Tag: oregon

Oregon moves to penalize landlords who reveal tenants’ immigration status

Oregon lawmakers have approved a bill that would allow tenants to collect up to twice their monthly rent in court if landlords disclose their immigration status, the latest move by the state to expand protections for illegal aliens.

According to The Oregonian, House Bill 4123 passed the Oregon Senate Monday in a 24–3 vote and now heads to Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk. If signed into law, the measure would impose financial penalties on landlords who “knowingly” release confidential tenant information, including details about immigration or citizenship status, Social Security numbers, and medical or disability records. Under the proposal, tenants whose protected information is disclosed could sue to recover damages equal to two months’ rent.

The legislation builds on a 2025 Oregon law that already prohibits landlords from discriminating against tenants based on immigration status. That law also bars landlords from sharing or threatening to share a tenant’s citizenship information in order to harass, retaliate, or intimidate them. However, it did not include a set financial penalty for violations, instead leaving tenants to pursue legal remedies through the courts.

State Sen. Dick Anderson, R–Lincoln City and vice chair of the Senate Committee on Housing and Development, called the measure a “simple, common-sense” step to protect privacy. “This is a balanced approach that protects tenant privacy without burdening housing providers,” Anderson said during floor debate.

Landlord groups also signaled support after amendments clarified what information can still be shared. The bill allows landlords to provide routine contact details, such as phone numbers or email addresses, for maintenance and utility coordination. It also permits disclosure of information when required by court order, during affordable housing compliance audits, or when conducting background and credit checks.

Keep reading

Oregon Could Vote to Ban Hunting and Fishing – Proposed Law Would Classify Both as Cruelty to Animals

A petition to ban hunting and ranching in Oregon is nearing the number of signatures needed to be placed on this fall’s ballot.

David Michelson, the organizer of Initiative Petition 28, said supporters have gathered about 105,000 of the 117,713 verified signatures needed by July 2, according to Fox affiliate KPTV.

“If it makes it on the ballot and is approved by voters in November, the protections that currently apply to pets such as dogs and cats would extend to wild animals, livestock, and animals used in research,” the outlet reported. “Supporters call the proposal the PEACE Act, short for People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions. Supporters say the measure is intended to protect animals from abuse, neglect, and killing.”

The proposed law reportedly has exceptions for veterinarians and for those who kill animals in self-defense.

Michelson told the NBC affiliate KOIN-TV, “We really want to make Oregon the first state to vote on something like this.”

“We are aware that it’s unlikely 50 percent of Oregonians are ready right now to move away from killing animals,” he added. “But we want to get that conversation out there. So that we can hopefully move in that direction.”

Amy Patrick with the Oregon Hunters Association told KPTV, “I’m hopeful that Oregonians will not vote ‘yes’ on this. I’m hopeful that whether you’re in an urban region or a rural region, you understand what makes Oregon great.”

“And part of that is our wildlife. And part of that is our economy that comes from our farming and ranching,” she continued. “And that folks will really, really delve into what this [proposal] does and how this is going to affect us not just in the abstract. So if you’re not a hunter or you’re not a rancher or a farmer, don’t think that this is not going to affect you in your day-to-day life.”

An Oregon State University report issued in February 2025 stated that cattle ranching makes up a significant portion of the state’s economy, contributing over $900 million annually.

Keep reading

Oregon Lawmakers Consider Banning Marijuana Edibles With More Than 10 Milligrams Of THC

Oregon lawmakers are considering a bill to prohibit the sale of individual edibles that have more than 10 milligrams of THC.

The proposal, Senate Bill 1548, comes as lawmakers grapple with responding to increasing reports of children seeking medical attention after consuming edibles resembling cookies, brownies and gummies. In 2023, children aged 0 to five made up one-third of all cannabis-related cases reported to the Oregon Poison Center.

And in May, experts recommended lawmakers implement a THC cap to cannabis products, similar to alcohol and tobacco, as data shows most Oregon youth believe there’s little to no risk in smoking marijuana once a month.

“We need to reckon with this a little bit,” said Sen. Lisa Reynolds, a Portland Democrat and pediatrician who chairs the Senate Early Childhood and Behavioral Health Committee. The committee met Tuesday morning for a public hearing on the bill.

Reynolds said the topic is of particular interest to her because she believes her brother’s habitual marijuana use in the ’70s contributed to his admission into psychiatric hospitals nearly 50 times throughout his life. He now lives in a nursing home with severe schizophrenia, she said.

Four doctors testified in favor of the bill, including Dr. Rob Hendrickson, the medical director of the Oregon Poison Center. Hendrickson shared an example of a toddler he cared for recently who consumed two muffins that contained 50 milligrams of THC each. Within an hour, the child turned blue and unconscious. She had a seizure and was put on life support for 36 hours.

There’s strong evidence that the policy would reduce child poisonings, according to Dr. Julia Dilley, a Multnomah County epidemiologist who has been leading research on the public health effects of cannabis legalization in Oregon and Washington.

Oregon’s bill is similar to a 2017 Washington law requiring that single servings of edibles don’t exceed 10 milligrams. That law was associated with 75 percent fewer hospitalizations and half as many poisonings reported to poison centers, Dilley told the committee.

Four people in the cannabis industry testified in opposition to the bill, including business owners and cannabis manufacturers who said many products already have child-resistant packaging, as well as meet marketing and advertising standards to make sure products aren’t attractive to children.

Keep reading

Oregon Teen Arrested in Connection with Alleged Plot to Behead ICE Agents as “Trophies”

Rayden Coleman, 18, a resident of St. Helens, Oregon, was arrested on February 4, 2026, in connection with an alleged plot to carry out violent attacks against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

A manifesto found during his arrest, for a group called ‘Cascadia Rangers Coalition’, described intentions of beheading agents to use as ‘trophies.’

According to multiple news reports and court documents from early February 2026, prosecutors allege that Coleman planned to kill ICE agents, behead them, and use the heads as proof to recruit others on the Warm Springs reservation in an effort to start a separatist movement or civil war.

Oregon Live reports that Coleman is facing multiple charges, including one count of second-degree attempted assault (or attempt to commit a felony), and six counts each of unlawful manufacture and possession of a destructive device.

Authorities discovered the plot after roommates and acquaintances reported his statements and manifesto, which expressed anger over ICE actions during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement. He allegedly told acquaintances about his violent plans, bought an assault rifle, and started making Molotov cocktails.

He was arrested during a high-risk traffic stop in the parking lot of an assisted living facility where he worked. Authorities found Molotov cocktail materials, weapons, surveillance gear, and evidence of payments for an AR-style rifle in his car.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The manifesto, written following the actions by federal agents in Minneapolis, allegedly launched plans to form a separatist state of “Cascadia,” according to prosecutors.

Keep reading

12,000-Year-Old Discovery in an Oregon Cave Reveals First Evidence of a “Complex” Ancient American Technology

Two small pieces of animal hide recovered from an ancient dwelling place within a cave in Oregon could represent the earliest known evidence of sewing among America’s early inhabitants.

The remarkably well-preserved artifacts include portions of hide stitched together with handwoven cord and believed to have been crafted more than 12,000 years ago.

If confirmed, this possible evidence of sewn materials could offer archaeologists a rare look at the emergence of complex technologies employed by America’s early inhabitants to ward off the extreme temperatures that still prevailed during the final years of the last Ice Age.

A Discovery at Cougar Mountain Cave

The discoveries were made within Cougar Mountain Cave, an ancient rock shelter in Oregon’s Great Basin. This vast region is best known for its arid landscape and sagebrush valleys, which lie between isolated mountains that have helped craft the very unique ecosystems that were home to significant prehistoric human activity.

An international research team, led by Richard Rosencrance of the University of Nevada and Katelyn McDonough of the University of Oregon, reported their discovery of what appears to be cordage, bone needles, and wooden artifacts alongside remnants of botanical materials in a recent paper featured in Science Advances.

The discovery of artifacts made from such materials that date to this early period of North American occupation is extremely rare, since they are highly perishable, leaving many questions about what kinds of garments and cordage were employed by some of the earliest arrivals in the New World.

Keep reading

Model City: Portland’s Journey From Symbol of Chic to Shabby

In December, bestselling author and humorist David Sedaris wrote a New Yorker magazine essay about a recent trip to Portland, Oregon. While on a walk to a donut shop, he “lost count of the strung-out addicts I passed on my way” before eventually encountering four homeless people huddled around an empty baby carriage and smoking drugs right on the sidewalk. Moments later, a dog belonging to one of the addicts rushed out and bit him. 

Following the incident, Sedaris, a former methamphetamine addict himself, was struck by the fact that most people in Portland didn’t seem concerned about the state of the city – even the medical worker who treated him appeared more concerned with the dog’s well-being than what had happened to him: 

I mean, how hard should it be to get a little sympathy when an unleashed dog bites you? What if I were a baby? I wondered. Would people side with me then? What if I were ninety or blind or Nelson Mandela? Why is everyone so afraid of saying that drug addicts shouldn’t let their dogs bite people? Actually, I know why. We’re afraid we’ll be mistaken for Republicans, when, really, isn’t this something we should all be able to agree on? How did allowing dogs to bite people become a Democratic point of principle? Or is it just certain people’s dogs? If a German shepherd jumped, growling, out of one of those Tesla trucks that look like an origami project and its owner, wearing a MAGA hat, yelled, “Trumper, no!!!,” then would the people in my audience be aghast?

That one of America’s most progressive cities has become a laughingstock in one of the country’s more progressive magazines is a sign of Portland’s ongoing troubles. Like other big cities with major challenges, such as Chicago and San Francisco, Portland boasts many lovely areas and vibrant neighborhoods. But it is also defined by a range of pervasive problems – including crime, homelessness, drug addiction – that are less the consequences of modern society than self-inflicted wounds created by ineffective policies. If Portland stands out from other beleaguered cities, it is because its decline has been so swift.

Keep reading

Federal judge dismisses Justice Department lawsuit seeking Oregon’s voter rolls

A federal judge in Oregon dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking Oregon’s unredacted voter rolls on Monday in another setback to wide-ranging efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to get detailed voter data from states.

In a hearing, U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai said he would dismiss the suit and issue a final written opinion in the coming days. The updated docket for the case showed that Oregon’s move to dismiss the case was granted.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield welcomed the move.

“The court dismissed this case because the federal government never met the legal standard to get these records in the first place,” he said in an emailed statement. “Oregonians deserve to know that voting laws can’t be used as a backdoor to grab their personal information.”

The Justice Department declined to comment.

Keep reading

Another Victory for Tom Fitton and Judicial Watch – Oregon Agrees to Clean 800,000 Names of Inactive Voters from Voter Rolls

Last June, Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, announced that his organization was suing Oregon to remove the names of inactive voters from the state’s voter rolls.

Here is what Tom said, “Hey, everyone. Huge news. Judicial Watch lawsuits led to the cleanup of 4 million dirty names from the voting rolls in just the last two years or so. But there’s more heavy lifting to be done for cleaner elections. That’s why Judicial Watch just sued the state of Oregon to force it to finally clean up its voting rolls, which are a mess. Federal law requires states to take reasonable steps to clean up their voting rolls, and Oregon hasn’t been doing that.

In fact, our new lawsuit, Just Filed For and With the Constitution Party of Oregon and Oregon Voters, details how 29 of Oregon’s 36 counties removed few or no registrations as required by federal election law.

Oregon and 35 of its counties had overall registration rates exceeding 100%. Frankly, Oregon has the highest known inactive registration rate of any state in the nation. Dirty voting rolls can mean dirty elections.

Oregon, as I said, has some of the worst voting rolls in America and needs to clean them up as soon as possible. In the meantime, Judicial Watch has lawsuits to clean up voting rolls in California and in Illinois. Simply put, millions of ineligible names need to be removed from the voting rolls under federal law, and Judicial Watch has been, is, and will be in federal court making it happen.
On Monday Tom Fitton announced that the Oregon Secretary of State announced removal of 800,000 dirty names from the state’s voter rolls.

Keep reading

DOJ to investigate ‘anti-white’ taxpayer-funded ‘BIPOC youth’ swimming program in Oregon over civil rights violations

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division said it will investigate a taxpayer-funded program in Eugene, Oregon, that limits participation to “BIPOC youth.”

The social media account Libs of TikTok posted a flyer on X for the “BIPOC Water Safety and Lifeguard Cohort” in Eugene. The flyer states, “We invite BIPOC youth to join us where they are at being comfortable in the water. Whether working on increasing water safety skills or pursuing lifeguard certification, this cohort is here to support your goals. Funded by the community safety payroll tax in partnership with the Youth Empowerment Program.”

BIPOC is an acronym for “black, indigenous, people of color,” meaning the program is restricted to participants of those racial backgrounds. According to the City of Eugene’s website, the class is offered for free, unlike other youth programs, and is funded through the community safety payroll tax in partnership with the Youth Empowerment Program.

Libs of TikTok criticized the program, writing on X, “Your tax dollars are being spent on anti-White discrimination,” while tagging Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon. “This is illegal.”

Dhillon responded on X, confirming that the DOJ would look into the matter. “Racially discriminatory government programs are presumptively illegal,” she wrote.

Keep reading

Far-Left Portland Police Chief CRIES Over Two Tren de Aragua Gang Members Who Were Shot After They Tried to Run Over Border Patrol Agents

Far-left Portland Police Chief Bob Day cried over two Tren de Aragua gang members who were shot after they tried to run over Border Patrol Agents.

Federal agents shot two people in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the driver and passenger were affiliated with Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

“At 2:19 PST, US Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop in Portland, Oregon. The passenger of the vehicle and target is a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in Portland,” the DHS said.

“The vehicle driver is believed to be a member of the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” the DHS added.

“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving and more information is forthcoming,” the agency said.

The two gang members were wounded and transported to a local hospital.

On Friday, Portland Police Chief Bob Day had to fight back tears as he admitted the DHS was right about the officer-involved shooting.

“They do have some nexus to involvement with TDA. We can confirm that,” Bob Day said as he fought back tears.

Chief Day admitted he didn’t want to disclose there was a gang affiliation with the two shot by Border Patrol.

“I want to speak for just a moment, specifically to my Latino community,” Day said.

“It saddens me that we even have to qualify these remarks because I understand or at least have attempted to understand your voices, your concern, your fear, your anger,” Day said as he wiped away tears.

“This information, in no way, is meant to disparage or to condone or support or agree with any of the actions that occurred yesterday,” Day added.

Keep reading