Voters in House District 11 deserve to know who Angelita really is:
The story behind Timber Unity
Angelita Sanchez was NOT a founding member of Timber Unity, but she DID oversee its decline!
Timber Unity launched in 2019 with founding members Jeff Leavy, Shelley Gedenberg-Solum, and Darren Mead, as well as Adam Lardy and Scott Hileman. Angelita Sanchez was invited by Jeff Leavy to join as a member after the second rally and was an early member, but not a founding member as she continues to state. She was not part of the initial founding group. Jeff Leavy has previously clarified this on multiple occasions and has expressed concern that Angelita is using this misinformation to further her political career. Facts are important, and this statement is not true.
(She continually makes this claim despite knowing it is a lie)
This is all that's left of Timber Unity now? Who spent the money??!
Who was splurging on all these hotel charges?
Disclaimer: The information on this page is based on statements from former members of Timber Unity, records from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, official web pages, and publicly available social media content.
Four of the five actual founders with Lars Larson.
Jeff Leavy, Todd Stoffel, Adam Lardy, and Scott Hileman.
Not pictured: Shelley Gedenberg-Solum, Darren Mead
House District 11 citizens deserve someone who shows up to do the job.
Angelita Sanchez‘s attendance since taking office in 2021 - she has had 18 absences.
Inquiring minds: Many have asked, does Angelita live in House District 11, or does she spend 90% of her time in McMinnville in the large, nearly new home her boyfriend owns?
On May 23, 2023, Resolution No. 14, the City Council voted to increase compensation. Sanchez voted yes—doubling compensation for Sweet Home City Councilors, while the Lebanon City Council discontinued their compensation to save the city money.
June 27 of 2023 resolution number seven Sanchez voted yes to amend the cities fee schedule
On May 11 of 2021 resolution number 13 Sanchez voted yes to increase the stormwater utility fee
On March 23 of 2021 resolution number seven Sanchez voted yes to establish SDC fees
February ninth of 2021 resolution number three Sanchez voted yes on amending the cities fee schedule.
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It's like playing a game of "Where's Waldo"
What happened to Timber Unity?
Voters in House District 11 deserve to know the facts about Angelita Sanchez and her role in ruining Timber Unity, while she still brags about her work on HB 2020. They should also know she has been dishonest about her accomplishments. Angelita also did not stop the dam drawdowns. She attended meetings, while Ken Jackola and his team worked together on a lawsuit. The effort was not focused on stopping the drawdown itself, but on addressing damages caused by it.
An initial lawsuit—which Lebanon did not participate in—was unsuccessful. Ken and his team developed a different approach. This new legal strategy was pursued and remains ongoing. The initial agreement with legal counsel is dated November 29, 2023. As a result of the lawsuit, the drawdown has been modified.
Angelita Sanchez, Julie Parrish, and Lindsay Berschauer took down one of the most powerful grassroots movement Oregon has ever seen. Was it for money, power, or self-promotion? We may never know for sure — those involved feel it was likely a combination of all three
After Timber Unity was hijacked, much of the momentum gained against cap-and-trade was lost. In 2020, Gov. Kate Brown issued Executive Order 20-04, directing state agencies to create the Climate Protection Program (CPP). This effectively imposed a mandatory CO2 emissions fee/cap-and-invest system on fossil fuel suppliers (especially natural gas and transportation fuels). The revenue—projected in the billions over time—flows to DEQ-selected nonprofits (Community Climate Investment entities) rather than the state general fund or legislature-controlled budget, raising concerns about accountability and oversight. So, Angelita did not save families anything!!
Per one Timber Unity member:
“Angelita Sanchez is a LIAR! TimberUnity helped defeat HB 2020!”
“The record matters: Timber Unity helped stop HB 2020—despite what Angelita Sanchez is claiming.” Angelita Sanchez claims to have defeated HB 2020 - Cap & Trade - but it was The People who defeated Cap & Trade. Gaslighting - is a form of psychological manipulation and emotional abuse where a perpetrator makes someone question their own reality, memory, or perceptions to gain power and control. Angelita Sanchez manipulates the truth to fit her narrative, her motive, control and power. YUCK!”
Where's the Money?
Donors to Timber Unity may want to take a closer look at how their money has been spent over the past four and a half years. This information was obtained from the Secretary of State’s website.
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These funds were intended to “support candidates and issues that protect natural resource jobs and affordable living in Oregon.” While this is a very noble cause, it is concerning that the only candidate found on the Timber Unity PAC page who was supported since the takeover was Lindsay Berschauer on March 7, 2022 (the donation was $500).
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A total of $35,287 was raised through the sale of merchandise and donations after they took over the PAC. Again, it is all gone. The last recorded individual donation was on October 9, 2024 (18 months ago).
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Records show $4,758 was spent on Air bnb stays and motels—even though the original members of Timber Unity reportedly slept in their cars to avoid using donor funds. An additional $9,259 was spent on legal fees related to efforts to take control of the PAC and its trademark. Another $14,255 went to PIP Communications, a business owned by Julie Parrish—one of the individuals involved in that takeover.
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Another $5,419 was spent on attending expensive Republican events, and an additional $2,500 was spent on advertising at a raceway that Angelita and her fiancé attend.
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Total expenditures amounted to $69,746, yet only one candidate was supported, with a $500 donation.
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At a minimum, these spending choices raise serious questions about priorities and potential conflicts of interest. Donors deserve transparency and accountability in how their contributions are used.
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The web page is also gone. This entire takeover was a devastating loss to our state.
Someone who treats donor funds carelessly should not be entrusted to represent Voters.
The Original Timber Unity members know that at the time that Julie Parrish, Angelita Sanchez, and Lindsay Berschauer took over the PAC, there was over $30,000 in the account. There is now less than $100. Where did it all go?
Total expenditures amounted to $69,746, yet only one candidate was supported, with a $500 donation.
Someone who treats donor funds carelessly should not be entrusted to represent Voters.
Beginnings: An ONRI AF Statement about the Future of the Movement
Carrying on the heart and soul of what Timber Unity once was...
(Angelita Sanchez was NOT a founding member of Timber Unity, and Julie Parrish should be called out for her part in ruining this movement.)
From Jeff Leavy, an actual founding member:
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There are many rumors and accusations floating around concerning the current state of the movement, and we want to provide clarity and context to the current moment. But we don’t want to bury the lead: we are immediately rebranding as Oregon Natural Resources Industries & Associated Families (ONRI AF). We will continue rebuilding our community, fighting to protect our Oregon way of life, and being as ornery as we need to be to push back on the radical left-wing agenda. Here’s a little bit about why we’re rebranding.
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This all began with a log truck driver, Jeff Leavy, in early 2019, who heard about HB 2020, the Oregon cap & trade bill that would devastate natural resource jobs and communities. We stood together to defeat this bill and many others since.
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Jeff came up with the name Timber Unity. Founding member Shelley Gedenberg-Solum and Darren Mead sketched out the logo and produced it for print. A TimberUnity Facebook page was created to get the word out. Inspired by the rapid support for a rally, a GoFundMe was created to cover the costs of a rally at the State Capitol.
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From the beginning, this movement has meant one thing – One Voice working together. A COMMUNITY UNITED.
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This movement was born out of necessity and grew rapidly out of urgency to save our way of life. And it worked! This has been one of the most effective grassroots groups in Oregon history.
However, those early days of the movement involved a lot of learning. And then-Representative Julie Parrish was more than happy to appoint herself as one of the teachers. She convinced Jeff, Shelley, and the rest of the founding members to create a political action committee to, according to Representative Parrish, protect the money being raised and “save” the movement from imminent legal trouble.
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Representative Parrish solicited a $5,000 donation to help pay for legal bills and to start the PAC. Days later, Representative Parrish advised those same early founders of the movement to trademark the name and urged them to put it in the PAC’s name temporarily, while a new membership nonprofit – which would ultimately become the Timber Unity Association and now ONRI – could be formed. She promised that the money and the trademark would be transferred to the Association. The board trusted this advice. The trademark was registered under the PAC but was promised to be assigned to the Association. This never happened.
In October 2021, Representative Parrish tried to dissolve the Association, claiming we were irrelevant. The members of the board that remained passionate about preserving what belonged to the PEOPLE, voted to NOT dissolve the member-driven Association, and further voted to hold the required Annual Membership Meeting. This meeting was to invite ALL members who have supported the Association efforts, give them an opportunity to participate, and to elect a board to guide these grassroots efforts into the future. Julie resigned at this meeting.
In November, Angelita Sanchez resigned from our board when her duties as an officer came under scrutiny.
On December 4th, with no disclosure to the Board, Angelita Sanchez’s name was added to the PAC. This was days before the first annual membership meeting on December 11, 2021.
Shortly thereafter, sitting Board members who were responsible leaders for this entire movement were removed as administrators from the #timberunity Facebook page with 63K followers, locked out without warning or cause.
The Association has always managed this page and used it to get out vital information. Now, in an apparent effort to further her own agenda, Angelita Sanchez has seized control of the page, the TimberUnity.com website, #TimberUnity merchandise, and our name. As a director of the PAC, Angelita took control of the money that this Board and this movement raised. The money given in the spirit of our cause is now being used to pay a Portland-area attorney to fight with the Association – and by proxy, the very members of the people’s grassroots movement.
They’ve demanded the Association step back and let the PAC call the shots. They’ve threatened lawsuits and have weaponized the trademark and the Facebook group against the Association.
Angelita and her establishment friends think these things let them control the movement. We know differently.
Rather than waste more of the People’s money fighting over a name, we’re putting our efforts where they do the most good: supporting the movement. We’re going to keep organizing events to get the word out about the challenges our community is facing. We’ll endorse candidates, have members who participate and vote on what we do, have elections where you can sit on this board, scholarships, write policy, lobby, offer member benefits, and more. We want to do all these things for our members and followers as promised – and with your involvement, because this is YOUR movement, not the establishment’s. We’ll do it under the name Oregon Natural Resources Industries & Associated Families (ONRI AF), and if you’re feeling a little ONRI too, we hope you’ll join us as we continue the work of this movement.
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Jeffery C. Leavy Sr.
President of Oregon Natural Resource Industries and Associated Families.
REPRESENTATION • TRANSPARENCY • COMMUNITY • REPRESENTATION • TRANSPARENCY • COMMUNITY • REPRESENTATION
Additional Sources for the Skeptical Reader:
https://seasidesignal.com/2022/07/25/after-initial-success-timberunity-has-splintered/
shows date trademark was first filled as 7/2/2019
https://trademarks.justia.com/884/92/timberunity-88492820.html