OPB Politics Now
‘OPB Politics Now’: Oregon’s next governor and climate change
On this week's episode, we look at the impact the next Oregon governor will have on the state's approach to climate change. For years, the state has used to government policies to actively fight the climate crisis. But the three candidates for governor this year could change that.
Latest Stories
‘OPB Politics Now’: How Portland lost $1.4M
On this week's show, reporter Rebecca Ellis explains how the city of Portland lost $1.4 million to cyberhackers and what city leaders are doing to keep it from happening again.
‘OPB Politics Now’: Oregon’s public defender crisis explodes into public view
On this week's show, OPB reporters Conrad Wilson and Dirk VanderHart explain what's gone wrong in Oregon's public defense system.
Oregon’s unique growth rules have preserved open space but also led to new fights
Anyeley Hallovà chairs the commission that oversees Oregon's growth management system. She's passionate about developing compact neighborhoods that provide equitable and affordable housing — and that help combat climate change. But not everyone is happy about moving in this direction.
How a ‘little old lady’ nearly gutted Oregon’s growth rules
Property rights activists nearly derailed Oregon's growth management system in the early 2000s. And no one was more prominent — or colorful — than Dorothy English.
How freeway builders collided with Oregon’s growth management system
The proposed Westside Bypass freeway in Washington County had a lot of momentum — until critics said it ran afoul of Oregon's growth management system. The freeway fight in the early 1990s wound up affecting transportation policies throughout the state.
‘OPB Politics Now’: What Washington voters need to know about the Aug. 2 primary
Washington voters will decide primary races for U.S. House, the state Legislature and secretary of state. On a special election preview episode, OPB reporters Troy Brynelson and Austin Jenkins break down the big races.
The fight to provide housing for every Oregonian was led by unlikely activists
Oregon leaders talked a lot about how the new growth management system would protect the state's farms and open spaces. But only gradually did it become clear how life would change inside Oregon's cities and suburbs.
Pioneering civic activist Betty Niven started worrying about her Eugene block. She ended up changing the way Oregon handles housing
How Betty Niven went from petitioning her city council for a sidewalk to
Reporter-turned-lawyer Al Johnson saw injustice in housing and pushed Oregon to be better
Al Johnson is a lawyer who played a big role in changing how cities have to think about housing in Oregon. They can't just zone out homes for working class residents.
Inside the fight between Oregon leaders to create a revolutionary growth management system
In the 1970s, Oregonians looked to California and didn't want the same fate for their state A new crop of young legislators in Salem saw an opportunity to advance an ambitious agenda. It took nearly a decade to put in place a system that has some of the strongest protections in the U.S. for farms, forests and other open spaces.
Growing Oregon
OPB senior political reporter Jeff Mapes spent more than a year researching, reporting and producing “Growing Oregon,” a six-part podcast and web series looking at the evolution of Oregon’s unique approach to growth and the impact it has on our lives today. You can find the full series here.