Looks like Lisa Reynolds is being disingenuous at best.
Why do Democratic Voters keep voting for the same machine politics because it sounds so "progressive"? Turns out, it generally doesn't make the average taxpayer's life any better, but it definitely rewards the various politically correct and connected special interest groups that it has come to represent. Reynolds cannot be trusted. And neither can most of the Democratic State Reps and State Senators from the Portland metro area.
Reynolds is digging a deeper hole for herself. "Drazan played us like a fiddle"??? The political gaming that is Reynolds stinks all the way to the governor's house.
My take? - Kill a Republican sponsored bi-partisan bill so a Democrat can heroically revive it's ashes, regardless of the constituent's circumstances.
I believe my own eyes and ears: Drazan walked our streets and ultimately worked with Stadiumhood to create a bill that would serve all the community, INCLUDING people needing syringe services.
Reynolds on the other hand only saw political party threat. Weak.
Is an Autumn Sharp write in campaign possible for the general election?
Thank you for articulating your take so accurately: "Kill a Republican sponsored bi-partisan bill so a Democrat can heroically revive it's ashes, regardless of the constituent's circumstances." This is exactly what I think happened, and why it infuriated me to the point of challenging her in the primary. Prioritizing self-serving political gains over the safety of our children?!? Thanks to you and to Allan for keeping the truth of this issue in the spotlight!
Drazan has my vote, the Lisa Reynolds and Tina Koteks of the world need to be retired. I’m sure they can go find positions in the grifting non-profits they obviously favor over the tax payers they are supposed to represent.
Leaders like Lisa Reynolds are reason Portland still has a huge homeless/drug problem ..It’s the Jessica Vega Pederson style of government. The give homeless tents and drug addicts pipes solution and it doesnt work.
Lisa Reynolds should be ashamed of herself! She single-handedly killed an excellent bill that was reasonable, and that her own constituents put inestimable thought and effort into. Now, thanks to Reynolds killing the original bill, PPOP has been emboldened and is now doing their needle distribution in the Pearl --- the last thing we need as we try to bring back our neighborhood from chaos. And not only that, Reynolds ostensibly did it to preserve and protect "harm reduction," but harm‑reduction strategies were designed for heroin or prescription opioids; those strategies no longer work in the age of fentanyl, because fentanyl too potent and unpredictable for “safer use” to be realistic! I hope Lisa Reynolds has a worthy opponent in November, because she needs to be voted OUT of office --- she has totally read the room wrong, she has ignored her constituents' needs, and she tries to throw others under the bus - all very dishonorable.
Unfortunately she does not have a worthy opponent. This is a massive failure of the Democratic machine and unions running our elections, because now we have no choice but to vote for her in November. I likely would have garnered a higher number of votes running as a Republican, but still wouldn't have won even if I went straight to the November ballot on a Republican ticket, so now we have no choice again. But, seriously, we cannot vote for John Chee. Absolutely cannot. Please do not vote for this person: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccb0lM2dyVE
Linda - what can we do to get PPOP out of the Pearl? Tired of the residents who actually live here working tirelessly to keep our neighborhood afloat only to be constantly sabotaged by these vile groups and the moron politicians who support them. What area are they distributing in?
They are in the Pearl on Fridays at 8pm on NW Kearney under 405. They usually draw up to 20 people, some of whom go a block or two away into the Pearl afterward to use the drugs. If the new and weaker version of the bill passes, it will just push them another block away. Probably the only way to get them to move would be to picket their site for a few weeks, get the press in, etc.
Wow. These PPOP people are unreal. They’re on some weird power trip and that’s exactly what this is: a move to show they are in control and a move to punish those who dare fight against them. Michael Gilbert of PPOP tried to intimidate me after I testified at the County. It didn’t work but these people have abusive personalities and are like a religious cult.
Great points about fentanyl. Here’s some other facts: people with HIV have normal life expectancies and HepC has a 90% cure rate, thanks to modern medicine. Fentanyl, on the other hand, cuts decades off of someone’s life and thats if they’re lucky enough to not die young from an OD. Additionally, handing out meth pipes should just be illegal in general.
Lisa Reynolds is absolute trash. Im also concerned the County wants to give exemptions for healthcare providers, because it can be applied too broadly. I plan on testifying about it this week.
Questions around siting, accountability and neighborhood impacts have not gone away. Why is a school zone a necessary location for mobile distribution is one. We'll continue asking until providers and policymakers can answer.
After two legislative sessions, a third is ahead. The record of support already includes bipartisan legislators, local metro mayors, several school districts...
Why not a general election write in? All we need is a candidate who lives in the District. In a general election, all registered voters are eligible to vote, not just Democrats
Sadly, I live in Rob Wagner's District.
But it is long past the time when machine controlled pols like Reynolds need to learn to respect alltheir constituents, whether unaffiliated, Republican, Demorrat, or Independent registered voters.
Only in Portland would this be a controversial issue. Drazan sponsoring this bill is what made me want to vote for her. It is absolutely asinine that the Dems shot this down and it shows just how ideologically driven our Democrat state legislators have become. And we can expect more of this since Muňoz and Carpenter were elected. Our real governors are SEIU and OEA.
This should’ve been an easy win with bipartisan support. Reynolds should be ashamed of herself, as should the public health department who forgot what their job is: to protect the public’s health.
How basic and simple……dont give drug addicts pipes and needles next to a school….something you would think we could all agree on, but Lisa Reynolds couldn’t get it passed…and is now blaming someone else….pathetic
At the risk of further alienating my friend, Allan Classen, I am writing to add a perspective that has not been written about and to ask some questions of the community that has been working on the needle exchange bill and continues to be vehemently critical of Senator Reynolds. Because I have worked collaboratively with Allan on many issues over a decade and I was a physician partner of Dr. Reynolds at the Children's clinic for 19 years I have great admiration for both and I believe they have more in common than that which separates them including integrity and strong values.
I have a different view than those that have been expressed. I hope you will listen. I hope you will respond in good faith, believing that Dr. Reynolds and I, too, would like to see needles off the streets of neighborhoods. I am really writing to gather more information on what happened between the community and Senator Drazan between the time the bill was introduced, the time Senator Reynolds submitted\ her amendment on February 11th and the time the bill failed in committee.
I realize I don’t have all the information and would like to hear more details about the process between the community and Senator Drazan after Senator Reynolds officially submitted an amendment on February 11th to limit distribution of needles within 1000 feet of schools and also to require licensing and oversight of mobile needle exchange organizations. The next step was Senator Drazan’s responsibility. How did she work with you to consider that amendment?
What I have learned being involved myself in legislative action over the past decade is that it is not enough to propose a bill, even for several years, as Senator Drazan has done. The work to actually pass a bill is through vetting amendments, compromise, lobbying committee members in advance of it coming to the committee. There is no record of any of this happening.
I would infer, as did Senator Reynolds that Senator Drazan and the constituents she has been working with on this issue were unwilling to compromise. Drazan did not adopt the amendment, as was her authority, before it went to committee. Drazan did not initiated any discussions with Reynolds about her amendment. In the final hours Senator Drazan strategically sent Senator Reynolds a late night message seeking compromise. Reynolds was already asleep and did not see the message until the next day. They are both seasoned senators and know the rules that bills cannot be modified right before the committee meeting.
Recent accusations that Senator Reynolds did not feel she should speak with the constituents need to be contextualized, What she told me weeks ago is that she chose not to initiate conversation with constituents on her amendment, that was Drazan’s job. It was a short session and she was busy doing the work to get her own bills passed. I would like to know from constituents what process Drazan had with you about the amendment and if Shannon Isadore, your state representative and cosponsor of the bill was involved. These were the best legislators to work with on compromise and a bill that would pass.
Senator Reynolds has spent 6 years working on gun safety bills, maternal and child health and prevention of family homelessness. She has heard your concerns and has committed to working on a bill in the next legislative session that can pass.
I don’t have any personal contact with Senator Drazan, but I have seen her use hyperbole and theater in her political strategy. I know she has fought gun control restrictions including the lifesaving and sensible safe gun storage requirements. She submitted a bill to end vote by mail in Oregon and she skipped votes on immigration. She has vocally supported Trump in sending troops to Portland and to Iran.
Shortly after the committee meeting Senator Drazan issued a press release condemning Governor Kotek and her allies for killing the bill. Senator Reynolds’s name was not mentioned. The failed needle distribution bill is a cornerstone of Drazan’s platform in her bid for governor. So my question is, did Drazan actually do the work to get the bill passed, or was it more politically expedient to have it fail?
I would welcome a conversation with anyone who would like to discuss this further.
Interesting take but Reynold should have stuck with her constituents that wanted 2000 feet. The reasons she didn’t probably is because she has bought into the mantra that distributing needles is okay. It is horrible and the needles we give out are sometimes the ones that are used last because the person is dead from an overdose. Reynolds doesn’t have any passion for this issue, whereas Drazan does.
I am a board member of Friends of Couch Park (FoCP). I have been working on this issue since July 2024.
We contacted Senator Reynolds in January 2025 and asked her to work with us on a bill that session. I drafted a bill by looking into other states' legislation. Reynolds did not respond.
Someone from Drazan's office contacted Michelle Milla from Stadiumhood in Feb 2025. When Drazan came to tour the neighborhood, we gave her a copy of my draft legislation. Drazan submitted it as a bill in April 2025 and it became HB 3956. We met with Reynolds over Zoom in June 2025 and told her about the bill. We did not hear anything back from Reynolds after that Zoom session. Isadore also largely ignored us, saying platitudes, like "thanks for keeping us in the loop. Neither Isadore, nor Reynolds signed on to sponsor HB 2956. Drazan was the only sponsor that session. Much has been made of Reynolds killing the bill in the 2026 session. I would like to know why she ignored us in the 2025 session.
Stadiumhood and FoCP met with Drazan over the summer 2025 to draft a new bill for the next session.
In Feb 2026, Drazan introduces SB 1573 (based on our work over the summer). At some point, Isadore came on as a sponsor. Other than that, Isadore was not involved.
After the work session on Feb 5th, we communicated via text message with Isaak Drazan. He asked us if we were willing to compromise. We were not happy about the proposed amendments, but we agreed to all of them in order to take a small step forward.
On Feb 12, we woke up expecting Reynolds to call the bill up and amend it. We were shocked when she refused to even call the bill forward.
From my point of view, Drazan spent a lot of her free time working with Stadiumhood and FoCP. She met with us, listened to us, helped us draft a bill, helped us amend a bill, found cosponsors, etc. She spent hours of her time with us.
I am happy that Senator Reynolds is paying attention to us now, but she ignored us for TWO legislative sessions.
Kara's account of the legislative history is accurate and important. Meanwhile PPOP is in the Pearl and Hollywood, handing out as many needles as you can carry with no cleanup. The county votes on its ordinance this Thursday. If it passes as is, enforcement is complaint-driven and there's no registration requirement. The 18-month sunset clock exists to bridge us to the state and we will be engaging!
One would think as a pediatrician she would be very interested in getting needles out of the vicinity of schools. Physicians have been brainwashed for years about needle exchange programs. The culture of enabling drug addiction runs strong here. There are many instances of mental health proscriptions being adopted and then found to cause much more harm than good. Needle distribution is on its way out.
Thank you for this history. It is important to describe the role of the sponsor after the bill has had a hearing in a committee. This is where Drazan, a seasoned senator dropped the ball, after ostensibly working on this for three years.
After a committee hearing, the primary sponsor acts as the chief champion of the bill. Their main roles include negotiating amendments, securing majority support for the upcoming "markup" vote, and advocating for the committee to officially report the bill out.Key responsibilities of the sponsor at this stage include:Navigating Markups: Collaborating with committee members and staff to evaluate the bill's language. If issues were raised during the hearing, the sponsor helps draft or accept compromise amendments to build consensus.Building Support: Actively lobbying committee members, gathering cosponsors, and demonstrating to committee leadership that the bill has the momentum to pass. The bill was in Drazan’s hands and she did none of these things. She knows better. After sitting on the Reynold’s amendment for 2 week, she oerformatively called Reynold’s so late it was technically too late to change the bill. Then she got the neighborhood to demonize Reynold’s for her lapse.
Looks like Lisa Reynolds is being disingenuous at best.
Why do Democratic Voters keep voting for the same machine politics because it sounds so "progressive"? Turns out, it generally doesn't make the average taxpayer's life any better, but it definitely rewards the various politically correct and connected special interest groups that it has come to represent. Reynolds cannot be trusted. And neither can most of the Democratic State Reps and State Senators from the Portland metro area.
And I'm a life-long Democratic voter.
Im a life long democratic voter and native Portlander and i agree with you completely. The Dems here have lost their minds. I’ll be voting for Drazan.
Reynolds is digging a deeper hole for herself. "Drazan played us like a fiddle"??? The political gaming that is Reynolds stinks all the way to the governor's house.
My take? - Kill a Republican sponsored bi-partisan bill so a Democrat can heroically revive it's ashes, regardless of the constituent's circumstances.
I believe my own eyes and ears: Drazan walked our streets and ultimately worked with Stadiumhood to create a bill that would serve all the community, INCLUDING people needing syringe services.
Reynolds on the other hand only saw political party threat. Weak.
Is an Autumn Sharp write in campaign possible for the general election?
Thank you for articulating your take so accurately: "Kill a Republican sponsored bi-partisan bill so a Democrat can heroically revive it's ashes, regardless of the constituent's circumstances." This is exactly what I think happened, and why it infuriated me to the point of challenging her in the primary. Prioritizing self-serving political gains over the safety of our children?!? Thanks to you and to Allan for keeping the truth of this issue in the spotlight!
Drazan has my vote, the Lisa Reynolds and Tina Koteks of the world need to be retired. I’m sure they can go find positions in the grifting non-profits they obviously favor over the tax payers they are supposed to represent.
Leaders like Lisa Reynolds are reason Portland still has a huge homeless/drug problem ..It’s the Jessica Vega Pederson style of government. The give homeless tents and drug addicts pipes solution and it doesnt work.
Lisa Reynolds should be ashamed of herself! She single-handedly killed an excellent bill that was reasonable, and that her own constituents put inestimable thought and effort into. Now, thanks to Reynolds killing the original bill, PPOP has been emboldened and is now doing their needle distribution in the Pearl --- the last thing we need as we try to bring back our neighborhood from chaos. And not only that, Reynolds ostensibly did it to preserve and protect "harm reduction," but harm‑reduction strategies were designed for heroin or prescription opioids; those strategies no longer work in the age of fentanyl, because fentanyl too potent and unpredictable for “safer use” to be realistic! I hope Lisa Reynolds has a worthy opponent in November, because she needs to be voted OUT of office --- she has totally read the room wrong, she has ignored her constituents' needs, and she tries to throw others under the bus - all very dishonorable.
Unfortunately she does not have a worthy opponent. This is a massive failure of the Democratic machine and unions running our elections, because now we have no choice but to vote for her in November. I likely would have garnered a higher number of votes running as a Republican, but still wouldn't have won even if I went straight to the November ballot on a Republican ticket, so now we have no choice again. But, seriously, we cannot vote for John Chee. Absolutely cannot. Please do not vote for this person: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccb0lM2dyVE
Linda - what can we do to get PPOP out of the Pearl? Tired of the residents who actually live here working tirelessly to keep our neighborhood afloat only to be constantly sabotaged by these vile groups and the moron politicians who support them. What area are they distributing in?
They are in the Pearl on Fridays at 8pm on NW Kearney under 405. They usually draw up to 20 people, some of whom go a block or two away into the Pearl afterward to use the drugs. If the new and weaker version of the bill passes, it will just push them another block away. Probably the only way to get them to move would be to picket their site for a few weeks, get the press in, etc.
Wow. These PPOP people are unreal. They’re on some weird power trip and that’s exactly what this is: a move to show they are in control and a move to punish those who dare fight against them. Michael Gilbert of PPOP tried to intimidate me after I testified at the County. It didn’t work but these people have abusive personalities and are like a religious cult.
Great points about fentanyl. Here’s some other facts: people with HIV have normal life expectancies and HepC has a 90% cure rate, thanks to modern medicine. Fentanyl, on the other hand, cuts decades off of someone’s life and thats if they’re lucky enough to not die young from an OD. Additionally, handing out meth pipes should just be illegal in general.
Lisa Reynolds is absolute trash. Im also concerned the County wants to give exemptions for healthcare providers, because it can be applied too broadly. I plan on testifying about it this week.
Questions around siting, accountability and neighborhood impacts have not gone away. Why is a school zone a necessary location for mobile distribution is one. We'll continue asking until providers and policymakers can answer.
After two legislative sessions, a third is ahead. The record of support already includes bipartisan legislators, local metro mayors, several school districts...
Why not a general election write in? All we need is a candidate who lives in the District. In a general election, all registered voters are eligible to vote, not just Democrats
Sadly, I live in Rob Wagner's District.
But it is long past the time when machine controlled pols like Reynolds need to learn to respect alltheir constituents, whether unaffiliated, Republican, Demorrat, or Independent registered voters.
And of course her constituents put her back into office.
Scratch a political scandalette, and you'll always find dumb voters.
Only in Portland would this be a controversial issue. Drazan sponsoring this bill is what made me want to vote for her. It is absolutely asinine that the Dems shot this down and it shows just how ideologically driven our Democrat state legislators have become. And we can expect more of this since Muňoz and Carpenter were elected. Our real governors are SEIU and OEA.
This should’ve been an easy win with bipartisan support. Reynolds should be ashamed of herself, as should the public health department who forgot what their job is: to protect the public’s health.
How basic and simple……dont give drug addicts pipes and needles next to a school….something you would think we could all agree on, but Lisa Reynolds couldn’t get it passed…and is now blaming someone else….pathetic
At the risk of further alienating my friend, Allan Classen, I am writing to add a perspective that has not been written about and to ask some questions of the community that has been working on the needle exchange bill and continues to be vehemently critical of Senator Reynolds. Because I have worked collaboratively with Allan on many issues over a decade and I was a physician partner of Dr. Reynolds at the Children's clinic for 19 years I have great admiration for both and I believe they have more in common than that which separates them including integrity and strong values.
I have a different view than those that have been expressed. I hope you will listen. I hope you will respond in good faith, believing that Dr. Reynolds and I, too, would like to see needles off the streets of neighborhoods. I am really writing to gather more information on what happened between the community and Senator Drazan between the time the bill was introduced, the time Senator Reynolds submitted\ her amendment on February 11th and the time the bill failed in committee.
I realize I don’t have all the information and would like to hear more details about the process between the community and Senator Drazan after Senator Reynolds officially submitted an amendment on February 11th to limit distribution of needles within 1000 feet of schools and also to require licensing and oversight of mobile needle exchange organizations. The next step was Senator Drazan’s responsibility. How did she work with you to consider that amendment?
What I have learned being involved myself in legislative action over the past decade is that it is not enough to propose a bill, even for several years, as Senator Drazan has done. The work to actually pass a bill is through vetting amendments, compromise, lobbying committee members in advance of it coming to the committee. There is no record of any of this happening.
I would infer, as did Senator Reynolds that Senator Drazan and the constituents she has been working with on this issue were unwilling to compromise. Drazan did not adopt the amendment, as was her authority, before it went to committee. Drazan did not initiated any discussions with Reynolds about her amendment. In the final hours Senator Drazan strategically sent Senator Reynolds a late night message seeking compromise. Reynolds was already asleep and did not see the message until the next day. They are both seasoned senators and know the rules that bills cannot be modified right before the committee meeting.
Recent accusations that Senator Reynolds did not feel she should speak with the constituents need to be contextualized, What she told me weeks ago is that she chose not to initiate conversation with constituents on her amendment, that was Drazan’s job. It was a short session and she was busy doing the work to get her own bills passed. I would like to know from constituents what process Drazan had with you about the amendment and if Shannon Isadore, your state representative and cosponsor of the bill was involved. These were the best legislators to work with on compromise and a bill that would pass.
Senator Reynolds has spent 6 years working on gun safety bills, maternal and child health and prevention of family homelessness. She has heard your concerns and has committed to working on a bill in the next legislative session that can pass.
I don’t have any personal contact with Senator Drazan, but I have seen her use hyperbole and theater in her political strategy. I know she has fought gun control restrictions including the lifesaving and sensible safe gun storage requirements. She submitted a bill to end vote by mail in Oregon and she skipped votes on immigration. She has vocally supported Trump in sending troops to Portland and to Iran.
Shortly after the committee meeting Senator Drazan issued a press release condemning Governor Kotek and her allies for killing the bill. Senator Reynolds’s name was not mentioned. The failed needle distribution bill is a cornerstone of Drazan’s platform in her bid for governor. So my question is, did Drazan actually do the work to get the bill passed, or was it more politically expedient to have it fail?
I would welcome a conversation with anyone who would like to discuss this further.
Interesting take but Reynold should have stuck with her constituents that wanted 2000 feet. The reasons she didn’t probably is because she has bought into the mantra that distributing needles is okay. It is horrible and the needles we give out are sometimes the ones that are used last because the person is dead from an overdose. Reynolds doesn’t have any passion for this issue, whereas Drazan does.
I am a board member of Friends of Couch Park (FoCP). I have been working on this issue since July 2024.
We contacted Senator Reynolds in January 2025 and asked her to work with us on a bill that session. I drafted a bill by looking into other states' legislation. Reynolds did not respond.
Someone from Drazan's office contacted Michelle Milla from Stadiumhood in Feb 2025. When Drazan came to tour the neighborhood, we gave her a copy of my draft legislation. Drazan submitted it as a bill in April 2025 and it became HB 3956. We met with Reynolds over Zoom in June 2025 and told her about the bill. We did not hear anything back from Reynolds after that Zoom session. Isadore also largely ignored us, saying platitudes, like "thanks for keeping us in the loop. Neither Isadore, nor Reynolds signed on to sponsor HB 2956. Drazan was the only sponsor that session. Much has been made of Reynolds killing the bill in the 2026 session. I would like to know why she ignored us in the 2025 session.
Stadiumhood and FoCP met with Drazan over the summer 2025 to draft a new bill for the next session.
In Feb 2026, Drazan introduces SB 1573 (based on our work over the summer). At some point, Isadore came on as a sponsor. Other than that, Isadore was not involved.
After the work session on Feb 5th, we communicated via text message with Isaak Drazan. He asked us if we were willing to compromise. We were not happy about the proposed amendments, but we agreed to all of them in order to take a small step forward.
On Feb 12, we woke up expecting Reynolds to call the bill up and amend it. We were shocked when she refused to even call the bill forward.
From my point of view, Drazan spent a lot of her free time working with Stadiumhood and FoCP. She met with us, listened to us, helped us draft a bill, helped us amend a bill, found cosponsors, etc. She spent hours of her time with us.
I am happy that Senator Reynolds is paying attention to us now, but she ignored us for TWO legislative sessions.
Kara's account of the legislative history is accurate and important. Meanwhile PPOP is in the Pearl and Hollywood, handing out as many needles as you can carry with no cleanup. The county votes on its ordinance this Thursday. If it passes as is, enforcement is complaint-driven and there's no registration requirement. The 18-month sunset clock exists to bridge us to the state and we will be engaging!
Portland Harm Reduction and School Proximity Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=141FDMdZjrBk9M1P4zhbjqWrCbXvxiWA&usp=sharing
One would think as a pediatrician she would be very interested in getting needles out of the vicinity of schools. Physicians have been brainwashed for years about needle exchange programs. The culture of enabling drug addiction runs strong here. There are many instances of mental health proscriptions being adopted and then found to cause much more harm than good. Needle distribution is on its way out.
Thank you for this history. It is important to describe the role of the sponsor after the bill has had a hearing in a committee. This is where Drazan, a seasoned senator dropped the ball, after ostensibly working on this for three years.
After a committee hearing, the primary sponsor acts as the chief champion of the bill. Their main roles include negotiating amendments, securing majority support for the upcoming "markup" vote, and advocating for the committee to officially report the bill out.Key responsibilities of the sponsor at this stage include:Navigating Markups: Collaborating with committee members and staff to evaluate the bill's language. If issues were raised during the hearing, the sponsor helps draft or accept compromise amendments to build consensus.Building Support: Actively lobbying committee members, gathering cosponsors, and demonstrating to committee leadership that the bill has the momentum to pass. The bill was in Drazan’s hands and she did none of these things. She knows better. After sitting on the Reynold’s amendment for 2 week, she oerformatively called Reynold’s so late it was technically too late to change the bill. Then she got the neighborhood to demonize Reynold’s for her lapse.