His run for mayor of Portland has melted down, but community organizer Jeffer-Slam Smith still has his tangled web of "Bus Project" organizations to fall back on. And they've still got some dough to spend. Here are some interesting entries in the financial books of the Bus PAC. It picked up several nice donations since midsummer from local unions: $25,000 from Oregon AFSCME Council 75; $10,000 from the Oregon Education Association; and $5,000 from the Oregon Nurses Association. As usual, the PAC funnels thousands of dollars to the related New Progressive Network, a tax-exempt section 501(c)(4) organization that operates under the assumed business names Bus Project and Oregon Bus Project.

There's also a related nonprofit organization that classifies itself as a section 501(c)(3) entity -- a tax-exempt charity for federal income tax purposes. Its real name is Oregon Progress Forum, and it operates under the assumed business name Bus Project Foundation. They're all run out of the same office, which also happens to be Smith's campaign office and his legislative office. But they all keep meticulous records so that there are no violations of any laws. Especially Smith -- a real detail guy. Uh huh.