Oregon
Housing plans from Oregon Gov. Kotek, lawmakers take shape
Top Oregon leaders have been clear for months that the 2024 short legislative session will focus on housing and behavioral health. With the start of session just weeks away, housing proposals have begun to take shape.
Gov. Tina Kotek announced Wednesday she plans to introduce just one bill, a $500 million package of incentives and policy changes intended to spur a dramatic increase in homebuilding. Economists estimate Oregon is 140,000 homes short of current demand and needs to build more than 440,000 new homes within the next 20 years to keep pace with expected future demand.
Kotek’s 69-page bill includes a host of changes, including a revised attempt to make it easier for cities to annex more land for housing. She was unable to convince enough of her fellow Democrats to support a similar proposal on the final day of the 2023 session, leading to a rare defeat on the Senate floor.
Meanwhile, state lawmakers last week previewed some of their own proposals to address housing and homelessness during committee presentations. Lawmakers will continue vetting the different plans during the 35-day session that begins Feb. 5.
Kotek’s plan
Kotek’s proposal is the only bill she’ll introduce this year, signaling the governor’s continued focus on housing and homelessness. The crisis was a keystone of her campaign and her years as speaker of the Oregon House, where she championed a law praised by the White House and urban developers that effectively ended single-family zoning in the state.
“Decades of underbuilding have left Oregon with a severe housing shortage that is driving up rents, home prices and worsening our homelessness crisis,” she said in a statement. “People that are ready to transition out of homelessness struggle to find housing. Meanwhile, employers – both public and private – in Oregon struggle to hire due to a lack of workforce housing for rent or purchase, harming local economies across the state.”
Key to her latest plan is a one-time loosening of state land use laws to make it easier for cities to add housing. Oregon’s unique decades-old land use laws protect fertile farmland and the state’s stunning mountains, forests and high desert from the type of urban sprawl common in other Western states, but critics say the state’s laws make it too difficult to build homes and contribute to a lack of affordable housing.
Under current state law, cities must apply to the state to expand their urban growth boundaries, the invisible lines around a city that dictates where and how it can grow. It’s an expensive, time-consuming process.
Kotek’s proposal would allow cities with more than 25,000 residents to add up to 150 acres to their urban growth boundaries and cities with fewer residents to add up to 75 acres outside of the normal expansion process, as long as they meet certain criteria. Cities that choose to add land would need to demonstrate that they needed affordable housing and that currently available land isn’t enough to build the needed homes.
Additionally, at least 30% of the homes built in expansion areas would need to be legally restricted for affordable housing. Any site larger than 15 acres would also need a plan that includes a mix of housing, including “middle housing” like duplexes, triplexes and small apartments, as well as options for transit and walking and space for recreation and small-scale goods and services, such as neighborhood grocery markets.
Kotek’s plan also calls for creating the Housing Accountability and Production Office within the Department of Land Conservation and Development to collaborate with local governments on building housing and complying with state laws.
Her $500 million request includes $5 million to establish the new office. The rest of the money includes:
- $200 million for grants or loans to cities or tribal councils to help pay for infrastructure to build housing for low- or moderate-income families.
- $200 million for loans for developers of housing for Oregonians who earn too much to qualify for affordable housing subsidies but too little to afford market-rate homes.
- $40 million in grants or loans for cities or tribal councils to purchase land for affordable or middle-income housing.
- $20 million for grants to developers for homes that will use only electricity for cooking and heating instead of natural gas, which causes harmful emissions.
- $15 million to help local governments plan for housing and infrastructure.
New support for middle-income housing
Lawmakers including Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City and a member of Kotek’s Housing Production Advisory Council, are fine-tuning plans to build more homes for middle-income Oregonians.
The House and Senate committees focused on housing heard presentations last week about a proposed statewide revolving loan fund to spur construction of homes affordable to people earning about 80% to 120% of the median income in their area. Currently, the cost of building a home is too high relative to the rent or sales prices for housing that’s affordable for the median household in many parts of the state, ECONorthwest President and CEO Lorelei Juntunen told lawmakers. That means that developers either build homes that cost too much for the average Oregonian or opt not to build at all.
“In Oregon, underproduction is a big enough issue that even middle-income households really struggle to find affordable housing,” she said. “The solution for middle-income households is to build more housing.”
The median income varies throughout the state. In most rural counties, workforce housing would be targeted at individuals earning between about $32,000 and $64,000 annually or a family of four earning between about $45,000 and $90,000 annually. In Portland, an individual homebuyer would make between about $48,000 and $96,000 annually and a family of four would earn about $68,000 to $136,000.
The proposal for the revolving loan fund would allow cities to select projects and apply for a loan from the state that includes a subsidy of about $15,000 to $35,000, lowering the cost of the home. Local governments would repay the loan by giving up their tax revenue on the new property for 10 years.
The Oregon Capital Chronicle is a professional, nonprofit news organization. We are an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Capital Chronicle retains full editorial independence, meaning decisions about news and coverage are made by Oregonians for Oregonians.
Oregon
Timeline video traces SB 1008’s impact on Oregon juvenile justice, viewers can watch now
Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
Oregon
New Jersey man sentenced in Oregon federal court for conspiring to distribute fentanyl
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
Oregon
4 Takeaways From Oregon State Baseball’s Run At The Eugene Regional
Oregon State’s season came to an end in Eugene on Sunday evening, after a rocky 7th inning doomed them against the 11th-ranked Oregon Ducks. The Beavers put up a valiant effort to try and fight their way back from the loser’s bracket, but they couldn’t accomplish this incredible feat that they pulled off in 2025.
A Bad Start Changed Everything
Winning the first game of a regional is almost a must if you want to advance, and this is where things started to go south.
After a nearly two-week layoff (since they didn’t have a conference tournament), OSU’s bats were rusty against a very solid left-hander in WSU’s Nick Lewis. Though the Beavers were able to put up a run early on, Lewis rolled with the punches and ended up throwing a complete game against the country’s seventh-ranked team. Though their bats came to life the next day, the uphill climb proved to be too much.
Pitching Wasn’t the Issue
Oregon State came into this tournament with the nation’s best ERA, and their starting rotation was exactly as advertised.
After a good outing from Kleinschmit on Friday afternoon, Eric Segura threw a 6.2 inning gem in an elimination game against Yale. True freshman Trey Morris threw 117 pitches in the rout of WSU early Saturday, and Wyatt Queen was excellent against the Ducks off of short rest later that evening.
The Power Just Wasn’t There
In today’s era of baseball where starting pitchers are so talented, it’s crucial to have guys that can get you runs with just one swing of the bat, especially when the man on the hill is striking a lot of people out.
Throughout the entirety of this season, the Beavers have not been a club that hits for much power, and this makes things difficult in the postseason. In four games across the Eugene regional, Oregon State didn’t hit a single ball out of the park. In 2026 they only hit a total of 55 homers, a stark contrast from the 107 of 2025’s Omaha year.
They Ran into a Good Team With a Deep Pitching Staff
In Mark Wasikowski’s tenure with the Ducks, his team’s pitching has often been a crutch that holds them back from big postseason runs. This certainly doesn’t seem to be the case this year.
Throughout the regional that they hosted, Oregon starters looked nearly untouchable. Will Sanford struck out 14 batters and didn’t allow a run against Washington State. Yesterday against the Beavers, left-hander Miles Gosztola was phenomenal, bouncing back after allowing a run in the second inning. The Ducks also have great relievers in guys like Tanner Bradley and Devin Bell. With a lot of reliable arms to go to, it would’ve been difficult to beat Oregon twice.
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