Tooth finally extracted
After 18 months of denying reality, the chair of the Multnomah County commission, Jessica Chevy Vega, has finally backed down and will allow some ambulances in the county to be staffed with one paramedic and one emergency medical technician, instead of two paramedics. This is how it's done in pretty much all other big cities. It's also what two of her colleagues on the county board, not to mention the local police and fire departments, have been asking for all along, but the Vega had to drag her feet and insist on studies and mediation, all to kiss up to her friends in the Teamsters union.
She'd better hope that those friends have a lot of votes to deliver, because her average constituent is fed up with worrying about waiting forever for an ambulance to show up when needed. And it's never been more obvious whose fault it's been.
“Make no mistake, accepting the staffing change in the agreement now is admitting it was safe and doable all along,” [Commissioner Sharon] Meieran said. “The underlying logic, desperate need, and clear evidence haven’t changed here. [Chair Vega Pederson] signed this agreement, not to save lives, but to save more political embarrassment.”...
Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards, a critic of Vega Pederson’s disclosure practices, complained that the board got copies of the agreement and response data this morning, not enough time to evaluate it before getting to ask questions of county staff at the board’s meeting today.
“The data that has been requested for weeks came across 20 minutes before the county sent out its press release,” Brim-Edwards said.
Maybe we can get Biden or Harris to appoint Vega ambassador to somewhere. Preferably somewhere far away.
Her union connections should be able to get her something in DC. Worked for Neil.
ReplyDeleteDoes she have as many skeletons in the closet as Neil did?
DeleteJVP has considerably fewer brains than Neil, that's for sure.
DeleteI continue to be appalled at JVP. I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone can be so disrespectful, not only to her fellow commissioners, but to the tens of thousands of Multnomah County residents who have begged for answers not only about their ambulance services, but about other life threatening issues like homelessness and drug addiction. Particularly disturbing is her refusal to enforce the laws that would protect the single widows that were her neighbors until she moved to the safety of the nearly all white West Hills.
ReplyDeleteOne particular area where her pettiness is on full display is her disrespect for Sharon Meieran . JVP’s insecurities are clear whenever she has to listen to the smartest, most experienced in a majority of life and health issues. JVP Is apparently unable to control herself when facing Dr. Meieran, a graduate of UCBerkeley and recipient a Law degree from the prestigious Bolt Hall School of Law, before she returned to the University of San Francisco Medical School, one of the country’s leading medical institutions.
Shame on any and all who voted for this train wreck instead of the far better candidate Dr. Meieran, and especially shame on anyone who still supports the worst County Chair of all time!
Hear, hear.
DeleteThe classic case of idealism over pragmatism- not saying she ain't a spoiled disingenuous b-word too.
DeleteLike she cares about votes. She’s not gonna get recalled and she’ll find a way to a job far, far away from here when she’s done. I’ll chip in for the Uber ride to the airport.
ReplyDeleteMajor murmurs that a recall campaign is being launched in mid/late September against JVP. I think people will be surprised at some of the supporters, as it will have solid backing from people who will likely be successful.
ReplyDeleteNarrator: It won't be successful.
DeleteThis proud, bold, Latinx women wins another term. Book it, Multnom-o. Wouldn't her ouster destroy intersectionality as a credo? Vote Blue, no matter who!
DeleteThe word "Latinx" stinx.
DeleteIt's a case of progressive cultural imperialism against native Spanish speakers, many millions of which are black and brown people, by the way. The white gringo elite on the left demand that we accommodate their precious anglo gender neuroses by adopting Frankenwords that are linguistically alien to Spanish as it has evolved since the days of the Roman Empire. We're not going to do it and we're not going to stop resisting attempts to force "Latinx" and "Latine" down our throats.
Better yet, citizens of Multnomah should propose a trade. Chevy Vega for Amy [Margolis wannabe] Kotek. We already paid her $200K for speeches, which no way couldn't ever happen, awe schucks, promise it didn't and JVP has a huge bankroll err...taxpayer slush fund.....so let them trade each other's job.
ReplyDeleteThis is the letter I emailed to JVP yesterday.
ReplyDelete---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your Disgraceful and Undemocratic Tirade Against Andrew Hoan of the Portland Metro Chamber
Thu, Aug 1, 3:43 PM (1 day ago)
to Jessica, andrew
Dear Multnomah County Chair Pederson:
I am one of your constituents albeit an unwilling one, as I voted for your opponent. She has since been on the right side of the issues more often than you. I am also a centrist Democrat, a Harris supporter, a retired attorney and a senior citizen.
You are an undemocratic bully who exercises dictatorial powers over the Multnomah County Commission by virtue of the stranglehold you have over the Commission's agenda. Nothing gets on the Commission's agenda without your say-so, and you have no hesitation about telling the public and fellow commissioners "no" when it suits you. Adding insult to injury is the County's shocking level of incompetence when it comes to planning and execution.
Commissioner Pederson, shame on you for treating one of the City of Portland and Multnomah County's most important constituencies, the business community, like dirt because the head of the Portland Metro Chamber wasn't willing to go along with your vain attempt to control the message to help you hide the truth about the County's shoddy planning for the proposed deflection center.
Get this straight: You work for the Portland Metro Chamber's members and every other voter-taxpayer in the County. They do not work for you. You do not give them orders. You do not get to stifle free speech by unilaterally setting the terms on which taxpayers can express their views on matters that are before the County Commission. You are not entitled to chill freedom of expression by having a fit because you were caught off guard.
Like the Portland Metro Chamber and the Editorial Board of the area's leading publication OregonLive/The Oregonian, I am gravely concerned that you and county staffers are not doing an adequate job of planning the deflection center or of involving all stakeholders, including businesses and nearby residents, in the aspects of the center that will affect them directly. The fact the meetings of the planning group are closed to the public is a disgrace. What are you hiding? Are you that averse to hearing opposing points of view?
It would not surprise me if some of the people who work for you or who are working on the deflection center are Measure 110 dead-enders who still believe the lies and false promises of so-called harm reduction and decriminalization. They lost. They need to stand down or get out of the way of the people's will to get addiction and addicts under control. The days when you or other County personnel could tell the public we need to respect the supposed autonomy of addicts and withhold judgment on the morality of their actions are past, over and done with. Addiction is wrong. A preference for sobriety is not immoral.
I urge you to heed and promptly act upon The Oregonian's critique of the deflection center in its recent editorial.
More importantly, your dictatorial and undemocratic one-person rule over the County Commission's agenda cannot stand. There must be immediate reform so that the commissioner who represents me has as much say in the workings of the Commission as you do. I am shocked that the public and your fellow commissioners have gone along with your abuse of power for as long as they have without initiating litigation to overturn your sole control of the agenda or engaging in acts of peaceful civil disobedience.
I am speaking strictly for myself. I do not know Mr. Hoan nor am I affiliated with the Portland Metro Chamber in any way. However, I am going to copy him on this letter in order to show my support for his critique of the work on the deflection center to date.
Sincerely,
I wish the writers in Portland’s media put this much effort in their work.
DeleteAgreed
DeletePortland gets nothing but better
ReplyDeleteJack, I'm curious how you figure she's in the pocket of the Teamsters? I'm trying to understand what incentive the Teamsters have. Did they have some provision in the contract that benefitted them? It would be great if you could spell that out as it would help explain her perverse behavior.
ReplyDeleteMight be just a person in the local unions that she sways her thought
Deletehttps://www.teamsters223.com/?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=925197
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