By Representative David Gomberg, House District 10
11/2/2026
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
Tuesday will be consequential for Oregon.
A close race for Governor will be decided. We will likely re-elect one of our two US Senators and six members of the House of Representatives. And where I work, we will choose 60 members of the Oregon House (who serve two year terms) and 15 members of the Senate (who serve four year terms). That brings into question whether Democrats will continue to hold a three-fifths supermajority—margins that allow them to pass new taxes without a single Republican vote.
In the state Senate, where Democrats control 18 of 30 seats, most attention is on two places: a Republican-held seat near Salem and a Democratically controlled southern Oregon district that has generated more spending than any other legislative race.
In the House, where every seat is on the ballot, the focus is on four districts: two where Democrats are working to hold seats on the North Coast and in Woodburn, and two where Republicans are similarly working to hold seats in Salem and in the Gorge.
Across the state, two House races are uncontested—one in Clackamas County and one here on the Central Coast/Coast Range.
You can read more about legislative elections here on OPB.
Closer to home, there are hard fought contests for County Commission, Mayor, and City Council along with Public Utility Districts and Soil and Water Districts which are largely uncontested. I often observe that local races get less attention and certainly less money but have a greater impact on your daily lives. Local councils and boards determine which potholes get filled, how many police we hire, or what you pay for electricity. This year some of those races are getting plenty of attention.
Most voters have returned their ballots. If you have not yet, you need to use a ballot drop box, not the mail. Initial results will be available on County election sites and the Secretary of State web page after 8pm on Election Day. Closer races may take a few days longer as ballots postmarked the last day continue to arrive.
| Oregon’s mail-in ballot makes voting easier. And we make it easier for qualified citizens to be registered in Oregon. That means many people are automatically registered who sadly have little interest in voting. But even with higher-than-average registration, we have higher-then-average participation. Turnout for the Oregon midterms in 2022 was 62.3%, with national average for 2022 at 46.2%. |
| Tuesday will also be a consequential day for thousands of Oregonians affected by the 2020 fires.
As readers know, I live in the Echo Mountain Complex fire zone. Half of the homes on my street were lost. And six years later, about a third of those families have not rebuilt. For each vacant lot, there is a different story. But for too many, that story comes down to people waiting six years later for lawsuits to be resolved.
The same is true for fire survivors across Oregon in the Santiam, Echo Mountain, 242 and South Obenchain fires and a legal class of roughly 2,000 victims. |
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| On November 3, the Oregon Supreme Court will consider whether to uphold or vacate a multibillion-dollar verdict against PacifiCorp for widespread damage stemming from four 2020 wildfires. Six years after the Labor Day Fires, and three years after a jury found the utility giant at fault, Oregon’s highest court will hear oral arguments in James v. PacifiCorp. The issue is a technical one—whether jury instructions given during the 2023 trial were prejudicial to PacifiCorp.
The stakes are very high.
PacifiCorp, which is owned by multinational conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, is currently liable for billions in damages. Juries have awarded 225 survivors about $1.2 billion since a 2023 trial found PacifiCorp negligent and grossly negligent for its power lines igniting the fires. Another 1,400 fire victims are potentially owed damages, which could lead to a staggering award in the $7 to $8 billion range if the verdict holds up.
If the high court rules for PacifiCorp and agrees with the Oregon Court of Appeals, it could wipe out the jury awards, vacate the original verdict, and require an entirely new trial.
For victims of the fires who haven’t received any money yet, enduring another years long trial is a loathsome possibility. At least 50 members of the class of wildfire survivors have died in the six years since the fires. Many others are elderly, struggling and enduring economic hardship. And should they lose, one particularly awkward aspect of this case is that the wildfire survivors might actually be liable for PacifiCorp’s, legal costs.
To be clear, some survivors have agreed to settlements, getting less money sooner and with certainly. Others have entered this class action suit, waiting longer for larger awards. PacifiCorp has asserted that it’s willing to settle with fire victims and pointed out that it has paid $2.3 billion in settlements for wildfire damage.
Of further interest is the fact that the judge writing the opinion for the Court of Appeals that could essentially save PacifiCorp billions of dollars previously represented PacifiCorp before being appointed to the court in 2022.
The Oregon Journalism Project cited multiple sources who said that judge should have recused herself given her previous connection to the utility. She wrote she had “no personal or financial interest in the litigation” and that her work with PacifiCorp ended in 2022.
PacifiCorp’s request to temporarily raise electricity rates due to potentially crippling judgements from the wildfire trial were denied earlier this year by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. About 75 wildfire survivors plan to travel to the Supreme Court on November 3 for oral arguments. |
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| So I returned home from China last weekend and was just getting used to sleeping on Pacific Time when they changed all the clocks on me again!
The Oregon Legislature has voted to stop changing times twice a year making DST permanent, but the shift requires either agreement from California and Washington or Congress. The US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly for year-round daylight saving time. But momentum has stalled. The legislation can’t get out of the U.S. Senate, and it looks unlikely there’ll be much progress anytime soon.
Some people argue that dark hours in winter mornings are a bad thing. Some people like late sunsets in the summer. Some argue that one standard time is good for business or bad for business. It’s all pretty confusing.
Honestly, I don’t care what time we choose as long as we can finally choose just one!
When legislative session begins in January, I drive back and forth from Otis to Salem each day. People ask me what it’s like at the beach. “Dark” I say. It’s dark when I leave and dark when I get home.
What I know with certainly is that we changed clocks again on Sunday morning. And the odds are good we’ll move them forward again on March 8, 2027. |
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| This interactive map shows the approximate earliest and latest sunrise and sunset times by county under the current daylight saving system, no daylight saving time, and permanent daylight saving time. |
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| Wednesday I drove up the Coast to Cannon Beach for the third meeting of the Blue Economy Task Force. The Task Force was created earlier this year by SB 1525 with the goal of identifying opportunities “to facilitate or enhance the growth of sustainable blue economy businesses while preserving and protecting Oregon’s coastal ecosystems.” We are tasked with preparing a report next September. |
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| The Blue Economy Task Force held our third meeting in Cannon Beach with previous meetings in Coos Bay and Salem. |
| The Task Force has 18 members representing fisheries, labor, environmental organizations, tourism, Tribes, research and innovation institutions. There are two legislative members, myself as Chair and Senator Brock-Smith as Vice Chair.
We’re presently focused on information gathering with presentations from the fish processing industry, Business Oregon, the Oregon Employment Division, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, and the tourism industry.
You can watch past meetings of the Task Force here.
The blue economy is generally described as the sustainable use and protection of ocean, sea, and coastal resources to drive economic growth, improve jobs, and keep marine ecosystems healthy. That can include fishing and fish processing, ports, boat construction and maintenance, science and research, recreation and tourism.
With that in mind, two slides in our many presentations jumped out at me. One showed “maritime sector” jobs and the other tourism jobs.
The coast enjoys about 4,350 maritime jobs, about 2% of our total employment. But at the same time, Multnomah County has 5,300 maritime jobs. Thank you Port of Portland!
Similarly we saw that coastal counties have about 26,500 tourism jobs. Curiously, the Willamette Valley has fewer hospitality jobs but generates more revenue which implies that inland jobs pay better. |
| The Task Force will meet twice more before the Legislative session convenes in January. Then, we’ll take a five-month break as staff and the chairs are committed during session and reconvene in January.
I warned the group at our first meeting that this would not be a monthly coffee klatch on the coastal economy with staff compiling a summary. So instead, I’m taking a new approach and appointing sub-groups to continue our work in early 2027. This has only been done one other time! The sub-groups will meet and report back with specific suggestions, proposals, or requests. Those groups will study:
- Fishing, Fish Processing and Ports
- Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation
- Science, Research and Innovation
- Environment, Land Use and Transportation
- Workforce and Education
I’m looking forward to good people coming back with good ideas as we test this innovative approach to Task Force work. |
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| The Task Force met on Wednesday in Cannon Beach, and on Thursday, the annual Coastal Caucus Economic Summit convened in Seaside.
As you know, the Coastal Caucus is made up of our Senators and Representatives from Coastal districts. I observed at the Summit that when I first came to the legislature, the Caucus included five democrats and two republicans. Last year, there were six republicans and one democrat. But it didn’t matter because regardless of party, we work together in a bi-partisan way for the betterment of the Coast. And that’s how it should be! |
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| Congresswomen Bonamici and Hoyle and Senators Wyden and Merkley addressed the Summit. |
| The Summit brought together leaders, business owners, and activists from all parts of the Coast. We heard from our Washington DC representatives, a keynote address on tourism, and another keynote on … yes … the Blue Economy. A dozen smaller break-out sessions filled the agenda.
Members of the Coastal Caucus brought key concerns to the room. My remarks focused on the need to invest in water and sewer infrastructure, on emergency response, on our coastal ports, the work of our Task Force, and finally on the opportunities I brought home from China. |
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| You can watch the entire Summit here or my own remarks at 3:57:20. |
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| I finished out the week with the great pleasure of emceeing the 2026 Dancing With The Coastal Starz.
Five couples took to the PAC stage in Newport after months of practice and planning. The dancers were not professionals or even experienced performers. But they did bring passion and commitment to the stage along with a lot of fun. And together they raised more than $50,000 to support the Samaritan House and their goal of bringing safe, affordable, and sustainable housing to Lincoln County families.
You can meet the dancing couples here.
This coming week I’ll be speaking to the Oregon Association of Conservation Districts, presenting the Innovator Award to the Shown family who runs Brigadoon Winery, speaking to the Samaritan Community Leaders Reception, and meeting with the leadership of BOLI—the Bureau of Labor and Industries.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for being engaged in our communities. And thank you again for voting! |
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