NEWS UPDATE FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE DAVID GOMBERG: Good News Preparing for the New Year

By Representative David Gomberg, House District 10

12/30/2024

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Many of us have New Year traditions that may include making resolutions, jumping in cold water, and even wearing lucky underwear. As we prepare to transition to a new year, do your plans include toasting with sparkling Oregon wine?

Champagne can only legally come from French vineyards. Spanish tasting rooms pour cava. And prosecco is an Italian delight on its own or in spritzes.

But the best sparkling wines might be made in Oregon.

In November, Wine Enthusiast released its list of the 100 best wines of 2024 across varietals and the globe. Five of the wines were from Oregon — and they were all sparkling.There are more than 1,100 wineries across Oregon, with the majority in the Willamette Valley. Dozens of them are located in our district. While Oregon wineries remain mostly known for pinot noir, more than 100 make sparkling wine. There are events that celebrate the wines that fizz and even a best Oregon bubbles trail.In 2022, Travel + Leisure called the valley the “next big sparkling wine destination.”

There is also a growing movement in Oregon to produce zero-proof wines and spirits. Zero-proof means booze-free beverages.

From 2022 to 2023, the portion of Oregon wine sales that was sparkling essentially doubled. “In 2022, an estimated 3-5% of all cases of Oregon wine sold was sparkling wine. In 2023, that number went up to 8-10%” according to the Oregon Wine Board. That’s an increase from 200,000 cases of Oregon sparkling wine sold in 2022 to 500,000 cases in 2023.

That translates to roughly 6 million poppable corks of sparkling wine bought from Oregon last year.

Long-time readers will remember that before legislative lines were changed in 2020, I represented the southern portion of Tillamook County. After redistricting, I lost Tillamook and gained western Benton and Lane. I now tell people I traded cheese for wine. In fact, I now co-chair the legislative wine caucus. But if you are still interested in cheese, curd is the word on the Oregon Coast. Check out a cheese lover’s guide to Oregon here.

Let’s toast a safe, loving, and joyful New Year in our special part of this remarkable world.

Another great New Year tradition is First Day Hikes.

Park Rangers and volunteers will lead guided hikes across 30 Oregon state parks for First Day Hikes on New Year’s Day. All hikes are free and day-use parking fees will be waived January 1 at all open parks that normally charge a parking fee. Here are a few in or near the district. See the full list here.

Yachats: This 1.5-mile hike sunset hike along the historic 804 trail from Yachats State Recreation Area to Smelt Sands State Recreation Site starts at 3:30 p.m. Meet at the viewing deck on the west side of the parking lot at Yachats State Recreation Area. Dogs are welcome on 6-foot leashes.

Oregon Coast Trail Section: Fogarty Creek to Boiler Bay: This 2.5-mile hike is from 10 a.m. to noon, and 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Meet near the restroom on the park’s north side. Dogs are not welcome.

Heceta Head Lighthouse: This half-mile hike starts at 11 a.m. Meet at Heceta Head Lighthouse.

Sitka Sedge: This 2.5-mile hike starts at noon. Meet at the Sitka Sedge State Natural Area just north of Pacific City.

A more meaningful local event returns New Year’s Day when the 15^th annual Yachats Peace Hike commemorates both the suffering of coastal indigenous people and the resilience of their descendants.

Starting at the pavilion behind the Yachats Commons and leading to the Amanda gathering area along the Amanda Trail, the hike highlights the memory of Amanda De-Cuys. In 1864, this blind member of the Coos tribe was wrenched from her daughter and forced by government soldiers to walk barefoot to a prison camp in what is now Yachats.

Events begin at 9:30 a.m. New Year’s Day at the Commons. For the full schedule, go to this website.

The Gombergs had traditionally enjoyed a New Year hike and whale watching from the top of Cascade Head. Rather than navigate the steep switchbacks of the Lower Nature Conservancy Trail near Knight’s Park Trailhead, we would drive down Forest Service Road 1861, park at the Nature Conservancy Trailhead, and with a 15-minute walk, we would break out of the trees onto the grassy pastures with an unparalleled view.

All of that came to an end in December 2021. Heavy rain triggered a landslide that obliterated the road in one area and impacted two other segments of the road as it moved downhill, and the subsequent debris flow threatened to compromise Highway 101. Emergency actions were taken by the Oregon Department of Transportation to prevent damage to Highway 101, but due to the extent of damage, the cost of repairs, and a number of environmental considerations, access has not been reestablished.

Although the trailhead is a few feet outside my District (The north border of HD 10 is the County line.) I have been continuing to meet with the US Forest Service and urge the road be re-opened.

Planning is still underway. However, to address immediate needs the Forest Service is currently proposing to construct interim, administrative (non-public) access across the area of the landslide to Cascade Head. This will allow administrative access for (1) scientific research, (2) to support search and rescue operations, and (3) to support wildland fire suppression activities should the need arise. Actions include removing hazard trees, constructing a bridge, and potentially a retaining wall.

Emergency and research access is critical. But public access is important as well. The Forest Service Road and Nature Conservancy Trail provided unique access to an important part of the Coast for older and younger hikers as well as those with mobility impairments.

As this conversation unfolds, you can be a part of it.

Comments may be submitted to the Hebo Ranger District through January 6, 2025, using one of the following methods:

Written comments may be submitted by post mail to: Hebo District Ranger, Siuslaw National Forest, Attn: Planning Department, 31525 Highway 22, Hebo, OR 97122.
If alternative means of delivering comments are required, please e-mail them to Gloria Deibele, District Planner, at gloria.deibele@usda.gov, or call (503) 899-3613.

Persons commenting should include: 1) name, address, telephone number, organization represented, if any; 2) title of project for which the comment is being submitted; and 3) specific facts, concerns and supporting reasons for the responsible official to consider.

The holidays always bring visitors to the coast. And that includes nature’s largest visitors.

Upward of 20,000 gray whales are expected to swim past Oregon’s shores over the next several weeks as part of their annual migration south to the warm calving lagoons near Baja, Mexico. Late December and early January is a great time for whale watching — although this year’s stormy weather could complicate things.

Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. through December 31, Oregon State Parks will have volunteers stationed at 15 sites along the coast to help visitors spot whales, share information and answer questions. It’s a time to ask, watch, learn, and be reminded of the scale of things — how small we are and how vast the ocean is — and with a little luck, maybe see the flash of a tail.

The official Whale Watch Week with volunteer support will end on Tuesday. But the whales don’t know that so keep watching.

All Whale Watch visitors are encouraged to dress for the weather, bring binoculars and follow beach safety guidelines such as remaining out of fenced areas, knowing the tide schedule and always keeping an eye on the surf.

After numbers of North Pacific grays dropped to their lowest levels since counts began in the 1960s, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced the population is showing signs of a rebound. In the spring, gray whale numbers jumped to an estimated 19,620, a 33% increase from a historic low of 14,530.

Whales may not be the only new arrivals in Oregon.

There has been some disagreement among leading sources of late, but they now appear to agree that people are starting to move here again as well.

Oregon’s population growth peaked in 2016, then fell briefly after the pandemic, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Growth matters to our quality of life, the strength of our economy and the priorities reflected in our state budget.

Simply put, more people working for more money means more state tax revenue. More people also means more potential employees – particularly in occupations like healthcare, an industry that has traditionally relied on what researchers call in-migration. On the flip side, fewer people may ease the demand for and cost of housing, although people buying second homes and vacation rentals may counter that effect here at the Coast.

Researchers at PSU note that deaths to Oregon residents outnumbered births by nearly 4,000 last year. According to the analysis of data from multiple state and federal agencies, there was a net migration of around 17,000 new residents to the state. With new arrivals, Oregon reached a total of approximately 4.27 million residents in 2024, the Census Bureau says. That’s an increase of 44% this year.

Oregon has seen mostly steady population growth over the last century, fueled in part by economic booms in the 1970s and 90s. But the pace of growth has stalled over the last few years, putting pressure on employers who rely on talent moving into the state to fill positions. The slow growth has helped create what economists call a tight labor market, both in Oregon and across the country.

The news we are growing is interesting political news as well. Stagnant population growth by the 2030 Census could lose Oregon the sixth congressional seat it won in 2020 if other states are experiencing faster growth. The most popular areas for growth statewide are in central Oregon and particularly in Prineville, Bend and Crook County. That part of Oregon has steadily been shifting from red to blue.

In 2025, Oregon will be taking major steps to embrace the ‘4 Rs’: Reduce, Repair, Reuse and Recycle. That means reducing use of wasteful and toxic products, repairing things to keep them in use for longer, reusing what we can and recycling the rest. Several bills I sponsored and supported in the 2023 and 2024 sessions go into effect on January 1, 2025:

The Right to Repair for personal electronics and household appliances. This law requires manufacturers to provide Oregonians and small businesses access to the parts, tools and service information needed to repair personal electronics and household appliances. This would help keep these devices in use for longer, conserving precious natural resources and preventing waste.
Restriction on the sale, use or distribution of polystyrene foam foodware, packing peanuts and single-use coolers statewide. Polystyrene foam is a form of plastic made from fossil fuels and is commonly used for food containers and packaging. It’s usually thrown away after a single use. It breaks up easily into smaller pieces that are hard to clean up, disperse rapidly, and can persist in the environment for centuries.
Restriction on the sale, use or distribution of food packaging containing PFAS. PFAS are a class of highly fluorinated toxic chemicals used in many food containers and packaging due to their oil-, stain- and water-repellent properties. PFAS accumulate in the environment and human bodies and are linked to cancer, high cholesterol, reproductive and thyroid problems and immune suppression.
The elimination of toxic fluorescent light bulbs. Fluorescent lights contain mercury, which is a potent and persistent neurotoxin, by design. Non-toxic, highly efficient alternatives are broadly available. The new law would prohibit the sale or distribution of new pin-base type compact or linear-style fluorescent lamps. Screw and bayonet-base type compact fluorescent lamps were prohibited beginning in 2024. This will eliminate a toxin from the waste stream, reduce energy waste and save consumers money.
The Recycling Modernization Act will take effect later in the year, on July 1, 2025. This will improve recycling services and expand them to even more Oregonians, ensure that materials are recycled in a responsible manner, and make producers bear some of the costs of managing the waste created by their products.

“Oregon has a proud history of passing forward thinking policies that help Oregonians steward and respect the resources that go into making the products we use everyday,” said Celeste Meiffren-Swango, state director of Environment Oregon. “Many of the new laws going into effect in 2025 will make Oregon a national leader in reducing waste and toxic chemicals in consumer products, helping us build a cleaner, greener future.”

Among other laws going into effect this week is HB 4145. (Content warning! This is a difficult subject regarding animal abuse.)

At issue was the recording and selling of videos of animals being tortured. Unimaginable!! But it happens and sadly, it happens here. When a Prineville man was indicted and later sentenced to federal prison for his role in the torture, mutilation, and murder of monkeys, local prosecutors said they were not able to pursue charges at the state level.

I fixed that!

My bill amended state animal abuse laws and created two new crimes of encouraging aggravated animal abuse. Beginning January 1, creating videos, photos or other visual recordings of aggravated animal abuse is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison, a $125,000 fine or both. A new law also makes it a crime to encourage aggravated animal abuse in the first degree, which is punishable by a maximum of a year in jail, a $6,250 fine or both.

Are you ringing in the year, or reelin’ in the years?? Let me ask that another way — Are you a Steely Dan fan like I am? Then please save the date! Or better yet, buy your tickets now!

At the end of February, I’m sponsoring Nearly Dan, flawlessly performing the music of Steely Dan in their first Oregon appearance at the Lincoln City Cultural Center.

Enjoy an evening with these 12 exceptionally talented musicians, a Seattle-based Steely Dan tribute band. Nearly Dan masterfully presents their own arrangements of masterpiece compositions such as the bouncing Reelin’ In the Years (“So you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna last…”), the troubling Don’t Take Me Alive (“Well I crossed my old man back in Oregon…”), the best lyrics of any 70’s pop song in Kid Charlamagne (“Is there gas in the car? Yes, there’s gas in the car.”) and the best drum solo ever in Aja (“Here at the dude ranch above the sea…”).

Not convinced? Check out some Nearly Dan videos here and here.

Friday, February 28. Limited seating. Lincoln City Cultural Center. Tickets here.

Please note, this is not a political fundraiser and all proceeds go to the Cultural Center.

Yes, that’s Susan and me in the front row.

That’s the news for this week. I trust most of it is good news.

Whether you are toasting with Oregon wine, sheltering from the rain, hiking, wearing that lucky underwear – or all four – I wish you a joyful New Year!