Eugene city councilors are taking another run at passing an ordinance that would effectively ban panhandling along streets.

Councilors heard testimony last week from people on both sides of the issue. It comes as the city, other local agencies and homeless services providers are wrestling with broader issues like funding shortfalls and reduced beds in area homeless shelters. 

The possible panhandling ban is causing a deeper conversation about homelessness in Eugene, seven years after a similar proposal failed to pass the council in 2019. Supporters want the city to do more than simply pass the ordinance, which would allow the city to fine motorists or vehicle passengers up to $50 when they hand anything to a pedestrian while in the flow of traffic on a street.

They also want education so the public is aware of other ways to help people besides handing them cash while passing by. 

If you’re considering ways to help organizations that serve people experiencing homelessness, here’s the city’s curated list of resources. It includes information about providers that help people in different ways such as emergency shelter, housing and food.

Both of Oregon’s U.S. senators swing through Lane County 

A tale of two senators: In separate events, U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden traveled to Lane County to visit constituents. Wyden, a Democrat and Oregon’s senior senator, hosted a roundtable discussion about health care.

Earlier this month, Merkley and U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, both Democrats, heard from constituents in a lively town hall gathering, where Merkley warned of the Trump administration’s “authoritarian takeover” of the government. 

— Ben Botkin

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Inside Eugene City hall with Grace chinowsky

Another dam study: Eugene has started a feasibility study to determine what to do about an underwater dam that is a longtime hazard for people floating the Willamette River, correspondent Ashli Blow reports.

ICYMI: Eugene city leaders issued statements criticizing the federal administration’s “reckless trajectory” after the events in Minneapolis involving federal agents and the deadly shooting of Renee Nicole Good.

Finally, a pronunciation guide: An alert reader pointed out last week we neglected to include the pronunciation of Eugene’s choice for city manager, Jenny Haruyama, the current Beaverton city manager.  It’s pronounced “HAR-oo-yah-mah.” Think of it this way: “Haru,” which rhymes with “far,” and “yama,” as in “llama” or “Obama.” That’s based on our review of a video when she interviewed in 2021 for her current gig as Beaverton city manager.

Downtown housing: The city is still working with developers to turn the site of the former LCC downtown center into multi-unit, mixed-income housing. Councilors voted last week to give the development team more time to request additional urban renewal funds for the project at 1059 Willamette St.

Checking in on Springfield With lillian Schrock-Clevenger

Fire governance: The Springfield City Council voted last week to join Eugene in forming an independent public body for the fire department. Eugene Springfield Fire Chief Mike Caven sat at a table in City Hall with the city manager as councilors made their decision. Before their vote, he shared how having the fire department governed by two cities is inefficient.

“We just have things that bundle up that take a tremendous amount of staff time away from planning for the future, planning for the threats, taking care of the workforce when we’re busy trying to do paperwork and trying to do things that just come naturally in a single system with a single set of values and way of conducting their business,” the fire chief said. 

Heads up, Ward 4 residents: The city is accepting applications until Feb. 20 from people who live in Ward 4 and want to serve as an interim city councilor. Check out this map if you’re not sure what ward you live in.

State of the City this week: Mayor Sean VanGordon will deliver his annual address to the city on Thursday, Jan. 29, at the Wildish Theater downtown. City leaders will also announce Springfield’s business, community leader and employees of the year awards.

beyond lane county

New labor coalition: The Oregon Capital Chronicle reported on the formation of a new labor coalition to grow jobs and hit Oregon’s clean energy targets.

GOP lawmaker enters governor’s race: Rep. Ed Diehl, a Republican from Scio who helped lead an effort to stop Gov. Tina Kotek’s planned fuel tax increases, announced he’s seeking the GOP nomination for governor.

Starr weighs in: The Oregon Journalism Project conducted an interview with Oregon’s Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, a Republican who worked with Diehl and Jason Williams of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon to get enough signatures to put the fuel tax increases on the ballot.

License-plate reader legislation: After the rise and fall of Flock Safety cameras in Lane County, Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, is working on a proposal to put more safeguards on how the technology uses its data, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reports. Eugene police scrapped a contract with the Flock Safety camera vendor and Springfield police announced the planned removal of deactivated cameras.

Public Meetings this week

Tuesday

  • Lane County commissioners will meet for a regular meeting at 9 a.m. The agenda includes discussion of the development of an indoor sports facility with Travel Lane County, as well as legislative priorities. 
  • The Springfield Historic Commission will hold a regular meeting at 5 p.m. to elect a chair and vice chair. 

Wednesday

  • The Springfield Community Development Advisory Committee will meet for a regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. for a public hearing on community needs and a discussion on a Springfield housing capacity analysis. 

Thursday

  • Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon will give his State of the City address at 5:30 p.m.

Do you have story ideas or tips? Send them our way — ben@lookoutlocal.com | grace@lookoutlocal.com | lilliansc@lookoutlocal.com

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Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.

Grace Chinowsky graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in journalism. She served as editor-in-chief of the university’s independent student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, and interned at CNN and MSNBC. Grace covers Eugene’s city government and the University of Oregon.