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Weariness, anger, disenchantment, disengagement. These are often the last four stages of the 12-step legislative process.

With precious few days left in the 2025 session, these stages are on full display in the Oregon Capitol as Democrats continue to roll Republican opposition with narrow party line victories on contentious issues ranging from unemployment payments for striking employees to ever-tighter rent control restrictions on private housing providers.

They say timing is everything, and for advocates of a robust transportation funding bill, timing could not be worse. Democratic transportation leaders finally unveiled their preferred transportation plan last week — a comprehensive package of tax and fee increases that will require some Republican support to get across the finish line.

It may have come too late as Republicans have signaled no appetite to help Democrats pass expansive taxes, especially after the latest beatdown on the floors of the Senate and House.

Every major transportation package that has passed in the Legislature required strong bipartisan support. All other efforts failed. The idea that a Democratic supermajority will happily pass major tax increases by themselves has proven an illusion.

When the Jobs & Transportation Act (JTA) was passed in 2009 with numerous tax and fee increases, it passed out of the Joint Transportation Committee with a unanimous 14-0 vote. And, while it passed easily on both the floor of the House and Senate, not all Democrats were on board. In fact, House Democratic Leader Mary Nolan was among those who voted against the package.

In 2017, when the latest major transportation package passed, it was carried on the House floor by none other than then-Republican State Rep. Cliff Bentz. Yup! That Cliff Bentz. Yet, voting no, was now-Speaker Julie Fahey.

Increased acrimony in the Capitol, combined with few days left to heal the wounds, may require a strategic pivot to salvage any remnants of the ambitious plan. Transportation leaders should consider confronting the elusive 7-10 split. Aim for one pin and hope for the other.

Despite the anger and frustration on how the current transportation plan has unfolded, key leaders in both parties do agree on some of the elements. These include expanding the pay-by-mile program for all electric vehicles, restoring balance to the weight-mile calculations for trucks, tweaking the diesel fuel tax imbalance, and installing accountability measures for ODOT. A couple fee increases could also make the cut.

Separating these elements into a stand-alone bill, while continuing to negotiate other tax and fee increases independently, could allow legislators to salvage a win without rolling a gutter ball on the entire package.

Some elements of the proposed plan may require more diplomacy than the legislative stopwatch will allow and require a special session to enact. Timing, indeed, is everything.

Voters across Oregon considered 49 ballot measures in this week’s special election that would create or extend taxes, levies, and bond sales for public projects. Of the measures, 34 were passing as of Thursday at 10 a.m. for an overall pass rate of 69.4%.

Voter turnout surpassed 20%, with about 600,000 ballots counted from the state’s more than 3 million registered voters. This marks a modest increase from the 16.2% turnout in May 2019, though slightly below 21.3% in 2023 and 25.5% in 2021.

Voters showed overwhelming support for fire protection and education-related bonds, while police facility proposals struggled. Here’s how the major policy areas broke down, sorted by the number of total measures on the ballot.

🚨 Public Safety, Other (EMS/Mixed): 9 measures — 77.8% pass rate

🚓 Public Safety, Police: 8 measures — 50% pass rate

🏫 Schools: 7 measures — 85.7% pass rate

🏞️ Parks & Recreation: 6 measures — 66.7% pass rate

🧯 Public Safety, Fire & Rescue: 5 measures — 100% pass rate

📚 Libraries: 3 measures — 66.7% pass rate

🚗 Transportation: 3 measures — 66.7% pass rate

💧 Utilities: 1 measure — 0% pass rate

🧾 Other/Miscellaneous: 7 measures — 71.4% pass rate

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Passed

• City of Albany: Renewal of the Ambulance, Fire, and Police Local Option Tax — 77.86% YES to 22.14% NO (margin: +55.7%)
• Santa Clara (Eugene) RFPD: Five Year Local Option Tax for General Operations — 76.9% YES to 23.1% NO (margin: +53.8%)
• Prospect Rural Fire Protection District: Five-Year Local Option Levy for general operations — 57.5% YES to 42.5% NO (margin: +14.9%)
• Molalla Fire District: Bonds for Public Safety — 56.6% YES to 43.4% NO (margin: +13.2%)
• East Lincoln County Fire & Rescue District: Five-year levy for equipment and disaster preparedness — 55.8% YES to 44.2% NO (margin: +10.6%)
• Lowell RFPD: Five-year operational levy — 52.1% YES to 47.9% NO (margin: +4.2%)
• Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue District: Renewal of 5-year Operational Levy — 54.8% YES to 45.2% NO (margin: +9.6%)

Failed

• Rocky Point Fire & EMS: Five-year levy for operations and maintenance — 48.4% YES to 51.6% NO (margin: –3.1%)
• East Klamath County Public Safety District: Formation of District, $89 tax/lot — 21.4% YES to 78.6% NO (margin: –57.2%)

Passed

• City Of Sweet Home: Police Five-Year Operating Levy Renewal — 67.1% YES to 32.9% NO (margin: +34.2%)
• Columbia County: Renewal of Tax Levy for Jail Operations — 63.9% YES to 36.1% NO (margin: +27.9%)
• City of King City: Police and Public Safety Local Option Levy — 62.7% YES to 37.3% NO (margin: +25.5%)
• City of North Bend: Public Safety Fee Increase — 53.2% YES to 46.8% NO (margin: +6.4%)

Failed

• City of Forest Grove: Bonds to Replace Police Facility — 48.8% YES to 51.2% NO (margin: –2.3%)
• City of Dallas: Police Facility Bonds — 45.1% YES to 54.9% NO (margin: –9.8%)
• City of Umatilla: Bonds for New Police Station — 41.9% YES to 58.1% NO (margin: –16.2%)
• Curry County: Law Enforcement Levy — 39.8% YES to 60.2% NO (margin: –20.4%)

Passed

• Dufur Recreation District: Three-Year Operations Levy — 80.8% YES to 19.2% NO (margin: +61.6%)
• Midland Community Park: Formation of New Park District — 57.6% YES to 42.4% NO (margin: +15.2%)
• City of Salem: Five-Year Operating Levy for Parks, Recreation, Libraries, and Senior Services — 55.68% YES to 44.32% NO (margin: +11.36%)

Failed

• City of North Bend: Parks, Recreation, and Pool Fee — 28.8% YES to 71.2% NO (margin: –42.4%)
• City of North Bend: Dog Park Fee — 20.6% YES to 79.4% NO (margin: –58.8%)
• Madras Aquatic Center and Recreation District: Formation of New District — 47.9% YES to 52.1% NO (margin: –4.2%)

Passed

• Lincoln County School District: Bonds for safety, repairs, and vocational education — 67.77% YES to 32.23% NO (margin: +35.5%)
• Portland Public School District 1J: Bonds to modernize, repair schools, improve safety — 57.64% YES to 42.36% NO (margin: +15.3%)
• Sheridan School District 48J: Bonds for safety/security and capital improvements — 51.88% YES to 48.12% NO (margin: +3.8%)
• Chemeketa Community College: Bonds to upgrade CTE, technology, facilities, and safety — 51.63% YES to 48.37% NO (margin: +3.3%)
• Tigard-Tualatin School District 23J: Bonds to modernize schools and improve safety — 50.34% YES to 49.66% NO (margin: +0.7%)
• Morrow County School District No. 1: Bonds to remodel, replace schools; improve safety; address structural deficiency — 50.3% YES to 49.7% NO (+0.6%)

Failed

• Mt. Hood Community College: Bonds for career education, safety/security, and facility repairs — 48.68% YES to 51.32% NO (margin: –2.6%)

Passed

• Jackson County Rural Fire Protection District 4: Five-year local option tax — 60.0% YES to 40.0% NO (margin: +20.0%)
• Lake Chinook Fire & Rescue: Five-year operations levy — 59.4% YES to 40.6% NO (margin: +18.8%)
• Hoodland Fire: Bonds for new fire station — 58% YES to 42% NO (margin: +16.0%)
• Aumsville Rural Fire Protection District: EMS operations levy — 53.7% YES to 46.3% NO (margin: +7.4%)
• Hubbard Rural Fire Protection District: Fire & EMS Levy — 52.0% YES to 48.0% NO (margin: +3.9%)

Failed

None

Passed

• City Of Sweet Home: Library Services Levy Renewal — 68% YES to 32% NO (margin: +36%)
• City of Stayton: Five-Year Library Support Levy — 56.7% YES to 43.3% NO (margin: +13.4%)

Failed

• Jefferson County Library District: Library Bond for Facilities — 47.23% YES to 52.77% NO (margin: –5.5%)

Passed

• City of Milton-Freewater: Transit Levy Renewal — 61.1% YES to 38.9% NO (margin: +22.2%)
• Two Rivers North Road District: Five-Year Local Option Tax — 60.5% YES to 39.5% NO (margin: +20.9%)

Failed

• City of Hubbard: Local Fuel Tax — 46.2% YES to 53.8% NO (margin: –7.5%)

Failed

• North Bend City: Sewer Rate Increase — 42.4% YES to 57.6% NO (margin: –15.2%)

Passed

• Pine Eagle Health District: Local Option Tax — 78.1% YES to 21.9% NO (margin: +56.1%)
• Black Butte Ranch Service District: Five-Year Local Option Levy — 68.4% YES to 31.6% NO (margin: +36.7%)
• Clatsop County: Fairgrounds Levy Renewal — 67.7% YES to 32.3% NO (margin: +35.4%)
• White River Health District: Tax Levy Renewal for Health Clinic — 63.8% YES to 36.2% NO (margin: +27.6%)
• Cascade View Estates Tract 2 Special Road District: Road Resurfacing Levy — 56.8% YES to 43.2% NO (margin: +13.6%)

Failed

• Tillamook County: Lodging Tax Increase (10% → 14%) — 49.9% YES to 50.1% NO (margin: –0.3%)
• Polk County: Fairgrounds & Events Center Tax — 40.6% YES to 59.4% NO (margin: –18.8%)

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While most outcomes are clear, several measures passed or failed by narrow margins and may shift as final ballots are counted and certified over the coming month, with final certification required by July 7.

At a time when inflation and cost of living remain top concerns, the results of this election reflect a notable trend: Oregonians are still willing to invest in community-level services — especially those tied to safety, education, and quality of life.

ChatGPT OpenAI was used to collect and calculate the data used in this report, and the Pac/West team reviewed and verified the finals results.

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Editor’s note: This is the fifth and final installment in a series of features by Pac/West Lobby Group Communications Director George Plaven detailing his professional development journey with REAL Oregon. To read previous installments in this series, click the links below:

• Session 1: Klamath Falls
• Session 2: Roseburg
• Session 3: Newport
• Session 4: Salem

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A large video board displaying a world map hangs inside the SAGE Center near Boardman, one of many interactive exhibits at the museum and visitor’s center showcasing Eastern Oregon agriculture.

From a console below, visitors can press one of 13 buttons that each represents a different commodity produced in the region. The map then lights up revealing where those products are shipped globally — wheat to Japan and Korea, potatoes to Mexico and South America, and beef to China and Canada, among other markets.

An interactive exhibit at the SAGE Center shows where Eastern Oregon agriculture is shipped around the world.

For our final session together, REAL Oregon Class 8 gathered in Umatilla and Morrow counties for a glimpse at farming east of the Cascades, including industrial-scale operations that must strike a balance between feeding the world and maintaining sustainability at home.

According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Oregon as a state shipped $2.4 billion in agricultural exports in 2022, ranking 24th nationally. Top exports by value were nursery plants, wheat, hazelnuts, beef, and processed vegetables.

While much of what we saw was familiar from my days reporting for the East Oregonian, I am always struck by the incredible size and innovation of farms and food processors here. Our conversations as a class also raised important issues like the ethics of corporate farming and impacts on smaller producers.

Having such frank and honest discussions was, truly, one of the biggest takeaways for me from REAL Oregon. None of the issues we’ve explored over the last five months has been simple. The program teaches that effective leadership requires an open mind and active listening, and I am appreciative of my classmates for helping me to sharpen these skills.

Closed-Loop System

 Perhaps the apex of modern farming can be found at Threemile Canyon Farms, a massive 145-square-mile oasis in the sand and sagebrush 15 miles west of Boardman.

Greg Harris, director of farming and agronomy at Threemile Canyon, showed us the central control room where they oversee the farm’s expansive irrigation system. Using advanced technology such as soil moisture sensors and flow meters, employees can adjust irrigation in real time to conserve as much water as possible.

Greg Harris, of Threemile Canyon Farms, shows REAL Oregon the irrigation control room.

Threemile Canyon manages 39,500 acres of irrigated farmland, growing both conventional and organic crops including potatoes, onions, carrots, dry corn, alfalfa, blueberries, hemp, and, coming soon, winegrapes. Another 23,000 acres is set aside as a wildlife conservation area, managed by The Nature Conservancy.

But the most well-known aspect of Threemile Canyon is, without question, the Columbia River Dairy, with its 70,000 head of cattle including 36,000 milking cows. Cows are milked twice daily on large robotic carousels that can hold up to 80 cows at a time. They produce about 2.5 million pounds of milk per day. Every drop is used to make Tillamook cheese at the nearby Port of Morrow.

Outside the Columbia River Dairy milking parlor at Threemile Canyon Farms.

Threemile Canyon proudly touts its “closed-loop system,” whereby nothing on the farm goes to waste. The farm grows its own feed for cows (a mix of triticale, alfalfa, and corn silage), and recycles manure for both fertilizer and to make renewable energy at its digester facility. Leftover dried solids from the digester are used for animal bedding.

Nitrate Worries

During a driving tour of the Port of Morrow’s East Beach Industrial Park along the Columbia River, we got to see the diversity of industries that has helped Morrow County rank fourth statewide in total payroll growth, including an eye-watering stop at the Boardman Foods onion processing plant.

A whole lotta onions in storage at Boardman Foods. 

Being a major agricultural hub has also raised concerns about elevated levels of potentially harmful nitrate in the local groundwater. The state designated the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area in 1990, and while farming isn’t the only source of nitrates, the majority of the contamination — about 90% — is estimated to come from irrigated agriculture, large dairy and cattle farms, and animal pastures.

This is a highly contentious issue that has been bubbling up for decades. Efforts to curb nitrate pollution have historically relied on voluntary measures, though community activists argue the state and federal governments should intervene to protect residents whose wells are polluted.

In the meantime, the Oregon Health Authority is working with partners to test residents’ wells and provide clean drinking water to those who need it, free of charge, while longer-term solutions continue to take shape.

Graduation Day

Our Eastern Oregon session wrapped up with a graduation ceremony, including a keynote address from former state Sen. Bill Hansell.

Former state Sen. Bill Hansell delivered the keynote address during graduation for REAL Oregon Class 8.

Of course, this is not the end. Rather, it is the beginning. I look forward to seeing how I can advocate for agriculture and natural resources in the future and apply the skills I have learned in my role at Pac/West Lobby Group.

REAL Oregon has been an amazing experience, and I encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about our state’s natural resources to participate. I look forward to seeing my fellow program alumni at our upcoming reception in Mt. Angel!

Receiving my graduation plaque from REAL Oregon board chairman Brent Klumph. 

Apply for Class 9

Anyone interested in applying for REAL Oregon Class 9 can do so online, or click here to download a hard copy of the application. The application deadline is July 31, though early submissions are strongly encouraged.

For questions, please contact Program Coordinator Lauren Lucht at info@realoregon.net, or (503) 710-7001.

They are the big guys in housing. In fact, in Oregon, they are the biggest of all, operating hundreds of multi-family apartments, almost exclusively for low-income renters. And, as recently as 2023, they authorized rent increases averaging 8.6% on 45 of the properties in their portfolio. No wonder tenant advocates are demanding the Legislature take action and mandate housing providers slash maximum rent increases to no more than 6%, regardless of market conditions or expenses.

Except the “big guy” in this case isn’t some Wall Street equity firm or corporate behemoth. No, the “big guy” is the State of Oregon, whose Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) agency maintains operational control over thousands of low-income housing units in its portfolio. Under state and federal laws, requests for rent increases of more than 5% in these properties must be authorized by the state if necessary to meet developer, operational, and maintenance expenses and to pay back state bond obligations.

OHCS has done a remarkable job in providing housing opportunities to low-income Oregonians. In doing so, however, even the state realizes that price controls without regard to financial stability in its own portfolio are untenable. And these projects already have significant public dollars invested in them.

Rent Control (Ironically) Puts the Squeeze on Low-Income Oregonians

That realization seems lost in HB 3054, which in its latest iteration, seeks to place tighter price controls on communities of manufactured homes by reducing the maximum rent increase to 6% per year. Unlike the mostly newer units in the OHCS portfolio, these parks are decades old and in constant need of expensive maintenance and repair. Unlike OHCS properties, these property owners are not subsidized by the government. Why the double standard?

Regular efforts to ratchet up price control in Oregon have led to the destabilization of rent stabilization. Some owners have indeed raised rates to the current 10% cap — ironically, in many cases, increases greater than they would have done without price controls — out of fear that the Legislature would continue to move the goalposts and leave them unable to cover future expenses. That fear has shown itself to be justified. Rent control has actually raised rents.

These parks remain one of Oregon’s most affordable housing values, and without government dollars. While exact numbers are unknown, the statewide average rent rates in manufactured home parks are likely below $900 per month. In contrast, according to RentCafe, the average apartment rent in Portland is $1,729, and $1,809 in Eugene.

A couple of new wrinkles in HB 3054 have been tossed into the mix. Proposed amendments would allow owners to increase rent by 12% once every five years if the majority of renters vote to approve the increase. Instead of a concession, it’s more like a poisoned pill. What renter is going to vote to double their rent increase? It would be like having grocery shoppers vote on how much the store must sell them bananas.

The other provision would exempt manufactured parks with fewer than 30 units from the new constraints. It’s an opaque attempt to get at “corporate owners” without regard to the fact that many larger parks are owned by Oregon families — some for generations.

Tenants at Hillsboro Park At Risk of HB 3054

The reality is that most of these manufactured home parks are in or adjacent to the city limits. They are flat, already equipped with urban services, and ripe for redevelopment.

Hilja has owned her park for 49 years. She has more than 20 acres in her park in the middle of Hillsboro’s urban growth boundary. Developers call nearly every day. Hundreds of market-based apartments could be built on her prime site in the middle of Oregon’s Silicon Forest. Her land is far more valuable as a redevelopment than housing her 63 families. If she has to sell because her income is squeezed further, not only will her lowest-income families be forced to find new homes, so will the rest of the families living in the park. In parks across the state, well-intentioned efforts to help the lowest-income residents can put all residents in jeopardy.

The real issue is poverty. Name it, address it. No set of price controls will solve it. The solution is to address the core issue.

Rather than put all manufactured home community residents at risk, direct assistance to those most in need. If the Legislature wants more government-funded housing, it should fund it. This can be accomplished by following established programs already used for the development of new affordable housing. The state can establish a fund specifically for rent assistance to the most financially vulnerable residents in a manufactured park. As state and local governments do with new housing developers, they can provide subsidies to park owners in exchange for voluntarily reducing rent increases to a clearly identified and qualified cohort of residents within the park.

But implementing government price controls on private property owners and mandating they become unsubsidized low-income state housing providers is not the answer.

The Legislature should pause and direct the Office of Economic Analysis to conduct a thorough and comprehensive independent study on the impact Oregon’s rent control law — and the uncertainty created by new rent control proposals — has had on housing affordability, availability, development, and preservation of existing affordable housing. Then, in the 2027 session, the Legislature will be armed with real data and analysis to guide what changes, if any, should be made to current law.

Investigate, evaluate, and then act. Not the other way around.

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Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of features by Pac/West Lobby Group Communications Director George Plaven detailing his professional development journey with REAL Oregon. To read previous installments in this series, click the links below:

• Session 1: Klamath Falls
• Session 2: Roseburg
• Session 3: Newport

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There’s something exciting about walking the halls of the Oregon State Capitol, dressed for success, passing legislators on the way to their next meeting, seeing the inner workings of government in action.

If the goal of REAL Oregon is to grow leaders in agriculture and natural resources, then it only makes sense a tour of the Capitol would be next on the agenda for our class’s February session in Salem. Whether it is farming and ranching in Klamath Falls, logging in Roseburg, or commercial fishing in Newport, the issues affecting each industry eventually make their way here, where decisions have a lasting impact on producers and rural communities.

Our tour of the Oregon State Capitol included a stop on the floor of the House of Representatives.

On our tour, we had excellent guides in the form of two of our classmates — Austin McClister, communications director for the Oregon Farm Bureau, and Ryan Tuthill, legislative director for the Oregon House Republicans. They led us around both the House and Senate offices, where staffers explained the legislative process. We briefly chatted with a few representatives, including Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Albany) and Ricki Ruiz (D-Gresham), but with the 2025 Legislature in full swing they understandably had only a few minutes to spare.

Finally, we gathered in the balcony overlooking the House of Representatives as they convened for a brief floor session. During courtesies, we received a shout-out from Boshart Davis, who said REAL Oregon graduates “exemplify dedication to our state’s natural resources.”

Where Urban Meets Rural

 Thinking about Western Oregon and the Willamette Valley, it is easy to think about urban hubs like Portland metro or Salem. But there is also a vast and richly abundant agricultural landscape, with tight-knit communities and farms growing diverse specialty crops including hazelnuts, hops, winegrapes, and nursery stock.

At Pearmine Farms in Gervais, fourth-generation farmer and REAL Oregon alum Molly McCargar showed us their on-farm housing for workers who come every year to pick cherries in a nearby orchard. Recently, the state Occupational Safety and Health Division updated its rules for farmworker housing that farmers like McCargar worry will further strain their budgets and operations — particularly during harvest.

Fourth-generation farmer Molly McCargar, of Pearmine Farms, discusses farmworker housing.

Land use and agritourism is another hot topic being debated this legislative session, questioning which activities should and shouldn’t be allowed on farmland. For some farms, like TMK Creamery in Canby, agritourism can help sustain the rest of their business. Visitors are invited to meet the TMK’s “cowlebrities,” as they’re called, before heading inside the farmstand for a scrumptious grilled cheese sandwich and cheese curds made using the farm’s own milk.

Meeting the ‘cowlebrities’ at TMK Creamery in Canby.

With so many environmental, regulatory, and labor challenges facing Oregon farms, it’s no surprise to see many turning to automation to cut down on costs. In the case of Canopii, the Hubbard-based company has pioneered a fully autonomous greenhouse with robotics handling every step of the growing process, from seed to harvest.

While equipment like this won’t make sense for every grower, it was eye-opening to witness the level of innovation and where it may be taking agriculture into the future.

Robots plant vegetable seedlings inside an automated greenhouse designed by Canopii.

Success Is Possible

Oregon agriculture has certainly had more than its share of legislative setbacks, but it was nice to hear about one recent success.

In 2023, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 955 creating the AgriStress Helpline, a 24/7 suicide prevention hotline for those working in agriculture, fishing, and forestry. Since its launch, the helpline has received calls from 25 of Oregon’s 36 counties, many of which were either from or on behalf of rural men over 49 years old — a group identified as “high risk” for suicide.

SB 955 allocated $300,000 from the state general fund to set up and run the helpline. Sen. Todd Nash (R-Enterprise) and Rep. Bobby Levy (R-Echo) are sponsoring legislation this session that would allocate $2 million for the helpline over the next biennium.

That bill, SB 779, has been referred to the Senate Early Childhood and Behavioral Health Committee. A public hearing was scheduled for Feb. 20. While suicide prevention for those working in agriculture should be as uncontroversial as it comes, it is still inspiring to see that common ground can be reached in the halls of power.

I can understand why some conservative farmers and ranchers bristle at Oregon politics. With Democrats holding a supermajority in both chambers of state government, it may feel pointless to speak up. What incentive does the majority have to listen, after all? Others have become so fed up they are pushing for a large chunk of rural Central and Eastern Oregon to defect entirely, joining Idaho.

As frustrating as it can be, the message to our class was one of persistence. Oregon agriculture and natural resources are worth fighting for, and that’s precisely what REAL Oregon is training us to do. There will likely come a day when one or more of us are called upon to testify on a bill or meet face-to-face with those wielding a key vote. When that day comes, I am confident that we’ll be ready.

REAL Oregon Class 8 gathers for a group photo on the floor of the Oregon House of Representatives.