Clackistani lawsuit thrown out on procedural grounds
Is Clackamas County selling bonds for the Tri-Met light rail system illegally? It appears we may never know. The lawsuit challenging the legality of the highly irregular mechanism that the county has used to authorize the bonds was thrown out this afternoon, on procedural grounds. The bonds are scheduled to be sold on Thursday, with a closing on the 13th. Then the county will fork the $20 million over to Tri-Met, just days or even hours before a voter initiative prohibiting the payment seems highly likely to pass. The votes on that ballot measure will be counted the night of the 18th.
Another lawsuit was filed today, but now the rebels are throwing Hail Marys. They are right as a policy matter, and right as a legal matter, but apparently there's nowhere for them to go to get justice. Ain't that Portland. How the county politicians, bureaucrats, and lawyers can look themselves in the mirror these days is beyond us.
Comments (10)
I had little doubt about the outcome of this suit once in front of the court. No local presiding judge in his right mind would want to get into the middle of this. Best move...look for any procedural way out without ruling on the merit.
Why not make a federal case of it? Filing for TROs in local courts may be cheaper, but why not ask a district court judge for a preliminary injunction? All the elements are there: irreparable harm, money damages inadequate, liklihood of a win on the merits, balance of harms from a delay is in the public interest. You might need to hunt for an argument to support standing but it already sounds like the plaintiff is willing to hang his hat on due process claims so there you go.
There's been no transcript available yet but observers said the judge bought the county pitch that the writ was seeking to stop an action vs compelling an action to occur as a writ of mandamus should be. Apparently there was enough wiggle room to find a distinction that made it appear the other way.
Yet the request was for the county to follow the law and provide the 60 period for revenue bond challenge.
Other Community Service: Portland Planning Commission (1992-96) (Vice-president 1994-96); Outreach Ministry in Burnside Board of Directors (1997-99) (Advisory Board: 1999-present); Environmental Zone Rewrite Committee (1993-95); Portland Growth Management Committee (1992-97); ORS Chapter 279 (Public Contracting) Rewrite Committee 2002; Little League Coach (1987, 1988, 1999); St. Maryís Home for Boys Volunteer (1987-90); Foster parent (1990).
Louis Jadot, Pouilly-Fuissé 2011
Trader Joe's, Grower's Reserve Pinot Noir 2012
Zenato, Lugana San Benedetto 2012
Vintjs, Cabernet 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White 2012
Rainstorm, Oregon Pinot Gris 2012
Silver Palm, North Coast Cabernet 2011
Andrew Rich, Gewurtztraminer 2008
Rodney Strong, Charlotte's Home Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Canoe Ridge, Pinot Gris, Expedition 2012
Edmunds St. John, Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir Rose 2012
Dark Horse, Big Red Blend No. 01A
Elk Cove, Pinot Noir Rose 2012
Fletcher, Shiraz 2010
Picollo, Gavi 2011
Domaine Eugene Carrel, Jongieux 2012
Eyrie, Pinot Blanc 2010
Atticus, Pinot Noir 2010
Walter Scott, Pinot Noir, Holstein 2011
Shingleback, Cabernet, Davey Estate 2010
Coppola, Sofia Rose 2012
Joel Gott, 851 Cabernet 2010
Pol Roget Reserve Sparkling Wine
Mount Eden Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains 2009
Rombauer Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2011
Beringer, Chardonnay, Napa Reserve 2011
Kim Crawford, Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Schloss Vollrads, Spaetlese Rheingau 2010
Belle Glos, Pinot Noir, Clark & Telephone 2010
WillaKenzie, Pinot Noir, Estate Cuvee 2010
Blackbird Vineyards, Arise, Red 2010
Chauteau de Beaucastel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2005
Northstar, Merlot 2008
Feather, Cabernet 2007
Silver Oak, Cabernet, Alexander Valley 2002
Silver Oak, Cabernet, Napa Valley 2002
Trader Joe's, Chardonnay, Grower's Reserve 2012
Silver Palm, Cabernet, North Coast 2010
Shingleback, Cabernet, Davey Estate 2010
E. Guigal, Cotes du Rhone 2009
Santa Margherita, Pinot Grigio 2011
Alamos, Cabernet 2011
Cousino Macul, Cabernet, Anitguas Reservas 2009
Dreaming Tree Cabernet 2010
1967, Toscana 2009
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
The Occasional Book
Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Cheryl Strayed - Tiny Beautiful Things
Sara Varon - Bake Sale
Stephen King - 11/22/63
Paul Goldstein - Errors and Omissions
Mark Twain - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Steve Martin - Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
Beverly Cleary - A Girl from Yamhill, a Memoir
Kent Haruf - Plainsong
Hope Larson - A Wrinkle in Time, the Graphic Novel
Rudyard Kipling - Kim
Peter Ames Carlin - Bruce
Fran Cannon Slayton - When the Whistle Blows
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 226
At this date last year: 118
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (10)
I had little doubt about the outcome of this suit once in front of the court. No local presiding judge in his right mind would want to get into the middle of this. Best move...look for any procedural way out without ruling on the merit.
Posted by gibby | September 4, 2012 5:52 PM
And politicians wonder why citizens think it's "US against THEM" ?
Turns out, they are right.
Posted by ltjd | September 4, 2012 5:58 PM
Channelling Leona Helsmley:
Only the Little People follow the laws in Oregon.
Posted by Mister Tee | September 4, 2012 6:43 PM
Why not make a federal case of it? Filing for TROs in local courts may be cheaper, but why not ask a district court judge for a preliminary injunction? All the elements are there: irreparable harm, money damages inadequate, liklihood of a win on the merits, balance of harms from a delay is in the public interest. You might need to hunt for an argument to support standing but it already sounds like the plaintiff is willing to hang his hat on due process claims so there you go.
Posted by steve | September 4, 2012 6:53 PM
RICO baby.. RICO
Posted by tankfixer | September 4, 2012 7:58 PM
OMG- it really is hard for me to grasp this happening-what the F?
Posted by K.W. | September 4, 2012 8:47 PM
Subverting the outcome of an upcoming election should invite Federal attention.
What about the people's voting rights? Where's the ever loving SPLC when you really need them? Oh, wrong victim.
Posted by Downtown Denizen | September 4, 2012 8:50 PM
and right as a legal matter
I'm no lawyer and haven't found the ruling online. How was Van Dyke incorrect about Haggenmiller's basis and wrong to throw out her case?
Posted by Aaron | September 4, 2012 10:53 PM
There's been no transcript available yet but observers said the judge bought the county pitch that the writ was seeking to stop an action vs compelling an action to occur as a writ of mandamus should be. Apparently there was enough wiggle room to find a distinction that made it appear the other way.
Yet the request was for the county to follow the law and provide the 60 period for revenue bond challenge.
Posted by rail vote 3-401 | September 5, 2012 7:42 AM
Van Dyk's blurb on the state bar
Other Community Service:
Portland Planning Commission (1992-96) (Vice-president 1994-96); Outreach Ministry in Burnside Board of Directors (1997-99) (Advisory Board: 1999-present); Environmental Zone Rewrite Committee (1993-95); Portland Growth Management Committee (1992-97); ORS Chapter 279 (Public Contracting) Rewrite Committee 2002; Little League Coach (1987, 1988, 1999); St. Maryís Home for Boys Volunteer (1987-90); Foster parent (1990).
Posted by Andrew | September 5, 2012 9:13 AM