09/07/2026
I’ve had enough.
From St. Helens to Astoria, the 30-year SAFE (Select Area Fisheries Enhancement) program is critical for the health of our commercial and recreational fishing economy on the coast. It was a key mechanism for remediating fish populations endangered by the Bonneville Dam, until now.
After ending the program outright, the Bonneville Power Administration has agreed to extend funding for a year thanks to an all hands on deck coalition of legislators, agencies, and our governor.
Protecting endangered species is important.
Ripping the rug out from economically marginalized rural communities is not the way to do that.
This type of paternalistic decision-making has been happening for decades.
No more logging. Mills closed. Union workers lost their jobs. Communities collapsed.
Measure 110 redirected local funding for addiction treatment to the state. Rural communities then had to spend staff time applying for funding that was once theirs.
Local elected officials of both parties across the North Coast expressed concern about the Habitat Conservation Plan’s impact on rural economies and were ignored.
We’ve protected farmland while nickel-and-diming farmers. When farmers with razor-thin margins wanted to open farm stands, agencies drafted restrictive rules in the name of land use until the legislature stepped in.
Federal tariffs, illegal wars that spiked gas prices, and Washington’s food and Medicaid cuts are depressing the North Coast economy even further.
Every Oregonian feels entitled to our rural woods and waterways, but real people live here. Real working people who are struggling in jobs under constant under threat, with limited access to housing and health care.
One year is not enough time to come up with a suitable alternative to a 30-year program. It is better than a cliff, and I am grateful to everyone involved in buying us time.
An ethical, win-win solution is possible. We’ve done it before. But not at the expense of rural working families.
That’s why I’m running for this seat—because advocacy isn’t enough. You deserve a legislator who can step in during moments like this and actually get results.