’s arrangement. Bonus: After your skate jam, a walk through the tree-lined native garden is the perfect post-sesh nature bath.

Easy Proving Grounds for Hand-Holding Beginners

Gateway Discovery Park

10520 NE Halsey St., portland.gov/parks/gateway-discovery-park. This year, I gifted myself a brand-new pair of sneaker-boot-style roller skates that I broke in at Gateway Discovery Park, a cushy playground with soft, artificial turf mounds; wide, curving grades; and bouncy ground cover to crash-land on. The block’s surrounding sidewalk intersects with the park’s smooth concrete paths, so skaters can weave in and out as they gain confidence, and there are plenty of spots to lean your phone so you can film yourself for skill building (or clout—no judgment).

Irving Park

707 NE Fremont St., portland.gov/parks/irving-park. Not unlike Alberta Park, the basketball courts at Irving Park are a smooth dream to skate on, but unlike Alberta, this place lights up in the evening. If night skating is on your agenda but dark parks and unlit lots are a no-no, Irving is a great spot to visit. Potential court skaters may have to face off with or share space with ballers, but there’s plenty of space between courts and paved walkways to get in a proper skate sesh.

SHOWS OF THE WEEK

WHAT TO SEE AND WHAT TO HEAR

BY DANIEL BROMFIELD @bromf3

FRIDAY, JUNE 23:

Earth’s place in musical history would be well established even if they’d only put out Earth 2, which is drone metal the way My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless is shoegaze. Yet Seattle guitarist Dylan Carlson’s long-running bastion of mossy Northwest heavy-metal experimentalism remains popular with the kids, not least thanks to their mid-2000s comeback as a formidable post-rock band, with 2008’s awesome The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull a frequent presence on online best lists by young music fans. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St. 9 pm. $25. 21+.

SATURDAY, JUNE 24:

Lady Killers

Standup icons Maria Bamford and Jackie Kashian bring the laughs to Helium.

BY LIBBY MOLYNEAUX

Want to know how to make a comedian laugh hysterically? Ask them how they’d like to be remembered. The guffaws that spout from professional standup comic Jackie Kashian go on several seconds longer than is comfortable for the inquirer. Same for Maria Bamford, who replies, “Ha ha! I will not be remembered! But I’m glad to be here!”

Don’t comics believe their dedicated work making us laugh on topics both personal and universal is worthy of a little salute? After all, both performers have been going onstage with a microphone for 35 years. Let’s think about that for a second.

New Age is kind of badass. You know it, I know it, and plenty of musicians know it too, including Portland’s Pulse Emitter (aka Daryl Groetsch), whose formative experiences listening to the New Age radio show Hearts of Space inspired his quest to make throbbing, evocative ambient synth music that conjures the same mystery he felt as a kid. He’ll join Elrond , Future Museums and New Frontiers for an evening of radiant and healing drones with a twist. Leaven Community Center, 5431 NE 20th Ave. 8 pm. $10-$25. All ages.

SUNDAY, JUNE 25:

Maria Bamford is the more recognizable face of the two. She started doing standup in the coffeehouses and alternative clubs of L.A. in the early ’90s and has been called out as a favorite comedian of Stephen Colbert, Judd Apatow and Patton Oswalt. She’s done loads of TV, including her own Netflix series Lady Dynamite, standup specials, and a role as recovering meth addict DeBrie Bardeaux on Arrested Development

Bamford’s memoir Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere will be published in September and deals with her own experience with mental health issues. She’s worked extensively as a mental health advocate and was the recipient of the International OCD Foundation’s Illumination Award, among other accolades.

Onstage, Bamford’s head runs on many gears, with lots of commas and quotation marks and a whirligig of ideas. Her skill at doing voices is stunning and startling, and her impression of her Midwestern mother should have its own wing in the Comedy Hall of Fame. You’ll laugh—lots—but you may leave her show hoping she goes home and has some soup.

Kashian grabs your attention like “your favorite aunt or someone who is about to call the cops” flush with well-articulated ideas and pinpoint verbal accuracy. She’s been doing standup since “forever....I opened for Hester Prynne in the 1600s.” She hosts two podcasts, The Dork Forest and The Jackie and Laurie Show with fellow comic Laurie Kilmartin. Her brilliant bit about L.A. people and their pets is worthy of repeated viewings just for her impression of a cat getting an eye exam. She’ll talk about her video game developer husband, dork culture, her Wisconsin family, and gender issues with equal amounts of excitability and knifelike delivery.

heading out again—after Kashian tells about “an absurd experience” of flushing the keys to her rental car in a movie theater restroom in Milwaukee a day earlier—both comics say they still get stage fright after all these years.

“ Yes! Always!” responds Bamford, who will talk about her stage fright onstage and declare, “I did not want to do this show tonight.”

“I used to not ever get stage fright because I didn’t have any shows that mattered,” Kashian says. “It was always, ‘We will pay you $250.’ And then I got my first TV set. And then I got, you know, to be sort of bigger deal. And then there’s somebody’s in the audience you should care about. And so if the stakes get raised, I do still get stage fright. And I have to remind myself it can’t matter. When I get freaked out like that, I tell myself it will be over in 15 to 70 minutes.”

Is there still a thrill to doing standup comedy after a few decades? Bamford admits, “Touring, as when traveling when there are lots of shows in a row, can get to the joblike state, but it’s usually fun.”

Liturgy ’s “Transcendental Black Metal” was royally offensive to the reigning kvlt establishment when Haela Hunt-Hendrix debuted her project in 2008. Nowadays, Hunt-Hendrix’s music feels like a template for the bold and experimental places the once orthodoxy-bound black metal genre has gone since, even if her self-created mythology is no more comprehensible than the lyrics she howls like an arctic wind. And if her new album 93696 is any indication, she’s still light years ahead of the curve. Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave. 6 pm. $20. 21+.

The longtime pals perform at Helium this week. Before the shows, Bamford is likely to meet in a coffeehouse with a fan from Twitter and go over her set. Kashian will do no such thing, however, and will hit Powell’s “for whatever new T-shirt they’re rocking,” adding: “I ask myself a question that Maria asks herself before all shows, ‘What do I want to achieve from this set?’ It’s usually to work on a particular new bit or, if I’m twitchy for some reason, to make sure I have fun.”

And after the show? “I like to go back to the room and play a game or read a book—Lords of Waterdeep, a mystery-sci-fi-romance novel—and call my fella.” She’s also excited that comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick lives in Portland.

After a few decades of performing in nearly every city with a Chuckle Hut, Kashian is a road warrior. From their L.A. homes for a spell before

As for Kashian at this point, she says: “When I started doing standup, it was like what I assume falling into a vat of heroin would be for a heroin addict. And the ability to just keep swimming in this bed of heroin is a delight. So it doesn’t get more fun. But if you let it, it can make you mad that you aren’t further along, like more people don’t know you. And that’s what I tell myself. Because the real victory is that I still get to do it. And I do still love it.”

SEE IT: Maria Bamford and Jackie Kashian perform at Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th Ave., 503-583-8464, portland.heliumcomedy.com. 7:30 pm Thursday, 7 and 9:30 pm Friday, 6 and 8:30 pm Saturday, June 22-24. $27-$44. 21+.

“Ha ha! I will not be remembered! But I’m glad to be here!”

Homeward Bound

Emily Grosvenor explores a new kind of feng shui in Find Yourself at Home.

BY MICHELLE KICHERER IG: @MichelleKicherer

Six years ago, author and Oregon Home magazine editor Emily Grosvenor found herself on the floor. After a nerve injury left her unable to sit without severe pain, she spent a lot of time lying like a slug in front of the fire (her words).

One day, “I suddenly felt the room begin to vibrate,” she writes. “I looked around and realized that while my mind was overwhelmed with a running commentary of everything that was wrong with me, my situation, and the world, there was nothing wrong, per se, with the room. I felt held.” A glorious sunlight poured through the windows—and highlighted a layer of dust coating the room’s surfaces.

“Then I did what generations of grandmas have done whenever times get tough. I puttered,” Grosvenor writes. It’s with this sense of humor, place and storytelling that she wrote Find Yourself at Home (Chronicle Prism, 240 pages, $22.95), a book about caring for yourself by caring for your home space. It reads like part memoir and part how-to guide, with a refreshed and more nuanced look at decluttering than Marie Kondo’s “Does it spark joy?” methods as seen in books like The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

Grosvenor explains to WW how her fivestep decluttering and rearranging methods—or as she calls it, “shaping your space so it shapes you back”—are different from Kondo’s. “It opens you up for a wider range of reflection and a wider range of emotional responses to the things that you have,”

JOANNA STERNBERG AT SHOW BAR

BY ROBERT HAM

Singer-songwriter Joanna Sternberg is an immediately disarming presence on stage and off. During opener Faustina Masigat’s set, Sternberg reacted to each song with infectious glee and wonder. And when between songs during their own set, Sternberg was charming, goofy, and forthright. No matter the subject—their love for the Beatles and Red Bull or their hoarding tendencies and ADD—the tone of their patter stayed light and playful.

she says. “Because it’s not just ‘joy.’ People’s relationship to their objects is a lot more complicated than that, right?”

In a chapter called “The Story Your Home Is Telling,” Grosvenor talks about how to use interior design to tell the story you want to hear—which sometimes involves rewriting existing stories that we no longer want to live with. She encourages readers to “consider how you might redesign or redecorate your home to tell a different, more joyful, more empowering story–one that looks forward, not back.”

Find Yourself at Home is structured into five unique illustrated sections that ask you to look a little deeper into the whys behind your living space, and what aspects of that space can be altered to align with who you are and who you want to be. Philosophy, space, build, desire and destiny are each broken down into chapters lush with anecdotal explanations for how every aspect of one’s home works together to create energy, motivation, peace and creativity.

Each chapter ends with a “Find Yourself” prompt, asking questions like, “What are some of the stories about yourself that are no longer helpful? How might you rewrite them in your home?” A chapter called “Align Your Career and Life Path” ends with a reflection: “How do you respond when you look at your front door? Does the atmosphere in your front entrance allow you to cast off your previous self when you come inside?”

As a certified feng shui consultant, Grosvenor explains that the doorway is where the energy enters a home. “I love doorways. I’m

a little bit obsessed with doorways,” she says. “It’s always the first thing I look at with a home. It’s always the first place that I suggest that people look at when they want to make a shift in their lives.”

Grosvenor says that reimagining your home doesn’t have to be an expensive undertaking, or a fast one. She references the images of homes we see in design magazines. “It’s oftentimes taken two to three years to really create the spaces that you’re seeing in these magazines,” she says. “When you see a finished space, it can be very daunting to try to replicate that feeling, or even turn to your own space with gentleness and with any kind of affection. I think that we’re just flooded with these images of people who are really talented at what they do, and who are doing it very quickly.”

Grosvenor encourages people to take their time with the process of creating a home space that aligns with who they are and who they want to be—and “to see it as part of a creative process, and to really get to know their spaces and to really reenvision them as something that can collaborate with their lives.” And best of all, she shows that you don’t have to have a giant budget to do that right.

SEE IT: Emily Grosvenor will be in conversation with interior design professional Emilia Callero at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 800-878-7323, powells.com. 7 pm Tuesday, June 27. Free.

No surprise then that Sternberg’s music holds the same kind of energy. Their work carries a great deal of emotion, as they unpack poisonous relationships in songs like “Stockholm Syndrome” and “People Are Toys to You,” or struggles with anxiety in the bouncy “Mountain High.” But akin to the work of their closest artistic parallels, Daniel Johnston and Kimya Dawson, Sternberg brings a sugary rush to each tune via their exuberant melodies and sweetly warbling vocals.

The secret that pushes Sternberg beyond their peers is their skill as a player. Though raised in a Beatles-worshipping household, they studied classical music and jazz and spent years playing standup bass in clubs and orchestra pits. Those skills translated well to the folk-pop world Sternberg now inhabits. Their fluid, finger-picked guitar work underscored the emotional profundity that lay just below the surface of their seemingly simple lyrics.

The depth of Sternberg’s work isn’t difficult for the layperson to tap into, but it is clearly striking a nerve with their fellow artists if their Portland audience is any indication. Nearly everyone around me at Show Bar was a musician, and later I saw an Instagram post by singer-songwriter Kassi Valazza that revealed that she was hanging in the back of the room. They already get what the rest of the world is sure to understand: Joanna Sternberg is a rare talent well on the way to greater acclaim and bigger venues.

Paris Is Burning (1990)

“I don’t think the world has been fair to me…not yet anyway.” There’s longing in trans model Octavia St. Laurent’s voice when she stakes this claim in Paris Is Burning. But “longing” is just a painstricken word for ambition.

Hers are the dreams of ascendance, recognition and finery shared by many Harlem drag-ball performers who keep director Jennie Livingston’s documentary brimming with character and pathos.

Filmed across six years, Paris Is Burning immortalizes the breadth, depth, peak and petering of this Black and Latinx queer performance scene with affection for stars and bit players alike.

From exploring surrogate families to voguing to the ever-expanding list of ballroom categories, the film delights in the artists’ devotional drive—to win, to be remembered, to graduate from this small pond. Yet in Paris Is Burning, there’s no greater task in the world than sewing one’s own costume before basking in scene stardom. Clinton, June 22.

ALSO PLAYING:

Cinema 21: His Girl Friday (1940), June 24. Eraserhead (1977), June 24 and 26.

Cinemagic: Mandy (2018), June 22. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), June 23 (extended) and 26 (theatrical). The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), June 24 (extended) and 27 (theatrical). The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), June 25 (extended) and 28 (theatrical).

Clinton: Happy Together (1997), June 26. Dressed in Blue (1983), June 27.

Hollywood: Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), June 23-24. Nashville (1975), June 24-25. RRR (2022), June 26. Gates of Hell (1980), June 27.

MOVIES

Dream Works

There’s an entire hero’s journey behind the Portland Art Museum’s exhibit celebrating Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

BY ALEX BARR

The milling about of cinephiles and art lovers slowed to a halt as Amy Dotson, director of PAM CUT and the Portland Art Museum’s curator of film and new media, introduced PAM’s latest exhibit, Guillermo del Toro: Crafting Pinocchio. “This is art,” she said, smiling. “With a capital A.”

It was hard to ignore the artistry plastered across the room as she spoke—the exhibit contains an impressively overwhelming 1,400 objects in total. The foyer alone boasts a myriad of displays with an entire wall’s worth of projected clips from del Toro’s filmography (including Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone and, of course, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio) and decades-old books with unique takes on Carlo Collodi’s 1883 classic tale.

Even more extraordinary than the exhibit itself is the context in which it came to life. All 1,400 objects were flown out from New York’s Museum of Modern Art just a month ago.

“It’s a really great group of folks that we work with collaboratively,” Dotson tells WW. “Guillermo worked with us, as well as MoMA in New York, and, of course, our friends at Netflix [which released the film] also were working with us throughout because the movie was coming out in real time.”

Dotson (who will appear in conversation with del Toro at a soldout event June 23) details how working closely with Portland’s ShadowMachine, the animation studio that produced the film, inspired her to showcase the crew members and production.

“I want to just show the mess and the reality that those 400 people had coffee that sat on their desk for three or four days sometimes and the puppets before they came to life and became Academy Award winning,” she says.

Alex Bulkley, co-founder and owner of ShadowMachine, spoke to the intensely collaborative nature of stop motion and highlighted the work of animators, puppet makers, and designers (oh, my!).

“ We really believe that you find the best people wherever they are in the world,” he says. “The best puppet makers in the world, by far, are a small company in the U.K. called Mackinnon & Saunders. A handful of our most complicated puppet mechanics were done there. There’s an amazing group of animators, designers and animation tech folks down in Guadalajara, Mexico. It’s Guillermo’s hometown, so he’d just send me down and I’d start working with this incredible pool of talent.”

Across the hundreds of production members behind the epic animation, they collectively spent more than a million hours to bring the imaginative retelling to life. Though the film’s genesis dates all the way back to 2012, the beginning of production hap-

pened to coincide with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There’s something called the big board,” Bulkley explains. “The big board takes the script and breaks it down with every single shot across the entire film. Every single shot is then scheduled both in terms of building every single thing you see in that shot, every single voice actor performance into those shots, all the way to the animators on the stages.”

He adds: “That big board becomes the brain trust that everybody references, and we used it consistently all the way through the four years of production. It’s a big part of how we were able to communicate even through COVID. We have this one sort of common ground, one familiar language everyone could speak. It’s an incredible thing and, to be honest, a testament to an incredible crew.”

Bulkley describes how the continuation of a quarantined production following lockdowns helped the crew maintain a sense of normalcy and community during an otherwise world-toppling event.

“Not every production finds such a powerful, collaborative crew,” he says. “It was one of those magical productions where everyone got along, everyone supported each other, and in the face of something really dire like COVID, what a way to come together and talk not just about the hard work we’re all doing, but also ask, ‘Is everyone OK?’ As soon as we were able to, people quickly got back in the studio under the safest conditions. Stop motion is not something that you can do remotely.”

In addition to PAM’s exhibit that runs until September, PAM’s Center for an Untold Tomorrow has also scheduled animation workshops throughout the summer and a screening series of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and other films by the iconic writer-director. There will also be one “Animation Art Day” per month with lectures and demonstrations from the artists behind the film.

Above all, Crafting Pinocchio is a testament to the collaboration behind del Toro’s creation. As Dotson says, “It’s this interplay between what happens behind the scenes, and how much art and craft and thoughtfulness and teamwork and engineering and dressmaking has to happen before you get to the finished product line.”

SEE IT: Guillermo del Toro: Crafting Pinocchio is on view at the Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., 503-226-2811, portlandartmuseum.org. 10 am-5 pm Wednesday-Sunday, through Sept. 17. $22-$25, children 17 and under free.

Editor: Bennett Campbell Ferguson Contact: bennett@wweek.com

PAST LIVES

As Nora (Greta Lee) is about to share a first kiss with her future husband, Arthur (John Magaro), she explains the Korean phrase in-yun—fate’s hand in human connection and reconnection. Intentionally or not, she’s referring just as much to Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), her best friend and crush from before she immigrated from Seoul to Canada. Ever since, Hae Sung has reappeared to Nora like a 12-year comet, and in director Celine Song’s Past Lives, Hae Sung visits Nora in present-day Brooklyn. Both unambiguous romance and genre experiment, Past Lives sustains itself on love’s textures and musings: endless gazes, mirrorlike skyscrapers, a twinkling synth score (by Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen) and a vibrant but melancholy obsession with New York City. Gorgeous 30-somethings who can’t keep guileless vulnerability off their faces, these characters aren’t looking to blow up their lives for the sake of movie contrivances, but through every private conversation, they’re drawn to discussing the same narrative possibilities on the audience’s minds. Who is the right lover in a story sense? Even Arthur wonders. Are in-yun and Nora’s brief, almost multiversal encounters with Hae Sung potent enough to alter the years in between? And when she glimpses the past in his kind, mournful eyes, is she dreaming or seeing? PG-13. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Cinema 21, Hollywood.

ELEMENTAL

Though AI tech is still a bit too raw for Pixar productions to be wholly computer-generated, the studio that launched the age of CGI animation with films largely ignoring humanity keeps churning out iterations of the same master code, Elemental included. Adorably anthropomorphized animal-vegetable-mineral thing? Climactic epiphany plucked straight from college admission essay? Aggressive punnery so relentless it begins to feel like a tic? So far, so Pixar. As newly humanized dramatic personae, the classical cornerstones of our universe are easily enough rendered recognizable tropes yet nimbly evade the worst ethnic stereotypes. Within the bustling metropolis of Element City, cloud-hoppers huff and puff like aggro Scandinavians, while society largely dismisses the earthen denizens as stolid civil servants transplanted from the Low Countries. Still, the spotlight remains fixed on the unlikely pairing of Firetown lass Ember Lumen (voiced by Leah Lewis) and Old Water scion Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie). You can guess the rest; he carries a torch, she’s wet, things get steamy. Lush visuals and trenchant wordplay be damned, the studio’s target audience remains young children, and a whiff of regressive unease curdles all supposed love story trappings. Whereas early Pixar’s best echoed the far-flung imaginings of an especially gifted, somewhat creepy preteen, the neutered rom-com narrative reveals a blinkered worldview and a stunted emotional maturity all too, sigh, elementary. PG. JAY HORTON. Academy, Cedar Hills, City

Center, Clackamas, Eastport, Evergreen Parkway, Fox Tower, Lloyd Center, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, St. Johns, St. Johns Twin, Studio One, Wunderland Beaverton, Wunderland Milwaukie.

IT AIN’T OVER

Sports documentaries are typically fueled by controversy, but It Ain’t Over is about Yogi Berra, a man who was anything but typical. A cinematic love letter from his granddaughter Lindsay Berra, who narrates, the film sets out to reframe a man mocked for being seemingly molded out of Silly Putty, rather than chiseled from bronze and marble, though the 5-foot8 “everyman” with a Forrest Gump-like charm and Chauncey Gardner-like wisdom consistently found levels of success far exceeding most Hall of Famers. Yogi’s story had humble beginnings: The son of immigrants in an Italian working-class neighborhood, he joined the U.S. Navy and was wounded during the D-Day landings, an experience that defined him before the Yankee pinstripes did. The film admirably conveys the spirit of a man who never punched down, choosing instead to see individuals for whom they were (exemplified by his embrace of Jackie Robinson and his feud with sports villain George Steinbrenner). The disarming honesty of his simple “Yogi-isms” impacted people in messianic ways, most poignantly displayed here when confronting his son caught in the death grips of drug addiction. All in all, It Ain’t Over successfully recontextualizes Berra’s legacy beyond that of his Hanna-Barbera pantless cartoon bear

counterpart, leaving us with the story of a loving husband, a devoted family man, and a world-class winner. NR. RAY GILL JR. Bridgeport, City Center, Fox Tower.

FLAMIN’ HOT

Despite the title implying that it’s about the development of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, the directorial debut of Eva Longoria is actually a biopic of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia), the man who claims to have invented them. Emphasis on “claims,” since the Los Angeles Times published a fairly convincing story in 2021 suggesting that Montañez’s account doesn’t match the timeline of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos’ origin. And in the context of the script (adapted from Montañez’s book A Boy, a Burrito and a Cookie), the story is hardly convincing. Setting aside the truthiness issue, Flamin’ Hot is at best an extended motivational speech about a guy who worked his way up from janitor to marketing executive. It’s an interesting story, if you’re the sort of person who’s inspired by tales of meritocracy in corporate America. It’s hard to imagine who else this movie is supposed to appeal to. PG-13. WILLIAM SCHWARTZ. Hulu.

THE FLASH

After Tom Cruise saw The Flash, he allegedly declared it to be “the kind of movie we need now” (or hyperbole to that effect). And he’s right—assuming he sincerely believes we need superhero films so bland they barely exist. The Flash ’s bludgeoning marketing campaign may have spread whispers that it would be the best DC Comics-based blockbuster since the Dark Knight trilogy, but it’s as lifeless as the airbrushed babies that tumble through the air in a tasteless opening sequence played for laughs. Rescuing said babies is Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller), an agitated young vigilante who wants to save his dead mother (Y Tu Mamá También ’s Maribel Verdú) by tweaking the time-space continuum. Alas, his meddling creates a doomy alternate reality in which Zod (Michael Shannon) is about to obliterate humanity, Batman (Michael Keaton) is a hippie recluse, and Eric Stoltz wasn’t booted from Back to the Future (the horror!). The plot— callow crimefighter discovers the danger of cheating fate—is derivative of Spider-Man: No Way Home, but that film made its hero pay a haunting price for his machinations. The Flash, on the other hand, has Barry learn to let history take its tragic course, then permits him to have his multiversal cake and (voraciously) eat it too. This is the way the DC Extended Universe ends: not with a bang, but with grating comedy, momentumless action, and convictions so flimsy that they cancel themselves out. PG-13. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Academy, Bagdad, Cedar Hills, Century Eastport, City Center, Clackamas, Fox Tower, Joy Cinema, Lake Theater, Laurelhurst, Lloyd Center, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, St. Johns Twin, Studio One.

LYNCH/OZ

Discussing David Lynch is a delicate dance with the freedom of ideas running from definitions that leaves documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe stumbling. Lynch has stated: “If you have a name for something, like ‘cut’ or ‘bruise,’ people will automatically be disturbed by it. But when you see the same thing in nature, and you don’t know what it is, it can be very beautiful.” This simple idea encapsulates Lynch’s legacy, but not so much Philippe’s documentary. Lynch/Oz does succeed in uncovering some fascinating deep-cut similarities between The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Lynch’s body of work, but meanders into the realm of a wordy public autopsy as

blunt as a hammer. Lynch is even quoted in the film saying, “There’s not a day that goes by I don’t think of The Wizard of Oz,” but he also famously avoids explaining his films out of respect for individual interpretation, which the documentary tends to ignore throughout its six-chapter presentation narrated by filmmakers and industry types. While the exploration of storytelling lures you into a desire to revisit Lynch staples like Mulholland Drive, Wild at Heart and Lost Highway Lynch/Oz too often strays from its Yellow Brick Road into frustrating attempts at peaking behind the curtain. NR. RAY GILL JR. Cinema 21.

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS

Following Michael Bay’s increasingly deranged march through the evidently endless Transformers saga’s first five chapters, 2018’s simple, sweet, Smiths-sampling Bumblebee felt miraculous. It was a delicate girl-and-her-fighting-car pearl somehow harvested from the murky depths of an unfathomable franchise—and newfound fans might have assumed the series had turned a corner. Alas, the title of the latest installment, Rise of the Beasts, speaks volumes (the series isn’t called Evolvers, y’know?). Set after Bumblebee and a bit before the first live action iteration, Beasts opens on a far-flung planet where close relations of Autobots leader Optimus Prime have taken the shape of apex predators (yes, they’re led by a metallic monkey named Optimus Primal, and yes, the Autobots evidently believe our world’s ruled by sports cars and tractor trailers). Cue a ’90s NYC demolition derby and the arrival of the villainous Unicron, with a new pair of humans (plucky art curator Dominique Fishback, soulful veteran Anthony Ramos) shoehorned in. The Bay pentalogy so brazenly defied the fundamental laws of visual and narrative consistency that watching the films was like mainlining an entire season of NFL coverage amid the death spiral of a Gulf Stream RV. Taking over from Bay, director Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II ) offers decidedly more supple, graceful filmmaking, letting Ramos and Fishback develop their characters and minimize the damage wrought by a uniformly awful screenplay. But doesn’t that make the inevitable downshift to robot-on-robot violence all the more joyless? Transformers don’t need moments to breathe. PG-13. JAY HORTON. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Eastport, Evergreen Parkway, Fox Tower, Living Room, Lloyd Center, Mill Plain, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, Progress Ridge, Studio One, Vancouver Plaza.

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.

by Jack Kent

"Change of Pace"--by only one letter. (Note: This puzzle is a 2022 Reprint.)

ARIES (March 21-April 19): When I was still an up-and-coming horoscope columnist, before I got widely syndicated, I supplemented my income with many other jobs. During one stretch, I wrote fortunes for a line of designer fortune cookies that were covered with gourmet chocolate and sold at the luxury department store Bloomingdale's. The salary I got paid was meager. Part of my compensation came in the form of hundreds of delicious but non-nutritious cookies. If you are offered a comparable deal in the coming weeks and months, Aries, my advice is to do what I didn’t do but should have done: Ask for what’s truly valuable to you instead of accepting a substitute of marginal worth.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): My mentor Ann Davies said that of all the signs of the zodiac, you Tauruses are most likely to develop finely honed intuition. At least potentially, you can tune in to the inner teacher better than the rest of us. The still, small voice rises up out of the silence and speaks to you clearly and crisply. Here's even better news: I believe you are entering a phase when your relationship with this stellar faculty may ripen dramatically. Please take advantage of this subtly fabulous opportunity! Each day for the next 14 days, do a relaxing ritual in which you eagerly invite and welcome the guidance of your deepest inner source.

who served as Queen of France from 1385 to 1422. Was she a corrupt, greedy, and indecisive fool who harmed France’s fortunes? Or was she a talented diplomat with great skill in court politics and an effective leader during the many times her husband, King Charles VI, was incapacitated by illness? I bring these facts to your attention, Libra, hoping they will inspire you to refine, adjust, and firm up your own reputation. You can’t totally control how people perceive you, but you do have some power to shape their perceptions—especially these days.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The next four weeks will be an excellent time to create and celebrate your own holidays. I recommend you dream up at least four new festivals, jubilees, anniversaries, and other excuses to party. Eight or more would be even better. They could be quirky and modest, like Do No Housework Day, Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day, or Write Bad Poetry Day. They could be more profound and impactful, like Forgive Your Parents for Everything Day, Walk on the Wild Side Day, or Stay Home from Work Because You’re Feeling So Good Day. In my astrological opinion, Scorpio, you should regard playful fun as a top priority. For more ideas, go here: tinyurl.com/CreateHolidays . . . tinyurl. com/NouveauHolidays . . . tinyurl.com/InventHolidays

ACROSS

1. Trevor Noah's soon-to-be former gig, briefly

4. Winner of the 2022 World Series

9. Bring together

13. Eight, in France

15. "For real"

16. 1890s gold rush city

17. "Umbrella Academy"

actor

19. Font style, for short

20. Collect little by little

21. Wrinkly "Dick Tracy"

villain in a Ned Flanders flashback

23. Mizuho Bank currency

24. Put to the test

26. Scand. nation, at the Olympics

27. Green Starbucks offering

29. Watch

31. Third word in many limericks

34. Cold War-era treaty of 1955

37. "Allow me"

39. Hobart hopper

40. Italian coffee brand that doesn't look so well?

41. Add-on that adds new objects and characters to a game

46. Concert souvenir

47. "Don't block my path" noise

48. "Fifty Shades of Grey" star Johnson

51. Iceland-to-Ireland dir.

52. Multi-PC hookup, for short

53. "Criminal Minds" org.

54. Down-to-the-wire election

59. "The Things We ___ Love" (Isy Suttie podcast)

61. "Back to you," on a walkie-talkie

62. Glass sheet

64. Philosopher Descartes

65. Best-case

66. Part of NAFTA, for short

67. "Star ___: Lower Decks"

68. Dapper

69. Mag execs DOWN

1. Place to "hit" for a workout

2. "2001: A Space Odyssey" star Keir

3. Person of few words

4. Formic acid producer

5. Excessively sentimental

6. Main land vehicle for the Teen Titans (it makes sense 'cause of the letter)

7. "Chunky" pasta sauce brand

8. Pirates' place

9. Plastic restaurant freebie that may be serrated

10. "This is ___ drill"

11. Computer debut of 1998

12. Prefix before kinetic

14. Mowry of "Sister, Sister"

18. "Home ___ Range"

22. "That is sooooo nasty"

25. Like the fish in poke bowls

28. "Pet" plant

29. Racecar engine sound

30. "This ___ you ..."

31. Where to see stars in Hollywood

32. Knee injury site, briefly

33. Unclean quarters

©2023 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle #JNZ990.

35. Indy 500 winner Luyendyk

36. Selection

37. ___ Gala (annual NYC event)

38. Battle weapon

42. Thomas who drew Santa Claus

43. Comedian/rapper

Zach seen in "Epic Rap Battles of History" and "The Crossword Show"

44. Activity that makes squeamish parents cover their kids' eyes, for short

45. Root beer brand

49. Crashed into at 90 degrees

50. TV networks and radio stations, e.g.

51. Animated movie series with Gingy

52. ___ the half (was ahead)

54. Wrongful act, legally

55. "Skinny Love" band Bon

56. "Bob's Burgers" keyboard-playing son

57. Verdi opera set in Egypt

58. Online tech review site

60. ___-Locka, Florida

63. Former West Coast beer brand, briefly

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): New College in Oxford, UK has educated students since 1379. Among its old buildings is a dining hall that features beams made of thick oak trees. Unfortunately, most oak wood eventually attracts beetles that eat it and weaken it. Fortunately, the 14th-century founders of New College foresaw that problem. They planted an oak grove whose trees were specifically meant to be used to replace the oak beams at New College. Which they are to this day. I would love you to derive inspiration from this story, Gemini. What practical long-term plans might you be wise to formulate in the coming months?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the Northern Hemisphere, the astrological month of Cancer begins with the sun in its greatest glory. Our home star is at its highest altitude, shining with maximum brightness. So then why is the sign of the Crab ruled by the moon? Why do the longest days of the year coincide with the ascendancy of the mistress of the night? Ahhh. These are esoteric mysteries beyond the scope of this horoscope. But here's a hint about what they signify for you personally. One of your assets can also be a liability: your innocent openness to the wonders of life. This quality is at the heart of your beauty but can also, on occasion, make you vulnerable to being overwhelmed. That's why it's so important that you master the art of setting boundaries, of honing your focus, of quaffing deeply from a few cups instead of sipping from many cups.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The coming weeks will be a delicate time for your spiritual unfoldment. You are primed to recover lost powers, rediscover key truths you have forgotten, and reunite with parts of your soul you got cut off from. Will these good possibilities come to pass in their fullness? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on how brave you are in seeking your healing. You must ask for what’s hard to ask for. You’ve got to find a way to feel deserving of the beauty and blessings that are available. PS: You ARE deserving. I will be cheering you on, dear Leo.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Whether or not you have been enrolled in a learning institution during the past 12 months, I suspect you have been getting a rigorous education. Among the courses you have almost completed are lessons in intimacy, cooperation, collaboration, symbiosis, and togetherness. Have you mastered all the teachings? Probably not. There were too many of them, and they were too voluminous to grasp perfectly and completely. But that's OK. You have done well. Now you're ready to graduate, collect your diploma, and apply what you have learned.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): History has provided contradictory reports about Isabeau of Bavaria,

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In Greek mythology, Prometheus was a god who stole fire from his fellow gods and gave it to humans to help them build civilization. His divine colleagues were not pleased. Why? Maybe they feared that with the power of fire, people would become like gods themselves and have no further need for gods. Anyway, Sagittarius, I hope you’re in a fire-stealing mood. It’s a good time to raise your whole world up to a higher level—to track down and acquire prizes that will lead to major enhancements. And unlike what happened to Prometheus (the other gods punished him), I think you will get away with your gambits.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Let’s discuss magical doorways. Each time you sleep, you slip through magical doorways called dreams. Whether or not you recall those adventures, they offer you interesting mysteries utterly unlike the events of your daily life. Here’s another example: A magical doorway opens when an ally or loved one shares intimate knowledge of their inner realms. Becoming absorbed in books, movies, or songs is also a way to glide through a magical doorway. Another is when you discover an aspect of yourself, a corner of your being, that you didn't know was there. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Capricorn, because I suspect the coming weeks will present an extra inviting array of magical doorways.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Psychiatrist Myron Hofer specializes in the mother-infant relationship. Among his findings: The first emotion that a newborn experiences is anxiety. Struggling to get out of the womb can be taxing, and it’s shocking to be separated from the warm, nourishing realm that has been home for months. The bad news is that most of us still carry the imprint of this original unease. The good news, Aquarius, is that the coming months will be one of the best times ever for you to heal. For optimal results, place a high priority on getting an abundance of love, support, comfort, and physical touch.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Curious blends and intriguing juxtapositions are in the works—or at least they should be. Improbable alliances might be desirable because they’re curative. Formulas with seemingly mismatched ingredients might fix a glitch, even if they never succeeded before and won’t again. I encourage you to synergize work and play. Negotiate serious business in casual settings and make yourself at home in a wild frontier.

Homework: Is there any area of your life where you are not giving your best? How could you improve? Newsletter. FreeWillAstrology.com