Lincoln County Democratic Party

Congratulations to the many local Democrats elected!
We are still working to cure ballots to ensure our local candidates have every Dem voter counted!

Claire Hall is still in a tight race with Beasley for County Commissioner, we are working to ensure every registered Dem voter who did not sign their ballot is contacted.

Congratulations Lincoln County Democrats!

Autumn Watson & Debi Poland, Depoe Bay City Council
Todd Barker, Riley Hoagland, Kevin Hohnbaum, Lincoln City Council
Jan Kaplan, Newport Mayor
Cynthia Jacobi, Steve Hickman & Sandra Roumagoux, Newport City Council
Andrew Keating, Toledo City Council
Heide Lambert, Waldport Mayor
Thomas Ebling & Jerry Townsend, Waldport City Council
Craig Birdie, Yachats Mayor
Barry Collins, Yachats City Council

Want to get involved?
Join us in the New Year, on January 22nd
at 5:00pm at the Lincoln City Community Center.
We will have our reorganization meeting, report out on our debrief after this election &
look ahead to future elections & the many ways
to get involved.

Donate to the Lincoln County Democrats Oregon!
Donate via Act Blue



We feel like we have been going non-stop for the past 9 months and now the election is only days away! Our biggest job now is just to remind you to vote and get those ballots turned in. If you need any help, contact us at dems@lincolncountydemocratsoregon.com. Vote as if your way of life depends on it! A Special Message from the Chair & Executive Committee A heartfelt “thank you!” from the Executive Committee to all those who knocked on doors, wrote postcards, donated, held signs, and joined us for the many events this election season. Your participation and efforts make all of the difference in this critical campaign. Safeguarding Our Elections On the Oregon Secretary of State website, under “Elections Division,” you find the following:Oregon voters have a right to ballot secrecy. County elections officials shall seek to preserve ballot secrecy in the fulfilment of their official duties, including when responding to public records requests. Oregon’s elections are secure. The voting equipment is never connected to the internet. There are no routers connected to the tabulation system and there never have been.Oregon performs post-election reviews after every election that includes a federal or statewide contest. Michael Morse, an assistant law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, told NPR, “In every state, voters have the right to a secret ballot either in the state constitution or a state statute. So when you go to vote, your name is not associated with your ballot. The ballot is anonymous. When it is tabulated, it won’t be connected back to you.” Women, your vote is secret(Post-it) Some women are using post-it notes in public restrooms to remind other women that their vote is private. This low tech approach is easy and effective. (See the link below to Ms. Magazine) The messages are simple: Women, your vote is private. Protect your freedom and your family. Vote Harris/WalzMs. Magazine link Federal Trade Commission new rule:Click to Cancel subscriptions In a new rule released mid-October, the Federal Trade Commission requires sellers to make it as easy to cancel a subscription to a gym or a service as it is to sign up for one. In a statement, FTC chair Lina Khan explained the reasoning behind the “click-to-cancel” rule: “Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription,” she said. “Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want.” The new requirements do not take effect for 6 months, but according to The Verge, Oct. 23, 2024, the cable industry, home security companies and advertisers are suing to stop the rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions. Stay tuned…and write your congressmen!FTC link Former “Apprentice” marketer, John D. Miller, apologized to America for helping to “create a monster.” “To sell the show,” Miller wrote, “we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty.” But the truth was that he declared bankruptcy six times… Miller says they “promoted the show relentlessly,” with a “highly exaggerated” image of Trump as a successful businessman. “[W]e…did irreparable harm by creating the false image of Trump as a successful leader,” Miller wrote. “I deeply regret that. And I regret that it has taken me so long to go public.”US News/World Report link Selected News from our CongressmenLead water pipes to be replaced Oct. 14, 2024 Wyden press release: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced a federal investment of $37 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace lead and copper water pipes across Oregon that have been known to cause serious health issues. “The science is clear,: said Wyden, “there is no safe level of lead in drinking water,” Merkley stated. “These federal funds will allow for the replacement of lead pipes around the state and improve our water infrastructure systems. Senators Concerned by The Role of Pharma Middlemen and High Drug Costs Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Finance Committee Member Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to further look into practices by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that allow the industry to put up barriers to competition in order to take in larger revenues. “Co-manufacturing agreements” may be limiting the supply chain resulting in fewer drug choices and higher costs. Wyden and Brown say the PBM megafirms need to be watched because they are, “owning more and more of the prescription drug supply chain.”PBM report here Just under $1 million for Housing in McMinnville Oct. 22, 2024 Press Release, Andrea Salinas, congresswoman, OR U.S. Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06), along with Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $956,333 for a project to rehabilitate Villa Del Sol, a multifamily affordable housing complex in McMinnville that serves farmworkers and their families. Rep. Salinas announced: “These dollars will be used to deliver safe, affordable housing for farmworkers and their families here in the mid-Valley. It’s a critical step in the right direction, and I’ll keep fighting for investments just like this one that will help us make housing more accessible and affordable for Oregonians.”Sen. Wyden stated: “Housing is a human right, and farmworkers in Oregon deserve affordable and secure living options.”Sen. Merkley said, “This federal investment will help ensure safer, more modern housing for the farmworkers in Yamhill County who work every day to help feed families across Oregon and America.McMinnville Housing Link Wall Street Looting Act ReintroducedPress release Mark Pocan Oct 19, 2024 Fifteen US Senators including Mark Pocan (D.-Wis.), Jeff Merkley (D.-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I.-Vt.), and Ed Markley (D.-Mass.) reintroduced the Stop Wall Street Looting Act, comprehensive legislation to fundamentally reform the private equity industry. Senator Markley stated: “The Stop Wall Street Looting Act would finally prevent private equity firms from monetizing productive sectors of the economy and hollowing them out by laying off workers and closing businesses. We need to put in guardrails for private equity to ensure they cannot sacrifice people for profits.”link to Stop Looting Jo Beaudreau Democratic Candidate for Oregon State Senate – District 5 JoForOregon.com Jo Beaudreau, supporter for Oregon Business “Portland politicians don’t understand the needs of local businesses. Let’s send a small business owner like Jo to Salem to set them straight.” Jennifer Brandenberger, Owner of US Bead Warehouse “She cares about you. She listens to your views. She is a small business owner. She cares about the issues. That’s why I support Jo Beaudreau!” Ron Moore, Florence Businessman When it comes to standing up for the South & Central Coast: No one will fight harder for us than Jo. Re-elect Val HoyleOregon State Representative District 4 Val is good for Oregon Business U.S. Representative Val Hoyle toured the 2 Towns Ciderhouse production facility in Corvallis and announced her support for U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer’s Bubble Tax Modernization Act of 2024. This bill will provide tax and carbonation parity for craft cider producers, simplify the tax code, and make craft producers more competitive within the industry at large.“Oregon is powerhouse of innovation when it comes to craft beverages,” U.S. Representative Val Hoyle said. “I am supporting this legislation because our cider makers deserve a level playing field to create new products, grow their business, create jobs and support our local economies.” Source: mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com Lincoln County Democrats The LCDCC spends the majority of our budget on printed materials, stamps, campaign signs, shirts, meeting costs, and we are buying ad space as well. This is a critical election and we need all the help we can get. Please donate today by clicking on the blue button below. We can only accomplish as much as our work and generosity together allow. Donate Here Sign up for newsletter here You can also mail a check to: Lincoln County Democrats of Oregon, P.O. Box 882, Gleneden Beach, OR 97388 Donate to Kamala Harris To our readers: For the latest information about our events, programs and pictures, please visit our website at lincolncountydemocratsoregon.comNewsletter sign-up We hope you are enjoying from our newsletter. Please send any comments or suggestions to dems@lincolncountydemocratsoregon.com Lynetta Richardson, editor Marta West, graphic designer Social media links Facebook Website Facebook link for North Area Committee/ Lincoln County Democrats Oregon Copyright (C) 2024 Lincoln County Democrats Oregon. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Lincoln County Democrats OregonPO BOX 882 Gleneden Beach, Oregon 97388 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe View email in browser Lincoln County Democrats Oregon · PO BOX 882 · Gleneden Beach, Oregon 97388 · USA

Dear Friends and Neighbors, I often tell people that we have more in common than we do separating us.

This past week may provide a good example. The election has divided our nation and our neighborhoods in ways I never imagined possible. But the one thing we all have in common is relief that it is finally over.

No matter where you might stand politically, I think Tuesday’s results gave you some things to celebrate and others to lament.

Former President Donald Trump’s quick and decisive win was the biggest prize for Republicans, but far from the only one. Across the country, Republicans gained control of the national Senate and, as of Friday, a highly feasible path to holding the House.

At the same time, Democrats in Oregon will again occupy all five statewide elected positions after sweeping the races for attorney general, secretary of state, and treasurer. Dems won a fifth congressional seat in the district that stretches from Clackamas to Bend. I’m surprised there were not more headlines that we now have five Democratic women representing us in DC along with one Republican man. Democrats also picked up a state Senate seat, giving the party a three-fifths supermajority in that chamber, while maintaining control of the House headed into the 2025 legislative session. You can review all Oregon results here.

Tuesday night I was in Portland with other members of the Oregon House.

Though I accept the results, I was disappointed by the outcome of the presidential election. I also know some reading this report have a different perspective than mine. They are elated by the outcome of the Presidential election, believing the leadership of President Trump will resolve very real challenges in their lives and that of others they believe have been left behind in our economy.

The Oregonian editorialized Sunday that it is already apparent how many ways the objectives of the Trump Administration will collide head-on with the values that a majority of Oregonians espouse. Trump’s election raises questions over possible cuts to federal Medicaid funding, mass deportations, punishing tariffs on goods produced overseas, rollbacks from climate and clean energy goals and changes that restrict access to abortion medication, among many other concerns.

The next four years are likely to present some deeply difficult challenges for which there’s no easy answer. Oregon’s best response will be a unified one.

Leaders of both parties should embrace that sentiment and work together to identify top priorities in advance of the legislative session next year and commit to leaving behind divisive bills meant for political posturing. If nothing else registers from the national election, Oregon leaders should hear the call to deliver what everyday people need – economic relief amid a rising cost of living.

In my mind, that continues to mean more living wage jobs, more affordable housing, childcare that parents can find, trust, and pay for, and health care for our families and older neighbors.

Last week I spoke to the Community College Association of Oregon. Many were surprised when I shared that Oregon’s budget currently spends more on physical and mental health, than on education, roads, and public safety combined. When we return to Salem in the new year, our challenge will be how to pay for our most pressing needs. How do we improve our schools, provide health services to those in need, ensure public safety, and face the rising cost of wildfire and natural disasters? And how do we balance our budget when predicting the health of our state economy and the tax revenues our budget depends on is harder and harder to forecast?

Add to that, that we need to find a new way to pay for our highways, roads and bridges as gasoline consumption and gasoline tax revenues decline. Oregonians wary of cost increases will not be happy to see new charges for how we use our cars.

Inflation has declined this year but we can expect to see costs for much of what we consume increase.

Donald Trump’s re-election could have widespread implications for Oregon’s economy if he follows through on his pledge to establish tariffs on goods imported into the United States. Oregon is among the most trade-dependent states in the nation, with exports valued at $27.7 billion last year. That makes us vulnerable if retaliatory tariffs come into play. Computer chips, wheat, fruit, wood products, and aircraft components are among the many products the state’s factories and farmers sell to buyers overseas.

On the other hand, a second Trump administration could move to open more federal land for harvesting or ease environmental restrictions. A little more than half of Oregon’s timberland belongs to the federal government, and most of that is currently off-limits to logging. Since the fall of 2023, Oregon mills have announced nearly 500 layoffs at facilities stretching from the Coast Range to John Day. Many were independent mills that cited a lack of timber supply, among other factors, for a downturn in business that triggered their closure.

Tariffs might increase the demand for domestic timber but could also trigger retaliatory trade barriers from other countries that buy Oregon forest products. The state exports more than $600 million in wood products and pulp annually, sales that could be jeopardized by a trade war. Trump has argued tariffs will make American-made goods more competitive. Economists on the right and left, though, broadly agree tariffs could drive up costs for consumers, projecting an annual cost to a typical U.S. household of $1,500 or more.

We’ll have to wait and see.

On a more personal level, I want to thank you for honoring me with the responsibility of representing you in Salem again.

Some voters were confused that their ballot listed me as the nominee this year of the Democratic, Independent, and Republican parties. I was proud to have earned that bi-partisan support and 97% of the vote.

You may also be interested to know Senator Dick Anderson was re-elected with about 54% over challenger Jo Beaudreau. Very few parts of Oregon have Reps and Senators of different parties.

As a leader, I am committed to working even harder to listen and learn from those who see the world differently than I do and create respectful spaces for community dialogue. My office will continue to welcome anyone that needs help or has an idea to share and will treat each person that writes, calls or visits with hospitality, honesty and respect. When we fall short, I ask you to help us by letting us know so that we can do better.

The election in Oregon has again run smoothly.

Much has been made by the media about low voter participation. Voter turnout in Oregon reached 69%, the Oregon Elections Division reported Wednesday morning. That compares to 80% in November 2016 and 78.5% in 2020. Those numbers should be cause for concern. But I remind readers that we have done much in recent years to automatically register qualified Oregonians to vote. The number of registered voters is way up. But that includes many people who had not registered on their own, were less engaged, and less interested in the election process. Predictably, many of those new registrants did not return their ballots. Let me say that another way. The 69% turnout on Tuesday represented 2,116,824 ballots counted. But 80% in 2016 represented only 2,051,452 votes. Participation is lower but the actual number of votes is higher.

I continue to support our vote-by-mail process in Oregon and making the option of voting available to anyone and everyone qualified to do so. And if you think your vote does not matter, I only have to point to our County Commission race here in Lincoln County where 67 votes currently separates two very different candidates with about 30,000 votes cast. Counting continues in that race with final results still a few days off.

Here is another note about voting.

Most of us are used to seeing “secrecy sleeves” for our ballots that go inside the return envelope. Secrecy sleeves are partial envelopes that voters can place their completed ballots inside so that election workers can’t see how they voted. About half of Oregon’s counties did not include a secrecy sleeve in their ballot packets this year. All counties that are forgoing the secrecy sleeve must prove to the state that their return envelope provides substantially the same degree of privacy as a secrecy sleeve. Now that most ballot return envelopes are opened by machines, not humans, ballots remain private even without a secrecy sleeve. Discontinuing use of this extra envelope streamlines the process, saves money, and speeds up ballot extraction and tabulation.

I wanted to share some important non-election news this week as well. Today is Veterans Day. I’m a strong believer we should honor our veterans and their families every day.

Saturday I was honored to speak at the dedication of the Paul J. Cochran Veterans Memorial Park in Philomath. I spoke about sacrifice, respect, and the importance of reminders. Paul Cochran was a 1966 Philomath High graduate who enlisted in the Army, deployed to Vietnam, and was killed in action at the age of 20. In 2018, his family bequeathed Paul’s teenage home to the City of Philomath to become a memorial neighborhood park.

The month of November offers a chance to honor Indigenous history, bring attention to current Native issues, and celebrate the vital contributions Native Americans have made to our culture. What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose. Learn more here.

Oregon is home to nine federally recognized tribes with rich and diverse cultural identities, histories, and connections to this land:
the Burns Paiute Tribe; the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw; the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation; the Coquille Indian Tribe; the Klamath Tribes; the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians; the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. You can learn more about each of Oregon’s nine tribes by visiting their websites.

On a much lighter note, November 2024 has been declared “the month to memorialize the exploding whale” in Florence.

All of it stems back to November 12, 1970, when engineers from the Oregon Department of Transportation decided to clear a dead sperm whale from the beach by blowing it up with 20 cases of dynamite, sending huge chunks of blubber flying across the dunes. Actually, what the newscast said was that “the blast blasted blubber beyond all reasonable grounds…”

Watch the historic video here. Before you ask, NO, officials in Oregon DO NOT do this sort of thing anymore.

Oregon’s other famous whale is Keiko, the star of Free Willy.

A six-episode podcast is about to be released about the most famous orca in history. The Good Whale tells the story of what happened after the hit 1993 film. Since Keiko had to learn how to be wild, he spent time being rehabilitated at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Keiko’s story has further Oregon ties: Free Willy was shot, in part, in Astoria and many Portland locations. The Good Whale comes out November 14. The podcast is a project of Serial Productions and The New York Times. It’s hosted and co-reported by Daniel Alarcón.

Night I had some fun watching the Taft Tigers defeat the Sisters High Outlaws. Senator Anderson and I were invited to deliver the game balls to centerfield before the coin toss.

I’ll be back at Taft next Friday for the Take a Veteran to School event.

Most of the week is scheduled with Zoom meetings including the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission Tuesday and the Governor’s Commission on Senior Services Thursday. I’ll also have meetings with the Oregon Hunters Association, Life Flight, the Oregon Coast Visitors Association and Oregon Coast Community College’s new president, Marshall Roache. Please take a moment today to thank a Vet and enjoy this Fall week.

Warm Regards,

Representative David Gomberg House District 10
email: Rep.DavidGomberg@oregonlegislature.gov phone: 503-986-1410 address: 900 Court St NE, H-480, Salem, OR, 97301 website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg

Are you ready to vote in November? Have you registered in Oregon yet? Tuesday, October 15th is the last day to register to vote for the Nov. 5th General Election (Presidential Election).

If you’re not sure whether you’re registered to vote, or just want to make sure your registration is still active, you can easily check your voter status at the Oregon Secretary of State’s My Vote* website. Click on the blue “Go to My Vote” button, you’ll be asked to prove you’re not a robot, then asked to enter your first name, last name, and date of birth. Click the “submit” button and you’ll be able to see your current voter status.

Most people are automatically registered to vote when they apply for an Oregon driver’s license or other photo ID at the DMV. However, if you’re not registered, you can pick up Oregon State voter registration forms at the library. Look for the large red, white, and blue “VOTE” poster just past the front desk. The form will ask you for your basic contact information, then for your Oregon Driver’s License Number, or your Social Security Number, or, if you have neither, you’ll be asked to attach a copy of an acceptable alternate form of identification from the list on the form. Once you fill out the form, you simply have to mail it or deliver it to the County Clerk’s office in Newport. To be valid for this year’s Presidential election, your form must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, October 15th.

In Oregon, you can also register to vote online. Simply visit the Online Voter Registration Page on the Secretary of State’s website** and click on the blue “Register to Vote Now” button. You’ll be asked two qualifying yes/no questions (Are you a U.S. citizen? and Are you at least 16 years of age?), then taken to the registration page after you click the blue “continue” button. Simply fill out the requested information, submit, and you’re registered to vote! Online voter registration must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15th in order to be eligible to vote in this year’s Presidential election.

Voting is one of the most important activities you can take part in as a U.S. citizen. Make sure you’re registered, and if not, please register today! And then remember to VOTE!
https://sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages/myvote.aspx?lang=en
https://sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages/registration.aspx?lang=en

November Democrats Step Up Newsletter

From Representative David Gomberg

Election Thoughts and Exploding Whales

Register to Vote

Do You Want to Help Elect Democrats

Become a Neighborhood Leader

Voting Information

Check your registration

Run for Local Office and Help Recruit Candidates

Help Keep Lincoln County Blue!