• Grupo Latino de Acción Directa is planning a community meeting with Springfield Police Chief Timothy Doney and Lane County Sheriff Tom Turner from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Thursday, Feb. 27, at St. Alice Catholic Church, 1520 F St. in Springfield. Topics may include “engaging and working with underrepresented communities” and “goal setting for cultural proficiency.” Contact Phil Carrasco, 337-6391.
Local organizers for 350.org Patty Hine and Deb McGee will discuss the critical stand against Keystone XL pipeline at 7 pm Thursday, Feb. 27, at the First United Methodist Church, 13th and Olive. The free event is sponsored by Oregon WAND, Women’s Action for New Directions. Email oregonwand@oregonwand.org or call 683-1350.
• Public lands advocates are gathering in a show of solidarity for forests, wildlife, clean water and quality of life at noon Friday, Feb. 28, on the steps of the UO Knight Law School, outside the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference. The group will march to the U.S. Courthouse where Rep. Peter DeFazio and Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have offices, then return to the Law School by 1:30 pm. Contact Chandra LeGue at Oregon Wild, 344-0675.
• ShelterCare’s work in “renovating buildings and reviving lives” in the Whiteaker neighborhood will be the topic at City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, Feb. 28, at the Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette. ShelterCare Executive Director Susan Ban will be guest speaker; $5 for non-members. See cityclubofeugene.org.
• Karen Trapenberg Frick, an assistant professor of urban and regional planning at UC-Berkley, will speak on “A Tale of Two Regions: Tea Party, Agenda 21 & Sustainability Planning” at 4:30 pm Monday, March 3, at Lawrence Hall 115 on the UO campus. Frick will examine the national Tea Party and Koch Brothers influence on local transportation and sustainability, citing the San Francisco Bay Area and Atlanta as examples. Free. See olis.uoregon.edu.
• A candidate forum for the East Lane County commissioner position will be from 6:30 to 9 pm Tuesday, March 4, at the Pleasant Hill Community Center, 36386 Hwy. 58. Contact Pam Driscoll at 937-3007.
• Editors of a new book Until the Rulers Obey: Voices from Latin American Social Movements will discuss “the 21st century’s most powerful wave of change” at 7 pm Tuesday, March 4, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2945 NW Circle Blvd. in Corvallis. Speakers are Clifton Ross and Marcy Rein who interviewed more than 70 activists and scholars in 15 Latin American countries.
• The Eugene Budget Committee will meet three times in March at Harris Hall in the Lane County Service Building. The first meeting will be at 6 pm Wednesday, March 5; followed by 5:30 pm Thursday, March 6; and 6 pm Tuesday, March 11. The meetings follow the city manager’s recommendations for balancing the FY 2015 General Fund that were presented to the Budget Committee Feb. 26. Additional meetings will be planned for April. See eugene-or.gov/budget.
• The LCC Peace Center and CALC are sponsoring a forum on “War vs. Diplomacy: Uncovering the Real Debate in Washington” at 7 pm Thursday, March 6, at the LCC Downtown Center across from the Public Library. The forum will open with a live stream presentation from Washington, D.C., by Phyllis Bennis from the New Internationalism Project. Stan Taylor, director of the LCC Peace Center and Jane Cramer of the UO Political Science Department will lead a discussion with Bennis after her talk. Call 485-1755 or visit calclane.org.