I’m in Portland, Ore., for the annual convention of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, otherwise known as the Great Journalist Drinkfest. The first session for us editorial folks was a primer on Portland. On the panel was one of the city commissioners, a medicinal marijuana advocate and a “death with dignity” advocate. The lobbyist for the homes builders was a no-show. We learned a couple of things that are interesting vis-a-vis San Diego:
• Portlanders have repeatedly voted down attempts to change to a “strong mayor” form of government. They believe it concentrates too much power into one office. The last attempt went down by a 3-1 margin.
• Portland’s medicinal marijuana law doesn’t allow for dispensaries, so they don’t have any problem with troublesome DEA agents, like San Diego has. However, that made access to “medicine” a little tougher for some patients.
• The city has a program wherein a couple hundred or so homeless people can get subsidized housing for 18 months. Nonprofits carefully screen for the people most likely to take that hand up and do something with it.
• Portland has a law allowing for public financing of campaigns. (A group in San Diego wants it for our city, too.)
• Also interesting, although having nothing to do with San Diego: Under Oregon’s death-with-dignity law, I think it was last year that only 35 people opted to take their own lives rather than deal with pain and differing in their last months of life. This out of about 12,000 eligible patients.
