CBG101

Discussion continues on Prepared Food Tax vote pgs. 3-4 Human Sea Star Page 2

VOL. 45, ISSUE 19 FREE

CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM

October 1, 2021

Council approves site location to build new Police Department, City Hall Joe Warren

T

jwarren@countrymedia.net

he Cannon Beach City Council approved the location on Gower Street for the site to build a new city hall and police dept/Emergency Operations Center if the the city leaders can find the funding.

Currently, City Manager Bruce St. Denis, says they plan to use revenue generated by a tax on Prepared Food, but that measure is up to the voters on the November ballot and is being met with division in the community amongst restaurant and business owners and some citizens.

“A recommendation was made to council to build on the east side of the Gower Street site to potentially mitigate the tsunami threat because that area is the highest in elevation,” St. Denis said. “Tentative decision is to fund it with the proceeds of the Prepared Food Tax (PFT) should it be approved on November 2nd. If not it will need to go to a separate funding referral.”

Prior to COVID-19 pandemic, a Blue Ribbon Committee was set up to look into three locations, and deter-

mine the best place to build a the new city complex.

James Litherland, who is a 40 year resident of Cannon Beach and sat on the committee says the Gower Street location is the worst of the three they looked at and urges the city to come up with a better plan. Litherland also is against the tax on prepared food and plans on voting no on that measure.

“We looked at the South Wind location, the RV park spot and the Gower Street location and all of them have issues,” he said. “I spoke to leading tsunami experts, people who track these in our area and they said the Gower Street site would not work due to previous tsunami inundation, I believe that number was 13 of 17 of the last major earthquakes and tsunamis, the Gower Street site was buried in water.”

Of the three sites owned by the city, St. Denis says this is the best possible place to build the city hall and police dept. and council agrees.

“I am not aware of it ever being flooded, there were parts of downtown that received some water from an Alaskan Tsunami in 1964 but nothing reached this point in mid-town, St.

Denis said. “… a lot of time, thought and discussion have occurred since the committee made that recommendation.”

According to Mike Morgan, who was mayor of Cannon Beach from 2008 to 2014 and also a planner on the coast for over 45 years, and also sat on the Blue Ribbon selection committee, says it’s not a good choice to build at the Gower Street site.

“It’s a terrible idea, it’s going to be one of the most vulnerable places we looked at,” he said. “This was proved to be a bad location by geologists and people who study tsunamis because the area is somewhat of a funnel, it would come up between Surf Sand and the Wayfarer Restaurant with tremendous force.”

Morgan said at one time, the city leaders looked at building a city hall there on stilts, but that plan got laughed out of the room.

“The best way to move forward with this project is to build an EOC (Emergency Operation Center) along with the police department at the South Wind site right on Hwy 101 and then rehab City Hall at the existing site,” Morgan said. “The RV park

is probably the easiest to consider because it would be the cheapest, but they would lose 20 RV Sites plus a neighborhood nearby my resist.”

St. Denis said he appreciates the work the Blue Ribbon Committee did on the locations, but looking at the three sites, the council believes the Gower site to be the best.

“Previously, there was no consensus regarding the best site for the project on the council, every site had a drawback be to the cost to develop or neighborhood opposition,” he said.

“The Gower Street site met most of the criteria except for being in a small to medium tsunami zone, and we felt the tsunami is the least likely disaster we will be facing as seismic events of all sizes can occur without a resulting damaging tsunami.”

Both Morgan and Litherland believe this project has become somewhat of a mission of St Denis, and he’s garnered support from the council even though the committee did a lot of research in opposition to the site.

“The city manager wants to build it,” Morgan added. “It’s his mission and he’s convinced the council to build it.”

Changing Ocean Scientists looking for answers to climate impact along coast David Rupkalvis

A

Country Media

s the ocean changes due to climate change, the pressure is on scientists and others to find a way to determine how the ocean will adapt and if people can help protect it.

During a discussion with the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition last week, Mark Carr, a professor of marine ecology in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California Santa Cruz, said the challenge is immense.

“In my humble opinion, climate change is the greatest challenge in our current time,” Carr said. “It manifests itself in many ways.”

Carr said as the ocean warms up, especially near the coast, there are clear changes in currents, sea levels, acidity as well as temperature and precipitation.

To prepare for a changing coastal ocean, scientists like Carr must be prepared.

“How can we best prepare coastal marine life and human communities for the impact,” he said.

When looking at a species in the coastal ocean, Carr said there are three questions that must be answered. First, the likelihood of exposure.

Second, sensitivity to change and finally, adaptive capacity.

“Those three factors ultimately determine the vulnerability of a particular species,” Carr said.

To prepare for the changes, Carr and a team created a climate vulnerability assessment. The assessment is not easy, but is could be effective.

“Climate change impacts

As climate change impacts the environment, the coastal region of Oregon and California is likely to see more change. are really complicated,” Carr eliminating most of the sea interest, in this case the red said. “They have lots of feed- stars from the ocean. sea urchins, the ecological back to the system that most The heat wave played a community, human users and of the vulnerability assessrole by killing large portions the overall human commuments don’t capture.” of the kelp forest, which is nity.

The goals of the assessthe primary food source for “It’s important to recment plan created by Carr urchins. Sea stars, the main ognize each one of these and his team are to identify predator of urchins, were domains impacts the other vulnerabilities and adaptive eliminated at the same time. domains, either directly or capacities, empower comThe result is red urchins were indirectly,” Carr said. “Each munities for of these mitigation feedbacks and adaption interact with to climate the resource impact and domain. avoid uninClimate tended conseimpacts are quences. likely to imAfter pact all the creating a domains.” framework With for the the red sea assessment, urchins, Carr and his the loss of team at Cal kelp and Santa Cruz a predator tested it by to control looking back A marine heat wave followed by the loss of sea stars the pura few years. led to purple urchins reproducing in record numbers, ple urchins They looked putting further strain on the kelp forests from Califor- impacted back at the nia to Washington. the red sea devastation urchins. As of the red sea urchin fishery. forced to move to deeper wa- a result, the purple urchins That event was brought on ter and purple urchins, which reproduced rapidly, leading by two events, a marine heat reproduce faster, began to to greater loss of the kelp wave from 2014 to 2016 take over. forest as the urchins ate. The from California to WashingWhen looking at the ashuman users, or the people ton at the same time that sea sessment, Carr said they look who fished for and processed star wasting disease began at four areas - the resource of the urchins lost work, and the

greater community suffered when there were no urchins to eat.

The impact was felt greatest from Port Orford into Northern California, where the water temperature climbed 2 degrees.

“That marine heat wave is thought to be one of the largest marine heat waves in the world,” Carr said. “In the absence of food and the absence of predators, the purple sea urchin just went crazy.

They came out and fed on all the algae.”

Interestingly, the warmer water itself did little to hurt the red sea urchin, but the impacts down the line did.

“The sensitivity of the red urchin to to the heat was was minimal,” Carr said. “Rather, indirect ecological interaction in the kelp field impacted the urchin.”

Carr said the impact is being felt five year later because the kelp forests have not fully recovered.

“As soon as the kelp recovers from the heat wave, the red urchin will be back,” Carr said. “The marine heat wave only impacted the

n See OCEAN, Page 6

Clatsop County provides details on vaccine events A

n advisory panel of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday, Sept. 23, voted to recommend approval for booster doses of the Cormirnaty (Pfizer) COVID-19 vaccine for people age 65 and older and those at high risk of severe infection.

The vote follows approval of the boosters by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup met Friday, Sept.

24, and approved the federal recommendation.

The Clatsop County Vaccine Task Force will provide more information soon on local availability of booster shots.

The federal action applies only to the Pfizer vaccine.

Eligible people who have received both doses of the two-shot vaccine will be able to receive a third booster dose six months after their second shot.

Federal health authorities are still evaluating whether to recommend booster shots for the other two COVID-19 vaccines, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).

IMMUNOCOMPROMISED BOOSTERS Individuals with compromised immune systems are currently eligible for additional COVID-19 vaccines doses.

Qualifying conditions include: active cancer treatment, organ transplant immunosuppressive therapy, advanced HIV infection, or high-dose corticosteroid treatment.

Immunocompromised individuals may receive a booster 28 days or more after their second dose. To schedule a shot, contact Clatsop County Public Health at (503) 3258500, or make an appointment with your primary care home or local pharmacy.

VACCINATION EVENTS MEDICAL TEAMS INTERNATIONAL Medical Teams International is again sponsoring local vaccination events in conjunction with its dental outreach clinics at the following times and locations: • Tuesday, Oct. 5, 9 a.m.

– 1 p.m. – Warrenton High School • Tuesday, Oct. 5, 3 – 6 p.m. – Jewell School • Wednesday, Oct. 6, 9 a.m.

– 2 p.m. – Knappa School • Thursday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Seaside High School The clinics offer the Cormirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine to individuals age 12 and up.

CONSEJO HISPANO/OHA The Oregon Health Authority and Consejo Hispano are sponsoring regular vaccination clinics in Cannon Beach.

The events are held from 3

n See EVENTS, Page 6

2

October 1, 2021

CannonBeachGazette.com

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Cannon Beach Gazette

Cannon Beach and Tolovana State Park health advisory issued Sept. 28 OHA issues advisory due to high bacteria levels

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is issuing a public health advisory today for unsafe levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters at Cannon Beach and Tolovana State Park in Clatsop County. People should avoid direct contact with the water in this area until the advisory is lifted.

Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps,

skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses. Children, elderly and those with a compromised immune system should use extra caution as they are more vulnerable to illness from waterborne bacteria.

Visitors should avoid wading in nearby creeks, pools of water on the beach, or in discolored water, and stay clear of water runoff flowing

into the ocean. Levels of fecal bacteria tend to be higher in these types of water sources.

Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters can come from both shore and inland sources including: • Stormwater runoff.

• Sewer overflows.

• Failing septic systems.

• Animal waste from livestock, pets and wildlife.

Even if there is no advisory in effect, avoid swimming in the ocean within 48 hours after a rainstorm.

Ocean waters will be re-tested after an advisory is issued. Once bacteria levels are at a safe level, OHA will notify the public that the advisory is lifted.

While this advisory is in effect at Cannon Beach and Tolovana State Park, state officials continue to en-

courage other recreational activities (flying kites, picnicking, playing on the beach, walking, etc.) on this beach because they pose no health risk even during an advisory.

For the most recent information on advisories, visit the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program website at http://www.healthoregon.org/ beach or call 971-673-0482, or 877290-6767 (toll-free).

Human Starfish ...

This extraordinary image of a human starfish on the beach, originally posted on Facebook was taken with a drone photographer last weekend as part of the annual Earth & Ocean Arts Fest in Cannon Beach. It was posted by the Cannon Beach Arts Association. Photo provided

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Oregon lawmakers redraw congressional, legislative districts Jeremy C Ruark jruark@countrymedia.net

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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed into law a new plan creating new congressional and legislative districts in the state.

The special Oregon Legislative special session to redraw the state’s political districts, which includes a new sixth U.S. House seat ended Tuesday and shortly after the session ended, Brown signed Senate Bill 881, which creates six new congressional districts, and Senate Bill 882, which creates Oregon’s new state legislative districts.

“The right to vote is sacred,” Gov. Brown said.

“In Oregon, we know that every vote matters because every voice matters in our electoral process. I’d like to thank the Legislature for coming together, through adversity, to pass legislation for redistricting. We do not always all agree, but when we find common ground, we can work together to do what is best for Oregon. Redistricting is a process that necessarily involves compromise, and I appreciate the Legislature working to balance the various interests of all Oregonians.”

“These maps are fair, representative, meet the highest of legal standards and incorporate feedback we heard from Oregonians across the state,” Representative Andrea Salinas (D-Lake Oswego), co-chair of the House Committee on Redistricting said. “We followed the Census data to protect the constitutional requirement of one person, one vote.”

“Each district in these bills was carefully designed to ensure compliance with Oregon’s redistricting standards and ensure that communities across Oregon will have strong and accurate representation in the Oregon Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives,” Senator Kathleen Taylor (D-Portland) said.

Republican reaction House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) said the partisan maps are a wake-up call for Oregonians.

“They know Democrats had to cheat to get these maps across the floor,” Drazan said.

“Democrats in Oregon have passed rigged political maps that will guarantee supersized majorities in the legislature and immediate control of more than 80 percent of Oregon’s congressional seats.

They should be ashamed that they have gerrymandered Oregonians out of their shot at fair elections for the next decade. This is by no means over.”

Drazan said the congressional map adopted by the legislature is illegal, drawn for partisan benefit and will not survive legal challenge.

“Political gerrymandering in Oregon is illegal and drawing congressional lines to ensure five out of six seats for your party long-term is gerrymandering,” Drazan said.

“Oregonians will only get the fair maps they deserve, free of partisan influence, by supporting an independent redistricting commission in the next election. Politicians should not be drawing their own political lines. If Oregonians believe we need fair redistricting, then they should overturn what resulted from this charade of a vote at the ballot box.”

Following the 2020 census, Oregon’s population growth qualified the state for the redistricting and sixth House seat. Monday was the deadline for the Oregon Legislature to compete the redistricting efforts.

A legislative committee was established, and public meetings were held to review the redistricting plans.

In a published interview in the St. Helens Chronicle in April, Katherine Morrison, legislative director for Sen.

n See DISTRICTS, Page 6

Cannon Beach Gazette

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CannonBeachGazette.com

October 1, 2021

At the library

3

Library offers new books, speakers and discussion I

n August, the Cannon Beach Library added 20 recently published titles to its collection for the enjoyment of patrons. These new “green dots” include nine novels, seven mysteries and four works of nonfiction.

New novels added include “The Husbands” by Chandler Baker, “Fierce Little Thing”

by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, “Blind Tiger” by Sandra Brown, “Damnation Spring” by Ash Davidson, “Cul-de-sac” by Joy Fielding, “The Guide” by Peter Heller, “Falling” by T.J. Newman, “A Woman of Intelligence” by Karin Tanabe and “Black Ice”

by Brad Thor.

The new mysteries are “Another Kind of Eden”

by James Lee Burke, “No Witness” by Warren C. Easley, “Sirocco” by Dana Haynes, “Lightning Strike”

by William Kent Krueger, “The Madness of Crowds” by Louise Penny, “Bloodless” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child and “The Coldest Case”

by Martin Walker.

New nonfiction titles include “The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line: Untold Stories of the Women Who Changed the Course of WWII” by Mari Eder, “Fast Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents”

by Gary Ginsberg, “I Alone Can Fix It: Donald Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year” by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker and “The Reckoning: Our Nation’s Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal” by Mary Trump.

Enjoy science fiction, dystopian yarns, magical narratives? If so, don’t miss Portland Author Karen Thompson Walker’s discussion of and readings from her bestselling

novels, “The Age of Miracles” and “The Dreamers,” when she is hosted by the Cannon Beach Library’s Northwest Authors Series via Facebook LIVE, Saturday, October 16, at 2 p.m.

“The Age of Miracles,” which portrays the earth slowing its rotation and the turmoil and terror this phenomenon spawns, created a buying frenzy among publishers eager to publish Walker’s debut novel in 2012.

“The Dreamers,” in which a sleeping disease breaks out at a small college in Southern California and spreads from there, causing students and then town residents to sleep and dream intensely for days,” was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice and identified by Glamour, Real Simple and Good Housekeeping magazines as one of the best books published in 2019.

Walker studied creative writing at UCLA and completed a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Columbia University before working as an assistant and then an editor of nonfiction books for Simon & Schuster.

She is now an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Oregon.

Members of Cannon Beach Reads will meet via Zoom on Wednesday, October 20, at 7 p.m., to discuss “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig. Wanda MeyerPrice will lead the discussion of this life-affirming novel.

Haig follows Nora, his alienated character who now in her thirties feels unneeded by her world, as she enters the Midnight Library. Here every book opens a door to various versions of her life, relationships she might have

developed and career paths she might have taken.

As Nora explores these alternatives, a life-affirming story unfolds about choices made, paths taken and worldly purpose identified.

A British Joseph Bernt author and journalist who lives in Brighton, Haig has published six quirky adult novels, eleven children’s titles and seven non-fiction books.

Anyone interested in joining these Cannon Beach Reads discussions is encouraged to do so. Contact Joe Bernt by email (berntj@ohio. edu) for information about joining this Zoom discussion. He will send the Zoom information a couple of days before the group’s meeting on October 20.

Members of Cannon Beach Reads usually interpret books being discussed through the lens of their own life experiences, current events or recent history.

The group’s vigorous discussion last month of David Attenborough’s “A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future” offers a fair example of the lively analysis and exchange that an important book can prompt.

Attenborough, long a producer of nature documentaries for the British Broadcast Corporation, became popular with most members of CB Reads as his nature series were rebroadcast in this

country on the Public Broadcasting System.

“A Life on Our Planet” could only have been written by someone who has lived a long life focused on the biodiversity and inter-relationships throughout the natural world, particularly those between humans and what Attenborough labels a Garden of Eden.

Attenborough published his report on the health of the planet as he reached his 94th year in what he frequently calls a Garden of Eden left to the stewardship of humans, the most clever of species on Earth during the past 70,000 years.

Attenborough, unfortunately, must report that humans confused stewardship of the planet with conquest, domination and exploitation of a natural world, one perfectly capable of maintaining and extending its biodiversity, particularly absent human meddling.

He finds the world he knew as a child no longer exists, a finding with which members of Cannon Beach Reads mostly agreed. This stewardship brought whales to the brink of extinction; now threatens the survival of polar bears, cheetahs and tigers in what remains of the wild; and brought Columbia River salmon and steelhead runs to a mere trickle of those present in the last century.

To document the persistent decline of planetary health.

Attenborough uses his own

lifetime as a measuring stick.

He begins his report with statistics from his life on Planet Earth in 1937, when he was 11 years old. At that point, the world’s population was 2.5 billion; carbon in the atmosphere was 280 parts per million, and remaining wilderness covered 66 percent of the planet.

Eighty-three years later in 2020, when Attenborough attained 94 years of age and experience, the world population had reached 7.9 billion, carbon in the atmosphere rose to 415 parts per million, and wilderness covered only 35 percent of the Earth’s land mass.

Despite the grim report on future prospects, Attenborough remains positive about the future of the planet, less so, however, for the future of humans: He writes, “The living world has survived mass extinctions several times before. But we humans cannot assume that we will do the same. We have come as far as we have because we are the cleverest creatures to have ever lived on Earth. But if we are to continue to exist, we will require more than intelligence. We will require wisdom.”

Attenborough truly is an optimist.

He begins this book by describing Pripyat, a deserted, decaying city the Soviets built in the Ukraine to serve the needs of technicians, engineers and scientists supporting the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Plant, usually referred to as Chernobyl.

Chernobyl, the most expensive environmental catastrophe in history, left Pripyat essentially deserted 30 years after the power-plant

explosion dispersed 400 times the radioactive material over much of Europe than was produced by the combined bombs dropped in 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

At the end of his report on Earth’s current health and future prospects, Attenborough demonstrates his hope for the planet by returning to Pripyat and describing the entombed power plant and the still deserted, now crumbling city.

“With or without us, the wild will return,” Attenborough writes. “Evidence of this is no more dramatic than that to be seen in the ruins of Pripyat, the model city that had to be abandoned when the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded.

“When you step outside the dark and empty corridors of one of its deserted apartment blocks, you are greeted by a most surprising sight. In the 34 years since the evacuation, a forest has taken over the deserted city. Shrubs have broken up the concrete and ivy pulled apart the bricks.

Roofs sag under the weight of accumulating vegetation, and saplings of poplar and aspen have burst through the pavements. . . .

“The land including the town and the ruined reactor has now been designated a sanctuary for animals that are rare elsewhere,” Attenborough continues.

Attenborough seems far more hopeful for the planet, but far less sanguine about the future of homo sapiens.

Members of Cannon Beach Reads ended their discussion far less hopeful than Attenborough. That life on the planet will continue, even though humans disappear, seemed of little comfort.

Opinion/Letters to the Editor Cannon Beach has a spending problem not a revenue problem In regard to the food tax I would argue that Cannon Beach does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. Our current budget is $32 million or roughly $17,000 per full time resident. The fire dept budget is separate at $1.3 million. Seaside, a town of 6,700 full time residents has a budget of $34 million, or roughly $5,000 per capita.

Carmel, CA has 3800 people and a budget of$25 million, or roughly $6,600 per capita.

Stowe, VT has 4,300 full time residents and a budget of $23 million or $5,000 per capita.

Our city council consists of dedicated life long/long time residents doing a thankless job. My only complaint is that they are too nice. We inveritably hire outsiders who come with an agenda, spend lots of our money then move away. We had a city manager who spent over $1 million on public art then moved away. The next

manager ( who never lived in Cannon Beach) was intent on moving city hall across 101.

He is gone but we now own a $400,000 blackberry patch.

We have $3 million invested in an RV park which none of us can use, $4 million in a forest reserve which was closed to the public all summer due to “moderate” fire danger and when the new roof is done, we will have roughly $1 million invested in an abandoned school.

It seems to me we should prioritize our projects, identify assets we don’t need and sell them. Use that money before raising taxes or going into debt.

If the majority of aid calls are for day trippers, maybe we should rethink spending $800,000 a year inviting them here.

Obviously I will be voting NO. Ken Quarles Cannon Beach

I support of the Prepared Food Tax Measure on the upcoming November

Joining the team at

2nd Ballot.

Cannon Beach is truly one of the most special places on earth.

Yet our cities’ emergency apparatus is outdated and needs replacing.

Future Cannon Beach leaders will be look back on us and either thank us for the wonderful municipal infrastructure we left them, or curse us for not doing anything to improve the aging mess we left them.

They will know we argued falsely about loss of tourism and wonder why we kicked the can down the road to them. They’ll say “what were they thinking”? We need to prepare our city for future. I see the Prepared Food Tax as a stream of revenue that can help our City with all sorts of future projects. It’s what forward thinking cities do.

Floods, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis windstorms even water and drainage issues will happen. Wouldn’t it be wise to have that stream of income baked into the city’s revenue? With our many visitors helping us pay for it. I’m sure even they would agree. Higher property taxes

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Caitlin received her Masters in Science of Nursing from Yale University and worked in the Acute Care and Inpatient Care unit of Yale Health before joining the Rinehart Clinic team. She has special interests in pediatric care, youth development, and rural community health.

Caitlin’s primary focus will be supporting NKN Student Health & Wellness Center (the new school-based health center on-campus at Neah-Kah-Nie High School).

She will also offer care to patients at Rinehart Clinic. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Caitlin at Rinehart Clinic, please call 1-800-368-5182.

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isn’t the solution!

Our visitor’s safety is paramount to our Police, Fire and Beach rescuers. In our busy season that can add up to 80 percent additional cost. Literally running our first responders ragged. Yet their existing facilities are unacceptable. The Prepared Food Tax will provide the additional revenue needed.

Plus give us a municipal infrastructure we can be proud of.

Let’s be very clear. “The visitors will not stop coming to this amazing place”.

Our Cannon Beach Fire and Police deserve better. Their mission is to protect us and all those who visit.

It is clear to me that only a vote that protects us now and into the future is a yes vote!

Vote no on F&B sales tax First off let’s pass a levy and give the fire district what they need. There good for three years. With the brilliant idea of an annual report I can’t imagine the voters in the fire district turning

future levies down. It’s also more fair because then the entire fire district contributes equally instead of just residents and visitors of Cannon Beach. Another feature is that a property tax levy is deductible to most homeowners while the proposed sales tax is only deductible qualified business meals.

Second The Gower Street site for a city hall. I was on the blue ribbon committee to review the city hall proposal from Portland’s SRG Architects. After a thorough analysis by the committee we voted unanimously against the Gower Street site due to previous tsunami inundation. I believe the number was 13 out 17 of the last major earthquakes and tsunamis the Gower Street site was buried in water. Oregon State University experts indicated to me that the city hall shouldn’t be located there and that it was a terrible place for an emergency operating center post tsunami. Three of the city councillors know all this because they were often all there at the meetings in a questionable legal quorum.

What we did recommend

was to put the police station and emergency operating center on the lower part of the Southwind property. It would take utility extensions and a minimal city vehicle access but it does have the advantage of still being there after the tsunami receded.

Third I have lived in this state all my life and in Cannon Beach close to 40 years The citizens of Oregon have voted down sales taxes many times. Much of the reason for that is that Oregon has the fourth highest income tax in the nation. The fire department can solve their problems with a levy. The city council could and should, subject to voters approval, pay for a new city hall with a traditional bond issue. The interest rate should be lower because it’s backed by the full faith and credit of the citizens of Cannon Beach. One last thing, does anyone doubt that if a number of high profile cities start passing sales taxes, that the state will be back to try a state wide sales tax again?? I certainly don’t.

Just vote no.

Jim Litherland Cannon Beach

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October 1, 2021

I’m voting yes on the food tax I am disappointed that City Council failed to pass the Prepared Food Tax and instead referred it to the voters.

Mayor Steidel recently commented: “I do not as yet know how I will personally vote”. Clearly he should be one of the most informed people on this issue.

He provided a plethora of good information, so why is he not taking a position? The Mayor’s opinion matters as he knows what is best for Cannon Beach.

I know it is a thankless job and I respect anyone who puts time and energy into trying to improve our town, but I also understand why so many long time residents are frustrated and have a lack of trust in the leadership of Cannon Beach.

Trust seems to be the biggest obstacle in passing this tax.

What brought us to this point of not dealing with so many important issues? Getting the Council’s approval on every

Opinion/Letters to the Editor

issue seems to be a major road block in getting anything done. Leaders must lead.

I do not want my Property Taxes increased because of the strain day visitors place on our community. Why should local residents pay for the costs that visitors create? We have to tolerate the inconvenience of their presence all year long and we should not have to pay for their impact.

There is too much misinformation floating around about this tax and we need to focus on the facts. It’s either the Prepared Food Tax, increased Property Taxes or a less safe Cannon Beach. How much longer will the already spread thin and badly underfunded Fire Department be able to keep us protected?

I will be voting Yes on the Prepared Food Tax as I believe it is what is best for the overall collective safety of everyone in Cannon Beach.

Aaron Matusick Cannon Beach

Vote yes for our future on food tax

As a 40+ year resident of Cannon Beach and a twoterm Council member, I saw Cannon Beach grow from a sleepy summer-only getaway of 900 residents to a yearround attraction. As Portland, Seattle, Boise, etc have grown, so has the number of visitors to Cannon Beach. The tax base of Cannon Beach has not and will not be able to keep up with the public services and facilities necessary to serve the hundreds of thousands who visit annually. Police, Fire, Safety, Parks, Roads, City Facilities, Infrastructure, etc [The General Fund] combined outstrip the City’s revenue sources. 70% of the General Fund currently comes from the lodging tax - which at 10.5% (City plus County plus State) is in line with competing destinations. One thing that all visitors have in common is they eat. Thousands of the visitors who eat in town do not stay in town. A prepared food tax,

which outside of Oregon is almost everywhere, and even in Oregon is in Ashland and Yachats, is the only viable path to realistically come up with a much needed additional revenue source. Granted, it does put a burden on those required to collect it - the same burden carried by the lodging industry now. I don’t see a better way for Cannon Beach to catch up with and keep needed services and facilities financed. I have heard that some people don’t want this tax because some of it is currently being considered for a direly needed new City Hall/Police Station. Or the location of such. To those I say, look at this as a much longer term revenue source than just what the initial revenue may go toward. Look to the next 40+ years! Don’t kick this can down the road.

George Vetter Bend

VOTE NO ON SALES TAX ON FOOD

CannonBeachGazette.com

Cannon Beach Fire District: • Your funding needs are real. HOWEVER Proposing a Food Tax ONLY to the Food Establishments is UNFAIR. ALL BUSINESSES within the District should be involved.

• Last year COVID closed restaurants for 3 months followed by mandated MONTHS of limited capacity. This summer EVERY Restaurant had HELP WANTED signs, THOSE SIGNS ARE STILL UP! If you do not have employees, you cannot feed the people nor maintain normal business hours. At this writing, Warren House Pub is closed 3 days a week due to staffing shortages. Do you really think the Restaurants can run normally with the staffing shortages we will ALWAYS have?

When Restaurants fail to fulfill the imposed 30 YEAR DEBT, then what?

SOLUTION: PLEASE return back to the voters advocating a RELIABLE Operational Levy that is TAX DEDUCTIBLE to State/ Federal Income Tax. IF A

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Cannon Beach Gazette

CITY TAX IS NECESSARY, TAX EVERY BUSINESS WITHIN THE DISTRICT. THIS IS ONLY FAIR! New Cannon Beach City Hall: • Seventeen Million Dollars for a New City Hall?

YOU MUST BE KIDDING! This NEVER would have been considered in the 60’s. Where are all the old hippies on this?

DO NOT ALLOW THIS! WAKE UP! • City Council needs to follow THEIR own Comprehensive Building Requirements; provide a Plan and RELIABLE FUNDING SOURCE. SOLUTION: City Council needs to dream smaller, return to the drawing board. Develop paid parking locations existing throughout town.

CRITICALLY review City Budget, make cuts.

INCREASE Vacation Rental fees/taxes.

Mary Ann & Jim Oyala Cannon Beach

COVID Vaccine booster shots available locally Booster doses of the Cormirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine are available in Clatsop County to eligible individuals. Federal and state health agencies have authorized booster shots and recommend them for the following populations: • People age 65 and older • People age 50-64 with underlying medical conditions • People living in long-term care facilities Individuals age 18 to 64 with underlying medical conditions or who are at higher risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus due to where they live or work may also get a booster. The Pfizer booster is recommended at least six months

after an individual’s initial vaccination. Currently only people who have received the Pfizer vaccine are eligible for the boosters. Federal regulators are evaluating the Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines for guidance on boosters.

The Clatsop County Public Health Department will begin administering Pfizer booster shots, by appointment, at its Astoria office beginning Oct. 4. Call the Public Information Call Center (503) 325-8500 for more information. Proof of vaccination or vaccine card must be shown at the time you receive the booster.

Pfizer boosters are available

at a number of area clinics and pharmacies. Contact your local clinic or pharmacy or call the Public Information Call Center. Booster Dose vs.

Third Dose “Booster dose” refers to a shot given maintain a vaccinated person’s protection against COVID-19 that might otherwise wane over time. Booster shots are generally recommended six months after an individual’s original vaccination. “Third dose” refers to an additional vaccine shot for people who are immunocompromised and who did not experience a strong immune response to their original vaccination.

Third doses for these individ-

uals may be given 28 days after their primary vaccine series. Third doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available for eligible immunocompromised people.

Contact the Public Information Call Center at (503) 3258500 for more information.

Vaccines are not interchangeable - your booster shot or third shot must be the same vaccine as your original vaccination. Read more here - https://govstatus.egov.com/ or-oha-booster-covid-19-vaccine

COVID death toll for Clatsop County hits 27

Clatsop County Public Health has been informed of the COVID-related death of a county resident. The individual is a 73-year-old male who died Sept. 12 at a local hospital. He was not vaccinated against COVID-19. Clatsop County has recorded a total of 27 COVID-related deaths during the pandemic through Sept. 28.

Cannon Beach Gazette

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October 1, 2021

CannonBeachGazette.com

Classifieds

Please reserve your Classified ad by Noon Tuesday, before each edition. Contact Katherine at 503-842-7535, headlightads@countrymedia.net.

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If interested please call Roby Lane at 503-457-8257 or show up in person at Northwest Hardwoods 202 South 7th St. Garibaldi.

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Full-time & Part-time Starting wage $15 + tips Free shift meal Apply in person: Crepe Neptune “Creperie” 175 E. 2nd St., Cannon Beach Apply Online: https://crepeneptune.com/employment

Banish the Rainy Day Blues Warm yourself and your loved ones in a Hot Tub.

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If you rent for a month in October we’ll give you a second month for half price.

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ABOUT US

CANNON BEACH GAZETTE

The Cannon Beach Gazette is published biweekly by Country Media, Inc. Carol Hungerford Publisher carol@countrymedia.net

1906 Second Street, P.O. Box 444, Tillamook OR 97141 PHONE 503-842-7535 • FAX 503-842-8842 cannonbeachgazette.com Joe Warren General Manager

jwarren@countrymedia.net

LETTER POLICY The Cannon Beach Gazette welcomes letters that express readers’ opinions on current topics. Letters may be submitted by email only, no longer than 300 words, and must be signed and include the writer’s full name, address (including city) and telephone number for verification of the writer’s identity. We will print the writer’s name and town of residence only. Letters without the requisite identifying information will not be published. Letters are published in the order received and may be edited for length, grammar,

Member Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association (ONPA) © 2020 by the Cannon Beach Gazette.

No portion of this newspaper may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

Hilary Dorsey Reporter headlightreporter@countrymedia.net

Katherine Mace Sales headlightads@countrymedia.net

spelling, punctuation or clarity. We do not publish group emails, open letters, form letters, third-party letters, letters attacking private individuals or businesses, or letters containing advertising.

Deadline for letters is noon Thursdays.

The date of publication will depend on space.

Email letters to jwarren@countrymedia.net

The Cannon Beach Gazette is part of the Country Media family of newspapers.

OBITUARIES The Cannon Beach Gazette has several options for submitting obituaries.

• Basic Obituary: Includes the person’s name, age, town of residency, and information about any funeral services. No cost.

• Custom Obituary: You choose the length and wording of the announcement. The cost is $75 for the first 200 words, $50 for each additional 200 words. Includes a small photo at no additional cost.

• Premium Obituary: Often used by families who wish to include multiple photos with a longer announcement, or who wish to run a thank-you. Cost varies based on the length of the announcement.

All obituary announcements are placed on the Cannon Beach Gazette website at no cost.

Email obituaries to classifieds@orcoastnews.com

6

October 1, 2021

COVID-19 testing program expands Clatsop County Public Health announces that it is expanding its COVID-19 drivethru testing program thanks to the availability of more testing supplies.

Public Health, in partnership with Columbia Memorial Hospital and Providence Seaside Hospital, last month began offering regular testing at Camp Rilea in Warrenton. Testing is available by appointment Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

With adequate supplies from the state now available,

the program will be able to offer testing for individuals who have quarantined at home after close contact with a COVID-positive case. These people will be able to schedule a test after seven days of quarantine. If they test negative, they will be cleared to resume normal activities, including school and work.

Up until now, the program has mostly been limited to testing people with COVID-19 symptoms.

“With our expanded testing capability, and the seven-

day testing window, we are working to make it easier for individuals to return to school, work and other activities outside the home,” Public Health Director Margo Lalich said.

“For this to work, we need everyone, including parents and employers, to continue following the standard guidelines on quarantine after contact.”

Clearance to return to school or work requires a negative result from an approved COVID-19 test. At-home tests do not meet this requirement.

The public is also urged not

n Districts

voices are heard proportionately in the federal legislature,” Morrison said. “It also gives Oregon an additional vote in the electoral college, which will increase Oregon’s influence in presidential elections. As our population has grown Oregon can expect to see a greater portion of federal dollars to support our students,

our infrastructure and human services.”

Continued from Page 2 Taylor said Oregon will benefit from the redistricting.

“The benefits for Oregon include greater representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, so Oregonians’

Joining the team at

View the maps • https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/redistricting/ • Explanatory summary: https://olis.oregonlegislature. gov/liz/2021S1/Downloads/ FloorLetter/3317

Rinehart Clinic

Dr. Monte Gores

Doctor of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Rinehart Clinic welcomes Dr. Monte Gores, our new Acupuncturist.

Dr. Gores brings a wealth of experience and knowledge about acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, pathology, physiology, and nutrition. He received his Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Emperors College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Santa Monica, California.

Rinehart Clinic is excited to offer acupuncture services to the North Oregon Coast once again! If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Gores, please call the clinic at 1-800-368-5182 and our staff will be happy to assist you.

The mission of the Rinehart Clinic is delivering compassionate team-based health care and wellness education to improve the lives of ALL in our community.

230 Rowe Street Wheeler, Oregon 97147

1-800-368-5182 rinehartclinic.org Monte.indd 1

8/31/2021 12:47:50 PM

to seek testing at hospital emergency rooms or urgent care clinics.

The Public Health testing service cannot accommodate all requests. For example, individuals seeking tests in order to attend sports or entertainment events are not eligible for the county program. Inappropriate requests may limit testing resources for supporting employers, employees, students and their families.

Testing results are normally provided the same day as the test.

For more information and to schedule an appointment, call the Public Information Call Center at (503) 3258500.

n Events Continued from Page 1 to 7 p.m. at Haystack Gardens, 148 E. Gower. The Cormirnaty (Pfizer) and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are offered.

Upcoming clinics are set for: • Wednesday, Sept. 29 • Wednesday, Oct. 20 • Wednesday, Nov. 10 • Wednesday, Dec. 1 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY

n Ocean Continued from Page 1 Northern California fishery.

The Southern California fishery was not impacted.”

Carr said the people who fish for urchins had minimal impact as well because they were able to find other work.

However, the processors did struggle.

Carr said going back and looking at a past event will help scientists prepare for a future one.

“If we have another heat wave, you could ask what’s

CannonBeachGazette.com

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Cannon Beach Gazette

Police requesting assistance:

Late night shooting damages downtown theater in Seaside Seaside Police responded at 10:06 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 23, to the downtown area after officers heard what sounded like multiple gunshots being fired. At the same time, there were calls from the public reporting shots fired in the area of Avenue A and S. Columbia Street.

According to police, an upper-level window at the Times Theater & Public House, located at 130 Broadway, was damaged from the gunfire. The

theater was occupied at the time, however no one was injured during the incident.

The Seaside Police Department is requesting assistance to help identify a suspect in this case. If you have any information concerning the incident, including surveillance video of the surrounding area from a business or residence, please contact Sgt. Josh Gregory with the Seaside Police Department at (503) 738-6311.

Members of the public have asked questions about monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies.

Monoclonal antibody therapies are a new, promising tool available in the fight against the COVID-19 virus.

They have been found to be effective as both a treatment for COVID-positive individuals as well as a prophylaxis (preventative) for people exposed to the virus.

However, mAb supplies are very limited, and eligibility is currently restricted to individuals at higher risk due to infection. The federal

government is distributing the therapies through state health agencies, and the Oregon Health Authority is allocating the state’s share to providers based on criteria that include local COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates. As of Friday, Sept. 24, mAb therapies are not available from any provider in Clatsop County.

Clatsop County Public Health is working with its health care partners to develop plans to make the mAb therapies available locally in an easy, prompt and equitable way.

going that going to do to the Port Orford fishery,” Carr said. “You could adjust this to get some answers. It requires local experience. It requires the knowledge of people in that system.”

Another question that can be answered is how long the impact will last. And it could be longer than expected.

“To this day, we’re only now starting to see more of the kelp recover,” Carr said.

“The prognosis of Northern California is pretty bleak.

You need to change the urchin population in order for the kelp to recover.”

There is good news and bad news when looking at the

2014-16 heat wave.

“How often are we going to see the event,” Carr asked.

“That will be a big key as to recovery. If we start seeing more heat waves that could shift the system.”

Phillip Johnson, the executive director of Oregon Shores, said Carr’s presentation is one of a series of events Oregon Shores is doing in 2021 as part of a celebration of its 50th anniversary.

“We potentially address any conservation issue along the Oregon coast,” Johnson said. “Anything that does threaten the Oregon coast, we do care about deeply.”