OPB Politics Now

Jes Burns tells us about a federal rule designed to protect farmworkers from pesticide exposure, and an effort in Oregon to come up with more stringent protections for these workers.

President Trump ordered the shrinking of two national monuments in Utah this week. Attention immediately shifted to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, which Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says should also be smaller. We talk through the politics of these moves, and get into Oregon Gov. Kate Brown's actions on the thorny issues of the state budget and PERS. Short answer: task forces!

Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson has just released an audit that shows the Oregon Health Authority misspent millions in taxpayer dollars. OHA oversees medical coverage for more than a quarter of all Oregonians and, according to the audit, the agency has failed to enact rigorous financial controls and properly determine who is eligible for coverage. But the audit also says Oregon isn’t alone in struggling to run the complex program – and supporters say it has done an heroic job of bringing coverage to hundreds of thousands of low-income Oregonians.
OPB political reporters Lauren Dake and Jeff Mapes join OPB news editor Anna Griffin to discuss the ups and downs of one of the biggest agencies in state government – and the impact the audit will have on the governor’s race and the health-care tax vote that will go before Oregonians in January.

We’re bringing you a conversation with an Oregon political figure that you might have missed when it originally aired. Secretary of State Dennis Richardson opened up to OPB host Kate Davidson as part of her “backstory” series, where she explores the pivotal experiences that shape the views of people in the public eye.

Oregon State Senator Jeff Kruse faces explosive new allegations of sexual misconduct. Former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber has agreed to pay a $1,000 fine for ethics violations surrounding his resignation from office nearly three years ago. And Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly is engaged in an unusual Facebook feud with the local news media.
OPB political reporters Jeff Mapes and Lauren Dake, OPB news editor Anna Griffin, and Laura Gunderson, editorial page editor for the Oregonian/OregonLive discuss these three very different stories of Oregon politicians in the news this week

In Oregon, voters said "yes" to money for Portland Community College and "no" to a major structural change in Douglas County government. Washington voters elected a candidate to the Port of Vancouver board that likely spells the end of the proposed oil terminal there. And a key legislative race in Washington solidified the "blue wall" of Democratic control up and down the west coast.

Host Julie Sabatier is joined OPB political reporters Jeff Mapes and Lauren Dake, and Jefferson Public Radio reporter April Ehrlich to wrap up the 2017 special election.

The November 7 special election will decide the balance of power in the Washington Legislature. It will also determine if Portland Community College gets $185 million for expansion. We talk about the important issues before voters on both sides of the Columbia. Host Geoff Norcross talks with OPB political reporters Jeff Mapes and Lauren Dake, and OPB’s SW Washington reporter Molly Solomon.

The current nationwide discussion about sexual harassment that started with allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has spread far and wide, including to the Oregon Capital. State Senator Sara Gelser accused fellow senator Jeff Kruse of touching her inappropriately. A second unnamed senator made a similar accusation, and Sen. Kruse was stripped of his committee assignments. We'll talk about the allegations, and more broadly about the culture of harassment in Salem. Host Julie Sabatier is joined by OPB political reporters Jeff Mapes and Lauren Dake, and Gordon Friedman, politics reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive.

This November, Douglas County voters will be asked to approve a Home Rule charter. It would dramatically change how the county is governed. The county commission would expand from three to five members, and a county manager position would be created for the day-to-day running of the county. Host Geoff Norcross talks with OPB reporters Jeff Mapes and Chris Lehman, and Jefferson Public Radio’s April Ehrlich about the nitty-gritty of the charter, and what lessons it might have for local governments around the state.

A proposed I-5 expansion through the Rose Quarter has become about MUCH more than a few more highway lanes. It touches on racism, privilege, Portland’s relationship with the state and how leaders envision the city.
We talk about where the battle lines are being drawn and dig into the history of Portland's difficult relationship with freeway projects. Host Julie Sabatier talks to OPB senior political reporter Jeff Mapes and Portland Mercury news editor Dirk VanderHart.