Senator Janeen Sollman & Senate Bill 1586 Cabal Participate In AI Scripted Podcast That Makes False Claims

The Real Story – A Column

A podcast posted yesterday by Senator Janeen Sollman, in which she was featured, would be so funny and worthy of a Christopher Guest Movie like “Best Of Show” or “A Mighty Wind” if Senate Bill 1586 weren’t such a destructive and financially compromised proposal. One that is being pushed by land owners and Big Energy, and will expand Hillsboro’s land mass by 11% and set the future of our valley on edge forever. All with no community voice.   Hubbell Communications—a PR firm with offices in Portland and Seattle—claims they are “Building Better Communities.” But their latest production, a slick, almost certainly AI-generated podcast hosted by synthetic versions of owners Zach Hyder and Gina Maffei, suggests they are actually in the business of building better delusions. It is inconceivable that this Podcast is not AI- I tried this technology a year or two ago by feeding it a script, and the voices were identical and the pacing the same. While I am not a betting man, if I were, I would put money down that this is NotebookLM, and I am happy to correct and retract if someone can prove me wrong.   Either way, real or AI, Zach and Gina made this podcast episode.

The podcast is a masterclass in corporate “astroturfing.” While the AI personas mock hundreds of Washington County community members for meeting in a “musty church,” they fail to mention that the church meeting was the only place where actual, unscripted democracy was happening. In fact, the “Musty Church” that Lake Oswego-based PR firm Hubbell and its owner, Zach Hyder, degraded is the Forest Grove United Church of Christ, a beautiful facility.  Not only that, but it is an amazing organization whose members do great work all over Washington County.  Maybe a Lake Oswego PR Boy should be careful who he lets his AI Persona piss all over?  We don’t enjoy the Lake Oswego-type money and prestige as they do in LO… but we love our hills, backwoods, and framland just fine.   Senator Sollman, who participated in this Podcast and posted it all over her Socials as the TRUTH about her land-grab bill, had a chance to correct that kind of story framing. In fact, she claims to be a Forest Grove-Gales Creek girl and gets mileage out of that, which only makes these callous, disparaging words about her hometown church even more hurtful.   But coming from her, nothing surprises us anymore- a DINO is going to do things that make no sense to true party members.

Let’s see an excerpt:

“Watching the room that night in a musty church in Forest Grove is what gave birth to this episode of the Better Communities podcast. As we’ve always done, we strive to probe beneath the surface of the region’s biggest challenges in development, land use, and economic growth, all to try to understand the friction points preventing us from building a better place to live, work, and play. I’m Zach Heider, CEO and co-owner of Hubble Communications. In this episode, we explore that question by talking with the key players that are pushing the Oregon Jobs Act forward and to go behind the shouts and accusations from activists more interested in saying no than finding a path to yes that balances growth and conservation.”

You can check it out here-

Here is the reality behind the Poscats carefully constructed narrative.

1. The “Public Engagement” Myth
The podcast frames Senator Janeen Sollman’s appearance at the community meeting as her “public engagement.”

The Reality: Sollman didn’t organize that meeting; she crashed it. She has had years to hold a town hall on a bill (1586) that would expand Hillsboro’s footprint by 11%, yet she chose to remain silent. She has done NO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT and has refused to allow the hundreds of thousands of people in her district to have a voice on this matter – not even one little peep.  When she finally appeared, it was to play defense with unconvincing arguments. If the community was “demanding answers,” as the podcast pointed out, it’s because she hadn’t provided any for months.  She took 11 minutes of a meeting put together by great community leaders, specifically because she did not have one, and tried to hijack it.  That is the truth.  When she was challenged by yours truly with “Can we get some public engagement?” she snapped back, “Sure,” and has offered nothing since.  The Podcast framed her party-crashing as her seeking engagement and the crowd as hostile.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  But this is what the Podcast is seeking – a false reality of what happened to be the record- and it is not.

2. The Data Center “Accessory” Shell Game
The podcast’s biggest fabrication is the claim that SB 1586 is about “generational wealth jobs” and “explicitly forbids standalone data centers.”

The Refutation: During the February 17th Hillsboro work session at the Hillsboro City Council, city staff admitted the truth: there are no restrictions on the surface area of a data center if it is labeled as an “accessory” to another firm. That “accessory” firm doesn’t even have to be local—it could be an international venture.

The Math: AI data centers create a measly 0.25 to 0.5 jobs per acre. They aren’t “generational wealth” engines; they are windowless, energy-sucking warehouses that ship profits out of state. Hubbell, which lists “Digital Infrastructure” and “Data Centers” as a core business it represents, is simply rebranding a data center land grab as a “JOBS Act.”  More falsehoods.

3. The “Binary Choice” Fallacy
Zach Hyder and Elizabeth Mazzara Myers, who is the Executive Director of the Westside Economic Alliance (whom Hyder calls his “friend and partner”), raise serious questions about who is funding this “independent” podcast. They frame this as a choice between “protecting farmland” and “economic growth.

The Refutation: This is a false binary. 10,000 acres of vacant industrial land already inside Urban Growth Boundaries. In Hillsboro alone, 500 acres sit vacant while companies like Genentech have taken years to develop the site they acquired. Community members asking for a process and public hearings before this massive land grab happens aren’t “protecting farmland at all costs”; they are demanding that industry use the thousands of acres it already has before paving over the Rural Reserve.

Let’s look at “Hyder’s” Partner: Elizabeth Mazzarra Myers – Westside Economic Alliance – whose mission is to “Promote and encourage a vibrant business environment on the westside of the Metro region by supporting the creation and growth of economic opportunities, investments in a well-trained and well-paid workforce, and strategies for healthy and sustainable communities.”  Ok – great.  So definitely big on land expansions and big energy!

Myers previously served as a policy advisor and Chief of Staff at Multnomah County, giving her a deep Rolodex of elected officials across the Portland metro area. She was then Chief of Staff to Chair Kathryn Harrington, who is one of the most ineffective and caustic politicians of our time.

And so, how is the WEA tied to Big Energy and to the entities and individuals who will benefit from SB 1586?

Summary of the Ties

So Zach’s “partner” is one powerful lady representing just the people who need 1586 to pass.

4. The “Shovel-Ready” Scare Tactic
The podcast points to Ohio and Intel as proof that Oregon is losing its “competitive edge” due to a lack of land.

The Reality: The Ohio plant they cite has been stalled for years and is currently under a cloud of fraud investigations. Meanwhile, Oregon successfully secured 14 CHIPS grants and over $5 billion in investment—all without needing a single acre of land outside current boundaries. The “land shortage” is a myth manufactured to drive up property values for a handful of landowners, including Tom VanderZanden, who was also featured on the podcast.

5. Hallucinated Journalism
Perhaps the most “sad” element is the AI itself. The podcast narrator claims to be “walking the driveway” with Tom VanderZanden to create an air of authenticity. Maybe Zach did that, and why wouldn’t he – a good PR man is always going to frame the story with the best possible angles to win the hearts and minds.

The Truth: It’s a computer-generated voice reading a script designed to manipulate. They accuse the community meeting of being “one-sided,” yet they never reached out to a single opponent for an interview. They didn’t want a conversation; they wanted a monologue.  And as far as Vanderzanden?  He and his interests, and neighbors too, have donated to a host of politicians involved here, none the least of which is Sollman, who has never disclosed that her SB 1586 is conflicted with these donations she took.

The Bottom Line

Hubbell Communications says progress happens in “inches.” But this bill is a mile-long leap into sprawl. When you don’t proactively engage the public, they’ll have their own meetings. They might be in “musty churches,” but at least the voices there are real.  And this Podcast is a scripted one-sided construct of only the limited voices who all stand to gain monetarily from the passage of SB 1586.  That is the bottom line – and you can’t “storyline” and AI your way to a reality that is a fantasy, no matter how you frame it.

SB 1586 isn’t a strategic economic plan; it’s a “Spider’s Web” of lobbyists, developers, and politicians using AI to drown out the very community they claim to serve. If their arguments were strong, they wouldn’t need a computer to speak for them.

Now we know who Hubbell is – and we see Zach Hubbel was the emcee at a recent Washington County Chamber event, where he was friendly and seated next to Janeen Sollman!  Well, well, well….

And look at the Chamber jumping in too!

There are a few days left before this Bill Passes or Falls – Take Action And Contact Any or All of these Legislators  About SB 1586

Washington County Leaders – House Of Representatives

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State Representative District 25 (map(Link is external))

Representative Ben Bowman
Party: Democrat

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1425(Link opens phone app)
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Email: Rep.BenBowman@oregonlegislature.gov
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Term Expires: January 2027

State Representative District 26 (map(Link is external))

Representative Sue Rieke Smith

Party: Democrat

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1426(Link opens phone app)
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-281, Salem, OR 97301
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State Representative District 27 (map(Link is external))

Representative Ken Helm

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Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-490, Salem, OR 97301
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State Representative District 28 (map(Link is external))

Representative Dacia Grayber

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Representative Susan McLain

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Representative Nathan Sosa
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Representative Darcey Edwards
Party: Republican

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Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-374, Salem, OR 97301
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State Representative District 33 (map(Link is external))

Representative Shannon Isadore
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State Representative District 34 (map(Link is external))

Representative Mari Watanabe
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Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-483, Salem, OR 97301
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State Representative District 35 (map(Link is external))

Representative Farrah Chaichi
Party: Democrat

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Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-478, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.FarrahChaichi@oregonlegislature.gov
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Representative Hai Pham
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State Representative District 37 (map(Link is external))

Representative Jules Walters
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State Senate District 13

Senator Courtney Neron Misslin
Party: Democrat
House Districts: 25, 26

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1713(Link opens phone app)
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-425, Salem, OR, 97301
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Senator Kate Lieber
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Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-205, Salem, OR, 97301
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State Senator District 15

Senator Janeen Sollman
Party: Democrat
House Districts: 29, 30

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1715(Link opens phone app)
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-207, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: Sen.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov
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State Senate District 16

Senator Suzanne Weber
Party: Republican
House Districts: 31, 32*

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1716(Link opens phone app)
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-405, Salem, OR, 97301
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State Senate District 17

Senator Lisa Reynolds
Party: Democrat
House Districts: 33, 34

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Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-409, Salem, OR, 97301
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State Senate District 18

Senator WInsvey Campos
Party: Democrat
House Districts: 35, 36

Capitol Phone: 503-896-1718(Link opens phone app)
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-215, Salem, OR, 97301
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State Senate District 19

Senator Rob Wagner
Party: Democrat
House Districts:37, 38*

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1700(Link opens phone app)
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-201, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: Sen.RobWagner@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/wagner(Link is external)

Term Expires: January 2027