Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek marked 100 days in office on Wednesday, saying her first months in office amounted to a gubernatorial “sprint” that will help address the state’s housing crisis.
But in a meeting with reporters, Kotek was hardly claiming victory. A $200 million housing and homelessness package she helped coax through the Legislature this year is “historic,” she said, but a fraction of the money the new governor is demanding lawmakers put toward Oregon’s most pressing problem. And then there are her other priorities, which include a deficient behavioral health system and uninspiring outcomes in state schools.
Gov. Tina Kotek addresses reporters to mark 100 days in office.
Dirk VanderHart / OPB
“For every step we take forward, there are three more that emerge,” Kotek said, “and I’m eager to charge ahead.”
Kotek’s 100-day address was big on the themes that she campaigned on last year. She spoke of the possibilities she sees in Oregon, and the potential of a citizenry she believes is willing to try bold ideas to address major issues.
“The challenges facing Oregon didn’t arrive overnight, and they will not be solved overnight, or in 100 days,” Kotek said. “But our hundred-day sprint has laid the foundation to improve the lives of all Oregonians.”
There was a sharper message, too. As lawmakers consider making cuts to some agency budgets in coming years, Kotek said anything short of major new investments on her top priorities should be out of the question.
“A status quo budget or, worse, a cut budget is completely unacceptable for the next two years ahead of us,” Kotek said. “While Oregonians and Oregon communities are struggling, our problems will only become more expensive to address if they’re neglected.”
The governor called on lawmakers to put an additional $1.3 billion toward housing and homelessness — $1 billion borrowed against future tax revenues in the form of bonds, and the other $300 million from the state’s general fund.
“The $200 million that we did early in session was really a down payment,” she said. “We must do the rest, otherwise we’re gonna lose momentum and we can’t afford that.”
FILE: Newly sworn-in Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signs three executive orders to combat homelessness at the State Library of Oregon in the state capital Salem on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, her first full day in office. The executive orders declared a homeless emergency in most of the state, increased housing construction targets, and directed state agencies to prioritize reducing homelessness.
Claire Rush / AP
The financial reality
Kotek has also asked for almost $75 million to help patch holes in the state’s system for treating people with mental illness and addiction issues. And she’s pushing for $120 million to revamp reading instruction in the state.
The problem: Oregon lawmakers say they don’t have much to spend.
With a potential recession on the horizon and a torrent of federal funds related to the COVID-19 pandemic now running dry, legislative budget writers have signaled there could be just $325 million of general fund money on offer to expand programs and address pressing needs. Updated numbers won’t be available until a new revenue forecast on May 17.
On Wednesday, Kotek repeated her call for lawmakers to forgo a scheduled payment into the state’s budget reserves, a move that she believes would give the Legislature roughly $600 million more to spend.
“We have $2 billion in reserves. I feel confident that’s a good number,” Kotek said. “So why put more money there when we have immediate needs now?”
The idea could well find buy-in from Kotek’s Democratic allies in the Legislature. House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, said last week it might be “reasonable” to forgo a payment to state reserve funds in order to fund budget priorities.
But Rayfield’s office has acknowledged such a move would require a heightened threshold of support — three-fifths of lawmakers instead of a simple majority. That means Republican buy-in would be necessary. With heightened tensions over bills touching on guns and abortion still up for debate this session, it’s not clear GOP lawmakers will be willing to grant that permission..
State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner, a Portland Democrat and one of two chief legislative budget writers, said she would await more clarity on the state’s budget picture before making any decision on whether to pursue money slated for reserves.
“It’s an available resource if we need it,” Steiner said. “It’s always better to start tight, and expand if you can, than to make promises you can’t keep.”
Kotek’s hundred-day mark came with less than stellar news for the new governor. Polling firm Morning Consult released new approval ratings for U.S. governors that show Kotek, like Democratic predecessor Kate Brown, is at the bottom of the pack. Only 42% of Oregonians approve of the job she’s doing, the firm found.
Portland pollster John Horvick noted on Twitter that, despite being in the same slot as Brown, Kotek’s situation is a bit different. Whereas nearly every Oregonian had an opinion about Brown, roughly 19% haven’t decided what they think about Kotek yet.
“I think there are a lot of Oregonians who don’t know me,” Kotek said when asked about the poll. “We came off of the election, people went back to their day jobs, their lives. They’re not paying attention too much.”
The governor has been slowly fulfilling her pledge to visit each of Oregon’s 36 counties as part of a “One Oregon” tour. She said those visits will begin to give Oregonians a better picture of her leadership.
“My goal is to help Oregonians get to know I am and … hear what they need from me,” she said. “It’s gonna take some time, but we’ve only been at this a hundred days.”