Why Clackamas Co. could swing Congress

More Hydropower in the Northwest

A new federal study found that climate change will increase the potential to generate hydroelectric power in the Pacific Northwest. Summers will be drier, but fall, winter, and spring will be wetter, according to this projection. [The Columbian]

$70K in Outside Fundraising for Gonzalez

Downtown developers, property owners, and business owners have donated $70,000 to make independent expenditures on behalf of City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez’s mayoral campaign. No word yet on how much his main rival, City Commissioner Carmen Rubio, will have. [Willamette Week]

Clackamas Co. Could Swing Congress

Clackamas County accounts for 40% of the population in Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District, where a first-term Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer faces Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum. It's a swing district, which experts say could help tip the balance of Congress. Republicans point to a strong independent streak and a preference for law-and-order in the county, while Democrats hope Vice President Kamala Harris will energize sympathetic voters. [OPB]

Restaurant Break-ins

On the midweek roundup, there have been a string of seemingly organized restaurant break-ins and what the city is finally doing about it. Plus, what’s in the listener mailbag? [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Readers weighed in on the big tipping questions — and the pressure to tip more. Here’s a selection of what readers had to say.

• “I just moved back to the States after living in Tokyo for six years. They DO NOT tip there. I had a server return my tip in front of the restaurant when I first moved there. I hate to say it but it was nice to not feel bad tipping for poor service.” — Vonna

• “My guidelines: 1. Tipping is for service over time, e.g., sit down restaurant, haircut, etc. 2. Not for someone handing me food out a window or for a retail item taken to-go. 3. 15% minimum tip with exceptional service, possibly 20.
  
  “As consumers were already facing significant cost increases impacting the prices we pay and it is not our responsibility to feel like we have to help carry the load of an employers’ payroll costs. That said, when someone is financially comfortable enough to share that with others that is certainly a great thing. But to have a culture of this level of expectation of amounts we’re seeing now, I don’t believe it’s often justified or, again, a burden the consumer should have. — Dave

• “The biggest problem I have with the new method is that we are now being asked to tip BEFORE the service is actually performed…it used to be the other way around (like at a good dinner), where they perform their service AND THEN we get to decide how much tip they deserve. Not only that, but now I wonder if they see how much we tipped them and then perform their services accordingly (e.g., do I get crappy service if my pre-tip was crappy?!?)
  
  “Very frustrating and maddening. The old ‘tip jar’ used to be acceptable to throw a buck or two in…now they want an arm and a leg!” — Michael K.

• “I think tipping has gotten out of hand. It is no longer a bonus for great service. It has become the baseline for people's pay. And it's also very inequitable. Example: If you're working in a coffee shop on the morning shift you're likely to get many more tips than if you're there in the late afternoon. That makes staffing harder too. I think we need to move to tipless all together. Or, if you work at a coffee shop where the bill is going to run $30 vs a restaurant where the bill will likely be $60, that 18% tip is very different. I hate to consider how much am I going to spend and then having to be sure I have extra in order to include a tip.
  
  “Employers need to pay their service people. I, for one, am willing to pay a little bit more on the menu price and not have to worry about tip. Let's look at how Europe does this very successfully. I think you'll have more people in the service industry as well if they're guaranteed their wages and not having to hope for good tips.” — Randi M.

Have you noticed restaurants and businesses that stand out for doing it right (or for making a particularly hard sell) on tips? Please email me.