Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is declaring a homeless state of emergency as one of her first acts in office, fulfilling a promise she made during the 2022 campaign and kickstarting what she says will be a more aggressive approach to the housing crisis.
Kotek was sworn in as Oregon鈥檚 39th governor Monday afternoon. In her inaugural address, she said that on her first day in office Tuesday, she鈥檒l declare the state of emergency and sign an executive order calling on state government to create 36,000 new homes a year 鈥� an 80% increase over current production.
State demographers and economists have estimated Oregon needs to build more than 550,000 new housing units over the next 20 years. The state is short more than 110,000 homes to meet current demand, and most of those units need to be aimed at poorer Oregonians 鈥� a population private-sector builders usually say they need public help to serve.
It鈥檚 not clear yet how Kotek hopes to help local governments and private businesses meet her new housing goal, though declaring a state of emergency does give state government greater flexibility over how taxpayer money is spent and how state land-use rules are executed.
The new governor is also proposing a $130 million investment to help people currently at risk of losing their homes. State legislators, who were also sworn in Monday and begin their 2023 work in earnest next week, would need to approve that emergency spending.
鈥淚 have heard from people loud and clear,鈥� Kotek planned to tell lawmakers, according to a version of her speech given to reporters before the ceremony. 鈥淭he status quo is not working. And for many Oregonians, it never worked.鈥�
to replace outgoing Gov. Kate Brown, who was barred by term limits from seeking another term. Brown took office in 2015 and governed during a series of seemingly nonstop crises for Oregon and the country, including wildfires, COVID-19, the 2020 racial justice reckoning and ensuing months of protests and a spike in both housing costs and homelessness.
Brown accomplished many of the biggest items on the Democratic agenda, including mandating paid sick leave, creating a new business tax for education and remaking the state鈥檚 criminal justice system through judicial appointments and the use of commutations.
Still, the outgoing governor faced significant criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike about some of her decisions and her response to the rise in homelessness, among other big challenges facing the state.
Kotek, just the third female governor in Oregon history and, along with new Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, the first lesbian ever elected to a governorship in the United States, is a self-declared progressive. She won the 2022 campaign largely because of her strength in urban areas and gained a reputation in the Legislature, where she was Oregon鈥檚 longest-serving House speaker before , of being especially adept at using the power of that post to keep her fellow Democrats in line.
But in her inaugural speech, she said her priority is strengthening connections between Oregonians across the state. She cited former Republican Gov. Vic Atiyeh as inspiration.
鈥淗e too was a former legislator with deep knowledge of our state budget,鈥� she said. " 鈥� I will endeavor to listen and lead with the same authenticity, compassion and skill that Governor Atiyeh brought to the job.鈥�
Kotek also promised to bring a new degree of accountability to state agencies.
In her prepared remarks, she said she plans to deliver a set of expectations to agency leaders this week. It will order them to prioritize customer service: 鈥淭hat means being more efficient, more effective and creating systems that will empower the state鈥檚 42,000 public servants to deliver for Oregonians. So many state employees are working incredibly hard to do their jobs, but struggle because of unnecessary bureaucratic barriers or outdated systems that do not meet the challenge of the day.鈥�
Building some semblance of bipartisan consensus will be key for the new administration: Although Democrats managed to avoid the 鈥渞ed wave鈥� some political scientists had predicted last fall, they lost their supermajorities in the state House and Senate. That means any legislation to raise revenue through taxes this session will require some GOP support.
And new housing will cost big money at a time when after a surprisingly fast recovery from COVID-19 job losses. The biggest agenda item for Kotek and legislators during this legislative session, which must end by late June, is coming up with a budget for the next two years.
In addition to Kotek鈥檚 inauguration Monday, the , a Corvallis Democrat. And state Senators selected a new president: Rob Wagner, a Democrat from Lake Oswego. He replaces now-retired , making him the longest-serving legislator in Oregon history.
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