OPB Politics Now

Did Tina Kotek fix downtown Portland or did the governor just convene a big to-do task force with little to show for it? Or is the truth somewhere in between? On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Alex Zielinski, Dirk VanderHart and Kyra Buckley discuss the task force, the business community’s reaction to it and much more. Find the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

On this week's show, OPB reporters Dirk VanderHart and Lauren Dake go deep on the state of Oregon's continuing failure to find safe, consistent housing for the most vulnerable children.

The fight over how Oregon funds K-12 education isn’t new, but in the wake of a nearly monthlong strike in Portland Public Schools the longtime issue is back in the limelight. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Lauren Dake and Dirk VanderHart explain the history, the present and what lawmakers and school insiders are saying about whether Oregon schools are getting enough money. Find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Portland has struggled for years with how to oversee matters of police discipline and the controversy appears to be continuing. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Lauren Dake and Alex Zielinski discuss how the City Council appears to be changing elements of the police oversight system that was overwhelmingly supported by voters three years ago. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

Tribes in Central Oregon are fighting a county-approved plan to build a luxury resort on their ancestral lands, which could further deplete the region's shrinking groundwater supply. This week, an appeals court is hearing arguments over whether that development may violate treaty rights.  On this week’s OPB Politics Now, politics reporter Alex Zielinski talks about the project with Central Oregon bureau chief Emily Cureton Cook. Find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Portland public schools are on strike for the first time in history. It’s early days and it’s already turning political. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Lauren Dake, Dirk VanderHart and Natalie Pate discuss the politics surrounding the strike and whether Democratic lawmakers will wade in to the dispute. Find the show anywhere you get your podcasts.

The battle over who can pump gas legally in Oregon may not be fully settled. Plus, Portland City Council members continue to bicker as the transition to a new government looms. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Alex Zielinski and Dirk VanderHart discuss those issues. Find the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

What happens when an Oregon town's government implodes
Description: Baker City's government and political system essentially ceased to exist for weeks this year, and the pieces are just now getting put back together. On the latest episode of OPB Politics Now, editor Ryan Haas and reporter Antonio Sierra discuss the political acrimony in Baker City and much more.

Homelessness may be the biggest political story in this state. And it’s complicated; intertwined so closely with other big issues like the housing shortage, a lack of mental health care options and a surging drug crisis. On this week’s episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Lauren Dake and Alex Zielinski take a deep dive into the history of houselessness in Oregon. They also discuss the solutions that some communities are pursuing. Find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

During the 2023 legislative session, Democrats were not interested in making system-wide changes to the state’s drug decriminalization experiment. Now, that seems to have changed. On this week’s episode of OPB’s Politics Now, reporters Lauren Dake and Dirk VanderHart talk about the politics behind the sudden change of heart and what it means for the future of the state’s drug policies.