Priorities for 2019 Legislative Session; Senator Ron Wyden's Town Hall Meetings; What Jobs are available in your region?

Click to edit this placeholder text.

Roblan State

Greetings Fiends and Neighbors,

I hope you had a great holiday season and New Year. Arlene and I have been able to spend some time to celebrate the holidays with our kids and grand-kids.

I am grateful to be able to serve all of you along the Oregon Coast and I’m looking forward to returning to Salem for the 2019 Legislative Session, where I will to continue my work as Co-Chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Joint Committee on Student Success. The 14-member Joint Committee on Student Success spent eight months traveling the state. From Salem, we clocked 2,678 miles on trips to Lane County, Eastern Oregon, Clackamas County, Marion County, Southern Oregon, Washington County, Central Oregon, the Columbia River Gorge, Portland, Fairview, Gresham and the South Coast.  The committee has been tasked with converting the committee’s goals into legislation that will transform public education in Oregon.  On a personal note, this is probably the most important work I will do in my entire working life.

As many of you know, I’ve been an educator and high school principal in a rural community for a long time.  Our schools are the heart of our local communities. Nobody cares more about the schools in Medford or Bend or Pendleton or Coos Bay than the people who live there. While many of our rural schools face similar challenges to urban schools, the solutions are far different for rural districts than urban districts.  Despite these differences, often there is one thing that our rural and urban schools have in common – we know that our schools are our most vital resource that we offer our children for a better future.  We are recognizing right now that we need to do better. We are looking for more than fixes, we are looking for transformation.

In addition to serving on the Joint Committee on Student Success, I also will be serving on the budget-writing Joint Committee on Ways and Means and its Education and Government SubCommittees, as well as the Senate Rules Committee and Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

Once again, it is an honor to represent you, my friends and neighbors, in the Oregon Legislature. I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting back to work for the best interest of everyday Oregonians during the upcoming Legislative Session.

Sincerely,

signature

Wyden

Join U.S. SENATOR RON WYDEN for his  2019 town hall meetings in Lincoln and Tillamook counties:

What: Lincoln County Town Hall

Where: Lincoln City Cultural Center, 540 NE Hwy 101, Lincoln City

When: Saturday, January 5

Time: Noon


tillmooki

What: Tillamook County Town Hall 

Where: Port of Tillamook Bay Officers Mess Hall, 6825 Officer's Row Tillamook

When: Saturday, January 5

Time: 3:30 p.m.

We welcome your questions and concerns.  Please do not hesitate to call Senator Wyden's Office at 503-589-4555

*****


Senate District 5 Map

Legislators from seven states announce coordinated effort to block offshore drilling

Washington, D.C. - State legislators from seven states are announcing a united effort to protect their states from offshore drilling.

Following the release of the Trump Administration’s Proposed OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, more than 225 legislators from coastal states raised their voices in opposition. Now, these states are taking action by introducing legislation (such as Oregon's Senate Bill 256) that would limit any new offshore drilling capabilities off their coasts.

Hosted by The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL), state legislators from seven states (legislators from Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island) are announcing their efforts to protect their coasts and economies by blocking offshore drilling in state waters now and in the future. They will be announcing the introduction of offshore drilling bans in their respective legislatures.

Coastal states across the nation are opposed to expanding offshore drilling off their coasts. They truly understand the threat to the environment and their states’ economies. States are taking action by exercising their ability to regulate drilling activities and infrastructure within state waters. Coastal tourism, fisheries, shipping and defense are the underpinning of all U.S. coastal states’ economies. Expanding offshore drilling is a risk these states cannot afford to take.

*****


Gold Man

Key takeaways from December 2018 edition of the Southwestern Oregon Economic Indicators.

From Sarah Cunningham, Workforce Analyst: Coos, Curry, and Douglas Counties, Oregon Employment Department

Unemployment rates continue to decrease year-over-year for Coos and Douglas counties. Curry County’s over-the-year unemployment rate held steady at 6.2 percent.

Coos County and Douglas County experienced year-over-year growth in their total nonfarm employment levels.  Curry County experienced a reported net loss of 80 jobs, but saw gains in key industries like private education, health services and manufacturing.

Check out “Oregon’s Maritime Sector Workforce” where I feature state economist Nick Beleiciks’ recent report. It turns out that 14 percent of Oregon’s maritime sector jobs are located in Southwestern Oregon!  

pic

Key takeaways from December 2018 Lane County Economic Indicators.

From Henry L. Fields, Workforce Analyst/Economist Serving Lane County, Oregon Employment Department, www.QualityInfo.org

Since Lane County wages are often a step behind the state as a whole, Henry L. Fields thought it would be interesting this month to look at what type of jobs pay better locally than they do any other place in the state.  

Lane County is a great place to be a technical sales rep, a massage therapist, a logging or sheet metal worker, a drywall installer, or a musician or singer. Before you start thinking about greener pastures in one of these careers, definitely check Quality Info for the most up-to-date wage information.

This month’s articles include:

An Uber or Lyft driver, a mining partnership, a sole proprietor trucking company, a successful real estate broker, and an independent technical consultant are all likely to show up in the nonemployer data.

In the past couple of years, economic growth is translating into better economic outcomes, including rising incomes, across Oregon’s industries, regions, and racial and ethnic groups.

[Anchor]’s recent study … found that nearly 80% of the respondents would rather have a boss who cared about them finding meaning and success in work than receive a 20% pay increase.

Jobs require a lot more mental engagement, he explains, because machinists are looking at data as much as materials and equipment.


Southwest Oregon Economic Indicator


Latest edition of the Northwest Oregon Economic Indicators

Follow this link for this month’s edition, you’ll find information about small non-employer firms in NW Oregon along with the latest year-over-year changes in unemployment and employment in NW Oregon.

December articles about the Northwest Oregon economy:

Northwest Oregon’s Food Manufacturing Industry

Population Characteristics in NW Oregon

New Personal Income Data for Linn and Benton counties

Real Estate Prices Picking Up in NW Oregon

Do not hesitate to contact Shawna Sykes, if you need assistance with labor market or economic information.