Prof. Michael Weingrad, Ph.D., started the Judaic Studies Department at Portland State University, where he still teaches. In this episode, we discuss the Israel-Hamas war, what it's like to be a conservative at a university in Portland, and more. https://www.pdx.edu/judaic-studies/michael-weingrad https://www.pdx.edu/judaic-studies/2024-levy-event https://www.pdx.edu/judaic-studies/perelandra-scholars-program https://www.pdx.edu/judaic-studies/perelandra-scholars-program-registration https://youtu.be/mDpaK5g0L60?si=lEeMSG7kR1_RvLCZ https://screensplits.substack.com https://www.dni.gov/nctc/f ..read more

Jessie Burke is the owner of the Society Hotel in the Old Town Neighborhood and chair of the Old Town Community Association in Portland, Oregon. She is the mother of three young children. Jessie has a Master’s of Public Administration with a focus on Strategic Planning and Community Development from Portland State University. Jessie grew up very poor. Her father was paralyzed when she was 6. She lost a brother-in-law to a drug overdose. Her focus is on taking care of the least among us. https://jessieburke.com https://thesocietyhotel.com/portland/ https://www.pdxoldtown.org/board-members ..read more

Pete Grabiel is a Portland lawyer and a Democratic candidate for the Oregon State House of Representatives in District 33. https://www.petegrabiel.com http://www.pitzerlaw.net/attorneys.html https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/02/01/they-left-portland-is-losing-some-of-its-biggest-fans/ https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2022/10/17/oregon-ranks-worst-in-nation-for-prevalence-of-mental-illness/ https://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_aid_indigent_defense/indigent_defense_systems_improvement/publications/or-project/ https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/08/national-embarrassment-judge-sets-10-day-d ..read more

Derek Clevenger is a political consultant who was the mayor of Aumsville and attempted a run for the Oregon State Legislature as an Independent. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/01/oregon-supreme-court-gop-walkout-00139079 https://www.opb.org/article/2022/02/28/three-oregon-lawmakers-wont-run-reelection-citing-low-pay-growing-job-demands/?outputType=amp https://www.opb.org/article/2022/05/17/oregon-us-house-sixth-congressional-district/?outputType=amp https://apnews.com/article/nonchristians-unfit-elected-office-oregon-lawmaker-f25ce01bc0c3106522b02b46effdbe56 https://theoregonway.substa ..read more

https://www.bobforportland.com https://x.com/bob4portland?s=21 https://www.wweek.com/news/2022/10/05/we-tried-to-imagine-how-voting-would-work-under-portlands-proposed-charter-reforms/ https://www.wweek.com/news/2022/08/03/a-polling-result-never-seen-by-the-citys-charter-commission-show-portlanders-overwhelmingly-favored-placing-three-reforms-on-the-ballot-separately/ https://www.portland.gov/transition/documents/july-public-comment-report/download https://www.portland.gov/bhr/class-comp/language-pay-differential-overview https://x.com/rationalinpdx/status/1755673364184920355?s=46 https://med ..read more

Eli Arnold is a former wartime military helicopter pilot and is now a member of Portland Police Bureau's Central Bike Squad. Eli is running for Portland City Council in District 4. https://www.eliforportland.com https://www.instagram.com/eliforportland?igsh=djRxcGYydHdjNDZu https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/01/portlands-101-homicides-in-2022-set-new-record-at-some-point-we-have-to-be-tired-of-burying-our-children.html?outputType=amp https://www.instagram.com/ppbcentralbikesquad/ https://abcnews.go.com/US/oregon-officials-declare-state-emergency-address-fentanyl-crisis/story?id=106826829 ..read more

Betsy Johnson is a former Oregon Senator and Oregon gubernatorial candidate. Max Williams is the former Chair of the Oregon House Judiciary Committee and former head of the Oregon Department of Corrections. They are working to pass a bill in the legislature that would amend Ballot Measure 110, which decriminalized all drugs in Oregon. https://fixballotmeasure110.com https://fixballotmeasure110.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/VERSION-C.pdf https://x.com/senbetsyjohnson?s=20 https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/oregon-ranks-worst-in-the-country-for-drug-problems-report/ https://olis.oregonlegislatur ..read more

Josh Marquis is the former District Attorney of Clatsop County, Oregon. He has written for the LA Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, among other publications. https://www.coastda.com https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2809867 https://time.com/6318102/decriminalizing-drugs-overdose-study/ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20503245231167407 https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/02/01/they-left-portland-is-losing-some-of-its-biggest-fans/ https://www.oregonlive.com/data/2023/07/multnomah-county-lost-record-1-billion-in-income-in-2021-as-residen ..read more

Ben West is a Portland native, although he now lives in Clackamas County. Ben is a nurse, a military officer, and a Clackamas County Commissioner. Ben and his husband, Paul, sued the State of Oregon and won the right to get married. Ben and Paul are raising an adopted son, who is black. Former Oregon lawyer Donel Courtney advocated for the Lents Neighborhood where he lived in Portland, pushing back against homelessness and crime. Donel has since moved to India. https://www.clackamas.us/bcc/west https://www.aclu.org/bio/paul-rummell-and-benjamin-west https://www.kgw.com/video/news/crime/multno ..read more

Sgt. Aaron Schmautz is the President of the Portland Police Association (PPA). The PPA is an independent labor organization representing Portland police officers and other employees of the Portland Police Bureau. Sgt. Schmautz discusses his recent trip to Portugal with other Oregon leaders to learn about Portugal's decriminalization of drugs and how it compares to the decriminalization of drugs in Oregon. Sgt. Schmautz also discusses a poll commissioned by the PPA regarding the Portland Police Accountability Commission (PAC), which shows that a majority of respondents do not approve of the PAC ..read more