Court Upholds Secretary Of State Ballot Measure Rejections

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Marion County Circuit Court has ruled in favor of Secretary of State Bev Clarno’s decision to reject three proposed ballot initiatives to tighten state forestry laws.

Clarno said in a news release that the court ruled Wednesday and that she was pleased the court had affirmed the importance of the single subject rule.

In September, Clarno rejected Initiative Petitions 35, 36 and 37 because she said they violated the constitutional requirement that initiative petitions must contain a single subject.

Clarno, a Republican who has taken $36,000 in donations from timber interests in her career, was then sued by environmental advocates that had proposed the initiatives.

The measures are substantially the same, calling for tightening the state’s aerial herbicide spraying laws. They propose more logging restrictions in steep, landslide-prone areas. They would prohibit conflicts of interest for state forestry board appointees.

The Associated Press has left a message seeking comment from a lawyer for the petitioners.