Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I find myself two months into the interim and the pace still hasn't slowed. As soon as the session ended, I attended a couple neighborhood association meetings and enjoyed some wonderful summertime cookouts with constituents and local advocates. I am starting to settle into a new schedule, spending a few afternoons a week in the district office to take meetings and process emails and letters. I have also enjoyed doing tours with local organizations. I met a great group of Eugene teens working with the Northwest Youth Corps. They were out in over 100 degree weather harvesting native grass seed and building perches for raptors, all while having a good time and learning valuable skills for future jobs.I look forward to seeing some of you at upcoming coffee events. In the meantime, if you have any questions, comments, or just want to say hi, feel free to email me at rep.nancynathanson@state.or.us or call my office at 541-343-2206.

Sincerely,

District News                                                   

Local Employment and Labor Trends

Lane County has a history of large employment swings related to lumber and wood products. In the 1990's the industry mix diversified, helping to lessen the severity of the swings. Lane County is home to high-tech companies such as Datalogic, a homegrown recreational vehicle manufacturing industry, the University of Oregon, and a Federal Courthouse. These employers add to the industry employment mix, so that currently Lane County is very similar to the statewide mix. Like the rest of the state and country, Lane County has been hit hard by the recession with employment down by 8,000 jobs. Some industries, like construction and manufacturing, were hit first and hardest. While some, such as health and social assistance, continued to grow, adding 604 jobs, despite the recession or perhaps because of the recession.

Just last week, the employment department released the new unemployment numbers showing the state of Oregon at 11.9% for the month of July, this is essentially unchanged from the revised June rate of 12.0%. While this is still quite high, it is early evidence that employment may be stabilizing. Trade, transportation, and utilities added 3,100 jobs throughout the state in July, more than double the expected seasonal gain.

The most recently released numbers for Lane County show that unemployment fell to 13.2% in June from the revised 14.0% in May. Despite the high unemployment rate, there are some glimmers of hope. There was a gain of 700 jobs from April to May, which is a bit higher than the usual. Additionally, employment in manufacturing, both durable and nondurable goods, held steady.

Helping our community heroes and volunteers

While we continue to weather this economic recession, we all recognize the important role nonprofit organizations play in all of our communities. They provide access to healthcare, cultural opportunities, education, outreach and recreation. Now, a new financing opportunity offered through the State Treasurer's office can help our nonprofits better serve our communities, by reducing their cost of doing business.

The Oregon Facilities Authority helps nonprofits of all sizes - from the very small to the very large - to qualify and benefit for tax-exempt bonds, which translates into lower interest costs. That bonding opportunity can help them remodel, expand or construct a new facility, at a time when many nonprofits are realizing that owning their own facilities makes good business sense. Working with the Office of the State Treasurer, the Authority oversees these transactions, a reliable, cost-effective process for issuance, and a process for preventing problems arising from audits or compliance problems.

If you'd like to help your community nonprofits, or if you represent a nonprofit and want to learn more, please give Executive Director Gwendolyn Griffith a call at 503-802-5710, or visit the website.

Eugene Energy Efficiency Programs

Did you know that computers in idle/screensaver mode use 20-50 times the power of computers in standby mode? Or that CFLs (compact florescent lightbulbs) use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer? How about phantom energy, energy used by electronics even when they appear turned off; it accounts for 5-8% of all home energy consumption and costs the average household $60-$100 a year.

Here are a few local programs that you can use to reduce your energy use and utility bills.

Click here to access my legislative website.