The Weekly Watch on Who's Where and Who's Whining

[April 27th, 2005] * The Oregon Business Association , formed three years ago by ex-House Speaker Lynn Lundquist as the not-so-greedy, not-so-Republican version of the corporate-heavy Associated Oregon Industries, is losing some of its progressive base. The reason: The OBA is pushing a bill to cap the cost-of-living increase in Oregon's 2002 voter-approved minimum-wage law. Lundquist's board is under siege by what he calls "an email blitz" from members of the Oregon AFL-CIO. And association members such as Jim Kelly of Rejuvenation are peeling off, saying they don't approve of the minimum-wage stance. With the bill up for a hearing today in Salem, Lundquist says he's staying the course.

* In his landmark 1967 book, The Politics of Experience, psychiatrist R.D. Laing wrote that the well-adjusted people in modern society are the abnormal ones. So, there's good news after all in the April issue of Men's Health magazine, which ranks Portland as the nation's 20th most depressed city. It's based on data culled from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: suicide rates, anti-depressant sales, etc. All of which might seem like a bummer, but look on the bright side: We're not in Philly (No. 1) or Detroit (No. 2). The nation's most abnormal, perversely happy people are-no surprise here-to be found in the land of W. Texas is home to three of the four happiest cities, including top-ranked Laredo.

* Somebody shut that Revolving Door: Ex-Portland Tribune columnist Promise King will resurface next month in Commissioner Dan Saltzman 's office as a staff assistant. King, who has worked the policy side of the street before for former state rep Deborah Kafoury and Treasurer Randall Edwards, says he leaves the Pamplin-owned Trib on good terms and feeling like his bosses let him have an unfettered say. As for Saltzman, he picks up somebody well-versed on the communications side-no small asset as he heads into a re-election campaign next year after having ticked off lovers of uncovered reservoirs at Mount Tabor, as well as cops and firefighters by his spotlight on their retirement and disability fund.

* Democrats in Salem are turning on their own after a bill that would let school districts ban concealed weapons couldn't make it out of a Senate committee. On one side of this intra-party divide: Democrats fuming that Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, voted with Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to keep the bill from the Senate floor. Their logic: The idea pushed by committee chairwoman Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, is a winner on its merits and polls well-thus creating a tough nay vote for all the Senate Republicans to explain in the 2006 election. The counter-logic, Prozanski told Eugene's Register-Guard: Democrats from rural districts would be the ones facing a difficult explanation next year with their more conservative voters.

* Could it be true that Pink Martini's swanky-singing China Forbes will soon share the stage with bootylicious pop tartlet Beyoncé? Or that freaky-haired PM pianoman Thomas Lauderdale will rub shoulders with gawky ex-Talking Head David Byrne? Stay tuned, gossip-trackers, for details to come.

Clarification

Last week's story on efforts to bring organic produce to Portland school lunchrooms ("Garden-Variety Schools") incorrectly described current city budget discussions. City Council is considering whether to invest city funds in the construction of a new Portland Public Schools kitchen, not a "takeover" of school food operations.