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Transcript

Under Threat · The Schmidt Show PDX

• 0:10
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome back.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_02: My name is Mike Schmidt, former district attorney turned podcaster.
• 0:15
  So glad you could join us today for what I think is going to be
• 0:17
  a really excellent show.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_02: Today,
• 0:19
  we're talking about two stories that perfectly illustrate what
• 0:22
  happens when civic
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_02: attention fades and what it takes to bring it back.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_02: For our main story today,
• 0:28
  we've got Jamie LeBaron joining us to talk about the Leach
• 0:30
  Botanical Gardens,
• 0:32
  a genuine jewel in East Portland that most Portlanders have
• 0:35
  never visited.
• 0:37
  And right now,
• 0:38
  the nonprofit that stewards this incredible place is facing
• 0:41
  extinction.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_02: This isn't about a villain or a budget crisis.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_02: It's about whether we show up for the things that we say we care about.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_02: But before we get there, we're launching a new segment.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_02: And today,
• 0:55
  Damon Mott's story joins me to break down the legal battle over
• 0:59
  a ballot measure
• 1:00
  that would allow the city to raid 25% of the Portland Clean
• 1:03
  Energy Fund to increase
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_02: police staffing.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_02: This is a masterclass in how ballot language shapes perception,
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: how scarcity politics manufactures false choices,
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_02: and why understanding what you actually voted for matters more than ever.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_02: This isn't a show about Portland.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_02: This is a show for Portland.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're ready to be more than spectators, let's get into it.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_02: My guest today,
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_02: Damon Mott Story,
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_02: is the director of the Oregon Sierra Club,
• 1:39
  a longtime community organizer who's been tracking local ballot
• 1:42
  measures and civic
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_02: policy in Portland for years.
• 1:45
  They are passionate about making complex legal issues
• 1:47
  accessible to everyday
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_02: voters,
• 1:49
  and they have become a go-to voice for understanding how ballot
• 1:53
  language shapes
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: democratic outcomes.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: Damon, thank you so much for being here today.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you so much for having me.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's good to be here.
• 2:00
  So,
• 2:01
  Damon,
• 2:01
  you are my guest,
• 2:03
  my first ever guest on a new segment I'm calling In the News.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_02: I'm going to make insert jingle here.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_02: In the news.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_02: But in the news.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm so grateful to you.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_02: I reached out and I said,
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: hey,
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: Damon,
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: at the last second,
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_02: can you come and help me talk about this?
• 2:21
  And you were so gracious and willing to show up on incredibly
• 2:25
  short notice.
• 2:25
  The thing that was in the news for me that caught my attention
• 2:29
  is a is a court case.
• 2:32
  And it was a court case on something that I think may fly past
• 2:37
  a lot of readers
• 2:39
  because it's a court case over a ballot title of an initiative
• 2:42
  that's being
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_02: proposed.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_02: And this initiative,
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: as I understand it,
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_02: would allow PCEF,
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: and we're going to take a second and back up and talk about what that is,
• 2:55
  but allow the Portland Clean Energy Fund to be used to fund
• 3:02
  police officers.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:03
  Hiring,
• 3:04
  recruiting,
• 3:05
  and equipping police officers is what they've defined it as.
• 3:09
  So I guess my first question is,
• 3:10
  how environmentally good are police officers?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's a whole other word.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: This is apples to oranges as it gets, Mike.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:18
  Like that's the main thing is this is like wildly in a
• 3:21
  different arena of policy.
• 3:22
  And that's one of the core challenges that communities are
• 3:26
  bringing to this police
• 3:27
  proposed police ballot measure is saying it's actually
• 3:29
  unconstitutional to take
• 3:31
  these two things that are so unrelated and stick them into one
• 3:35
  ballot measure.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_02: Well,
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: I'm glad you said that because at first I was like,
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: well,
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_02: maybe I missed the research that said the more police officers you had,
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: the less carbon emissions there would be.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: But it sounds like I've not missed that.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: You're not missing anything.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 3:47
  So before we dive into the court case and the ballot title and
• 3:50
  what is going on
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_02: here,
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: let us back up a little bit.
• 3:53
  You,
• 3:55
  in particular,
• 3:55
  have been around PSAF,
• 3:58
  the Clean Energy Fund,
• 3:59
  for a long time.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_02: Could you just tell folks what is PSAF?
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: Well,
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: the Portland Clean Energy Fund,
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: or PCEF for short,
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: is really this unbelievably unique thing,
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: both nationally and internationally,
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: where community groups came together in 2016,
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: 2017,
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: about 10 years ago,
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: and said,
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: hey,
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: we keep running into the same problems over and over again.
• 4:23
  We know that there are all these benefits coming from the
• 4:26
  emerging renewable energy
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: economy that communities of color are not benefiting from,
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: by and large.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: It tends to be a very white-dominated space.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: And furthermore,
• 4:35
  the other thing we were noticing was that any kind of
• 4:38
  environmental project or
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: climate project was having a heck of a hard time getting funded.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so those two issues united and galvanized environmental groups,
• 4:48
  but also culturally specific communities of color based groups
• 4:51
  that were basically,
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: let me back up and say that a little bit more articulately.
• 4:58
  What this measure really did was it brought together
• 5:02
  environmentalists who needed
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: more funding and communities of color that needed more funding.
• 5:07
  So community-based organizations that represented both of those
• 5:09
  interests came
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: together and put a ballot measure onto the 2018 ballot.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: And 65% of Portlanders said yes to it.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: And it is a unique fund that goes for solar panels,
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: housing upgrades to make things more energy efficient,
• 5:25
  workforce training and union training for the kinds of jobs
• 5:29
  that go into solar
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: panels and the green economy,
• 5:32
  and making sure that communities of color are the first ones to
• 5:35
  benefit and be
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: prioritized for those kinds of benefits and projects.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: I mean,
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: how prescient in 2018 when it passed,
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_02: voters were in 2016 for the people to get together and create this.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: Because fast forward to where we are today,
• 5:50
  we have a federal administration that cannot stop talking about
• 5:53
  the evils of
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_02: windmills and have cut funding across the board for our green economy.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_02: And yet,
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: because Portland had the prescience to create this fund,
• 6:06
  maybe we are a little bit more resilient than other places to
• 6:09
  those changes in the
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_02: federal administration.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: And not only that,
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: but we did a very resilient funding mechanism,
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: a 1% surcharge on the profits of,
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: sorry,
• 6:20
  just the sales of billion dollar companies that do over 500,000
• 6:23
  in sales in
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: Portland every year.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a lot of numbers.
• 6:26
  But the basic gist of that is like any billionaire company in
• 6:29
  America that's also
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: in Portland is paying just 1% of their Portland sales to this fund.
• 6:35
  And that meant that as people started buying more from big box
• 6:38
  stores in the
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: pandemic and inflation started happening,
• 6:41
  This fund was immune to those impacts and actually benefited
• 6:44
  from people's changes
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: in shopping behavior.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: So now what was previously bringing in maybe $50 million,
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: $60 million a year is now bringing well over $200 million every year,
• 6:54
  which means that Portland Clean Energy Fund has sort of got a
• 6:56
  target on its back at
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: this time when we are once again in a quagmire of federal funding.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's a big juicy...
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_02: Target.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's exactly right.
• 7:06
  PCF is doing well at a time when no other city or state budget
• 7:10
  is doing well is
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: kind of one way to put it.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: And actually,
• 7:13
  the only other things that are doing well are other dedicated
• 7:16
  funds that have
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: strong funding mechanisms behind them.
• 7:20
  So we're seeing some other attacks,
• 7:21
  you know,
• 7:22
  sort of voter approved specific measures,
• 7:24
  too.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: But PCF in particular,
• 7:26
  everybody's got their dollar signs in their eyes when they
• 7:28
  think about it.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_02: As you say that,
• 7:30
  I'm envisioning that classic Looney Tunes cartoon with the two
• 7:34
  guys on the island,
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_02: and one of them starts looking like a beef steak or a hot dog,
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_02: right?
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_02: That's exactly it.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_02: It feels like that's what's happening here.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's exactly right.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_02: You know, Damon...
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_02: Before we jump into the court case,
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_02: I want to just mention that one of my things in my background,
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_02: my roots,
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_02: was teaching high school in New Orleans.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_02: I was there before Hurricane Katrina came through.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: I wasn't aware of this.
• 8:00
  I was young and naive and thought things worked better and
• 8:03
  weren't as racist as they are.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_02: When Hurricane Katrina came through,
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_02: it was amazing to see how a natural disaster,
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_02: an environmental disaster,
• 8:15
  targeted with precision the poorest neighborhoods and the
• 8:20
  blackest neighborhoods in that city.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_02: And if you drove to other parts of the city,
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_02: the more white and the more affluent,
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_02: the less damage.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I thought, well, how the heck is that possible?
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_02: And then, of course, I started to put some things together.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_02: Fortunately, it was educated by some people.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_02: And you realize, oh, that's intentional design.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_02: And now fast forward to Multnomah County experienced a heat dome.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: June of 2021.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_02: June of 2021, we experienced a heat dome.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: Residents died during that heat dome.
• 8:54
  What is PCEF's role in how we can become more resilient in
• 9:01
  places in our community
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_02: against environmental challenges like that?
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: Well,
• 9:06
  PCEF has quite literally already saved a lot of lives because
• 9:10
  of things like their
• 9:11
  cooling Portland program that was rapidly deploying small air
• 9:15
  conditioning units
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: and heat pumps that could be installed in people's houses,
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: whether they were owners or renters.
• 9:22
  And they really specifically prioritize people who are most
• 9:27
  likely to be vulnerable
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: in a big heat wave,
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: right?
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: So people who are low income, seniors and the elderly, right?
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: people with other kinds of health conditions.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: So that sort of outreach has been amazing.
• 9:38
  There's been literally like tens of thousands of units that
• 9:40
  have been going out the
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: door to different priority communities in Portland.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: And we've had a lot of really hot summers since 2021, right?
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so every time we have another extreme heat wave,
• 9:51
  we're probably seeing lower numbers of people who are
• 9:54
  tragically perishing because
• 9:56
  PCEF is continuing to do this outreach work and making our
• 9:59
  neighborhoods cooler
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: writ large too by doing things like tree planting.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: in so-called heat islands,
• 10:05
  parts of the city that are hotter than average because of too
• 10:07
  much concrete,
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: basically.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you, because I just want to get across the point.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_02: This is not some sort of do-gooder.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, isn't it nice?
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_02: This is literally saving lives in our community of our community members.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: And helping us solve the,
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: or at least stave off the worst of the affordability crisis,
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: too,
• 10:25
  because the kinds of energy efficiency upgrades that
• 10:28
  particularly low income
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Portlanders get through this program means that their energy bills go so,
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: so low.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so at a time when everything's getting more expensive,
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: PCEF is making people's energy bills go down.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_02: OK, so now we're going to get to the court case.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_02: in the news.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_02: Still working on it.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_02: So we're in the court case.
• 10:49
  There is now a measure that the other person on my Looney Tunes
• 10:54
  Island has looked
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_02: at Psef the hot dog and they say,
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_02: you know what,
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_02: if I can just slice off 25% of that hot dog,
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_02: I'm going to feel a lot better.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: And that is the Portland police.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: the city.
• 11:07
  It's being put forward though,
• 11:08
  by who,
• 11:08
  who is actually putting forward the ballot measure?
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:10
  The proponents are the Portland police association,
• 11:13
  otherwise known as the police union,
• 11:15
  right?
• 11:15
  So this represents the so-called rank and file of everyday
• 11:18
  police officers.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: And so they are the ones that are, are,
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: pushing this ballot measure and they want to get clearance from,
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: well,
• 11:28
  originally they got approval from the city of Portland to start
• 11:31
  collecting
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: signatures,
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: but then this legal challenge has paused them.
• 11:34
  They cannot go out and start collecting signatures to put this
• 11:37
  on the ballot unless
• 11:38
  they get a green flag from the Multnomah County judge who was
• 11:41
  assigned to this
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: particular case.
• 11:43
  Basically,
• 11:44
  the challenge is saying like the police want to carve off 25
• 11:47
  percent
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: of the Portland Clean Energy Fund's annual revenue,
• 11:51
  and they want to use it to try to hire and retain and equip
• 11:56
  police officers,
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: right?
• 11:57
  And so they're doing so through a very rigid mechanism that
• 12:00
  doesn't have a lot of,
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: community or voter oversight.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: And also,
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: they're essentially going to,
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 12:07
  sort of create this unholy link between something that is
• 12:11
  entirely unrelated to
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: police officers.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: So...
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know,
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: the main reason that we're bringing this challenge forward,
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: the reason this is happening is that,
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 12:21
  one group has sort of like looked at a successful program and
• 12:24
  decided to try to
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: like pit its own thing against that.
• 12:27
  And we're trying to say you shouldn't even be able to put
• 12:30
  signatures out there to
• 12:31
  get this on the ballot until we can confirm that this is
• 12:33
  actually legal and
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: constitutional for you to do this.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_02: Okay,
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_02: so that's what the judge is deciding,
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_02: is whether or not they are even allowed to put this measure forward.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: And as I understood a little bit in the article I read,
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_02: the back and forth between the attorneys,
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_02: the attorney for the police union was essentially arguing...
• 12:54
  Well,
• 12:54
  hey,
• 12:55
  you know,
• 12:55
  here's this pot of money and we think it should be used for
• 12:57
  this.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_02: And the other side said, well, those things aren't related.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_02: And by the way, where were you guys when we were creating PSF?
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: You weren't for it.
• 13:06
  And they said,
• 13:06
  but look,
• 13:07
  if we're if we get money from this,
• 13:09
  we'll be for it from here on out.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: So isn't that a good thing?
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, well, isn't that clever?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_02: But then the retort from the other side was,
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_02: no,
• 13:19
  what you're doing is you're creating this dynamic to voters
• 13:24
  where instead of being
• 13:25
  able to vote on the Clean Energy Fund and funding that and vote
• 13:29
  on whether we have
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_02: the right resources for our police officers,
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_02: you're forcing them to say yes or no to both of those things combined.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:37
  And that brought up a term I haven't heard since my political
• 13:41
  science class in
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_02: undergrad,
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: which was log rolling.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: All right, Damon, what is log rolling?
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: Gosh, it's so great to be in Oregon for this one, right?
• 13:51
  So the idea is that you're rolling sort of like two logs
• 13:53
  together that are
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: unrelated,
• 13:55
  and then they're kind of stuck together in this way that means
• 13:58
  that they can do a
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: lot more damage than if they were alone.
• 14:01
  And it refers specifically to this thing that happens in
• 14:04
  politics sometimes where
• 14:06
  two independently unpopular things get stuck together into one
• 14:10
  package in order to
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: try to come to a majority of support,
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: whether that's among voters or lawmakers.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's a very apt metaphor in this case,
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: because then all of a sudden,
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: if this measure were to pass,
• 14:23
  we'd see police funding sort of connected to and anchored to
• 14:27
  clean energy funding
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: in a way that really makes no rational sense.
• 14:30
  And so that would extend far beyond just this one particular
• 14:33
  ballot measure.
• 14:34
  I can imagine a Portland voter who might consider themselves an
• 14:38
  environmentalist
• 14:39
  that would be very excited about supporting the Portland Clean
• 14:43
  Energy Fund,
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_02: PCEF,
• 14:45
  and that same voter not be excited about having more of their
• 14:48
  tax dollars go to
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: funding more police officers.
• 14:51
  But if these two things were married,
• 14:52
  they'd really have to choose which way they wanted to go.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: That's exactly right.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: And in this case,
• 14:58
  like the metaphor is interesting because clean energy funding
• 15:00
  is wildly popular in
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: Portland and funding for police is much more divisive and controversial.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's something that maybe doesn't have.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: high majorities of people saying, let's go for it.
• 15:11
  So they're attaching a very unpopular thing to a very popular
• 15:15
  program that has been
• 15:16
  successful at picking a revenue mechanism that is really
• 15:19
  insulated to the types of
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: cutbacks and slashes of budgets that we've seen lately.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_02: So I want to just tease something out.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: I think this is my read of it.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_02: But the folks who are against the Portland Police Union's attempt to,
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: I'll say,
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_02: glom on to this piece of dollars.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Steal and redirect 50 million a year.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, the folks who are against it.
• 15:44
  They're not taking a position on do we have enough police or
• 15:47
  police funding.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_02: They are simply trying to say,
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_02: look,
• 15:51
  voters have the right and should expect to be able to vote
• 15:56
  cleanly on this issue.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_02: This is not a debate about police funding, is it?
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Well, yeah.
• 16:03
  So the challenge that three Portlanders have brought forward
• 16:06
  against this police
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: measure are actually quite extensive.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: There's a number of them.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: One of the complaints that we've made is that this violates the so-called
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: single-subject rule for ballot measures.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: And that's where the log rolling comes in, right?
• 16:18
  We're saying that it's inappropriate and unconstitutional for a
• 16:22
  measure to both
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: include decreasing clean energy funding and increasing police funding,
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: right?
• 16:27
  Because it doesn't allow voters to actually independently
• 16:30
  assess those two
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: different decisions,
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: right?
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um,
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: whereas if it was a measure that simply said,
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: let's increase police funding by X amount,
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: um,
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: and establish new goals and targets.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: And then it's, you know, it comes from the general fund, right?
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: It's like not coming from some dedicated fund,
• 16:44
  but it just goes into that pot of things that city council has
• 16:46
  to figure out.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: How do we fund this and mandate that the voters gave us?
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so that's, that's a fundamental piece of this, right?
• 16:53
  Is it's just pitting these two issues against each other and
• 16:55
  not giving the voters
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: the freedom to independently make those choices.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: Great.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_02: Well,
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: Damon,
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_02: if folks are listening to this and they're thinking themselves,
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_02: okay,
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_02: what happens next?
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_02: What should they be watching out for?
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_02: What should people be thinking about?
• 17:12
  I mean,
• 17:13
  we don't know which way the court case,
• 17:14
  which way the judge is going to make a decision.
• 17:17
  Let's say that the police union is successful and the judge
• 17:21
  allows this to go forward.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_02: If you're a listener at home, what is the takeaway here?
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_02: What should they be thinking or thinking that they should do?
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: Well, stay informed.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: Keep watching and following how this plays out.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of community groups like my own,
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: Sierra Club,
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: and also the Coalition of Communities of Color that are putting a lot of
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: information out about ways that you can get involved and take action.
• 17:42
  Coalition Communities of Color right now is fundraising to
• 17:44
  continue to defend the
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: Portland Clean Energy Fund.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: So you can go to their website if you want to make a contribution.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: That'll be really helpful to the overall cause.
• 17:52
  Otherwise,
• 17:53
  show up and make your voice heard on a number of different PCF
• 17:56
  issues,
• 17:56
  right?
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's interesting.
• 17:58
  The judge has so far honed in on this issue of asking the
• 18:02
  police union lawyer,
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: okay,
• 18:03
  why did your clients push so hard for taking the money away
• 18:07
  from the clean energy
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: fund specifically?
• 18:10
  Because that gives the impression that there's something
• 18:12
  personal about that
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: specifically,
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: right?
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: That the cop union is not just saying we need more money,
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: but we also want to take the number of clean energy dollars down.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: We want to like whittle away at this other program, right?
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: And so
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: That is really,
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 18:26
  the police union's lawyer only had a defense of saying we
• 18:29
  picked the clean energy
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_01: fund because it's doing so well.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_01: And so much more money is coming in than before,
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: which makes no sense,
• 18:37
  but really does demonstrate this broader issue that we're
• 18:40
  having where a lot of
• 18:41
  different people are coming out with these ideas for how to
• 18:43
  redirect things.
• 18:44
  Clean Energy Fund dollars without acknowledging that those
• 18:47
  dollars have been mapped
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: out and allocated for climate justice and community benefits,
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: right?
• 18:52
  And that's what will get cut if we do things like put $75
• 18:55
  million into a remodel of
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: the Moda Center,
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: as Mayor Keith Wilson wants to explore.
• 19:01
  So those are the kinds of other issues we want to really keep
• 19:03
  our eyes on.
• 19:03
  Would that just put a lot of solar panels all over the roof of
• 19:06
  the Moda Center or...
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: Who knows?
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: Because we haven't seen any details.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: But I think it's pretty clear that,
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 19:12
  it's it's not about trying to be the best green community
• 19:16
  benefiting arena.
• 19:17
  It's about trying to find money at a time when there's not a
• 19:20
  lot of other money.
• 19:22
  So people can find you at Oregon Sierra Club,
• 19:24
  support the work that you're doing.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: Coalition Communities of Color,
• 19:28
  we'll put both in the show notes so that people can find your
• 19:32
  organizations.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously,
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: financial support is always welcome,
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_02: but joining membership organizations and showing up.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: We'd love to work with you.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_02: Well,
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_02: Damon,
• 19:45
  thank you so much for coming on and helping us figure out a
• 19:48
  little bit more about
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: what is
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_02: In the news.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: In the news.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: My pleasure.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for having me.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: Our next guest,
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_02: Jamie LeBaron,
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_02: is a program director with the Leach Botanical Garden,
• 20:14
  where she's been working to preserve one of Portland's most
• 20:16
  overlooked treasures.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_02: She's passionate about connecting people to nature,
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_02: local history,
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: and the kind of hands-on stewardship that keeps community spaces alive.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome, Jamie.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm glad to be here.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_02: Well,
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_02: Jamie,
• 20:31
  I reached out to you because I've seen in the news that the
• 20:35
  Leach Botanical Garden
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_02: is facing some financial challenges.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_02: But before we dive into that,
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_02: let's introduce our listeners to what is the Leach Botanical Garden?
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: Great question.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I've been working at this garden for three years.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: I've been going for 10.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: And every time out in the garden,
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: I hear people go,
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: oh my gosh,
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: I have never heard of this place.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: I've never been here before.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's a secret garden.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's truly like a magical secret garden.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: You turn right on 122nd and Foster,
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: you pass a couple gas stations,
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: and there is a 17-acre oasis that is just hidden.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's a beautiful garden.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's owned by Parks and Rec.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: We run our own
• 21:17
  kind of the operations and programming is a non-profit friends
• 21:20
  of leech garden and
• 21:21
  or leech garden friends and um we do a ton of programming out
• 21:25
  there we have
• 21:27
  community events rentals weddings the like but in essence it's
• 21:31
  just a the lovely
• 21:33
  collection of a living collection of plants um programming
• 21:37
  meadow space events
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: everything it's wonderful
• 21:40
  So there may be some folks listening here that got married at
• 21:44
  Leech Botanical Garden.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_02: I know you do a lot of programming with students.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: Since I've come in, I started working there about three years ago.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: I try to really prioritize any groups that reach out that are like,
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: I want to come here,
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: I want to test soils,
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: or we want to go look for macro invertebrates in the creek.
• 22:04
  And I try to find a way through to help them use the space and
• 22:09
  use the garden to...
• 22:11
  ask to be curious and and the garden is a great hub for that
• 22:15
  because we are right
• 22:16
  on johnson creek so they have access to this free-flowing uh
• 22:20
  free-flowing water
• 22:21
  there's soil testing there's um there's pollen a beautiful
• 22:26
  pollinator garden they
• 22:27
  can count different species of bees and dragonflies so yeah any
• 22:31
  student groups
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: we've worked with portland state university um
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: Portland Community College,
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: Clackamas Community College,
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: David Douglas High School,
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: a ton of elementary schools from the neighborhood.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: So it's really just a hub for being curious, and I help facilitate that.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_02: Macroinvertebrate?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, there's like a river bug.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: There are things like crawdads and mayflies.
• 22:56
  It's macro because you can see it without a magnifying glass,
• 23:00
  and it doesn't have a backbone.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now we all know what this is.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_02: See, I'm already learning and we're not even on site.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_02: Tell us a little bit about the history.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_02: You said that it's owned by Portland,
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_02: by the city,
• 23:15
  but it is essentially maintained or operated by the nonprofit
• 23:21
  that you work for.
• 23:23
  Tell us a little bit about the history of how this arrangement
• 23:26
  came to be.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_02: Great question.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: Love to answer it.
• 23:29
  Okay,
• 23:30
  we got back in 1930s,
• 23:33
  John and Lilla Leach,
• 23:35
  they were a local Portland couple.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: They bought four acres on Johnson Creek.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: So the original four acres is there.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: They built a very cute...
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: stone cottage.
• 23:45
  And then in 1936,
• 23:46
  they finished this manor house and they lived there the rest of
• 23:49
  their lives.
• 23:50
  And they helped cultivate this collection of plants and trees
• 23:54
  and made this original garden.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: And after they passed away,
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: they gifted that to Parks and Rec to turn into a botanical garden,
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: a community garden and living museum.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that was in the 80s.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: And Friends of Leach Garden was formed.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: And
• 24:12
  They said the city basically has 10 years to do something like
• 24:16
  to use it or lose it.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: And it was going to go to the YMCA if they didn't.
• 24:20
  And Commissioner Charles Jordan came out like on the I think
• 24:23
  it's like the day that
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: he was supposed to sign it away.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: He came out.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, oh, just check it out.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: And he did.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: And he loved it.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: And he was like, we have to preserve this place.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: We have to keep it.
• 24:32
  And they allowed Friends of Leach Garden to come in and begin
• 24:37
  operating and fixing
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: up the garden.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: And we've certainly added more property to the garden over the years.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so now it's about 17 acres.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: It opened to the public in 1983.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, it's just steadily grown.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then we did a really large upper garden expansion in 2018.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, 2020, it finished.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect time.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: COVID arrived.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then everyone was like, oh, we don't know this place exists.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it's kind of tucked away.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_02: You know,
• 25:07
  it's been said that history rhymes and I almost feel like we're
• 25:12
  at a rhyming point
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_02: with the Jordan story because here we are.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_02: I think that too.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_02: Right?
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_02: I mean,
• 25:18
  just that quick vignette of like the day before it was supposed
• 25:21
  to be signed over,
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: you know,
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: he shows up and sees it and is like,
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_02: oh my gosh,
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_02: this is a jewel.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_02: We have to save this.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 25:30
  uh who's our who's our charles jordan this time because we are
• 25:33
  almost at the day
• 25:34
  before again aren't we yeah it feels that way i think you know
• 25:38
  the the where we are
• 25:39
  now is is truly like the community the community can decide
• 25:44
  there's hopefully 12
• 25:46
  city councilors and a mayor that also can help support however
• 25:50
  they can i think
• 25:52
  Leach is one one story of all of these things that are kind of
• 25:56
  coming to a point
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: where they're like,
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: do you want this or not?
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: Can you help support this or not?
• 26:01
  And so I hope it's not just like one person,
• 26:04
  but like the whole community.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that's yeah, I think.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_00: Just like Charles Jordan, that was a great story.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's a wonderful story.
• 26:12
  And I'm hoping that there are like a million Charles Jordans
• 26:15
  that can come in and
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_00: go,
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_00: we value this place.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_00: This place really matters for East Portland.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: It matters.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: It deserves to exist.
• 26:22
  And we're going to become members or we're going to support it
• 26:24
  however we can.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: So...
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: I would like that if it rhymed like a million times.
• 26:31
  Before you came up,
• 26:32
  we were kind of talking about what this conversation would be.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_02: And somebody brought up that we're seeing this happen in other settings.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_02: We're seeing this with restaurants that Portland loves that are historic.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_02: We're seeing this with bars and things that people want to save.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_02: And they find out, oh my gosh, it's about to go away.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: And then they come in and
• 26:50
  And it can be a changing of,
• 26:53
  you know,
• 26:53
  what people think might otherwise happen.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_02: So if folks are listening and they've never been, what should they do?
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: They should go.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: Wait, what?
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, go to the garden.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: That is a funny thing.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: We are not in a, we're not on the West side.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: We're in an unexpected space.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I think the first thing is like,
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: if this is your first time hearing about it,
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: just go check it out.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: I've been going for 10 years.
• 27:20
  I used to bring my daughter there when she was three to these
• 27:23
  community programs
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: that had like a spring fair.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I just immediately loved the place.
• 27:28
  And then at my last job,
• 27:30
  I would,
• 27:30
  we'd bring students there for summer camps.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: They'd get to have
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_00: a day of exploring the gardens for summer camps.
• 27:35
  And like over and over and over again,
• 27:37
  I have fallen in love with this garden and I hear it.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not the only one.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's just the first step to get there.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to highlight our Garden for All programming.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: So Leach is a nonprofit.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: We are in outer East Portland.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: It is the neighborhoods we're serving are some of the most
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: some of the most diverse and impoverished communities.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: And we want to be accessible.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: Up until 2020, we didn't charge admission.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so a way to continue being accessible to communities,
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: like you can request Garden for All and you just come in and visit.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: And we
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: As much as we do need admission, we don't want that to be a barrier.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone deserves clean, accessible green space.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's good for your health.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's good for your heart.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's good for your community.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: So we have this Garden for All program.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: This last year, we did a garden for all groups.
• 28:27
  So groups could just come in and they fill the grant and then I
• 28:30
  get to say,
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: absolutely,
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: yes,
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: come on in.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: And it's been wonderful to see people come in.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: So that's the first thing.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: Just come visit the garden.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's like the best thing you could do.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: Recurring donations are obviously...
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: Hugely helpful as our memberships, just being a member.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: What's a membership cost?
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's so cheap.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think as individual, it's $40 for the year.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: I was just looking at other places around.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's about $50 less for a family membership than all the other places,
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: OMSI,
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: Japanese Garden,
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: Chinese Garden.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_00: Those are our Lansu.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's really affordable.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_00: I think $85 for a family membership.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: So unfortunately,
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: my position,
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: when you see it,
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: if you are looking online and seeing there's 90% cut in programming,
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: my position is cut.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's going to be wrapping up at the end of February.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: So tell us...
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_02: That's a good segue into what does this mean?
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_02: So I saw in the news that essentially the nonprofit,
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_02: the Friends of,
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_02: does not have the revenue it needs to continue to steward.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: When we did that large upper garden expansion,
• 29:42
  we essentially were given three years of a runway to become
• 29:46
  self-sufficient.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: And every year we have grown our memberships,
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: we've grown our donor base,
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: we have grown our programming,
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: and we've also grown our expenses.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so after that expired,
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: the city gave us one more single-time grant,
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: and that has also come in and helped.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: But we
• 30:04
  We're just at a point where it's just so hard in our leaner
• 30:07
  months of January,
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: February,
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: March,
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: where people aren't visiting.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_00: There's no weddings.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: There's not much coming in.
• 30:13
  And so we're at a point where visits in these months are
• 30:18
  enormously helpful.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: But with that funding,
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: with that expiring,
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_00: we don't have enough to make it to that next summer season.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why we're going to have major cuts.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's about 50% of our team.
• 30:34
  And so programming,
• 30:36
  horticulture,
• 30:37
  these things are all going to go back to like...
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, programming are going to get cut by 90 percent.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_00: So we're hoping that if the community shows up,
• 30:46
  if the city is able to like even help share the message that we
• 30:50
  can bring some of
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: those things back.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_00: And,
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: yeah,
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's a lot of sadness for all of,
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: for the people that are going to be laid off in February.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_00: And.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: Also, I just I've loved this garden before I worked there.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a dreamy three years of work.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's absolutely my dream job.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: So there's some grief of saying, OK, I can't like whatever it was.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_00: It was so, so, so very good while it lasted.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm just going to continue to keep loving the space and the garden.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: in all of its iterations.
• 31:23
  And I will go back and volunteer and I'll pull some weeds and
• 31:26
  I'll hang out.
• 31:27
  And I just really want the community to know that through these
• 31:30
  changes and these
• 31:31
  restructurings that it's still so important to show up for it
• 31:35
  and to love it how it
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: is.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_02: Are there going to be any events, fundraisers?
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, people should show up.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_02: They should come see it.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_02: They should become members.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_02: They should make a donation if that's within their means to do so.
• 31:53
  Are there any other things that people can do to financially
• 31:58
  support in this
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_02: interim between now and the end of the fiscal year?
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great question.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: I think we're still figuring out this...
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_02: I'm imagining like a rock concert or something.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know,
• 32:13
  I think that- If you're a famous musician out there listening
• 32:16
  to this podcast,
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_02: like now's your- We need you.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_02: Now's your moment.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that those things can happen.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm hopeful that I can continue supporting them.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: Right now, we don't.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_00: We don't know.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_00: We're just- This kind of seemed to hit-
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's quick.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: A little suddenly.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's really quick.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: Our interim director came on in mid-January.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah,
• 32:41
  I think that we had built an optimistic budget and like all
• 32:45
  nonprofits right now,
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_00: it's like,
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_00: how much can we rely on grants?
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: How much will come through with end of year fundraising?
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: And like, I know that Leach is not...
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: We're not alone in that nonprofit.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: I've been in nonprofits for over a decade.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's tough out there.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: And there's so many competing priorities.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: And coming from an asset-minded place, there is support out there.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's not a zero-sum all the time.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I think...
• 33:13
  While there are going to be very light programming that if you
• 33:17
  see something,
• 33:17
  support it.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: My program coordinator, our last program that he will be hosting is...
• 33:25
  hilariously it's named darn it and it's an evening sock darning
• 33:28
  class and that i
• 33:30
  know is not going to financially save the garden but it does
• 33:34
  feel um you know
• 33:35
  comedically appropriate of like oh this was this was sweet so
• 33:39
  if you want to sign
• 33:40
  up for the darn it class you can do some night sewing uh to to
• 33:45
  repair some socks
• 33:45
  and and i think it's you know i was thinking about that the
• 33:48
  sweetness of a class
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_00: like that of like it's not a money maker it's it's just meant to
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: help us mend things that need a little bit of TLC.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: And if something is broken, you don't just throw it away.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_00: You can mend.
• 34:03
  So maybe Darn It is the best at last,
• 34:07
  you know,
• 34:07
  last program that we can offer.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_02: Well,
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_02: I just think that especially now,
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_02: we're going through a lot as a community and nationally,
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_02: internationally,
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_02: locally,
• 34:21
  I think we're all feeling a lot of pressure and challenges and
• 34:25
  people are scared.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_00: Complete overwhelm.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: Completely overwhelmed, right?
• 34:29
  And I think there is something that is so important to whether
• 34:32
  it's sewing,
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_02: fixing some socks in a circle with your neighbors or just getting out and
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_02: supporting something local,
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_02: a resource that we don't want to go away.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_02: I think that that is the type of thing that is actionable.
• 34:49
  It gives people agency and it puts you back in community in a
• 34:53
  way that can make
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_02: dark times manageable.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: There's so many,
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 35:01
  there's been so much research about the type of effects that
• 35:05
  just nature immersion
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_00: have on us.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: And we have a wonderful, we have wonderful parks in Portland and they're
• 35:13
  Even if Leach,
• 35:15
  you know,
• 35:15
  even if our nonprofit doesn't work,
• 35:18
  Leach will still exist.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: It may be a park.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: It will look different.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: But just green space immersion and equitable access on the east side.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's I've I've lived and worked out there for over 20 years and it's it.
• 35:32
  it's definitely different and so this this space that we have
• 35:36
  is is important you
• 35:37
  should be tickling leaves you should lay on the ground under a
• 35:41
  tree like it feels
• 35:42
  good i think it feels good for your heart for your brain um it
• 35:47
  lowers your stress
• 35:48
  it gives you some energy to come back and go okay we fight
• 35:51
  another day um so
• 35:52
  there's there's that i just yeah it's been so stressful these
• 35:56
  last couple of weeks
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: as we've prepared and i go
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_00: okay, I'm, I'm probably eating too much sugar.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm probably like biting all my nails off.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just going to sit and, and hang out in the grass for a minute.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: And, um, yeah, that, I mean, that works.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: It works.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's helpful.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_02: I got to tell you,
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_02: I can see it's working,
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_02: uh,
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_02: because if somebody came to me and said,
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_02: you know,
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_02: Mike,
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_02: uh,
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_02: your position is gone in a couple of weeks.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um,
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not sure I would feel as resilient as you appear to be to me.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_02: And I think the grass therapy, it must be doing something for you.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: I've been, I, so I read, I've been talking about this with everyone.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: I just read Lord of the Rings for the first time.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_00: I've never read the series.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I've been like, okay, Tolkien is just like carrying me through this.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_02: You've just opened up a whole new line of metaphors.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I was just saying,
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: like,
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: there's not my position,
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: the position of how it was and how it existed,
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: like that's gone.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so whether another program coordinator can come in the future,
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: if there's funding,
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: I'm enormously hopeful.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_00: We have written wonderful, warm and welcoming transition notes to say it.
• 37:05
  hey,
• 37:06
  future person,
• 37:07
  if you're here,
• 37:07
  I can't wait to have you start programming again.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's going to be wonderful.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_00: But there is so much grief of like, this is hard.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_00: And in this, they're all pursuing this quest to try and save it.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: And they're like, what are we going to do?
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_00: There's no hope.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: And we just go on without the hope.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_02: I'm now casting you as Gandalf.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like you're fighting the Balrog.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_02: You just got cast in the pit.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_02: And then the party goes on and they just are like sad.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_02: And maybe you come back.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_00: And you go on.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_02: You come back as a white wizard.
• 37:40
  Yeah.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I'll make the staff.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: I'll just take a branch and make the staff.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: I think that, yeah, there is a little bit of how do we go on?
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_00: How does the garden change?
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: And how do we continue working for it?
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because if this wonderfully motivated and passionate group of people...
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: We all care so much and half of us are leaving.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: There's still so much.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_00: I just love this space so much.
• 38:11
  I love this garden so much and what it does for the community
• 38:15
  and what it means to
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_00: the community.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_00: I've been seeing people come in year after year to celebrate.
• 38:21
  all of these milestones they come in we know we do a really
• 38:24
  sweet winter solstice
• 38:25
  and this might be the first year that we won't have that and um
• 38:28
  so it just yeah
• 38:30
  it's change is inevitable and i'm just gonna my work is just
• 38:33
  continue loving the
• 38:34
  garden show up pull some weeds help out financially give when
• 38:39
  i'm able and um work
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: on my wizard staff
• 38:44
  We've talked about showing up,
• 38:47
  membership,
• 38:48
  donations,
• 38:48
  all things that help.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_02: What about should people reach out to their elected officials?
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_02: Is that helpful?
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's going to be tricky.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, yes, we are District 1 counselors.
• 39:02
  I think most of the counselors have come out to visit the
• 39:05
  garden,
• 39:06
  and I want them to.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_00: I know the mayor has come out and loved it.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I think,
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: yes,
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: and also with city budget cuts being even worse,
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to count on that too much.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_00: It would be great.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_00: I would love that.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_00: I think that they're just facing...
• 39:22
  They're also going to be facing so many cuts that I don't want
• 39:25
  to ride on the hope
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_00: of that too much and say,
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: that may not happen,
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_00: and if it doesn't,
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_00: what do we do?
• 39:32
  And so I'm kind of all ready to plan B of,
• 39:35
  you know,
• 39:36
  is Fred Armisen out there?
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: Are there any other local Portland celebrities?
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_00: It would be amazing.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_00: If we had a benefactor two years ago, that'd be amazing.
• 39:46
  But my philosophy is grassroots of a lot of people giving in
• 39:51
  small ways can be the same.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I'm hopeful for.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, their neighborhood associations.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: Those are our neighbors directly.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_00: Their family, their friends.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_00: Just visiting the garden during these slower months is really helpful.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_00: We don't have trouble with admission in the summer.
• 40:10
  I think it's people going,
• 40:12
  oh,
• 40:12
  it's winter,
• 40:12
  it's cold,
• 40:13
  it's rainy,
• 40:13
  I want to get out.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why it's hard.
• 40:16
  And that's how the city's funding before supported us was that
• 40:21
  funding came through
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_00: and provided that
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_00: that step from winter to spring that we need.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what we're going for.
• 40:31
  So if we got 500 listeners to go out to the garden in the next
• 40:35
  couple of weeks,
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_02: that would really make a big impact.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_00: It would be amazing.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_00: Please come visit.
• 40:39
  Unfortunately,
• 40:40
  we're going to have to shorten our hours Thursday through
• 40:43
  Sunday.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_00: We'll be working on...
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_00: You know,
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_00: we've been putting in a lot of plants,
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_00: things that our horticulture team is going to be cut by half.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll have we'll kind of go back to maintenance levels only.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_00: So we're trying to get a bunch of plants in the ground.
• 41:01
  The pollinator garden just got its annual buzz cut so that all
• 41:06
  the new growth can come in.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, I think visiting the garden is going to be wonderful.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's so beautiful, even in the winter.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_02: All right, listeners, you have your mission.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_02: We are going to be counting.
• 41:18
  Jamie's going to let me know how many of you actually show up
• 41:21
  to do your best to
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_02: save this amazing jewel.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_02: Jamie,
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know if you are a longtime listener of the podcast or not,
• 41:29
  but we do a thing at the end of every interview where I ask my
• 41:34
  guests some
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_02: questions and I curate a little game.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_02: And so I've done so for you.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_02: It's called Wait, Wait, Don't Smell Me.
• 41:44
  leech botanical garden quiz i'm one of the early members of the
• 41:49
  make stuff up club
• 41:51
  so if you've ever been on my plant tour our horticulture
• 41:54
  director is like always
• 41:55
  like what are you saying like i just made it up it's fine all
• 42:00
  right well i've got
• 42:00
  five questions for you so we'll see uh how you do and and
• 42:04
  that'll depend i think on
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_02: a lot of things in the future but uh
• 42:08
  very important test so no pressure uh so question one uh this
• 42:13
  is about the leech
• 42:14
  legacy uh john and is it lila lila lila john and lila leech
• 42:20
  were pioneering
• 42:20
  botanists as you know who explored the pacific northwest
• 42:23
  looking for rare plants
• 42:26
  what was lila leech's other claim to fame and i'm going to give
• 42:29
  you three choices
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_02: I can give you choices.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_02: A, she once punched a bear that tried to eat her plant specimens.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_00: It seems entirely plausible.
• 42:41
  B,
• 42:41
  she has more plant species named after her than any other woman
• 42:44
  in Oregon history.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_02: C,
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_02: she was the first woman in Portland to own a car,
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_02: which she used exclusively for hunting plants.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_00: I love all those thinking about the lore of the leeches.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to go with option two.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_02: B, you nailed it.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_02: You're one for one.
• 43:02
  She has more plant species named after her than any other woman
• 43:06
  in Oregon history.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_00: Our logo is the Calmeopsis leechiana,
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_00: which is a plant that doesn't survive well here in the Portland climate.
• 43:17
  They're like serpentine soils and they used to go on donkey,
• 43:20
  botanical,
• 43:22
  off-grid plants.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_00: expeditions and they're pretty rad.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_00: It was pretty rad.
• 43:29
  So we have some very similar looking species and actually I
• 43:31
  think one of them was
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_00: just starting to flower.
• 43:35
  Well,
• 43:35
  so so now saving the Leech Botanical Garden is not just about
• 43:39
  the garden.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_02: It's also about women's history in the state of Oregon.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_02: So let's unite.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think she was very quiet, but like also a badass.
• 43:47
  There's so many photos and and cool things about all of the
• 43:52
  work that they did.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_02: Clearly she was.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_02: Question number two.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_02: Good job.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_02: You're one for one.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_02: This is called the manor house mystery.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_02: The historic manor house at Leach was built in 1931, as you mentioned.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_02: Well done.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_02: And it's a beautiful example of English cottage style.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_02: But what secret feature did the Leaches allegedly include in the house?
• 44:13
  A,
• 44:13
  a hidden greenhouse built into the chimney for year round
• 44:16
  propagation.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_02: That's very cute.
• 44:19
  B,
• 44:19
  a secret tunnel to the creek so that they could water plants
• 44:22
  without being seen by neighbors.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_02: Or B,
• 44:25
  a bedroom specifically designed for visiting botanists to
• 44:28
  complete with plant
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_02: pressing stations.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I'm guessing three.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_00: Is that right?
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_02: And why would you guess three?
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: Well, okay.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: So the upstairs in our manor,
• 44:40
  in the manor house has this little apartment and it used to be
• 44:43
  the groundskeepers
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_00: apartment.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_00: I was just learning about this the other day.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: And it's also my dream apartment.
• 44:48
  It like has a beautiful,
• 44:49
  um,
• 44:50
  Mahonia right outside all the hummingbirds come around it.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I can live here.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_00: This would be fine.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_00: This is nice.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um,
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I haven't heard of the tunnel before, but maybe is it the tunnel?
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 45:02
  So this was actually a trick question to get me to have you
• 45:08
  confirm the rumor.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_02: And so now you say that it's three.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_02: And so thank you for confirming the rumor that it's about the bedroom.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_02: So we're going to go with that.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_02: That's the right answer.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_02: Congratulations.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's great.
• 45:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'll tell you some other things real quick is that we found...
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_00: three red-legged frogs in the basement of the manor house this year.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_00: One very dusty frog that was in a closet and they all were living.
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_02: A dusty living frog?
• 45:32
  Yeah,
• 45:32
  it was like dusty from being in the closet and we rehomed him
• 45:35
  to the creek.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_02: Red-legged frog.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_02: What is a red-legged?
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_02: It's one of our native frogs.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_00: Is it a native frog?
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 45:42
  In my volunteer time,
• 45:43
  I'm part of the Harberton frog shuttle,
• 45:46
  the frog taxi.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_00: Me and the horticulture director,
• 45:48
  we go out and we taxi red-legged frogs across the street to the
• 45:53
  wetlands so they
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_00: don't get hit by cars on Highway 30.
• 45:56
  Well,
• 45:57
  this is now the second episode in a row where I'm talking about
• 46:00
  frogs.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_02: You know, now thematically on point.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_02: Question number three.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_02: The Portland garden drama.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_02: True or false?
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_02: In 2019,
• 46:11
  a dispute broke out at a Portland community garden when someone
• 46:15
  planted invasive
• 46:16
  bamboo in the Leech Botanical Garden had to mediate because
• 46:19
  they're the only ones
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_02: who know how to kill bamboo without destroying everything else.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_02: A is true.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_02: What year?
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_02: 2019. 2019.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_02: False.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_02: B is false.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I think it's false.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_02: You're right.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_02: It's false.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_00: Again,
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_00: it makes stuff up,
• 46:36
  but I think we've got four or five different types of bamboo at
• 46:39
  the garden,
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_00: and not all of them spread.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_00: Some of them just hang out.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_02: Well, there you go.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_02: Well, good job.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_00: All right, you're three for three.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_02: Question number four.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_00: This is good.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_00: My heart is racing.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very competitive.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very competitive.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_02: This is high stakes.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you know, a lot on the line.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_02: Question number four, botanical smackdown.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_02: If the plants at Leach Botanical Gardens had a fight,
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_02: Who would win?
• 47:03
  A,
• 47:03
  the Western skunk cabbage,
• 47:06
  because it smells so bad,
• 47:07
  everything else would retreat.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_02: V, devil's club.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's literally covered in spines.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_02: And C, the Douglas fir.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_02: Or D,
• 47:16
  I'll let you insert your own plant of choice that would whoop
• 47:20
  all the others in a
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_02: smackdown.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_00: Well,
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_00: if we're talking like introduced species,
• 47:25
  I think our volunteers in our community habitat restoration
• 47:29
  would say it's Creeping
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_00: Buttercup and it spreads underground.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's been our op plant for a while.
• 47:37
  And I think if we don't get this for that,
• 47:39
  you're going to see a lot more of it.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_00: Creeping Buttercup.
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't think we have skunk cabbage.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I knew that was not going to happen.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_00: Doug furs are pretty great.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_00: And...
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_00: I don't remember the third one anymore.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to go.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, devil's club.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_00: Devil's club is great.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_00: I just,
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_00: we put in four new plants in,
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_00: again,
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_00: in that same back five habitat restoration area this year.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great plant.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_02: But the creeping buttercup, that's the winner.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's the worst.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's the worst.
• 48:07
  all right question five the last question uh the portland
• 48:11
  garden challenge fill in
• 48:12
  the blank you know you're a true portland gardener when you've
• 48:16
  blank at least once
• 48:18
  a cried actual tears when the slugs ate your entire heirloom
• 48:22
  tomato seedling
• 48:23
  collection b gotten into a passive aggressive standoff with
• 48:26
  neighbors over whose
• 48:27
  native plant garden is more native or c wear a rain jacket year
• 48:32
  round because you
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_02: refuse to believe that summer's real
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'll say C. Always be prepared.
• 48:41
  SPEAKER_00: C, just have it.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_00: You keep them around.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_00: I've got all my raincoats, so many boots.
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_00: Everything is everywhere.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'm prepared.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_02: Well, Jamie, I'm totaling up your score.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_02: Five for five.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_00: I feel so much better now.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't want to go home and hang my head in shame.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_02: That was Wait, Wait, Don't Smell Me with Jamie LeBaron.
• 49:01
  SPEAKER_02: Jamie, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for having me.
• 49:05
  This is a lot of fun,
• 49:06
  and we hope that people will get out and visit you guys.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_02: All right, Portland, that's our show.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_02: Let's recap what we heard today.
• 49:21
  From Damon,
• 49:21
  we learned that the fight over the PCF ballot title isn't just
• 49:25
  legal nitpicking.
• 49:26
  It's about whether voters actually understand what they're
• 49:28
  voting on and whether
• 49:29
  we're being asked to make false choices between climate action
• 49:33
  and public safety.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_02: Log rolling unrelated issues into one measure is a manipulation tactic,
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_02: and we need to see it for what it is.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_02: And from Jamie,
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_02: we learned that the Leach Botanical Gardens,
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_02: this incredible historic gem in East Portland,
• 49:46
  SPEAKER_02: is at risk of disappearing,
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_02: not because of a villain,
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_02: but because of passive neglect,
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_02: because we're not showing up.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_02: So here's what you can do.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_02: For Leech Botanical Gardens, visit.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_02: Seriously, go this weekend.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_02: It's beautiful, it's accessible, and it needs you to see it.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_02: Become a member.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_02: Membership keeps the lights on.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_02: Volunteer.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_02: They could always use more hands-on help.
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_02: And spread the word.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_02: Tell someone who doesn't know it exists that they should go see it too.
• 50:11
  For the PCEF ballot measure,
• 50:13
  read the actual language when it hits your ballot.
• 50:16
  SPEAKER_02: Understand what PCEF funds and what gets cut if this passes.
• 50:20
  SPEAKER_02: Talk to three people about it.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_02: Make sure they understand the trade-offs.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_02: Don't let fear-based framing make your decisions for you.
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_02: Before we go,
• 50:29
  I want to give a huge shout out to two new paid subscribers who
• 50:32
  are helping keep
• 50:33
  SPEAKER_02: this show going.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_02: Mike and Tracy, thank you so much.
• 50:37
  Your support means we can keep amplifying the voices of people
• 50:40
  actually building
• 50:40
  SPEAKER_02: community in Portland.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_02: And speaking of building community,
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_02: we've got our very first show sponsor,
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_02: Word is Bond,
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_02: an amazing nonprofit doing incredible work right here in Portland.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_02: If you don't know them yet, you should.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_02: Check them out and see how you can support the work that they're doing.
• 50:56
  And as always,
• 50:57
  if you're not already subscribed,
• 50:59
  head over to SchmidtShowPDX.com and sign up.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_02: We've got new episodes dropping regularly,
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_02: and we're building something here,
• 51:06
  SPEAKER_02: a counter-narrative to the doom,
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_02: a community of people who actually give a damn.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_02: Follow us, share the show, leave a review, and most importantly, show up.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_02: Because listening isn't enough.
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_02: That's Schmidt Show PDX.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks for being here.
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_02: Until next time, stay grounded, stay engaged, and keep building.