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Oregon News
POLITICS
See which groups spent the most money lobbying in Oregon this legislative session, setting a 10-year record
The Oregonian | By Carlos Fuentes
Oregon interest groups spent what appears to be a record amount on lobbying in the first half of 2025.
Here’s how the biggest spenders used their money:
1. Oregon Business & Industry
Oregon Business & Industry, this session’s top spender, paid $387,717 to staff and contract lobbyists to keep track of hundreds of bills that would affect businesses in the state.
2. The City of Portland
The city of Portland, which reported roughly $376,000 in lobbying expenses, enough to make it the second highest spender, also spread its attention across hundreds of bills. The city advocated for several successful proposals, including bills that will secure long-term dollars for Oregon’s homeless shelters, spur housing development and fund major economic development initiatives, such as the future James Beard Public Market.
3. Oregon AFSCME
The third highest overall spender, the Oregon chapter of labor union AFSCME, spent $321,400 attempting to shape policy. The union, which represents more than 40,000 public employees and healthcare and social service workers, fought for bills intended to combat staffing shortages and reduce workplace violence in hospitals and in-home health and hospice settings.
4. The Oregon Health Care Association
The fourth highest spender, the Oregon Health Care Association, spent about $321,000 lobbying during the first half of this year. The group, which represents long term care providers across the state, successfully advocated for cost-of-living increases to Medicaid reimbursement rates in various health care settings, among other bills.
5. The Oregon Education Association
The Oregon Education Association, the fifth highest spender, reported paying its lobbyists $275,500 between January and June. The state teachers union was a leading supporter of the effort to provide unemployment to striking workers. It did not see similar success on another top priority: pushing lawmakers to make class sizes a mandatory topic of bargaining for all schools.
Leslee Barnes Resigns as Preschool for All Director
Willamette Week | By Joanna Hou
The resignation comes shortly after a WW story revealed that a preschool Barnes owns collected hundreds of thousands of dollars to serve just a handful of children.
Gov. Tina Kotek considering veto of controversial $45M outlay to Willamette Falls Trust
The Oregonian | By Carlos Fuentes
Gov. Tina Kotek announced Thursday that she is considering vetoing a $45 million outlay to the Willamette Falls Trust intended to help the nonprofit, which advocates for public access to Willamette Falls, purchase 60 acres of property near the falls.
Mayor Keith Wilson Orders End to Racial and Gender Preferences in City Programs
Willamette Week | By Asa Gartrell
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson mandated Thursday that the city remove race and gender preferences from about 75 programs and policies in order to keep the $349 million in federal funds it currently manages.
The mayor’s executive order, the first he’s issued since taking office in January, complies with a directive from the Trump administration that cities remove diversity, equity and inclusion goals from all programs or expect federal funding to be revoked.
Appellate court hears arguments in Oregon’s high-stakes legal fight over Trump’s tariffs
The Oregonian | By Matthew Kish
A federal appeals court heard oral arguments Thursday in a high-stakes legal battle that could curb many of President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs, a fight that may ultimately be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The state of Oregon has a leading role in the litigation, heading a group of 12 states that in April filed a lawsuit to overturn many of Trump’s tariffs, broadly arguing that Congress, not the president, has the power to set tariffs.
Embattled GOP Official Responds
Willamette Week | By Nigel Jaquiss
Don Powers, chairman of the Oregon Republican Party in the 6th Congressional District, did not respond to questions for a recent story by the Oregon Journalism Project about allegations that he pocketed the proceeds from a Jan. 20 inauguration party in Washington, D.C. (“Afterparty,” OJP, July 23).
But on July 29, Powers broke his silence, claiming that although invitations labeled the event the “Oregon Republican Party CD6 Presidential Inaugural Ball,” it was in fact “a private event which in the end proved to be the single highest profile event for Oregon conservatives in the state’s history.”
Judge rules Portland denied Gonzalez due process in campaign finance case
The Oregonian | By Julia Silverman, Shane Dixon Kavanaugh
A Multnomah County circuit judge ruled Thursday that the city auditor denied former Portland Commissioner Rene Gonzalez due process after finding he twice broke city campaign finance laws in his 2024 bid for the mayor’s office.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Department store CEO says he’s unsure ‘how long we can continue to operate in Portland’
The Oregonian | By Veronica Nocera
In a community meeting Monday to discuss a proposed homeless shelter in the Pearl District, Mayor Keith Wilson addressed the state of retail in the city. He referenced the high vacancy rate in downtown Portland and news that Fred Meyer will soon close its Gateway store.
Then, he steered attention toward a recent conversation with the CEO of Nordstrom, a luxury department store chain with several locations across the Portland area.
“I met with Erik Nordstrom the other day, and he says, ‘Keith, I don’t know how long we can continue to operate in Portland,’” Wilson said partway through the meeting. “How many of our signature businesses do we have to lose before we say ‘enough, enough, enough’?”
Glass bottle manufacturer to close Portland production facility, lay off 90 workers
KGW | By Alex Jensen
An Ohio-based glass bottle manufacturer is closing its production facility in Northeast Portland. Approximately 90 workers will be laid off as a result of it, according to a WARN notice filed Wednesday.
Beyond Pinot Noir: The Oregon Wines You Need to Know About
The Wall Street Journal | By Lettie Teague
Some years ago I was invited to a dinner party for Oregon natives in suburban New York. The Oregon-born host had erroneously assumed I was Oregonian, because, months earlier, I’d brought a bottle of Oregon Chardonnay to a dinner we’d both attended. It wasn’t a totally outlandish conclusion; Oregon Chardonnay was still fairly obscure outside the Beaver State back then. Happily, such wines are much easier to find today along with Oregon whites like Pinot Gris, Riesling and Grüner Veltliner.
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
Reed College says staffer shared alum's information with FBI, leading to his arrest in connection with ICE protests
KGW | By Evan Watson, Amy Xiaoshi DePaola
Reed College acknowledged Thursday that a staffer shared information on an alumnus with the FBI, leading to the former student's arrest in connection with a protest outside the Portland ICE facility.
112 pounds of meth seized in major drug bust on I-5 in Oregon; 2 arrested
KOIN 6 | By Aimee Plante
More than 100 pounds of drugs were discovered in a car driving down Interstate 5 in Linn County on Wednesday, according to Oregon State Police.
An OSP trooper stopped the car near Albany for what officials say were “multiple traffic violations,” though these violations were not specified.
Democratic Oregon lawmakers push for better investment following tsunami advisory
KGW | By Alma McCarty
In a press release, the two lawmakers are calling for urgent, long-term investments in disaster preparedness and recovery. Although the tsunami did not cause damage, they said it exposed serious vulnerabilities in Oregon's coastal emergency systems and infrastructure.
EDUCATION
Oregon's education overhaul aims to boost student outcomes with targeted goals and funding
KATU | By Vasili Varlamos
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed a package of education bills Thursday morning focused on educational accountability in schools and improving student success.
The four bills introduce new student performance targets for districts, strengthen oversight of educational spending, and expand grant resources for early literacy and high school success.
HOUSING
Average mortgage rate eases again, offering modest relief for home shoppers
Associated Press
The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage eased to where it was three weeks ago, modest relief for prospective homebuyers challenged by rising home prices and stubbornly high borrowing costs.
NATURAL RESOURCES & WILDFIRE
Oregon increasing beaver protections to help salmon, slow wildfires
OPB | By Kristian Foden-Vencil
Oregon just passed its second beaver protection law in as many years. The hope is that a bigger beaver population will help salmon, slow wildfires and also safeguard drinking water.
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