Willamette Week | News Buzz

Save the Earth--Visit The Dentist
Hey, all you armchair environmentalists: This Earth Day you can put your convictions where your mouth is--and visit Dr. Craig Howe.

When Howe left Kaiser Permanente to set up Mt. Scott Family Dental last year, he wanted to do things differently. He's certainly accomplished his goal. Instead of dumping the many pounds of mercury, silver and other metallic waste he produces each year, as most of his peers do, Howe bought what he believes is the first--and only--mercury separator in the Portland area. The device collects the toxic waste products that would ordinarily flow unchecked into the city's sewage system and--when it rains and sewers overflow--into the Willamette River. A recycling service periodically collects the waste.

Howe also sprung for a digital X-ray machine, which office manager Randi Zochert says exposes patients and staff to 40 percent less radiation than conventional devices. She says digital images also eliminate the need for film and developing chemicals, both of which are tough on the environment.

Howe won't recoup the extra expense of his environmentalism in the near future. Even with the new equipment, Zochert says, Mt. Scott's fees are no higher than those of other dental practices. But over time, she says, digital X-rays should prove cheaper and more efficient than the old-fashioned kind.

Zochert believes that ultimately state or local environmental regulators will probably mandate mercury separators and crack down on the disposal of X-ray processing chemicals. In the meantime, Mt. Scott is out in front of the curve.

Howe's group was one of seven companies--and by far the smallest--honored by the city last week for their environmental efforts.

"Hopefully, we can serve as a role model for other dental offices in the city by reducing or eliminating hazardous waste," Howe says. "It is the right thing to do."
--Nigel Jaquiss

Where the Bills Are
FOLLOW-UP
State Senate President Brady Adams and House Speaker Lynn Snodgrass have laid down the law in Salem. According to their new time line, all bills have to be heard by April 23 and must be out of committee a week later. That spells trouble for dozens of bills, including three good ones we highlighted last month ("A Few Bills We Like," WW, March 31, 1999). Here's where they stand.

Senate Bill 617--Pesticides Right to Know

Gist: Requires reporting of all pesticides used on commercial and government properties. Backed by environmental and health organizations.

Since we last wrote: This bill is still stuck in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Chairman Sen. Gary George won't budge on giving it a hearing, despite the ad campaign calling him to task that bill supporters ran in his district last week. Instead, the Newberg Republican says he's offering a compromise.

Last week the committee held a first hearing on Senate Bill 1028, which environmentalists are calling the "Right to Surf" bill. It proposes that the scant reports the state fire marshal currently collects about hazardous materials be put on the Internet. It has no provisions for comprehensive reporting of pesticide usage.

The Oregon Environmental Council figures it will have to take the issue directly to the voters in 2000 as a ballot initiative.

Contact:
Sen. Gary George (503) 986-1702, e-mail: george.sen@state.or.us

Senate Bill 588--Women's Health
Senate Bill 529--Mental-Health Parity

Gist: SB 588 would maintain the current coverage of mammograms and gynecological exams under all health-insurance policies issued in Oregon. Senate Bill 529 requires expansion of coverage to include mental-health and substance-abuse treatment.

Since we last wrote: These two health-insurance bills are stuck in state Sen. Bill Fisher's Health and Human Services Committee. The Roseburg Republican is sending mixed messages on whether the bills will get hearings. He told WW that he opposes mandated insurance coverage and wants the health-care advocates to work out a compromise with insurance companies. But he's telling Sen. Kate Brown, the bill's main sponsor, that SB 588, at least, will get a hearing before the deadline.

Contact: Sen. Bill Fisher (503) 986-1723, e-mail: fisher.sen@state.or.us

--Patty Wentz

Dialing for Dollars
FOLLOW-UP
Portland Public Schools' complete budget won't be released until April 26, but behind-the-scenes maneuvering over money is heating up.

Much of the jockeying stems from questions about the district's use of state desegregation funds at both Irvington Elementary School and Humboldt Elementary School ("Mixing It Up," WW, April 7, 1999).

On April 7 Irvington principal Gloria Gostnell responded to WW's coverage of the issue with a letter to parents, warning that the school could face the loss of pre- and full-day kindergarten programs and up to 11 teaching positions if the school's $541,000 in desegregation funding is shifted to another school.

According to several parents, that letter inspired members of the Irvington community to deluge Portland School Board members and superintendent Ben Canada with phone calls and e-mail pleading their case.

Members of the Humboldt community took a different tack. Two of them showed up at the April 12 board meeting to argue that any cuts to funds allocated for reconstitution and desegregation at their school would have disastrous consequences.

Humboldt's reconstitution money, $436,000 last year, was indeed in jeopardy, according to district sources. But based on staffing allocations circulated by the district last Thursday, next year's money is safe--at least for now.

Sue Hagmeier, who heads the school-board committee that will be examining desegregation funding, expects that sorting through competing demands will be a contentious process. "When everybody doesn't have enough," she says, "it's hard for people to imagine that others have less."

Board chairman Ron Saxton sent out a memo last week attempting to make budget deliberations less emotional and subjective than in previous years. Saxton asked the administration and board members to assume that funding for all programs stops at the end of this year and that future spending should depend on educational merit rather than history and emotion.

Saxton's request will be tested at the board meeting on April 26. Irvington parents have chartered two buses and will show up in force to support their school, but they face a difficult battle. Canada reportedly believes other schools are more deserving of the money.
--Nigel Jaquiss

NBA Payoffs
You could have won a lot of bets if you'd predicted that the Trail Blazers would do so well this season. But the team's record is really no surprise when you look at what Portland pays its players.

The Blazers have the second-best record in the NBA and the second-highest payroll ($53 million, as The New York Times recently pointed out). With few exceptions, the teams that pay the most are also the ones with the best records.

Of the 10 squads with the fattest payrolls, seven are among the top 10 in wins: Portland, San Antonio, Orlando, Miami, Indiana, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

The three big-buck disappointments? The New York Knicks (who will shell out $68 million in wages this year), the New Jersey Nets and the Washington Wizards.

Blazers president Bob Whitsitt explains that Portland--a small-market city with a lousy climate--must pay top dollar to sign quality players. And Whitsitt has done a good job of spending owner Paul Allen's Microsoft millions: The home-team roster features 10 NBA lottery picks in all--none of whom was actually drafted by the Blazers.

"In building this team, we looked at the old Celtics, the Lakers of the 1980s, the Cowboys, 49ers and the old Raiders," adds Whitsitt. "The one thing they had in common was that they expect a lot of their people. They set their standards very high, and they take care of the players and reward them financially."

If you're looking for overachievers, try the Utah Jazz, which boasts the NBA's top record while spending just $30 million on salaries. Or consider this: Of the Blazer's 10 losses, seven have been to the teams with the lowest payrolls--Seattle, Golden State, Charlotte, The L.A. Clippers and Utah Jazz all have payrolls of less than $32 million. Perhaps that gives them a little extra incentive to beat the better-paid Blazers. --Bob Young

Why, There Oughta Be A Law...

HOUSE BILL 4013 * RELATING TO TAXPAYER SATISFACTION
SPONSORED BY PAUL R. FARAGO

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OREGON:SECTION 1: Whereas the people shall have the right to express their satisfaction with the quantity of government services when they pay their tax bills:

(a) Payers of state- and local-government income taxes and payers of taxes on real and personal property shall be given the option on income-tax returns and property-tax bills to pay:

(i) 15 percent more than the amount due, if the taxpayer wants an increased quantity of government services;

(ii) the amount due, if the taxpayer is satisfied with the quantity of government services; or

(iii) 15 percent less than the amount due, if the taxpayer wants a reduced quantity of government services.

(b) Option (iii) in subsection (a) applies only to the portion of the tax paid on or before the due date.

(c) Options (i) and (iii) of subsection (a) do not apply to the portion of a taxpayer's property-tax bill that is designated for payment of the principal and/or interest on voter-approved bond indebtedness.

HOUSE BILL 4014 * RELATING TO TRUTH IN TAXING