The City Club of Eugene Podcast

Attack on the U.S. Capitol

The Jan. 6, 2021 invasion of the U.S. Capitol made it clear that extremism is part of our national politics. What does this mean for the republic and, in particular, the Republican Party?

This City Club of Eugene podcast episode features three experts to help us understand the motivations of the far right and what the movement means for our political future. Our speakers include investigative journalist David Neiwert; University of Oregon Professor Emerita Priscilla Southworth, an expert in political science; and University of Oregon Professor Peter Walker, who observed the Malheur Wildlife Refuge rebellion and wrote Sagebrush Collaboration about that occupation.

View this episode on YouTube or on the City Club of Eugene Facebook page.

(This program aired on March 12, 2021)

Designer Babies

If we use CRISPR technology to improve, modify, delete or add DNA to a fetus, have we benefited or harmed our species? In this episode, Dr. Francoise Baylis, a bioethicist, walks us through the safety, efficacy and ethics we should consider when creating designer babies.

Baylis is the 2021 Chair of the Wayne L. Morse Center for Law and Politics at the University of Oregon.

Watch this episode on YouTube or the City Club of Eugene Facebook page.

(This program was broadcast on Feb. 26, 2021)

Eviction: Losing House and Home in the Pandemic

An eviction is recognized as a property owner's nuclear option in attempting to solve owner-tenant disputes. While behavior may prompt delivery of an eviction notice, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted renters falling behind on paying rent.

In Lane County, one in three renters is paying more than half of their income for rent; in Oregon, one-quarter of renters are severely burdened by the cost of housing. More than half of BIPOC Oregonians owe back rent. During the pandemic, the Oregon Legislature imposed a moratorium on evictions, but it is set to expire.

House Bill 4401 provides assistance for renters and owners, and it extends the pandemic moratorium on evictions. For a look at evictions and the bill, City Club of Eugene invited three speakers: Rep. Julie Fahey, chair of the House Committee on Housing; Alison McIntosh, policy and communications director for Neighborhood Partnerships; and Jason Miller, legislative director of the Oregon Rental Housing Association.

Watch this program on City Club of Eugene's YouTube channel.

(This program was presented on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021)

This episode is the third of three focused on housing.

Affordable Housing

"Do the math, create the path."

The speakers in this episode discuss the barriers to affordable housing and some of the work-arounds that will help people achieve the American dream of home ownership. The path forward may include community land trusts, cooperative housing, limited equity cooperatives and more. The idea is to create affordability by design.

Speakers include Jeff Albanese, who works on developing affordable, shared-equity housing; Annie Fifield, Economic Strategies Manager for the City of Eugene; and Dylan Lamar, an architect focusing on sustainable and affordable in-fill housing.

Watch this program on City Club of Eugene's YouTube channel.

(This program was presented on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021)

This episode is the second of three focused on housing.

 

Missing Middle Housing: Citizen Involvement

Eugene is developing its implementation of Oregon House Bill 2001, which requires "missing middle" housing in Oregon cities. Part of the planning includes a deliberative planning review panel, consisting of randomly selected residents representing all demographics.

In this presentation, City Planner Teri Harding explains the concept of missing middle housing and the way that the city is approaching it. Two participating members of the review panel, Sam and Robert, join Harding to explain the process.

More information on the history of exclusionary zoning is available on the city's website.

This episode is the first of three focused on housing.

Watch this program on City Club of Eugene's YouTube channel.

(This program was presented on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021)

 

Recovery from the Holiday Farm Fire (2 of 2)

"Without the pure and bountiful McKenzie, we are, as Barry Lopez said, 'somehow a little bit less'." (Jeannine Parisi)

It's been months since the September 2020 devastating Holiday Farm Fire along the McKenzie River east of Eugene. City Club of Eugene checked in on the progress - or the lack of it - on clean up and rebuilding.

Three speakers gave us the status of their work and visions for the area's future: Heather Buch, Lane County's commissioner serving the fire area; Tim Laue, head of McKenzie Development Corporation, which focuses on recovery; and Jeannine Parisi, community and local government liaison for Eugene Water and Electric Board, which sources its water from the McKenzie River.

Watch this program on City Club of Eugene's YouTube channel.

(This program was presented on Jan. 29, 2021; Part 1 of this topic is also available)

Coast Economics

The Oregon Coast is beautiful, but many of its residents suffer economically. The region's recovery from the 2008 recession has been very slow (below, left). In addition, factors such as lower life expectancy (below, right) play a role in the coast's ability to create and sustain a healthy economy.

City Club of Eugene developed this program to highlight the perspectives of coastal legislative, tribal and business leaders.

Sen. Dick Anderson, former mayor of Lincoln City, says, "On the one hand…rural Oregon, including the coast, has lost a smaller share of jobs than urban Oregon since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, prior to the onset of the pandemic, rural Oregon had barely regained the level of jobs prior to the Great Recession of 2007-09, continuing a troubling pattern of lagging economic growth. The effects of this geographic inequality go far beyond economics, affecting everything from life expectancy to access to health insurance.”

Bettina Hannigan, president and CEO of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce, says, "It’s very difficult to get skilled labor here on the coast…the businesses here are struggling with skilled workforce. When we finally do get skilled workers…it’s a big burden to be able to keep their employees year-round.”

Doc Slyter is chief of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. From his perspective, "It’s a process of remembering what we need and to keep on that to make sure that doesn’t go down the list, keep those projects on the top of the list and bring them up every 4-5 months so we don’t forget about them.” 

Watch this program on City Club of Eugene's YouTube channel.

(This program was presented on Jan. 15, 2021)

Implicit Bias

What is implicit bias? How does it operate in the classroom and the courtroom? How are hiring decisions and discipline affected by implicit bias?

Erik Girvan, law professor at the University of Oregon Law School, provides a broad overview of implicit bias; Rhonda Nese, professor of education at the University of Oregon, discusses steps that teachers can take to counteract implicit bias; and Justice Adrienne Nelson, judge on the Oregon Supreme Court, discusses it from a justice perspective.

“Try to help us to make better decisions in the moment. This can include lots of things like give ourselves decision guides so we don’t just go with our guts. Because going with our gut can emphasize the impact of (our) assumptions.” (Dr. Girvan)

“When we see implicit bias come up in the treatment of students within schools, either through their interactions with their teachers or their peers, what we often see, especially in classroom behaviors and interactions is that implicit bias comes out as harsh and disproportionate discipline towards students of color, students with disabilities, students living in poverty and those struggling academically.” (Dr. Nese)

“There is a school-to-prison pipeline. And what that means is that depending on the circumstances by which you live – that doesn’t mean things that you’ve done – just by living in a certain zip code, your skin color, your gender/sexual orientation, your religious affiliation,  can affect how one navigates the world.” (Justice Nelson)

(This program was presented on Jan. 8, 2021)

Watch this program on the City Club of Eugene's YouTube channel!

Navigating and Studying Gender Transition

Bethany Grace Howe used to be Barton Grover Howe. In this episode of the City Club of Eugene podcast, she talks about her personal experience with transitioning as well as her research on it. Since this program, Bethany has received her doctorate from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.

"Every single thing that happens, you wonder if it's a point of contention, you wonder if it's something about you."

"Sometimes transitioning people just get reduced to an identity...it just can't be news anymore that I exist."

"I think people get tired of being tokenized."

"Being transgender in the 21st century...we're the boogeyman du jour."

"The worst days...are when I feel like my community is under siege."

(This program was presented on March 15, 2019)

Creativity: BEST After-School Programs

When COVID-19 closed schools, Eugene, Oregon School District 4J's BEST Program had to pivot its after-school programs to online-only. This episode explains the program and highlights five nonprofits who converted their usual hands-on projects to online learning. The pivot is an example of creativity developed from the desire to continue serving at-risk students.

The problem-solving highlights the cooperative relationships that continue BEST's goals of collective impact, use of evidence-based practices, and flexibility.

One mother wrote, "Dear Staff, thank you so much for being a highlight to our daughter's digital learning experience this spring...We so appreciate that you take the time to comment on her work. That means a lot to her because she worked so hard and it makes her feel good to know her teachers recognize that."

Speakers include Mindy Bell, School Garden Project; Molly Lajoie, 4J School District's BEST Program; Holly Kriz-Anderson, Eugene Family YMCA; Holly Spencer, Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestras; Katy Vizdal, Eugene Symphony; and Ethan Wing, City of Eugene.

(This program was presented on July 10, 2020)

Watch this program on City Club of Eugene's YouTube channel.