Oregon Ethics Panel Votes 8-0 to Open Full Probe into Portland-Area Lawmaker's Undisclosed $25,000 Stipend
Portland is a city in Multnomah County, Oregon. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted 8-0 in executive session last Friday to open a full investigation into state Rep. Lamar Wise, a Portland Democrat, over income he received from the nonprofit Seeding Justice but did not list on a disclosure form. The complaint, filed in August, alleges Wise failed to disclose a $25,000 stipend from Seeding Justice on his 2026 statement of economic interest.
Commission investigator Daniel Pacheco said the payment may not have been large enough to require listing as a source of more than 10% of Wise's household income, but that Wise appears to have omitted the nonprofit from a separate section of the form asking officials to identify income from organizations with a potential legislative or administrative interest in their work. Wise's original filing named the Oregon chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Unite Oregon as major income sources, but not Seeding Justice.
Wise said he has amended his disclosure and is working with ethics officials to resolve what he called an honest mistake, and that he expects the matter to be resolved soon. He said the investigator had recommended closing the case with a letter of education, and that he did not expect a severe penalty.
Seeding Justice is a Portland-based social justice nonprofit. The Legislature selected it in 2022 to administer a $15 million fund created to support abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and state environmental officials selected it in 2023 to distribute millions of dollars for climate-protection work, an effort the group later withdrew from.
Wise was appointed to the House in November 2025 by county commissioners to represent District 48, which includes parts of Southeast Portland, Damascus and Clackamas County, replacing Rep. Hòa Nguyễn, who died last year after battling cancer. The seat is up for election next month; Wise faces Republican Andrew Morrison, a software-security salesperson.
(Source: The Portland Focal)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于塞勒姆的俄勒冈州议会大厦外观（示意）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons · M.O. Stevens 摄，Public domain
