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Support state legislation for resilient communities

My name is Karen Carnival. I live in Jackson County and am the Chief Operating Officer for Rogue Food Unites, a disaster relief organization serving greater Southern Oregon.

I support HB 2990 to create a grant program through the Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) to help communities to build and implement community resilience hubs and networks.

I have been involved in sustainable forest management and fire preparedness since 1999, and I recognize that the forested environment surrounding many of our neighborhoods represents both an asset and a threat in the event of a natural disaster.

Having lived through the Almeda/Obenchain fires of 2020, supporting efforts to protect and sustain our community members through disaster is my priority — as it is for many of my neighbors.

Throughout the last 30 months, OREM has been a vital partner in recovery, enabling the rapid deployment of essential services through community-based partnerships. Continuing these relationships to build Community Resilience Hubs will provide vital bases for future resource distribution and safe spaces for our most vulnerable community members to congregate in safety in the aftermath of disaster.

I urge our state representatives to vote Yes on HB 2990 to invest in building stronger communities that can make the difference between surviving and thriving. Together we build resilience.

Karen Carnival / Ashland

Medford casino would only increase crime risk

I’ve lived and worked in Medford, Oregon for most of my life, serving on the Medford City Council from 1997-2004, before serving in the Oregon Senate and thereafter serving in the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 6, until my retirement in 2019.

I know and love the City of Medford, raised my family here, and have worked throughout my career on behalf of its citizens and interests.

Medford will not be well served by a casino, and I oppose the Coquille Tribe’s efforts to open one here — 170 miles away from their traditional homelands.

Due to our location on the I-5 corridor and a host of other factors, Medford already has a property crime rate that is significantly higher than similar-sized cities across the U.S. The addition of a casino is almost certain to increase those numbers.

At the same time, placing the land in trust will remove it from state and local tax rolls, exacerbating funding problems throughout Jackson County, 48% of which is already owned by the federal government.

Oregon’s policy of limiting tribal gaming to one casino per tribe has served the state well, allowing each tribe to pursue vital funding for their government services while also protecting all of Oregon’s citizens from the “downsides” of gaming: addictive gambling behaviors and increased criminal activity.

There is no reason to change that policy now, especially for a tribe that is attempting to open a casino in an area to which they have no ancestral ties, in my opinion.

Sal Esquivel / Medford