Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As the nation weathers a tumultuous presidential election and enters another surge of COVID-19, my office has been busy writing our report on the first phase of our audit of the county’s response to the pandemic. We hope to have a report ready to share with you early next year.
I hope you are all taking care this Thanksgiving to slow the spread of COVID-19. Read up on the CDC’s recommendations for celebrating Thanksgiving safely. And also please take time to reflect that, for many indigenous people in our county and across the U.S., Thanksgiving is a day that commemorates painful loss. It is a day of mourning. It’s important to recognize that all of us in Multnomah County live, work, and play on the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who have made, and continue to make, their homes along the Columbia River.
One more important note: I’ve extended the deadline to apply to serve on the new Auditor’s Community Advisory Committee. The committee will provide me with input on what to audit, how to engage communities in the audit process, and how to put our commitment to antiracist auditing into action. You now have until December 15th to submit an application. Learn more and apply here.
Best,
Jennifer
December East County Issue Forum
After a tumultuous year, the U.S. 2020 Census officially came to a close on October 15th. The results of the 2020 Census impact decisions and provide data to local governments. I’ll be at the East County Issue Forum on December 3rd from 3-4:30pm to discuss the county's redistricting process. County Charter assigns this duty to my office and directs us to redistrict based on census data.
Representatives from across the state will share the work that took place over the past year to ensure an accurate count in Multnomah County, and for the state of Oregon.
Other speakers include:
- Vicki Cram - Squire Patton Boggs
- Marc Czornij - U.S. Census Bureau
- Ethan Sharygin - Portland State University (Invited)
- Shawneen O'Brien-Lee - Office of Governor Kate Brown
- Layan Ammouri - Office of Multnomah County Commissioner Lori Stegmann
- Adam Bristow - Office of Multnomah County Commissioner Lori Stegmann
Register for the Zoom Meeting Here
Webinar ID: 842 1987 9449
One tap mobile: +13462487799, 84219879449#
International Fraud Awareness Week
The week of November 15th-21st was International Fraud Awareness Week. My office was an official sponsor of this event, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. As auditors, we are committed to the fight against fraud. One of the most useful tools Multnomah County residents have in this fight is the Good Government Hotline. The hotline is intended to investigate reports of suspected fraud, waste, and abuse of position by county government. Organizations with a fraud hotline detected fraud by tip almost 50% more than organizations that didn’t have a hotline. Hotlines also speed up the detection of fraud. The Good Government Hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can make a report online or by calling 888-289-6839. Typically, investigations are more effective if we are able to follow up with you, but if preferred, you can report anonymously. Reports are taken by a neutral third party; they are not taken by county management. Hotline staff report to me, and I report to voters and not to county management.Interested in learning more? Principal Auditor Marc Rose wrote an article for International Fraud Awareness Week on what fraud is and what you can do to prevent it.
Helpful COVID-19 Links
- If you would like information on how to stay healthy, slow the spread of coronavirus, or how to report any issues, please visit /info/covid-19.
- Unfortunately, some communities have experienced acts of racism and xenophobia because of the myths surrounding COVID-19; this county site has information about how to report discrimination and find support.
- If you are at work and your employer does not seem to be following public health directives, you can report that to Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Division.
- This page contains resources to support our communities as we experience the COVID-19 pandemic and get through this together.
- Learn more about disability rights and COVID-19.