Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts

Attack websites seep into WA election battles

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

SaveOurYachts.com

By Jerry Cornfield in the Washington State Standard

Bob Ferguson, Semi Bird, Jim Henderson and Brian Heywood have something in common this election season in Washington.

Their political opponents have built websites to spread unflattering information – and in some cases misinformation – about them.

There’s “BobforBob” looking into Ferguson’s political history and “bird-docs.com” digging into Bird’s past personal tribulations. “Save Our Yachts” jabs the wealthy Heywood for pushing an initiative to repeal the capital gains tax and “realjimhenderson” is an attack by Republicans on a first-time GOP candidate for legislative office.

These creations aren’t expected to go viral or significantly alter the trajectory of any of the ballot battles but are viewed by their creators as a tool to educate, and maybe sway, a few voters.

“They are very much fodder for people looking to use negatives to put a partisan in their place,” said Cathy Allen, owner of The Connections Group and veteran Democrat campaign consultant.

Take BobforBob.com. It delves into a select few pieces of the political record of Ferguson, the three-term Democrat attorney general running for governor. Links to and excerpts from news accounts fill the site. It is not flashy and is laid out a bit like a research paper.

But make no mistake, it’s packed with jabs.

“Previously, Ferguson worked as Attorney General of Washington suing small-business owners, withholding evidence, waging lawfare, and extorting corporations for campaign donations,” is the opening line.

Peter Graves of Axiom Strategies, the Republican consulting firm behind BobforBob.com, said ideally it will be one of the first websites to show up when someone searches for background on Ferguson.

“The goal here is to obviously get out information about Bob Ferguson and for the research to be used to help others make decisions,” he said.

Bayley Burgess, Ferguson’s campaign manager, blasted the website as “a fever dream of baseless rants, and not worthy of additional comment.”

“What voters care about is the direction of our state and country,” she said in an email.

Such undertakings tend to change few minds and can incite a backlash, especially in communities where negative campaigning is not the norm, said Bill Phillips of Sound Strategies, a Democratic consulting firm.

“It feels good for supporters. It feels like you’re making a difference. It feels like you’re getting your message out,” said Phillips, a former leader of the Snohomish County Democratic Party. “In the entire history of the internet, I have never met one Democrat who has said I was going to vote one way and then I saw this website.”

Family feud, take 1

Steve Gordon, a Pierce County Republican, shelled out a few hundred dollars to launch the ominous-looking bird-docs.com in April.

“Is Semi Bird the best choice for governor of Washington state? We won’t tell you how to vote. You be the judge” is a headline atop the site promising “facts” about the GOP gubernatorial candidate.

Scroll down and one finds links to videos and public records concerning Bird’s legal wranglings, military service and recall from the Richland School Board.

Gordon said he sought to get information to Republicans ahead of the state party convention in Spokane in April where Bird and Dave Reichert were to compete for the party’s endorsement.

The effort didn’t prevent Bird from securing the endorsement by an overwhelming margin. But he’s struggled since the convention to gain momentum.

At the convention, Bird acknowledged his past troubles. “If you want me to apologize for making mistakes, I will apologize. I will not live in shame for the rest of my life,” he said.

Since then he has assailed some fellow Republicans as “vile individuals” working to undercut his campaign.

Gordon also cut a $25,000 check to the political action committee funding the site targeting Ferguson. “I don’t know if people will cover some of Bob’s record as they should,” he said.

Fun on the water

Fuse Washington, the state’s largest progressive organization, got lighter and snarkier with SaveOurYachts.com. It is part of its opposition campaign to Initiative 2109, a measure on the November ballot to repeal the state’s capital gains tax.

It is one of three measures that qualified for the ballot through the efforts of Let’s Go Washington, a conservative political action committee largely funded by Heywood, a millionaire hedge fund manager.

It pokes fun at the extremely wealthy whose capital gains tax payments go to early learning and child care programs.

“We have a new hero in Brian Heywood,” begins one section. “He understands that many of us are upgrading our yachts for the summer, and now is NOT the time for us to keep paying taxes on our Wall Street profits.”

Aaron Ostrom, executive director of Fuse, said it is intended to motivate and engage their base. It had received 33,153 total visits as of June 25, which Ostrom said exceeded his expectations.

“It’s not like this is how we’re going to win the election,” he said. “We want to give our folks some laughs.”

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Op-Ed: United Way of King County response to U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding people experiencing homelessness

Sunday, June 30, 2024

The United States Supreme Court ruling that people experiencing homelessness can be arrested and fined for sleeping in public places moves our nation backward in being able to resolve the homelessness crisis and places even more burdens and debts on the most vulnerable individuals in our communities.

Punishing people for being unhoused is not a solution to end homelessness and does not address the underlying issues of the crisis. People experiencing homelessness already have nowhere to go – through no fault of their own – and this ruling will exacerbate the problem.

At United Way of King County, we believe in investing in and implementing prevention strategies—currently few and far between—to ensure people don’t fall into homelessness in the first place. We need our national and local governments to invest more to ensure affordable housing is readily available for renters with the lowest income. Our community deserves stronger renter protections and eviction prevention resources to stabilize households during a crisis so they don’t fall into homelessness.

We believe that this ruling will fail to reduce homelessness, requiring an extreme need for resources and funding to make sure further harm is not placed on the unhoused. This ruling does not lead with real solutions or facts.

Data shows that meeting people with individualized immediate access to stable housing and other wrap-around services and case management will lead to housing stability. Rather than leading with an approach to invest in adequate housing, shelter, and financial resources, this ruling punishes unhoused people for being in a vulnerable situation and not having a home.

Further, Black, Indigenous, and people of color experience homelessness at higher rates due to longstanding historical and structural racism, as well as single mothers with children under 18. This ruling, along with raising housing costs and gaps in income levels, will not solve any issues for these populations, which should be prioritized.

Prevention efforts are more important than ever. Our community deserves to ensure that no one is punished or criminalized for being unhoused.

United Way of King County


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At 145th groundbreaking event: Jayapal brings the funds, Inslee brings the donuts

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Governor Jay Inslee brought donuts to the 148th street light rail station groundbreaking event.
Photo by Oliver Moffat

By Oliver Moffat

Elected officials gathered at the Shoreline South Light Rail Station on Monday morning to celebrate the recent start of construction on the 145th roundabouts and the non-motorized bridge over I-5.

Governor Jay Inslee shouted to be heard over the roar of construction and midday I-5 traffic as he thanked workers while handing out donuts.

On a busy day, the 145th construction zone can have as many as thirty workers on site.

“I want to thank the workers that put this together. These projects are transportation projects, these are housing projects. And these are job projects,” said Shoreline Mayor Chris Roberts.

Construction is underway on 145th street at I-5 where the old signalized intersections will be replaced with roundabouts - photo by Oliver Moffat

Representative Pramila Jayapal highlighted her work to secure $4 million for the non-motorized bridge, $20 million for the completion of the 145th street corridor project, and a request for $4 million to fund Shoreline’s Trail Along the Rail.

“This is what it looks like when government puts its thumb on the scale for equity, for justice, for the environment, for business,” said Jayapal.

Currently, 145th west of I-5 is closed for construction until this fall. Pedestrians and bikes can currently use the north sidewalk of 145th but a detour on 147th is planned.

The 145th roundabout project is expected to be complete in late 2025.

The non-motorized bridge is expected to open in the spring of 2026.


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Office of the Secretary of State certifies candidates for August 6 Primary - with 28 candidates for Governor

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

OLYMPIA — The Office of the Secretary of State certified candidates for Washington’s August 6, 2024 Primary election Tuesday in the Legislative Building. 

More than 1,000 people filed as candidates for federal, state, judicial, legislative, county, and other offices online, by mail, and in person. Candidates were certified for distribution to county elections offices by Assistant Secretary of State Kevin McMahan.

Individual offices which drew the most candidate filings include the Washington state governor, with 28, and Charter Review Commission — District No. 2 in Whatcom County, with 15. 

The Office of the Secretary of State has a complete list of candidates who filed. Candidates running for state office must prepare and submit information for the statewide Voters’ Pamphlet by 5pm on May 21. 

The top two finishers for partisan public offices on the Primary ballot will advance to the November 5 General Election.

“Filing for candidacy is a crucial step in our democratic process,” Assistant Secretary McMahan said. “Washington’s free and fair elections provide equitable opportunities to compete for the chance to support communities statewide.”

Ballots for the August 6 Primary will be mailed to eligible voters by July 19, when drop boxes and Accessible Voting Units at voting centers will open for voter use. 

Online and mail registrations must be received by July 29 to vote in the Primary. You can register to vote or update registration information in person any time before 8pm on Election Day, August 6.

Ballot positions for the Primary were assigned by random draw May 10, as required by RCW 29A.36.131.


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Statement from Secretary of State Steve Hobbs on 2024 candidate filings

Monday, May 13, 2024

OLYMPIA — Two of the three people who filed to run for governor under the name Bob Ferguson withdrew from the race before Monday’s deadline. (see previous article

Attorney General Bob Ferguson is now the
only one of that name on the ballot for Governor.
Bob Ferguson, who is currently serving as the state’s attorney general, will remain on the ballot in position 11 of a field of 28 candidates.

Under Washington’s top-two primary system, each voter will get to choose from among the complete field on the ballot. 

Irrespective of political party, the two candidates with the largest vote totals for each position will appear on the November 5 General Election ballot.

Complete lists of filed and withdrawn candidates can be found through the website of the Office of the Secretary of State. 

As required by RCW 29A.36.010, candidate lists will be provided to county elections offices Tuesday, May 14. 

Ballot positions were assigned by random draw May 10, as required by RCW 29A.36.131.

The potential presence of multiple candidates with the same name on the ballot had required the Office of Secretary of State to follow procedures authorized by Washington Administrative Code 434-215-060 to mitigate voter confusion.

“Instances of people filing for office with names similar to well-known officeholders go back nearly a century in Washington and other states,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “That is nothing new. We know how to address such issues as elections officials.”

RCW 29A.84.320 makes it a felony to declare as a candidate for public office under the name of a fictitious person, a false name, or in using the name of an incumbent or candidate who has already filed “with intent to confuse and mislead” the voting public.

“Voters deserve good-faith candidates who are running on the strength of their ideas to make Washington a better place to live and work, not people who pay a filing fee just to manipulate elections,” Hobbs said. 
“Washington’s long history of free and fair elections must be protected and preserved in every year and campaign cycle.”

Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. 

The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.


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Three Bob Fergusons now running for governor as race takes turn for the weird

Sunday, May 12, 2024

A Republican activist convinced two Democrats, both named Bob Ferguson, to join the contest. Backers of AG Bob Ferguson, the leading Democrat, are crying foul.


BY: JERRY CORNFIELD
Washington State Standard
Attorney General Bob Ferguson is running for Governor.
His name will appear 13th on the list of 30 candidates,
with two other Bob Fergusons listed second and third.

The number of Bob Fergusons running to be Washington’s next governor grew to three on Friday.

A conservative Republican activist threw a monkey wrench into the race by recruiting two last-minute Democratic candidates who share the same name as the party’s presumed front-runner.

The newcomers, one from Yakima and the other Graham, will now share the Aug. 6 primary ballot with Attorney General Bob Ferguson. 

In all, 30 candidates filed in the race.

Glen Morgan, a political conservative who has a knack for annoying elected Democrats and their progressive allies, cooked up the maneuver that immediately drew flack from the attorney general’s camp as an attempt to confuse voters.

Morgan said this had been in the works for a while as he contacted some of the 53 Washington residents named Bob Ferguson.

Deciding to file on their behalf “was pretty impulsive” and he said he had to scramble to raise money to cover the filing fee of $1,982.57 for each of the two Fergusons.

Bob Ferguson from Yakima is a retired state worker and the one from Graham is a military veteran, he said. Neither is politically experienced but both share a distaste for the state executive with the same name, Morgan said.

Ferguson, the attorney general, declined Friday to comment.

Former governor Christine Gregoire issued a statement on behalf of his campaign calling the last-minute filing a “highly deceiving and potentially illegal” effort to mislead voters.

“It’s nothing less than an attack on our democracy,” said Gregoire, a former attorney general who served as governor from 2005-2013.

Morgan countered that the only dishonesty is on the part of Ferguson for campaigning as one who will bolster public safety “when everything he’s done in office makes people less safe.”

The next important move is in the hands of Secretary of State Steve Hobbs.

Typically, in races for partisan offices, ballots contain only candidates’ names and their preferred party.

Under state law, if two or more candidates file for the same office with names similar enough to confuse voters, information can be added on the ballot to help differentiate them. Additional information will not be provided for any other candidate.

Hobbs must decide what extra wording to add. Occupation is one example he is considering. A decision is expected late Monday, after the deadline for candidates to withdraw.

Meanwhile, state election officials set the ballot order Friday through the random drawing of numbers. The late-arriving Bob Fergusons will be the second and third listed on the ballot. The attorney general landed 13th.


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Reminder: Friday is the last day to file as a PCO

Friday, May 10, 2024

The political parties offer training to their PCOs

Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) are volunteers elected by their neighbors to represent their precincts in their political party.

They inform their neighbors about candidates and upcoming ballot measures and they vote to elect party leadership and vote to fill vacancies in elected office.

Online PCO filing is available 24 hours a day:
Filing closes Friday, May 10, 2024 at 5:00pm.

PCOs serve 2-year terms and are elected on even-numbered years.

PCO candidates must be registered voters in the precinct, be at least eighteen years old and declare they are a member of either the Republican or Democrat party.


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Precinct Committee Officer candidates can file online May 6 through 10

Sunday, May 5, 2024

A map from the King County website shows voting precincts in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park

By Oliver Moffat

Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) are volunteers elected by their neighbors to represent their precincts in their political party.

They inform their neighbors about candidates and upcoming ballot measures and they vote to elect party leadership and vote to fill vacancies in elected office.

To become a PCO, candidates file online with their respective county elections office: King County and Snohomish County.

The 2024 online filing period opens on Monday, May 6 at 8am and closes Friday, May 10, at 5:00pm.

In the event that more than one candidate runs for PCO in a precinct there will be an election in the August primary.

PCOs serve 2-year terms and are elected on even-numbered years.

To be a PCO, candidates must be registered voters in the precinct, be at least eighteen years old and declare they are a member of either the Republican or Democrat party.

Information on becoming a PCO is available on the Washington State Democrats website and the Washington State Republican Party website.

Candidates can find their precincts using maps on the King County website and the Snohomish County website.

For more information contact King County Elections or Snohomish County Elections.


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You may be eligible for a tax credit now

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

From Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal:

Reminder for WA State families — although filing season is over, you may still be eligible for a tax credit! 

As our state funds its own working families tax credit, I’ll keep pushing for an expanded Child Tax Credit nationwide.


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Grand opening of East Link Light Rail Starter Line with ceremony attended by state senators and governor

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Sen. Murray, King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci at the grand opening of the East Link. Photo courtesy Patty Murray

Bellevue, WA – Saturday, April 27, 2024, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, attended the grand opening of the East Link Light Rail Starter Line. 

This new service will provide 6.6 miles of east-west connections between Redmond and Bellevue. The full East Link will open in 2025 and run 14.5 miles between Seattle and Redmond. 

In 2013, Murray secured a $14 million grant under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program that she created—which is now the RAISE grant program—for the East Link project.

Murray was joined at the grand opening ceremony by Senator Maria Cantwell; Governor Jay Inslee; Redmond Mayor Angela Birney; Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson; Goran Sparrman, Interim CEO of Sound Transit; Donny Stevenson, Vice-Chairman of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe; Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft; Beryl Tomay, Senior Vice President of Transportation at Amazon; Monty Anderson, Executive Secretary of the Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council; Paul Kincaid, Associate Administrator for Communications and Congressional Affairs for the Federal Transit Administration; and Claudia Balducci, King County Councilmember among others.

“Public transit is a top priority for people across Washington state, so it’s a top priority for me—and I’m proud to have fought for, and won, crucial investments in our state’s public transit system,” said Senator Murray. 
“I have a long history with this project, and remember some pretty tough times a couple decades ago fighting alongside Joni Earl to ensure there was a future for Sound Transit—that future is here now, and it is so bright. 
"I am so excited to be here today, and to be able to tell everyone we will no longer have to wait years for light rail to come to Bellevue—instead it will be here every ten minutes!”

Murray has long been a supporter of the East Link extension, attending the groundbreaking in 2016 after securing a $14 million TIGER Grant for the project in 2013. 

Murray established the TIGER grants program in 2009, which later became the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. 

“Delivering the federal dollars to support Puget Sound’s incredible expansion of public transit has not been easy, but as long as I serve as the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee—it’s going to be a priority for the federal government,” Murray said.

Last summer, Murray announced a record nearly $133 million in RAISE funding for projects across Washington state—Washington was awarded the most RAISE grants of any state and received the most in total funding. Senator Murray notably helped secure $7.5 billion for the RAISE program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.


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Sen. Salomon funds First-in-the-Nation Ibogaine Study

Friday, April 12, 2024


Ibogaine is a naturally occurring plant medicine derived from the iboga shrub. It is the only substance in the world known to allow a person to substantially reduce most of the withdrawal symptoms from opioids. Not many people have heard of ibogaine treatment, which is available in Mexico and Brazil, but initial studies have shown it to be a cheap and startlingly effective treatment option for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).

If this is the first time you’re hearing about ibogaine, I recommend this Ted Talk as an excellent way to learn more about its potential. Current treatment options are mostly relegated to long-term rehabilitation centers and medication-assisted therapy, where a person struggling with heroin or fentanyl dependence is prescribed a safer alternative opioid, such as methadone or buprenorphine. 

Studies have shown ibogaine to be 30% more effective than buprenorphine while exhibiting fewer side effects. In research undertaken at UC San Diego, 30% of participants maintained their sobriety a year after their ibogaine treatment. (While this may sound like a low number, the sad truth is this is a very high success rate for a treatment approach for this type of addiction).

As exciting as these numbers are, the direct lived experience of those who overcame OUD using ibogaine treatment is what motivated me to work on directing state funds toward ibogaine research. When the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Commission considered using addiction relief dollars for ibogaine research, many came forward to speak in support.

“I consider my life pre-ibogaine and post-ibogaine,” said Paria Zandi, a family therapist from Los Angeles. “The best way I can explain it is that Ibogaine gave me a fresh pair of eyes with which to see the world and myself; this year I’ll be ten years sober.”

“I tried every traditional treatment that was out there,” said Jessica Blackburn, who described multiple unsuccessful attempts at sobriety through rehabilitation centers using buprenorphine and methadone treatment before successfully achieving sobriety with ibogaine. “My first treatment gave me years of freedom. I no longer felt powerless, and I’ve never felt powerless since.”

This medicine shows real promise as another tool for treating opioid addiction, but since this does not require taking pharmaceuticals on a long-term basis, there has not been much interest from pharmaceutical companies to invest in the research that would bring a drug to market through traditional means. 

The responsibility falls to us, and this year’s budget directs $250,000 to establish the nation’s first state-funded study into the use of ibogaine therapy for those suffering from opioid addiction.


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Sen. Jesse Salomon and Rep. Lauren Davis town hall Wednesday, April 10 in Mountlake Terrace

Tuesday, April 9, 2024


In-Person Town Hall in Mountlake Terrace at 7:00pm. This is your opportunity to hear post-session updates, ask questions, and share your thoughts on what legislators should focus on during interim.

Good legislation comes when you share your voice with your legislators. We need to know what is working, what isn’t and how we can make your life – and the lives of all Washingtonians – better! 
You’re our eyes and ears in the community, and your thoughts mean so much to all of us. We can’t wait to see you there!

WHO: Sen. Jesse Salomon and Rep. Lauren Davis
WHAT: 32nd Legislative District Town Hall
WHEN: April 10, 2024 @ 7:00pm

If you can’t attend the town hall, you can always reach out to Sen. Salomon via email at Jesse.Salomon@leg.wa.gov or Rep. Davis at Lauren.Davis@leg.wa.gov


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Sen. Murray negotiates major funding for child care and Head Start

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Across two major federal funding bills, Sen. Patty Murray has advocated for families and children.

Murray's local and national support includes important programs for children. 

Murray, a former Shoreline preschool teacher, negotiated a bill that provides a $1 billion increase for child care and early learning programs within Federal Health and Human Services (HHS).

  • This includes $8.75 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program (CCDBG)—a $725 million or 9% increase over fiscal year 2023, when Murray secured a 30% boost for the program—and
  • $12.27 billion for Head Start, a $275 million increase over last year’s funding level.

Sustained annual increases of federal investments in child care and Head Start are critical in tackling the child care crisis and helping to ensure more families can find and afford the quality, affordable child care and early childhood education options they need.

“Parents, small businesses, and just about everyone says again and again that child care is unaffordable and too hard to find in every part of our state,” said Senator Murray. 
“I worked hard to secure a $1 billion boost for child care and early learning programs in this bill to help lower child care costs for more families in Washington state—we have a lot more that needs to get done, but I’ll keep pushing for progress every way I can.”

In addition, she accomplished the following:

Expanding Child Care Options for Military Families
  • In this year’s defense funding bill, Senator Murray secured $167 million to fully fund the Department of Defense’s (DOD) child care initiatives. This includes a $66.5 million increase in funding over fiscal year 2023 to support universal, full-day pre-K, which will double enrollment from 1,810 to 3,625 children of servicemembers. It also includes new resources to recruit, support, and retain staff at DOD’s child development centers—including $33 million to provide a 50% discount for the first child of center staff. It also invests an additional $20 million above the budget request in the renovation and repair of DOD’s child development centers.
  • Separately, Senator Murray secured $277 million in this year’s military construction funding bill to establish six new child development centers on installations to provide military families with more child care options—and she secured $59.5 million above the President’s budget request for the design of additional child development centers. Senator Murray authorized dedicated funding for the construction of child care facilities on military bases in 2019 through the NDAA and has delivered strong funding to support child care for servicemembers since then.
Protecting Child Care Options for Parents Pursuing a Higher Education
  • In this year’s LHHS bill, Senator Murray protected full funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, which helps low-income parents pursue a higher education by supporting campus-based child care programs. The bill provides $75 million for the program—protecting existing funding and rejecting House Republicans’ proposal to eliminate the program altogether.
Eliminating Barriers for Veterans in Need of Child Care While Getting Care
  • In this year’s Veterans Affairs funding bill, Senator Murray secured $23 million to expand the successful Child Care Pilot Program she established in 2010, which helps eliminate barriers for veterans in need of child care while attending medical appointments.
Easing Child Care Barriers for Parents Working in Congress
  • In this year’s legislative branch funding bill, Senator Murray secured language authorizing Senate offices to—for the first time—use their existing budgets to provide child care subsidies to staff to better ensure working parents can serve their communities by working in Congress.

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Passage of bill to improve treatment of substance use disorder is deeply personal to Rep. Lauren Davis

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Gov. Jay Inslee signs SB 6228 in the company of Sen. Manka Dhingra, Rep. Lauren Davis, stakeholders and advocates. Photo courtesy LSS.
OLYMPIA— Washington State will take an important step to improve the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) as Governor Jay Inslee signed SB 6228 into law. Sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) the bill aims to increase access to inpatient treatment and treatment medications.

For Rep. Lauren Davis (D-Shoreline), this legislation is deeply personal. 

“This bill closes several system gaps that my best friend Ricky (namesake of Ricky’s Law) fell through in the months before his tragic death last year,” said Davis. 
“Ricky got scared one night and left inpatient treatment. When he begged to go back the next day, they refused to readmit him. Then, when he tried to gain admission to a different inpatient facility, he was told he no longer qualified for treatment because he’d been sober for two weeks. 
"He relapsed shortly thereafter. Weeks later, he again went to inpatient treatment. And a week later, the treatment agency kicked him out at 9pm at night, with no ride, no discharge plan, and no hope. Three weeks later, Ricky was dead.”

The law will:
  • Prohibit inpatient SUD providers from refusing to readmit a patient who left against medical advice.
  • Prohibit insurance carriers from considering patient length of abstinence when determining admission criteria for inpatient treatment.
  • Require inpatient SUD treatment agencies to report to DOH when they kick a patient out of treatment and why. Patient forced discharges are a rampant problem.
  • Prohibit insurance carriers from considering patient length of stay in treatment in determining continued need for care. This is intended to stop the practice of insurance carriers discharging all patients after 28 days, when some need more care than that, particularly in the era of fentanyl.
  • Require all behavioral health agencies to provide patients with education about and access to medication treatment options for opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Only 1 in 3 patients with OUD has access to treatment medications and only 1 in 10 patients with AUD has access to treatment medications.
  • Allow hospitals to bill for long-acting injectable buprenorphine (Suboxone)
  • Require training for emergency department social workers on how to use Ricky’s Law, the state’s involuntary treatment system for patients with substance use disorder. Hospitals are frequently not summoning designated crisis responders to evaluate patients in substance use crisis, resulting in one-half of Ricky’s Law beds sitting empty.
  • Prohibit insurance carriers from requiring utilization review prior to 14 days of inpatient care and no more frequent than every 7 days. This is to reduce administrative burden on providers.
  • Create a patient shared decision making tool for use in primary care, emergency departments, and behavioral health settings regarding treatment medications for alcohol use disorder

SB 6228 signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday, March 29, 2024 at the UW Center For Behavioral Health and Learning (On Northwest Hospital Campus), 1550 N 115th St, Seattle 98133.

Invited to witness the signing were Sen. Manka Dhingra, Rep. Lauren Davis, stakeholders and advocates.


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Concert April 20, 2024 “Raise Your Voice: Get-Out-The-Vote.”

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Saturday April 20, 2024, 7pm, “Raise Your Voice: Get-Out-The-Vote.”

The singing duo, Emma's Revolution is coming to Chapman Hall at 8109 224th St SW in Edmonds.

Known for fearless, truth-telling lyrics and melodies you can’t resist singing, Emma's Revolution is the dynamic, award-winning activist duo of Pat Humphries & Sandy O.

With one eye on the news, Emma’s Revolution consistently writes songs about critical issues happening in the world and enthusiastically lends their voices to the movements those issues inspire. 


For more information please email us at concerts@euuc.org

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MyNorthwest: Ex-US Rep. McDermott says he found what fought for when he went abroad

Sunday, March 31, 2024

McDermott when he was in Congress.
MyNorthwest Magazine has an article about retired U.S. Congressman Jim McDermott. 

McDermott was a powerful member of congress for 30 years, representing the congressional district that included Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Edmonds, Vashon Island, and Seattle.

He now lives in France.

Former Washington Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott spent decades working in public service, first in Olympia and then in Washington, D.C., fighting for causes and policies he believes in.

In recent years, he has been able to live the policies he fought for. He just had to move to Europe to do so.



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UW to receive $3.5 million from Federal budget to upgrade Biosafety Level-3 facility

Biosafety Level-3 lab at the University of
Washington. Photo courtesy UW.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that five health care facilities and one pathogen research lab in the State of Washington will receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve services for patients, make care easier to access, or boost the research capability of staff.

“By passing this budget, Congress is delivering $13.9 million in critical funding to six health institutions across the State of Washington to expand capacity and make healthcare more accessible – especially for our rural communities,” said Sen. Cantwell. 

"Among them, the University of Washington is receiving funding to support its essential viral diseases and pandemic response research.”

The funding for the projects was championed by Sen. Cantwell in the latest round of appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024 passed by the Senate last week.

$3.5 million for the University of Washington in King County to upgrade the facilities and equipment at its aging Biosafety Level-3 facility, which studies viral diseases and pandemic response.

The facility received especially heavy use during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these investments will preserve and enhance UW’s research capacity for pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, monkeypox virus, valley fever, tuberculosis, and other new pathogens as they emerge as threats.

This funding will upgrade infrastructure like HVAC and replace critical equipment.


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Secretary of State Steve Hobbs certifies March 12 Presidential Primary results

WA Secretary of State Steve Hobbs certifying the Presidential Primary election results.

OLYMPIA — Washington Presidential Primary election results certified Friday March 29, 2024 by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs show the second-most votes counted of any Presidential Primary in Washington history.

More than 1.7 million Washingtonians participated in the Presidential Primary, a 35.3% turnout of the state’s 4.8 million registered voters. In 2020, nearly 2.3 million voters — a record 49.6% turnout — participated in that year’s Presidential Primary. Washington’s previous highest number of Presidential Primary voters was 1.3 million in 2000.

“We had a sizable turnout for this election considering that both parties’ nomination processes were down to clear frontrunners by the time Washington’s turn to participate came up,” Secretary Hobbs said. “It goes to show that Washington voters want to make their voices heard, and that our accessible, all-mail elections provide them with ample opportunities to do so securely.”

The certified results will be used by the two major political parties to allocate delegates for their presidential nomination process. Certified candidate totals, and breakdowns by county and Congressional district, are available at results.VoteWA.gov.

Each party’s rules required voters to declare a partisan affiliation for their vote to count toward that party’s results, a unique requirement for Washington voters in Presidential Primary elections which drew criticism from many voters. 

More than 44,000 voters returned signed ballot envelopes without a party declaration and did not utilize opportunities to make a declaration after county elections offices received their ballots. For the next 60 days, registered voters' party declarations will be public, and then will be removed from public records in accordance with WAC 434-219-330.

“Although making a party declaration has been part of Washington’s Presidential Primary for many years, the fact that it only comes up once every four years makes the requirement jarring for some voters,” Hobbs said. “We will continue to work to refine how our Presidential Primary functions.”

Hobbs said an additional improvement already in place will prevent a statistical display error that appeared briefly on a state web page election night from recurring. Due to a configuration error, posted on results.VoteWA.gov shortly after polls closed reflected candidate vote totals for King County but overall vote totals for statewide turnout. As a result, candidates' vote percentages were incorrectly displayed for a brief time.

“Our elections team addressed the issue very quickly, and it did not impact the election,” Secretary Hobbs said. “We have taken preventative steps to ensure that only correct statistics will be displayed.”

Washington has three more elections in 2024: the April 23 Special Election, the August 6 Primary, and the November 5 General Election. 

Candidate filing week for Washington’s statewide, federal, judicial, and local elections will begin May 6.


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Stanford bill to crack down on predatory loans signed into law

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

State Sen. Derek Stanford
OLYMPIA – Unscrupulous lenders who are partnering with out-of-state banks to evade Washington’s limits on interest rates will have to cease their predatory practices or face sanctions, under legislation signed into law today.

SB 6025, sponsored by Sen. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell), makes any attempt to evade the provisions of Washington’s Consumer Loan Act a violation of the act.

“Our state’s Consumer Loan Act does a good job of protecting consumers and laying out clear standards for lenders and borrowers,” said Stanford. 
“But some companies are partnering with out-of-state banks and using structures that allow them to slip through a loophole and charge higher interest rates. This bill makes sure regulators can stop that and protect consumers in Washington from these predatory lenders.”

Some companies have been partnering with banks in Utah, which has no limits on interest rates, to offer high-interest loans to some of the most vulnerable populations in Washington state. Interest rates on these unregulated products reach well over 100 percent. Under SB 6025, that would no longer be allowed in Washington.

The changes to the Consumer Loan Act under the bill apply prospectively only and not to loans made before the bill’s effective date, unless the loan is renegotiated or modified afterward.

The legislation goes into effect June 6, 2024.

Sen. Derek Stanford, D-Bothell, represents the 1st Legislative District, which includes Bothell, Brier, Kirkland, Mountlake Terrace, Alderwood Manor, Cathcart, Clearview, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, and Maltby.


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1st Legislative District Climate Town Hall April 13, 2024

Monday, March 25, 2024


Town Hall on Climate—Saturday, April 13, 2024. 
Third Place Commons 10am to noon


Get updates on what happened in the 2024 Legislative session. 
  • Are we reducing Greenhouse Gasses? 
  • What's  happening with the Carbon Markets?
  • Will we have electric school busses?  
  • What's happening with Initiative 2117?
Hear from State Sen. Derek Stanford, State Rep. Davina Duerr, State Rep. Shelley Kloba


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