Aaron Mesh

Portland

Managing Editor at Willamette Week

Willamette Week managing editor. Lapsed movie critic, Trail Blazers fan, aspiring Brutalist. Not untrue and not unkind.

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Articles

Bill Cracking Down on Illicit Massage Businesses Passes the Oregon House

6 days ago | wweek.com | Sophie Peel |Aaron Mesh

The Oregon House today by a 51-to-2 vote passed a bill aimed at cracking down on illicit massage businesses. House Bill 3189-A, sponsored by state Rep. Thuy Tran (D-Portland) and state Sen.
Kotek Replaces Leader of Oregon State Hospital in Wake of March Patient Death

1 week ago | wweek.com | Aaron Mesh

Gov. Tina Kotek announced late Friday a shakeup in the leadership of the Oregon State Hospital as that facility deals with the fallout from a patient death in March. In a statement released shortly before 9 pm Friday, Kotek revealed that she had accepted the resignation of the hospital’s chief medical officer and interim superintendent, Dr. Sara Walker.
The Drive to Seattle Is About to Lose Its Most Annoying Feature

3 weeks ago | wweek.com | Aaron Mesh

For decades, urbanites driving Interstate 5 between Portland and Seattle had two reliable means of staying awake: the free coffee at Washington state rest areas, and a large billboard from which Uncle Sam delivered messages guaranteed to angry up the blood. The drive is about to get a little sleepier. The Seattle Times reports that the Napavine property holding the billboard is for sale, and the sellers aren’t seeking to preserve Uncle Sam.
Multnomah County DA Nathan Vasquez Sends Society Hotel Case to Washington County

3 weeks ago | wweek.com | Aaron Mesh

Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez has asked his counterpart in Washington County to handle the prosecution of two people who allegedly vandalized and tried to break into the Society Hotel. The co-owner of that Old Town boutique hotel, Jessie Burke, was Vasquez’s campaign manager in his successful run for DA last year.
An Oregon Lobbying Firm Adds Tesla to Its Client Roster

1 month ago | wweek.com | Aaron Mesh

A well-regarded Oregon lobbying firm added the electric car manufacturer Tesla to its client roster last October, raising questions how the advocates will balance Elon Musk’s interests with those of the local governments the firm also represents in the state Capitol. WHAT HAPPENED: On Oct. 29, one week before Election Day, state records show three lobbyists with CFM Advocates informed the Oregon Government Ethics Commission of a new client: Tesla Inc.
County Homeless Services Director Abruptly Retiring

1 month ago | wweek.com | Anthony Effinger |Aaron Mesh

The director of Multnomah County’s embattled Homeless Services Department is retiring, County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson announced this morning. Dan Field has led the office, until recently called the Joint Office of Homeless Services, since 2023. (It’s overseen by the county but funded in tandem with Portland City Hall.) His last day is June 16, and Deputy Director Anna Plumb will assume the role of interim director, the county said.
Portland Lawyer Again Files Ballot Initiative That Would Make County Pay Crime Victims

1 month ago | wweek.com | Aaron Mesh

Portland lawyer John DiLorenzo has filed a new version of a ballot initiative that would require Multnomah County to pay up to $2,500 to any victim of a person or property crime. The ballot initiative petition, filed March 4, is the fourth version DiLorenzo has filed since October. Two of them were rejected by the county elections director for not meeting legal standards.
DOGE Cuts Echo Down the Klamath River

1 month ago | wweek.com | Aaron Mesh

Democrats have spent a lot of time calculating the scale of the damage President Donald Trump’s inflicted through cuts in federal agencies. The Department of Government Efficiency, run by car-and-rocket billionaire Elon Musk, has fired about 10,000 government employees. Those cuts might soon be felt locally. In an essay in the New York Times opinion pages last week, author Jacques Leslie examined how cuts could affect the Klamath River basin in Southern Oregon.
Homeowners Appeal Oswego Lake Opening, Ask City Council to Join Them

1 month ago | wweek.com | Aaron Mesh

The Battle of Oswego Lake rages on. Ten days after Clackamas County Circuit Judge Kathie Steele deemed the lake public and ordered it opened to the public, the homeowners association known as the Lake Oswego Corporation filed an appeal. The Lake Oswego City Council will hold an executive session Friday to discuss whether to join the Lake Corporation in continuing the fight against swimmers and kayakers accessing the water. The city manager says the council will not make a decision tomorrow.
Tobias Read Removes Compromised OLCC Audit From State Records

1 month ago | wweek.com | Aaron Mesh |Sophie Peel

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read continued his overhaul of the agency he took control of in January, deleting a controversial 2023 audit of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission from his agency’s archive. “Protecting the integrity of the Audits Division and ensuring audits standards are rigorously adhered to is a responsibility of leadership,” Read said.