An upscale Oregon city has been ordered to lift a controversial ban prohibiting locals from using its public lake following a 12-year legal battle.
A Clackamas County Circuit Court judge ruled on Monday the City of Lake Oswego must immediately remove no trespassing signs and other obstacles currently blocking the body of water.
‘Defendant City of Lake Oswego is immediately prohibited from enforcing its exclusionary lake use policy,’ Judge Kathie Steele wrote in a ruling obtained by The Oregonian.
‘(The city) is ordered to take steps necessary to provide for reasonably safe public access from the Millennium Park Plaza property within 120 days.’
Lake Oswego’s 12-mile shoreline is mainly surrounded by private residents with private docks that grant them access.
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Many of them are members of the Lake Oswego Corporation, a defendant in the case that manages the lake and has been opposing public access.
The corporation was sued alongside the city by open water swimming enthusiast Todd Prager and another local kayaker.
The City of Lake Oswego has been ordered to allow public access to its private pond following a ruling by a judge
Lake Oswego Corporation, headed by president Mark Harnish (pictured), also opposed the access for the lake
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‘I’m thrilled that the public has finally regained access to this unique and important public resource,’ Prager told The Oregonian.
‘I hope the public responsibly enjoys their immediate right to access the lake.’
The Lake Oswego Corporation had attempted to argue that the lake had been altered so much over the year by dams and canals that it could technically be reclassified as a dam.
On the corporation’s website, Vice President Doug Woodcock states: ‘It has been a privilege to live on Oswego Lake for over 30 years and I take the board’s mission to preserve and protect the lake very seriously.’
‘I am an ardent advocate of Oswego Lake,’ member Katy Brown notes. While I am proud to represent all neighbors of the lake, my priority is the lake itself and the commitment and work it takes to keep this community treasure healthy.’
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However, another judge ruled that the original body of water was public when Oregon was settled, which mean public access doctrines are applicable.
Steele’s decision comes after previous rulings including a jury trial also sided with the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit was brought by local open water swimming enthusiast Todd Prager
The ruling overturns the current situation at the lake which means that only residents of the ritzy private homes lining the lake’s shoreline get access to the water
Lake Oswego corporation is made up of members, many of whom own homes along the lake’s shoreline which give them access. Pictured: Vice President Doug Woodcock and member Katharyn Thompson
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However, the judge stopped short of ordering access at all points of the lake after she deemed some areas to be unsafe.
City officials have forked out more than $1 million in legal fees since the lawsuit began.
Spokeswoman Madison Thesing said the ruling is ‘an important milestone’ and confirmed that the council would meet to discuss it.
‘The city is taking a deliberate and thoughtful approach in assessing next steps with its legal and operational teams,’ she said.
The city has previously appealed rulings, but has not confirmed whether it will in this case.
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DailyMail.com has contacted the city and Lake Oswego Corporation for comment.
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Posh Oregon city humiliated by judge after trying to ban visitors from using its public lake
PORTLAND, Ore. — A man accused of killing several women and dumping their bodies in the Portland area was arraigned Wednesday on a fifth murder charge.
Jesse Calhoun’s defense attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in a Portland courtroom where victims’ family members were present. The hearing, during which Calhoun remained silent, came after he was indicted last week on the most recent second-degree murder charge over the death of Ashley Real, 22, in 2023.
Calhoun has now been charged with five counts of second-degree murder for five victims, along with four counts of abuse of a corpse. The victims’ bodies were found over multiple months in early 2023, sparking concern at the time that a serial killer might be targeting young women in the region.
Calhoun was previously indicted in the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32.
He remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His defense attorneys declined to comment.
Real, Perry, Webster and Smith were found in northwestern Oregon, while Speaks was found near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. Their bodies were found in a roughly 100-mile radius, including in wooded areas and in a culvert.
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Jose Real, Ashley Real’s father, was in tears as he spoke with reporters after the hearing. He recalled memories of watching her grow up and playing with her brother.
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” he said through a Spanish interpreter. “She had a heart of gold.”
Masciell Real, Ashley’s sister, also spoke through tears.
“I think being in that courtroom today and being able to see him, and know that he is behind bars now, it takes the weight off my shoulders knowing that he isn’t around and free to cause any harm to any other women out there,” she said. “But it also doesn’t take away the fact that my sister isn’t here anymore.”
Relatives of other victims were also present.
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“We’ve all experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to you, and it’s incredibly hard to see one of the other families hurt the way we do,” said Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith.
Jose Real previously told The Associated Press that he had called police in November 2022 after his daughter showed up crying at his Portland home, saying she had been choked by Calhoun. She had marks on her throat, he said, and he took her to a hospital.
Real said at the time that an initial police report was taken but that the case was then transferred to a different jurisdiction and it was difficult to reach those overseeing it. Details of the attack were first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
His daughter’s body was found in May 2023 by a man who was fishing in a pond southeast of Portland.
Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole warrants and then indicted in 2024 and 2025 in the other four women’s deaths. The initial indictment came weeks before Calhoun was due to be released from state prison, where he was returned in 2023 to finish serving a four-year term for assaulting a police officer, trying to strangle a police dog, burglary and other charges.
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He was initially released in 2021, a year early, because he helped fight wildfires in 2020 under a prison firefighting program. Gov. Tina Kotek revoked the commutation in 2023 when police began investigating him in the deaths.
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
