Public Records

Portland has suffered yet another legal defeat in its attempt to keep city records from the public.

The committee is tasked with reviewing Washington's transparency and records laws. It almost disbanded after last session.

Since 2017, the city has paid out at least $559,839 in public records request lawsuits, according to budget documents. It’s happened three times this year alone.

Some Portland leaders want to tighten Oregon public record law after the city was forced to turn over documents with the contact information of constituents and pay a longtime records advocate $250,000 in attorney fees.

A two-year legal fight over Portland Public Schools’ handling of public records has ended with a financial hit to Oregon’s largest school district.

State ethics commissioners are charged with policing the behavior of public officials. When a recording of their behavior in a private meeting got out, they tried to hide the recordings.

We learn about Oregon's Bill of Rights for children of incarcerated parents, a public records lawsuit filed against the Washington legislature and a new University of Oregon policy related to sexual assault allegations.

We hear about a state bill to create a public records advocate, a new non-binary gender option on OR driver's licenses, and the search for a new Portland police chief from the nation's first female chief.

We learn more about the affordable housing tax measure Vancouver residents will vote on in the fall. And we discuss the state of Oregon's public records laws. We also learn about why the Deschutes County district attorney is re-examining over a thousand cases.