King County Democrats

Every single Democrat but Hollings voted against Glass-Steagall repeal

2011-10-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Martha Koester provides this information about the repeal of Glass-Steagall in 1999.

Even the bluest of the blue dogs. Every single Republican, even the more moderate ones, voted for it. This needs to be shoved in the faces of the Larouchies and their Hitler moustaches. The really bad news is that Clinton could have vetoed it, and with a 54/44 Yea vote, that veto would not have been overrriden.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s1999-105&sort=vote

VOTE DETAILS

YEAs - 54
NAYs - 44

Nay HI Akaka, Daniel D
Nay MT Baucus, Max D
Nay IN Bayh, Evan D
Nay DE Biden, Joseph D
Nay NM Bingaman, Jeff D
Nay CA Boxer, Barbara D
Nay LA Breaux, John D
Nay NV Bryan, Richard D
Nay WV Byrd, Robert D
Nay GA Cleland, J. D
Nay ND Conrad, Kent D
Nay SD Daschle, Thomas D
Nay CT Dodd, Christopher D
Nay ND Dorgan, Byron D
Nay IL Durbin, Richard D
Nay NC Edwards, John D
Nay WI Feingold, Russell D
Nay CA Feinstein, Dianne D
Nay FL Graham, Bob D
Nay IA Harkin, Thomas D
Nay HI Inouye, Daniel D
Nay SD Johnson, Tim D
Nay MA Kennedy, Edward D
Nay NE Kerrey, J. D
Nay MA Kerry, John D
Nay WI Kohl, Herbert D
Nay LA Landrieu, Mary D
Nay NJ Lautenberg, Frank D
Nay VT Leahy, Patrick D
Nay MI Levin, Carl D
Nay CT Lieberman, Joseph D
Nay AR Lincoln, Blanche D
Nay MD Mikulski, Barbara D
Nay NY Moynihan, Daniel D
Nay WA Murray, Patty D
Nay RI Reed, John D
Nay NV Reid, Harry D
Nay VA Robb, Charles D
Nay WV Rockefeller, John D
Nay MD Sarbanes, Paul D
Nay NY Schumer, Charles D
Nay NJ Torricelli, Robert D
Nay MN Wellstone, Paul D
Nay OR Wyden, Ron D

Yea MI Abraham, Spencer R
Yea CO Allard, Wayne R
Yea MO Ashcroft, John R
Yea UT Bennett, Robert R
Yea MO Bond, Christopher R
Yea KS Brownback, Samuel R
Yea KY Bunning, Jim R
Yea MT Burns, Conrad R
Yea CO Campbell, Ben R
Yea RI Chafee, John R
Yea MS Cochran, Thad R
Yea ME Collins, Susan R
Yea GA Coverdell, Paul R
Yea ID Craig, Larry R
Yea ID Crapo, Michael R
Yea OH DeWine, Michael R
Yea NM Domenici, Pete R
Yea WY Enzi, Michael R
Yea TN Frist, William R
Yea WA Gorton, T. R
Yea TX Gramm, Phil R
Yea MN Grams, Rod R
Yea IA Grassley, Charles R
Yea NH Gregg, Judd R
Yea NE Hagel, Charles R
Yea UT Hatch, Orrin R
Yea NC Helms, Jesse R
Yea SC Hollings, Ernest D
Yea AR Hutchinson, Tim
Yea TX Hutchison, Kay R
Yea VT Jeffords, James R
Yea AZ Kyl, Jon R
Yea MS Lott, Trent R
Yea IN Lugar, Richard R
Yea FL Mack, Connie R
Yea AZ McCain, John R
Yea KY McConnell, Mitch R
Yea AK Murkowski, Frank R
Yea OK Nickles, Don R
Yea KS Roberts, Pat R
Yea DE Roth, William R
Yea PA Santorum, Richard R
Yea AL Sessions, Jefferson R
Yea AL Shelby, Richard R
Yea NH Smith, Bob R
Yea OR Smith, Gordon R
Yea ME Snowe, Olympia R
Yea PA Specter, Arlen R
Yea AK Stevens, Ted R
Yea WY Thomas, Craig R
Yea TN Thompson, Fred R
Yea SC Thurmond, J. R
Yea OH Voinovich, George R
Yea VA Warner, John R

Not Voting OK Inhofe, James R

Present IL Fitzgerald, Peter R

And the research continues:

From: Diana McGinness
Sent: Sunday, October 16, 2011 1:33 PM

Martha, you didn’t go far enough – that was only the first vote before it was reconciled with the House bill. Only 7 Dems and 1 Rep voted against in the end. We were sold out by the bi-partisan majorities in both parties.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s1999-354

Senate:

Nay WI Feingold, Russell [D]

Nay ND Dorgan, Byron [D]

Nay NV Bryan, Richard [D]

Nay MN Wellstone, Paul [D]

Nay MD Mikulski, Barbara [D]

Nay IA Harkin, Thomas [D]

Nay CA Boxer, Barbara [D]

Nay AL Shelby, Richard [R]

In the house: 5 Rs voted nay and 52 Ds

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h1999-570

Nay CA-6 Woolsey, Lynn [D]

Nay CA-7 Miller, George [R]

Nay CA-9 Lee, Barbara [D]

Nay CA-15 Campbell, Tom [R]

Nay CA-18 Condit, Gary [D]

Nay CA-29 Waxman, Henry [D]

Nay CA-32 Dixon, Julian [D]

Nay CA-33 Roybal-Allard, Lucille [D]

Nay CA-35 Waters, Maxine [D]

Nay CA-50 Filner, Bob [D]

Nay CO-5 Hefley, Joel [R]

Nay CT-2 Gejdenson, Sam [D]

Nay CT-3 DeLauro, Rosa [D]

Nay FL-5 Thurman, Karen [D]

Nay FL-7 Mica, John [R]

Nay FL-17 Meek, Carrie [D]

Nay FL-23 Hastings, Alcee [D]

Nay GA-4 McKinney, Cynthia [D]

Nay GA-5 Lewis, John [D]

Nay IL-1 Rush, Bobby [D]

Nay IL-2 Jackson, Jesse [D]

Nay IL-3 Lipinski, William [D]

Nay IL-4 Gutierrez, Luis [D]

Nay IL-7 Davis, Danny [D]

Nay IL-9 Schakowsky, Janice [D]

Nay IL-12 Costello, Jerry [D]

Nay IL-17 Evans, Lane [D]

Nay IL-19 Phelps, David [D]

Nay MA-4 Frank, Barney [D]

Nay MA-6 Tierney, John [D]

Nay MA-7 Markey, Edward [D]

Nay MA-8 Capuano, Michael [D]

Nay MI-9 Kildee, Dale [D]

Nay MI-13 Rivers, Lynn [D]

Nay MI-14 Conyers, John [D]

Nay MI-16 Dingell, John [D]

Nay MN-6 Luther, William [D]

Nay MS-5 Taylor, Gene [D]

Nay MO-1 Clay, William [D]

Nay NY-16 Serrano, José [D]

Nay NY-26 Hinchey, Maurice [D]

Nay OH-9 Kaptur, Marcy [D]

Nay OH-10 Kucinich, Dennis [D]

Nay OR-4 DeFazio, Peter [D]

Nay PA-1 Brady, Robert [D]

Nay PA-2 Fattah, Chaka [D]

Nay PA-14 Coyne, William [D]

Nay SC-1 Sanford, Marshall [R]

Nay TX-6 Barton, Joe [R]

Nay TX-11 Edwards, Thomas [D]

Nay TX-28 Rodriguez, Ciro [D]

Nay VT-0 Sanders, Bernard [I]

Nay WA-1 Inslee, Jay [D]

Nay WA-7 McDermott, James [D]

Nay WI-2 Baldwin, Tammy [D]

Nay WI-5 Barrett, Thomas [D]

Nay WI-7 Obey, David [D]

Join us at the 25th annual Eastside Dinner!

2011-09-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Everyone who has already bought a ticket to the Eastside Dinner can ignore this message, but if you have not now is the perfect time to buy a ticket!

https://www.brownpapertickets.com/user/namelists.html?e_id=191768&d_id=542456&report=names&report_type=door

For some background, the 25th Annual Eastside Democratic Dinner is nearly upon us. It's been a rough year, but now we're on the road to 2012. It's time to start thinking about the President's re-election, Maria Cantwell's Senate race, the open 10th Congressional, the Governor and AG's race, and a multitude of other elections. The dinner will feature a raucous speech by State Chairman Dwight Pelz, our Congressional leaders, other local elected officials, and hilarious MC's Tony Ventrella and Pat Cashman.

This Eastside Dinner is our primary fundraiser for 2012 operations and candidate donations. The work of supporting Democrats in 2012 starts on September, 25th. Proceeds benefit the 5th, 41st, 45th, and 48th LD's.

https://www.brownpapertickets.com/user/namelists.html?e_id=191768&d_id=542456&report=names&report_type=door

Join the LAC on Sunday, July 17th!

2011-07-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

Join the KCDCC LAC on Sunday, July 17th! Sorry for the short notice!

The Republican War on Women

2011-02-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

Republicans in Congress are on the warpath to implement their radical right agenda. Giving tax breaks to the wealthy reduces funds available for programs to help people that truly need help in this country. It's a question of priorities and the Republican priorities do not include women or their needs.
As the New York Times points out in an editorial aptly entitled The War on Women,

"Republicans in the House of Representatives are mounting an assault on women's health and freedom that would deny millions of women access to affordable contraception and life-saving cancer screenings and cut nutritional support for millions of newborn babies in struggling families. And this is just the beginning.

The budget bill pushed through the House ... included the defunding of planned parenthood and myriad other cuts detrimental to women ...

The egregious cuts in the House resolution include the elimination of support for Title X, the federal family planning program for low-income women that provides birth control, breast and cervical cancer screenings and testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. In the absence of Title X's preventative care , some women will die. The Guttmacher Institute, a leading authority on reproductive health, says a rise in unintended pregnancies would result in some 400,000 more abortions a year."

'The New York Times editorial ends with some important words to consider, that could just as easily be dealing with any other area Republicans in Congress are trying to cut funding for or repeal. "These are treacherous times for women's reproductive rights and access to essential health care."

Substitute environment, labor, consumer protection, science, or any other area that Democrats have worked over the years to support to make America a better country for all and these are treacherous times. Only a blind person would not see the treacherous times for our country that the Republicans want to lead us into.

Please contact your elected officials and tell them to oppose this treachery by the right wing. Support the Democratic Party and elected Democrats and tell them you have their back and that they must not cave in to the far right agenda.

Democrat Bob Ferguson to Announce Run for Attorney General on Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T23:15:00.001-08:00

King County Council member Bob Ferguson has sent an e-mail out last night to announce his bid to be the next Attorney General of Washington State. His plans have not really been so secret and neither are the plans of the current Attorney General Republican Rob McKenna's preparation and desire to be Washington State's next Governor.

Bob Ferguson intends to officially announce his campaign to run for Attorney General later today- February 14th, 2011. The election is not until next year but next year will be a busy year, what with President Obama being on the ballot and Senator Maria Cantwell here in Washington State, along with a total of 10 Congressional seats and all the State races from Governor on down and the Legislative races.

So it is a wise decision to get an early start for a statewide race. Bob Ferguson has campaigned hard in his previous races, taking on an incumbent in his 1st race for King County Council and then with the downsizing of the Council, being forced to run against another incumbent to retain his seat.

Bob Ferguson has put up a website at http://www.electbobferguson.com/. He also has a video up on his website as part of his kickoff.

He also has a facebook page up at Bob Ferguson for Attorney General.

King County Democrats LAC Newsletter #2

2011-02-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

February 5, 2011

Introduction: This newsletter goes out to active Democrats in King County. Sarajane Siegfriedt is the legislative action newsletter editor. Sarajane Siegfriedt is the Co-Chair of the LAC. You can track bills and contact your legislators by going to their website at www.leg.wa.gov. or leave a message for your three legislators (and the Governor) at the toll-free Legislative Hotline, 1-800-562-6000. Your legislators' email addresses follow the form: lastname.firstname@leg.wa.gov

Our Legislative Agenda, passed by King County Democrats on January 24th, is posted on www.kcdems.org (look for LAC on the left tab). It directs us in our bill tracking. Please don't let this limit you from being vocal about other issues of importance.

Bill Status Chart: In addition to this narrative newsletter, we are tracking the bills in our agenda and posting these to our website for quick reference http://wa-demchairs.org/kcdems/lac/2011/billstatus20110204.pdf Look here to find recommended actions for this week.

Our annual Lobby Day will be held on Presidents Day, Monday February 21st from 11 to 1:30 p.m. The Governor and all our 39 King County Democratic legislators are our invited guests, followed by district meetings with your legislators (set up by LAC District Chairs.) The $20 cost includes a box lunch and materials. Please reserve your seat as seating in the Senate Rules Committee room is limited. (Find it by entering the Lt. Governor's office on the 2nd Floor of the Legislative Building. Contact Sarajane Siegfriedt at sarajane3h@comcast.net to reserve a spot at our Lobby Day in Olympia.

For February 5th

This newsletter is longer than usual, because of the Supplemental Budget that will be completed this week and the introduction of several of our key bills. For brief status, go directly to the Bill Status Chart http://wa-demchairs.org/kcdems/lac/2011/billstatus20110204.pdf

Contents: This newsletter contains current news on the following issues:

• Initiative Reform Bill—Hearings this Week
• Revenue & Repealing Corporate Tax Breaks
• Environment: Decommissioning TransAlta’s Coal-fired Power Plant
• Protecting Human Services & Education in the Supplemental Budget
• A Balanced Approach to Unemployment Insurance—What Happened?
• Criminal Justice: Medical Marijuana
• Housing: Passing the Fair Tenant Screening Act
• Payday Lending: Don’t gut the law
• Progress on Washington Investment Trust

Election & Initiative Reform
Initiative Reform Bill Introduced—Hearings this Week

Introduced by Rep. Chris Reykdal, (D - Olympia) (D) on January 28, 2011, to clarify and update regulations concerning signature gathering for initiatives and to raise the filing fee for initiatives to $500. If the Secretary of State for the general election ballot certifies the measure, the sponsor receives a refund of $450. The bill allows a waiver of the filing fee if a sponsor demonstrates lack of sufficient assets and submits at least 1,000 valid signatures. (Companion: SB 5297).

Both ballot measure reform bills have a hearing this week - House State Government and Tribal Affairs committee on Wednesday Feb. 9th at 8 AM and Senate Government Operations committee on Thursday, Feb. 10th at 10 AM. If you are in Olympia either or both of those days, please sign in PRO to support HB 1668 and SB 5297.

Action Needed:
Email House State Government and Senate Government Operations committee members know you support the bills (Representatives Miloscia, Hunt, Appleton, Darnielle, Dunshee, Hurst, McCoy and Senators Pridemore, Prentice, Chase). If you or your organization has a Facebook page, link to "Pass Bill to Prevent Fraud" page at http://tinyurl.com/4s87vga

Our main message is to protect the integrity of our ballot measure process by preventing fraud and other abuses to the system. HB 1668 and SB 5207 increase transparency and accountability and makes the process better for all the people of Washington. See the Win/Win Network www.winwinnwtwork.org for more information.

Constitutional Amendment to Reverse Citizens United Decision
House Joint Memorial HJM 4005 has been introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. For more info and a list of co-sponsors, go here:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=4005&year=2011

Summary Digest of HJM 4005: Urges Congress to propose an amendment to the United States Constitution for the states' consideration which provides that corporations are not persons under the laws of the United States or any of its jurisdictional subdivisions. For a one-page flyer about this is posted on website:
(Look at section of Downloads page on Citizens United) --
http://www.washclean.org/download.htm#citunited

Revenue & Tax Reform
Let Wall Street Pay for Basic Health
HB 1847 introduced by Rep. Eileen Cody, (D-West Seattle) (D) on February 4, 2011, terminates certain tax exemptions to provide funding for maintaining Basic Health Program. Places a cap on providers of the first mortgage reduction at $100 million per year. Eliminates the exemption for the airplane excise tax on ownership transfers of aircraft and sets a new excise tax rate for aircraft. Imposes a sales and use tax on cosmetic medical services. Repeals the TransAlta sales tax exemption for coal used at coal-fired electric generation plant at Centralia. Would take effect April 1, 2011. Referred to House Ways & Means.
From our Fuse coalition partner in the Our Economic Future Coalition:

28,000 activists spoke out, and legislators are listening.

Three weeks ago we delivered more than 28,000 petitions to the Legislature demanding an end to tax giveaways to special interests. Now Rep. Eileen Cody has released a bill (HB 1847) that would close tax loopholes for Wall Street Banks, elective cosmetic surgery, and private jets. The money we save would be dedicated to Basic Health, which provides health coverage for tens of thousands of working families in Washington.

Our state’s budget shortfall means we need to look even more carefully at every dollar we spend, and these tax giveaways simply don’t add up. But Wall Street Banks and other special interests have their lobbyists in Olympia fighting tooth and nail to maintain their lucrative, unfair loopholes.

It’s going to take a huge grassroots response to overcome their lobbyists’ insider influence. Tell your representative to stand with Washington families, not special interests by supporting HB 1847. Click below to send a message:

http://bit.ly/eOLfsE

Rep. Cody’s bill will level the playing field and ensure that everyone pays their fair share – especially corporate special interests. At a time when teachers are being laid off, programs shuttered, and every cent squeezed, we can’t afford these tax giveaways that enrich big corporations and the ultra-wealthy at the expense of our communities.
From Publicola
Publicola’s Fizz spoke with state Rep. Eileen Cody (D-34, W. Seattle) about the legislation she introduced to close several corporate tax loopholes, including the $5 million tax break for TransAlta’s Centralia coal plant and an estimated $60 million break for banks.
Could she get the two-thirds vote required to pass tax increases (closing loopholes has been interpreted as a tax increase)? Cody acknowledged that she wasn’t going to get the two-thirds. (She also agreed that her proposal would require a two thirds vote.) “I’m just starting a conversation that we need to have [about these tax breaks],” she said. Cody also said she wanted to highlight how difficult it is to get a two-thirds vote
Last year, social service and health care advocates presented a list of tax breaks totaling around $1 billion.

Environment
Decommissioning TransAlta’s Coal-fired Power Plant

House Bill 1825 (Strengthening local economies by reducing emissions from coal-fired power generation through decommissioning) Introduced by Rep. Marko Liias, (D-Mukilteo) (D), requires a preliminary decommissioning plan from coal-fired by July 1, 2013. This act requires coal-fired plants to pay a fee to the Department of Ecology each year until such operations cease. This act only applies to plants located in the State which have combusted more than one million tons of coal during any of the five preceding years. Referred to the House Environment Committee on 2/3/11.

“At the end of the useful life, the closure of these facilities, including the removal of structures, site reclamation, and preparation of the site for future beneficial usage, requires significant planning and funding. To ensure that all toxic materials are removed from these facilities and that the surrounding communities are fully assured that all applicable and appropriate remediation standards are met, it is necessary to require that the facility owner demonstrate during the facility's operation that sufficient funding will be available for closure and post-closure activities.”

For more information, see Environmental Priorities Coalition: www.environmentalpriorities.org

Protect Human Services & Education in the Supplemental Budget
First, the Senate has taken quick action–contrary to earlier concerns that undue delay in enacting needed cuts would only result in the need to make even great cuts and also jeopardize the state’s credit rating (according to the State Treasurer).
Second, there is ample evidence that the Senate–like the House–seriously listened to budgetary input (including grassroots advocates in a number of instances) and at least tried to moderate and reconfigure the human services budget in order to limit harm. Legislators are at least trying, despite the miserable fiscal picture.
Some examples:
Looks like the Senate basically mirrors the House mental health budget, which is a vast improvement (i.e., much less damaging) than the Governor’s provisions. For instance, the cut to state only dollars for the non-Medicaid population is $12.6m rather than $18m – among several other improvements.
Disability Lifeline unfortunately takes a hit. The House preserved both medical benefits and cash assistance. The Senate preserves medical assistance but eliminates the cash grant. On the other hand the Senate at least heard advocates’ testimony about the cash assistance being critical to housing, as the budget also allocates $2m “for housing and other services aimed at stabilizing and transitioning the DL-U population.” (Not that we necessarily want to accept this compromise).
While the Governor eliminated Child Advocacy Center (child abuse victim support) and Street Youth (shelter) money, both the House and Senate preserve these items. The crime victim services funded through the Department of Commerce do not seem to be hit any harder than they were in the House.
Like the House and Governor, the Senate proposes to consolidate some of the institutions (residential rehabilitation centers) for people with developmental disabilities; and the Senate actually achieves about another $1m in savings in this manner. Many developmental disabilities advocates support this consolidation for a combination of fiscal and policy reasons. Besides the cost savings, they value the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in the community (with needed support services) rather than their isolation in institutions. (Democrats are on both sides of this issue.) Supported employment for people with Developmental Disabilities take the same reductions as in the House proposal.
Unlike the House, the Senate does not take a million away from Homeless Housing Assistance.
As did the House, the Senate reduces the Governor’s $9m cut to Food Assistance to $4.8m. In addition, the related Senate language is better in that it does not permit eligibility reductions.
--Thanks to Seth Dawson, human services lobbyist. To receive his updates directly, email him: sethdawson@att.net
Update on Thursday 2/3 by Niki Reading, the Capitol Record
The Senate version of early action cuts is out, and here’s what I’m learning as I go along:
- The Senate class size reduction cut is smaller than that proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire and the House
- The Senate budget eliminates the Higher Education Coordinating Board, saving $9 million
- Eliminate Council of Presidents
- The Senate reinstates the cut to Career and Wage Ladder in Early Education that Gregoire proposed and the House did not include
- The Senate version makes a smaller cut to the Basic Health Plan. The governor had proposed a $26.8 million cut, the House adopted a $19.6 million cut, and the Senate proposes a $10.3 million cut.
- It makes a big cut to the Disability Lifeline cash grant — to the tune of $18.5 million. The House version included no reduction and the governor had proposed a $20.3 million cut.
- It includes a DSHS “management reduction” of $1.7 million — neither the House nor the governor had this item
- It saves $3.4 million by cutting state employee pay and $1 million by cutting agency public relations positions.
Update 2: Here’s the bill report. The bill is sponsored by the Senate Ways and Means Committee — meaning it’s bipartisan.
Update on Thursday 2/3 by Josh Feit at Publicola:
Senate Ways and Means Chair Sen. Ed Murray (D-43, Capitol Hill, U. District) released a statement:
“Washington cannot afford to keep spending at our current rate. Our conversation with the public is no longer about all the good ways we can spend their money. It’s about what we’re going to cut. It’s about doing less with less. We need to be honest about this.”
He also released his own highlights of how his budget differs from the House version:
• Reducing but not eliminating class-size reduction efforts in K-4 classrooms
• Eliminating the Higher Education Coordinating Board and Council of Presidents
• Transferring tuition funds for financial aid purposes
• Preserving state funded research
• Preserving the Basic Health Plan by tightening eligibility
• Tightening eligibility for the Children’s Health Program
• Eliminating cash grants for the Disability Lifeline
• Not cutting adult day health care
• Taking a three percent pay reduction for non-represented state workers three months early
Disability Lifeline
The Senate’s budget preserved Disability Lifeline medical but nearly eliminated cash grants (reduced from $339 per month to $258 per month effective Jan. 1, 2011). This is very unfortunate since we know that cash provides stable housing for the DL population and will help recipients to achieve positive health outcomes from medical care. In addition, most people go to DSHS to sign up for cash grants. The medical benefits are an added bonus, so we may see fewer people accessing DL medical if cash grants are eliminated.
Action Needed:
Advocates should continue to email Ways & Means Committee members and our own legislators for Disability Lifeline cash grants and other human services. Low-income housing advocates should note that residents pay 30% of their income in rent, and that this will eliminate a source of income for low-income housing operations, possibly endangering them.
Labor—A Balanced Approach to Unemployment Insurance: What Happened?

From Sen. Adam Kline’s 37th District Newsletter
Senate Bill 5135 will provide immediate tax relief to 90% of employers around the state, to the tune of roughly $300 million in tax relief for businesses this year. It also makes a technical fix in state law that will make the state eligible for federally funded, extended unemployment benefits through 2011.

The legislation comes at a time when UI tax rates are set to increase by an average of 36 percent in 2011 and when nearly one in five Washingtonians is either unemployed or under-employed. In the latter part of 2008 and in 2009, with unemployment rates rising, the state paid out significantly more in benefits than it collected in taxes, causing a dramatic increase in the 2010 and 2011 tax rates.

The legislation now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration. In order for the tax cuts to take effect this year, the legislation must be passed by the full Legislature and signed by the Governor by Tuesday, Feb. 8.

Labor—Unemployment Insurance—from WSLC’s David Groves
Passage of the federal extended Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits is necessary by mid- to late-March to continue allowing folks in Washington to receive UI benefits beyond 26 weeks up to 99 weeks. Both parties support its passage. But Republicans--and a handful of Democrats--are trying to pass it along with a one-year temporary tax cut for business so they don't have to pass a second UI bill later in the session. In doing so, they hope to avoid both the Governor's training benefits and Labor’s proposal for a children's benefit. In other words, business would get what it wants and struggling families get nothing.

Update from Labor lead Brad Larssen and from WSLC David Groves:
As we went to press Friday, the substitute Unemployment Insurance bill SSB 5135 was passed by the Senate by a majority of Democrats, who supported it because of the UI benefits extension for 99 weeks. However, the substitute version was amended by six renegade Democrats and a majority of Republicans. The six Democrats ignored their caucus leadership who hoped to pass some concessions to help workers in exchange for reducing UI rates at a time when unemployment is at its highest. [Several years ago, employers begged to have their rates reduced when unemployment was low and are now refusing to pay higher rates when the economy is bad. We want to know, what happened to their private “rainy day” funds?]
These Senators are: Hatfield (19th), Hobbs (44th), Kastama (25th), Pridemore (49th), Sheldon (35th), and Rodney Tom (48th).
Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown scheduled a vote to advance the one-year tax cut bill (SB 5135) and House Speaker Frank Chopp planned quick action to get it to the governor's desk, and avoid the tax increase.
But then business lobbying groups hatched a plan to get what they wanted now, and avoid any bill #2 benefit improvements to balance the effort. They urged state Senators to defy the Majority Leader and amend the bill on the floor to add a federal unemployment benefit extension to SB 5135. That is the only remaining element of the governor's original bill that absolutely requires action this session. If it is added to SB 5135, there is no longer any motivation for a bill #2 this session. Business groups would simply come back next year, point to another inevitable spike in tax rates when their temporary tax cut is about to expire, and get it extended again.
Criminal Justice: Medical Marijuana
Medical Marijuana SB 5073 would establish a state-regulated system of licensed producers, processors and dispensers. The system would be overseen by the state departments of Agriculture and Health. Local governments would be free to adopt zoning regulations regarding siting of these facilities and advertising would be restricted.
Such a system would be a major improvement over the current patchwork of unregulated entities that serve as the only practical source of medical marijuana for many qualifying patients.
The bill proposes to protect qualifying patients who comply with the law from being arrested and prosecuted. They would be treated no differently than patients who rely on prescription medications to help maintain their quality of life.
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Rep. Jim Moeller introduce changes to medical marijuana rules

Housing & Human Services: Portable Background Checks
Spotlight on a Low-Income Housing Alliance priority:
Passing the Fair Tenant Screening Act HB 1526 (Rep. Orwall)
The Fair Tenant Screening Act addresses three interconnected issues all related to tenant screening: The high cost of repeated tenant screening reports, the lack of transparency in those reports and the need to prevent inaccurate and misleading information from being included in the reports. By addressing these issues, the bill is designed to eliminate barriers to housing that tenants across the state struggle with.
The high cost of repeated reports: The tenant screening industry is a growing and largely unregulated sector that plays a central role in a landlord’s decision to rent to a tenant or not. The companies are both out-of-state and home-grown and charge fees between $35 and $50 per report. The tenant pays the cost of each report, frequently purchasing separate reports for each person over the age of 18. Tenants are forced to pay these costs each time they apply for housing. Only one company on the market provides a portable report and landlords are not required to accept it, which means tenants purchasing a portable report have no guarantee that their prospective landlord will accept it —and unfortunately few do. The costs of these screening reports are added on top of the high costs of moving, including reserving money for a new deposit, first and last month’s rent, utility set-ups and more.
The bill requires landlords to accept portable reports and that tenant screening companies make their reports portable or that the cost of the report be borne by the landlord.
Lack of transparency in the content of the reports: Tenants purchase tenant-screening reports each time they apply for a new home. Even though tenants pay the full cost, tenant screening companies refuse to share copies with any tenants. This presents maddening obstacles for tenants who are told that their applications for housing are denied because of the content of a tenant screening report that they can’t see or correct.
The bill requires that tenant screening companies give tenants a copy of the report.
Preventing inaccurate or misleading information in the reports: Tenant screening reports can currently contain information that can tell a misleading story about a tenant. For example, the report always highlights if a tenant has been party to an eviction lawsuit, but it never says if the tenant won or lost the lawsuit, or even if the lawsuit was dismissed. It is common sense that simply being named a party to a lawsuit does not mean you’re guilty. Unfortunately, tenant screening companies do not care and simply report on the gross fact, never expending the minimal time necessary to report on the actual facts.
Additionally, tenant-screening companies insist on being able to retain the right to report information that is illegal for a landlord to use in their consideration of an application. For example, it is illegal for landlords to discriminate against victims of domestic violence. Allowing discrimination would continue the cycle of violence. Maddeningly, tenant screening companies fight for their “right” to continue to report that a tenant has filed protection orders, even though this hands information to a landlord that they are not supposed to use in their decision to rent to that tenant or not.
The bill changes the law so that tenant screening reports cannot include inappropriate information, such as information about a protective order, or the fact of an eviction lawsuit that was dismissed in court or won by a tenant.
Action Needed:
Ask your representatives and the House Judiciary Committee to support the Fair Tenant Screening Act, HB 1526 or attend the hearing (TBA).
Banking, Foreclosure & Predatory Lending Reform
Don’t Gut Payday Loan Law—Instead Stop the Moneytree Abuses

from Sen. Adam Kline’s 37th District newsletter

Based on an anonymous tip from a constituent in the 37th district, the Department of Financial Institutions has succeeded in halting a shady payday loan practice.

Last April a constituent called me to blow the whistle on Moneytree, a payday lender. She claimed Moneytree was giving more than eight payday loans to individual customers during a one-year period, thus breaking a law passed by the Legislature in 2009. Over the course of several conversations, the constituent provided me with ample information about MoneyTree’ S practices, and I worked with the good folks at our State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) to figure out the shady bookkeeping strategies Moneytree was using to get around the law.

By painstakingly reviewing MoneyTree’ S lending records, DFI was able to establish that the company appeared to be allowing borrowers to obtain the maximum allowable number of small loans and then repackaging those loans into a single, larger loan so they can take out even more loans. Moneytree was giving some of these folks upwards of 30 loans. Based on their research, DFI issued a temporary cease and desist order to Moneytree to force them to stop the allegedly illegal practices while the courts looked into the practice.

I'm happy to report that in mid-January, the court agreed with DFI, and ruled that the practice is indeed illegal. Moneytree and other payday lenders won't be able to use this strategy anymore.

Unfortunately payday lenders have found other ways to skirt the law. Very recently DFI started going after other payday lenders who appear to be circumventing the 8-loan limit using a different strategy. This time the payday lenders are selling gift cards to borrowers. The transaction works almost the same as a normal payday loan transaction. A borrower gives the lender a post-dated check, but instead of giving the borrower cash, the lender issues a gift card to a retail establishment like Wal-Mart, for example. The borrower pays the same amount of interest and fees they would receive in a cash loan. The lenders say since they're selling a product (i.e., a gift card) rather than handing out cash, they don't have to comply with the 8-loan limit. But DFI and the Northwest Justice Project (NJP is working separately from DFI on a lawsuit against a lender engaging in this practice) maintain that since the transaction works exactly the same except for the fact that the borrower gets a gift card instead of cash, it's still a "payday loan." NJP filed a lawsuit against one lender, Cash 1. DFI has issued a cease and desist order against a different lender, Checkmania (also known as Checkmate), for making illegal loans.

Along with these various strategies to skirt the 8-loan maximum, payday lenders are trying to entirely do away with the limit through legislation. SB 5547 and HB 1678 would both eliminate the 8-loan maximum, and would allow lenders to go back to making an unlimited amount of loans to individuals. I'd like to outlaw payday loans entirely. That year, I proposed a bill to do away with this usurious industry. Instead, we passed a narrower law that placed some limits on the industry, including the 8-loan maximum. I'll do my best to make sure we don't increase the ability of payday lenders to rip off their customers.

Progress on Washington Investment Trust (state bank) bill
From Rep. Bob Hasegawa, sponsor and prime mover of the Washington Investment Trust (state bank) bill
The State Treasurer’s argument that HB 1320 is unconstitutional is wrong because it (HB1320) doesn’t create an operational bank. It creates a Blue Ribbon Task Force, weighted toward bankers and financial institution experts, that will recommend trailer legislation for the 2012 session in order to become operational. So, the constitutional question will be addressed at that time, if necessary. You’ll recall the 2007 session when we passed a constitutional amendment HJR 4215, supported by McIntire, that was necessary to implement an underlying bill that allowed investment of the state’s Permanent Higher Education Trust Fund into the stock market. The constitutional amendment was necessary because there was a prohibition against investing that money into something that could lose money. It was passed by the people in the next general election.
As for the banks, I’m working on language to address their concern against competition and hope they’ll at least go neutral if not in support. Remember, the commercial banks in North Dakota have a great working relationship with the Bank of North Dakota as a bankers’ bank and as a lending partner. In fact, they feel more comfortable partnering with BND than other commercial banks because they don’t have to worry about their “partner” stealing their customer in the future, because BND doesn’t compete with them.
I believe this is about doing what’s best for small businesses—creating access to capital—and as a small business advocate yourself, you know this is their #1 problem, and our #1 way to help them and create jobs.
--[Rep.] Bob Hasegawa
Education
The Education news this week is in the Supplemental Budget for 2011. The Senate treats K-12 education with fewer cuts than the House, which uses the money to preserve Basic Health and Disability Lifeline grants. The Senate imposes severe cuts to Higher Education. Olympia watchers expect that the 2-year budget will generally follow the outlines of the Supplemental Budget.

Action needed:
Contact the respective Ways & Means Committees on these funding issues.

We are looking for one or two education issues issue leads.

Support the King County Democrats Now!

Renew your membership or join by downloading our donation form at:

http://wa-demchairs.org/kcdems/2011/2011MembershipForm.pdf

You can also donate online at http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=214564

Basic membership is $40, family is $75, student/living lightly $20. Become a supporting member by donating $100, $250, $500 or $1000 or more.
We need and appreciate your help. Only with the help of concerned Democrats like yourself can we be an effective organization. Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contact Information

Sarajane Siegfriedt - sarajane3h@comcast.net
Craig Salins - craigsalins@msn.com
Steve Zemke - Chair - King County Democrats -stevezemke@msn.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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King County Democrats Fundraiser Friday Feb. 4, 2011 with Congressman Jay Inslee

2011-02-02T00:17:00.000-08:00

Special Fundraiser for the King County Democrats this Friday, Feb 4th, 2011 with Congressman Jay Inslee. Suggested donation $10 to $100 to help rebuild the King County Democrats.

Location:

Newmark Tower Community Room

1415 2nd Ave at Pike Street

Seattle, WA

Time :

Friday, Feb. 4, 2011

5 PM to 7 PM

prepay at Acteva

Invitation to join Dr. Bobby Virk and

2011-01-15T14:03:00.001-08:00

his partner, Dr. Ellen Polsky, for a Coalition to Fund Dental Access-sponsored forum on Dental Medicaid for legislators. A panel will present the impacts of adult dental program reductions on patient health, community clinic access and hospital ER use.

Thursday January 20, 2011, 5:00 pm

Cherberg Building at the Capitol

Conference Room ABC

Light refreshments will be served.

Please consider attending this important event and make reservations to - Kristen.Michal@washongton2advocates.com

Thank you,

Susan Sheary for

Dr. Bobby Virk

Port Commissioner John Creighton Announces Campaign For King County Council

2011-01-12T15:31:00.001-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 John Creighton 425-636-8924

Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton announced today he will campaign for King County Council Position 6 (currently held by Councilmember Jane Hague).

“I’m proud of the work I’ve done with my colleagues on the Commission to bring the Port of Seattle from an agency that was under federal investigation to one that will set a record in container traffic for the year despite the down economy,” said Creighton. “I’d like to take that same focus on reform and results to the King County Council,” he added.

Reforming County Government

Creighton believes the King County Council needs to make tough reforms starting with the structure of the King County Council. Creighton proposes:

Lowering the number of King County Councilmembers to seven.
Reducing the pay of King County Councilmembers to under six figures.

“I know when compared to the overall county budget, the council reforms are small. However, we need to create a culture of efficient delivery of government services throughout the organization, and that needs to start at the top,” said Creighton. Creighton also proposes a number of reforms that will provide more accountability to taxpayers and lessen the burden on jobs-creating businesses:

Reducing duplicative efforts of regional governments by looking for areas to collaborate and share services.
Streamlining permitting and licensing processes at the county.
Providing more transparent accounting so taxpayers know where there money is being spent.

Protecting Our Environment

As a Port Commissioner, John Creighton spearheaded the passage of a 6-part environmental motion that made important environmental changes such as prohibiting cruise ship dumping in the Olympic Marine National Sanctuary, mandated the use of low sulfur diesel or shore power by cruise ships, and directed staff to work with King County on a biomass disposal. He supported the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, a collaborative initiative with the ports of Tacoma and Vancouver and local port-related businesses to reduce port-related air emissions, and championed clean air and water initiatives at Sea-Tac Airport.

As a County Councilmember, Creighton proposes:

Prioritizing work on protecting Puget Sound including appointing one person to oversee all storm water management issues at the county level.
Incentivizing property owners to fix outdated septic systems to limit pollution and runoff.
Putting on the ballot a dedicated source of funding to clean up Puget Sound.
Exploring incentives for agricultural landowners in the county to switch to organic farming.

“I’ve taken the lead on a number of tough environmental issues such as cruise ship dumping. I’d like to take that same approach as a King County Councilmember on issues like storm water runoff and cleaning Puget Sound,” said Creighton.

Ensuring Transportation Choices

“Our regional governments get too mired in process and delay. A good example of this is the South Park Bridge project. The bridge will now be closed for three years because regional government couldn’t act and get a proposal in place. We need stronger leadership at the County level so projects that are vital to commuting and freight mobility move forward,” said Creighton.

As a County Councilmember, John Creighton supports:

Moving decisions on bus service and light rail away from political negotiations to decisions based on ridership and engineering recommendations.
Completing the South Park Bridge Project as soon as possible with no more delays.
Reducing overhead for both Sound Transit and Metro and reducing duplication of the agencies.

About John Creighton

John Creighton is a business lawyer who practiced on the east coast and overseas prior to returning to his home in the Northwest. He was elected to the Seattle Port Commission in November 2005, and was chosen by his colleagues to serve as Commission President for two consecutive years (2007-2008). He spearheaded the effort to find a new chief executive for the port, and has sat on both the audit and strategic planning subcommittees of the Port Commission.

Since being elected to the Commission, John has developed strong expertise in both transportation and economic policy. He was appointed by Washington Governor Chris Gregoire to the State Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board in 2006. He has served on the board of enterpriseSeattle, the economic development organization for King County, and was appointed to the board of the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2010. John is also currently the chair of the advisory board of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's Pathways for Small Business Initiative, a program that helps equip small disadvantaged contractors with the business skills necessary to grow their businesses.

John grew up on the Eastside of King County and is a graduate of Interlake High School in Bellevue. John lives in Kirkland, WA.

###

Port of Seattle unanimously adopts Tarleton's green-trade initiative

2011-01-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

Press Release from Commissioner Gael Tarleton

SEATTLE - Port of Seattle Commissioners today unanimously adopted a new and accelerated clean air initiative introduced by Commissioner Gael Tarleton that is aimed at meeting federal clean air standards two years ahead of schedule.

"We have already removed more than 260 of the dirtiest short-haul trucks off the road while still working to protect Puget Sound air and jobs," Tarleton said. "We are cleaning the air, protecting and creating jobs while growing trade in one of the toughest economies we've ever faced. This is a major accomplishment for Seattle's clean-trade goals."

The Port launched a special buy-back and retrofit program in 2009 by leveraging approximately $5 million from Port operating dollars and grants from the EPA and the state's Department of Ecology to retrofit pre-1994 trucks. The Port invested an estimated $1.7 million of its own operating dollars towards the total $5 million utilized for the program.

The new initiative is designed to further accelerate the Port's success by beefing up incentives to grow Seattle's clean trade. Key components of the new initiative include:

· A new affordable and reduced insurance program for drivers who participate in the Port's clean trucks/clean fuels program;
· A clean fuels tax incentive, providing benefits to drivers and companies whose trucks use clean fuels;
· A clean-trade rewards program for companies in Washington that support drivers who participate in the Port's clean truck/clean fuels programs;
· A detailed audit of Port truck emissions to ensure the Port is on track to meet federal clean air requirements by 2015 - two years earlier than the federal mandate of 2017. The Port will present the findings of its audit to the Commission in December 2011.

Since 2009, the Port has registered more than 5,900 trucks and more than 1,100 trucking companies and truck owners who operate drayage trucks (short-haul truckers) at the Port's cargo terminals for its clean-truck initiative. Drayage trucks with engines older than model-year 1994 may be eligible for a $5,000 incentive through the Port's ScRAPS (Scrappage and Retrofits for Air in Puget Sound) program which continues until the end of this January.

"We have the highest number of containers and cruise ships coming into the Port of Seattle when the rest of the ports in America have witnessed dramatic declines," said Tarleton. "When California launched its program, it taxed containers to scrap old trucks, but they scrapped the fees and mandates when they lost jobs and 40 percent of the port market share literally drove away. Seattle's program is a model for the nation and this economy."

# # #

LAC Meeting, January 16th

2011-01-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

The next meeting of the King County Democrats Legislative Action Committee is the 3rd Sunday January 16th from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Des Moines Library. We will be discussing the issues in our proposed legislative agenda, and issues coordinators are invited to give a five minute presentation and answer questions. The Washington State Budget & Policy Center will have an analyst to discuss revenue priorities & strategy.

We are asking each Legislative District, as part of your reorganization, to elect or appoint an LAC representative or chair. This job is to attend our monthly meetings on the 3rd Sunday of the month and to report back to LD meetings, including organizing carpool groups to attend our Lobby Day in Olympia on Monday, February 21st.

Attendees will get briefings on our issues to prepare them to meet directly with their legislators and a box lunch ($20 registration in advance). All the King County legislators are invited to address the meeting, and the Governor has been invited to keynote. Attendance is limited and pre-registration is required. Sarajane Siegfriedt, Sarajane3h@comcast.net, 206-440-5829 for questions. Many will stay in Olympia for the Washington State Democrats Crab Feed at 5 p.m. in Lacey.

Thanks,
Sarajane Siegfriedt, Chair
King County Democrats Legislative Action Committee
Des Moines Library

21620 11th Avenue S., Des Moines, 98198
206-824-6066

Directions:

The library is located on the corner of South 216th Street and 11th Avenue South, next to Des Moines City Hall and across the street from Wesley Homes Retirement Center.

Click here for a "printer friendly" version of the map & directions

I-5 Northbound: Take Exit 149B, and head west on Highway 516 (Kent-Des Moines Road). Turn right on Pacific Highway S (Highway 99). At the next major intersection, turn left on 216th Street. After going down the hill, turn left on 11th Avenue.

I-5 Southbound:
Take Exit 151. At the stop sign, go straight ahead on 200th Street. At the next major intersection, turn left on International Boulevard (Highway 99/Pacific Highway S). At the third stoplight, turn right on 216th Street. After going down the hill, turn left on 11th Avenue.

From Burien:
Head south on First Avenue, which becomes Marine View Drive. At the first four-way intersection with lights, turn left on 7th Place South, which becomes 216th Street. At the top of the small hill, turn right on 11th Avenue.

Bus Routes:
The Des Moines Library is served by bus routes 121, 122, 131, 132, and 166.
Metro Route 166 stops immediately outside the Des Moines Library on South 216th Street. Route 132 has a stop across the street from the QFC in Des Moines, which is about 1/4 of a mile from the library.

For bus times, call Metro's Rider Information line at 206-553-3000 or 800-542-7876 or visit their Web site.

Draft LAC Agenda for 2011

2011 Olympia House Standing Committees

2010-12-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Seth Dawson, we have this useful information to share about the upcoming legislative session.

For the 2011-2012 Legislative Session, the Olympia House of Representatives will have 21 Standing Committees:

Agriculture & Natural Resources (AGNR)
Business & Financial Services (BFS)
Capital Budget (CB)
Community Development & Housing (CDH)
Early Learning & Human Services (ELHS)
Education (ED)
Education Appropriations & Oversight (APPE)
Environment (ENVI)
General Government Appropriations & Oversight (APPG)
Health & Human Services Appropriations & Oversight (APPH)
Health Care & Wellness (HCW)
Higher Education (HE)
Judiciary (JUDI)
Labor & Workforce Development (LWD)
Local Government (LG)
Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness (PSEP)
Rules (RUL)
State Government & Tribal Affairs (SGTA)
Technology, Energy & Communications (TEC)
Transportation (TR)
Ways & Means (WAYS)

2011-12 House Standing Committees/Issue Areas

Please note: This is a general description of issue areas considered by committees; not a definitive or exhaustive listing. It is provided solely to assist members in requesting committee assignments.

Agriculture & Natural Resources

The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee considers issues relating to agricultural production, marketing, and sales; animal and plant disease control; fisheries and wildlife; forest practices and forest fire protection; water; and mining. The committee also considers the management of certain state-owned lands.

Business & Financial Services

The House Business & Financial Services Committee considers the licensing and regulation of businesses and professions (except for health care professions). The committee also considers issues relating to insurance, including the activities of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner and the Pollution Liability Insurance Agency, the solvency of insurance companies, and the rates and practices of insurance companies. Financial services issues include the safety and soundness of state banks and credit unions, the regulation of consumer credit and lending, and the regulation of securities and investments. The committee also considers consumer protection issues relating to motor vehicles, financial services, and insurance.

Capital Budget

The House Capital Budget Committee considers the state capital budget which approves money for the construction and repair of public buildings and for other long-term investments, such as land acquisitions and transfers. In addition, the committee considers state money that is either given or lent to local governments or nonprofit organizations for infrastructure, housing, and cultural and heritage facilities. The committee also considers legislation that authorizes state debt and legislation that affects state buildings and land.

Community Development and Housing

The House Community Development and Housing Committee considers issues relating to the economic and social vitality of communities, including the establishment and operation of special districts that provide community services, community development funding, strategies to build self-sufficiency for low income communities, small business, business assistance and financing, tourism, and trade. Housing issues considered by the committee include the accessibility and affordability of housing, state assistance to low-income housing, housing authorities and the Housing Finance Commission.

Early Learning & Human Services

The House Early Learning and Human Services Committee considers issues relating to early learning from birth to kindergarten, as well as a broad array of issues affecting children and families, including parent education, foster care, dependency, child protective services, child welfare services, children's mental health and family reconciliation services. The committee also considers family support programs, including TANF and Disability Lifeline, issues relating to persons with developmental disabilities, adults in need of drug and alcohol treatment, vocational rehabilitation, and at risk-youth, youth violence prevention and juvenile offenders.

Education

The House Education Committee considers kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) educational policy and finance issues.

Education Appropriations & Oversight

The House Education Appropriations & Oversight Committee considers issues relating to funding and oversight of early learning, K-12, and higher education programs and agencies and makes funding recommendations to the Ways and Means Committee. In addition, the committee considers bills relating to early learning, K-12 and higher education with limited fiscal impact.

Environment

The House Environment Committee considers issues relating to climate change, renewable energy standards, recycling and solid waste, hazardous waste, toxics, air quality, aquatic lands, oil spill prevention, the State Environmental Policy Act, and parks and recreation. The committee also oversees the Puget Sound Partnership's activities in Puget Sound and Hood Canal.

General Government Appropriations & Oversight

The House General Government Appropriations & Oversight Committee considers issues relating to funding and oversight of general government, natural resources and corrections programs and agencies and makes funding recommendations to the Ways and Means Committee. In addition, the committee considers bills relating to general government, natural resources and corrections with limited fiscal impact.

Health & Human Services Appropriations & Oversight

The House Health and Human Services Appropriations & Oversight Committee considers issues relating to funding and oversight of health and human services programs and agencies and makes funding recommendations to the Ways and Means Committee. In addition, the committee considers bills relating to health and human services with limited fiscal impact.

Health Care & Wellness

The House Health Care and Wellness Committee considers a broad range of issues relating to the provision of physical and mental health care services, long-term care, and strategies to promote better health. Health care service issues include the licensing and regulation of health care facilities and the credentialing of health care providers. The committee also regulates pharmacies and pharmaceutical drugs, and has oversight and regulatory responsibility for state and local public health programs. The committee also considers issues relating to the accessibility and affordability of health care in both the private health insurance market and public health programs such as Medicaid and the basic health plan.

Higher Education

The House Higher Education Committee considers issues relating to the state's public and independent baccalaureate colleges and universities, public community and technical colleges, and private career schools. Issues include governance and coordination of higher education, financial aid, tuition, distance learning, and the licensing of private colleges and career schools.

Judiciary

The House Judiciary Committee considers a wide variety of subjects relating to civil and criminal law, including issues involving commercial law, torts, probate, guardianships, civil commitment, drunk driving, courts and judicial administration, landlord/tenant law, and Consumer Protection Act remedies and processes; and family law issues such as marriage, marriage dissolution, child support and adoption.

Labor & Workforce Development

The House Labor and Workforce Development Committee considers issues relating to industrial insurance, unemployment compensation, collective bargaining, family leave, safety and health standards, and employment standards, such as wage laws and employment discrimination. The committee also considers issues relating to the building and construction trades, and workforce development issues, including apprenticeships, job skills and working retraining, and implementation of the Workforce Investment Act.

Local Government

The House Local Government Committee considers issues relating to the operations and financing of counties, cities, and some special districts. The committee also considers issues relating to the Growth Management Act and related land use issues, such as local permitting and the subdivision of property.

Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness

The House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee considers issues relating to law enforcement agencies, crime prevention, criminal penalties and sentencing, registration and civil commitment of sex offenders, adult correctional programs and institutions, mentally ill offenders, and state and local government preparedness to respond to public emergencies, including the interoperability of emergency communications systems.

Rules

The House Rules Committee considers all bills reported from policy and fiscal committees and determines whether, and in what order, to schedule their consideration on the floor of the House. The Rules Committee also reviews, adopts and schedules consideration of floor resolutions.

State Government & Tribal Affairs

The House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee considers issues relating to the processes of government, including state agency rule-making, state government reorganization, elections and campaign finance, public disclosure, ethics in government, procurement standards, and public employment. The committee also oversees various state agencies and officials, and considers the regulation and oversight of liquor, tobacco and gambling, and issues relating to veterans and the government-to-government relationship of the state and Indian tribes.

Technology, Energy & Communications

The House Technology, Energy & Communications Committee considers deployment, regulation, and access to technology and electronic communications; energy availability, production, and conservation; and related infrastructure issues.

Transportation

The House Transportation Committee considers the transportation budget, revenue sources for transportation funding, and issues relating to transportation policy and transportation agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the Washington State Patrol.

Ways & Means

The House Ways and Means Committee considers the operating budget bill, global fiscal issues such as pension policy and compensation, and bills with larger fiscal impacts. The committee also coordinates the work of the Education Appropriations & Oversight, General Government Appropriations & Oversight, and Health and Human Services Appropriations & Oversight Committees in developing the operating budget. The committee also considers issues relating to state and local revenues, such as increases or decreases in taxes, exemptions from taxes, and changes in the administration of taxes. (Note: Issues involving revenue for transportation purposes, such as gasoline taxes, are usually considered by the House Transportation Committee.)

Stand Up for Grocery Store Workers

2010-11-12T21:27:00.001-08:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ivan Weiss <ivan.weiss@centurytel.net>
Date: Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 8:08 PM
Subject: FW: Stand Up for Grocery Store Workers
To: King County Democrats

Time for Democrats to stand up and be counted, and to support our UFCW brothers and sisters. A note for the 34th -- Thriftways -- and, I think, Saar's Marketplace are not included. Metropolitan Market, Morgan St. Thriftway, and Vashon Thriftway are under "me too" contracts. In case of a strike or lockout, they would not be picketed and their UFCW members would continue to work under the present contract. Once UFCW and the "Big 4" agreed to a new contract, Thriftway and Saar's UFCW employees would be bound by it.

Every local Democratic Party organization should get this call out to its members and mobilize for support. We should all adopt stores as Steve asks us to do below. We did this successfully in 2004 and we can do it again. We also should begin passing the hat for contributions to the Puget Sound Labor Agency www.pslaonline.org, which raises money to support striking and locked-out union members.

Let's roll. Thanks.

Ivan Weiss King County Committeeman, 34th District Democrats

PO Box 860 http://www.34dems.org

Vashon WA 98070 206-463-4647

"When they're working, we're working

When they're sleeping, we're working."

From: Steve Williamson [mailto:Steve_Williamson@mail.vresp.com]
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2010 7:51 PM
To: ivan.weiss@centurytel.net
Subject: Stand Up for Grocery Store Workers

Stand Up for Puget Sound Grocery Store Workers

Grocery store workers at the big chains have been in negotiations for a new contract since March. After nine months, the employers are still proposing cuts to pay, cuts to health benefits, and cuts to the pension. There are three unions bargaining together – UFCW 21, UFCW 81 and Teamsters 38.

Earlier this week, grocery store workers from across King, Snohomish and Kitsap Counties attended standing-room only meetings to vote on the employer proposals. After the final meeting on Wednesday night, the ballots were counted and 94% of grocery store workers from Safeway, QFC, Fred Meyer, and Albertsons had voted to reject the employers' proposal and authorize a strike. The vote sends a strong message to the employers that grocery store workers want a fair contract and that the current proposal by the employers is extreme.

Today (November 12th) both the union and the employers were able to agree to set bargaining dates for next Thursday and Friday, the 18th and 19th of November — the week before Thanksgiving.

What your members can do

As a labor and community ally, we thought you may want to know about three actions that you can ask all your members to do today and over the coming weeks to show support for grocery store workers:

Talk to your local checkers, meat cutters, produce workers, and deli clerks at Safeway, QFC, Fred Meyer and Albertsons and let them know that you stand with them and support their fight for a fair contract.
When you do your shopping, ask to speak to the manager or person in charge. Let them know you will not be shopping at the store if the companies force the workers out on strike because they will not make a fair contract offer.
Click here to watch our Stand UP video, then post it on your Facebook page and share it with your friends and family.

What your organization can do

Pass along this email to your membership list.
Adopt the local QFC, Safeway, Fred Meyer, or Albertsons store where you would join actions for a fair contract in the next week and would offer support in case of a strike or lockout. Please fill out this form if you or your organization is willing to adopt a store.

Click to view this email in a browser

UFCW 21
5030 First Ave S #200
Seattle, Washington 98134

Update on the Shoreline Master Program

2010-11-10T16:12:00.001-08:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov>
Date: Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 3:50 PM
Subject: SMP update
To: chadlupkes@gmail.com

Thank you for contacting me regarding King County's Shoreline Master Program (SMP). I appreciate your feedback and am writing with an update.

Two weeks ago, I proposed a striking amendment to the SMP that included a "natural" designation for the property in question on Maury Island. I was prepared to vote for that amendment on Monday in order to meet the state's December 1 deadline for SMP adoption. A majority of my colleagues chose to delay that vote by sending the legislation back to committee.

This afternoon, however, I had the great pleasure of joining Executive Constantine at a press conference to announce the proposed purchase of the 235-acre site on Maury Island's eastern shore, owned by CalPortland. This is exciting news, as it will allow us to preserve this critical shoreline area.

Again, thank you for your input on this issue. Please feel free to contact me in the future at (206) 296-1001 or bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov.

Bob

Bob Ferguson
King County Councilmember
Metropolitan King County Council, District 1
516 3rd Avenue, Room 1200
Seattle, WA 98104
ph: (206) 296-1001 | fx: (206) 296-0198
For more information: http://www.kingcounty.gov/ferguson
Visit our website to view the latest District 1 eNews

--
Chad Lupkes - http://chadlupkes.blogspot.com
Chair, 46th District Democrats - http://46dems.com
1st Vice Chair, King County Democrats - http://kcdems.org
Webmaster, Washington State Democratic Chairs Organization - http://wa-demchairs.org

King County Democrats Newsletter, November 2010 Week 1

2010-11-07T19:31:00.000-08:00

You can read the current edition of "The King County Democrat" here,

http://wa-demchairs.org/kcdems/newsletter/nov2010.1.pdf

Thank you to everyone who supported the Democratic campaigns - King County is showing its strength in numbers once again and you all should be very proud of your efforts. And, thank you to all candidates for representing our values and for running great campaigns.

You may want to visit the Secretary of State's election results

http://vote.wa.gov/Elections/WEI/?ElectionID=37

to see when Charlie Wiggins takes the lead in the Supreme Court Justice race - GO CHARLIE!!

And, Luis - we love ya! Luis is now 638 votes ahead in LD 1, Position 2.

Thanks to all,
Susan Sheary
KCDCC Chair
425.255.2679

Four Questions and Four Answers

2010-10-30T22:07:00.001-07:00

Questions:

What was the average monthly private sector job growth in 2008, the final year of the Bush presidency, and what has it been so far in 2010?

What was the Federal deficit for the last fiscal year of the Bush presidency, and what was it for the first full fiscal year of the Obama presidency?

What was the stock market at on the last day of the Bush presidency? What is it at today?

Which party's candidate for speaker will campaign this weekend with a Nazi reenactor who dressed up in a SS uniform?

Answers:

In 2008, we lost an average of 317,250 private sector jobs per month. In 2010, we have gained an average of 95,888 private sector jobs per month. (Source) That's a difference of nearly five million jobs between Bush's last year in office and President Obama's second year.

In FY2009, which began on September 1, 2008 and represents the Bush Administration's final budget, the budget deficit was $1.416 trillion. In FY2010, the first budget of the Obama Administration, the budget deficit was $1.291 trillion, a decline of $125 billion. (Source) Yes, that means President Obama has cut the deficit -- there's a long way to go, but we're in better shape now than we were under Bush and the GOP.

On Bush's final day in office, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 closed at 7,949, 1,440, and 805, respectively. Today, as of 10:15AM Pacific, they are at 11,108, 2,512, and 1,183. That means since President Obama took office, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 have increased 40%, 74%, and 47%, respectively.

The Republican Party, whose candidate for speaker, John Boehner, will campaign with Nazi re-enactor Rich Iott this weekend. If you need an explanation why this is offensive, you are a lost cause.

The moral of the story is this: if you vote Republican, I hope you enjoy Election Day -- because you're not going to like what comes next.

Thanks to Jay Brand for passing this out.

Ballots on the way… WE need you for GOTV!

2010-10-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <meagan@healthyschoolsforwa.org>
Date: Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 2:51 PM
Subject: Ballots on the way… WE need you for GOTV!
To: meagan@healthyschoolsforwa.org

Dear R-52 supporter,

Believe it or not, ballots will be hitting our mailboxes any day now. We're just over 2 weeks out from Election Day and there is still much more work left to do. That's why we're ramping up our efforts to contact voters about Referendum 52 - but we need your help!

We'll be partnering with the Protect Washington campaign to run canvasses to turn out supportive voters in Seattle. Can you attend one of the following events?

Saturday, October 23rd - 10am at Jefferson Community Center

Saturday, October 30th - 11am at Phinney Community Center. . .Join Bill Gates, Sr!

Email canvass.rsvp@gmail.com for more information or to sign up.

Canvassing's not your bag? You can still help us reach our base voters by flyering at one of the upcoming events:

Monday, October 18th, Rally with Bill Clinton at Paine Field (Everett) at 2pm

Thursday, October 21st, Rally with President Obama at Hec Ed Pavillion (UW) at noon

Saturday, October 30th, Rally to Restore Sanity at Westlake Center at 9am

Please email Meagan@healthyschoolsforwa.org if you are able to attend and help spread the word about Referendum 52.

Thank you!

Meagan Dixon

Deputy Manager, Approve R-52

(425) 273-6976

Our kids can't wait for healthy schools! Support R-52 at www.healthyschoolsforwa.org, donations needed for voter contact effort!!

What Making A Difference Looks Like...

2010-10-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Senator Eric Oemig <senator@oemig.com>
Date: Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 4:21 PM
Subject: What Making A Difference Looks Like...
To: Chad Lupkes <chadlupkes@gmail.com>

Dear Chad,

I spent Saturday walking Duvall in the rain to meet with neighbors.

A lot of folks asked why I am running again. Why endure the attacks. the long hours. time away from family. and campaigning in the rain?

The answer is simple. Because we made a difference. Some good bills died. But when we won, when we made a difference, that's the reward.

Four years ago I ran to fundamentally change "the system". We can keep fighting one-by-one on issue-by-issue, but to get really big and lasting change, we must rewrite the rules of the game. Unlimited corporate campaign finance and media consolidation have stacked the deck. Big corporations practically write their own regulations. That is why I work so hard on campaign finance reform.

Ironically, (but not surprisingly) now I am under a well-funded and coordinated attack by big corporations. I need your help.

I put together a short list of some important things we have done together. On top everything I do in Olympia, here are some things that would absolutely, positively not have happened if you hadn't gotten me there in the first place.

In my first year, we changed the constitution to allow simple majorities to fund our schools. There was not a single vote to spare. Education advocates spent 2 decades trying to get the Senate to pass that bill. Because of your help, I was there to cast the 33^rd vote to make that happen. And because of it, we've put hundreds of millions of new dollars into public schools.

In my second year I created www.fiscal.wa.gov. Staff joked that I left Microsoft to come to Olympia to design software. But I believe we need many budget hawks scouring the budget to make us better. This web site puts budget and performance data on the web so it is easy to use.

In my third year, I helped pass the most comprehensive education reform in over 30 years. I worked under threats, but I brought people together and forged just enough votes to pass it. We redefined school funding, set up new accountability, and created a blue print for ambitious improvements over the next 8 years.

And this year, in the worst recession in over 80 years, I protected funding for public schools. I created local financing tools that put over 150 million dollars back into local school districts to protect classes and class sizes.

Here are a couple more:

Changed the constitution to create a "rainy day fund"
Limited campaign contributions for local races and allowed community financing.
Increased school funding and created the "Education data & research center".
Helped small businesses and local businesses compete and create local jobs.
Helped poor kids get access to healthcare and fed them at school.
Limited toxic chemicals used in toys and baby bottles.

And that's the short list.

To keep fighting for all the things we care about, I need your help. Please send an email to your neighbors and friends. Tell them in your own words why you support me. Or forward this email.

So why are out-of-state companies spending so much money to attack me? Because I fight every day to protect our local businesses, our families, and our local communities.

I am trying to close some terrible loopholes that create pathological incentives.

One loophole gives corporations a volume discount for generating huge amounts of hazardous waste. Besides being utterly stupid, that loophole hurts small businesses. I want to close it.

Another loophole gives out-of-state banks a hundred million dollar tax give-away. That lost revenue does not create a single local job. I want to close it.

Another loophole lets insurance companies deny coverage for autistic kids. The burden on parents is ripping families apart and taxing our safety net. I want to close it.

Another utterly stupid loophole gives a foreign-owned company a tax break for burning dirty coal. If they used a cleaner fuel, they would pay tax. I want to close it.

It is no wonder banks, oil and insurance companies are funding attacks. Corporations want me out of Olympia.

You can help. Forward this note to your friends and neighbors, contribute online, or ask for a yard sign.

I'm ready to keep up the fight, but I can't do it without you.

Thank you,

Eric

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tonight at 7:00 PM
PTSA Candidate Forum
Wilder Elementary School
22130 NE 133rd St
Woodinville, WA 98077

Monday at 6:00 PM
Fundraiser with Enviro Leaders
Montlake Ale House
2307 24th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98112

Volunteer! Email Winston at winston@sdcc.us

The Times endorses Suzan DelBene in the 8th Congressional District

2010-10-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Scott Whiteaker <scott@delbeneforcongress.com>
Date: Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 4:34 PM
Subject: The Times endorses Suzan DelBene in the 8th Congressional District
To: Scott Whiteaker <scott@delbeneforcongress.com>

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorials/2013142434_edit13district08.html

The Times endorses Suzan DelBene in the 8th Congressional District

WHEN Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn retired in 2004 from the 8th District that spans eastern King and Pierce counties, the Republican Party looked far and wide for a candidate to fill her capable shoes.

King County Sheriff Dave Reichert was chosen and elected on a wave of popular appeal for a law-enforcement officer whose dogged decades-long work led to the capture of the Green River killer. Now a three-term congressman, Reichert has failed to ably fill the Dunn legacy.

The Seattle Times endorses Democrat Suzan DelBene. The technology entrepreneur from Medina is politically untested but offers tremendous promise.

A deep and continuing financial crisis calls out for someone with sharp business and entrepreneurial skills and an acute understanding of what went wrong in the first place. DelBene is an unambiguous supporter of the tough financial reforms recently enacted by Congress. Reichert would work to repeal parts of the reform legislation. A repeal would signal a return to diminished federal oversight and watered-down consumer protections.

The two candidates also disagree about the newly created consumer finance protection agency. DelBene supports it. Reichert does not.

DelBene is not a guaranteed Democratic vote. She would have gone further to reform Wall Street, including reviving the Glass-Steagall Act – the Depression-era legislation that once kept commercial lending separate from investment activities. DelBene seems to grasp the urgency to simplify and reinvigorate government oversight.

Her push for political leadership that hews toward smaller, shorter bills is compelling after a year focused largely on legislation thousands of pages long – health-care reform, for example.

By contrast, Reichert supports repealing health-care reform, an effort that would further distract Congress from guiding a still-fragile recovery.

DelBene is unequivocal about the need to disengage America from two protracted and expensive wars. Long-term stability in Afghanistan, DelBene says, is best led by the Afghans.

The Democrat supports significant investment in transportation infrastructure as a way to speed up the movement of cargo and help this region's bottom line on trade.

DelBene supports net neutrality and the role of the Federal Communications Commission in regulating the Internet. Unfettered access to the Internet resonates in the tech-oriented 8th District. Reichert has gone back and forth on the issue, supporting net neutrality in his 2006 re-election campaign, but more recently signing a letter urging the chair of the FCC not to proceed with plans to protect net neutrality.

Jennifer Dunn represented the 8th District with a balanced, pragmatic and district-focused style. Reichert knows his district well as the former King County Sheriff. On issues such as federal funding of stem-cell research, he has hesitatingly – but in the end correctly – parted with the GOP and voted in favor of science-based efforts to cure many illnesses.

But Reichert's leadership after six years has failed to invoke the same shrewd, bipartisan tone demonstrated by Dunn. Time to give DelBene, a smart moderate, a chance.

________________

Scott Whiteaker

Communications Director

Delbene for Congress

twitter.com/ScottWhiteaker

206-303-9716

Please sign the voting pledge!!!

2010-09-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Imagine…it’s election night 2010. The first round of ballots has been counted. Initiative 1098, a major tax policy reform in support of schools and health care, leads by a handful of votes. Both I-1098 and Ref. 52, which creates jobs by renovating schools for energy efficiency, will head to an automatic recount.

Washington’s future – our ability to educate our children and care for our seniors – hangs in the balance!

There are only 43 days until election day, and only 25 days until voters receive their ballots in the mail. The scenario we are imagining could very well happen – that’s why we’re asking you to sign our pledge to vote today!

We have an historic opportunity to help build a world-class education system and invest in health care for kids and seniors. I-1098 cuts taxes for small business and property- owners while establishing a limited income tax on the wealthiest 1% of households. Both I-1098 and R52 are supported by the King County Democrats as well as local teachers, nurses, firefighters, and people who care about our communities.

The rest of the initiatives are sponsored by lobbyists and special interests. In fact, BP Oil, Conoco Oil and Tesoro Oil are all behind I-1053 because it would let them keep their tax breaks. The BIAW is pushing I-1082 to benefit big insurance companies like AIG. Wal-Mart is behind the risky liquor initiatives, and Big Soda Lobbyist the American Beverage Association has pumped in over $14 million to run a deceptive campaign behind I-1107.

In order to sweep all the ballot initiative races, we need 1.2 million voters on our side by November 2nd.

The only way we can do that is to identify as many supporters as possible, get them the information they need, and get their commitment to vote.

We need your help.

Please, sign our pledge to vote today and ask 10 of your friends to sign the pledge as well.

Please, read over the attached Fact Sheet, and let us know what you need to make an informed decision on all the ballot initiatives.

Do it for Washington’s future, for our kids and our seniors, for the education and healthcare systems that we know we need.

Thank you.

Evening with Aaron Brown

2010-09-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

A Fundraiser for the Municipal League of King County

Where:
Western Bridge (at the foot of the West Seattle Bridge in SoDo, south of downtown Seattle)
3412 4th Avenue South
Seattle, WA

When:
Sunday, October 3, 2010 from 5-8 PM

He was a Northwest staple for many years before he made it to the "big leagues" and became a network anchor, covering everything from 9/11 to the frontlines. Now he is back to meet you, talk about where he has been and what he has seen, enjoy Western Bridge's gallery, and talk about why the Municipal League of King County deserves your support. Come and meet Aaron Brown, sample Northwest wines, enjoy appetizers, meet our new Executive Director, and support your Muni League.

Tickets are based on a suggested donation of $150 at the door, or you can get your ticket now by clicking here. They are going fast, so rsvp today!

We are happy to introduce Lauri Hennessey, our new Executive Director. Lauri brings 20 years of experience working with the media, government, fundraising and events, and elected officials. Please join us in welcoming her and come and say hello!

CLICK HERE TO Register Now!

This event is generously brought to you by Alaska Airlines, the Seattle Pan Pacific Hotel, Perkins Coie, and Western Bridge.

Moving America Forward

2010-08-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

NEW DNC INITIATIVE ARMS THOUSANDS OF ACTIVISTS WITH RESOURCES FOR UPCOMING ELECTIONS

SEE IT HERE: http://my.democrats.org/MAF

Following the momentum generated for Democrats as a result of the outcome of Tuesday’s primaries, the Democratic National Committee today launched its latest initiative to motivate and mobilize thousands of activists and to provide them with the resources they need to tell voters what is at stake in this Fall’s elections. In addition to the site above, these materials will be sent via email, posted on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook and will be printed out and given to activists at events across the country.

Voters have made it perfectly clear that they want to move the country forward and not back to the Bush-era Republican policies of the past that put our nation in the mess it finds itself today. With less than three months to go until the midterm elections, these resources – downloadable talking points and pockets cards framing the election - will inform voters and activists about the choice in this election and what is at stake – moving America forward as Democrats and President Obama have done or taking us backward.

The site also features a video of the President making the most forceful contrasts he has made with Republicans to date, laying out clearly for Americans what is at stake and motivating our supporters to get in gear and to get to work to elect and re-elect his allies.

An invitation to our Veterans

2010-08-09T14:44:00.001-07:00

My name is Jared Axelrod, and I am a Field Organizer for Senator Patty Murray's campaign. On behalf of Patty Murray, I wanted to invite you to a Veterans for Murray Reception with Patty on Friday, August 13 at 1:30PM at the Renton VFW Post 1263, located at 416 Burnett Avenue South, Renton, WA 98057. This will be a great opportunity to meet Patty, and hear from her on issues affecting the veterans and military family community.

As the daughter of a disabled World War II veteran, Patty Murray has worked tirelessly to fulfill the commitments made to our men and women in uniform. She’s fought to ensure they have access to the health care, education, and housing assistance they deserve. She’s pushed to keep our state’s VA hospitals open, build new clinics, increase access to housing for homeless veterans, made the needs of women veterans a priority and helped pass a new GI Bill.

Keeping our promises to our veterans is a core American value and one that Patty Murray upholds every day.

If you are interested in attending, you can RSVP to me, either via email or by calling 425-941-8536. An invitation is attached, so please feel free to send to others who may be interested.

We hope to see you on Friday.

Thank you,

Jared

---
Jared Axelrod
Field Organizer
People for Patty Murray
O: 425-462-5288
C: 425-941-8536
jared@pattymurray.com

Put BP on the hook!

2010-06-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Susan,

Through risk-taking and negligence, BP has created an environmental and economic catastrophe in the Gulf Coast in the form of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

And by the time all is said and done, the pure economic cost of the disaster will likely be many billion dollars.

That's why I proudly signed on to a letter with 54 of my Democratic Senate colleagues Monday, calling on BP CEO Tony Hayward to establish a special $20 billion account -- to be administered by an independent trustee -- for cleanup and economic recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

Today, I'm asking you to join us.

Please add your name as a citizen co-signer of our letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward: Urge BP to fund a $20 billion special account for Gulf cleanup and recovery efforts!

Let me be clear: This $20 billion fund would not limit BP's liability. Instead, it would be just the first down payment on the total cleanup and recovery costs from the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

As we learned in the wake of the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, companies often say all the right things at the time -- only to walk away and leave taxpayers holding the bag for years.

I'm not going to let that happen here.

By establishing this $20 billion special account now, managed by an independent trustee, we can make sure that BP won't be able to delay payments or attempt to avoid responsibility for the damage it's caused -- not now, not five years from now, not ever.

Please add your name as a citizen co-signer of our letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward: Urge BP to fund a $20 billion special account for Gulf cleanup and recovery efforts!

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has quickly become one of the greatest environmental disasters in history -- and I want to be sure that nothing like it happens again.

That's why I've joined my Senate colleagues from Washington, Oregon, and California in calling for a permanent ban on oil drilling off the West Coast. It's also why I'm pushing to eliminate the $75 million cap on oil company liabilities, so we remove incentives for excessive risk-taking and make sure BP pays for what it has done.

As for the Gulf of Mexico, we must ensure that BP takes full responsibility for the corners they cut and the damages they've caused. And having earned more than $6 billion in profits last quarter alone, not only can BP afford to do it, the rest of us can't afford it if they don't.

Please join our call today -- and urge BP to fund this initial $20 billion special account for Gulf cleanup and recovery.

Thank you,

Patty Murray
U.S. Senator

Partners in Preservation campaign result

2010-05-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Town Hall Seattle"
To: suzie2004@comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2010 2:37:27 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: Want To Guess How It Ends?

Dear friends,
As you might have seen last night, the Schooner Adventuress edged out Town Hall, 20%-19% in the Partners in Preservation campaign.

Well, the bigs over at Partners in Preservation slept on it, and “in recognition of the extreme closeness of the competition and the extraordinary efforts of both organizations to rally support,” decided that “Town Hall Seattle will also receive their full grant request of $125,000.” This is unprecedented in the five years of PIP programs across the country (Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, New Orleans)…

In announcing the decision, PIP said that “Town Hall Seattle staged a comeback resulting in several swings of the tally on the final day of voting.”

That was yesterday, and that was you, along with thousands of other Town Hall members and friends. Your vote, and your unflagging advocacy to others, truly made this possible. It was that close.

We’ll be back in touch regarding our project itself—if all goes according to plan you’ll see scaffolding around the building this summer.

In the meantime, our sincere congratulations to the Schooner Adventuress for a great campaign, and to the other 23 truly wonderful sites awaiting word on their levels of funding. These places are integral to our sense of collective memory that is the foundation of a healthy community. Western Washington is a richer place for these treasures, and for the people who ensure their continued life. (And I am personally grateful to PIP for giving me at least 10 things to check out this summer—from Johnson Farm on Anderson Island to the Bowman Bay Kitchen Shelter!)

But really, congratulations to you. Your ideas, energy, and commitment are the font of all good things at Town Hall. Not just in this crazy campaign, but all year long.

Wier Harman
Executive Director
Town Hall Seattle

Share your priorities with Congressman Jay Inslee!

2010-04-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful for your support.

Over the past few weeks, we've accomplished some things no one thought we could. We made some major strides on important issues -- and I wanted to take a moment to recognize how much I've valued your insight, your feedback and critiques, and your tremendous support throughout the process.

Big issues like health care reform touch us all deeply and stimulate strong, passionate debate. I've heard from many of you about your feelings on this -- from anger to excitement, frustration to hope. What I think distinguishes us in Washington State is the way that -- no matter how our opinions may differ -- we can remain civil and constructive, always building bridges, seeking positive ways to make our community stronger, and listening with respect to each other.

I know good listeners make stronger leaders -- so I want to know what you think.

With the first health care fight behind us, I want to hear what you think is the most important issue to confront next.

I am ready to dig in on Wall Street reform, push clean energy to the forefront, and make sure we pass other measures to grow the economy and create more new jobs.

What do you think should be at the top of our priority list? Let me know -- click here and tell me which issue you think is most important.

Thanks again for your support and for taking the time to give me your feedback -- together we can continue to accomplish great things.

Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee
Member of Congress

King County Democrats LAC Meeting this Sunday with Special Guests!

2010-04-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

Please come this Sunday, April 18, 2010 from 2 PM to 4 PM for a special post-Legislative session briefing with special guests Representative Ross Hunter, Representative Larry Springer, and Senator Eric Oemig!

Redmond Public Library

15990 NE 85th St
Redmond, WA

Click here for directions.

This is a great opportunity to be updated on the just completed Legislative session in Olympia and what we can look forward to next year regarding new and unfinished legislation. In addition we expect a lively discussion of what we can expect to look forward to next year regarding the budget and its impact on services and revenue sources.

This event is open to the public.

Say yes to a permanent beer tax increase

2010-04-08T12:19:00.001-07:00

A message to Democratic budget leadership: Say yes to a permanent beer tax increase

I was once a lobbyist for chemical dependency treatment programs. The first day I was in Olympia, one of the lobbyists for the big brewers shoved his card in my hand and made every effort to intimidate me. I can only guess how the combined pressure feels to you.

Nevertheless, I would ask you to consider the beer tax on its merits, which are many. I am in favor of raising the beer tax because its value has decreased 25% in Wa State since it was last increased in 1997. While it is true that some beer will be brought from Oregon to WA, the data I found showed 86% as many sales from WA going into Canada, so that point was pretty much canceled out.

There is strong public support for a beer tax if it is spent on prevention and treatment. This should be taken into account, especially since the final budget cut drug treatment across the board by 3% (if this is still true). Requiring people on GAU disability to go to treatment will require more treatment slots, and outpatient slots won't do much good if these people are jobless and homeless. They need inpatient treatment for 60 to 90 days. By extension, dedicating some of the tax to GAU disability medical coupons would make a good nexus.

Increasing the cost of beer will cause a decrease in teenage drinking, since beer is the favorite beverage of underage drinkers and they are more affected by cost increases than the general public is. Increasing the cost of beer has the documented effect of lowering rapes, STDs and teen pregnancies, by about 2%. Over 90% of domestic violence cases involve drunken behavior, according to police. Again, beer is most often involved and raising the price will marginally decrease this behavior. Beer is the beverage of choice of most alcoholics, so, while increasing the price will not stop their drinking, it will cause them to drink marginally less, causing less physical harm to themselves.

The federal beer tax has been increased only once since 1951. It would have to increase about 350% to reflect the cost of inflation since then. Beer is effectively much cheaper than it was in the '50s. It is also making us fatter.

There is no relation between the amount of beer tax and the amount of beer drinking. Wisconsin has among the highest rates of beer consumption and the lowest beer tax. The amount of beer consumption is mainly cultural. Tourist towns such as NYC and New Orleans have among the lowest rates.

Many of these facts are documented on a site called Beer Soaks America.

http://www.beersoaksamerica.org/about.htm

Please do not make this tax temporary. We have a deficit in the next biennium and a structural deficit thereafter, with obligations to fund pensions and education. We can take this one to the bank and work on closing tax loopholes and other good policy initiatives.

King County Democrats and Washington State Democrats voted in January to oppose regressive taxes and to support revenue increases, particularly non-performing tax exemptions, as opposed to more cuts.

Sarajane Siegfriedt, co-chair
King County Democrats Legislative Action Committee

King County Convention on Saturday, April 10th!

2010-04-07T06:55:00.001-07:00

The King County Democrats invite you to participate in the 2010 King County Democratic Convention. We welcome all Democratic, registered voters in King County:

Saturday April 10, 2010
Registration Opens at 10:00 am
Convention Starts at 10:45 am
IAM Local 751 Seattle Hall
9125 15th Place South - Seattle 98108

The planning team has put together a great agenda where Senator Patty Murray will headline.

Officially released April 6th, the Platform committee has made their proposed document available at,

http://wa-demchairs.org/kcdems/2010/KCD_Platform_041010_draft1.pdf

Five resolutions have been forwarded for DO PASS consideration and are available at,

http://wa-demchairs.org/kcdems/2010/draftresolutions.pdf

You will also be able to view the platform online and in a side room at the hall. Comments will be allowed by using "post-its." The room will open at 9:00 am and be open to all voters until the platform is officially presented on Saturday afternoon.

Food and refreshment, music, door prizes and many elected officials and candidates will address the convention.

Join the King County Democrats in celebration of our candidates and platform work.

See you on Saturday,
Susan Sheary
KCDCC Chair

Special Election on April 27th

2010-03-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

There are three measures on the ballot for April 27th:

. City of Black Diamond - Public Safety Levy
. Skykomish School District No. 404 - Maintenance and Operations Levy
. Proposed Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority

Read about them here,
http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/elections/201004/measures.aspx

Monday March 29th is the deadline for registering to vote in the special election as noted in the attachment.

Attachment:

King County Election News, March 25, 2010

Congressman Jim McDermott on Health Care Reform

2010-03-24T22:30:00.001-07:00

At last: a National Health Care Reform Bill!

For me and many of colleagues, passing a national health care reform bill is the culmination of a long process. In the late 1950s and early 60s, when I was going to medical school in Chicago, Canada’s Tommy Douglas was beginning a national health care plan in the province of Saskatchewan. As I came to the end of my medical training, doctors began to strike in Canada because they didn't want to practice medicine under any system that was not totally free enterprise in nature. But as a new physician at the time, it seemed to me that the benefits of extending health coverage to everyone in Canada far outweighed the benefits a free enterprise system. Between 1963 and 1970, while I got my training in adult and child psychiatry and served two years in the United States Navy, I had the opportunity to observe the American healthcare “nonsystem” firsthand. Every day, I watched as people fell through the cracks. When I entered politics in the Washington state legislature, I knew that it was my obligation to do all that I could to bring about a national system that would provide coverage for everyone. And during my campaign for governor in 1972, I made my first speech declaring my support for a single-payer system similar to Canada. Each year that I served in the state legislature, I faced the institutional resistance to the creation of a more orderly system. Yet people complained they couldn't get care. Hospitals complained about uncompensated care. People complained about cost shifting of the expenses of the uninsured onto the policies paid for by the insured.

In the early 1980s, I began trying to establish an uncompensated care fund that would be paid into by all hospitals and the receipts would be given to those hospitals that took care of those in the community who had no health insurance. But hospitals resisted. I did a study to find out how many people in the state of Washington either were not covered by a government program or didn't have insurance through their employment. Unsurprisingly, we found that it was a huge number. So In 1983, I began the process of trying to do in Washington State what Tommy Douglas had done a few hundred miles away in the province of Saskatchewan.

As I tried to get universal coverage in the state of Washington, I ran into numerous obstacles. The medical establishment was more interested in capital investments than they were in ensuring that medical coverage was available to everyone in Washington. Large businesses were reluctant to accept any responsibility beyond what they were already doing for their employees. Any mandate was out of the question because under a technical loophole, big employers are exempt from many regulations that deal with insurance. So instead, I ended up authoring the Washington State Basic Health Plan, which is a subsidized health insurance program to help lower-income families afford coverage. But I wasn’t able to get universal coverage.

This experience taught me that it was going to be incredibly difficult to create a health care plan in one state that could be replicated across the country as had been done in Canada. I wrote the plan originally when the governor of the state of Washington was a Republican, so it didn’t get anywhere until Democrat Booth Gardner was elected governor of Washington in 1984. The process was so frustrating and the final legislation so modest that I decided I'd go back to medicine. I went to work for the State Department in Africa where I saw the beginnings of the AIDS epidemic in 1987.

One day my brother called me when I was in Africa and told me there was a seat open in Congress. He suggested that I return to the U.S. to run for the seat and work on getting universal health care. The dream was not dead, it has just been dormant. So I returned, ran for Congress and was elected in 1988. I made the decision to get on the Ways and Means Committee because I thought that was where I could be most effective in getting a national plan established. I was appointed to the committee in 1991 and began working with 95 other members who were dedicated to a single player plan. In 1993 President and Mrs. Clinton came to Washington to enact a national health plan, but we were unsuccessful.

The years between 1994 and 2006 were a painful period as we watched Republicans try to dismantle the only national health care program we have, Medicare. We breathed a great sigh of relief at the 2008 election of President Barack Obama who stated that he wanted to enact a national health plan. The President was determined not to repeat the errors of the Clinton administration, and the process of writing the bill has been a long and tortuous. Over the course of many months, we’ve watched this bill wind through three committees in the House and 2 committees in the Senate, which brought us to where we are today.

I still believe that a single-payer model is the most effective to achieve both cost control and universal coverage. But 40 years of experience prevent me from being ideological about the solution to the problems of universal coverage. Rather than establishing a single-payer system, Congress has designed a less desirable model that that would more tightly regulate private insurance companies much in the same way that we do with utility companies. Members of Congress have opted for a model that provides for insurance regulation at the national level, rather than the state level as it is today. It has much in common with the French system which provides universal coverage to the French people at half the cost of what we spend here in the United States. Their system provides a quality of care that is considered the best in the world according to the World Health Organization.

I know that this bill is far from perfect and will require continued efforts to adjust and improve it in the years to come. But today we began. As the Chinese adage says, “every journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.” We have taken that step.

Congressman Jim McDermott

Gut Check

2010-03-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Chad,

By all accounts, the health care vote is coming this weekend or Monday. For my colleagues in Congress, it is gut-check time: Do we crack under the pressure and threats, or do we see this cause for what it is -- something far bigger than any of our individual political futures.

Thirty million Americans' health care is at stake -- this is a no brainer.

We must pass health care -- we must, as I've said in the past, "Finish the Kitchen." Sign my pledge now to make sure my colleagues know there is support for the decision, that wavering will not be tolerated.

Click here to sign now!

The Republican threats of electoral catastrophe if health care reform passes are empty caterwauling -- a cynical, last-ditch attempt to gain political power. As I've said to you before, I believe that NOT passing health care reform threatens our majority far more.

But even if I did believe these ridiculous threats, I would still vote for health care reform -- because I believe it is my job as a public servant to put those 30 million Americans ahead of any political calculus.

Making decisions like this is why I ran for office in the first place. I came to Congress to do as much good as I can for the people in Washington and this country. How could I possibly sit by and let a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a difference in millions of lives pass by because it may put my job at risk?

I can't sit by and miss this chance -- and no other member in Congress should either.

Tell them to join me by signing my "Finish the Kitchen" pledge now.

For years, health care has consistently been at the top of the list of voters' biggest concerns -- we are desperate for a solution, and have been for decades. Senators and members of Congress throughout history waited their whole careers for this kind of opportunity -- to make such a profound difference for so many with one vote -- and yet, we may let it go because we're spooked by make-believe threats and political pundit spin.

Americans need relief, and now voters are demanding action. Now is the time -- we must get this done.

Thank you for your support -- and your work making sure our representatives do what's right, not just what's easy.

Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee
Member of Congress

An Organizing Benefit for 3-Strikes Reform

2010-03-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

MICHELLE ALEXANDER
AUTHOR OF THE NEW JIM CROW
MASS INCARCERATION IN THE AGE OF COLOR BLINDNESS

Professor Alexander served as the Director of the Racial Justice Project for the ACLU of Northern California. She holds joint appointments with the Moritz College of Law and the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University.

Presented by Justice Works! Co-sponsored by ACLU Washington; Black Prisoner’s Caucus; Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites; Concerned Lifers Organization; Friends Committee on Washington Public Policy; Hotel Max Seattle, SEEDArts, a Program of SEED; STEPS: Steps To Ethically Profiling Stability; University Behind Bars, Washington Defender Association

LASTING REFORM REQUIRES SOCIAL CHANGE – NOT JUST NEW LAWS

1 in 30 adult Washingtonians are behind bars or under community supervision. An estimated 1 in 20 children is affected at any one time. This impact falls with severe disparity depending on race. Washington is less than 4% Black. Our prison population is 20% Black. Our 3-Strikes population is 40% Black.

Professor Alexander traces how racial disparity in the criminal justice system nationwide connects with the historical Jim Crow, creating a new form of the old social ill. She presents her vision for grassroots organizing for social change to enable policy changes that put Jim Crow behind us forever.

The evening begins with short presentations by champions of recent positive developments that put Washington at the center of the nation’s criminal justice reform movement:

In Farrakhan v Gregoire, January 2010, Federal court ruled that people in Washington State prisons should vote because the racial disparities in Washington’s criminal justice system cannot be explained in race-neutral ways. A 2009 law change restores the right to vote to approximately 167,000 Washingtonians. There has been a resurgence of the campaign to reform 3-Strikes. Despite positive developments, our criminal justice system remains one of the most racially disproportionate nationwide.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 6:30 - 9 PM
RAINIER VALLEY CULTURAL CENTER
3515 SOUTH ALASKA STREET, SEATTLE
TIX $6: WWW.BROWNPAPERTICKETS.COM OR AT THE DOOR

Please download and share the event flyer!

Support Health Care Reform! from DFA and the Coffee Party

2010-03-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

This is an email coming from the Coffee Party USA:

http://www.coffeepartyusa.com

"For those of you who would like to do one small thing that can make a big difference, here’s your chance: on Friday, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin announced that the Senate will support and pass whatever the House includes in a reconciliation bill -- even if it includes the choice of a public health insurance option.

This gives House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a big opportunity to take the reins back on behalf of the House of Representatives and the majority of Americans who want a non-profit public option to compete with the private for-profit insurance corporations. Getting this done in the House bill will give us huge leverage to pass it in the Senate. Speaker Pelosi needs to know how much of the general public supports this.

Click on the link below if you want to send your support. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions about it."

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/activities/311

Executive Constantine on the King Conservation District election

2010-03-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

Friends,

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is Election Day for the King Conservation District. While largely unknown, the King Conservation District has a big impact, for our environment, our agricultural economy, and many of our rural neighbors. That's why I'm supporting Max Prinsen in tomorrow's election. Max currently works at KCD and is the President of Save Habitat And Diversity of Wetland (SHADOW). He is also on the WRIA 9 (Green/Duwamish salmon recovery) Committee, the Cedar River Council, and is the endorsed candidate of the Sierra Club Cascade Chapter and the King County Conservation Voters.

I encourage you to take some time this evening, find your nearest polling location (click here), and go cast your vote for Max tomorrow. Every property owner in King County pays into the Conservation District, and every voter has a right to help choose its leadership. Please take the time to make sure your voice is heard.

Sincerely,

Dow

Fire the Insurance Man!

2010-03-11T13:36:00.000-08:00

This video comes from:
Rick Aydelotte
PO Box 221
Skykomish WA 98288
Website raconstruct.com
Email rick@raconstruct.com

2010 Proposed KCDCC Platform

2010-03-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

The new proposed platform is available at,

http://wa-demchairs.org/kcdems/documents/KCD_Platform_031110_draft.pdf

We hope this is timely and that you willl use this copy for your caucus - platform work on Sunday March 14, 2010.

The committee earnestly requests that any feedback or resolutions which you wish to be considered be provided to the committee immediately after your caucus concludes, but in no case, later than March 19, 2010. The KCDCC Platform and Resolutions Committee meets on Monday 22, 2010..

Thank you,

Susan Sheary, County Chair
Joel Ware, Platform Chair

From Washington Conservation Voters, elect Max Prinsen!

2010-03-10T12:33:00.001-08:00

In 7 days King County will hold an election that will determine how millions of natural resource dollars are spent, yet many voters have never even heard of it.

On March 16, voters will elect a new member to the King Conservation District, and environmentalists say the choice is clear - elect Max Prinsen.

The King Conservation District (KCD) is a natural resource agency authored by Washington State. KCD programs range from assisting farmers with creating conservation plans to investing in environmental protection and habitat restoration programs.

King County Conservation Voters endorsed Max Prinsen because of his strong background in habitat and water conservation. Prinsen is the President of Save Habitat and Diversity of Wetland (SHADOW), an organization he founded to preserve critical areas in SE King County.

Unlike other King County elections, the KCD election process requires that voters show up in person at polling locations - there is no absentee or mail in ballots. Last year only 2,700 people voted in this election. Your vote always counts, but when only a few thousand people might cast a ballot, your vote for a pro-environmental candidate is critical.

A list of all the polling locations and hours are below. Please take a minute right now to plan where and when you can vote next Tuesday, March 16. See you at the polling booths!

Jesseca Brand
King County Conservation Voters

Polling Locations:

Auburn King County Library
1102 Auburn Way South, Auburn
Poll hours 10:30am – 8:00pm

Bellevue King County Library
1111 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue
Poll hours 10:30am – 8:00pm

Carnation King County Library
4804 Tolt Avenue, Carnation
Poll hours 10:30am – 8:00pm

Des Moines King County Library
21260 11th Avenue South, Des Moines
Poll hours 10:30am – 8:00pm

Downtown Seattle Public Library
1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle
Poll hours 10:30am – 7:30pm

Shoreline King County Library
345 NE 175th , Shoreline
Poll hours 10:30am – 8pm

Vashon King County Library
17210 Vashon Highway SW, Vashon Island
Poll hours 10:30 am – 8:00pm

Executive Dow Constantine's remarks on March 8, 2010

2010-03-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

It’s good to be back in a familiar setting among colleagues and friends.

It was just 105 days ago, Mr. Chair, that I chaired my last council meeting and then handed you the gavel. The next day I was honored to take the helm of this, one of the nation’s largest, most diverse and most vibrant counties — one with a history of innovation and transformation, and a future with boundless potential.

I’d like to first acknowledge my family—who are sitting in the front row. Also joining us today are members of my transition team and of senior county staff.

Between here, and our vibrant and sustainable community of the future, are a host of immediate and long-term challenges.

We must invest, without delay, in a 21st century transportation infrastructure that helps shape land use and create prosperity as our region evolves.

We must protect, in an era of diminished revenue, our health and the most vulnerable in our communities.

We must maintain, in the face of cost pressures, excellence in public safety and justice for all.

We must partner, despite antiquated political divisions, with our cities and regional governments, business and labor leaders, to focus on creating jobs and opportunity.

These are the goals for what my administration will deliver.

Read the rest here.

100 Days

2010-03-08T07:35:00.001-08:00

Friends,

Just over one year ago, I announced my candidacy for King County Executive. I sought this position to bring new energy and a needed focus on innovation and reform to King County government. I knew we could do better for the hard working people in our urban, suburban and rural communities. We can be better partners for economic growth, better stewards of tax dollars, and better caretakers of our environment.

After a long campaign, I took office in late November. Immediately, we began taking needed steps to change the culture of King County government. We're putting the emphasis on customer service, financial management, delivering essential services, and working with cities, the state and federal partners to invest in our communities and families.

I'm proud of the team I have assembled - led by Deputy Executive Fred Jarrett and a diverse group of experienced professionals who share our vision and values. But I have not forgotten about the "team" of people who delivered last fall’s victory, including you.

I want to pause as we mark our first 100 days in office and thank you for all you have done over the past year. And, I want to ask again for your help.

I ended the last campaign with a modest debt. Due to the generosity of many, we paid most of that by the end of the year. I am already looking forward to the next election. Even a small contribution of $50 or $25 will help maintain and grow the grass roots support that fueled our success last year - the largest “low dollar” donor base ever assembled for a local election in Washington history.

This morning, I will be delivering my 100 day speech before the King County Council. This speech will outline our Countywide Strategic Plan - a blueprint that integrates public input, Council initiatives, and the comprehensive reform agenda developed by my administration. Along with the plan, I am previewing Executive orders and policy proposals to jump-start the changes we must implement. It will take time and thoughtful, coordinated effort to realize our goals, but we're going to make it happen.

Yesterday the Seattle Times ran an article outlining many of our early successes, and the challenges we face. You can read the article here.

We're off to a great start for our administration! With your continued help, we can focus on delivering for the people of King County, and look forward to future success.

Thank you so much,

Dow

2010 PCO Candidate Filing in King County

2010-03-02T12:25:00.001-08:00

There is good news on how PCO filings will be handled this year. As you know, last year the legislature passed the bill that removed the filing fee for PCOs. This was great news for election administrators because now we can extend the accuracy and efficiency we have experienced with online candidate filings to candidates for PCO.

We are developing an online candidate filing for PCOs! This will be done exactly like the other candidate filing but it will be completely separate. I am going to attempt to explain how it works and why it is important for all candidates to use it.

There are many benefits to the parties, candidates and our department. Candidates will be able to file from their home, a library, maybe from your headquarters or from our office: anywhere they have access to a computer. Every year we have numerous candidates file in the wrong precinct and we have to contact these individuals to inform them of the errors they have made on the forms. Candidates also find out (sometimes too late for those who file at the last minute) that they have failed to update their voter registration if they have recently moved. When we receive the bulk filings from the party representatives there may be missing information, again requiring our office to make contact with candidates. All this is very time consuming and puts everyone at a greater risk for error.

When a person files online it is as simple as filing out the paper form. Candidates will enter required information and only the precinct for which they are eligible will be offered as a filing option. If their address is out of date they will know this immediately. If they omit any information they will not be able to proceed, prompting you to not skip a required field. Candidates who have completed their filing will be listed on our web site twice daily throughout filing week. This will keep everyone up to date on which precincts have no candidates filed and limit the number of unintentionally contested races.

Accuracy and efficiency will realized by King County Elections in the processing of declarations. In addition to the number of reasons requiring staff to make contact with candidates, we also experience a challenge in deciphering handwriting on forms; lay out and proofing the ballot is a labor intensive endeavor. When a candidate uses online candidate filing the information entered will be drawn directly from our voter registration system and linked directly to the system that puts the candidate on the correct ballot. We will drastically reduce the number of hours spent entering candidate names and therefore reduce the number of errors. We have experienced this improved process over the past 4 years when other elected officials have used online candidate filing.

Some quick answers to potential questions:

A space will be provided to enter the name you want to appear on the ballot.
A line will be provided for a mailing address.
If you want to see who has filed, go on our website and see if someone has filed in your precinct and party.
If you do not have access to a computer our office will have a bank of computers available with staff available to assist, no computer skills required.
This is a secure and private way to file. Any information you provide becomes a public record after you complete the declaration.
We have been using online candidate filing for all offices for the last 4 years and receive great reviews from users. More than 80% of candidates used on line candidate filing last year.
Our office will have a paper record of all filings.

I have included a flier for you to print and distribute to any potential candidate for PCO. Distribute them at your upcoming meetings. It includes when filing will begin and offers contact information. As we get closer to candidate filing time our web site will have more information. I will also organize a meeting in April with party representatives to have a demonstration to answer questions so in turn you will be able to assist PCOs. The entire state is aiming at no paper declarations this year. In years past the Public Disclosure Commission produced paper declaration for candidates, as a cost-savings measure they will not be distributing forms to counties. With the Secretary of State office now making online candidate filing available across the state everyone is hoping for no paper, no waste. As I stated earlier, our office will have a printout of the completed form that every candidate files as a record.

Any question, please contact me. Please share this news with your PCOs. I am confident that we will all benefit from this new development.

Sandy McConnell
Program Manager Election Operations
King County Elections
919 SW Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
206-296-1565

The West Seattle Democratic Women take on Corporate Personhood

2010-02-25T20:08:00.001-08:00

At our February 24th meeting, the West Seattle Democratic Women did their skit "Corporate Personhood", and we asked for a link to their video. Enjoy!

Note from Georgie Kunkel, who wants to meet the "corporation" in the video above:

I want to mention that the video was not produced by the WSDW. It was produced by Joseph Sacks, videographer, and Georgie Kunkel, script preparer and actor with the help of Flora Belle Key as corporate secretary and a young fellow who played the security guard. His name is mentioned at the end of the video.
Our committee to educate the public about Corporate Personhood has been meeting for several months to gather background material about Corporate Personhood and prepare to give programs for groups all over the area. I knew this young videographer and when I was ready to work on the video he offered his skill as videographer.
Cheers, Georgie

Another sucessful election

2010-02-25T16:44:00.000-08:00

From King County Elections:

Yesterday morning the King County Elections Canvassing Board certified the February 9 special election, with zero discrepancies. King County has been conducting all elections entirely by mail for a year now, and this past election was our largest mail ballot spring election in terms of volume, with nearly 400,000 ballots processed; our fifth largest mail ballot volume ever.

KCDCC Endorsements

2010-02-24T06:51:00.000-08:00

Dear King County Democratic District Chairs,

Endorsement meetings are approaching. Judicial appointments by the King County Council Executive Dow Constantine (District Court) and the Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire (Superior and Appellate Courts) are expected soon. Filing of “C-1's” and “the buzz and rumor” of aspirants to State legislative races are picking up.

The questionnaires are online for the candidates to fill out. We will decide on endorsement procedures at tonight's KCDCC meeting.

We are looking at June 5th and 6th at the Carpenters' Hall in Renton (231 Burnett Avenue North) for candidate interviews. I would like to populate the KCDCC Endorsement Committee promptly and begin meeting in April.

I look forward to working with you as the KCDCC Endorsement Chair. Please forward my contact information to your LD Endorsement Chairs or the person that is designated to participate upon the KCDCC Endorsement Committee.

In Unity,

Karl de Jong
KCDCC Endorsement Chair

Join us on February 15th for our Lobby Day!

2010-02-10T13:41:00.001-08:00

KCDCC Lobby Day is shaping up to be an exciting day with the Governor as our keynoter.

Please carpool if at all possible. Parking is going to be challenging with a large rally going on at the same time. Please arrive early. You can tour the Legislative Building, locate the Bill Room near the Gift Shop and have coffee in the cafeteria in the Pritchard Library Building across the way until we start checking people in at 10 AM outside in the hallway. The 36th LD has the room from 10 to 10:30. Our program begins at 10:30.

From I-5 Southbound: Bear right on ramp at sign reading "Exit 105A to State Capitol " and go West for 0.8 miles. Continue on 14th Ave SE. Almost immediately, at the light at Jefferson, turn left. At the public parking lot at Wheeler, park. Be prepared to pay with two $1 bills. The free Dash shuttle will circle the lot, stop and take you directly to the Capitol campus. The stop is diagonally in front of the John A Cherborg Building. Meeting Room A-B-C is the first room on the left.

Here's a map of the area showing the "remote" parking on the lower right:
http://www.ga.wa.gov/images/campus-map.pdf

Note that the other public parking lots on the map are limited to two hours and the economic justice coalition is trying to get 5,000 people to campus, so these spaces are likely to be full. We recommend arriving early to take advantage of the remote lot, which is really very convenient.

The free Dash shuttle also goes downtown, so if you can find street parking with a 10-hour meter, not 2 hours, the shuttle goes up and down Capitol Way every few minutes, or downtown is a 10- or 15-minute walk. Downtown is to your right on Jefferson, instead of going left to the remote parking lot. Jefferson runs parallel to Capitol Way, so any place on the street after you turn right will work. Street parking in the residential area around the campus is very limited and should be avoided.

If you haven't reserved a lunch, please email Sarajane Siegfriedt by noon Thursday: Sarajane3h@comcast.net.

County Exec Dow Constantine is acting quickly to ensure public safety

2010-02-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

Department of Transportation

News Release

Date: Feb. 10, 2010
Contact: Rochelle Ogershok (206) 296-6515

King County Executive orders Metro Transit to review policies that restrict transit security guards from intervening in criminal activity

Guards in surveillance video followed current “observe and report” procedures

King County Executive Dow Constantine has ordered Metro Transit to review policies that restrict unarmed transit security guards from intervening physically in fights or other criminal activity, following a disturbing chain of events involving the assault and robbery of a teenage girl in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel on January 28.

“Public safety is our top priority. I am appalled by the sight of uniformed guards standing by while a person was kicked and beaten,” said Executive Constantine. “I have ordered a full review of all operating polices that govern Metro’s contract with civilian security guards to determine what changes must be made. People have an expectation of safety when riding public transit, and we must take every measure we can to assure that.”

“The events surrounding this incident are troubling, and the video images distressing,” said Metro Transit General Manager Kevin Desmond. “The County Executive has ordered us to work with the Sheriff’s Office to review the circumstances surrounding this incident and seek advice from other security experts to determine whether we need to change our security protocols,” added Desmond.

To augment Metro’s transit police force, it contracts with a civilian firm, Olympic Security Services, Inc., to provide transit security throughout its system. According to Metro policies that govern that contract, unarmed security guards are instructed not to intervene when witnessing suspicious behavior or criminal activity, but to “observe and report” and radio the Metro Transit Control Center, which relays requests for assistance to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

“Safety and security is Metro’s top priority, and we rely on a combination of security guard patrols, uniformed police patrols, field supervisors and various surveillance systems to maintain ongoing safety in the tunnel,” Desmond said. “The security guards have a range of duties, including providing routine assistance and safety reminders to customers and reporting suspicious objects, disruptive behavior and equipment problems in the tunnel stations. Intervention by civilian security guards when a violent crime is being committed can have serious consequences for bystanders and the guards themselves. Therefore, we will rely on the expertise of our Sheriff’s department and others as we review the circumstances surrounding this particular incident, and review a range of issues including the appropriate level of response that should be authorized to effectively defuse such situations.”

In addition to contracting with a private security firm, Metro contracts with the King County Sheriff’s Office for 68 commissioned officers to provide law enforcement as the Metro Transit Police.

According to police, an apparent argument between several teenagers and young adults inside a downtown Seattle department store preceded the assault and robbery of a 15-year-old by another teenager on the bus tunnel platform at Westlake Station on January 28.

While the department store disturbance prompted an initial response by Seattle Police, the dispute flared up again after the teens arrived at the Westlake Station platform. As the teen was repeatedly punched and kicked, the guards immediately used their radio to call the Transit Control Center, but did not directly intervene in the assault.

Seattle Police arrived minutes later but by that time the suspects and the rest of the group had fled. Officers took an initial report and over the next week the Metro Transit Police investigation of the incident resulted in four arrests last Saturday, including the suspect in the assault.

###

Tired? Frustrated? Ready to give up?

2010-02-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Have you had it with the Democratic Party? Are you sick and tired of the lily-livered "compromises" that strip away any breath of Progressivism from bills and laws debated and passed by Congress? Are you ready to "sit-out" the next election to "teach them a lesson"? Yeah, I know -- I feel that way, too! I tell myself, "They're not getting another dime from me!" "No more doorbelling; screw the phone banks; voter registration -- who's voting for these losers?" "They can just whistle for support; llke I'm whistling for that oft-promised 'Change' I can believe in!"

But then I look at my Drivers License and remind myself that I'm not two years old anymore -- and, as an adult, temper tantrums, stubbornness, storming off, and holding my breath are incredibly ineffective tools for resolving real-world grown-up problems.

Then I put on my "grown up hat" (which has been wadded up, stomped on, and thrown in the corner!) and consider the meaning of democracy, activism, citizenship, and self-responsibility ... and I remember my mom's advice when I was in the throes of a momentary childish anger; threatening all manner of short-term retribution that would provide me with momentary satisfaction and do long-term damage. She would say, "Well, you could always take your dollies and go home. Just be sure you don't cut off your nose to spite your face."

Lately, we are hearing Democrats, Liberals, Progressives, and Independents saying, "I contributed to him, doorbelled for him, phone-banked for him, voted for him, and wept when he won." "I believed in 'The Audacity of Hope'." "I thought this guy was different." "Never again." "I'll stay home next year." "I'll vote for the third party candidate."

To these people, I would say, "Now let's not cut off our noses to spite our faces. Let's not take our votes and go home." In this crazy, fractious, argumentative, exciting and wonderful country we call ours, change has never been easy -- or rapid. In the days of the Continental Congress, Abigail Adams petitoned her husband, John, for women's rights. In the decades after the Civil War, Suffragettes set aside their campaign for womens' voting rights in favor of voting rights for recently-freed (male) slaves. Women finally won full voting rights in 1921. Abigail would be so proud!

Before we decide to "take our toys and go home", consider the long-term effect of a weakened Democratic President, and a diminished Congressional majority. Consider the havoc that can be wreaked by an emboldened Corporatist Republican Party.

And, most of all, remember Democracy is not a spectator sport; activism doesn't stop the day after the election; we must not hang up our passion with our campaign signs; our Government IS "We the People" -- and it is up to every single one of us to suit up, show up, and hold our elected officials' feet to the fire when they break campaign promises and/or work against the best interests of "We the People".

If we don't like our electoral choices, it is our job to recruit and support a primary challenger. Whether or not we score a Primary upset, the \competition will help move the eventual candidates in a different direction ... a direction that "We the People" have influenced. Now, that is Democracy in action! In fact, just this past weekend, Ben Nelson (D-Ne) withdrew his demand for perpetual Medicaid funding in his state -- we shouted so loudly, he actually heard us and was shamed into doing the right thing! Democracy works! ...And we must never stop shouting!

In his Innaugural Address, President Obama told us to "pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the work of re-making America". As we all know, the mess we are in has been in the making for 30 years or more; merely accelerating in the past eight, and will not be cured in days, or weeks, or months -- or even a short span of years -- and the burden cannot rest on the shoulders on only one man -- or even 535 pairs of Congressional shoulders! The burden rests on all of us.

This is THE marathon; the big race that will define the future of our country -- the race that really counts. Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and do the hard work of fixing and re-making our country? Are you ready to commit every spare minute and resource to the job ahead? Are you ready to suit up, show up and save our country from blowing up? I am! Let's go!

Paula Joneli
PCO DES 33-2625

Urgent action needed to support Clean Elections!

2010-02-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

----- Original Message -----
From: Craig Salins
To: Undisclosed
Cc: Marcee Stone
Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2010 9:52 AM
Subject: Results - House W&M Comm on Saturday

Folks,

WPC testified at the House Ways & Means Committee on Saturday - our bill (HB 1738) was on the agenda, #8 out of 22.

Once again we had a great WashClean crowd (thanks Monica, Betty, Louisa, Brian, Seth, Roger and many others!) in the audience and signing in "in favor". Also testifying: Katy Sheehan, on behalf of League of Women Voters. And once again, Mellani McAleenan, staff deputy policy director for the Admin. Ofc of the Courts, testifying that the Board for Judicial Administration (all the judge organizations, and others) has no position yet (they decide Feb. 16th) on the merits of the program - but they are against the filing fee surcharge as a funding means. We knew and know that.

Mostly a friendly reception by the W&M Committee - which was well-attended of course; a few questions, about how much participating candidates would get (as their campaign grant), and how to combat really large independent spending, opposing. We're needing to challenge the fiscal note on the bill - which is more costly than warranted; it says $640k per biennium - too high. We're working with Reps. Liias and Hunt, on that; and, we've obtained cost information from North Carolina on their program (which costs approximately $50k/year to administer.

The Ways and Means committees in BOTH Senate and House must vote to approve (pass the bills, in executive session), no later than Tuesday, Feb. 9th - or the bills die. So for the House, that means Chair Rep. Linville must have it on the agenda for a committee executive session, either Monday or Tuesday. For the Senate, it means a hearing, and then executive session voting.

We are now scheduled for a hearing in the Senate W&M Committee - Monday, at their 1:30 PM committee session. See this list - our bill (SB 5912) is #10 on the agenda.
http://www.leg.wa.gov/SENATE/COMMITTEES/WM/Pages/Agendas.aspx

So, Olympians and nearby folks - can you attend in Oly, on Monday? John King and I will be there, of course.

In Olympia, they're calling us "Nine Lives Lazarus" - can't believe the influence of WPC on the legislature, keeping our bills alive and moving. But I know it's due to all of you - our support around the state, citizen lobbying!

Never underestimate the power of the people, united!

But keep those cards and emails coming. Let the Ways & Means Committee chairs and members know that we want this bill passed along to the Rules Committee - see the list attached, or go here:

SENATE W&M Comm Mbrs:
http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/WM/Pages/MembersStaff.aspx

HOUSE W&M Comm Mbrs:
http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/WAYS/Pages/MembersStaff.aspx

The list is posted here on Washclean.org:

www.washclean.org/Library/Legis/List_WMComm-Mbrs_Senate_House.pdf

Thanks! Call me if questions.

- Craig
___________________
Craig Salins
Executive Director
WA Public Campaigns
craig@washclean.org
206-949-3285 (cell)
206-784-2522 (office)
206-784-9695 (home/ofc #2)

Congressional Update from Senator Patty Murray

2010-02-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

High Speed Rail: A Major Investment in Getting People and Goods Moving in Our State

On Thursday, I announced that Washington state will receive $590 million in federal funding for high speed rail upgrades in the Pacific Northwest Cascades corridor. The funding is part of a major high-speed rail initiative that, as Chairman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, I helped to include in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Since last year, when the Pacific Northwest was named one of the 10 potential regions to receive funds for high speed rail, I have worked with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to build support for states like ours where the groundwork for high speed rail lines has been underway and where improvements would help provide an alternative to congested roadways and spur economic activity. – Details

“Washington to get $590 million for high-speed rail improvements”
– Seattle Times

“Wash., Oregon to get $590 M for high-speed rail” – Associated Press

.........................................

State of the Union: Top Priority is Getting Our Economy Back on Track

On Wednesday, President Obama spoke directly to the American people about creating jobs, getting our economy back on track, moving forward with health insurance reform, holding big Wall Street accountable, and protecting our nation. The President’s first State of the Union speech came at a critical time, with many across our state and nation anxious about the direction of the economy and our country.

Read my reaction to President Obama’s speech.

.........................................

Agriculture: Working for our State’s Wheat Growers

Last Tuesday, I was honored to receive the Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ “Legislator of the Year” award for my efforts to advance Washington’s wheat industry. The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG), which represents wheat farmers throughout our state, is a non-profit group dedicated to the enrichment of the Washington wheat industry. I will continue to work to provide our agricultural community with the tools and resources they need to succeed in this competitive global market. – Details

.........................................

A Qualified and Respected Judge Confirmed to Eastern Washington Bench

Last Monday, I delivered a speech on the Senate floor urging my colleagues to support Gonzaga Law Professor Rosanna Peterson to be the next District Court judge for the Eastern District of Washington State. In the speech, I praised Peterson’s work ethic, professionalism, and understanding of the law. After the speech, the Senate voted unanimously to confirm Judge Peterson as the first women to serve on Eastern District bench. Peterson’s nomination was the product of the bipartisan selection commission I worked to help create in our state.

Details | Listen to my speech

Seattle Schools Update from Steve Sundquist

2010-01-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends:

On February 9, 2010, voters will be asked to renew two expiring levies which provide essential funding for Seattle's schools. Given the state budget crisis, these levies are more important than ever in maintaining basic services in our schools.

Neither of these levies is a new tax. They replace expiring levies. The Capital levy will provide $270 million over six years to fund hundreds of projects in neighborhood schools district-wide, like replacing worn out roofs and heating systems, retrofitting and upgrading buildings for earthquake safety, and replacing alarms and sprinkler systems so our kids can learn in a safe environment. The capital levy will also fund needed technology upgrades and improvements to athletic facilities.

The Operations levy provides 23% of the day-to-day operating budget for Seattle Public Schools. This levy funds everything from teacher and principal salaries and textbooks to all-day kindergarten, a 6-period high school day, and school libraries. If renewed, the operations levy will supply $442.7 million to public education in Seattle over three years.

If we don't renew these levies, Seattle's public schools will suffer a reduction in revenues that would devastate our ability to provide our children with a quality education. We can't let the levies fail.

Please join me in supporting the Seattle levy campaign with your time and, if possible, please consider a contribution to the campaign. It's critical that we reach voters and remind them why it's so important to vote YES on these two important measures.

Schools First Campaign Headquarters
524 Dexter Avenue, N.
Seattle, WA 98109
(p) 206.224.3563
(f) 206.224.3566
info@SchoolsFirstSeattle.org

For More Info: http://www.schoolsfirstseattle.org/
To Endorse: http://www.schoolsfirstseattle.org/endorse/
To Contribute: https://www.schoolsfirstseattle.org/contribute/
To Volunteer: http://www.schoolsfirstseattle.org/how-you-can-help/

Ballots have now arrived at our homes. It's critical that we reach voters and remind them why it's so important to vote YES on these two important measures. Please be sure to vote by February 9th and remind your friends and neighbors to please vote YES to renew our commitment to Seattle schoolchildren.

Sincerely,

Steve Sundquist

Progressive Issues Update from Congressman Adam Smith

2010-01-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

Progressive Issues Update from Congressman Adam Smith

Progressive Advisory Council Meeting Announced for Next Month

The next meeting of the Progressive Advisory Council will be held on Wednesday, February 17th from 2:00-3:00pm at the Carpenter’s Local 1797 Hall in Renton. Social/networking time will be available prior to the meeting from 1:30-2:00pm. Space is limited, so please RSVP to matt.perry@mail.house.gov or 253-593-6603 if you plan to attend. Full information is below.

Congressman Adam Smith’s Progressive Advisory Council
Wednesday, February 17 from 2:00-3:00pm
(Social networking time from 1:30-2:00pm)
Renton Carpenters Hall
231 Burnett Avenue North, Renton WA 98057
RSVP: matt.perry@mail.house.gov or 253-593-6603

Directions
From Tacoma:
Take I-5 North
Take exit 154A-154B to merge onto I-405 N toward Renton (2.0 mi)
Take exit 2 to merge onto Rainier Ave/WA-167 N toward Renton (1.5 mi)
Continue onto Rainier Ave (0.3 mi)
Turn right at Airport Way S (0.4 mi)
Turn left at Airport Way S/Logan Ave S
Continue to follow Logan Ave S (377 ft)
Slight right at N 3rd St (0.1 mi)
Take the 1st left onto Burnett Ave N
Destination will be on the left (7 ft)

From Seattle:
Take I-5 South
Take the 157/M L King Way/WA-900 E exit (0.1 mi)
Merge onto Martin Luther King Jr Way S/WA-900 E
Continue to follow WA-900 E (3.5 mi)
Turn left at Rainier Ave (0.3 mi)
Turn right at Airport Way S (0.4 mi)
Turn left at Airport Way S/Logan Ave S
Continue to follow Logan Ave S (377 ft)
Slight right at N 3rd St (0.1 mi)
Take the 1st left onto Burnett Ave N
Destination will be on the left (7 ft)

http://adamsmith.house.gov | YouTube | Twitter | E-Newsletter | RSS

If you have questions or comments please contact Matt Perry,Field Representative, at: 253-593-6603 or via email at:Matt.Perry@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Adam Smith
2402 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-8901

The Honorable Adam Smith
2209 Pacific Avenue, Suite B
Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone:(253) 896-3775
Toll Free: 1-888-SMITH-09

Seeking appointment to the King County Superior Court

2010-01-06T08:10:00.001-08:00

ADAM EISENBERG

I am seeking appointment to be a judge on the King County Superior Court. For the past five years I have served the citizens of Seattle as a court commissioner, and I would like to expand on my career in public service by using the skills I have learned to serve the residents of King County.

I am here to ask for your support.

To be effective, I believe a judge has four roles. First, there is the role in the courtroom, where the judge must listen to the facts presented, apply the law and ensure that justice is done. On a daily basis this is the obvious role. It requires patience, and the ability to listen to the people who appear in front of you. In addition, it necessitates the continual study of the law so the judge makes well-reasoned and well-supported rulings.

In my current position as Commissioner of Seattle Municipal Court, I handle criminal misdemeanor calendars, do arraignments and reviews in the King County Jail, and regularly sit in our Mental Health and Community Courts. These two courts deal with mentally ill offenders and homeless defendants. I also regularly hear domestic violence cases, DUIs and other misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors. In addition, I preside over traffic court (both contested trials and mitigation hearings), and handle civil trials and hearings on land use and city code violations. I believe the skills I have learned on the Municipal Court bench will make me highly effective on the King County Superior Court.

Second, a judge must be involved in judicial organizations that help shape the future of the court. I currently sit on the board for the District and Municipal Court Judges Association (DMCJA) and serve on several DMCJA sub-committees. In this capacity I learn about the many different issues courts and judges face across the state, and have input into shaping solutions.

Third, judges should attend social functions held by bar associations, community organizations and political entities so they can stay informed about issues facing the greater legal community. Under the judicial code of ethics there are some restrictions on what events judges can attend but, within these restrictions, judges should do so to avoid becoming too isolated.

Fourth, judges need to keep involved in the greater community in which we live. For example, I am a senior student and an instructor at the Emerald City Aikido dojo in Seattle. As a third degree black belt in the martial art of aikido, I train several times each week. I also regularly teach adults, children and teens. Aikido is a discipline that teaches how to physically unbalance an opponent in order to neutralize their attack. While it can be a very powerful and even deadly art, the underlying philosophy of aikido emphasizes how to accept challenge and change in life, and how to neutralize conflicts that occur in daily living. It teaches compassion for others and, most importantly, for oneself.

Working as an instructor for children and teenagers ages 7 to 18 has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I have watched several young men and women train through high school and go off to college with a greater understanding of themselves (mentally and physically) and others. One of my former students recently graduated from art school in New York City, while another is in his junior year at the Rhode Island School of Design. Yet another just graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, and is teaching in Ecuador. All three are exceptional human beings. Watching them grow into adults through aikido has been one of the highlights of my life.

Adam

Experience:

Commissioner of Seattle Municipal Court (2004 – Present)
Civil Trial Attorney (1999 – 2004)
Criminal Prosecutor (1993 – 1999)
Member, City of Seattle Domestic Violence Council
Board Member, District and Municipal Court Judges Association
Journalist, writer for Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Seattle Weekly
Author, A Different Shade of Blue: How Women Changed the Face of Police Work

Ratings:

King County Bar Association - Exceptionally Well Qualified
Washington Women Lawyers - Exceptionally Well Qualified
Latino/Latina Bar Association - Exceptionally Well Qualified
Q-Law (Gay, Lesbian, Trans) - Exceptionally Well Qualified
Seattle Marshals Guild - Exceptionally Well Qualified
King County Correctional Officers - Exceptionally Well Qualified

Thank you for your consideration.

Selections to fill 41st LD Senate Seat

2010-01-05T22:56:00.000-08:00

The 41st District Democratic Organization's PCOs met in special session,

Tuesday January 5, 2010 - 7:00 pm
Renton Carpenters Hall
231 Burnett Avenue North - Renton 98057

Seventy-three (73) of the eligible 95 PCOs were credentialed and participated in the meeting.

The first ballot taken was for five candidates:

Randy Gordon 51
George Pieper 10
Aaron Belenky 8
Michael Rosen 3
Heidi Behrens-Benedict 1
Total 73

The second ballot was for three candidates and is the ranked order for submission to the King County Council for your confirmation, please

1. Randy Gordon 54
2. Aaron Belenky 9
3. George Pieper 8

Total 71 (two did not vote)

With 76% of the vote, the 41st District has overwhemingly selected Randy Gordon as their number one pick. We ask that you please confirm Randy at your earliest possibility.

Thank you,
Susan Sheary

p.s. Bios will be linked above as soon as they are available.

Support Wellstone Action!

2009-12-30T07:17:00.000-08:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeff Blodgett <jeff@wellstone.org>
Date: Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 6:00 AM
Subject: our hope.
To: kcdcc1@gmail.com

We can’t let our best hope for 2010 fall off track.

Here’s to a new year full of promise and thousands of organizers working to move our progressive agenda forward.

Make a tax-deductible contribution now to help Wellstone Action ignite leadership in people and power in communities to win change.

Sincerely,
Jeff Blodgett, Executive Director
Wellstone Action

Feeling empowered yet?

2009-12-25T10:06:00.001-08:00

I ran across this battle thanks to my wife, and I had to share it here.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Lets get Health Care for Christmas!

2009-12-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Susan,

The health care reform debate is at a critical stage. Some days it appears that the Senate is about to break through the legislative logjam to pass the bill, only to run into more hurdles the next day.

One thing's for sure: The people of Washington have two outstanding Senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, who are fighting for us and our health care every day on Capitol Hill.

As a member of the Senate leadership, Patty Murray is working around the clock to get health care reform passed – and I want her to know that we're standing with her.

Please sign my petition today: Show your support – and share your comments – with Patty Murray as she continues to fight for health care reform in the U.S. Senate!

Everyone knew that getting a health care bill passed would be a difficult task.

After all, the Republican Party is united in their efforts to filibuster health care reform in the Senate, leaving the Democratic leadership with no margin for error.

But the American people don't care about process – they care about results. So it's up to Senate Democrats to get the job done and pass a strong health care reform bill that will reduce costs, improve health care, and expand coverage to millions more Americans.

Senator Patty Murray is leading the charge. Let's show her that Washington Democrats are right there with her.

Please sign my petition today: Show your support – and share your comments – with Patty Murray as she continues to fight for health care reform in the U.S. Senate!

You and I along with many others have worked hard to see this opportunity to pass real health care reform become a reality.

We are so close – but now we need to continue to let our lawmakers know that we are behind them all the way as they enter into the final stages of the critical national debate.

Let’s show Patty Murray that we support her work to get this done.

Sincerely,

Dwight Pelz
Washington State Democrats Chair

Update: How Port of Seattle is doing

2009-12-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

People often ask me about how the Port of Seattle is doing in these tough times.

After two years of reform, our port is poised to take on the New Year.

Throughout 2009, the port commission worked closely with port CEO Yoshitani and port staff to eliminate programs that had outlived usefulness, to cut payroll, to increase employee medical contributions and to scrutinize expenditures. As we approach year-end, those tough decisions are producing positive results. Our projected net income is over budget and we were able to cut 2010 taxes.

Here is a summary of how we are finishing this challenging year (thru November):

Airport passenger traffic is down only 3.5%, much less of a decline than at many other airports.

Marine cargo through November is down 9.7%. As a comparison, Tacoma is down 16.5%, L.A. is down 15.4% and Long Beach is down 24.5%.

The Port of Seattle’s total operating revenue for the first eleven months of 2009 was 3.1% below budget, but expenses were 14.3% under budget.

Net Operating Income before depreciation was 11.6% over budget

In addition, starting in 2010, the seaport, like the airport, will cover its own capital costs from its own profits and should no longer rely on the property tax levy.

For 2010, the port commission reduced the property tax levy and increased reserves for future environmental and transportation expenses.

If you have a question or comment, please send it to me via my website, www.BillBryant.info or email me at bill.bryant.washington@gmail.com.

Regards,

Commissioner Bill Bryant

Fight against Casino Capitalism

2009-12-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Friend,

Financial derivatives are extremely complicated financial instruments used to speculate on the future value of an asset. In other words, Wall Street uses derivatives to gamble. It was this kind of gambling that led to the collapse of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and brought the U.S. financial system to its knees.

But after everything we have been through, very little has been done to change the system. The $590 trillion - yes trillion - derivatives market is still largely unregulated, opaque, and poses an enormous risk to our financial future.

This is "casino capitalism," and the first step to reform is to treat derivatives trading for what it is - gambling. That is why I have introduced legislation to allow state gaming authorities to regulate derivatives markets.

Please sign the petition and show your support for regulating derivatives markets.

This is not a new concept. Until 2000, this is exactly how derivative trading was regulated. At that time Congress granted an exemption from gaming laws for derivative markets and opened the door for the irresponsible speculation that nearly destroyed the U.S. financial system. My bill would repeal this exemption and help avoid repeating our past mistakes.

This is going to be an uphill battle. Derivatives regulation may be one of the most complicated issues Congress must tackle to restore true stability to our financial system. Wall Street has some of the most highly paid and highly skilled lobbyists on Capitol Hill. They will continue to exploit the complexity and simply say, "this is impossible for you to understand, just let us self-regulate." This is exactly what happened last week in the House of Representatives, when lobbyists successfully inserted several terrifying loopholes in the House financial reform bill.

The only way we can overcome this massive opposition is with massive popular support -- and that starts with you. Financial reform is making its way to the Senate floor. Now is the time to regulate and now is the time for you to make your voice heard.

Please sign the petition today.

Thank you,

Maria Cantwell

Fw: Not Again

2009-12-09T16:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Democrat,

Let me remind you about mid-term elections...

Historically, in mid-term elections - the elections between presidential years - the party occupying the White House does very poorly.

Fifteen years ago, Democrats woke up the day after the election to the news that conservative Republicans led by Newt Gingrich had taken over the United States Congress.

The mid-term elections of 1994 placed Newt Gingrich in charge of the Congress, allowed the Republican Party to rebuild and strengthen, and ultimately led to the election of George Bush!

Here in Washington, we went from a congressional delegation of seven Democrats to a delegation of two Democrats - a loss of five Democratic congressional seats in one year!

It took us 10 years to recover from that mess and regain our Democratic seats - we will be recovering from George Bush for years to come.

Mid-term elections are unpredictable - anything can happen! With our entire congressional delegation on the ballot and Senator Murray leading the ticket, we cannot take any chances.

We have learned our lesson... this time it's: Not Again in 2010.

Today we are launching our Not Again in 2010 fundraising drive. Our end-of-the-year goal is to raise $10,000 in the next three weeks - funding needed to begin our mid-term election mission. Please help us reach our $10,000 challenge goal by contributing today, before the December 31st end-of-the-year deadline:

http://www.wa-democrats.org/NotAgain

Our Not Again in 2010 campaign is the first important step in the 2010 mid-term election cycle. The success of this campaign will allow the Washington State Democrats to begin - without delay - it's mid-term campaign mission to:

Build a strong statewide grassroots organization
Create state-of-the-art campaign resources
Recruit candidates
Train our campaign team

Your State Democratic Party is always the first on the campaign battlefield. After the New Year, we begin a 158-day countdown until filing week begins. We must begin recruiting candidates, training out campaign team, and building our grassroots organization for the 2010 campaign.

Your contribution of $15, $25, $50, $100 - or any amount you can afford - will enable us to begin our mission immediately.

Candidates depend on us to provide the support they need to effectively launch their campaigns and communicate with voters. Your generosity makes that possible.

Many Thanks,

Dwight Pelz
Washington State Democrats Chair

Fw: Balanced But Unjust

2009-12-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

Friends,

Today I presented a budget proposal that while balanced is unjust.

I am required by law to submit a balanced budget with existing revenue. Because of our continuing economic troubles, state revenue is down and has resulted in a one year revenue shortfall of $2.6 billion. This reduction is on top of a $9 billion deficit that we tackled last year. As a result, I had to make decisions to cut programs and services that will impact all Washingtonians.

Let me be clear – I do not support this budget. Our state budget should reflect our values and priorities as a state. These values include providing quality education for our kids, taking care of the elderly and most vulnerable and protecting public safety. This budget does not reflect my values or the values of the people of our great state.

I am committed to looking at ways to protect services important to you and the citizens of the State. I am reviewing tax exemptions and considering new sources of revenue. In January, I will submit another budget to the Legislature that I believe will be more reflective of our values.

In the coming weeks, I need your help.

You can learn more about the budget and its impacts at my website www.governor.wa.gov. Please talk to your colleagues, your family and your neighbors about the impacts of this budget and the tough choices we are facing. Contact your legislators and let them know that we must keep all options on the table to deal with this crisis.

Thank you for your continued support. Together we will get through this challenging time.

Sincerely,

Chris Gregoire
Governor

Let’s Win This One: Health care for the Holidays, Dec. 12th

2009-12-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

From our allies in the choice community.

Dear Friend,

As we are heading toward the holidays, the Senate is rapidly moving toward a vote on health care reform.

It is time to let Congress know we need to pass quality affordable health insurance reform for all…now!

On Saturday, December 12th, thousands of Washingtonians in 9 cities across the state will do just that. Here in Seattle, we will be gathering at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square at 12pm on Saturday.

Will you join with us and our partners from Health Care for America NOW! to take this stand so that no one is left out of health care reform? With thousands of us standing together across Washington, we will send a strong message to Congress as the Senate debates this historic bill.

Rallies will be taking place in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Bellingham, Vancouver, Spokane, Yakima and Bremerton!!!

Yes! I will Stand Up for Health Insurance Reform! http://www.ppaction.org/ppaow/12_12HCRRallies.html

If you are attending the rallies in Seattle, Bellingham, Everett, Olympia, Spokane, Yakima, or Bremerton please bring two holiday greeting cards, one addressed to Sen. Murray and the other to Sen. Cantwell. Please write a personal message requesting Health Care for the Holidays. There will be large boxes available in each location to deposit your greeting cards.
Folks attending the Vancouver rally are asked to bring one greeting card addressed to Rep. Brian Baird, and organizers in Tacoma will be providing post cards.

Please join us, and add your voice to the valiant fight for health insurance for all this holiday season.

Yes! I will Stand Up for Health Insurance Reform! http://www.ppaction.org/ppaow/12_12HCRRallies.html

We look forward to seeing you this Saturday at 12pm at Occidental Park/Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle and to send Congress the message that Americans want access to real health insurance reform NOW!

Thanks for all you do!

Dana Laurent, Political Director
Planned Parenthood Votes! Washington

Fwd: Rally Dec. 16 to support SeaTac security officers

2009-12-04T13:32:00.001-08:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Groves, WSLC <dgroves@wslc.org>
Date: Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Subject: Rally Dec. 16 to support SeaTac security officers
To: Chad Lupkes <chadlupkes@yahoo.com>

Washington State Labor Council

Rally Dec. 16 to support SeaTac TSOs
Show solidarity with Transportation Security Officers organizing with AFGE

The American Federation of Government Employees is engaged in an historic campaign in support of tens of thousands of Transportation Security Officers organizing at some 450 airports across the nation. December 13-19 is TSO Solidarity Week to support their efforts!

The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO and the M.L. King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO are demonstrating our local union movement's support for the TSOs and their effort to gain a voice at work with AFGE. All union members are urged to attend a rally on Wednesday, Dec. 16 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in SeaTac Airport's Summit Room in the public area of the Central Terminal, behind Ticketing and adjacent to Seattle's Best Coffee. (Please download, post and distribute the event flier.)

BACKGROUND: Every year, more than 600 million people travel by air in the United States. Transportation Security Officers are the workers who staff security check points at our nation's airports and are responsible for screening all luggage and passengers. TSOs are the front-line defenders of our air safety in this country.

When the Transportation Security Administration was created in 2001, the Bush administration denied TSOs the right to bargain collectively. TSOs are not covered under the General Schedule System that regulates pay for other federal employees. Instead, they have an evaluation-based "pay-for-performance" system that many of the TSOs consider to be arbitrary, punitive and unfair, and that does not contribute to the improvement of TSO skills.

TSOs have virtually no whistleblower protections and are in constant fear of management retaliation. They are subject to unfair hiring practices, inconsistent agency regulations, and unjust leave restrictions and policies. Because of concerns about the low pay, discrimination and management harassment, TSOs suffer from low morale and the Transportation Security Administration has the worse attrition rates in the entire federal government.

But now, the Obama administration is committed to restoring TSOs' right to organize and bargain collectively. And the one union that has been there, organizing TSOs from the beginning has been the American Federation of Government Employees. Today, more than 11,000 TSOs are already members of the AFGE, which has been fighting to improve their pay and working conditions despite their lack of bargaining rights.

As TSOs at SeaTac International Airport and other airports around our nation organize their union with AFGE, solidarity from other union members working at the airports and members using the airports will be crucial to their efforts!

TAKE ACTION! What can YOU do to support the TSOs' effort to gain a voice at work with AFGE?

Attend the Dec. 16 rally at SeaTac Airport! And bring a friend or co-worker with you.
Talk to the TSOs. If you are a union member who works at the airport or for an airline -- or if you are planning to travel -- during National TSO Solidarity Week, December 13-19, talk to the TSOs about the benefits of union membership. Encourage them to get involved in AFGE's campaign and find out how the union can improve their pay and working conditions.
Check out the AFGE TSA web site -- www.TSAUnion.net -- to stay informed about the campaign, the election process and future opportunities to show solidarity with the TSOs.

------------------------------------------------

David Groves

Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO

206-281-8901 x19 cell: 206-434-1301

DAILY LABOR NEWS at www.wslc.org

------------------------------------------------

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
Tell-a-friend!

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Washington State Labor Council.

Papa Johns Fundraiser for Police Officers Families

2009-12-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

Suzie and I felt this was worth sharing.

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***
Attn: News Assignment/Photo Desks
PUGET SOUND PAPA JOHN’S LOCATIONS TO DONATE 100% OF 2-DAY PROFITS
TO FAMILIES OF FALLEN LAKEWOOD, WA POLICE OFFICERS

WHAT:

Fundraiser to benefit the families of the four fallen Lakewood, WA police officers will held at all Puget Sound Papa John’s restaurants (40 locations). 100% of profits from all sales during two-day period will be donated.

WHEN / WHERE:

Tuesday and Wednesday, December 8-9, 2009.
11:00 am – 11:00 pm

All 42 Papa John’s locations in the Puget Sound area.

WHO:

Consumers may place orders next Tuesday and Wednesday to benefit the Lakewood Police Independent Guild (LPIG) Benevolent Fund online at www.papajohns.com, by calling their nearest Papa John’s location or by carryout.

Can order in advance.

Fw: The Way Forward in Afghanistan & Pakistan

2009-12-02T16:22:00.001-08:00

----- Original Message -----

From: Dustin Lambro

Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 4:12 PM

Subject: The Way Forward in Afghanistan & Pakistan

Dear Party Leaders,

This came from the White House yesterday, and I wanted to be sure you all saw it. This fact sheet details how we move forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and provides additional context on what the President said last night.

As you all know, it is my job to organize support for the President's agenda in our state. Since we have been on the ground, all of our organizational attention has been directed toward passing health insurance reform. That said, the significance of this speech last night and of the President's policy in the region was enough to warrant my sending this out to you all.

As with any issue concerning the President and the Administration, please let me know your own thoughts on the President's speech and this accompanying document. I always appreciate hearing from the grasstops leaders of our party.

All the best,

Dustin

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 1, 2009

FACT SHEET: The Way Forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan

OUR MISSION: The President's speech reaffirms the March 2009 core goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and eventually defeat al Qaeda and to prevent their return to either Afghanistan or Pakistan. To do so, we and our allies will surge our forces, targeting elements of the insurgency and securing key population centers, training Afghan forces, transferring responsibility to a capable Afghan partner, and increasing our partnership with Pakistanis who are facing the same threats.

This region is the heart of the global violent extremism pursued by al Qaeda, and the region from which we were attacked on 9/11. New attacks are being planned there now, a fact borne out by a recent plot, uncovered and disrupted by American authorities. We will prevent the Taliban from turning Afghanistan back into a safe haven from which international terrorists can strike at us or our allies. This would pose a direct threat to the American homeland, and that is a threat that we cannot tolerate. Al Qaeda remains in Pakistan where they continue to plot attacks against us and where they and their extremist allies pose a threat to the Pakistani state. Our goal in Pakistan will be to ensure that al Qaeda is defeated and Pakistan remains stable.

REVIEW PROCESS: The review was a deliberate and disciplined three-stage process to check alignment of goals, methods for attaining those goals, and finally resources required. Over ten weeks, the President chaired nine meetings with his national security team, and consulted key allies and partners, including the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The President focused on asking the hard questions, took the time to carefully consider all of the options, and united a variety of competing views in his cabinet before agreeing to send any additional Americans to war.

As a result of the review, we have focused our mission and developed a common understanding regarding our regional approach and the need for international support. We will deploy forces into Afghanistan rapidly and will take advantage of these additional resources to create the conditions to begin to draw down combat forces in the summer of 2011, while maintaining a partnership with Afghanistan and Pakistan to protect our enduring interests in that region.

The meetings were focused on how best to ensure the al Qaeda threat is eliminated from the region and that regional stability is restored. We looked closely at the alignment of our efforts and the balance between civilian and military resources, both in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the efforts of the U.S. and the international community.

A number of issues were explored in depth: national interests, core objectives and goals, counterterrorism priorities, safe havens for terrorist groups in Pakistan, the health of the global U.S. military force, risks and costs associated with troop deployments, global deployment requirements, international cooperation and commitments for both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Afghan capacity in all areas to include Afghan security forces, central and sub-national governance and corruption (including the narcotics trade), and development and economic issues.

WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE March: Since the President announced our renewed commitment in March, a number of key developments led the Administration to review its approach in Afghanistan and Pakistan: new attention was focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan, new U.S. leadership was established in Afghanistan, Pakistan increased its efforts to combat extremists, and the situation in Afghanistan has become more grave.

The United States assigned new civilian and military leadership in Afghanistan, with the appointments of Ambassador Karl Eikenberry as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, and General Stanley McChrystal as the new Commander of ISAF military forces in Afghanistan. Upon arrival in Afghanistan, both Ambassador Eikenberry and General McChrystal recognized that after eight years of underresourcing, the situation was worse than expected. Together, Ambassador Eikenberry and General McChyrstal published a new Civilian-Military Campaign Plan to integrate U.S. efforts across the country.

Afghanistan's difficult, extended election process and evident signs of the absence of rule of law made clear the limits of the central government in Kabul.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the Pakistanis showed new resolve in defeating militants who had taken control of the Swat Valley, just 60 miles from Islamabad. Pakistani political leaders—including opposition party leaders—came together to support the Pakistani military operations. This fall, the Pakistanis expanded their fight against extremists into the Mehsud tribal areas of South Waziristan along the border with Afghanistan.

THE WAY FORWARD: The President has decided to deploy an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. These troops will deploy on an accelerated timeline to reinforce the 68,000 Americans and 39,000 non-U.S. ISAF troops already there, so that we can target the insurgency, break its momentum, and better secure population centers. These forces will increase our capacity to train effective Afghan Security Forces, and to partner with them so that more Afghans get into the fight. And by pursuing these partnerships, we can transition to Afghan responsibility, and begin to reduce our combat troops in the summer of 2011. In short, these resources will allow us to make the final push that is necessary to train Afghans so that we can transfer responsibility.

We will maintain this increased force level for the next 18 months. During this time, we will regularly measure our progress. And beginning in July 2011, we will transfer lead security responsibility to Afghans and start to transition our combat forces out of Afghanistan. As Afghans take on responsibility for their security, we will continue to advise and assist Afghanistan's Security Forces, and maintain a partnership on behalf of their security so that they can sustain this effort. Afghans are tired of war and long for peace, justice, and economic security. We intend to help them achieve these goals and end this war and the threat of reoccupation by the foreign fighters associated with al Qaeda.

We will not be in this effort alone. We will continue to be joined in the fight by the Afghans, and the aggressive partnering effort envisioned by General McChrystal will get more Afghans into the fight for their country's future. There will also be additional resources from NATO. These allies have already made significant commitments of their own in Afghanistan, and we will be discussing additional alliance contributions – in troops, trainers, and resources – in the days and weeks ahead. This is not simply a test of the alliance's credibility – what is at stake is even more fundamental. It is the security of London and Madrid; of Paris and Berlin; of Prague, New York, and our broader collective security.

We will work with our partners, the United Nations, and the Afghan people to strengthen our civilian effort, so that Afghanistan's government can step in as we establish better security. President Karzai's inauguration speech sent the right message about moving in a new direction, including his commitment to reintegration and reconciliation, improving relations with Afghanistan's regional partners, and steadily increasing the security responsibilities of Afghan security forces. But we must see action and progress. We will be clear about our expectations, and we will encourage and reinforce Afghan Ministries, Governors, and local leaders who deliver for the people and combat corruption. We will not reinforce those who are not accountable and not acting in the service of the Afghan people and the state. And we will also focus our assistance in areas – such as agriculture – that can make an immediate impact in the lives of the Afghan people.

CIVILIAN ASSISTANCE: A continuing significant increase in civilian experts will accompany a sizable infusion of additional civilian assistance. They will partner with Afghans over the long term to enhance the capacity of national and sub-national government institutions and to help rehabilitate Afghanistan's key economic sectors so that Afghans can defeat the insurgents who promise only more violence.

Growth is critical to undermine extremists' appeal in the short term and for sustainable economic development in the long term. Our top reconstruction priority is implementing a civilian-military agriculture redevelopment strategy to restore Afghanistan's once vibrant agriculture sector. This will help sap the insurgency of fighters and of income from poppy cultivation.

An emphasis of our governance efforts will be on developing more responsive, visible, and accountable institutions at the provincial, district, and local level, where everyday Afghans encounter their government. We will also encourage and support the Afghan Government's reinvigorated plans to fight corruption, with concrete measures of progress toward greater accountability.

A key element of our political strategy will be supporting Afghan-led efforts to reintegrate Taliban who renounce al Qaeda, lay down their arms, and engage in the political process.

OUR PARTNER IN PAKISTAN: Our partnership with Pakistan is inextricably linked to our efforts in Afghanistan. To secure our country, we need a strategy that works on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The costs of inaction are far greater.

The United States is committed to strengthening Pakistan's capacity to target those groups that pose the greatest threat to both of our countries. A safe haven for those high-level terrorists whose location is known, and whose intentions are clear, cannot be tolerated. For Pakistan, we continue to encourage civilian and military leadership to sustain their fight against extremists and to eliminate terrorists' safe havens in their country.

We are now focused on working with Pakistan's democratic institutions, deepening the ties among our governments and people for our common interests and concerns. We are committed to a strategic relationship with Pakistan for the long term. We have affirmed this commitment to Pakistan by providing $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to support Pakistan's development and democracy, and have led a global effort to rally additional pledges of support. This sizable, long-term commitment of assistance addresses the following objectives:

(1) Helping Pakistan address immediate energy, water, and related economic crises, thereby deepening our partnership with the Pakistani people and decreasing the appeal of extremists;

(2) Supporting broader economic reforms that are necessary to put Pakistan on a path towards sustainable job creation and economic growth, which is necessary for long-term Pakistani stability and progress; and

(3) Helping Pakistan build on its success against militants to eliminate extremist sanctuaries that threaten Pakistan, Afghanistan, the wider region, and people around the world.

Additional U.S. assistance will help Pakistan build a foundation for long-term development, and will also strengthen ties between the American and Pakistani people by demonstrating that the United States is committed to addressing problems that most affect the everyday lives of Pakistanis as we work together to defeat the extremists who threaten Pakistan as they also threaten the United States.

###

Dustin Lambro
Washington State Director
Organizing for America

(206) 583-0664 office
(253) 882-6126 mobile
wa.barackobama.com

Statement from our Iranian-American Democrats about the attacks on NIAC

2009-11-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

From: BAIAD [mailto:mehdi@baiad.org]
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 3:50 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: BAIAD Releases Official Statement about Recent Attacks on NIAC

BAIAD Releases Official Statement
about Recent Attacks on NIAC

San Francisco, California -- Wednesday, November 18, 2009 -- Recently, a few extreme right-wing circles have been confronting National Iranian-American Council, NIAC, not by debating the merits of its positions and arguments, but through defamation and character assassination, accusing NIAC of being an agent of the Iranian government.

As an organization that has been working with Iranian-American grassroots for years on issues of great importance to this constituency, Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats, www.BAIAD.org, finds these accusations just as baseless as trying to link the groups behind these accusations to the Iranian government.

As Americans, we pride ourselves for being a nation of law, a country where people and organizations are presumed innocent until proven guilty. As such, if the accusers have evidence that implicates NIAC, they should offer it and must otherwise refrain from making unfounded accusations.

As American advocacy groups, BAIAD and NIAC -- despite having different missions -- only represent one constituency: Iranian-Americans who have a vested interest in participating in the American democracy.

Even though BAIAD does not see eye to eye with NIAC on every issue, on balance we have been -- and continue to be -- proud of the work NIAC has been doing in standing up for the interests of Iranian-Americans. Furthermore, NIAC has consistently demonstrated that it does not shy away from strong criticism of Iranian government on various grounds including human rights and foreign policy -- for example during the months that followed the contested presidential elections in Iran earlier this year.

BAIAD strongly condemns the use of defamation and slander as a way of winning political arguments and believes that these attacks serve the aim of intimidating pro-diplomacy Iranian-Americans, suppressing open political participation by Iranian-Americans, and poisoning the much needed debate about the best foreign policy toward Iran.

Furthermore, we strongly urge those who believe in the power of democracy and healthy political discourse to speak out and not allow slander, character assassination and defamation to propagate unexamined and unanswered.

About Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats – BAIAD
Founded in 2004, Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats is the first chartered Iranian-American Democratic organization in the history of the Bay Area.

BAIAD is a non-religious, not-for-profit organization that stands for protecting the rights and interests of Iranian-Americans by encouraging active participation in American democracy and empowering the Iranian-American political voice and influence.

BAIAD is a chartered Democratic Club and is officially recognized by the Santa Clara County and Alameda County Democratic Parties.

Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats
It’s time to take a stand!
w w w . b a i a d . o r g
415.315.9959

Help us push healthcare reform!

2009-11-06T06:53:00.000-08:00

Action alert on healthcare reform for progressives in WA-03 and WA-09

http://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/

Telephone numbers are included in blog post.

Please join me in phoning Congressman Brian Baird (WA-03) and Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) requesting their support of HR 3962. I just called and left message - it's easy, quick, and important.

--
Thank you,
Susan Sheary

Fwd: Yes, We Did!!! Chris Roberts for Shoreline City Council

2009-11-05T20:43:00.001-08:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Christopher Roberts <robertsforshoreline@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 8:21 PM
Subject: Yes, We Did!!! Chris Roberts for Shoreline City Council

Dear Friends and Supporters,

After watching the results for the past few days in my race for Shoreline City Council, I want to share some exciting news - we won!!!

As of today's release of results from King County, I am ahead of Ron Hansen 57% - 42% with about 60% of the ballots counted. I want to thank all of you for supporting my campaign. Without your help, support, and enthusiasm, this campaign would not have succeeded.

I especially want to thank my opponent for his 14 years on the Council. Ron was one of the first members on the Council and he has committed countless hours of public service to our community, both for the City, including a term as Mayor, and as President of the Rotary Club of Shoreline. Ron's active participation in our community is something that we should all seek to exemplify in our own lives.

From the beginning, this was a grassroots campaign. I qualified for the ballot via petition. Instead of paying the usual filing fee, with your help, I collected four times the number of signatures necessary for a spot on November's ballot. During the summer and early fall, I canvassed nearly 80% of the city - listening to your concerns and your ideas of how we could make Shoreline a better place.

Now, the hard work is about to begin. One lesson that we learned following the Obama campaign and echoed during this election, is that we must remain active in our neighborhoods. I encourage everyone to participate in your local neighborhood association, your place of worship, your local political party or civic organization, or to organize a Block Watch on your street. We all have a role in building a stronger, safer, more cohesive community.

Furthermore, we must continue to make our concerns known to our elected officials. In Shoreline we continue to face important questions about our collective future. How do we want to manage the growth that will come to our City? What can we do to retain our existing businesses and attract new entrepreneurs to the City? How can we create budget that reflects our values without breaking the backs of Shoreline taxpayers? What is the best way to manage the traffic on our neighborhood streets (both speed and volume)? How can we preserve our remaining open spaces in the City for our children and grandchildren?

The future of our City remains in your hands, and I will continue listening to and seeking out your ideas from all parts of Shoreline. Please keep a lookout for town hall forums that I will sponsor in your neighborhood about the issues that matter the most to you. Only together, we can make Shoreline a better place to work, live, and play.

Again, thank you, thank you, and thank you for your support and your confidence in me to serve you on the Shoreline City Council.

Fired Up and Ready to Serve!

Chris

Friends for Christopher Roberts

robertsforshoreline@gmail.com

www.robertsforshoreline.com

206-708-1734

PO BOX 55621

Shoreline WA 98155

Fw: King County Strategic Plan feedback needed

2009-11-05T19:50:00.001-08:00

----- Original Message -----
From: King County Council
To: suzie2004@comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 5:05 PM
Subject: King County Strategic Plan feedback needed
Dear King County Resident:

At the request of the King County Council, the County is developing a
strategic plan for the next five years. You've had the opportunity to
participate through surveys, public workshops, and online. Now it's
your turn again: please visit www.kingcounty.gov/strategicplan to read
the public review draft of King County's Strategic Plan for 2010-2014
and provide your comments.

We want your input to make sure the plan reflects your priorities and
values as a King County resident. Please make sure to comment by
November 19 to ensure your feedback is considered in the draft plan
that will be reviewed by the King County Council.

Thank you for your input!

FW: Larsen Announces Support for Affordable Health Care for America Act

2009-11-05T06:45:00.001-08:00

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen

2^nd District, Washington

For Immediate Release: November 4, 2009

Contact: Kimberly Johnston, Chief of Staff

Cell: (202) 420-8354

Larsen Announces Support for Affordable Health Care for America Act

Washington, D.C. —U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement today announcing his support for the Affordable Health Care for American Act (HR 3962) which is scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives on Saturday:

The status quo is unacceptable

"After a full review of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, I am announcing my support for this important legislation. I support health care reform. The status quo is unacceptable.

Health care help for families

"The Affordable Health Care for America Act brings stability and security to families struggling with increasing health care costs. It gives much-needed financial relief to small business owners who cannot afford coverage for their employees. It provides coverage to the 104,000 individuals lacking insurance in Washington's 2^nd Congressional district. The bill improves the Medicare program for our seniors. And the bill stops the discrimination for people who have been denied coverage, or charged through the roof, because of their age or gender, or because they have a pre-existing condition such as diabetes or cancer.

Unprecedented outreach

"Since July, I have held two in-person town hall meetings on health care reform that were attended by over 3,000 people, and two telephone town halls listened to by over 7,600 people. I participated in a League of Women Voters health care forum in Coupeville that was attended by over 300 people. And I held nearly 30 meetings on health care reform in the district with local doctors, patients, small businesses, families and hospitals. I have responded to nearly 5,000 constituent letters, emails and calls on health care reform to this point, and will respond an additional 5,000 letters, emails and calls after I take this vote.

Major victory for Washington state

"Since the House of Representatives began crafting health care reform legislation, we have made great progress for Washington state. I brought local concerns to the attention of leadership in Washington, D.C. and fought hard to make sure the health care reform bill includes a fair deal for Washington state.

"Specifically, I pushed to protect access to health care for Washington state patients by ensuring that Washington state is rewarded, not penalized, for providing high-quality, low-cost patient care.

"This bill includes language to fix the long-standing Medicare reimbursement problems that have hurt access to health care in Washington state. This is a huge victory for our state.

Help for those with healthcare

"The bill also bans discrimination for pre-existing conditions, age and gender. No one should be denied coverage, or be charged through the roof, because of their age or gender, or because they have a pre-existing condition.

"It is also important to point out that this bill protects people's choice of doctors and health plans. If you like your doctor or your health plan, you can keep your doctor or health plan. If you have good insurance that you like, nothing in this bill will take it away from you.

"And the Affordable Health Care for America Act expands access to quality, affordable health insurance options by setting up a Health Insurance Exchange that includes a public option that works for Washington state. This exchange provides one-stop, comparison shopping for qualifying individuals and small businesses.

Small business advantages

"Small businesses currently pay 18 percent more than larger firms to provide the same health insurance benefits to their employees. This exchange will help bring much-needed financial relief and stability to small business owners and their employees.

Help for seniors

"And finally, the bill improves Medicare benefits, strengthens the solvency of the Medicare program, and closes the "donut hole" in the Medicare Prescription Drug Program to better serve our seniors.

"I believe that a vote in favor of the Affordable Health Care for America Act is the right vote for Washington's 2^nd Congressional district.

###

Brooke N Davis

Political Director

Congressman Rick Larsen

PO Box 326

Everett, WA 98206

www.ricklarsen.org

brooke@ricklarsen.org

425-259-1866 office

425-259-0117 fax

425-830-2031 cell

November 1st Edition of "The King County Democrat"

2009-11-01T20:24:00.001-08:00

The November 1st edition of "The King County Democrat" is available
for viewing at,

http://wa-demchairs.org/kcdems/documents/nov2009.1.pdf

Just a friendly reminder to make sure that you have signed and mailed
your ballot - November 3rd is fast-approaching and we need every
Democratic vote.

Thank you,
Susan Sheary

Looking for victory parties?

2009-11-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

Here's a great map that shows where some of the victory parties will be on Tuesday night. Join your favorite, and celebrate your victories!

And don't forget the King County Victory Party on November 15th!

Congrats to Rep. Maralyn Chase!

2009-10-28T16:19:00.000-07:00

STATE REP. MARALYN CHASE SELECTED TO NATIONAL COALITION OF STATE LEADERS ON ENERGY & CLIMATE CHANGE

Rep. Chase will work with White House as Senate debates clean-energy jobs bill

October 26, 2009

ST. PAUL, MN - State Rep. Maralyn Chase (D-Shoreline) has been selected to a national working group of state leaders working with the White House to advance federal clean-energy legislation in Congress. The group met for the first time in late September via phone, tackling energy policy issues that will put the country on course for significant progress in the clean-energy economy.

"Washington and many other states have shown real leadership building a cleaner, more energy efficient future," said Rep. Chase. "State legislators play a unique role in clean-energy jobs policies. We're elected representatives of the people, we know the businesses and labor issues in our states, and many of us see federal action as the launching pad for the next generation of innovation and prosperity in America."

Working with the White House, the group will help inform the debate surrounding the American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454). Their efforts will focus on moving the country toward clean energy solutions that will create jobs and reduce America's reliance on foreign oil.

Washington is uniquely positioned to contribute innovative ideas for nationwide clean-energy policy reforms. Under the leadership of Governor Gregoire, Washington state is one of several states recognized as a model for the country's new clean-energy economy.

"Washington has again taken the opportunity to lead," said Rep. Chase. "Our recent efforts at the state level are at the cutting edge of job creation and innovation in the clean-energy economy–and one of the few areas of job growth during the current downturn. The progress we've made can serve as a model for the rest of the country as Congress takes needed action to build a prosperous economy and a more secure clean energy future."

Rep. Chase will be participating in the working group along with 40 other state legislators from across the nation.

For more information:
State Rep. Maralyn Chase: (206) 366-2604
Chase.Maralyn@leg.wa.gov

Fwd: I knew we could do it

2009-10-26T19:06:00.001-07:00

If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view.


	Dear Chad, Last month, I co-authored a public option amendment that went down to defeat in committee. When that happened, many said that the fight was over. I never believed that and encouraged you to join me in this fight by calling on the Senate leadership to add a public option to the bill. In just 24 hours, over ten thousand people, including you, signed their names and joined millions of other Americans across the country who spoke up and made their voice heard. Today, Senate Majority Leader Reid answered our call and announced that the Senate health care bill WILL include a public option. This is a huge victory for supporters of true health care reform and I wanted to thank you for your vocal support. I firmly believe that this happened because people like you took the time to speak out. However, make no mistake, we have more battles ahead. The public option, and many of other key provisions in this bill are wildly unpopular with special interests. In the coming days, tens of millions of dollars will be spent in a last ditch attempt to confuse the issue, taint public opinion, and kill reform. We are so close to victory, and now is the time to redouble our efforts. Let's keep our momentum going. Please ask your friends to join you by adding their name to our petition at: http://www.cantwell.com/action/publicoption/ Thanks again for everything you do, Maria Cantwell

Paid for by Friends of Maria

Contributions to Friends of Maria are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.
Corporate contributions are prohibited by law.

All content © 2009 Friends of Maria
PO Box 12740, Seattle, WA 98111

Fwd: Faithful Voters Guide

2009-10-23T07:13:00.001-07:00

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Faithful Voters Guide
Religious Leaders Say:
Vote No on Initiative 1033 & Vote to Approve Referendum 71

As you consider voting on your ballot that's arrived in the mail, I want to share with you the Washington Association of Churches' perspective on two important ballot issues.

The first is Tim Eyman's Initiative 1033. WAC, along with over 200 organizations and communities as well as 100's of religious leaders call on all people of compassion to vote NO on 1033. See letter and signatories

As people of faith, we believe that our tax system should bridge the gap between the rich and poor, promote economic security, and protect our state's most vulnerable residents. This latest initiative from Tim Eyman fails on all three counts. It not only fails to bridge the gap, it makes it wider, deeper and worst of all permanent. It will force deeper cuts and lock them in for years to come.

We call upon all members of the faith communities to join us in raising moral voices to defeat I-1033. Please talk to your friends, family and faith community about the damage this initiative would do to the people of our state.

For our friends in King County, I-1033 is hard to find on the ballot. It is on the lower left of your ballot, below the instructions.

The second issue you will be voting on is Referendum 71 See members of Faith Communities' position on REF.71

The WAC joins the Church Council of Greater Seattle, the Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State and over 200 clergy from diverse faith traditions in urging you to vote to APPROVE Referendum 71, the domestic partnership law passed in the 2009 legislative session. This will protect the rights of all families, including same gender partners and unmarried seniors.

As people of faith, we view the role of religion to nurture and support families, not to regard some as less deserving. Failure of this referendum would mean that basic civil rights and essential protections will be provided to some families and denied to others. To deny families, including older couples, the basic right to take care of each other threatens not only those families but our collective commitment to each other.

We respect the rights of all members of faith communities to believe what they are called to believe, and to practice their faith as they see fit. But where such essential rights are involved, the state has an obligation to protect the rights of all members of our communities.

Please call us if you have questions about I-1033 or R-71 or a question about voting in general. More information is available on the No on I-1033 or Approve Ref. 71 websites.

Alice Woldt,

Washington Association of Churches

woldt@thewac.org

206 625-9790 ext. 11

Forward email

Washington Association of Churches | PO Box 95949 | Seattle | WA | 98145

Fwd: The lies she tells...

2009-10-22T17:17:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dwight Pelz, Washington State Democrats <chair@wa-democrats.org>
Date: Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 12:29 PM
Subject: Re: The lies she tells...

Dear Chad,

There are 12 days left in this election, and Susan Hutchison will say anything to win.

In fact, she keeps lying to the voters in an attempt to hide her true beliefs and her right-wing ideology.

Why does she choose to lie to voters? The answer is simple. Hutchison understands if the voters know the truth about her beliefs, she cannot win. Help us elect Dow Constantine today.

Below are some of Hutchison's outrageous distortions of the truth:

"I am non-partisan." The TRUTH - Hutchison has given over $15,000 to right-wing Republican candidates and causes including George W. Bush, Dino Rossi, and Mike Huckbee. There are no records of her contributing to any Democratic candidate.

On a women's right to choose - "I will uphold the law of the land" (Seattle Times 9/23/09). The TRUTH - Hutchison is on the Board of the Stewardship Foundation, a right-wing fundamentalist group that has given $425,000 to anti-choice causes since 2005. These include "crisis pregnancy centers" in Virginia and Pierce County, WA, and $105,000 to Americans United for Life, America's "oldest national pro-life organization." These organizations are trying to dismantle Roe vs. Wade.

"I support Sound Transit." The TRUTH - At a KING TV debate Wednesday night, Hutchison admitted she opposes last year's voter-approved light rail plan and supports the lawsuit by her biggest supporter, anti-light rail crusader Kemper Freeman, to block light rail across I-90.

"I have never given money to the BIAW" (Seattlepi.com 10/18/09). The TRUTH - Hutchison personally contributed $1000 to the Building Industry Association of Washington PAC in 2005. The BIAW is the most extreme anti-environmental organization in our state, and last year alone, they spent over $7 million trying to defeat Governor Gregoire.

Make sure to forward this e-mail to your friends who may not know all the facts about this race. This race will likely come down to a few votes. Right now, there are still too many undecided Democrats who do not know the truth about Susan Hutchison.

Please take a moment right now and contribute just $35 to Dow's campaign today. Your support will make all the difference in this race.

Sincerely,

Dwight Pelz
Washington State Democrats Chair

p.s. Susan Hutchison lies to the voters, because she simply has too much to hide. Please contribute to Dow Constantine's campaign today, and elect a King County Executive who reflects your values.

Fwd: Dow Constantine needs our help, from Senator Patty Murray

2009-10-21T13:51:00.001-07:00

Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:21:04 -0400
From: campmail@pattymurray.com
To: kingcountydemocrats@msn.com
Subject: Dow Constantine needs our help

The race for King County Executive is very close, and Dow Constantine needs your vote and support today!

I am supporting Dow Constantine for King County Executive because he is the only candidate with the experience and progressive values we need to get us through this tough economic time. But first, Dow must win this very difficult election -- and he needs our help.

This race will come down to the final days, and I hope you will join me in voting for Dow Constantine, the only Democrat in the race.

Make no mistake, the other side has been working hard to defeat Dow, and we need to help Dow win in November so he can continue to fight for the issues you and I care about. Issues like:

A woman's right to choose: Dow is pro-choice and is the only candidate in the race with a record of supporting a woman's right to choose. This is especially important since the county funds health clinics that provide family planning services to low-income women.

Healthy and clean environment: Dow is the clear environmental choice in this race. From his first battle to save green space in West Seattle, he has been an environmental leader his entire career. Now those who want to roll back his accomplishments are bankrolling attack ads against him.

There are just 13 days left in this race, so what you do between now and November 3rd is critical. Please take a moment to tell your friends, family, and neighbors what is at stake in this election!

This is going to be a close race, and it will take a lot of resources for Dow to win. Your donation of $800 (the general election maximum), $500, $250, or $50 will help Dow become the next King County Executive.

Join me in supporting Dow today.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Patty Murray
U.S. Senator

Visit PattyMurray.com | Donate Today!

Paid for by People for Patty Murray

Fwd: Get our ad on The Daily Show!

2009-10-20T13:09:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Approve 71 Campaign <reply@approve71.org>
Date: Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 10:34 AM
Subject: Get our ad on The Daily Show!
To: Chad Lupkes <chadlupkes@gmail.com>

Dear Chad,

Our second television ad debuts today! Take a look right here.

Our second ad features Charlene Strong and reminds us of how vulnerable gay and lesbian families were before the legislature established the domestic partnership registry in 2007.

Voter outreach is even more urgent now that voters have received their ballots -- we need to remind them to vote and to vote APPROVE on Referendum 71.

Even a small contribution can make a big difference. A contribution of $24 buys one spot on cable news in Spokane. A $250 donation puts Approve Referendum 71's ad on primetime cable news. Donate $500 and the campaign can buy a spot on The Daily Show. Won't you consider donating enough for one ad?

We have hard-working volunteers calling voters every night. Our first ad has been on the air about a week, and now this latest ad.

But the race is close: 45% of voters are sure they'll vote "approve," 42% are sure they'll vote "reject," and 13% aren't sure.

Equality-friendly younger voters are a special challenge. We know they are less likely to vote in off-year elections. We also know that they move more often than older voters, and sometimes have to make a special effort just to get their ballots. Please help us increase our outreach with a donation to the Approve Referendum 71 campaign.

We need the resources to keep our ads on the air so people know how important it is to defend protections for gay and lesbian couples.

I spoke to one such couple, Karen Kerr and Penny Stone, who are volunteering for the campaign phone bank. The two firefighters told me how important Referendum 71's passage is for them.

"People don't know what it's like, to have to hire lawyers to make sure your family has basic protections and lawyers can't provide many of the protections we'll lose if we don't win this referendum fight," Karen said.

We're confident that if fair-minded voters understand the importance of Referendum 71, they will make sure to get those ballots out of the mail pile, mark approve, and send them in. Help us spread the word. Donate $71, $100, or $250 today!

Sincerely,

Josh Friedes
Campaign Manager
www.Approve71.org

PS: If you can't donate, please sign up to volunteer by clicking here!

And if you haven't already voted, please remember to vote TODAY!

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
Tell-a-friend!

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Equal Rights Washington.

What would I-1033 do to our state?

2009-10-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

I'm posting two articles from Dick Conway of Dick Conway & Associates, publisher of the Puget Sound Economic Forecaster.

The first is Mr. Conway's perspective on Initiative 1033. In this article, he describes the general tax situation and what will happen to our ability to provide government services around the state if this measure passes. Here's a quote:

I-1033 is a lid on state and local taxes, but its impact would be more like that of a sledge hammer. Rather than letting the public sector expand along with the rest of the economy, it would knock down Washington state and local government one brick at a time. In ten years, our ability to provide the quantity and quality of public goods and services requried for a competitive economy and a high standard of living would be the lowest in the nation.
Is that what the people of Washington want?

The second article is a larger picture of our tax structure in Washington State. This is worth reading to see why we are where we are and what we might be able to do about it.

Dick Conway is solely responsible for the research and conclusions in this article. He has not been paid or sponsored by any person or entity for this study.

Where do I take my ballot? Answer:

2009-10-16T13:28:00.001-07:00

News Release
Date: October 16, 2009
Contact: Kim Van Ekstrom, King County, 206-296-1552
Lois Maag, Seattle Dept. Of Neighborhoods, 206-615-0950

You’ve voted your ballot, but now what? Drop boxes now open

Ballots for the November 3 General Election have been delivered to mailboxes throughout King County and will continue arriving through the weekend. Voted ballots can be returned by mail or dropped off, beginning today, at any of our ballot drop boxes.

“Elections has placed drop boxes at locations where voters are already visiting; we want to make voting and returning your mail ballot as easy as possible,” said King County Elections’ superintendent Evelyn Arnold. “Many voters like to use the ballot drop boxes because they offer a sense of connection to Elections and it saves them the cost of a stamp.”

Elections continues to partner with King County Library Systems and Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods for many of the drop locations.

Ballots returned at one of the following 24-hour drop boxes do not need postage and must be dropped off by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3.

Auburn Library, 1102 Auburn Way S., Auburn, 98002
Library Connection @ Crossroads, 15600 NE 8th St., Bellevue, 98008
Black Diamond Library, 24707 Roberts Dr., 98010
Covington Library, 27100 164th Ave SE, 98042
Des Moines Library, 21620 11th Avenue S., 98198
Earlington Business Center, 919 SW Grady Way, 98057
Fall City Library, 33415 SE 42 Pl., 98024
Federal Way Library, 848 S 320th St, 98003
Kent Regional Library, 212 2nd Ave N, 98032
Lake Forest Park Library, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 98155
Seattle, King County Administration Building, 500 Fourth Ave., 98104
Seattle, White Center Library, 11220 16th S.W., Seattle, 98146
Woodinville Library, 17105 Avondale Rd NE, 98072

The following Seattle Neighborhood Service Center locations also accept ballots. For more information, visit http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nsc/
Ballard, 5604 22nd Ave NW, 98107
Central, 2301 S Jackson, 98144
Delridge, 5405 Delridge Way SW, 98106
Lake City, 12525 28th Ave NE, 98125
Southeast, 3815 S Othello St, 98118
University, 4534 University Way NE, 98105

A limited number of ballot drop boxes were first opened to accept ballots for the 2008 primary and a total of 19 boxes are now open for the Nov. 3 election.

If you haven’t received your ballot by Thursday, October 22, please call us at 206-296-VOTE (8683). For more information on the November 3 General Election and returning your ballot, visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/elections/200911.aspx .

###

Update on Rep. Adam Smith

2009-10-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

Members of the Progressive Advisory Council,

The next meeting of the Progressive Advisory Council, scheduled for this Monday, October 19th has been cancelled. Yesterday morning Congressman Adam Smith experienced some pain and tension in his right side. After visiting with the House Physician’s Office and a subsequent follow-up visit with doctors at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Congressman Smith was diagnosed with a collapsed lung. He underwent a procedure to address the situation Thursday night and is currently resting at Bethesda Navel Hospital. Congressman Smith is expected to make a full recovery.

I would like to thank everyone for your understanding during this tough time. I will do my best to schedule another meeting of the Council before the end of the year, depending on the Congressional voting calendar. Please stay tuned for a future date and location, which will be distributed via email as always.

Thanks and if you have any questions or concerns, I will be in the office today until 3:00pm and can be reached at 253-593-6603.
Matt Perry
Field Representative
Office of Congressman Adam Smith
2209 Pacific Avenue, Suite B
Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone: 253.593.6600

Fw: Keep this TV ad on the air!

2009-10-15T14:36:00.001-07:00

----- Original Message -----

From: Dylan Ordoñez, Dow Constantine for King County Executive

To: suzie2004@comcast.net

Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 11:15 AM

Subject: Keep this TV ad on the air!

www.DowConstantine.com

Dear Susan,

Ballots are in the mail and people begin voting as early as today!

It is crunch time in this race - every vote and every dollar matters. Dow needs your help today!

We are proud of the massive grassroots support Dow has received. We are proud of the hundreds of endorsements Dow has garnered - from Planned Parenthood to the
Mayor of Bellevue, from the Sierra Club and Washington Conservation Voters to the Mayor of Enumclaw. All across King County folks are saying YES to Dow's leadership and values, and saying NO to Susan Hutchison!

Today we launch our first general election TV ad, "We're with Dow." Click here to be the first to see it.

Will you help us keep this ad on the air?

Yesterday I reminded you how close this election is. Dow wins if we are able to reach undecided voters and let them know who Susan Hutchison is and what she really stands for.

This ad will be on the air through Monday. But we need to raise an additional $50,000 to combat the ad buy of our opponent's right-wing supporters.

Please contribute $45, $120, $350 or $800 today to keep this ad on the air.

Stand with Dow today!

Sincerely,

Dylan Ordoñez
Campaign Manager
Friends of Dow Constantine

Paid for by Friends of Dow Constantine

PO Box 16285
Seattle, WA 98116

King County Democrats

Every single Democrat but Hollings voted against Glass-Steagall repeal

Join us at the 25th annual Eastside Dinner!

Join the LAC on Sunday, July 17th!

The Republican War on Women

Democrat Bob Ferguson to Announce Run for Attorney General on Valentine's Day

King County Democrats LAC Newsletter #2

King County Democrats Fundraiser Friday Feb. 4, 2011 with Congressman Jay Inslee

Invitation to join Dr. Bobby Virk and

Port Commissioner John Creighton Announces Campaign For King County Council

Port of Seattle unanimously adopts Tarleton's green-trade initiative

LAC Meeting, January 16th

2011 Olympia House Standing Committees

2011-12 House Standing Committees/Issue Areas

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Business & Financial Services

Capital Budget

Community Development and Housing

Early Learning & Human Services

Education

Education Appropriations & Oversight

Environment

General Government Appropriations & Oversight

Health & Human Services Appropriations & Oversight

Health Care & Wellness

Higher Education

Judiciary

Labor & Workforce Development

Local Government

Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness

Rules

State Government & Tribal Affairs

Technology, Energy & Communications

Transportation

Ways & Means

Stand Up for Grocery Store Workers

Stand Up for Puget Sound Grocery Store Workers

What your members can do

Update on the Shoreline Master Program

King County Democrats Newsletter, November 2010 Week 1

Four Questions and Four Answers

Ballots on the way… WE need you for GOTV!

What Making A Difference Looks Like...

The Times endorses Suzan DelBene in the 8th Congressional District

Please sign the voting pledge!!!

Evening with Aaron Brown

A Fundraiser for the Municipal League of King County

Moving America Forward

An invitation to our Veterans

Put BP on the hook!

Partners in Preservation campaign result

Share your priorities with Congressman Jay Inslee!

King County Democrats LAC Meeting this Sunday with Special Guests!

Redmond Public Library

Say yes to a permanent beer tax increase

King County Convention on Saturday, April 10th!

Special Election on April 27th

Congressman Jim McDermott on Health Care Reform

At last: a National Health Care Reform Bill!

Gut Check

An Organizing Benefit for 3-Strikes Reform

MICHELLE ALEXANDERAUTHOR OF THE NEW JIM CROWMASS INCARCERATION IN THE AGE OF COLOR BLINDNESS

LASTING REFORM REQUIRES SOCIAL CHANGE – NOT JUST NEW LAWS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 6:30 - 9 PMRAINIER VALLEY CULTURAL CENTER3515 SOUTH ALASKA STREET, SEATTLETIX $6: WWW.BROWNPAPERTICKETS.COM OR AT THE DOOR

Support Health Care Reform! from DFA and the Coffee Party

Executive Constantine on the King Conservation District election

Fire the Insurance Man!

2010 Proposed KCDCC Platform

From Washington Conservation Voters, elect Max Prinsen!

Executive Dow Constantine's remarks on March 8, 2010

100 Days

2010 PCO Candidate Filing in King County

The West Seattle Democratic Women take on Corporate Personhood

Another sucessful election

KCDCC Endorsements

Join us on February 15th for our Lobby Day!

County Exec Dow Constantine is acting quickly to ensure public safety

News Release

King County Executive orders Metro Transit to review policies that restrict transit security guards from intervening in criminal activity

Guards in surveillance video followed current “observe and report” procedures

MICHELLE ALEXANDER
AUTHOR OF THE NEW JIM CROW
MASS INCARCERATION IN THE AGE OF COLOR BLINDNESS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 6:30 - 9 PM
RAINIER VALLEY CULTURAL CENTER
3515 SOUTH ALASKA STREET, SEATTLE
TIX $6: WWW.BROWNPAPERTICKETS.COM OR AT THE DOOR