PAMPLIN LATE IN PENSION FILINGS TO FEDS: Signs of trouble continue at the R.B. Pamplin Corp. and Subsidiaries Pension Plan. The best source of information about the Pamplin pension is the federal filings the fund must make annually, but a key part of those filings, due Oct. 15, 2023, remains missing: the fund’s audited financials. As WW has previously reported, Robert Pamplin Jr.—CEO of the family-owned empire that includes 24 Oregon newspapers, Ross Island Sand & Gravel, and the Mount Vernon Mills textile chain based in South Carolina—has engaged in dozens of highly unusual real estate transactions, in most cases selling unused industrial real estate from Pamplin operating companies at questionable values to the pension fund. Those transactions, totaling more than $60 million, have come during a period when tax liens and lawsuits seeking payment from Pamplin operating companies have raised questions about the financial condition of the companies. Robert Pamplin, once listed on the Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, has acted as both the trustee for the pension fund and the CEO of the operating companies. That’s unusual, experts say, because the interests of the two entities may differ. A U.S. Department of Labor spokesman says the agency’s chief accountant “has the authority and responsibility to enforce filing requirements” for the missing financials. Pamplin officials did not respond to a request for comment.
SEVEN CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES QUALIFY FOR TAXPAYER MATCHING FUNDS: Seven candidates vying for spots on the 12-member Portland City Council have qualified for $40,000 each in matching taxpayer funds from the city’s Small Donor Elections program, which matches small contributions by as much as 9 to 1. Candidates who have unlocked the $40,000 include Hunger Free Oregon policy advocate Angelita Morillo (who commands a sizable TikTok following), Oregon Recovers board member and policy director Jesse Cornett, and former legislative chief of staff Robin Ye in District 3; chess club founder Chad Lykins in District 2; and transportation advocate Steph Routh, Verde executive director Candace Avalos, and former City Hall staffer and transportation planner Timur Ender in District 1. (It’s worth noting that all seven candidates identify as progressives and are less likely to benefit from independent expenditures by business groups.) Candidates must receive small contributions from 250 donors to unlock the first tier of matching funds, which is $40,000. To unlock the second tier of $80,000, candidates must reach 750 donors. To reach the third tier of $120,000, candidates must reach 1,250 donors.
INMATES ALLEGE JAIL DEPUTIES DID FAVORS FOR GYPSY JOKERS: The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office investigated allegations in 2020 that at least four corrections deputies did favors for members of the Gypsy Joker Outlaw Motorcycle Club while they were being held at the downtown jail, according to a report newly obtained by WW. The allegation might sound familiar. Two years later, Oregon State Police investigated similar allegations after members of another gang, the Hoover Criminals, brought their claims to the FBI. The investigative findings were the subject of a WW cover story earlier this month (“What Happened in Hoover Jail,” March 6). Records newly released to WW in response to a public records request include two new findings: first, that inmates alleged collusion with not one but two criminal street gangs; and second, that the claims had been brought to officials years earlier than previously disclosed. Members of the Gypsy Jokers, a notorious California biker gang that until recently operated six clubhouses in the Pacific Northwest, were locked up in Portland’s downtown jail for years as they awaited trial on federal murder and racketeering charges. Two inmates, unnamed in the report, accused four guards of doing favors for Gypsy Joker gang members in 2018, such as allowing them to make unrecorded telephone calls and, despite a no-contact order, to pass notes between cells in order to get their stories straight at trial. Then-Sheriff Mike Reese, now director of state prisons, was not immediately available for comment.
STATE BAR TO ADD PARALEGALS: On March 29, the Oregon State Bar will make history—in an attempt to alleviate the large percentage of people going to court without legal representation. The historic event is the licensure of 10 paralegals to perform some legal services. The 10, nine of whom currently work for the law firm of Stahancyk, Kent & Hook, may represent clients in family law and eviction cases, performing many of the services that lawyers now provide. The problem they might address: 84% of clients in family law and eviction cases go to court without a lawyer. Since 2017, the bar has worked toward expanding its membership to alleviate the shortage, over the objections of many of its members, who argued paralegals should not be granted rights reserved for lawyers. “This culminates a year of work and study, opens up an entirely new profession for Oregonians, and will give us one more tool in the box to address the access to justice gap statewide,” says Oregon State Bar spokeswoman Kateri Walsh. “It is historic indeed.”
SEE SEE MOTOR COFFEE MAY GO GO: Last month, WW reported that See See Motor Coffee, the eclectic motorcycle-themed coffee shop that sold gear as well as caffeine from its flagship store on lower Sandy Boulevard, faced eviction. See See is part of the Sortis Holdings stable of food, beverage and hospitality companies, some of which have faced financial troubles (“All Sizzle,” WW, Dec. 24, 2023). At the time, See See founder Thor Drake told WW he hoped to have the matter resolved soon. But now the owner of the See See building at 1642 NE Sandy Blvd., George Kassapakis, has put it up for sale. “Property is in its final month of lease and will be delivered vacant as of May 1,” the listing says. “Current tenant is vacating.” Drake says he hopes to find a way to stay put. “I’m currently reacquiring the business,” Drake says. “And we’re raising capital to keep the business there (Northeast Sandy location). We’re considering all options, but that’s our first preference.”