Umpire is out P ortland’s D ale Scott tells his story — SEE SPORTS, B12 PortlandTHURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015 • TW ICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPERTribune • PORTLANDTRIBUNE. COM • PUBLISHED TUESDAY AND THURSDAY Novick makes his fi nal street fee proposal “This looks like the kind of R esidents would plan we can support, however, as we’ve said before, the details pay for roads b ased matter. We will need to look closely at the details as a next on gas usage step,” said McDonough. “Over- all, we are glad to see this move By JIM REDDEN to a fee-based system. We hope The Tribune this formula will work so we can all move forward with the Commissioner Steve important goal of fi xing streets. Novick hopes he’s hit the We look forward to working sweet spot with his latest with the Mayor and other mem- nonresidential street fee pro- bers of City Council on this.” posal — a user fee based on Novick said the City Council estimated gasoline consump- will hold a public hearing on the tion according to income. revised proposal on Jan. 8, with “Some people want a user the fi nal vote scheduled for Jan. TRIBUNE PHOTO: LACEY JACOBY fee, some people want a gas tax, 14. Thanks to neighborhood efforts last spring, Portland’s only Paradox W alnut tree, which was going to be removed for construction, will remain. and some people want a pro- “It seems possible that we gressive income tax. This has could pass a user fee in council elements of all three,” Novick that would not require a cam- said Monday morning after re- paign, which would mean that leasing the revision. we could get to work much The revised proposal may re- sooner,” Novick said. duce some of the opposition to Under the revised proposal, the last version of the fee, which tax fi lers in the lowest fi fth of included a progressive personal the income distribution would income tax as the residential pay $3 a month; fi lers in the sec- portion. It was opposed by the ond fi fth would pay $5 a month; STUMPTOWNNO MORE Portland Business Alliance, fi lers in the middle fi fth would which promised to help fund a pay $7.45 a month; fi lers in the petition drive to refer it to the second-highest fi fth would pay ballot. $9 a month; and fi lers in the top However, after seeing the re- fi fth would pay $12 a month. City code fi nally takes hold vised proposal, Sandra Mc- “Gasoline use is one proxy Donough, president and CEO of for ‘road use,’ and gasoline use the PBA, said her organization to help preserve big trees might go along with it. See F EE / Page 3 penalties for those who don’t tions were inconsistent and ad- is necessary, “as tree codes go, I C itiz ens face stricter heed them. ministered by seven different think it’s a pretty fair tree code,” It takes away a lot of the confu- city bureaus, which in Portland Wood says. rules for removing, sion about what you can do with can seem like seven different lo- trimming vegetation trees, says Portland landscape cal governments. Permits will be needed contractor Greg Schifsky. “It also “The department of transpor- Probably the biggest shock sends a message that we trea- tation would tell you to take out a will come from homeowners, he By STEVE LAW sure our trees.” trees and the planning depart- predicts, who aren’t accustomed The Tribune Schifsky was part of a core ment would say ‘No, we don’t to being told they can’t cut down group of neighborhood activists want you to do that,’ ” says Justin trees on their property. One- Starting Friday, Portlanders who started lobbying the city Wood, associate director of gov- third of all the trees in the city need to think twice before back in 2005 to 2006 to improve its ernment relations for the Home are on single-family lots, and chopping down trees on their jumbled tree-cutting regulations. Builders Association of Metro- most of those previously were property or pruning street For a city that prided itself on its politan Portland. unregulated. trees in their parking strip. greenery, a lot of important trees After several years of citizen “The old tree code was not A new city tree code that’s kept disappearing, he says, “and pressure, stakeholder meetings consistent and as fair as it could been years in the making fi nally a lot of them were being taken and public hearings, the City be,” says Meryl Redisch, who takes effect on Jan. 2. It brings down for not very good reasons.” Council adopted a new tree code worked closely on the tree code TRIBUNE PHOTO: JONATHAN HOUSE new protections to trees on both Developers also were frustrat- back in 2011. But implementation as a member of the city’s Urban Mayor Charlie Hales and Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick public and private property, ed, because patchwork tree regu- kept getting delayed — until now. Forestry Commission. It had unveiled their original street fee proposal in May, and it’s been along with stricter, but easier-to- lations were embedded in many Though some homebuilders changing ever since. The latest proposal would have fees assessed use regulations — and tough parts of the city code. Regula- still don’t see why a city tree code See TREES / Page 2 according to estimated gas usage. History fi nds fault with grand jury status quo son, Mo., and the choking death Some O regon cases have b een tainted, of Eric Garner by police in Stat- en Island, N.Y., it now lands in lending weight to calls for reform the Oregon Legislature during a national conversation about By LEE VAN DER VOO people were indicted for major grand jury reform. For the Tribune crimes in the state. Those people Other bills are expected, and arrived at court without know- bipartisan support for grand ju- Only 14 states don’t rou- ing what wit- ry reform is mounting. Former tinely record what happens nesses said Multnomah County District At- at grand juries, the citizen about them to torney Mike Schrunk is among juries that indict people for the grand jury or TRIB the advocates. major crimes. Oregon is whether some Yet, despite the lack of legisla- among them — the only grand jury wit- SERIES tive interest in this issue for de- state in the West. nesses didn’t im- SECOND OF cades, Oregon has had a patchy Between 2009 and 2013, 110,550 plicate them in a TWO PARTS history at keeping its grand ju- crime. Nearly 16 ries pure all along. percent of those Prosecutors in Lane County people — or an average of 288 used a grand jury to obtain an people every month — were in- unrestricted wiretap on a re- dicted in Multnomah County. porter’s phone in the late 1980s, When the Oregon Legislature believing he helped convicted considers a bill to change that in child-murderer Diane Downs es- the upcoming legislative session cape from prison. In 1993, former — an effort sponsored by Rep. TRIBUNE PHOTO: LEAH NASH/ INVESTIG ATE W EST Clatsop County District Attor- Jennifer Williamson, D-Port- DeAnna Horne, a Multnomah County public defender who handles 40 to 50 cases at a time, said that if she ney Julie Leonhardt falsely in- land, at the urging of the Oregon received an audiotape of a transcript with clients’ indictments like attorneys in other states, she would dicted two veteran police offi- Criminal Defense Lawyers As- know how to best use the limited time she has with cases. cers following their dust-up with sociation — it won’t be the fi rst her boyfriend, an ex-convict. time. grand juries. Prosecutors say it’s drag-out about grand jury,” said tion. In 2001, 13 sex abuse cases No one has an exact count of a lot. Josh Marquis, Clatsop County Though the bill to record were dismissed in Josephine how many times defense attor- “Every single session that I’ve district attorney, one of the few grand juries was in the works County when it was discovered neys in Oregon have proposed been going to for 32 years, we prosecutors willing to talk pub- before the shooting death of Mi- recording what happens in usually have some knock-down, licly about the proposed legisla- chael Brown by police in Fergu- See G RAND JURY / Page 2 “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune deliver balanced news that refl ects the LIVE MUSIC! stories of our communities. Thank you — SEE LIFE, PAGE B2 for reading our newspapers.” Inside — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Thursday, January 1, 2015 Grand jury: Cultural shift sought Trees: No permit = big fi ne ■ ■ From page 1 From page 1 MORE ABOUT THE TREE CODE ■ Website for information on Portland tree very different treatment for trees in devel- code: portlandoregon.gov/trees/ that grand jurors had been subjected opment situations and those that aren’t, ■ Information hot line on how new regula- to “educational” talks by advocates for Redisch says. tions may affect tree planting, pruning or victims of child abuse. All of these The new code seeks to change that, but removal options: 503-823-TREE. cases involved illegal behavior by pros- it may make some people unhappy. ■ Or email questions to: trees@portlandore- ecutors. From now on, residents will need to ap- gon.gov ■ Then there was the case of Gabriel ply for a $25 city permit before taking Desirable trees to plant (natives) and those to avoid (nuisance trees): portland- Gherasim, who was freed from prison down any tree on their property with a oregon.gov/auditor/34460?a=322280 by grand jury notes in 1999 when they diameter of 12 inches or greater, mea- ■ Tree care providers who attended work- proved a key witness against him in a sured 4.5 feet off the ground.