After years of negotiations, Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Division, or Oregon OSHA, released a set of proposed changes that will tighten health and safety standards in farmworker housing.
Some farmworker advocacy groups say the proposed changes fall short of what they were asking for. At the same time, groups representing farm owners say the rules go too far, and will likely put an undue financial burden on employers and could lead to a reduced workforce during peak harvest seasons.
This undated image supplied by the Oregon Law Center shows a farmworker housing unit next to an orchard at a Wasco County farm. Farmworker advocates say they’ve asked Oregon OSHA to require houses be a certain distance away from fields out of caution from pesticide drift.
Courtesy of Oregon Law Center
Advertisement
Oregon farmworker housing standards are “alarmingly outdated”, according to advocates. The last time Oregon OSHA received input from farmworker groups and growers was in 2008 during a rulemaking process.
The office did make adjustments to housing standards in 2018 and during the COVID pandemic, according to Mark Peterson, the public information and communications director at the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, which houses Oregon OSHA. Farm owners usually recruit seasonal or year-round workers to harvest or do other labor that may not be possible with machine equipment. Martha Sonato, a state legislative and policy advocate for Oregon Law Center, said workers, many of whom are Latino, tend to live in owner-provided housing because it’s more affordable than renting nearby.
As of August, there were 508 registered farmworker housing sites, according to Oregon OSHA. Advocates say those housing units vary in living conditions, but they say a lot of the buildings lack flushable indoor toilets, proper food storage or cooking facilities. Sonato says some of them don’t have laundry machines and some tend to be overcrowded.
“Everybody deserves a place that is healthy and safe and that they can live with dignity,” Sonato said. “And unfortunately our housing market is so unaffordable that it really leaves a lot of people with very limited options.”
‘We are souls in the dark’: Farmworkers share Oregon housing challenges in new state report
Advertisement
Some of the improvements Sonato said they’ve asked for include updates to electrical, septic, water and plumbing systems in employer-provided housing. Sonato also said they’ve asked the agency to require that housing be located a certain distance away from fields and potential pesticide drift.
“In agricultural labor housing, we do have families with children that are playing outside and there is that possibility that they may be exposed to pesticide,” Sonato said.
Improvements aimed at protecting agricultural workers
Oregon OSHA attempted to address shortcomings of farmworker housing earlier this month, when officials released a draft of proposed changes. The draft updated requirements for farmworker housing, such as including private changing rooms near showers. The proposal would require farm owners to test drinking water for arsenic and nitrates and increase the number of sinks and toilets per person.
The office has also suggested creating a seasonal agricultural labor housing surveying program to increase Oregon OSHA’s ability to evaluate housing conditions. But that would hinge on a budget request from lawmakers during the 2025 state legislative session.
Heat wave puts Oregon farmworkers in tough financial position, advocates say
Advertisement
While Sonato said she appreciates some of the changes, she said the proposed updates fall short of what she and other farmworker advocacy groups were asking for.
For instance, she takes issue with the number of toilets provided. The draft rules call for one toilet per 10 occupants, the rules also allow for portable toilets. Farmworker groups also disagree with the requirements around kitchens, which still allow for them to be outdoors, provided they are screened. There’s also no mention of requiring the houses be built away from fields.
This undated image, provided by the Oregon Law Center, was taken by a farmworker outreach worker during a routine visit to a Wasco County farm. Advocates point to the makeshift outdoor kitchen with gas burners as an example of inadequate facilities to prepare food, and something they’re urging Oregon OSHA to address.
Courtesy of Oregon Law Center
“It’s a missed opportunity,” Sonato said. “As a state, we can always be more protective, even if in other states, we don’t see rules that are what we would consider strong.”
On the other hand, Jenny Dresler, a spokesperson with Oregon Farm Bureau, an advocacy group for farmers and ranchers, said farm owners see eye-to-eye with advocates on some of the changes.
Advertisement
“That was our goal throughout this whole process,” she said. “Our other goal was to make sure that this was feasible and could be implemented. And that we weren’t further shuttering family farms.”
However, Dresler said many of the changes are ambiguous. She said the requirements that are clear, like providing 50 square feet of space per bunkbed in a bedroom, up from 40 square feet, will be costly, and likely lead to a reduction in the available housing stock, which would lead to fewer workers.
“With Oregon’s regulatory landscape, it’s not like you can go and rebuild that housing, especially when you’re in an orchard or when you’re surrounded by other farms or when there is no community based housing available in the area,” Dresler said. “So it’s not like you just have an opportunity to go and rebuild that housing.”
A tale of 2 workers: Heat deaths on the job provoke differing responses in Oregon, Idaho
While Oregon OSHA will plan to make $5 million available through the Oregon Department of Agriculture to assist farm owners, Dresler said that’s a drop in the bucket.
Advertisement
“Five million dollars and as we know, in 2024 does not go nearly as far as you would need,” she said. “And so it’s going to be really important that the agency understands the total universe of costs that have been proposed in the draft.’
Oregon OSHA is making plans to hold a public hearing on the proposed changes both in English and Spanish, but the agency hasn’t scheduled it yet. If the proposed changes are approved, they will be phased in through 2027.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
Advertisement
The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
Advertisement
Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
Advertisement
UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
Sign up today for OPB’s “First Look” – your daily guide to the most important news and culture stories from around the Northwest.
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.
Advertisement
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
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.
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.”
Advertisement
“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.
Advertisement
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.
