Schoenheit/Unger v. Rosenblum

CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 5, 2015
DocketS062785
StatusPublished

This text of Schoenheit/Unger v. Rosenblum (Schoenheit/Unger v. Rosenblum) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schoenheit/Unger v. Rosenblum, (Or. 2015).

Opinion

No. 6 March 5, 2015 783 6 Schoenheit / Unger v. Rosenblum 356 March 5, Or 2015

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON

Eugene SCHOENHEIT, Petitioner, v. Ellen ROSENBLUM, Attorney General, State of Oregon, Respondent. (S062785) (Control) Ben UNGER, Petitioner, v. Ellen ROSENBLUM, Attorney General, State of Oregon, Respondent. (S062787)

En Banc On petitions to review ballot title filed November 25, 2014; considered and under advisement February 10, 2015. Eugene Schoenheit, Milwaukie, filed the petition and response for himself. Aruna A. Masih of Bennett, Hartman, Morris & Kaplan, LLP, Portland, filed the petition and response for petitioner Unger. Judy C. Lucas, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Salem, filed the answering memorandum for respondent. With her on the answering memorandum were Ellen F. Rosenblum, Attorney General, and Anna M. Joyce, Solicitor General. Steven C. Berman of Stoll Stoll Berne Lokting & Shlacher, P.C., Portland, filed the amicus curiae brief for Joseph Baessler. 784 Schoenheit / Unger v. Rosenblum

LANDAU, J. Ballot title referred to the Attorney General for modification. Initiative Petition IP 8 (2016) would eliminate the authority of a metropolitan service district in Oregon to engage in various planning functions related to land use, urban growth, air and water quality, and transportation. Petitioners chal- lenged the caption, the “yes” and “no” vote results statements, and the summary in the certified ballot title. Held: The “yes” and “no” vote results statements were deficient because they omitted any reference to air and water quality planning, a major aspect of IP 8. Ballot title referred to the Attorney General for modification. Cite as 356 Or 783 (2015) 785

LANDAU, J. Petitioners seek review of the Attorney General’s certified ballot title for Initiative Petition 8 (2016), argu- ing that the ballot title does not satisfy the requirements of ORS 250.035(2). This court reviews a certified ballot title to determine whether it substantially complies with the requirements set out in that statute. See ORS 250.085(5). For the following reasons, we refer the ballot title to the Attorney General for modification. IP 8, a copy of which is attached as an Appendix to this opinion, would alter the authority of metropolitan service districts in Oregon. In brief, it would eliminate the authority of a metropolitan service district to engage in var- ious planning functions related to land use, urban growth, air and water quality, and transportation. It begins by declaring that a metropolitan service district may not: adopt land use planning goals and objectives; enact land use reg- ulations; adopt a regional framework plan; designate urban or rural reserves or enter into an intergovernmental agree- ment with a county for the purposes of making such a desig- nation; exercise certain “coordinative functions”; or serve as a “metropolitan planning organization,” an entity required by federal law for the purposes of long-range transportation planning and air quality control. See 23 USC § 134(d), (i) (2012). There follow a number of sections that would have the effect of amending or repealing various provisions of ORS chapters 195, 197, and 268 that currently authorize metropolitan service districts to engage in those actions. It also would provide that metropolitan service districts are permitted to “encourage, but not require” cities to coordi- nate air quality, water quality, and transportation planning. The Attorney General certified the following ballot title for IP 8: “Eliminates authority of metropolitan service district to adopt, enforce land use, air/water quality plans “Result of ‘Yes’ Vote: ‘Yes’ vote eliminates metropolitan service district’s authority to adopt regional plan for man- aging urban growth; coordinate land use; establish urban growth boundary, urban/rural reserves. 786 Schoenheit / Unger v. Rosenblum

“Result of ‘No’ Vote: ‘No’ vote retains metropolitan ser- vice district’s authority to adopt regional plan for manag- ing urban growth; coordinate land use; establish urban growth boundary, urban/rural reserves. “Summary: A metropolitan service district (‘district’) makes public services available in metropolitan area and adopts plans to control land use activities having metro- politan significance, including air and water quality, trans- portation impacts. Currently, only established district is Portland metropolitan area. A district adopts urban growth boundary; creates urban/rural reserves; creates regional plan; may review, change comprehensive plans of cities, counties in district; coordinates land use planning activ- ities within district. District’s land use rules are binding on cities, counties within district. Electors of district may change, repeal district’s charter. Measure eliminates dis- trict’s authority to designate urban, rural reserves; adopt, enforce regional land use rules, air and water quality rules; coordinate land use planning within district; receive/ distribute federal transportation funds; shifts costs to cities/counties.” Chief petitioner Schoenheit contends that the certi- fied ballot title is deficient in a number of different respects pertaining to the caption, the results statements, and the summary. We reject those contentions without discussion. Petitioner Unger challenges the ballot title in one respect that warrants at least brief discussion. Petitioner Unger contends that the “yes” and “no” vote results state- ments are deficient in that they omit any reference to air and water quality planning and thus are underinclusive. The state responds that, although IP 8’s elimination of that planning function certainly is a major effect of the measure, the results statements are not deficient, because the refer- ence to authority to adopt “a regional plan managing urban growth” is adequate. We are not persuaded by the state’s response. ORS 250.035(2)(b) provides that a result statement must be a “simple and understandable statement of not more than 25 words that describes the result” if the mea- sure is approved or disapproved. The purpose of the “yes” result statement is to “notify petition signers and voters Cite as 356 Or 783 (2015) 787

of the result or results of enactment that would have the greatest importance to the people of Oregon.” Novick/Crew v. Myers, 337 Or 568, 574, 100 P3d 1064 (2004). The purpose of the “no” vote result statement is to accurately describe the “state of affairs” that will exist if the measure is rejected. Nesbitt v. Myers, 335 Or 424, 433, 71 P3d 530 (2003). In this case, one of the major effects of the mea- sure would be to eliminate a metropolitan service district’s authority to coordinate air and water quality planning. The Attorney General does not dispute that that is a major effect of the measure and in fact includes that effect in the ballot title caption. The reference in the results statements to a “regional plan for managing urban growth” is too broad to apprise potential petition signers and voters of that effect; it necessitates assuming that they will readily understand all that is entailed in a regional plan under current state law. Moreover, it fails to cover the role of a metropolitan ser- vice district as the federally mandated metropolitan plan- ning organization charged with carrying out federal air and water quality planning responsibilities. We therefore refer the ballot title to the Attorney General for modification.

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Related

Novick/Crew v. Myers
100 P.3d 1064 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2004)
Nesbitt v. Myers
71 P.3d 530 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2003)
Schoenheit/Unger v. Rosenblum
345 P.3d 436 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2015)

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