|
Oregon News
‘Light is stronger than darkness’: Oregon Jewish leaders up security at Hanukkah events after Australia attack
OPB | By Lillian Karabaic
Oregon Jewish groups added security to their Hanukkah celebrations on Sunday, but the largest events in the state still planned to go ahead.
TRANSPORTATION
What's next after Oregon gas tax referendum leaders submit 193,000 signatures?
Statesman Journal | By Anastasia Mason
A group opposed to the gas tax and other costs in Gov. Tina Kotek's transportation package submitted signatures to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office for verification on Dec. 12, moving the referendum effort one step closer to pausing impending cost increases and putting them on the November 2026 ballot.
See photos as gas tax referendum signatures are delivered in Salem
Statesman Journal | By Kevin Neri
No Tax Oregon, led by Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Stayton, and Jason Williams of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon, deliver more than 193,000 signatures for the gas tax referendum to the Oregon Secretary of State's office on Dec. 12 in Salem.
No Tax Oregon leaders submit nearly 200K signatures for referendum on transit funding bill
KATU | By Vasili Varlamos
Chief petitioners behind a campaign to overturn Oregon's recently passed transportation tax increases delivered nearly 200,000 signatures to the Oregon Secretary of State's office Friday afternoon.
Organizers hand-delivered the signatures in a horse-drawn carriage. Petitioners marched several blocks in Christmas-themed outfits with boxes of petitions wrapped as presents.
“We wanted to make a statement that Oregonians aren’t going to be ignored,” said Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr, who helped lead the referendum effort. “This is a gift from Oregonians to the governor and the Democratic majority to say we’re not going to be ignored.”
Republican-led group turns in signatures for anti-tax ballot measure, stalling new funds for ODOT
KGW | By Jamie Parfitt, Blair Best
According to a release from Bruce Starr, a state senator and Republicans' recent pick for Senate minority leader, he and other chief petitioners for the referendum hand-delivered — via horse-drawn carriage — nearly 200,000 signatures to the Oregon Secretary of State's office Friday afternoon.
Starr pointed out that the number of signatures delivered is more than double the required number of 78,116. Signatures must be individually verified by the secretary of state's office before the measure can move forward to the ballot title process.
Oregon tax opponents turn in ‘nearly 200,000′ signatures
OPB | By Dirk VanderHart
Exactly how Kotek and top legislative Democrats will respond to the ballot referral is unclear, but ODOT’s existing vacancies had led few people to expect the mass layoffs – totaling roughly 10% of the agency’s workforce – that the governor warned of this summer.
“I don’t believe that the governor will ultimately fire a bunch of people out of the gate,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, a leader of the No Tax Oregon effort. “I don’t think that makes a lot of sense.”
Kotek’s office said Friday that “cuts to crucial transportation programs are financially unavoidable” now that signatures have been submitted, but also that it would look to avoid near-term impacts.
“The Governor’s guiding principle is to avoid causing immediate service cuts that will impact Oregonians – especially the rural communities, veterans, and people with disabilities who rely on transit," spokeswoman Roxy Mayer said.
Kotek has directed ODOT to continue hiring winter road crews, even as it became clear the ballot referral was likely to qualify.
One major question heading into February’s month-long legislative session: whether Democrats will opt to simply scrap the entire bill and start fresh. That would face pushback from at least some Republicans, and from interest groups that fought for changes that remain in place.
POLITICS
Oregon: No Place to Die
Willamette Week | By Steve Duin
When taxpayers breathe their last in 38 other states, including true-blue California and blood-red Idaho, those state governments have no interest in claiming a share of the savings, retirement accounts, and family homes they leave behind.
Of the dozen states that do, none is so greedy as Oregon.
The Democratic majority in the Legislature is unconcerned that Oregonians in their golden years are advised to leave the state to avoid the tax, and no one is tracking the number who do. In a society where high-speed internet and home delivery of virtually everything have made it easier to live just about anywhere, Oregon is betting that people will, in effect, pay extra to die here. That’s a risky bet when other states—including all that abut Oregon—offer a dramatically cheaper final chapter.
Oregon ethics commission investigating SEIU 503 union leader
Statesman Journal | By Dianne Lugo
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission is investigating whether Service Employees International Union 503 Executive Director Melissa Unger may have violated lobbying law during the 2025 legislative session.
Eight Oregon House Republicans filed the ethics complaint against SEIU Local 503 on June 20, claiming the union representing 72,000 people and more than 22,000 state workers had "knowingly submitted false and misleading constituent testimony" to state lawmakers when they lobbied in support of House Bill 3838.
Marion County commissioner faces ethics violations investigation
Statesman Journal | By Bill Poehler
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted Dec. 12 to investigate Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell for two potential ethics violations that involve whether she used her position to benefit her children.
Ethics commission investigates progressive Portland city councilors over August retreat
The Oregonian | By Jonathan Bach, Shane Dixon Kavanaugh
Oregon ethics officials will investigate whether six Portland city councilors violated public meetings law when they met for a private August retreat.
Steve Dunn asked questions by interviewees for the last time on Your Voice, Your Vote
KATU
Steve Dunn, a fixture at KATU for nearly four decades, is preparing to sign off for the last time.
As he approaches his final day on Dec. 16, Dunn reflected on his career during a special farewell episode of "Your Voice, Your Vote." Colleagues and past interviewees, including U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley and Oregon Sen. Christine Drazan, turned the tables, posing questions to the seasoned journalist.
INSIDE DOUGLAS COUNTY 12.12.25
KQEN
State Senator David Brock Smith talks about the impact of the Secure Rural School legislation that passed out of Congress this week. He also discussed a number of timber management issues.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Oregon factory jobs fall to lowest point in a dozen years
The Oregonian | By Mike Rogoway
Oregon’s manufacturing sector continues its rapid decline with employment down more than 5% in the past year. Newly released state data shows factory employment has fallen below the depths it hit in the dark days of the pandemic recession.
The state had about 177,000 manufacturing jobs in September, the Oregon Employment Department reported last week. That’s the fewest number since December 2013.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, HOMELESSNESS, & DRUGS
Editorial: A battle won, but miles to go in taming Portland’s homelessness crisis
The Oregonian Editorial Board
There’s plenty of work still to be done, from more tightly coordinating with the county to aggressively adding more housing. The city must also collaborate with its nonprofit partners on how to more quickly move income-limited tenants into publicly subsidized affordable housing. A recent story by The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Jonathan Bach and Mongeau Hughes reported that about 1,900 such units are sitting vacant despite long waiting lists and the clear need for housing.
But Wilson’s success in fulfilling his promise provides Portlanders a badly needed boost and hope that the city is finally on an upswing.
How one Portland police unit helps mentally ill people bridge ‘two nearly broken systems’
The Oregonian | By Lillian Mongeau Hughes
At the beginning of each shift, Officer Rachel McDonald and social worker Sarah Scafani go over the list of people they need to find.
The pair are one of five officer-clinician teams who make up the Portland Police Bureau’s highly specialized Behavioral Health Unit.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Utility watchdogs accuse PGE of skirting new law meant to make data centers pay for rising demand
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Alex Baumhardt
Oregon’s largest electrical utility is proposing to make residential customers pay at least part of the long-term cost of supplying large data centers, despite a new law requiring it to charge the centers’ developers, not other customers.
2026 ELECTION
DECISION 2026: One-on-one with gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan
KTVZ | By Harley Coldiron
Former Oregon House Minority Leader and current state senator Christine Drazan brought her campaign for governor to Central Oregon on Friday, outlining her vision for the state and voicing strong opposition to recent tax and fee hikes passed for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).
Legal Challenge Filed Against Ballot Initiative Aimed at Rerouting Climate Tax Dollars to Police
Willamette Week | By Sophie Peel
A group of advocates from local progressive nonprofits has filed a legal challenge to a ballot initiative that would reroute 25% of the money from the Portland Clean Energy Fund tax to hiring 400 additional police officers.
National News
18 states will limit junk food from SNAP benefits next year
KPTV | By Amanda Alvarado
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved waivers for 18 states that ban the use of SNAP benefits to buy certain sugary foods and drinks.
The USDA has been approving SNAP food-choice waivers since May.
Starting in 2026, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Florida, West Virginia, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee will prohibit the use of SNAP benefits to buy items like soda, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts.
California’s new congressional map heads to court; Justice Department says it favors Hispanics
Associated Press
The fight over California’s new congressional map designed to help Democrats flip congressional House seats will go to court Monday as a panel of federal judges considers whether the district boundaries approved by voters last month can be used in elections.
| 
