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https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2022/08/17/after-firing-public-defense-commissioners-new-members-named/65407647007/ PORTLAND — The day after Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters fired all nine members of the state commission that oversees public defense, she said Tuesday that she was appointing four new commissioners and reappointing five commissioners from the previous group.

Walters had fired the commission members out of frustration that hundreds of defendants charged with crimes and who cannot afford an attorney have been unable to obtain public defenders to represent them.

“This change in leadership occurred quickly, and our work will commence as quickly,” Walters wrote in a letter Tuesday to the new commission. “These issues are too important to delay.”

Last week during a public hearing, Walters urged the commission to fire Steve Singer, the relatively new executive director of the Office of Public Defense Services.

Walters, a nonvoting member of the commission, has described Singer as untrustworthy, needlessly combative and slow to address the state’s public defense crisis. Others have defended Singer as reforming a long-broken system, while acknowledging he can be abrasive.

Despite Walters' calls for his removal last week, the commission deadlocked on the decision 4-4, with one member absent.

Minutes after Walters publicly named the new commission Tuesday, the Public Defense Services Commission announced it would hold an executive session Wednesday to meet with its attorneys and “to review and evaluate the job performance of the OPDS Executive Director.”

Walters has declined interview requests from Oregon Public Broadcasting.

“I think it was precisely because the commission refused to fire Steve Singer that the commission was fired,” now former Commissioner Mark Hardin, a retired attorney who voted against removing Singer, told OPB on Monday. “It’s hardly a leap.”

All four commissioners who voted to fire Singer were reappointed, along with one member, Alton Harvey Jr., who voted to keep Singer as head of the Office of Public Defense Services. All commissioners are volunteers.

Oregon’s public defender system is the only one in the county that relies entirely on contractors: Large nonprofit defense firms, smaller cooperating groups of private defense attorneys that contract for cases and independent attorneys who can take cases at will.

But some firms and private attorneys are periodically refusing to take new cases because of the workload. Poor pay rates and late payments from the state are also a disincentive. The American Bar Association found that Oregon has only 31% of the public defenders it needs.

Oregon’s unique public defender system has come under such strain that it is at the breaking point. Criminal defendants in Oregon who have gone without legal representation due to a shortage of public defenders filed a lawsuit in May that alleges the state is violating their constitutional right to legal counsel and a speedy trial.

Walters said “systemic change” is called for and that the commission must collaborate with Oregon’s executive and legislative branches and the public defense community “to create a better system for public defense providers.”

https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2022/08/17/after-firing-public-defense-commissioners-new-members-named/65407647007/ PORTLAND — The day after Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters fired all nine members of the state commission that oversees public defense, she said Tuesday that she was appointing four new commissioners and reappointing five commissioners from the previous group. Walters had fired the commission members out of frustration that hundreds of defendants charged with crimes and who cannot afford an attorney have been unable to obtain public defenders to represent them. “This change in leadership occurred quickly, and our work will commence as quickly,” Walters wrote in a letter Tuesday to the new commission. “These issues are too important to delay.” Last week during a public hearing, Walters urged the commission to fire Steve Singer, the relatively new executive director of the Office of Public Defense Services. Walters, a nonvoting member of the commission, has described Singer as untrustworthy, needlessly combative and slow to address the state’s public defense crisis. Others have defended Singer as reforming a long-broken system, while acknowledging he can be abrasive. Despite Walters' calls for his removal last week, the commission deadlocked on the decision 4-4, with one member absent. Minutes after Walters publicly named the new commission Tuesday, the Public Defense Services Commission announced it would hold an executive session Wednesday to meet with its attorneys and “to review and evaluate the job performance of the OPDS Executive Director.” Walters has declined interview requests from Oregon Public Broadcasting. “I think it was precisely because the commission refused to fire Steve Singer that the commission was fired,” now former Commissioner Mark Hardin, a retired attorney who voted against removing Singer, told OPB on Monday. “It’s hardly a leap.” All four commissioners who voted to fire Singer were reappointed, along with one member, Alton Harvey Jr., who voted to keep Singer as head of the Office of Public Defense Services. All commissioners are volunteers. Oregon’s public defender system is the only one in the county that relies entirely on contractors: Large nonprofit defense firms, smaller cooperating groups of private defense attorneys that contract for cases and independent attorneys who can take cases at will. But some firms and private attorneys are periodically refusing to take new cases because of the workload. Poor pay rates and late payments from the state are also a disincentive. The American Bar Association found that Oregon has only 31% of the public defenders it needs. Oregon’s unique public defender system has come under such strain that it is at the breaking point. Criminal defendants in Oregon who have gone without legal representation due to a shortage of public defenders filed a lawsuit in May that alleges the state is violating their constitutional right to legal counsel and a speedy trial. Walters said “systemic change” is called for and that the commission must collaborate with Oregon’s executive and legislative branches and the public defense community “to create a better system for public defense providers.”

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[–] • 1 pt

Is it mostly in Portland? What about the rest of the state? Are there still some sheriffs that are not compromised?

[–] • 0 pt

Long answer, it’s the Portland metro area, then south to Corvallis(OSU), then Eugene(UofO). The rest of the state is conservative.

Those three places mainly control the state.

Oh and most of the coastal cities have turned blue for local elections since liberals with beach homes can vote in local elections even though they only live there a weeks a year.

You can see the frustration with the locals when the progressive city/county councils keep pushing the liberal agenda and restricting how they can live.

They always claim republicans gerrymander but blue states due the same, tell me how in 2016 41.4 voted for Trump but the state has a supermajority in both houses.

The redistricting in 2010 and I’m sure 2020 were disastrous. They redrew districts by adding and removing a few blocks and seats that were red for decades became blue by 50-100 votes.

Yes, still good places that’s why all these people in red states getting mad at people fleeing and saying “don’t bring your politics with you” don’t understand that it’s mostly conservatives fleeing. Blue states are getting the liberal refugees like Oregon, Washington and other less populated blue states.

The rural sheriffs are still good, think of the “bundy stand off” and the sheriff was trying to help end it. Other sheriffs have said they won’t enforce gun restrictions etc.

We have a more first amendment rights then the federal constitution which is allowed and praised, so we have always had live sex shows etc but now with the rise of “nationalism” they want to restrict it lol.

The state Supreme Court has said firearms only pertain to firearms available at the time the states constitution was passed but weirdly the first amendment isn’t stuck in 1860’s with a printing press but covers digital content/posts.

But some firms and private attorneys are periodically refusing to take new cases because of the workload. Poor pay rates and late payments from the state are also a disincentive. The American Bar Association found that Oregon has only 31% of the public defenders it needs.

This means they’re going after even the rural areas, they already do but now it will be harder to arrest and keep the criminals in custody until trial. We have a huge property crime problem but we’re told it’s only property, is it really worth locking someone up over stealing or them getting shot by citizens defending their homes/possessions.

Sidewalks and businesses stoops, parks etc are public land and can be used to camp/live on.

Strong armed robbery has been redefined to “aggressive panhandling” and you better hope you don’t get “aggressive panhandled” besides possibly getting stabbed. If you defend yourself in the liberal areas your pretty screwed if they find out who you are.

The city cops have been dicks for years the local sheriff and other more rural sheriffs were always pretty cool. The ones around here are just huge dicks now. Won’t do anything about actual crime, the homeless can do anything but jaywalk or go a little too fast and they’ll fuck you over with tickets.

Call and report a crime and when they show up they treat you as the criminal and do the stupid cop tricks of trying to get you to admit you did it or try to get you to say the victim was the aggressor etc. only morons call the police/sheriffs around here now.

It’s clown world on steroids.