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Oregon News
POLITICS
Democrats fought hard for Oregon’s road tax hikes. Why they’re now effectively silent as voters decide
The Oregonian | By Carlos Fuentes
After months of heated political debate, Oregonians next month will vote on whether to raise taxes to help the state and local governments fix roads and upgrade transportation infrastructure.
Yet none of the politicians or groups who forcefully argued that the tax hikes were necessary in the first place – including unions that represent transportation service workers, top Democratic lawmakers or Gov. Tina Kotek – have mounted any organized campaign to persuade voters to uphold them.
With six weeks left before the May election, no political action committee has been created to support the measure, and no money has been raised to advocate for its passage.
The lack of campaigning comes after Kotek and top Democrats spent much of the last year advocating for new funding streams for the state transportation department, ultimately pushing through the tax hikes as a temporary solution during a special session last fall after a comprehensive funding plan collapsed during the 2025 session.
But now that the tax hikes are before voters, some Democratic leaders say they are looking past the election and are more focused on next year’s session, when lawmakers are expected to again try to broker a long-term transportation funding deal.
“I’m voting yes, but it’s one of those situations where we’re looking forward,” said Rep. Susan McLain, a Democrat from Forest Grove who leads multiple transportation committees. “What we’re concentrating on is going forward in a bipartisan way to make sure that we can all agree on what those funding mechanisms are.”
Republicans say the reason Democrats are staying quiet about the measure is more obvious.
“We are very confident it’s going to be defeated, because the Oregon people are against it and they were pretty outraged by the governor’s behavior around it,” Diehl said, citing the overwhelming amount of written testimony submitted to lawmakers opposing the tax hikes and the success of the referendum campaign.
Oregon Gov. Kotek signs bill loosening restrictions for farm stands, propping up 'agritourism'
KGW | By Thomas Shults
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Wednesday signed a bill loosening regulations for "agritourism" operations across the state — meaning farms that have tourism attractions, such as pumpkin patches, corn mazes, berry picking or Christmas tree farms.
Oregon governor signs slew of bills protecting immigrants amid federal crackdown
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Mia Maldonado
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed eight bills into law Thursday defending immigrant rights as the Trump administration ramps up federal immigration enforcement.
Oregon, a sanctuary state, already has some of the most comprehensive immigration protection laws.
Report on alleged ethics violations by Rep. Greg Smith could be delayed until after primary
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Alex Baumhardt
A longtime state representative who’s implicated in multiple ethics investigations secured a time waiver that will ensure officials won’t rule on one of those investigations at least until May primary ballots are out, and potentially not until after the election.
HB 4145 Is Law.
Oregon Firearms Federation
Tina Kotek has (finally) signed HB 4145. It’s hard to quantify the importance of this victory.
Not only did the Republicans manage to kill the worst parts of that bill, they somehow forced the very anti-gun Senate President, Robert Wagner, to author the amendment that fixed it, and they got the pathologically anti-gun Senator Lisa Reynolds to carry it on the Senate floor. A double humiliation for the Democrats.
In Hillsboro, petition seeks pause on new data centers amid energy and farmland concerns
KATU | By Jennifer Singh
Washington County has grown to become a major data center hot spot in Oregon, and as the demand for energy continues to grow, a group of residents are pushing back against further expansion.
Kotek says she trusts AG to review courthouse immigration arrest ‘in a strong fashion’
The Oregonian | By Yesenia Amaro
Gov. Tina Kotek said all law enforcement officers should be trained on Oregon’s sanctuary law following an immigration arrest last month inside the Marion County courthouse that may have violated state law and judicial guidelines.
Multnomah County unanimously approves ordinance expanding sanctuary protections
KPTV | By Spencer Schacht
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved an ordinance that codifies and expands the county’s sanctuary protections, setting formal limits on cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement.
Prosper Backtracks on Committee Facilitator After Controversy Over Pick
Willamette Week | By Sophie Peel
Prosper Portland executive director Cornell Wesley announced Wednesday night that the agency had withdrawn its choice of facilitator for a community advisory committee after backlash over the pick.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Troutdale plant to close, eliminate 65 jobs
The Oregonian | By Matthew Kish
Nelson Global Products will close its Troutdale plant and eliminate 65 jobs.
The company expects the layoffs will be complete by Sept. 30, it said in a notice to state workforce officials.
Mortgage rates ease after rising five weeks in a row
Associated Press
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate eased this week, a modest relief for prospective homebuyers who have been facing higher borrowing costs as mortgage rates climbed to the highest level in nearly seven months.
Eastern Oregon wheat farmers say rising costs are pushing them into the red
KGW | By Libby Dowsett
The prices of fuel, fertilizer and global market pressures leave some producers fearing they could lose their farms.
HOMELESSNESS
Washington County to open controversial homeless pod
KATU | By Victor Park
Washington County is planning for another tiny home village to tackle the homeless crisis.
Other tiny home pods, otherwise known as safe rest villages, have sparked controversy, and the new one near Southwest 209th and Tualatin Valley Highway in Aloha is no different.
“[I am] concerned about the safety of our neighborhood and the placement of the shelter and the lack of checks,” Melissa Elliott, a resident at Reeds Crossing, the up-and-coming Hillsboro neighborhood across from where the homeless pod is going up.
“We have two elementary schools that are walking distance from where the shelter's going to be. And we want to make sure that when those folks are coming into those pods, they're getting checked. We want a background check,” she said.
Complaints from homeless Portlanders more than doubled in 2025, auditors say
KOIN 6 | By Jashayla Pettigrew
Among the hundreds of complaints filed with Portland’s Ombudsman last year, auditors found a surge in those submitted by individuals experiencing homelessness.
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
Immigration arrests in the Northwest have dropped significantly, but people without criminal records are still vulnerable
OPB | By Troy Brynelson
An analysis of Homeland Security immigration arrest data shows that between January and early March 2026, nearly 900 people were detained in Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
Woman says man threw items, then groped her on MAX train after boarding at Pioneer Square
KATU | By Jeff Kirsch
A man arrested on sex abuse and other charges admitted to groping a female passenger because he was “attracted to her,” according to court documents obtained by KATU.
NATURAL RESOURCES, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Oregon’s snowpack just broke a terrifying record, and the consequences could be devastating this summer
The Oregonian | By Lizzy Acker
Oregon’s warm winter may be over, but the fallout of the snow drought that gripped the West is just beginning.
Conservation groups hold public meetings on forest protections after feds won’t
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Alex Baumhardt
Federal officials announced in August they would terminate a 25-year-old rule protecting from development on nearly 60 million acres of forests, including 2 million in Oregon.
2026 ELECTION
Candidates set for Oregon GOP Gov. debate
KOBI
Nearly a month from the May primary, the first major GOP gubernatorial debate is a week away. We’ve now learned that only four candidates will be on the stage.
The top candidates for the party’s nomination for governor will meet on Thursday, April 16, in Hillsboro.
The four candidates participating are 2022 nominee and state Senator Christine Drazan, retired pro basketball player and 2010 Republican nominee Chris Dudley, Salem state Representative Ed Diehl, and Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell.
The debate can be viewed on the Oregon Republican Party’s YouTube page.
‘Rules of the road’: Ahead of election season, ODOT warns against campaign signs
KOIN 6 | By Becca Yanez
The Oregon Department of Transportation wants to remind the public about campaign sign rules as the May elections approach.
Placing campaign signs along state highways on the right-of-way. If a sign is placed there then ODOT will take the sign down and hold it for 30 days. Reclaimed signs can be found here.
Voters will decide on 5 more years of funding for Oregon history
The Oregonian | By Lizzy Acker
County residents will decide in May whether to renew the five-year levy, Measure 26-261, which would maintain a 5-cent per $1,000 of assessed value property tax that supports the Oregon Historical Society as well as the East County Historical Organization, Gresham Historical Society, Troutdale Historical Society and Crown Point Country Historical Society.
The measure does not raise taxes, but continues an existing tax.
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