Shaanth Nanguneri - Oregon Capital Chronicle
Shaanth Kodialam Nanguneri is a reporter based in Salem, Oregon covering Gov. Tina Kotek and the Oregon Legislature. He grew up in the Bay Area, California and went on to study at UCLA, reporting for the Daily Bruin until graduating in March 2025. Previously, he was a reporting intern covering criminal justice and health for CalMatters in Sacramento, California. He is always eager to tell stories that illuminate how complex and intricate policies from state government can help shape the lives of everyday Oregonians.
Judge blocks Portland ICE facility agents from using tear gas leaking into nearby apartments
Members of 30 Oregon labor unions organized a march against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement near an ICE facility in Portland on Jan. 31, 2026. The march ended at the facility, where federal officers shot tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets at the crowd, which included children. (ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
After walkouts, budget woes and tensions over Trump, Oregon lawmakers wrap for 2026 session
The 2026 short session that began in early February ended on Friday, March 6, in a flurry of final votes that will impact Oregonians in every corner of the state.
Oregon Senate waters down controversial gun control bill, winning Republican support
Oregon state senators on Thursday gutted this year’s legislation to bolster the rollout of a 2022 voter-approved gun control law currently being litigated, despite Democrats expending significant political capital to push a wide-ranging firearm safety bill through the House.
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Oregon Senate moves to penalize landlords divulging citizenship status, private information
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle moved to strengthen existing protections for immigrants without permanent legal status that the Oregon Legislature enacted last year.
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Oregon House Republicans stage walkout as gas tax election, gun control votes near
House Republicans walked out of a session Monday after the Oregon Senate passed a bill along party lines to reschedule a referendum on transportation tax and fee increases from November to May.
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After slow fall Covid shot rollout, Oregon moves to bolster public health officials’ authority
Senate Bill 1598, which cleared the Senate in a party-line vote Thursday, Feb. 19, would empower Oregon’s public health officer to issue standing orders for vaccines in alignment with “evidence-based guidance” and recommendations from professional medical organizations. The bill would require health insurers to cover those recommended vaccines.
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Oregon Senate Republicans end one-day walkout ahead of transportation referendum vote
Both chambers on Thursday gaveled in with enough Republicans in attendance to reach a quorum, despite a majority of Republicans in the House and all of the Senate GOP not showing up Wednesday afternoon.
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Some Oregon Republican leaders uneasy with Trump’s deportation campaign
A few Republican lawmakers and spokespeople have expressed concerns with the reported tactics of federal agents, including in Salem.
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Oregon lawmakers propose criminal penalties for alarming, threatening public officials
Threats of violence against local and national public officials have climbed nationwide, including multiple high-profile bomb threats in Oregon.
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Targeting debunked forensics, Oregon lawmakers propose narrowed wrongful conviction bill
State Sen. Kim Thatcher, who represents north Salem and Keizer, is among the backers of a measure to allow people convicted based on junk science to have their cases reviewed.
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