Alexis Amorelli, the state’s foster care ombudsman, was at the state Capitol this January to explain her job to members of the Senate Human Services Committee.
Her role: to be an independent voice for one of Oregon’s more vulnerable populations.
Next to Amorelli on the panel sat a high-ranking official from the Oregon Department of Human Services. The chair of the legislative committee — who invited Amorelli to speak and set the agenda for the hearing — was surprised to see him.
A DHS spokesman said they sent the higher-up solely to help Amorelli.
Advertisement
But his presence next to Amorelli seemed to raise a question: How much of an independent watchdog can she be when she works within the agency she is responsible for investigating?
In this screenshot taken from video from the Oregon state Legislature, Alexis Amorelli, the state’s foster care ombudsman, sits next to Seth Lyon, the chief operating officer for the state’s Department of Human Services.
Screenshot via Oregon State Legislature video
This legislative session, Oregon lawmakers have promised to exert more oversight over state agencies and ensure state taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly. It’s often an episodic effort in the state Legislature, but this year’s effort comes at a time when state agencies serving some of the most at-risk residents have had myriad high-profile struggles; from the Oregon Youth Authority, to the Department of Corrections, to the Department of Human Services. The state’s child welfare system has been particularly beleaguered, having recently settled a multi-million dollar civil suit with promises of lowering rates of maltreatment.
Some lawmakers believe moving Amorelli’s position out from underneath the Department of Human Services to a more independent office could be one move to strengthen accountability. The concept is embodied in Senate Bill 1159.
Advertisement
The current long-term care ombudsman, Fred Steele, made waves after he investigated a state-certified assisted living facility where a woman died after living in the facility’s care for 24 hours. His investigation prompted several legislative hearings and a deeper dive into what is needed systemically to improve care for Oregon seniors.
“If the expectation is the foster care ombudsman can identify systemic concerns, well, the system is DHS, so how do you highlight those concerns like our office did with the regulatory concerns at Mt. Hood Senior Living?” Steele said in an interview with OPB. “We needed to be able to be independent to highlight those concerns and bring it to the public.”
Steele’s investigation and his recommendations were released to the media and prompted several news stories.
Amorelli’s investigations and recommendations are sent to the head of the Oregon Department of Human Services. The recommendations she makes are sent to the agency’s head and not made public. Whether the agency follows through with her suggestions is also not made public.
The word “ombudsman” is derived from the Swedish word meaning “agent” or “representative.” The definition is a public official who is charged with investigating citizen complaints against government agencies. Oregon state lawmakers are currently considering a bill to make the Oregon foster care ombudsman more independent.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Advertisement
Twenty-four states have independent ombudsman offices that specifically handle child welfare issues, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Oregon is not one of them. The group classified Oregon’s program as a “non-independent children’s ombudsman office,” noting it’s established within the child welfare agency.
Until he was fired in November of 2024, Adrian Wulff worked as the ombudsman for the Oregon Department of Corrections, reporting to the governor. Wulff noted that part of the reason why he was fired was not for opening the mail in a timely fashion. He told OPB he had been asking for more support staff and raised many concerns and often received pushback from the Department of Corrections or no response at all from anyone in the executive branch. He noted he was the only ombudsman overseeing the corrections system and had no staff. Oregon’s prison population is around 12,000 people.
“They didn’t want the office to be independent,” Wulff said. “They kneecapped it.”
Wulff said most of his concerns were ignored. He said that he often got no response when writing an email to the governor’s office. One of Wulff’s efforts centered around making it easier for people in custody to connect with their family members. Wulff pushed the state to provide prisoners with free phone calls, similar to other states. Wulff said he spent a year investing in a report, which was never made public because the Department of Corrections didn’t agree with his findings.
Wulff said he consistently shared concerns with Gov. Tina Kotek’s staff. “There was absolute silence on every issue I raised,” Wulff said.
Advertisement
Wulff shared a five-page memo he sent to the governor’s office in March of 2024, with a litany of concerns over what was happening in the state’s prisons.
“I do not know what the best supervisor structure is for this role, but I believe that having the OCO (Oregon Correction Ombudsman) report directly to the governor has contributed to many of the issues discussed in this memo,” he wrote.
He said the governor’s office never responded.
Kotek’s spokeswoman said their office doesn’t agree with Wulff’s characterizations. They noted he had two years worth of mail unopened, about 700 parcels. The current person in the role, Kristina Rice, has streamlined the process by establishing a database and a tracking system, they noted.
“In addition, Ms. Rice has also set up a voicemail as an additional access point for Adults in Custody,” Roxy Mayer, the governor’s spokeswoman. “This work has been conducted with the same amount of resources.”
Advertisement
Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, who is a chief sponsor of Senate Bill 1159, said the bill is currently focused on making the ombudsman for kids independent, but she could see the effort expanding to other state agencies in the future. Gelser Blouin has been critical of the state’s Department of Human Services agency and, in particular, child welfare for years.
“We’re not getting the whole story (from child welfare),” Gelser Blouin said in a legislative hearing last month.
In January, OPB reached out to Amorelli to see if she would be willing to connect on the phone or in person.
“I am so excited to hear from you,” Amorelli responded. “As my position is under the umbrella of the Oregon Department of Human Services, I have contacted communications about this to ensure that I am able to proceed. If I get the green light, I would be happy to chat over the phone or in-person for coffee.”
The next day, Amorelli responded.
Advertisement
“I can offer myself through email to answer questions you may have, at this time,” she said.
A spokesman for the Oregon Department of Human Services said they don’t control or limit the foster care ombudsman from communicating with the public or the media.
“The ombuds may choose to seek support and advice from the ODHS communications team, but the final choice on how to engage with media is up to the ombuds,” Jake Sunderland wrote in an email.
Willamette Week is in the middle of our most important annual fundraiser. As a local independent news outlet, we need your help.
Give today. Hold power to account.
Oregon hit back in the battle over transgender health care Tuesday, leading a coalition of states suing to block a proposed Trump administration policy that would cut off federal funding to institutions that provide gender affirming care to minors.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that rule change Dec. 18, with a declaration that condemned “sex-rejecting procedures” for minors as “neither safe nor effective”—putting the force the the U.S. federal government on the side of a mounting global movement that sees medical interventions, ranging from puberty blockers to hormone therapy to surgery, as plainly inappropriate treatments for youth diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
Advertisement
In the new suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon and 18 other plaintiffs states say the declaration is not only wrong—”research and clinical data support gender-affirming care as a safe and effective treatment for gender dysphoria in adolescents”—but in violation of multiple federal laws.
The declaration violates laws banning the federal government from intervening in certain ways in the practice of medicine, the plaintiffs say. They also argue it violates laws governing how new federal rules are established. And though the declaration says it is issued “pursuant to the authority vested in” HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the plaintiffs say he does not in fact have the authority to declare the standard of medical care in the United States.
The suit also notes the way federal guidance conflict with the laws of certain plaintiff states. For example, Oregon law guarantees that the Oregon Health Plan cover gender-affirming care. If systems like Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health cease to provide this care, the plaintiffs say, patients under the Oregon health plan will lose access to gender-affirming care for which they are statutorily guaranteed coverage.
The legal battle comes as different countries, and U.S. states, issue divergent policies governing medical treatment for transgender youth.
Compounding the confusion is the fact that gender affirming care is a rather capacious term. It can refer to social affirmation of someone’s chosen gender identity, or legal affirmation, where government documents reflect that identity (the Trump administration has moved to restrict this too).
Advertisement
The term can also refer to medical treatments, such as puberty blockers, which are generally reversible, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. It says other treatments like hormone therapy are partially reversible, while surgery is not reversible. The AAP endorses carefully-administered gender-affirming care in minors with gender dysphoria as a way to promote their physical and social well being.
The stakes in this debate are high for Oregon because OHSU has in recent years become a major provider of such care. The university’s press office hasn’t offered details on the scope of its patient base but, in a 2023 report, OHSU described its Transgender Health Program as one of the “largest and most comprehensive” in the United States.
The new Holgate Library opens in Southeast Portland on Saturday, July 13, 2024. The expanded space is now one of largest libraries in Multnomah County.Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
The Multnomah County Library on Tuesday released the names of its most popular books in 2025, and the lists include several gems, including classics by literary giants Jane Austen and (for the under 5 set) Mo Willems.
Multnomah County’s 19 branches together hosted visitors more than 2 million times and checked out or renewed books and other items almost 9 million times so far this year.
Are your favorite books on the lists? Here are the most popular titles as of Dec. 1:
Physical books:
Top adult titles:
James: A Novel by Percival Everett (1,089 checkouts)
Tilt: A Novel by Emma Pattee (1,059 checkouts)
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (1,004 checkouts)
All Fours by Miranda July (973 checkouts)
Intermezzo: A Novel by Sally Rooney (758 checkouts)
Top teen titles:
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (507 checkouts)
The Blue Line Letters by Steven Christiansen (338 checkouts)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (217 checkouts)
Heartstopper. Volume 5. by Alice Oseman (192 checkouts)
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (168 checkouts)
Top kids titles:
The Thank You Book by Mo Willems (636 checkouts)
Pigs Make Me Sneeze!: An Elephant & Piggie Book by Mo Willems (625 checkouts)
My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems (611 checkouts)
Watch Me Throw the Ball! by Mo Willems (569 checkouts)
I Will Surprise My Friend!by Mo Willems (560 checkouts)
E-books and audiobooks (checkouts combined):
Top adult titles:
Solito by Javier Zamora (10,006 checkouts)
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (7,835 checkouts)
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (6,320 checkouts)
Pride and Prejudiceby Jane Austen (4,923 checkouts)
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson (4,824 checkouts)
Top teen titles:
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (3,215 checkouts)
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2,958 checkouts)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (2,902 checkouts)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (2,822 checkouts)
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (1,923 checkouts)
Top kids titles:
Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney (2,814 checkouts)
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (1,923 checkouts)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1,808 checkouts)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling (1,478 checkouts)
Beth Slovic is an editor on the public safety/breaking news team. She previously covered Portland City Hall at The Oregonian/OregonLive and has taught journalism at a number of Portland-area universities and…
Forecasters with the National Weather Service are closely monitoring the windstorm but say it’s still too early to predict how strong those winds will be on Wednesday.
A car is crushed by a fallen tree on Northeast 24th Avenue on Wednesday, Dec. 17., 2025 in Portland.
Advertisement
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
A windstorm packing gusts of up to 65 mph could hit western Oregon and Southwest Washington on Christmas Eve, triggering power outages and downing trees, forecasters and electric utilities warned Monday.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service are closely monitoring the windstorm as it moves up the coast, but say it’s still too early to predict exactly how strong those winds will be on Wednesday.
Gusts of at least 45 miles per hour could pass through much of western Oregon and Southwest Washington between 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
While there is still a lot of uncertainty around the windstorm, now is the time for residents to get ready, said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland.
Advertisement
“People should take precautions such as securing any outdoor decorations, garbage bins, and be prepared for the potential for some localized power outages or tree damage,” she said.
Further south, two winter storms will bring snow and rain to Southern Oregon and northern California this week, just in time for holiday travel.
California’s Siskiyou County will get the brunt of the storms, particularly at higher elevations, starting Tuesday and lasting through Friday.
Heavy snow is expected on mountain passes over 4,500 feet, and some snow could fall on Interstate 5 in the area around California’s Mount Shasta on Friday as the snow level drops, according to the forecast.
Portland General Electric urged residents to prepare an outage plan and get emergency kits ready in case the power goes out. The utility company is also warning people of potential weather hazards like downed power lines.
Advertisement
“You should always assume they are alive,” John Farmer, a spokesperson with PGE, said. “You should never go near them. Don’t touch them. Don’t use a stick or a branch to move. Just stay away.”
Following the heavy rains that plummeted the region last week, the NWS also warns that soils across the state are still really saturated. That, combined with gusty winds, could knock over weakened trees and branches.
Mindy McCartt, a spokesperson with the Oregon Department of Transportation, says their crews are still working to clear up debris left behind by last week’s storms.
“Crews will continue cleanup from the previous storms while also preparing and staffing up for the next potential event,” she said. “If the storm hits as forecast, maintenance crews will be ready to respond as soon as conditions allow.”
McCartt says people who are planning to hit the road this holiday week should take extra precautions. She also recommends checking road conditions before heading out for possible closures or delays.
Advertisement
Sign up today for OPB’s “First Look” – your daily guide to the most important news and culture stories from around the Northwest.
