Val Hoyle has received DeFazio's endorsement
Representative Val Hoyle addressed issues regarding the Coos Bay Port, child care, job training, housing, and more on March 16, 2023 to a City Club meeting in Springfield, Oregon. She came to discuss the Port of Coos Bay and her continued work in trying to fund that port when their requested $1.25 billion grant was denied. Representative Hoyle has secured a seat on the Transportation Committee, a committee for which her predecessor, Peter DeFazio, was the chair; she stated that she will continue to work to secure funding for the Coos Bay Port.
Rep. Hoyle explained that the Coos Bay Port would provide 9000 jobs and reduce congestion by 10-12%. She worked in a bipartisan manner with the Republican chair of the Transportation Committee, Sam Graves. The company building the port, North Point, is from his district in Missouri. Rep. Hoyle made the point that this port is bipartisan and that besides a few loud detractors it is a fully supported project. The Coos Bay Port would also help with supply chain issues because, according to Rep. Hoyle, it is two days closer to Asia than other Pacific Northwest ports.
Rep. Hoyle talked about how the biggest barriers to the Coos Bay Port and businesses in general on the coast are that “we can’t recruit people because there is nowhere for them to live.” She discussed the need for low income housing and middle income housing. She described the problem as businesses not being able to recruit skilled employees because there are no homes for them to rent or live in.
Rep Hoyle was asked questions ranging from child care, to local transportation issues. She highlighted some work she did with the United Way where they provided affordable childcare and trained people to become daycare providers. She talked about apprenticeship programs and how we need “a different model for education, and workforce training for those without college degrees.” She emphasized that people cannot afford to work for free while they are being trained and that doing paid training can help people advance their careers.
She also talked about housing. Rep. Hoyle clarified that at the federal level she can’t do much with the local issues of housing. The federal government can support state programs that are already in place but the work needs to be done at the local level. Currently, Governor Tina Kotek is rallying support for two bills: HB 5019 and HB 2001. Both these bills are designed to help allocate funds for housing and create an analysis for housing needs.
Rep. Hoyle was asked about specific issues in Springfield including Franklin Blvd and improvements to downtown. She said that Peter DeFazio “laid a path that was easy to follow because he did the right thing for the right people.” Specifically his work with the Thurston natural area was referenced. Currently, improvements to downtown and Main Street are at a standstill. Multiple proposals have been brought forward to improve mainstreet but opposing groups have successfully blocked the implementation of any plans. Rep. Hoyle said that she wants to support the local issues but can only do so much from the nation’s capital.
