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Oregon GOP hailed end to Democrats’ ‘supermajority’ but will that matter much?
Republicans might not have gained as many seats as they had hoped in the November election, but they won enough to prevent Democrats from raising taxes without Republican support. They bragged about that on social media and in statements, saying it means they can block new tax proposals in the upcoming session. “Oregonians spoke in […]
Thousands of Oregonians vote against psilocybin centers
Thousands of voters across Oregon have decided to ban or block the rollout of psilocybin treatment centers. But two counties bucked that trend: In Deschutes and Jackson counties, voters rejected the proposed bans and chose to move ahead with Measure 109, which passed statewide in 2020 and legalized the limited use of psilocybin in state-regulated […]
BOLI runoff pits former state lawmaker against civil rights attorney
There’s at least one point on which the two candidates for commissioner of Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries agree: Oregon voters aren’t always familiar with the work of the state agency – which, if you know it at all, you know by its acronym, BOLI. “This is not the easiest office to run for, […]
Oregonians face low barriers to voting
Ben Morris likes to say voting is in Oregon’s DNA. “We were the first state to create the ballot initiative process over 100 years ago,” said Morris, communications director for Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. “We were among the first states to let women vote during the suffrage movement.” And, of course, Oregon pioneered […]
Oregon needs thousands of construction, government workers to close housing gap
Oregon’s housing shortage is worse today than it was before the start of the Covid pandemic, a state economist told lawmakers Wednesday during a hearing to discuss ways of easing the statewide crunch. The shortage of affordable housing has a big impact: Oregon has one of the highest homeless rates in the U.S., with more […]
Many Oregonians will have to vote again on psilocybin
On a recent Monday evening, as a heatwave broiled Philomath, elected officials debated what’s been a hot topic this summer throughout Oregon cities and counties: Should they opt out of Measure 109, the initiative legalizing limited use of the hallucinogen psilocybin, before it goes into effect next year? Measure 109, which was approved by voters […]
Lawsuit on state’s management of forestland moves to Oregon Supreme Court
Linn and 12 other counties have asked the Oregon Supreme Court to review a ruling reversing a $1.1 billion verdict in a case over the state’s management of forestland and revenue from timber harvests. The appeal to the state’s highest court, filed last Wednesday, comes in the wake of an April decision from the Oregon […]