Public comment: Support Lane County residents targeted by Trump campaign rhetoric

Presenter: In response to campaign promises made by President-elect Trump, Lane County commissioners are asked to make a statement on immigration, reproductive health care, and gender-affirming care. During public comment Nov. 12:

Anna Lardner: My name is Anna Lardner. My pronouns are she/her. Thank you, commissioners, for the opportunity to speak today and for giving us this voice for public comment. I have been a Lane County resident since 2017. I was a former county employee, a parole officer in the domestic violence unit. I left to pursue a career in dancing, which is really my passion.

[00:00:33] But I’m here today because the values that we protected in Lane County are currently under potential siege from an incoming administration in Washington that is likely going to go after the very values and core beliefs that we hold so dear.

[00:00:47] Oregon has laws which codify a number of these rights, specifically, three I’m going to talk about today are immigration, as well as reproductive health care, and gender-affirming care.

[00:00:58] Our state has been a sanctuary state since 1987. It was actually the first in the nation to become a sanctuary state by law. Since then we have passed a number of other measures which have added to ORS and bolstered our commitment to undocumented immigrants in the state.

[00:01:14] In addition to that, reproductive health care has been a pillar of our community for just about as long. As recently as 2023, the Oregon legislature passed House Bill 2002, which guaranteed reproductive rights for all Oregonians as well as the right to gender-affirming care for all Oregonians, stating that any insurance provider who provided coverage in our state must cover all medically necessary gender-affirming care. These measures, among others, have made Oregon a haven for marginalized and vulnerable people, and that is central to both our state’s values as well as the values of our county.

[00:01:54] Unfortunately, the incoming administration in Washington, which has recently gained a trifecta—control of the legislative, executive, and judicial branch—is likely going to try and jeopardize that. They plan aggressive and intrusive immigration raids across the country, as well as definitely in our state.

[00:02:12] Incoming President Trump has publicly stated that he will work with Congress to pass a law that defines that there are only two genders in this country, and that they are both defined at birth. In addition to this, he has vowed to ban gender-affirming care for minors, and his federal administrative changes to the FDA and other agencies are likely going to affect abortion and abortion and reproductive health care access for all.

[00:02:34] States like California and Washington have already declared public commitment to protecting these rights. I hope that Gov. Kotek and the legislature does the same too.

[00:02:45] Here in Lane County, though, the commissioners can take a stand by making such a similar statement that we will protect our vulnerable Oregonians, that we will make sure that we safeguard the rights of our community and our people against those from Washington (D.C.) who might come and try to take those rights; that we will not accept money from federal immigration authorities, that we will protect the reproductive health care, gender-affirming care, and other rights that we hold so dear. Thank you so much for your time and I really hope to hear about that statement soon. Thank you all.

[00:03:17] Commissioner Heather Buch: Anna, thank you for speaking. I couldn’t agree more. It would be really great if we would want to consider some kind of statement that you suggested, but I don’t like to make statements if they don’t include action items. And so that might take a little bit of time to determine what action items we can do to protect our most vulnerable and those that are feeling a lot of feelings right now in our community and we know that as a board we have the opportunity to protect our most vulnerable and we have every obligation to do so.

[00:03:57] Also, we continue to hear antisemitic remarks at our dias, and yes, everybody has the opportunity to speak for the three minutes, whatever they may want to say, that is their free speech rights, and I’m happy to grant that.

[00:04:16] But so do we, and we are models to the community, and even though we can support people’s free speech rights, it’s also very important that we stand up for those that are being attacked and make plain that we don’t agree with those statements and it would be apropos of us to maybe revisit some of those statements that we’ve made in the past and as a board make it clear to the public where we stand. And so maybe I might bring that up a little later as an assignment for us if the board majority would agree.

[00:05:01] Commissioner Pat Farr: Anna—I wanted a transcript of what you said. You spoke without notes, so you probably don’t have it written down anyplace, but the words you said were powerful. Everybody should hear it, and some of those words are going to come out of my mouth. You were brave to stand up here. You said the words that many of us are thinking, and words that are going to be challenged pretty severely, I do believe, for many of us and many of our families in the not-too-distant future. Thank you for being here this morning. You really have spoken to me personally. Thank you.

[00:05:28] Commissioner David Loveall: I think that I can speak for my colleagues to know that Lane County residents and constituents can be assured that we all are going to work for the good of the county. Some issues we may divide on and may not agree on, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not united in the things that are truly important. And that’s protecting vulnerable, that’s housing, that’s public safety. Those are the things we all agree on. So rest assured we are all on the same page on a very large page. So I want to make sure that you know that and we’re working for you and that’s our job. Thank you again.

[00:06:00] Commissioner Laurie Trieger: I’m just going to remind all of us that this board and past boards, cumulative, you go to our website, in the search bar you put in ‘equity related board orders and resolutions.’

[00:06:10] We have passed orders and resolutions acknowledging Indigenous Peoples Day and stating Lane County’s commitment to Intergovernmental Tribal Relations work. We’ve passed an order acknowledging Pride Month to further support our vision where Lane County is the best county in which all can live, work, and play.

[00:06:25] We’ve passed an order establishing a board response to incidents of hate, bias, or violence and providing the board chair with approval authority; a resolution in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and Lane County’s commitment to putting in the work to achieve racial equity; a resolution in the matter of acknowledging the destruction of Lane County’s first Black neighborhood and resolving to honor the history of the Ferry Street Village;

[00:06:48] A resolution denouncing white nationalism in Lane County; a resolution in the matter of endorsing recommendations related to the advancement of health equity in Lane County; a resolution reaffirming Lane County’s values of integrity, respect, openness, accountability, public engagement, the pursuit of excellence, diversity, stewardship and empathy; and a resolution declaring racism a threat to public health and a public health crisis.

[00:07:16] However, we are in a very different time than when any one of these board orders was crafted or passed. Not all of these were passed with a unanimous vote. And as Commissioner Buch very importantly pointed out, the action items that go with these resolutions is the critical piece that we have to start focusing on and committing ourselves and discussing. How do we manifest these resolutions, these values, that we as an organization hold and that our community deserves?

[00:07:49] And so with Commissioner Buch and hopefully the rest of my colleagues and our administrator, I think we should all be focusing on thinking about what are the actions that we take.

[00:07:59] And just a reminder: Every board item that comes before us, the staff prepares an agenda summary for us, and they talk about if there are health implications. And as I just read out, we have acknowledged that racism, for example, is a public health issue. So when we look through our equity lens, which is also a piece on all of our agenda items, I think we have to really work a little harder to understand the implications of what it means to do our work through an equity lens forever and always, but especially now. Thank you.

[00:08:32] Presenter: With vulnerable populations concerned about the incoming Trump administration, Lane County commissioners look for ways to promote the values affirmed in past county orders and resolutions.