They had lemons and they made lemonade. Lemonade that included exemptions in the law for companies like Mattel. Luckily, we may finally be near the end of this saga.

Last month the president signed into law HR 2715–the CPSIA reform law. HR 2715 doesn’t solve all the problems with the CPSIA but it does offer the potential to significantly reduce or even eliminate the undue regulatory burden and expense that is threatening to push many small businesses to the brink. The Handmade Toy Alliance has been the key grassroots organization representing the interests of independent manufacturers, makers, and retailers like Milagros. They deserve a lot of credit for getting us to this potential point of resolution.

There is one more (we hope its the last one) key federal hearing on this law in front of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on October 26. The CPSC would like representatives from the Handmade Toy Alliance there to, once again, outline how to best ensure toy and clothing safety without penalizing the small batch toy makers, sewers and designers who were never part of the toxic toy issue in the first place.

The HTA board members are small business people like us. Sending them to DC once again is no easy feat. It pulls them away from their businesses during the holiday season and travel isn’t free.  But if you value choice in the marketplace, if you like being able to buy  items that aren’t produced in black box facilities overseas, if you think toys and clothing that are handcrafted should have a place in our economy, we kindly request that you join us in supporting the Handmade Toy Alliance help them get to DC for this critical hearing.

Go here and click on “Donate to the HTA” to make a contribution today.

Thank you for your consideration and support!

Peace,

The Fuentes Family

Milagros Boutique

Photo: A few of the lovely handmade rattles available at Milagros

Although scientific research continues to show that BPA is harmful to humans and BPA has been banned in baby bottles by Canada, the European Union, and nine other states, the attempt to ban BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups in Oregon that passed in the Oregon Senate (SB695) but has stalled in the House.

The bill has been bottled up via procedure in the House and Rep. Ben Cannon has been working overtime to get the House to have a floor vote on the BPA ban.  Seems pretty simple, don’t like it? Vote it down. Like it? Vote for it.

Right now the bill remains stuck in committee. What can you do right now to get it to a vote?

“Make it loud and clear to everyone you know that we won’t shrug our shoulders and let our attention to BPA fade away. Ask your State Representative if they have done everything they can. And stay tuned here for the latest strategy as it emerges.”

(Click to enlarge)

Source: eLocal.com

Since the day we opened our doors, we have been a staunch promoter of our local craft industry. We have been working side by side with countless local crafters trying to improve the CPSIA so that it does not put these small enterprises out of business. Your action to help save these small business is needed now more than ever.

How can you help?

A CPSIA amendment is currently in mark up in the Committee of Energy and Commerce in the House of Representatives.  This amendment should be presented for a vote in this committee soon but surprisingly, despite all the rhetoric about supporting Main Street, not a single Democrat has voiced support.  If this does not change, thousands of small businesses stand to be sacrificed at the alter of partisan politics.

We NEED your help!  We need bipartisan support for this legislation to have any hope of it progressing through both houses of Congress. If your Congressman is on this list below, please call them NOW! Ask them to support the CPSIA  amendment known as the ECADA.  Learn more about the amendment.

• Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI 2nd) (202) 225-2906 - Legislative Director: Ken Reidy ken.reidy@mail.house.gov
• Rep. John Barrow (D-GA 12th) (202) 225-2823 - Legislative Director: Hill Thomas hill.thomas@mail.house.gov
• Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC 1st) (202) 225-3101 - Commerce LA: Saul Hernandez saul.hernandez@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA 23rd) (202) 225-3601 - Legislative Director: Jonathan Levenshus jonathan.levenshus@mail.house.gov
• Del. Donna M.C. Christensen (D-VI-At Large) (202) 225-1790 - Commerce LA: Angeline Muckle-Jabbar angeline.muckle-jabbar@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO 1st) (202) 225-4431 - Legislative Director: Brendan Devine brendan.devine@mail.house.gov
• Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI 15th) (202) 225-4071 - Commerce LA: Andrew Woelfling andrew.woelfling@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA 14th) (202) 225-2135 - Chief of Staff: David Lucas David.Lucas@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-NY 17th) (202) 225-2464 - Commerce LA: Travis Osen-Foss travis.osen-foss@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA 14th) (202) 225-8104 - Legislative Director: Casey Fromson casey.fromson@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-TX 20th) (202) 225-3236 - Legislative Director: Brenda Muniz brenda.muniz@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Gene Green (D-TX 29th)  (202) 225-1688 - Legislative Director: Abigail Pinkele Abigail.Pinkele@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA 1st) (202) 225-6311 - Legislative Director: Beth Osborne beth.osborne@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA 7th) (202) 225-2836  - Commerce LA: Ilya Fischhoff ilya.fischhoff@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT 2nd) (202) 225-3011 - Commerce LA/LD: Shana Beavin shana.beavin@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA 5th) (202) 225-7163 - Commerce LA/LD: Kyle Victor kyle.victor@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Frank Pallone Jr.(D-NJ 6th) (202) 225-4671 - Commerce LA: Tuley Wright tuley.wright@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR 4th) (202) 225-3772 - Commerce LA: Kate Callanan kate.callanan@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL 1st) (202) 225-4372 - Commerce LA: Tim Robinson timothy.robinson@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL 9th) (202) 225-2111 - Commerce LA: Megan Michaud megan.shannon-winterson@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY 10th) (202) 225-5936 - Commerce LA: Lars Hydle lars.hydle@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA 30th) (202) 225-3976 - Commerce LA/LD: Zahava Goldman Zahava.Goldman@mail.house.gov
• Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY 9th) (202) 225-6616 - Commerce LA/LD: Yuri Beckelman yuri.beckelman@mail.house.gov

Please share this post with your friends and family, post to your facebook page, tweet it, etc.  If you value hand crafted goods, we need your help on this today!

Thank you!

Want to learn more about the CPSIA? Check out this interview with Dan Marshall of the Handmade Toy Alliance on LaunchPad Radio.

Although we encourage you to support Voter Owned Elections (like Willamette Week does!), we will be missing this shindig (we’ll be at the La Leche League Conference in Seattle!):

Please join:

Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Barbara Dudley, Representative Ben Cannon, Brian Rohter, Carol Cushman, Chris Smith, Cynthia Guyer, Dan Petegorsky, Daniel Capiua, Dave Rosenfeld, David Delk, Deb Ross, Debbie Aiona, Senator Diane Rosenbaum, Don Francis, Gretchen Kafoury, Henry Kraemer, Jake Oken-Berg, Janice Thompson Jill Fuglister, Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen, Jeff Malachowsky, Representative Jefferson Smith, Senator Jackie Dingfelder, Joe Baessler, Jon Bartholomew, Joseph Santos-Lyons, Representative Lew Frederick, Kayse Jama, KC Hansen, Kelley Weigel, Linda Nettekoven, Madelyn Elder, Marcus Mundy, Margaret Butler, Marshall Runkel, Natalie Patrick-Cox, Senator Chip Shields, Tom Dwyer, Tony and Jennifer Fuentes, Tresa Horney and many more amazing people

in support of Voter-Owned Elections

for a Happy Hour

on the day the ballots are mailed

(canvassing materials will be available that night for Saturday’s canvasses)

Friday, October 15^th, 5:00pm – 6:00pm

SideBar

(next to Pix, just north of Failing Street)

3901 N Williams Ave
Portland, OR 97227

Hors’d oeuvres served. No host bar.

Suggested Contribution $50. Any Amount Appreciated.

RSVP and contribute online

One local issue that we are engaged in right now is asking the Portland City Council to deny the Port of Portland’s request to annex and rezone the West Hayden Island natural area. We don’t believe that allowing development in this wildlife area is in the best interest of Portland either environmentally or economically:

• This 826-acre natural area provides critical wildlife habitat for more than 100 species of fish and wildlife including federally listed endangered species. The island’s wetlands, grasslands and riparian habitat make it an irreplaceable resource and natural asset.
• The area is a critical flood plain that is ill suited for industrial development. During the flood of 1996, this area  was completely underwater.
• The public cost of development of the area will be exceedingly high. It would require significant tax-payer funded infrastructure including a new bridge to serve the area (above and beyond Columbia River Crossing redevelopment plans).
• The Port of Portland cannot say what it intends to build or when it will be built. It is relevant to note the Port of Portland already controls hundreds of acres of vacant industrial land. How will adding this precious natural area to the Port’s vast surplus of idle property help our economy?
• With regard to public investment for job creation and freight transit needs in the region, a collaboration with the Port of Vancouver remains dollar for dollar a better investment – even before the cost of environmental impact is calculated.

These are the key reasons we oppose the proposed annexation and rezoning. However, we encourage you to find out more for yourself. Check out the Audubon Society’s website as well as the City of Portland’s official website on this issue.

If you feel like we do – or even if you don’t – please contact the city council and let them know where you stand:

amanda@ci.portland.or.us
dan@ci.portland.or.us
samadams@ci.portland.or.us
nick@portlandoregon.gov
rleonard@ci.portland.or.us

and/or attend the the West Hayden Island Hearing at City Hall on Thursday, July 29th at 6:00 pm

Thanks and peace.

Portland Plan Community Workshops Start November 17

WHAT: Community workshops organized by the City of Portland to discuss ideas around the Portland Plan. The Portland Plan will be our City’s strategic plan for the next 25 years, ensuring that Portland is a thriving and sustainable city and our people are prosperous, healthy and educated. Residents are invited to these workshops to work together with the City and their neighbors to discuss challenges, define priorities and guide investments for the future. All Portlanders are welcome, and we look forward to your input. Save the date – or more than one!

WHEN & WHERE:

November 17
6:30-9 p.m.
Beaumont Middle School
4043 NE Fremont Street

November 19
6:30-9 p.m.
David Douglas High School
1001 SE 135th Avenue

December 1
6:30-9 p.m.
St. Johns Community Center
8427 N Central Street

December 5
10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Mt. Scott Community Center
5530 SE 72nd Avenue

December 7
6:30-9 p.m.
Wilson High School
1151 SW Vermont Street

December 15
University of Oregon, Old Town
722 SW 2nd Avenue

For more information about the Portland Plan and the workshops, please contact Marty Stockton at Marty.Stockton@ci.portland.or.us or 503.823.2041, or visit the Portland Plan website.

Jerry Gerspach noise analyst, representatives of the Port of Portland as well as members of the Community Noise Advisory will be on hand at the CNA general meeting at the Kennedy School, Tuesday, October 6th at 7:00 p.m. A report will be given detailing the progress of the North Runway Extension project and to address neighborhood concerns about air traffic and noise. Everyone is encouraged to attend and ask questions at this important presentation.

Tuesday, October 6, 7:00pm
The Kennedy School Community Room

For more information about the project go to the Port of Portland website.

Report noise or low flying planes here. Or call 503-460-4100 between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m

Come learn about inspiring projects from local organizers. Hosted by Community Outreach of Our United Villages, a local community building non-profit. Featured projects:

• swap ‚Äòn play: child-parent cooperative
• maya angelou summer art camp: neighborhood youth event
• ainsworth collective: neighborhood network
• blue door: volunteer support for elders
• ne tool lending library: neighborhood resource

Ask questions and learn from their experiences. See possibilities for replicating projects in your own neighborhood.

Free and open to all. Light meal provided. Child care, transportation, and interpretation upon request. Please let us know if you plan to attend by Thursday, September 24th to outreach@ourunitedvillages.org or 503.546.7499

Join international and local experts to discuss both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and work to find common ground at the 2009 Summer Peace Institute, organized by the Nobel Peace Laureate Center (formerly the Wholistic Peace Institute) and hosted by Concordia University. The event begins with a dinner and presentation of the first Harold Schnitzer “Spirit of Unity” prize, which is made possible by a grant from Harold Schnitzer to reward outstanding efforts toward the expansion of dialog and increased understanding among the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths. A full day of speakers and discussion is set for Thursday, September 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The dinner is $100 per person, and the conference is $75 for the general public and free for students and members of the Nobel Peace Laureate Center. All events will take place on the Concordia University campus, 2811 NE Holman Street in Portland.

Featured speakers at the 2009 Summer Peace Institute include Aziz Aha Sarah, a Palestinian from Israel; Lee Gordon, an Israeli from Israel; the Rev. David Burrell, director of the University of Notre Dame’s Tantur Center in Jerusalem; and John Dickson of the World Trade Association.

For more information about the events or to register, contact the Nobel Peace Laureate Center, 503-266-8996 or email worldpeace@canby.com