Oregon
Oregon cities unveil a new poll as they press for stronger anti-camping laws
Oregon cities hoping to win new authority to restrict homeless camps are rushing to convince lawmakers to take their request seriously — and pushing a new poll they say shows change is needed.
A posting is taped near a group of tents in downtown Portland in 2022, giving notice that the area will be swept.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The League of Oregon Cities is circulating data that suggest most voters disapprove of elected officials’ attempts to stem the state’s homeless crisis and support stronger policies to restrict camping.
But the league, which lobbies on behalf of Oregon’s 241 cities, is quickly running out of time. If none of its proposals are scheduled for a future hearing by this Friday, the issue is likely dead for the year.
“We’re working the hallways and the members, and we’re asking to get this scheduled and have that conversation,” said Scott Winkels, a lobbyist at the LOC. “We’re happy to negotiate, but we do need to get this scheduled.”
The leagues’ survey of 800 Oregon voters was conducted by DHM Research from Feb. 26 to March 4. It used phone conversations and text messages that directed voters to an online questionnaire. The margin of error is 3.5%.
Among the findings, highlighted by DHM in a summary document:
- The majority of voters aren’t happy with how officials are tackling homelessness — and take an especially dim view of the state’s efforts. The survey found 68% of respondents didn’t approve of state leaders’ efforts, while 62% disapproved of local leaders.
- 59% of voters support a ban on camping in public places, even if shelter space isn’t available. That wasn’t true of Democratic respondents or young voters, two groups that signaled they opposed such a policy.
- Three-quarters of voters said they supported laws that allow cities to remove camps after giving a warning to residents of the camp — a practice that is currently allowed.
- And a broad majority of respondents supported restricting camps on playgrounds (85%), near public schools (84%), and on sidewalks (78%). Voters also overwhelmingly support policies requiring campers to pick up trash in their encampments, with 95% of respondents signaling support for such a policy.
Winkels said Monday the results are a stark sign that voters are fed up with the status quo.
But homeless advocates who oppose stricter camping restrictions saw nothing new in the data.
“This polling confirms what we already know: Oregonians are frustrated with their elected leaders at all levels over the homelessness crisis,” said Sybil Hebb, director of legislative advocacy at the Oregon Law Center, which represents houseless residents. “And Oregonians support current law, which already allows cities to set reasonable limits on camping in public spaces and sweep camps with notice.”
The poll is the latest salvo in an ongoing debate over how the state should regulate homeless camping. It follows a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court last year that the southern Oregon city of Grants Pass didn’t violate the U.S. Constitution with its anti-camping policy.
The opinion in Johnson v. Grants Pass tossed out earlier appeals court rulings that blocked local and state governments from banning camping if they couldn’t offer alternatives like shelter. In doing so, the court freed up western states controlled by those earlier rulings to more forcefully regulate camps.
Many have done just that, but little has changed in Oregon.
That’s because of a 2021 bill pushed by Gov. Tina Kotek when she served as House speaker. The bill set a new standard for when and how cities can sweep. Under the law, cities risk being sued if their policies are not “objectively reasonable,” a term that is not defined in statute.
Cities have said for months they would make rolling back the 2021 law a central goal of this year’s session. They say the policy doesn’t give them enough certainty on what kinds of policies they’re allowed to pass, and creates an ever-present risk of a lawsuit.
An attempt in Portland to ban camping between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. spurred a lawsuit from the Oregon Law Center. Before the case could play out, Portland withdrew its policy and introduced a scaled-back proposal.
Grants Pass has also been sued over its camping policies under the 2021 law.
Both Republicans and Democrats have spoken in favor of loosening Oregon’s rules — and there are plenty of bills in this year’s session aimed at allowing local governments to sweep camps more quickly. None have garnered a hearing.
The proposal favored by the League of Oregon Cities would require anyone suing a city over camping rules to state specifically why the policy is not “objectively reasonable.”
It would also allow local governments to avoid lawsuits for policies that ban camping on public property between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. And it would give cities explicit authority to ban camping next to places like a city hall, fire station, library, public park or highways; or within 300 feet of a business, 500 feet of a homeless shelter and 1,000 feet of a childcare facility.
Winkels says those provisions are merely meant to be a menu of options.
“An ordinance isn’t going to contain that entire laundry list, but the ordinances are going to be tailored towards the local conditions,” he said. “So there are plenty of places where camping near a city hall in certain hours is going to be perfectly fine.”
Not every city is on board with the push for more regulation. Notably, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson has said isn’t looking for a change to state law.
Neither are many Democrats with a say in housing policy. State Rep. Pam Marsh, an Ashland Democrat who chairs the House committee on housing, has said repeatedly she sees no need to roll back current law.
And House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, said Monday that, while she’s not opposed to discussing what “reasonable” means under state law, existing policies give cities plenty of power.
“Cities can and are making sweeps right now of homeless camps,” Fahey said. “They are allowed to set rules that are reasonable within their environment.”
With possible opposition in the House, cities and their allies are looking to state Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene. Prozanski chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, where one bill to change state laws on camping currently sits. Asked Monday whether he plans to take up the matter, Prozanski was noncommittal.
“I’ve got cities that are for it and cities that are against it,” he said. “It’s not scheduled yet.”
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Oregon officials asked the public to help find a two-year-old boy who went missing from Portland last Wednesday, June 17.
The Oregon Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Division, is asking the public to help find Armani Andrews and call 911 or local law enforcement if they believe they saw him.
Armani is believed to be in danger and is suspected to be in Portland, around any of the following areas: Rose Haven, Multnomah County Central Library, or Southeast Portland around 82nd-103rd.
Armani is a two-year-old Black/mixed race baby. He is about 24 inches tall, he has brown hair, brown eyes, and his weight is unknown.
If contacting Portland Police Bureau about Armani, reference the case number: #PP185430
The report number for Armani with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Report is: 2093182
ODHS said in a statement when a child is missing, they may be in significant danger and the department “may need to locate them to assess and support their safety.”
KATU News reached out to ODHS to clarify whether there is a custody aspect to the missing child’s case. The department said they are unable to provide that information.
Armani Andrews with Mother Rashonda Andrews/ODHS photos
You can report suspected child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). The toll-free number allows anyone to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and every day of the year.
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KATU News included photographs of Armani to help the public identify and find him.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — President Donald Trump campaigned on carrying out what he called the largest deportation operation in American history.
After taking office, his administration quickly ramped up immigration enforcement. Border czar Tom Homan also pledged to focus on so-called sanctuary cities, including Portland. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, more than 675,000 people were deported in 2025, while the agency says more than 2 million people “self-deported.”
READ ALSO | Supreme Court hands Trump immigration wins, but birthright citizenship might be different
In Oregon, state data shows state and local agencies experienced a 265% increase in immigration-related requests from federal authorities last year.
So what does that mean for Oregon’s economy?
The state’s chief economist says the effects are beginning to emerge.
Carl Riccadonna, Oregon’s state economist, said immigration enforcement actions are influencing consumer spending and activity across several key industries, though the state cannot yet quantify the overall impact.
“What we’re seeing in terms of immigration action is playing out in either consumption patterns, which we’ve seen in some communities, or in industrial or sectoral activity,” Riccadonna said. “This does then have implications for how we are reading the overall macroeconomy and putting together that revenue forecast.”
Portland police officers walk outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Riccadonna said the effects extend beyond agriculture, an industry that has historically relied on immigrant labor.
“We have certainly, in sector-by-sector analysis, we’re hearing evidence of impacts from immigration in consumption numbers, so retail, groceries, those sorts of things,” Riccadonna said. “There are also significant impacts in the retail sector and leisure and hospitality, restaurants and construction, important legacy industries of Oregon like timber, forestry … and manufacturing has a very large footprint as well.”
While the state is seeing those trends, Riccadonna said economists cannot yet calculate exactly how much immigration enforcement has affected Oregon’s economy.
“We haven’t done an exercise to say, well, this is what the forecast would have been otherwise. We don’t produce counterfactuals … but there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence from the cherry harvest this past summer and stresses elsewhere throughout those specific sectors,” he said.
National data offers additional context.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the recent immigration surge — which the report says mostly comprises immigrants who were not lawful permanent residents, were not eligible to apply for lawful permanent residency based on their current status, and were not admitted on a temporary basis under the Immigration and Nationality Act — generated approximately $10 billion in state and local tax revenue in 2023. During that same period, governments spent nearly $19 billion on services such as schools, shelters and border security.
A damaged car is seen as law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
The Congressional Budget Office also projects the immigration surge that began in 2023 will increase the U.S. labor force by approximately 5.8 million people by 2034 and boost the nation’s economic output by nearly $9 trillion over the next decade.
Riccadonna said Oregon expects to gain a clearer picture of the economic effects as more tax and revenue data becomes available.
This story is part of KATU’s “The Cost of the Crackdown” special, which examines how increased immigration enforcement is affecting Oregon, from businesses and workers to the state’s broader economy.
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