Who governs Oregon?
Ultimately, it’s voters. But, especially if the electorate is uninspired, things can go awry, which is what people are talking about increasingly.
Things are not good in Salem and I’m thankful for the slowly increasing robust news coverage of what’s taking place in the capital after a span of decline in the number of reporters keeping an eye on what is happening beneath the “Gold Man” Oregon pioneer.
We’re seeing stories coming from the online news sites such as Oregon Capital Chronicle, Oregon Capital Insider and Oregon Journalism Project, as well as other media that have continued to report facts voters need to know about what’s working and what’s not in Salem.
From the rural perspective, a lot is not working.
The ODOT debacle is one example, but just about anybody with feet on the ground that’s not linoleum or carpet can testify about bureaucratic overreach or, conversely, absentia. Oregon’s public schools, as a whole, lag far behind states that spend much less money on education. Oregon’s mental health system ranks among the worst in the United States, with high prevalence of mental illness and substance use disorders but limited access to care. Homelessness is epidemic. Our taxes are among the highest in the nation now. Despite what state leaders say, the state of law and order, particularly in downtown Portland, is not OK for many Oregonians. Housing affordability and Oregon’s cost of living are both in the bottom 20% of the 50 states, as rated by U.S. News and World Report. A check of GasBuddy.com shows we’re in the bottom eight out of the 50 states in gas prices.
Bottom line: We’re near the top of the list in almost every category and it’s not the end of the list we want to be on.
Next week, Democratic leaders in Salem are holding hearings to “defend Oregon from Trump.” I’m not a fan of everything the president is doing, but this really appears to be a political dodge from the real problems our state faces.
The transportation bill passed on Sept. 29, in an effort to keep ODOT workers employed and our roads clear this winter, is a glaring symptom of the problem. State leaders are budgeting and spending far more than residents can afford to pay and we’re seeing the results: More taxes.
For anyone who hasn’t been paying attention, here’s what the bill, signed by Gov. Tina Kotek last week (see page ##) will do for us:
- Increase the gas tax, which was already one of the highest in the nation, from 40 to 46 cents per gallon, effective Jan. 1, 2026.
- Increase annual registration fees from $43 to $85 for passenger vehicles; $63 to $105 for utility vehicles, light trailers, low-speed vehicles and medium-speed electric vehicles; and $44 to $86 for mopeds and motorcycles.
- Increase title fees for passenger vehicles from $77 to $216.
- Double the payroll tax used to support public transit from 0.1% to 0.2% until Jan. 1, 2028.
- Increase registration surcharges for electric and highly fuel-efficient vehicles, from $35 to $65 annually for cars with a 40+ mpg rating and from $115 to $145 annually for electric vehicles.
- Phase in a mandatory road usage charge program for electric vehicles by 2031. Electric vehicle drivers have been able to opt into the OReGO program and pay 2 cents per mile in exchange for lower registration fees, and the proposed change would mandate electric vehicle drivers participate in that program or pay a flat $34.
Oregon is a mess, and the leadership is to blame – pure and simple. Example: Kotek got busy right after the bill was approved, more than a month ago, telling ODOT to stop laying people off and start hiring for winter. But she stalled on signing it until the last minute to, as political observers on both sides of the aisle acknowledge, head off Republican efforts to challenge it through a referendum.
And that’s where we’re going here. Failed leadership has gotten us into this mess and it isn’t all President Trump’s or ICE’s fault, despite the loud outcries. Whether or not you like the president, this one starts closer to home.
And now it’s apparent that citizens are taking notice and taking steps. As of this week, some 70 statewide ballot initiatives have been filed with the Oregon Secretary of State’s office. Not all of those will make it onto the ballot in the 2026 general election, but that should tell us (and Oregon’s leadership) something: People aren’t happy.
The Blue Wave that occurred in this past election may have signalled people’s impatience and frustration with Trump and the Republicans, but this precursor of ballot measure warfare indicates that people are waking up to the fact that we’re grossly overtaxed and under-served by our state leadership.
Some of those proposed initiatives are sponsored by big money, namely John von Schlegell of Endeavor Capital, a Portland investment firm, who filed 11 last week. But a lot of the others are just efforts to change things by average citizens who are sick of what’s happening.
The one that’s really getting attention is the above-referenced Gas Tax Referendum, backed by Rep. Ed Deitz, a Republican representative out of Stayton, which is an effort to challenge the transportation bill.
ODOT is a vital agency in our state, but it needs to be run responsibly and efficiently, as much as is possible for a government agency. If Oregon is going to climb out of this morass we’re in, it may be painful. The question is going to be whether citizens, particularly the urban progressives, are willing to wake up to the fact that responsibility starts with us.