Jeff Mapes
Jeff Mapes is a senior political reporter at Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Previously, Jeff covered state and national politics for The Oregonian for nearly 32 years. He has covered numerous presidential, congressional, gubernatorial and ballot measure campaigns, as well as many sessions of the Legislature, stretching back to 1985.
Jeff graduated from San Jose State University with a B.A. in journalism.
An avid bike commuter, Jeff is the author of the 2009 book, "Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities."
Latest Stories
Former Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt has died
Former Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, one of the state’s most powerful figures before revelations that he had sexually abused a teen, died Wednesday, two days before he would have turned 84.
Bob Stacey, a pioneering figure in Oregon’s growth, has died
Stacey was one of the pioneering attorneys who helped lay the legal foundations for Oregon’s unique growth management system, which limits suburban sprawl and protects farmlands and other open space. As Portland’s planning director in the early 1990s, he helped bring denser housing development to the city
Oregon’s unique growth rules have preserved open space but also led to new fights
Anyeley Hallovà chairs the commission that oversees Oregon's growth management system. She's passionate about developing compact neighborhoods that provide equitable and affordable housing — and that help combat climate change. But not everyone is happy about moving in this direction.
How a ‘little old lady’ nearly gutted Oregon’s growth rules
Property rights activists nearly derailed Oregon's growth management system in the early 2000s. And no one was more prominent — or colorful — than Dorothy English.
Growing Oregon: When property owners fought back — and almost won
Five key points from Episode 5 of Growing Oregon. The episode described how property rights activists nearly derailed the growth management system.
How freeway builders collided with Oregon’s growth management system
The proposed Westside Bypass freeway in Washington County had a lot of momentum — until critics said it ran afoul of Oregon's growth management system. The freeway fight in the early 1990s wound up affecting transportation policies throughout the state.
Pioneering civic activist Betty Niven started worrying about her Eugene block. She ended up changing the way Oregon handles housing
How Betty Niven went from petitioning her city council for a sidewalk to
Reporter-turned-lawyer Al Johnson saw injustice in housing and pushed Oregon to be better
Al Johnson is a lawyer who played a big role in changing how cities have to think about housing in Oregon. They can't just zone out homes for working class residents.
The fight to provide housing for every Oregonian was led by unlikely activists
Oregon leaders talked a lot about how the new growth management system would protect the state's farms and open spaces. But only gradually did it become clear how life would change inside Oregon's cities and suburbs.
Growing Oregon: The fight to create a plan to control growth
Here are some major takeaways from Episode 2 of Growing Oregon. The episode chronicles the nearly decade-long battle to establish a statewide growth management system for Oregon.