Karon Johnson 4 Bend

In 2020, the Oregon Legislature decided that Oregon cities and counties were not adequately addressing the critical need for homeless shelters.

House Bill 4001, Section 3(1) established a “super siting” law that required local governments to approve the placement of an emergency homeless shelter on any property “notwithstanding … local land use regulation … zoning ordinance … or comprehensive plan …” if the shelter met certain criteria. In short, it took away local governments’ discretion in the placement of homeless shelters. Section 3 was revoked on July 1, 2021.

The “super siting” mandate was reinstated in HB 2006 and again in HB 4501; it will be revoked on July 1, 2023. It is important to understand that the Legislature did not direct local governments to amend their own zoning codes regarding homeless shelters. Rather, it suspended its codes altogether to allow emergency homeless shelters in any zone.

Bend’s new shelter code permits low-barrier shelters in all residential zones. (Bend Development Code 3.6.600.A.) This provision was entirely the decision of the city council: it was not required by Oregon law.

The Legislature’s takeover of local governments' land use laws may eventually end, but Bend’s code will remain on the books unless and until it is revoked. The time to revoke it is now.

Karon has the solutions to tackle these issues facing our community. Vote Karon Johnson for Bend City Council, Position 4, this November!

Get some more information about Karon and how she's the best candidate for Bend City Council Position 4!

The Source Weekly recently interviewed Karon and the other candidates running for Bend City Council Position 4 and dug deeper into Karon's strong positions and solutions for some of Bend's biggest issues.

Watch the full interview at the link below:

▶ WATCH: Bend City Council Pos 4 - Karon Johnson, Erlin Taylor & Barb Campbell The Source editorial board interviews the candidates vying for Bend City Council pos 4

Karon was endorsed by the Bend Bulletin!

Editorial: Johnson, Méndez and Riley for Bend City Council This election will create significant turnover on the Bend City Council. Of the seven positions including mayor, four of those seats are up for election.

The best indicator of economic equity and justice is trees: the wealthier neighborhoods of every US city have streets lined with shade trees; the more impoverished regions are instead lined with concrete and asphalt.

On July 14, 2021, Climate Central published a report which analyzed 159 cities for the intensity of urban heat islands within their city limits. Bend was rated 14th.

Karon is passionate about our beautiful Central Oregon Landscape and will work hard to make sure it is preserved and protected so it can be enjoyed for generations to come.

It's time to examine whether whole-house short-term rentals (STRs) negatively affect our inventory of affordable and workforce homes.

The council’s new housing code was supposed to encourage more duplexes, triplexes, and quads. Instead, it allows one STR in every multi-unit building. How does that help our housing shortage?

If elected, Karon will introduce legislation to delete this provision and hire an expert to assess whether STRs really impact our lack of affordable housing.

The health and safety of Bend’s residents is the fundamental duty of the city government.

The city council has disregarded the welfare of its residents by allowing low-barrier shelters (shelters with virtually no admission criteria) in residential zones.

This needs to be changed.

Karon will introduce legislation to revoke this section of the code as there is no evidence that sitting low-barrier shelters in residential neighborhoods solve any aspect of Bend’s homeless problem.