Delgani String Quartet performs in House Chamber, 2015

The Oregon Cultural Trust has awarded grants to three local programs, to reach more people in our area. The Lane County Cultural Coalition was awarded almost $40,000; the Delgani String Quartet (who performed at the Capitol during the 2015 session!) was awarded over $5,000; and the Eugene Springfield Youth Orchestras received nearly $14,000. With school districts and youth programs under budget pressure and cutting extra-curricular activities, programs like these help young people experience all of the arts that Eugene has to offer. Congratulations to all of the recipients!

Since I was appointed Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, the pace has picked up in our office (as if I wasn't already busy enough)! Because of the flood of meeting requests now coming in, I spent almost a whole week in July in Salem and Portland hearing about issues that will factor into the 2017-2019 biennial budget and policy choices. Topics included health care providers, flood plains, youth corrections, home care for seniors, college students, online car trip booking networks, the film industry, family friendly policies, and more.

Another stop while in Portland was to visit the set of TNT's "The Librarians." Its production supports a variety of businesses and jobs including electrical work, food services, makeup and costumes, carpentry, and more. A wide range of projects choose Oregon as a location for production. This summer alone Oregon will have three TV series and a feature film shooting in different regions of the state.


The Oregon Film & Video Office is currently tracking more than $200M in production work being done here in the state. Since 2005, when the incentive fund was created, the number of tracked jobs has climbed from just 500 to more than 3,000 in the 2014-2015 fiscal year. As a point of reference, Season 2 of "The Librarians," in just the third quarter of 2015, engaged and paid almost 300 local vendors for work done on that series in only a 3 month period. Even the small budget independent feature "Black Road," produced and shot in Ashland and Brookings, engaged more than 70 local vendors.    

As a brand, Oregon is highlighted in all of these productions, from the Oscar nominated movie "Wild" to the Emmy & Peabody Award winning series "Portlandia."  Most recently, the Eugene-produced independent feature film "Tracktown" had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival followed by its Oregon premiere at the McDonald Theater in Eugene during the Olympic team trials.

I recently got to see a direct impact of a bill that I passed in the 2014 session, ensuring manufactured home park residents have a real opportunity to purchase their park if the owner is considering selling. Manufactured home parks are among the This recent OPB story is about Oak Leaf, a manufactured home park in Portland where the homeowner/renters are considering forming a co-op so they can make an offer to buy the park and keep their homes -- instead of the park owner selling to a developer.

A major focus of the 2017 legislative session will be the development of a transportation package to help fund much-needed improvements throughout the state. The legislature established the Joint Committee on Transportation Preservation and Modernization to work on it. The group has been visiting different regions to get an idea for what improvements are needed. Eugene hosted the committee for a day in July.  I was selected as a speaker to discuss the importance of passenger rail as a component of a transportation system. Rail is not about the past, it's not a quaint memory. It's now. We should look to rail - both freight and passenger rail - as a solid and growing part of our future. Statistics support it; land use and environmental goals demand it; the economy requires it. And Oregonians are going to need an alternative to sitting in stalled traffic on an interstate highway!

Hayward field was host to the US Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field, once again showing the world that Oregon can put on high-quality events that showcase everything we have to offer. This makes 9 consecutive years hosting national and international events, with more to come, bringing increased visibility and economic benefit to Lane County. On an operations tour I saw more about how they keep all the wheels in motion for athletes, fans, volunteers, and visitors in the Fan Festival: credentials, food, security, logistics, Red Cross, equipment inspection, massage and medical tent, etc.!  One little-known story about TrackTown is their accomplishment in making a "green" event.  For example, the 2014 IAAF World Junior Track & Field Championships and the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials both received a gold medal from the Council for Responsible Sport (CRS). They partner with UO and the City of Eugene on a number of efforts, including waste management and bus transportation; maximize local-sourced food and ingredients; and added water bottle refill stations around the site.