By Representative David Gomberg, House District 10
11/3/25
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Last week, the Oregon Economic Development Association gathered here on the Oregon Coast. I thought I’d share with you the remarks I presented as a Welcome Address.
Welcome to our special part of Oregon. And it is very special here. But we struggle in our part of Oregon the same way you do in yours.
Across Oregon, unemployment is up. More people are out of work than since the pandemic five years ago. And at the same time, employers across Oregon are looking for qualified, motivated, job-ready employees. You have to wonder what the disconnect is.
Let’s start here in our special part of Oregon. Because the only job sectors showing increases statewide are in hospitality and healthcare.
Hospitality. Here in Lincoln City, there are more oceanfront hotel rooms than in any city between Seattle and San Francisco. Just up the road, the Tillamook Creamery gets more visitors each year than the Space Needle. Right now, you are in the hospitality capital of Oregon!
At the same time, here in Lincoln County, one-in-three residents is over the age of 65. We have fifty thousand people supported by two stand-alone hospitals and eight local clinics that employ 800 workers.
I once asked the state economist about what I called the “retirement economic sector”. And he began to talk about what he called the “hospice economy”. Big mistake! Because while retirees do need elder care and health care, they also need hair care and lawn care, and spend money on everything from groceries to cruises. The retirement sector is alive and well in Lincoln County!
So with two of our most active economic sectors here, we come back to the question of why employers can’t find employees.
It may be the simple fact that people who want to work here or can’t find a place to live here. Or it may be the less simple fact that some workers – making beds, clearing dishes, or cleaning fish – may be afraid to come to work for fear they may be arrested or a family member might be gone when they get home. Or it might be the challenge of matching skills with the evolving jobs we’re trying to fill.
Enrollment at our community college doubled this year. Doubled! And voters just approved the new Oregon Coast Advanced Technology & Trades (OCATT) Center, where we can train welders and diesel mechanics to support the growing “blue” marine economy.
Education is central to training workers for good-paying jobs. But we have a problem paying for it.
Across Oregon, fewer people are working, and that means fewer people are paying taxes. On-again-off-again tariffs have upended the economy. The federal government has reneged on promises to pay for local housing, water, and sewer projects. And because we rely on the income tax rather than a sales tax, changes in the federal tax code will reduce Oregon income tax revenue by a billion dollars this tax cycle.
Meanwhile, cuts in food support and health care are projected to cost $15 billion over the next six years.
What that means is that when I go back to Salem next year, we’ll have to reduce budgets. We’ll struggle to pay for health care, schools, and housing. And we’ll end up cutting, wrongly, I believe, our economic development efforts.
Training people for good jobs is the way out of this mess, but it is hard to prioritize when folks are sick, homeless, or hungry.
Still, in spite of all of this, I’m optimistic for Oregon. Oregonians are innovators, and innovation drives our economy.
I talk all the time about computer chips, wood chips, and fish and chips. But depending on where you are from in Oregon, that may really mean biomedical research or mass timber. I remind folks that an OSU lab once produced the flea collar and the maraschino cherry in the same year. I’m still convinced they are made from the same stuff!
Here in my special part of Oregon, innovation means things like the 100% fish project. That means using the parts of a fish we currently throw away for processing oils and cosmetics, using skin for leather, dog treats, and even skin grafts for burn victims. They extract collagen from fish skin for anti-aging creams, use enzymes from fish intestines for medical applications, and create protein powders and omega-rich supplements from fish bones and trimmings.
The result is turning a $12 fish into a $2000 fish, creating jobs, and reducing waste.
I’m optimistic about Oregon and our ability to adapt and overcome. And I thank all of you economic problem solvers for coming here to our special part of Oregon. Please spend all of your money before you go home!
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Paul Schuytema and his Lincoln County Economic Development Alliance welcome attendees to Salishan.
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| The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) went into effect on July 1st. This was the result of Senate Bill 582, passed during the 2021 legislative session. One of the main goals of the RMA was to adopt a “Universal Statewide Collection List” (USCL). The USCL means that everywhere you go in Oregon, the accepted recycling list of what goes in your curbside recycling cart will be the same! That’s a huge win!
We are the first state in the U.S. to implement an extended producer responsibility law for packaging, paper products and food serviceware. This type of law makes brands more responsible for the products they make, from the time they’re sold to the time they’re ready for the garbage or recycling bin. |
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| This system-wide update will make recycling easier for the public to use, expand access to recycling services, upgrade the facilities that sort recyclables, and create environmental benefits while reducing social and environmental harms, such as plastic pollution. Producers and manufacturers of packaged items, paper products, and food serviceware will pay for many of these necessary improvements and help ensure recycling is successful in Oregon.
For now, recycling will stay mostly the same. But there will be gradual changes to what you can put in your home and work recycling bins. Depending on your local service, here are some changes you may see:
- All jugs, bottles, and tubs are accepted. The minimum size must be 2 inches x 2 inches so that those items don’t jam up recycling sorting equipment.
- Plastic screw-on caps are allowed as long as they are securely screwed onto plastic bottles, jars, buckets and jugs. Loose caps go in the garbage. Note: screw-on caps are not the same as lids. The lids that press onto plastic containers still go in the garbage.
- Food and beverage cartons like milk and soup containers, and pizza boxes are allowed as long as there are no leftover food scraps and grease residue is minimal. Paper liners from pizza boxes go in the garbage.
- Paperback books are allowed, though we recommend donating them instead!
- Scrap metal must be less than 18 inches long and weigh less than 10 pounds.
- Additional drop-off recycling items will be available early 2027, so please look for that announcement from your municipalities and local haulers.
If you have questions, reach out to your local service provider. And be sure and thank them for showing up every week in all kinds of weather! |
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| Saturday afternoon, I was asked to speak at the dedication of the Cosmography Mosaic at the Lincoln City Cultural Center.
It was five years ago that I stood on the stage here and announced that we had secured $1.5 million. This delightful piece of art is the capstone of the plaza project that transformed playgrounds and parking lots at the old DeLake School into performance stages, public art displays, and a welcoming surround to the Center, where eight million cars drive by each year.
My comments were focused on the economic impact of the arts in Lincoln County.
Last week I wrote that health care employs 841 people across the county. So it is notable if not impressive that arts, entertainment, and culture provide over 600 jobs and a combined personal income of $23 million.
That includes venues like our Performing Arts Center, the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center, the Lincoln City Cultural Center and the stages at Chinook Winds. It includes music events like the Newport Symphony, the Oregon Coast Jazz Party, and the Siletz Bay Music Festival. And of course, it includes local galleries featuring local artists and the pubs and restaurants that feature remarkable live music.
Overall attendance at these events last year was around 700,000 people, a third of whom were from outside the county. Average spending was $50 per person, which means those events generated $34 million in spending. Factor in food, shopping, lodging, and childcare, and the total economic impact jumps to $50 million.
The point, of course, is that arts and culture enrich our lives and our communities. And they also enrich our regional economy in ways unmatched anywhere else in Oregon. |
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| Earlier in the week, I joined members of a local Lions Club to help check the vision of students at one of our local elementary schools.
This remarkable program uses the innovative Welch Allyn Spot™ device to screen students – usually in less than 30 seconds. Using this device, we can detect eight different vision issues and identify students who may need a more thorough exam. |
| Eighty percent of all visual impairment can be prevented or cured. The first step to prevention is awareness. The second is early detection through vision screening. Around the world, Lions partner with medical professionals and community leaders to screen young children, primary school students, and adults to identify those at risk for vision loss. The venue for Lions’ vision screenings varies from schools to workplaces to community health fairs, and the screening methods depend upon the age group. But the results are always the same. Early identification leads to timely referral, professional treatment, and improved or restored sight. |
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| Saturday night, the PAC was packed with an enthusiastic sell-out crowd to celebrate the return of Dancing with the Coastal Stars. The popular event has been on hiatus since COVID. It was my honor and joy to act as host for the evening. |
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| “Dancing with the Coastal Stars” is a local fundraiser for the Samaritan House Family Homeless Shelter in Newport. Now in its fourth year, the event pairs local couples – most with no prior dance experience – with professional coaches to learn and perform choreographed routines live on stage for a vital cause. Participants compete for the Judges’ Award, the People’s Choice Award, and the Fundraising Award, raising money in support of Samaritan House in the weeks leading up to the event.
This year’s couples are:
- Andrea Formo and Andrew Melzer
- Ashley and Cameron Garner
- Kristi and Bill Cline
- Martha Varo Cornejo and Enrique Valdivia Leon
- Nina Vetter and Justin Stokes
- Seanna and Zack Dahl
Dancer bios can be read here.
Judges for the evening were Jason Holland, Dustin Capri, Rebecca Sinnhuber, and Congresswoman Val Hoyle. By the end of the evening, nearly $60 thousand had been raised, and both the People’s Choice and Judges’ Mirror Ball Trophy went to Martha and Enrique. Well done to everyone! |
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| Let it rain!! The 2025 fire season is now officially closed. Less acreage burned in 2025, but more was ignited by humans.
There were 138 days of fire season statewide this year with 1,156 fires for 24,788 acres burned. Overall, 94% of those fires were kept at 10 acres or less. That’s 118% of our 10-year average for the number of fires, but only 36% of the 10-year average acres burned!
Fires this year also cost the state less to fight — about $130 million for the state forestry department and $16.2 million for the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office. The Department of Forestry expects to receive $74 million in reimbursements from the federal government for helping with fires on federal land. The 2024 fire season cost the state $350 million and required a special session of the Legislature to come up with the money.
Last year, most wildfires in Oregon occurred in rangeland in the central and eastern parts of the state. This year, forested areas took more of the heat, and fires got much closer to communities, burning 200 homes and structures. Many of those were in the Flat and Rowena fires near Sisters and The Dalles. |
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The Flat Fire directly threatened the community of Sisters and the surrounding areas with more than 4,000 homes in some level of evacuation.
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| Nearly 62% of the fires this year were human-caused. Lightning caused about 30%.
Stopping most fires while they were small was in large part thanks to safe and aggressive initial attack by local responders. Despite an incredibly rough 2024 fire season, firefighters came back this year ready to protect Oregonians. That’s a testament to the professionalism and dedication of those willing to take on the challenge of fighting wildland fire across our state.
As things wind down after the “official” fire season, please remember that wildfires do happen outside of declared fire season in all parts of the state. Stay safe by focusing on the conditions where you are instead of the date on the calendar. While the end of fire season doesn’t mean the end of fires, it does mean the end of fire restrictions. Debris burning may still require a permit from your local fire department, and slash burning always requires a permit from ODF. Please check out the burning safety tips video and fact sheet and share with others.
Let’s all thank our dedicated firefighters for the countless hours spent away from their families this summer to protect Oregonians, communities, and our natural resources. |
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| Rounding out this week was breakfast with the Waldport Chamber of Commerce. It’s a long, early morning drive to the gathering, but always a lively group. The highlight this week was the donation of $2,000 to the local Food Share. |
| Over 23,000 Lincoln County residents were scheduled to lose SNAP (Food Stamp) benefits this week. Governor Kotek committed $5 million in reserve funds for food insecurity, but that is a small fraction of the $140 million received in Oregon SNAP benefits each month. Two federal judges on Friday ordered the Trump administration to use emergency reserve money to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as the government shutdown continues.
If you are reading this on Mon day or Tuesday, it isn’t too late to return your ballot. You can use a drop box or the post office. Under a new Oregon law, any ballot postmarked by election day will be counted. |
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