Oregon
Editorial: In a hole on housing, Oregon just keeps digging
Oregon’s first-in-the-nation statewide rent control legislation didn’t chase away new housing construction after the Legislature adopted the controversial policy in 2019. But one of the biggest worries for rent-control skeptics has always been if lawmakers would leave well enough alone.
The worry is merited. The law started off with a cap on annual rent increases of 7% plus inflation for buildings 15 years or older. But amid spiking inflation, legislators in 2023 added a proviso that such an increase could not exceed 10%.
The backsliding appears to continue this session.
House Bill 3054 would allow rent increases no greater than inflation for those living in manufactured home parks while Senate Bill 722 – largely aimed at banning algorithm-based pricing software by rental companies – includes a provision to remove the rent cap exemption for buildings older than seven years old. Although both stem from good intentions, these short-term Band-Aids carry negative long-term consequences – most notably, a message that the developers and investors needed to reverse the state’s housing deficit should just steer clear of Oregon.
To be fair, legislators are understandably trying to respond to the urgent needs of constituents, many of whom are already struggling to make rent. HB 3054 addresses a particularly vulnerable group – people who own their manufactured homes, but pay rent to the owner of the manufactured home community where they live.
They don’t have the option of easily picking up and moving when faced with the large rent hikes that corporate owners regularly pass along, said Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Southern Jackson County, one of the bill’s chief sponsors. And manufactured homes provide a vital source of affordable housing in a state that needs every bit it can get.
But clamping down on allowable rent also squeezes the mom-and-pop operations that have long tried to keep increases down but are facing soaring insurance, utility charges, maintenance costs and property tax expenses. The likely result? Many have testified that they may end up selling to those same corporate operators or to developers eager for the underlying land – but not the manufactured homes.
SB 722 is less targeted and could ultimately have a broader, negative impact on Oregon’s housing market if it goes through unamended. Currently, Oregon exempts new apartment buildings less than 15 years old from the statewide rent cap, giving investors more confidence about taking on the financial risk of new construction. The bill calls for slashing that exemption period to only seven years – a cut that could dramatically change the value of a building and, with it, the financial calculus for investors and developers.
However, rather than tailor solutions to the problems – perhaps by increasing funding for targeted rent assistance – both bills double down on a law that has received little analysis of its impact on Oregonians. The rent stabilization law, Senate Bill 608, was the first statewide rent control legislation in the country. While outside economists have looked at overall trends, the state has commissioned no review of its effects, the governor’s spokeswoman acknowledged. Such a new approach to addressing our years-old housing crisis should merit far more curiosity and scrutiny than it has.
Anecdotally, however, Oregonians have shared stories of rent hikes that now routinely match the cap, Marsh said. It’s as if the cap has simply become the default – a relatively unsurprising reaction in a market where the state controls the price someone can set, regardless of any change in underlying costs.
Both Marsh and Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Gresham and a chief sponsor of SB 722, told the editorial board they are considering amendments to their bills to address concerns. Marsh is looking at exempting smaller manufactured home communities in an effort to direct the restrictions to larger corporate owners. Gorsek’s bill has two amendments under consideration – one that shortens the exemption period to buildings 10 years and older and a second that drops any change to the exemption. Legislators would be wise to adopt the latter option immediately.
But even if that occurs, legislators must acknowledge that they are broadcasting that Oregon is an unreliable place to do business as its lawmakers don’t grasp or don’t care about the financial considerations that go into making long-term multimillion-dollar investments. Instead, hasty legislation and the lack of any state analysis of how rent stabilization has affected rents reinforces a sense that Oregon governs by feel.
No rent cap, no matter how low, will add the hundreds of thousands of new housing units needed over the next decade. State and local government, despite devoting hundreds of millions of dollars in the past few years to affordable housing construction, can barely make a dent in the hundreds of thousands of units that Oregon must add in the next decade.
Instead, legislators’ reflex is to continually clamp down on what rent stabilization allows. So far, based on comparisons to Washington state, Oregon’s existing 10% cap appears not to have chased away development, economist Mike Wilkerson said. But shifts on that front could easily change the equation.
“This slippery slope is what will actually make investors leery,” he said, adding that they will do “what every rational person is going to do – assume that’s going to continue.”
Oregon’s elected leaders should recognize that tighter rent stabilization provisions won’t lead Oregon out of our housing deficit. It will only dig the hole deeper.
-The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board
Oregonian editorials
Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Therese Bottomly, Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung and John Maher.
Members of the board meet regularly to determine our institutional stance on issues of the day. We publish editorials when we believe our unique perspective can lend clarity and influence an upcoming decision of great public interest. Editorials are opinion pieces and therefore different from news articles.
Video shows rafting Oregon’s iconic Wallowa-Grande Ronde River
Learn about an overnight rafting trip on a famous 40 mile stretch that includes both the Wallowa and Grande Ronde rivers.
The beloved Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest returns for a series of events from June 19 to June 21.
In 1964, this event was founded by four locals to lift community spirits after a tsunami washed out the Elk Creek Bridge. Now, the event draws thousands of tourists and is recognized as the first and oldest sandcastle contest in Oregon.
Registration for the contest is available online through the Cannon Beach events site.
To start off the weekend, contestants can pickup their competition materials from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on June 19.
The same day, Bill Rose will provide a live sandcastle demonstration on the beach off Second Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Then, the kickoff celebration will take place at Steidel Community Hall from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Competition day starts 8:30 a.m. on June 20 when the beach opens for parking. During the time of the contest, parking is allowed in every public parking lot, on the beach and the sides of the street.
The contest will be on the beach west of Ocean Avenue near Madison Street.
The artists can begin crafting their masterpieces at 9 a.m. when the sandcastle building starts. Only natural materials native to the beach can be used.
Final judging takes place at 2 p.m. Judges are looking for team effort, enthusiasm, composition, detail, adherence to the rules and final appearance.
Spectators and competitors can celebrate from 7 to 10 p.m. with s’mores and music on the beach at the west end of Second Street. There is free admission for the party.
For those looking to get their steps in, the weekend wraps up with the Singing Sands 5K Fun Run at 9 a.m. June 21.
Registration for the run is on the beach at the Tolovana Wayside entrance at 8 a.m.
The Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce and Information Center is available to answer any questions at 503-436-2623.
Makenzie Stamets is an outdoor intern at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at mstamets@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @MakenzieStamets.
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 18, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 18 drawing
1PM: 2-7-1-6
4PM: 4-7-3-2
7PM: 3-7-5-1
10PM: 2-1-7-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — A Benton County man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after prosecutors say he held his brother at knifepoint inside their family home, a confrontation that ended with police shooting the wrong person as the victim tried to escape, the Benton County District Attorney’s office said in a media release.
On Thursday, June 18, John Dakota Lyon pleaded guilty to Attempted Kidnapping in the Second Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Coercion, according to a news release from the Benton County District Attorney. He was sentenced to a total of 77 months in prison and two years of post-prison supervision.
The case stems from the morning of Jan. 6, when Maverick Lyon was home visiting his parents during winter break from college. Prosecutors said Dakota Lyon, his brother, was living at the home after recently being released from the Department of Corrections.
In February 2023, Dakota Lyon was sentenced to 58 months in prison for convictions of Attempted Assault in the First Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon, the release said.
On Jan. 6, prosecutors said Dakota Lyon accused Maverick Lyon of conspiring with their father to do harm to him. Dakota Lyon armed himself with a large kitchen knife and, while holding onto Maverick Lyon’s shirt, pulled him throughout the house, implying he would harm him with the knife, according to the district attorney’s office. Despite Maverick Lyon’s pleadings, prosecutors said Dakota Lyon refused to release him or put the knife down.
Prosecutors said Maverick Lyon convinced Dakota Lyon to allow him to grab his own kitchen knife under the guise that they would leave the residence to confront their father together. Their father, who saw and heard what was happening through a surveillance system set up at the home, called 911 to report the crime, the release said.
Multiple Albany Police Department officers arrived and were able to see two men through a back door window, including one with a knife, according to the district attorney’s office. After a brief conversation between officers and the men, prosecutors said Maverick Lyon broke free and rushed out the back door.
The district attorney’s office said Maverick Lyon still had a knife in his hand as he began to break the plane of the door, and officers were standing near the door. Prosecutors said Maverick Lyon began dropping the knife, but officers, fearing for their lives and the lives of other officers, fired their weapons. Maverick Lyon was struck several times.
An earlier Officer Involve Shooting review by the Benton County District Attorney’s Office found the officers’ use of force was justified, the release said.
Officers rendered first aid, and while being treated, Maverick Lyon said, “You shot the wrong guy,” according to the district attorney’s office.
Dakota Lyon was taken into custody without further incident, and the knife he was believed to have been possessing was located near him, prosecutors said. He has been in custody since Jan. 6.
After surgery and a lengthy recovery period, Maverick Lyon “appears to be doing well,” the release said.
The district attorney’s office said methamphetamine may have played a role in Dakota Lyon’s actions. A urine sample taken from him that day tested positive for methamphetamine, and he was known to use methamphetamine in the past and was believed by those close to him to have recently begun using methamphetamine again, according to the release.
“The tragic shooting was a direct result of Dakota Lyon’s actions. As Dakota marched Maverick around the house at knife point, Maverick feared for his life and wanted nothing more but to escape his drug crazed older brother. But for Dakota’s actions, police would not have been called, Maverick would not be a victim of kidnapping, unlawful use of a weapon, and coercion, and the police would not have shot Maverick,” Chief DDA Amie Matusko, who prosecuted the case, said in the release.
At sentencing, Dakota Lyon’s attorney, Christian Strahl, acknowledged Dakota Lyon’s responsibility in Maverick Lyon’s shooting, the release said. Strahl indicated the remorse Dakota Lyon felt, saying Dakota Lyon wished he could have taken the bullets instead of Maverick, according to prosecutors.
“While this sentiment is appreciated, true accountability would be remorse in having raised a knife towards his brother and regret that the lives of Maverick and the family are forever changed,” Matusko said.
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