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Calls mount for lawmaker accused of harassment to resign
Women accuse East Portland legislator Diego Hernandez of creating a hostile workplace in Salem.
The political group East County Rising has called for state Rep. Diego Hernandez to quit the legislature amid allegations of sexual harassment. We are calling on Rep. Hernandez to resign, as we do not believe he can adequately maintain his duties as an elected official, the group said in an email on Monday, Feb. 8.
A legislative committee voted Friday, Feb. 5, to recommend the expulsion of Hernandez (D-47) from the Oregon House on multiple violations of a rule barring sexual harassment. As of Monday morning, an expulsion vote had not yet been scheduled.
Oregon lawmakers on pace to consider close to 4,000 bills in partially remote session
Updated Feb 11, 2021;
Posted Feb 11, 2021
House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, elbow-bumps with Rep. Jami Cate, R-Lebanon, (right) at the Oregon State Capitol on Jan 11, 2021. Kotek said this week that the number of bills lawmakers introduce this session could reach 4,000.The Oregonian
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Oregon lawmakers are on track to introduce the highest number of bills in a decade, suggesting the overwhelming majority of them won’t get even a momentary hearing as the Legislature operates mostly online until at least April due to the pandemic.
House Speaker Tina Kotek told reporters this week that she expects the total number of bills could approach 4,000. If that happens, it would be the most pieces of legislation introduced in an Oregon legislative session since at least 2009, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive’s analysis of legislative data.
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As Hernandez Hearings Conclude, Enormous Pressure Builds for His Departure From House Gov. Kate Brown, Senate President Peter Courtney and 26 House Democrats call on the Portland lawmaker to resign. Rep. Diego Hernandez. (Sam Gehrke) Updated February 5 After the Oregon House Conduct Committee completed a week s worth of hearings into sexual harassment allegations against state Rep. Diego Hernandez (D-Portland), calls for his resignation or expulsion from the House intensified today. Following testimony from five women who said Hernandez used his position in the Legislature improperly in relationships with them, the four-member Conduct Committee voted unanimously to sustain 18 findings of violations of House Rule 27, which pertains to sexual harassment and creating a hostile workplace.
Rep. Diego Hernandez faces House vote to expel him
Updated Feb 05, 2021;
Posted Feb 05, 2021
Rep. Diego Hernandez, shown at the Capitol, will be subjected to a House vote on whether to expel him, unless he resigns first. Beth Nakamura/Staff
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The House has never before voted whether to expel a member.
The final vote to trigger the expulsion action was 4-0. But Rep. Raquel Moore-Green, a Salem Republican, said she greatly preferred to allow Hernandez, a Portland Democrat, to remain in office and seek reconciliation among House members. She went along once the three other committee members overruled that choice to show unity on the committee, she said.