Lauren Dake
Lauren Dake is a political reporter and producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Before OPB, Lauren spent nearly a decade working as a print reporter. She’s covered politics and rural issues in Oregon and Washington. She’s spent time in a maximum-security prison in Bogota, Colombia (for a story!) and sat in a sweat lodge on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
Send Lauren the best story ideas.
Latest Stories
Oregon lawmakers hope $200M housing package gives cities immediate cash infusion
Cities will receive “new resources in April, not August,” Rep. David Gomberg, a Democrat from the central coast said on Wednesday morning, “and that’s significant.”
Oregon Republican lawmakers ask Gov. Kotek for special counsel to look into bourbon scandal
Oregon Senate Republicans are asking Gov. Tina Kotek to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the scandal surrounding top executives and managers at the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, who diverted specialty bourbons away from public consumption for their own personal use.
More Oregon state lawmakers are finally paying attention to child care issues. Will it matter?
A big-picture look at what lawmakers hope to do this legislative session to address the many failures of the state's child care system.
Oregon housing package leaves existing shelters at risk of closure
Gov. Kotek's new housing package will only apply to new shelter spaces. Cities say they can't singlehandedly foot the bill.
Oregon House sends major housing legislation to state Senate
Oregon lawmakers approved $200 million in spending on Wednesday for more affordable housing, supporting kids who are houseless and helping people on the verge of becoming unsheltered.
‘OPB Politics Now’: A hectic week in Portland and Salem
On this week's show, we catch you up on a hectic week in Oregon politics. Among the highlights: Portland struggles to find homeless camp sites, Oregon loses its chief financial officer and state lawmakers look at ways to help prevent organized shoplifting.
Key Oregon housing package in state Legislature moves closer to law
The Oregon Legislature’s marquee housing package cleared a key legislative hurdle on Friday, paving the way for what supporters hope will be a new approach to building homes in the state while also making a dent in the homelessness crisis.
Oregon lawmakers consider making it easier to convert office space into homes
The idea of the bill is straightforward: turn empty, boarded-up commercial or office buildings, many vacated during the COVID-19 pandemic, into much-needed housing units.
Oregon students with disabilities would have equal access to school under new bill
Oregon school districts would no longer be able to limit educational time for students with disabilities without their parent’s consent under a measure that passed the state Senate on Thursday.
‘OPB Politics Now’: Rethinking Oregon’s approach to growth
Oregon lawmakers have begun revealing their plan for solving the state’s housing crisis. It’s going to require a big philosophical shift in how Oregon thinks about its land. On this week's show, we examine Oregon’s half-century-old land-use system and why even progressives are now saying it’s time to make it easier to build here.