In the News
News regarding money in politics, conflicts of interests or disclosure

Voters Could See a 2018 Initiative to Limit Campaign Donations in Portland City Council Elections
The change would make Portland's campaign finance rules more like Multnomah County's regulations, Dec 22, 2017, Willamette Week
Advocates have filed an initiative petition to impose limits on campaign contributions for candidates in Portland City Council elections.
The petition, filed Dec. 20 by Ron Buel and B. Elizabeth Trojan, needs 34,156 signatures by July 6 to successfully make it to the ballot in November 2018.
The proposal would limit individual contributions to $500 per candidate per year, and cap a person's aggregate donations at $5,000 each year
Read more. .
Meet the wealthy donors who are pouring millions into the 2016 elections, Oct 5, 2016, The Washington Post

Wealthy donors are giving record sums this cycle to super PACs, which can accept unlimited contributions from individuals and corporations. These groups are not allowed to coordinate their advertising with candidates or political parties, but often work in close proximity with the official campaigns. Here’s a look at who have given the most through August 31.
Read more.
Phil Knight contributes $380,000 to Republicans in competitive legislative races, by Hillary Borrud  Oct. 6, 2016, The Oregonian

Nike co-founder Phil Knight contributed a total of $380,000 to seven House Republican candidates and one Senate Republican candidate in competitive races around the state, according to new campaign finance filings and a party spokesman.
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Airbnb Has Started Donating to the Campaigns of Portland Politicians.  The company is facing criticism for worsening the city's rental crunch. 
August 31, 2016, Willamette Week

Airbnb is catching political heat.
Last week, WW reported that a manager at the company was flouting city rules by listing several of her properties as short-term rentals. That revelation fueled criticism that scofflaw Airbnb listings are adding to the city's rent crunch by removing units from the city's housing stock.
Airbnb has also been making political donations. In May, the company formally founded a political action committee in San Francisco called the Committee to Expand the Middle Class. It has donated to four Oregon campaigns—all in Portland.
Read more
Did campaign donations influence Commissioner Steve Novick’s vote on Terminal 1?  City Commissioner received $1,000 just 4 days before vote
August 16, PDX Independent

In the weeks for prior to casting the swing vote on the Terminal 1 issue, Steve Novick received $3000 in donations from the developers behind the idea. Novick voted yes despite overwhelming opposition from the houseless advocate community and the Department of Environmental Quality stating the site was not fit for human habitation.
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Big Donors Dominated Portland’s 2016 Mayoral Race
But a public match could have balanced the scales for a small donor-powered campaign.
June 7, 2016, The Sightline Institute

In 2016, one Portland mayoral campaign funded entirely by small donors giving $250 or less faced off against another campaign funded mostly by wealthy donors and business interests giving unlimited amounts. The big checks from a few donors far outweighed the small checks written by thousands of Portlanders
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In Portland Elections, 600 Big Donors Tip the Campaign Scales;
But Portlanders can restore balance
May 27, 2016, Sightline Institute
The wave of big money that has crashed over US politics since Citizens United has not spared Portland, Oregon, Cascadia’s third largest city. Just 600 big donors (including individuals, business entities, labor organizations, and PACs) accounted for nearly 60 percent of all money given to city campaigns in the last completed election cycle.
Read more.
Oregon's Mult-Million Dollar Democracy, How  Big Money Drowned Out Small Donors in 2014
January 2016 report by OSPIRG Foundation

It is well established that Oregon’s elections often attract large donors from both within and outside the state and that this is all permissible through a combination of state and federal court decisions as well as Oregon’s longstanding lack of campaign finance regulation.

Less has been written, however, about the disparity between large and small donors in Oregon.
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Americans’ Views on Money in Politics
Most Americans say that money has too much of an influence on politicians and that campaign finance changes are needed. 
June 2, 2015, The New York Times

In a rare show of unity, Americans, regardless of their political affiliation, agree that money has too much influence on elections, the wealthy have more influence on elections, and candidates who win office promote policies that help their donors. Read more. 

High-powered attorneys, lobbyists give big to Denver candidates
5-31-15, The Denver Post

A host of individuals, businesses and groups — many with an interest in city decision-making — burned through their checkbooks in the lead-up to the May 5 municipal election.

A Denver Post analysis of $4.1 million in contributions, including $1.3 million raised by Mayor Michael Hancock, found that at least $290,000 flowed into campaigns from attorneys and lobbyists, based on contributors for whom occupations are listed in finance reports.  Read more. 

 Big Tobacco Makes Campaign Donations in Oregon
Oct. 29, 2015, PDX Independent

Democrats Peter Courtney and Betsy Johnson, along with a handful of Republicans accepted over $26,000 is campaign donations from Big Tobacco so far in October. Courtney ( D Salem )is currently the President of the Oregon Senate, while Betsy Johnson is Oregon Senate Democrat from Scappoose. Besides Courtney and Johnson, 10 Oregon republicans and The Leadership Fund to took campaign donations from Altria Client Services in October. The Leadership Fund is the fundraising PAC for Republicans in the Oregon Senate.
Read more.
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