Fwd: Legislative update from Representative Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kenney, Rep. Phyllis <Kenney.Phyllis@leg.wa.gov>
Date: Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 5:08 PM
Subject: Legislative update from Representative Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney
To:

46th Legislative District · kenney.phyllis@leg.wa.gov    DATE, 2007   Federal tax credits for higher education tuition costs New laws now in effect National health care reform For more news and resources, please visit my web site.   Dear Neighbor:   With summer nearing its end, many of us are thinking about school supplies, bus schedules, textbooks and course schedules.  Seattle Public Schools open their doors for the 2009-2010 school year in just four weeks while many colleges' and universities' courses begin this month!  This week's e-memo provides some useful information for your kids as they begin their college careers.   Want to save up to $2,500 off college expenses for you or your child?   If your child is taking college classes this fall (or if YOU are), you're probably eligible for some assistance from the federal government!   As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a temporary tax credit is in effect for 2009 and 2010 that can save you as much as $2,500 for higher education expenses.   The American Opportunity Credit is worth up to $2,500 of the cost of tuition and related expenses. The full credit is available to those who make up to $80,000 a year – or $160,000 if you're filing a joint return.   Even if you don't make enough money to file a return, you should file one anyway because you may get up to $1,000 back.   And if you have a Section 529 college-savings plan, you can spend those funds on a computer used for college.   If you have questions about the American Opportunity Credit, this webpage can help: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=211309,00.html   When filing your 2009 and 2010 taxes, be sure to check it out. Visit irs.gov/recovery for more information on this and other tax credits available through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Bills passed last session are now laws A great many of the laws passed earlier this year went into effect the last week of July. Some of the brand new laws getting the greatest attention include: Woman's right to breastfeed (HB 1596). Ensures that Washington's Law Against Discrimination protects the right of a mother to breastfeed her child in any place of public resort, accommodation, assemblage, or amusement. Tattoos and body-piercing safety (SB 5391) Persons practicing body art, body piercing and tattooing must now obtain a license and comply with state health standards for conducting their business; Safer schools (HB 1741). In response to incidents of severe sexual misconduct with students, a new law that passed with the full support of the Washington Education Association greatly expands the list of serious crimes that require automatic dismissal of teachers or other school employees. Child Welfare Reform (HB 2106). We learned that expanding evidence-based programs in child-welfare services could help children avoid out-of-home placements and produce long-term state benefits of between $317 and $493 million. That's why we enacted major reforms that will convert some 1,800 existing child-welfare service contracts into performance contracts that reward improved results. The new law also explores opportunities for privatizing various child welfare services. Education reform (HB 2261). This important but much-misunderstood bill defines a process for increasing accountability for student success and greatly expanding the state's responsibility to fully fund "Basic Education." The Legislature must hold itself accountable for living up to our duty to make education the paramount duty of the state! I co-sponsored this reform because modernizing state funding formulas and expanding constitutionally protected school funding is vital to helping students and teachers succeed. Revitalizing student financial aid (HB 2021). I am the prime sponsor of this bill, which labels all state aid and most federal aid programs under the new banner of Opportunity Pathway.  This bill also creates the Washington Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) to provide low-cost student loans to assist students in need and requires resident undergraduate students be notified of any federal tax credits related to higher education.  This legislation will help to better inform students, parents, teachers and advisors of the financial resources available to attend college by directing them to a single gateway Creating a Department of Commerce (HB 2242). Over the years, the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development has become an agency charged with many diverse missions.  As a result, its programs and services are a mile wide and an inch deep.  I was the prime sponsor of this bill, which changes the name of the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development to the Department of Commerce. HB 2242 also requires the Department of Commerce Director to develop recommendations for the Governor and appropriate legislative committees on the Department mission, goals, organizational structure, responsibilities, program alignment, service delivery mechanisms and related issues.  This will not only help to improve the effectiveness of the programs the Department of Commerce provides to the state, but also will help to reduce costs, saving taxpayer dollars. This is just a small sample from the new laws that took effect on July 26. Click this link to see a PDF list of all new laws passed in 2009. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or comments about any of the new laws passed this year! Coming up in our next edition Just like you, I am sorting through the noise surrounding the national health care debate.    Each individual who is listening to and reading news reports about the federal debate is probably asking one key question: "How will this affect me?"  I hope to help answer those concerns in our next issue of this e-memo.   For information on the national health care debate and President Obama's reform plan, follow this link. My home page | Contact me | House Democrats Home | Washington State Legislature

Fwd: Legislative Update from Representative Scott White

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: White, Rep. Scott <White.Scott@leg.wa.gov>
Date: Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 2:02 PM
Subject: Legislative Update from Representative Scott White
To: WALEG-HOUSE-WHITE@listserv.wa.gov

 

 

 

 

In This Issue TeleTown Hall: Success! New Laws now in effect Lessons from the Food Bank Featured School: John Rogers Elementary Visit my web page Contact me About the Legislature State Representative Scott White 46th District   |   white.scott@leg.wa.gov Working for the Education of our Children August 13, 2009   Dear Friends and Neighbors,   The Legislature won't reconvene until January, but I work as your representative all year long. I'm writing to keep you up to date on important legislative news. I'd also like to invite you to share your thoughts and suggestions as I work on legislation and policies for North Seattle's 46th District.   TeleTown Hall a big success!   Despite a sweltering summer heat wave, nearly 1,400 of our North Seattle friends and neighbors took part in my live TeleTown Hall for the 46th District on July 28. I'm very grateful to everyone who took the time to call in with ideas, comments, questions and support for various priorities—especially schools.   The TeleTown Hall helped me to interact with local citizens at a tiny fraction of the paper, production and mailing costs of a traditional newsletter. That's important, because every dollar saved through improved efficiency is another dollar we can prioritize for our schools and other essential services. If you have ideas for making the Legislature—or any state agency—more efficient, please let me know! If you couldn't make TeleTown Hall, don't worry. You can always reach me quickly through any of the addresses and numbers on my contact page. And please feel free to stop by the district office that I share with Rep. Phyllis Kenney (12345 30th Ave. NE). I'd enjoy having coffee with you and listening to your ideas about how we can make our state an even better place to work, retire or raise a family. New state laws take effect Many who joined our TeleTown Hall were interested in new laws that officially took effect in the last week of July. Some of the brand new laws getting the greatest attention include: Woman's right to breastfeed (HB 1596). Ensures that Washington's Law Against Discrimination protects the right of a mother to breastfeed her child in any place of public resort, accommodation, assemblage, or amusement. Smarter funding for school projects (HB 1619). With strong support from Seattle Public Schools and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, lawmakers unanimously passed my smarter school-projects bill. It gives local schools more flexibility to use capital and levy funding for major repairs and preventative maintenance. Expanding local control will save tax dollars through increased preventive maintenance. I'm on a select committee that is looking for ways to further improve funding for school projects. This is essential for class-size reduction goals and taxpayers: restoring more of the state's historic share of funding for school projects would mean less pressure on local property taxes. Tattoos and body-piercing safety (SB 5391) Persons practicing body art, body piercing and tattooing must now obtain a license and comply with state health standards for conducting their business; Safer schools (HB 1741). In response to incidents of severe sexual misconduct with students, a new law that passed with the full support of the Washington Education Association greatly expands the list of serious crimes that require automatic dismissal of teachers or other school employees. Child Welfare Reform (HB 2106). We learned that expanding evidence-based programs in child-welfare services could help children avoid out-of-home placements and produce long-term state benefits of between $317 and $493 million. That's why we enacted major reforms that will convert some 1,800 existing child-welfare service contracts into performance contracts that reward improved results. The reforms also explores opportunities for privatizing various child welfare services. Higher-education online technology (HB 1946). North Seattle Community College is a local treasure, and one of my goals on the Higher Education Committee this year was to help students by encouraging open text books and online content for the top 50 courses. We succeeded! The new law I co-sponsored could ultimately save students $16.5 million ($100/each) annually at Washington's community and technical colleges. Education reform (HB 2261). This important but much-misunderstood bill defines a process for increasing accountability for student success and greatly expanding the state's responsibility to fully fund "Basic Education." The Legislature must hold itself accountable for living up to our duty to make education the paramount duty of the state! I co-sponsored this reform because modernizing state funding formulas and expanding constitutionally protected school funding is vital to helping students and teachers succeed. This is just a small sample from the new laws that took effect on August 26. Click this link to see a PDF list of all new laws passed in 2009. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or comments about any of the new laws passed this year! Lessons from the Food Bank   I learned a lot by volunteering to help at the North Helpline Food Bank recently. The people operating the center are community heroes helping clients who truly are in need. You'd be surprised how many of the clients at the food bank are working families, including many moms with kids. Many people who had never before faced a lengthy period of unemployment have been hurt by this severe recession through no fault of their own. We are extremely fortunate to live in a community where neighbors still care about one another, and the North Helpline Food Bank is a beautiful expression of our communities values. Featured School: John Rodgers Elementary School John Rogers Elementary School, located at 4030 NE 109th Street, has been serving North-East Seattle families for 53 years. The school features a great library, an active PTA, terrific teachers and a wonderful range of before- and after-school programs.   This group of John Rogers Elementary School students visited me during the legislative session. I had a good time and I think it was good educational experience for the kids. If you'd like to bring a school group down when the Legislature is in session, just let me know, and we'll make arrangements.   I am always happy to visit schools to talk with students and teachers. I have already visited many schools in the district. Please contact my office if you would like me to visit your children's school or class. Additionally, I am currently planning a couple of Education Town Halls for this fall where I and members of the Seattle School Board will be meeting with the community to discuss fully funding our public schools. More details coming soon!   Please feel free to contact my office with any questions regarding state government or to schedule a personal meeting.  I always enjoy meeting with Constituents in local coffee shops or other venues around the 46th Legislative District.   Thanks,       Thank you for subscribing to my E-memo. Please do not respond to this message; it is an automated service.  To contact me directly, send an email to white.scott@leg.wa.gov Click here to unsubscribe

 

 

Resolutions for August 20th

Two resolutions will be considered at our meeting on August 20th.

The first concerns the debate about how SR520 will be rebuilt. The version printed in the Demogram is here:

http://46dems.com/res/20090820a.pdf

However, I was informed by Dean Fournier that this was the original draft of the resolution before it had gone through the Platform/Resolutions Committee. They had completed a rewrite of the resolution, but I failed to see it when he sent it to me. That version is here:

http://46dems.com/res/res20090820a.pdf

To fix this mistake, I will ask the Resolutions Committee to have copies of the updated resolution available for everyone, and we will consider it as a substitute when the SR520 Resolution is to be considered.

The other resolution that we will consider is about the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, asking for our Representatives and Senators in Washington DC to repeal this measure. Here is the text:

http://46dems.com/res/res20090820b.pdf

I hope that clears up some of the confusion.

I also want to mention that Endorsements will NOT be considered at the August meeting. All of the candidates who were not considered at our June meeting for Seattle City Council Position 2 and Seattle City Attorney have asked to wait until the September meeting, giving them more time to contact people and encourage more participation in our endorsement meeting.

A health care story from North Seattle

The Health Care Reform debate touches every single person in the United States. I would like to share one story that I received from someone in the 46th:

I am a 75 year old Senior who until very recently enjoyed excellent health. I am on Medicare Advantage through the Essence Health Plan. The plan has zero premium and my maximum out of pocket expense is $2,600. My primary care doctor is through Polyclinic, which is closely associated with the Swedish Hospital.

About 3 weeks ago my skin became jaundice. Two days after this observation, I saw my Primary Care Doctor. Two days later I was admitted to Swedish for a procedure to put a stint that bypassed my common bile duct. An ultrasound and CAT Scan showed there was a tumor blocking my common bile duct. The procedure did not work and surgery was performed on Friday. The surgery, while very dangerous, was successful and the cancerous tumor was removed, and by the following Thursday I was at home recuperating rapidly. Again, my total out of pocket was capped at $2,600. At every turn, I received the finest, most responsive treatment a person could ever have at any cost.

At this point, I am saddened and angry over all the misinformation out there about how "a government system does not work". Medicare Advantage DOES WORK, and it works well. If anyone wants to use my story to battle the misinformation, you can and you may use my name if you wish. As an aside, I spoke with a close friend who is involved in Medicare Advantage plans. I asked him what his feedback is on the client satisfaction with Medicare Advantage. He said he has experienced virtually no complaints. An occasional technical issue, maybe, but those are easily resolved.

Chad, I am an active Democrat in the 46th district and I am turning to you so this story can be told at both the State and National level if anyone wishes. By the way, my recovery appears rapid.

Walt

Please tell your friends and neighbors that we are trying to strengthen a system that works. Medicare for All, or a Public Insurance Option that helps us reach for that goal, is something that everyone in this country should be looking forward to. I pay taxes to help pay for Walt's medical care. I only wish I could pay for my own through the same system.

Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats

Eboard changes

On Tuesday, I received an email from Matthew McSheehy:

I am sure some of you have heard that I have been thinking about resigning my post on the board. It’s not for lack of desire, but more lack of time to commit to this post. Although my position may appear to be a small one as it is a backup position, in all honestly all roles on this board are very important. And if anyone member isn’t carrying his/her weight it affects the rest. I know there are a number of people in the 46th who can commit more time to this valuable position and look forward to supporting who ever that is.

I will continue to participate in the monthly meetings and act as PCO, but I am handing Chad my official resignation for my position on the Executive board.

Matthew McSheehy
PCO 46-2371

Matthew was our Male Alternate to the King County Democratic Central Committee, a position that I will announce as vacant at the August meeting, with an election to be held at the September meeting. If you are interested in being on a VERY active executive board as we finish out this election year and prepare for the 2010 cycle, please let me know.

Chad

August Demogram is posted

The August Demogram is printed and on its way. I sent out the email notification yesterday, and here are my notes from the chair.

We’re breaking records in Seattle! Wednesday, July 29th was the hottest day ever recorded at SeaTac Airport. Amazing.

We’re also getting a lot of work done. I’d like to thank Jason Sawatzki for all the work that he and Shanna have put into the Literature Distribution plan. It started with an event on July 20th when we batched together all of the literature we had dropped off by our endorsed candidates into bags for each of our Precinct Committee Officers. Jason has broken the district into 5 areas, with a coordinator in each of them.

• R1: Jason Sawatzki, jlsawatzki@gmail.com, 206-226-3598
• R2: Shanna Sawatzki, shanna7@gmail.com, 206-434-6023
• R3: Virginia Rankin, varankin@comcast.net, 206-525-6436
• R4: Erica Minshull, erica_minshull@hotmail.com, 253-468-8582
• R5: Peter Shapiro, j.p.shapiro@comcast.net, 206-524-9386

These five coordinators took the bags that we filled at the meeting and dropped them off on the doorstep of each of our PCO’s. With 8,000 pieces coming from each of our endorsed candidates, that’s a lot of literature.

Peter, Sarajane and I worked all day August 1st in our booth at Lake City Pioneer Days, the biggest summer event in North Seattle. We had several candidates come by and stay for several hours, having a great time talking to voters and enjoying the sun. Check our blog for the whole story!

It’s not all work, though! The 46dems proved again on July 11th that we could have fun with a Summer Holiday Party at the home of Rod Dembowski and Lynna Song. This was the same location where we had our Winter Holiday Party, and we may be setting a tradition. It’s a wonderful home, with wonderful hosts, and it was great to be able to see and enjoy their back yard this time.

The Raymond T. Cole Committee has finished their work to prepare a final draft proposal on what we can do with the gift we received. You can see what is being proposed on pages 6 and 7 of this issue of the Demogram, as well as on our website. The executive board will be reviewing everything on Tuesday, August 4th, and we’ll have a presentation ready at the meeting on August 20th.

We have been pushing organization business like this off for a few months, so the August meeting is going to be very focused on business. Our three elected officials in Olympia will finally get a chance to give us their stories from the Legislative Session earlier this year. And we will be going over how we count and handle voting by considering a proposal that came from the lessons learned in our 2008 election cycle. And the last thing we need to do is hear the report from the Financial Review Committee on how our financial books look in 2009.

All this, and we still have to keep an eye on Washington D.C. Something exciting happened this past week that applies to our platform, and I can’t let the month go without bringing it up. Representative Andrew Weiner from New York’s 9th congressional district introduced a Single Payer amendment to one of the several bills going through Committees on the hill. He was asked to withdraw it at the committee level because the Speaker of the House wanted Single Payer to be introduced, debated and voted upon by the entire US House of Representatives! This means it is up to us to push it through! YES WE CAN!

Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats

Also: An early version of the SR520 resolution was printed in the Demogram. A substitute will be offered at the August 20th meeting, which is available here.

KCDCC Notes from Erica Minshull

These notes were taken at the May KCDCC meeting:

Report of KCDCC Executive Board Meeting,

Carpenters Hall, Renton, May 26, 2009

Candidates running for various positions were introduced and given a few minutes each to speak. Those present (and position for which running): Joe Mallahan (Seattle Mayor); Larry Phillips (King County Executive); Tom Carr (City of Seattle Attorney); Peter Holmes (City of Seattle Attorney); Rich Medved (King County Assessor); David Miller (Seattle City Council); Brian Bennett (Burien City Council); Rusty Williams (Seattle City Council); James Donaldson (Seattle Mayor); Dow Constantine (King County Executive); Tom Albro (Port Commission seat presently held by Pat Davis); Noel Ringley on behalf of Jordan Royer (Seattle City Council); and Jessie Israel (Seattle City Council)

The program consisted mainly of a Health Care Panel led by Dr. Lisa Plymate. Panelists included: Dr. Hugh Foy (Harborview Hospital); Dr. David Baughan (Group Health Hospital in Olympia); Larry Kalb (Health Care for All); and, Chris Toal (a health policy expert). Lisa introduced the discussion by pointing out that the U.S. now has 50 million uninsured and another 50 million underinsured, and that 50% of the A.M.A. now favors some form of public involvement in health care financing.
David cited the following as the key criteria for evaluating ideas for changes in health-care policy:

• Who will be covered … and who NOT covered?

• What will be covered … and who decides what will be covered, and how?

• Portability: What if an individual changes jobs, or moves?

• Exclusions, such as age or pre-existing conditions.

• Do deductibles or out-of-pocket co-payment requirements limit the usefulness of coverage or add unduly to its cost?

Larry provided the following definition of single-payer health care: a system with government-run financing of health care (but not government provision of the actual health care services). A proper single-payer system must be comprehensive, with one card providing for treatment by any doctor in the country, a single uniform claims system (as in the VA at present), and no third-party interference in medical decisions. There will need to be a guaranteed funding source, not subject to budgetary competition with education, transit, or other public needs, no matter how important those needs may be at the time.

Hugh said that 75 Congressmembers have signed on to a bill for true single-payer health care. The Conyers bill is the best. Jim McDermott in the House, and Bernie Sanders in the Senate, have proposed bills that are somewhat less satisfactory in that they’re incremental -- McDermott’s relying on creating single-payer on a state-by-state basis. But none seem to be moving forward, even with 59% of Americans supporting a single-payer option.

Pres. Obama has said he would need three things to bring about the needed health care reform: a Democratic majority in the Senate, and in the House, and a Democrat in the White House. Even with all those now in place, there is still insufficient movement -- partly because many Congressmembers are still answering to the health care industry and its lobbyists. One hopeful sign, though, is that when a health care bill has passed the House, the Senate has committed to consider it under a “reconciliation” process – in which only 50 votes (plus the V-P) are needed to pass it, without fear of a filibuster.

David discussed an oft-mentioned fallback alternative to true single-payer, the so-called “public option” -- in which government offers health insurance as an alternative to, and in competition with, that offered by private-sector health insurers. All would co-exist. Obviously, that is the only form the present health insurance industry might be persuaded to tolerate.

But any public-option system should be evaluated under the five criteria David mentioned earlier. And the resulting competition would have to be on a level playing field; i.e., it is critical that any competing private insurance programs should have to operate under the same coverage standards as the government program. They must NOT be allowed to “cherry-pick” by accepting only low-risk young and healthy clients, while dumping the likely-more-expensive elderly and infirm onto the government’s insurance program.

If we enact a public-option system, or anything else short of true single-payer, we will have to reexamine its effectiveness in 4-5 years, perhaps without the nominal Congressional-support advantage we now have.

David provided some numbers on how our health-care dollars are being spent under the present system: $300 billion for insurance administration (incl’g $20 billion for “denial management”), $19 billion for political contributions, $2.2 billion for lobbying, and $30 billion for drug marketing. Executive compensation is 2000 times that of rank-and-file employees. Drug company profits are 14%-19%. Chris added that Medicare alone is en route to costing the American public $7 trillion
Information was given on how to get involved, such as participating in the May 30th Health Care for All march/rally and contacting our representatives to ask for single-payer options to be seriously considered.

Officer and Committee Reports:

Chair’s Report:

Multicultural Networking Committee – New chair (Ann Martin) was announced; no other news to report.

Current status of KCDCC includes: 175 paid members and sponsors, 1252 PCOs (down from earlier reports), 8 LDs with donations. 900 mailings went out to high donors who give to the DNC but not locally, with one envelope returned as of the date of the meeting.

Candidate interviews are scheduled for June 6th at the Carpenters Hall in Renton.
Asked to let Chad Lupkes know if any LDs have an RSS feed or calendars that can be linked with the kcdems.org website.

There are two resolutions in development, one on homelessness and one on same-sex marriage, but none ready to be presented at this meeting.

Reminder of the rummage sale scheduled for May 31st.

Elections Committee:

Discussed new ballot-counting machines that may be in use soon in King County. The required state approval has been obtained. Developed/produced by Diebold. Expected that these machines, which can tally up but not produce a total count of votes for each candidate/choice, will improve Election Day results.
Treasurer’s Report:

$1041 cash on hand – an improvement vs. last month, but please give a donation if you haven’t.

LAC Report (by Sarajane):

May meeting included Scott White and Maralyn Chase, who gave a legislative update. Next month they will meet with Tina Orwall.

Basically by Erica Minshull, with several edits/inputs by Dean Fournier,

Your KCDCC Representatives

Lake City Pioneer Days was a blast!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth at the Lake City Pioneer Days! It was a great day filled with great people.

I got there at 8:30am on my bike, and Peter had just finished unloading his car into our spot. This consisted of a table and umbrella, with two chairs. Peter then made a second trip over to Barbara's for a cooler of water and the 46dems A-Frame. We set out all the literature that Peter and I had left, and then Shanna stopped by with a full case load of lit from their place. We spent until 7:30 talking to the people walking by about the candidates that we endorsed, and we had some great help. From some great candidates!

David Bloom stopped by early, and stayed most of the day. He also stopped by at the end of the day to take back all of his literature. Bobby Forch came by around noon and stayed for most of the rest of the day. Both of these candidates were talking to people and handing out their own literature as well as the Sample Ballot from the 46th District. What great team players! A group of people campaigning for Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels stopped by to say hello. Seattle Mayor candidate James Donaldson was going from booth to booth. King County Assessor candidate Lloyd Hara was there near the end of the day after going to two other events. Port of Seattle candidate Rob Holland came by after the parade to pick up his literature, and it looked like he needed it because he was down to white fliers from a photocopier. And King County Councilman and Exec candidate Dow Constantine came by with about four other people carrying signs at the very end, just as I was leaving.

What a great day! You can see the two pictures taken of the booth, with myself, Peter and Sarajane on our Slideshow page.

Seeking Demogram Ads for August issue

The 46th District Democrats would like to invite all endorsed candidates and campaigns seeking endorsement by the 46th LD in September to advertise in our newsletter. Here are the prices for ads of various sizes:

*Business Card: $40
*Quarter Page: $75
*Half Page: $110
*Full Page: $175

Please contact Barbara Whitt to place an ad or for more information. If you are interested, please get these to us as soon as possible. We hope to go to print for the August issue on Monday, to have them sent out on Tuesday night.

Please feel free to pass this post on to the campaigns that you support who will be seeking our endorsement in September.

Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats

Literature Distribution Update

Perfect weather for doorbelling, isn't it!

I wanted to send out a quick update on how we are doing. Thanks to everyone who attended the Literature Distribution Party on Monday. At this point on Sunday, everyone should have their literature in hand, and we've already heard from people expressing thanks for having the bags dropped off at their home. Makes it easier for everyone.

We are asking for precincts to be walked by August 2nd, because that's the day that all ballots should arrive in the mail. Please contact your Regional Organizer below if you need more time or if you will be unable to do the lit drop. That way we can try to find a volunteer who will be able to.

Also, please return any unused materials to your Regional Organizer so we can ensure they get put to good use. Jason and Shanna are also willing to have extra materials dropped off on their porch. Please contact them with any questions!

Jason & Shanna Sawatzki
942 N 102nd St
Seattle, WA 98133

List of Regional Organizers:

Region 1: Jason Sawatzki, jlsawatzki@gmail.com, 206-226-3598
Region 2: Shanna Sawatzki, shanna7@gmail.com, 206-434-6023
Region 3: Virginia Rankin, varankin@comcast.net, 206-525-6436
Region 4: Erica Minshull, erica_minshull@hotmail.com, 253-468-8582
Region 5: Peter Shapiro, j.p.shapiro@comcast.net, 206-524-9386

You can see which precinct your region is in by going to the Literature Distribution Plan.

Thanks for all of your hard work on behalf of our endorsed candidates! This is how we push our platform during the election season, by helping the candidates we support GetOutTheVote!

Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats

A special request from the 46th District Democrats

Dear Valued Member,

Thank you for everything that you are doing to support our efforts in the 2009 election cycle. We can't do this without you.

I have a special request. Are you aware that the 46th District spends almost 30% of our expense budget every year to mail you our newsletter. Our latest Finance Committee report showed that in stark detail. We're constantly trying to find ways to reduce that, and this Constant Contact email service was set up just for that purpose.

We have about 300 Demogram subscribers who have shared their email addresses with us. In order to help us reduce expenses, we are asking these members to consider reading our newsletter on-line instead. We send out a friendly reminder each month when the Demogram is published on-line on our website. That email includes an easy-to-access link so you can read that month's issue and any of the back-issues at your leasure. If you are willing to end your printed subscription, you can still print it with your own printer if you still like the old fashioned 'paper-in-hand' version, or you can read it on your computer screen.

The 46th District Democrats are committed to use our contributions wisely. The less we spend on printing and postage, the more trees we save and the more resources we have available to help support candidates and elected officials who support our platform.

Thank you for your help in streamlining our systems. If you are willing to make this change, please contact me directly. If you got one of the emails that we sent out, simply reply to that email. Or if you did not, we probably don't have your email address, and we NEED to hear from you. Even if you don't want any changes made, please contact me anyway. It would be great to hear from you.

Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats

A letter from Rusty Williams

Chad,

Today I spoke before the Council regarding the name change for the West Seattle Bridge. Here is an excerpt:

“But perhaps what would be most important to Mrs. Williams is that a vast public structure is being named for a woman. No other such structures come to mind. And as she was a powerful champion for women’s rights in this town, it is this distinction that bears mention.”

The Council voted 9-0 in favor of “adding a second name” to the Bridge. This negates the need to change maps and many other articles. There is to be a “Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge” sign at all on ramps.

I would like to thank the 46th formally. As we are in a political cycle I leave it to you to determine how to do this appropriately.

Best regards,
Rusty Williams

West Seattle Bridge to bear Jeanette Williams' name - Seattle Times

46dems Literature Distribution Plan

From Jason Sawatzki:

Hi Chad,

Attached you will find a spreadsheet (78K) and map (7.31MB) marking the breakdown into regions for Lit distribution. Here is the plan out line:

• Endorsed candidates and ballot measures can begin dropping their lit off at my house (942 N. 102nd St.) any time between now and July 20th (they can leave it on the porch if no one is home). We should ask for about 8,000 pieces of literature from each candidate.
• During the week of the 13th the 5 organizers will call their PCOs inform them of the plan, and invite them to a lit bagging party to happen on Mon. the 20th of July.
• Lit bagging will happen on July 20th, hopefully at Olympic View Church, all PCOs can attend, help and take their lit.
• The remaining lit bags will be given to the organizers to distribute to PCOs by Friday the 24th.
• Organizers will check in with PCOs after the 1st of August to remind and encourage canvassing while the ballots are still fresh out of the mailbox.
• Any additional precinct coverage will be coordinated by the 5 organizers.

I have most of the organizers tentatively recruited, but have to touch base with them now that I have broken down the districts. The boudaries fall pretty much along the same lines as the Obama ROs but larger with each main organizer having 3-4 of the Obama ROs territories.

Thanks,
Jason

New Outreach Committee Chair!

Hi everyone,

I'd like to report on a lunch meeting that I had with Peter this afternoon. He has agreed to take on the task of organizing the Outreach Committee, and I have appointed him as the new Outreach Committee Chair.

Peter's first task will be to help me go through the Links pages and make sure that we have accurate contact information for our allies in the North Seattle communities. He will also be making efforts to contact each of these groups to find out what events they may be having to put on the Community Calendar.

I know that Peter will do a great job, and I'm looking forward to seeing the committee grow and evolve.

Chad

Endorsement Schedule Update

At the end of the June meeting, I announced that the Endorsements for Seattle City Council Position 2 and Seattle City Attorney would happen at the August meeting. I have received communications from both campaigns for the City Council Position, and they have both asked to be considered at the September meeting instead. I would like to thank both Council President Richard Conlin and David Ginsberg for asking. We will have a full agenda in August.

Endorsement Meeting Results and some notes

Last night was an incredible meeting. We did our Primary Endorsements, and struggled through some issues. But first,

I need to apologize to Jean Arnott. She had shown an interest in being on the Raymond Cole Committee, and I had forgotten that when I made the appointments to the committee. Last night I fixed that, and you might have also noticed that she had flowers with her last night. Those were from me. Jean Arnott is appointed to the Cole Committee, and I know that her experience will serve the district well.

The results of the Endorsements are posted on the home page. I also posted a copy of the PowerPoint that Kathryn and I used to keep track of the votes. More detailed minutes will be coming from Stan Sorscher as soon as he can get them done.

I want to thank the members of the district that helped us struggle through the procedural issues last night. It was a good meeting with everyone working together to find the best solution. I made some mistakes, and I did my best to fix them. We will consider City Council Position 2 and the City Attorney at our August meeting. the rest of the Endorsements will be done at our September meeting.

Rep. Scott White (D-46) plans Virtual Town Hall

News from the Washington State House of Representatives
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Virtual town-hall with Rep. White on June 23rd at 6:20 p.m.
Technology will enable Seattle lawmaker to reach thousands of households at once

OLYMPIA – Constituents in Seattle’s 46th Legislative District are invited to join in a telephone virtual town-hall meeting next Tuesday evening.

Roughly two months after the 2009 Legislative Session reached its end, Rep. Scott White will hold a virtual town-hall meeting, which will give people in his district the opportunity to voice their concerns and get their questions answered in real-time.

“I value every chance I get to meet with my constituents; in mid-March my seatmates and I held an on-site town hall meeting that was very successful, but then I heard from many constituents who were interested in attending but could not make it,” said White, who is serving his first term in the Legislature. “While I will continue to meet with my constituents in-person over coffee and at town hall meetings, I do want to make it easy for everybody this time by holding a ‘virtual town meeting’ via telephone.”

On Tuesday, June 23 at about 6:20 p.m. phones across White’s district will ring giving people who answer the option to take part in the virtual town-hall meeting by simply staying on the line. For the next hour, White will take questions from people who participate in the meeting.

“The whole point is to make it easy for people to access their government and to engage in a dialogue with their elected State Representative. With this new telephone technology I can reach thousands of people, and they don’t even have to leave their homes,” White added.

North Seattle’s 46th Legislative District includes the neighborhoods of Bitter Lake, Broadview, Bryant, Carkeek, Cedar Park, Chelsea, (North) Greenlake, (East) Greenwood, Haller Lake, Hawthorne Hills, Jackson Park, Lake City, Laurelhurst, Licton Springs, Magnuson Park, Maple Leaf, Matthews Beach, Meadowbrook, Morningside, North College Park, Northgate, North Park, Olympic Hills, Paramount Park, Pinehurst, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Sand Point, Victory Heights, View Ridge, Wedgwood and Windermere.

The virtual meeting will conclude by 7:20 p.m. Those who do not get the chance to ask a question during the hour-long call will have the option to leave White a voicemail, and each person leaving a message will get a call back from Rep. White.

Cell phone users will not receive a call, as the technology that makes the virtual town meeting possible does not call cell numbers. However, there is a toll-free number and an ID code for people who don’t get a call and want to participate in the virtual meeting: (877) 229-8493, ID code: 14971. This information will also be available on White’s website at www.housedemocrats.wa.gov/members/white.

###

For more information:
Rep. Scott White
District office: (206)366-7830
Olympia office: (360) 786-7886
white.scott@leg.wa.gov

Elizabeth Willmott is off to DC!

Dear Friends in the 46th District:

I have not participated in the district's activities for a few months, while my life has been going at 100 miles per hour. By way of explanation, as many of you know, I will be departing for Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 23. On Monday, June 29 I will start a new job at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Specifically, I will be the senior program manager for economic recovery funding at HUD. In title I will be the special assistant / deputy director of the Office of Strategic Planning. Every day I will work for the vulnerable communities, families and individuals in our country. It will be an eye-opening and sobering responsibility but I am fired up and ready to go!

I wish that I could have worked more with you, but in the time that we have known one another I have found such inspiration in your deep political commitment and general kindness. Please know that I will take your commitment to social justice and environmental protection with me as motivation in the work ahead.

I will also look forward eagerly to the time I return home and rejoin the community organizing in North Seattle. In the meantime, I will be you in enthusiastic spirit.


Please let me know when you pass through DC. Stay in touch.

With warmest regards,

Elizabeth

(Chair's note: We couldn't be more proud to have one of our own going to Washington DC to help oversee the Change we need to see in the world. I look forward to seeing updates from her, and please feel free to comment on this post to tell her good luck! - Chad)

Another Reminder: Endorsements Thursday!

This is a reminder from the 46th District Democrats about our ENDORSEMENT MEETING on Thursday. We'll have Candidates, Campaigns, Chili and DESSERTS!

Thursday, June 18
Olympic View Elementary School
504 NE 95th
6:30 pm Social Time, Chili Feed AND Dessert Buffet
7:00 pm Meeting

Please make sure to put this meeting on your calendar this week. We will be making our endorsements for the Primary Ballot. We've met the candidates, we've heard the candidates. Now it is time to endorse those we know will best support our values and platform.

And back by popular demand:
Dessert Buffet will be available for a contribution before and during the meeting.
(If you would like to do a bit of baking to donate to the goodies, bake on!)

Letter from Seattle's Office of Housing

City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor

Executive Department - Office of Housing
Adrienne E. Quinn, Director

June 8, 2009

Dear Mr. Lupkes,

Thank you for your email to Mayor Nickels expressing the support of the 46th District Democrats for the Seattle Housing Levy. The Mayor's staff has asked me to respond to you on his behalf.

The Mayor greatly appreciates the work that you and many of your members have done on behalf of affordable housing. The Mayor and staff here at the Office of Housing completely agree that the levy should focus on the most vulnerable in our community, as it has for the last three decades. We know, as do the 46th District Democrats and an overwhelming number of Seattle residents surveyed on the issue, that it is more important now than ever to keep investing in low-income housing programs and assistance to ensure that our struggling families, seniors and other at-risk people keep a roof over their heads.

And Mayor Nickels' proposal to renew the Housing Levy will continue Seattle's commitment to help house our most vulnerable neighbors. As proposed, more than half of the seven-year $145 million levy will be dedicated to families and individuals earning minimum wage or less - including retail, restaurant and hotel workers, as well as seniors living on fixed incomes, homeless individuals and families, and those on the brink of losing their homes.

While the only stated target in the Mayor's proposal is for 55% of rental production and preservation program money must go toward units for people making 30% of area median income or less (about $17,000 for an individual; $22,750 for a family of three), that does not mean that the rest of the money will go toward people who earn up to 80% of median income, as some advocates are claiming. Simply put, because of the way low-income housing finance works, we anticipate the funding awarded from the 2009 Housing Levy will produce units at similar income levels as the past levies produced, which actually surpassed targets. With the 2002 Housing Levy, City Council set a target for 59% of the rental production and preservation program funding to go toward those earning 30% AMI or less; as of the end of 2008, over 73% of this program's funding was spent on units for those earning up to 30% of AMI.

As you may know, the levy funding is only a portion of the capital funding needed to complete a housing development. Other funding sources have varying restrictions on how they are used, including income levels - some sources limit to 30%, while some may go up to 50% or 60% AMI (we call this "workforce" housing; about $35,000 a year for an individual and $45,000 for a family of three). Besides this fact, every proposal that comes in for levy funding is analyzed based on its overall merits, including the needs of the population it serves and how the development may serve a need in the surrounding neighborhood. For example, with the coming of Sound Transit's light rail and bus rapid transit routes, it may make sense to consider funding buildings that serve households at 60% AMI to ensure Seattle's hard-working, low- and moderate-wage families can have the opportunity to live in the city, close to jobs and transit.

Thank you for taking the time to weigh in on such an important issue in our community. Your continued support of the Housing Levy is essential to its success.

Sincerely,

Adrienne E. Quinn
Director

Office of Housing
PO Box 94725
Seattle, WA 98124-4725
Tel: 206-684-0721
Fax: 206-233-7117
www.seattle.gov/housing

You can view this letter in PDF form as well.

2009 Endorsement Procedures

I have posted the proposed endorsement procedures for the June 18th meeting.

The following changes are being proposed from the version we used in January:

The date of the General Endorsement meeting is being moved to our September meeting. There are several reasons for this. First, this is only two days after the August 18th Primary, and we might not have all of the results. Also, the extra cost for using Olympic View Elementary School means that we are moving to the Olympic View Church. This is a smaller facility, and a full Endorsement Meeting would not work. We're planning some other things for the Agenda in August, and I hope we'll see a good crowd. But we really do need the school for a full sized meeting.

Another change is that we would like to change who can speak during the Endorsement meeting. We have had a tradition of only allowing members to speak, which has left some candidates out. So instead, we would like to give 3 minutes to each endorsement motion. The nomination and seconding of the nomination must be done by a member, but they would be able to give their time to the candidate if they wish.

If you have any comments about these proposed changes, please post a comment below and we'll see you on June 18th!

Saturday's KCDCC Endorsement Interviews

From Shanna Sawatzki:

On Saturday, a the KCDCC Endorsements Committee Held their first day of Candidate Interviews. It's a long day, 9 am - 7:30 pm, with each candidate taking 15-20 minutes of questions from the committee.

I have attempted to take notes for each candidate that I had a chance to listen to and thought I would share. These are in short hand, and I have tried to be as unpartial as possible.* I may have missed some key details as it's really hard to listen and type, but hopefully this provides some insight.

Larry Phillips

Executive experience as Chief of Staff of Randy Reveille, 10 labor endorsements, 9 of which are sole endorsements. Focus on major infrastructure programs, esp transit, light rail, waterfront w/ tunnel, 520 to drive economy & new jobs. Reach out all parts of the county, listen to their concerns, 31st LD endorsement. Cooperation between Seattle & the rest of the county: worked with Mayor on Sound Transit. Supports passing an income tax.

Fred Jarrett

Became a Democrat because he was asked. Active for 30 years in politics, 35 years in business (at Boeing). Pro-choice, supports gay marriage. Most proud of his term of mayor, getting a dysfunctional council to work together as team. No organizational endorsements as of yet.

Ross Hunter

Not 100% in agreement with KCDCC platform, but just minor quibbles with it. King County has been on a path to more compact, transit oriented King County, but it’s not happening. Every other Democratic candidate has been involved in it unsuccessfully, and he has history of accomplishment and believe being an outsider can benefit this cause. Supports gay rights & marriage, but we should not introduce a gay marriage bill until it can will, to avoid a referendum where we lose. Balance of building consensus and getting things done. Did not remember that there is no Deputy Exec, it’s a Chief of Staff. Would pick Fred Jarrett. Supports passing an income tax.

Dow Constantine

Differentiates himself from Larry by trying to be an agent of change. Says Larry is quiet protector of status quo. Mentioned Maury Island quarry. Wants to challenge status quo, bring in innovative ideas. Says someone coming from Legislature would be unable to create change. Represents rural interests as well. Says he is collaborative, won’t worry about who gets credit for successes when it comes to city vs state efforts. Says Council & Executive need to be on same page and lobby Olympia.

Jan Drago

Decided to run since paying for a poll which showed that she was viable. Would only run if she felt that she could win. Downtown vs neighborhoods: style difference from Nickels. Claims Norm Rice style of broad-based consensus. Has lived & worked downtown for a long time. Many problems of downtown are a result of incompatible zoning. Doesn’t think jail should be built. If it has to be, it should be built by county, as an expansion of downtown or regional justice center. Opposes districting of Seattle, because we don’t work by caucus, and city council can’t make decisions behind closed doors like the legislature can. Wants a King County summit to set a King County agenda for legislative session with all elected officials in King County.

Greg Nickels

Doesn’t want jail, but we have to have a place. Wants central site near current jail. Unpopular decision which he thought he was right: tunnel to replace viaduct, knows it made everyone mad, but in 15 years, people will like it. Democrat since 16. Homelessness: proud of efforts to end it. Created 10,000 units since housing levy first passed. People in encampments are guaranteed space in shelter on Roy street. Will handle snow removal differently in the future.

Joe Mallahan

Democrat all his life, life plan of public service. Management skill set and personality are well suited to be a mayor we can trust. Downtown vs neighborhoods: committed to re-empowering the neighborhoods. Mayor fired great person and has reduced matching funding ever since. Shared vision of cooperation, esp w/ transit. Small business says it’s too complicated to deal with city. Must improve service model of city of “great service for all.” Donated to his own campaign to take the “war chest” argument off the table, so his financial viability is off table. Differentiates himself by his management experience. Running to do major things: re-empowering the neighborhoods. Against Mercer Street project: way underfunded. SLU: generally good. Big on increasing housing. Mayor has to make hard decisions that may be in conflict with neighborhoods, but thinks input from all stakeholders is important.

James Donaldson

Wide reach with different parties & affiliations, but a strong Democrat. Switched to Mayor because people kept mentioning he would be a good candidate for mayor and field was wide open. Differentiation: 2 entrenched people running (Nickels and Drago). Been in community, small business owner, invested in neighborhoods. Been in conversation with previous mayors to garner info and insight. Approach to diversity: keep doors open, give experience they haven’t had available to them or they have been denied. Will personally ensure diversity.

Robert Rosencrantz

Landlord supporting homeless to housing initiative

Dorsal Plants

Outreach to build Democratic Party, beyond just election cycles. Urban Density vs Neighborhood Quality: need to protect neighborhoods & planning process w/ improvement of neighborhood influence w/ city. Have dialogue with n’hood leaders & city leaders to increase capacity w/o ruining neighborhood quality. On Nickelsville: is homeless advocate & neighborhood activist. Mayor is not communicating, city council is too compartmentalized to communicate with people. Need people on council who take initiative to work with ppl. Preserving tree canopy: is important, especially on public property & want to encourage & incentivize individuals to keep trees on private property. No jails in neighborhoods, want to use land downtown near jail or as add-on. Want to have open gov’t. Wants to lead by example, take care of people first.

Peter Holmes

Wants to reduce litigious impact of labor orgs of police in Seattle. Need to reduce repetitive litigations. Mentioned Lem Howell’s litigation and cost to city. Want to enhance relationship with city attys and police. Critizised Carr’s incarceration record, for talking about incarceration alternatives, but not acting. Favors decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. Start with medical marijuana.

Mike O’Brien

Need to increase mobility, people like mobility even more than they like their cars. Need people closer to transit, can’t keep sprawling. Have to have great rapid transit, have more housing. Support idea behind community input on transit. Need to get ppl involved in n’hoods, city needs to play an active role in getting more people involved in councils. Wants to open government process to all citizens.

Sally Bagshaw

Land use, transportation, labor, union, housing experience. Worked on 10-year plan to end homelessness. Work with n’hood organizations. Pursue Cascade city agenda, n’hoods take responsibility for new people coming to Seattle. Bagshaw’s hero is Obama, “Hope over fear, unity of purpose over discord.”

Tom Carr

Talked about his daily incarceration rate decrease ~400 daily inmates when he was elected, now in the mid-high 200’s, to justify his incarceration alternative record. Talked about the success of daily check in program for typical no-shows to court in first few offenses who would typically be incarcerated until court date. Thinks there is merit to both sides of marijuana decriminalization issues.

Rusty Williams

Says Seattle can have both density and n’hood character. Has bits of similarity with all other Pos 8 candidates: small businessman, environmentalist, has a famous parent. Was for fixing viaduct, might support toll on tunnel, not sure, needs more details. Need constant stream of revenue from the arts. Paratransit to help support arts. Enhanced public safety in Pioneer Square so women can go out without being scared. Fiscal conservative, but need more police. Talked about gang violence prevention measures: engage churches, schools and parents, building community. Brute force won’t work. Mom used to chair KCDCC.

Nick Licata

Endorsed by 11th LD. Gang violence: supports human rights commission report on racial profiling and hate crime. Get housing and social services for those released from prison. Legislation doesn’t work. Police must work with community. Opposes Mercer street plan: $100 mil initially, now >$200 mil. Can’t add bike lanes. Parks: mayor announced park plan without telling council. Chaired parks committee. Favors tolling 520 and 1-90, not sure about tunnel. Supports preserving tree canopy and urban forestry. Wants urban forest commission.

Jesse Israel

Need to bring density into Seattle in a way that works to preserve neighborhood character. Involve neighborhoods. Exp bringing communities in early in projects, which helps prevent reactionary responses on the back end. Decrease gang violence by decreasing truancy. In Licata’s term, gang violence prevention programs have continuously eroded. White Center should choose whether they want to be annexed. Downtown SLU, Capitol Hill, u district have been designated growth area. Vote for women, get more family friendly policies, want more women running. Campaigned for Clinton & Obama. Solely endorsed by Washington Conservation Voters.

Richard Conlin

Wants to honor neighborhood plan, worked with Sally Clark on putting together n’hood plan. Need effective public safety approach to gangs. Changed way police are allocated. Need to mobilize effectively. Need to re-mobilize gang unit. Need prevention approach. Need to separate gangs from ppl being drawn into them. N’hood gang violence prevention program. Greenwood is getting sidewalks near 85th and east of Greenwood. Supports requiring developers to install sidewalks when they redevelop. Started bridging the gap and building sidewalks in the city. Put together 19 point economic recovery plan in December. Stimulus pkg, borrowing for new projects, repealing emissions tax on small venues for live music. Worked on hunger in KC $1mil in city budget to conquer hunger.

Mike McGinn

Solving resurgent gang problem: helping school districts achieve their goals. Emphasis on academic achievement. Safe, healthy, ready to learn, support to families. Former program was left to atrophy. Need to build network to support youth, communities and families. Add $ needed, as well as coordination between programs, to solve problems collectively. Started Great City, which asks what is important for n’hoods, similar attitude needs to be in city gov’t. Wisdom is in communities, connect with civil servants. Needs to be bottom up, not top down. Supports gay marriages. Has gotten sidewalks and biking, transit, mixed use areas together in Greenwood. Great city involved in Parks Levy. Wants to build transit system sooner. We need right of way that supports transit, walking & biking, which is more affordable than alternative fuel vehicles. Tree canopy: need incentives to keep & grow trees. But it’s a trade off to accommodate urban growth. Want a holistic approach to development, so concerned about another commission. Coming in from environmental/liberal side, does not support tunnel, retrofit would be preferable, but not permanent option. See his comment below.

David Miller

Preserving n’hood w/ quality: past president of Maple Leaf council. N’hoods should determine where in n’hoods density. Data doesn’t show that we need to release single family zoning. Need n’hood activist, environmentalist & business experience in city council. Supports gay marriage. Gang resurgence: need to acknowledge problems are all over city, entire city needs comprehensive-city wide cooperation. Need to listen to communities and strengthen them. They have really good ideas and have committed volunteers (ie block watch volunteers). Bring gang unit back, put officers back in schools. N’hoods are soul of city. Jim Deers (sp?) had great ideas, and was fired. Need better dept of n’hoods. Need tree inventory to help preserve canopy, research incentives for trees on private property (such as stormwater credit). Should be treated as city infrastructure. Need tree preservation goals, & urban forest commission with arborists, env scientists, etc. Need to control destiny on land use issues.

David Ginsberg

Resurgent gangs: March Against Violence in Rainier valley, only candidate there. 2 pronged approach: better opportunity for our youth, to provide alternatives to gang involvement. Secondly, implement plan for areas that are hardest hit, make sure community policing is implemented. Conlin wants to lay off police. Community police should be primary focus, but gang unit should be re-established. N’hood quality vs density: need to re-constitute our n’hood planning departments. Tie zoning to n’hood plans. Streamline permitting for development. Big box condos often do more harm than good. We need walkable communities, urban centers need density development. Like “urban village concept.” May have a lot in common with Conlin, but Conlin’s interested in process, not results. Need better cooperation w/ Metro and Sound Transit. Switched from Greens to Democrats in early 90’s. Need to listen to n'hoods and deliver on their ideas.

*I will disclose that I have made personal endorsements in the Executive Race, and Seattle City Council Positions 2, 4, and 8.

June Demogram is Posted

How many people were at the Mothers March for Health Care on May 30th? I was there with my son, marching with the King County Democrats. We all know that Health Care is one of the biggest issues we face, and our platform at the District, County and State level declares our strong support for a Single Payer option. There are other options on the table, and they should all be heard. But our platform articulates strongly that Single Payer is the best solution to the problem. I hope that the 5,000+ marchers in Seattle and across the country get the attention of our elected officials in Washington D.C. that we want everyone covered by a single system. Everybody in, nobody out.

Our June meeting is where we continue the process of selecting and supporting candidates for local office who will do on a local level what we hope our representatives in Congress will do on a National level. Our platform may not speak as clearly on many of the local issues, but our values hold true. Seeking Peace and Cooperation in order to get things done. The “Seattle Way” of endless debate must change so we can get some things done. We must do everything possible locally to reduce our negative impacts on the environment, and push instead for sustainability. Our children deserve a world with clean air, clean water, and opportunity for all. That’s what we stand for, and that’s what we want the candidates we elect to work for.

The endorsement procedures have not changed significantly since they were published in the January Demogram, except for some minor edits for the dates. Please see that issue for the details, or check our website for a copy.

Part of what our children deserve is a great education, and we have some members who are forming a focus group here in North Seattle to help push for improvements both from the inside and the outside. (See page 6)

We will need to give the Raymond Cole Committee some extra time to develop their plans and procedures. This is a huge undertaking, and we want to do it right.  Please keep the ideas and criteria coming!

Please read the rest of the June Demogram here!

Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats

Housing Levy

From J. Peter Shapiro:

Dear colleagues,

Sarajane and I urge you to send emails to these four councilmembers advocating allocation of the proposed Housing Levy funds as outlined below, consistent with our Resolution. These elements of a proposed Levy ordinance are now being debated.

Timing: emails by early next week (the next hearing is scheduled for June 11, with adoption of an ordinance later this month)

To: Drago, Conlin, Harrell, and Burgess

Use of levy funds:

* at least 55% of the funds should be used to create housing for people earning less than 30% of area median income (AMI)

* no more than 10% of the levy funds should go for housing people in the "top" bracket, i.e., people earning 60-80% of AMI

Thus, a minimum should be set to help the most needy, and a much smaller amount established as a ceiling for those in the highest eligible income bracket. Our Resolution advocated that "the levy predominantly shall be to provide low-income housing for homeless and working individuals and families".

Thanks,
Peter

New Executive Board Member!

Last night before the candidate forum, the members of the 46th elected Shelia Kohls as a new At-Large member of the Executive Board. We would like to welcome Shelia to the board, and we're looking forward to working with her over the next year and a half!

Candidate Forum Open Thread

So, last night we had our candidate forum for the 2009 election cycle. Candidates for the City Council, Seattle Mayor and City Attorney answered questions and spoke about the issues that we care about.

This is an open thread. Please feel free to post comments on what you saw and heard, and talk to each other about which candidates deserve our endorsement on June 18th!

Don't forget, another opportunity to hear from the Seattle Mayor candidates is June 2nd at the Seattle Labor Temple, starting at 6:30pm. Hope to see you there!

Raymond Cole Committee

The Raymond T. Cole Committee met this past Monday night, and we discussed how we will use the gift that he gave to us. We will be making a presentation to the Executive Board on June 3rd, and a follow-up presentation to the membership on June 18th after the Endorsements are complete.

I have appointed Jan Ames to chair the committee. Jan was a long time 1st Vice Chair of the 46th LD and knew Ray well. I know that under her leadership we will be able to focus his gift towards ideas that he would approve of that will help us build our organizational strength over the next few years, or even longer. I'm very excited about the possibilities and the opportunities that this will open for us.

2009 Post-Session Update from Rep. Scott White

5/18/09

Dear Neighbors,

The 2009 Legislative session began just as the global recession that had been plaguing much of the rest of the nation hit our state full-force. What had been an $850 million budget surplus a year ago had turned into a $5 billion budget deficit by the time I arrived in January to be sworn in for my first legislative session. As the session wore on, the economy continued its decline and the deficit grew to $9 billion.

The focus of the session naturally centered on the revenue shortfall and how to protect critical state services. Ultimately, we agreed on a budget that protected many priorities of Washington’s people – basic education, health care for our children, and a safety net for our most vulnerable. It was a difficult – at times, heart-wrenching – process, but we produced a balanced budget. I will not sugarcoat the result for you: the economic recession drastically reduced state revenues and required significant cuts to social services, K-12 and higher education, and the capital budget, among reductions in other areas. Given these cuts, I was disappointed that we did not pass progressive tax reforms that would help our working families, vulnerable populations and businesses.

However, writing the budget was not the only thing we did this session. As daunting as the economic crisis is, we didn’t let it paralyze us. We kept focused on our core values and where, as a state, we want to be in the future. With that in mind, here are a few highlights about legislation that was passed this year.

K-12 Education: Basic education for the next generation.

Ensuring our children are ready for the world is the paramount duty of the state. With this critical mission in mind, the legislature took action on several important pieces of legislation.

Basic Education Finance Reform (HB 2261)
K-12: Creates a framework for historic reforms to our K-12 funding system. It starts with a redefinition of “basic education,” and will also ensure that any new requirements for schools are accompanied with funding.
Early Learning: Begins a process to include early learning for at-risk children (ages 3-4) as part of the Basic Education definition. The bill directs a working group to recommend parameters for the program, develop eligibility criteria, and determine how the program will be shared between the Department of Early Learning and the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction.

Student Achievement Gap (HB 2147/SB 5973)
Addresses the achievement gap that exists for students of color.

Statewide dropout reengagement system (HB 1418)
Creates a statewide dropout-reengagement system for youth aged 16 to 21 who have dropped out of school or are not expected to graduate by age 21.

High-school diplomas/options (HB 1758)
Provides that individuals who enroll in a community or technical college and complete an associate's degree are awarded a high-school diploma from the college, including students enrolled in Running Start.

Apple Health for Washington’s Kids.

Healthy kids are happy, productive learners. We’re ensuring all of Washington’s children have access to full health coverage including mental and dental health coverage as well as preventative care.

Children's health coverage (HB 2128)
This law brings us closer to the state's goal of every child having health coverage by 2010. We have already reached 96 percent coverage. HB 2128 defines the next key steps to reaching full coverage, including simpler administration, and outreach to ensure that eligible kids actually get the care they need. These efforts will also help us get enhanced federal funding to support our effort to have good health coverage for all children. (Delivered to Governor)

Children's mental health (HB 1373)
In 2007, the legislature expanded access to mental health services for children covered through Apple Health for Kids. It allowed health care providers, in addition to psychiatrists, to treat children and increased the number of visits covered. HB 1373 eliminates a June 30, 2010 expiration date on that benefit so that these important services continue to be available. (Delivered to Governor)

Environment: Evergreen Legacy for Washington’s future.

We must preserve and enhance our environment to protect our quality of life for generations to come. Electric vehicles (HB 1481) Requires state and local governments and other entities to implement the use of electric vehicles by modifying zoning and development codes, building permits, transportation policy, and environmental regulations.

Evergreen Jobs Act (HB 2227)
Establishes the Evergreen Jobs Initiative to create 15,000 new green-economy jobs by 2020, target 30 percent of the jobs to certain populations, and accelerate and coordinate "Leadership Team" efforts to secure federal and other green-economy funding. Authorizes workforce-training organizations to prioritize training programs that lead to certification for green-economy jobs. Includes clean energy, high-efficiency building, green transportation, forestry, and environmental protection as green-economy industries. The Evergreen Jobs Act will promote, develop and encourage green economic jobs, which will get our state on the right path toward becoming a world leader in green industries.

Restricting development into floodplains (HB 1967)
I was pleased to sponsor HB 1967 which limits the expansion of Urban Growth Areas (UGAs) into 100-year flood plains. Our state has experienced billions of dollars in flood related damage in recent years. This legislation effectively helps to protect thousands of acres of farmland, as well as personal property and human life from the dangers of flooding.

Investing in Clean Water (HB 1614)
Establishes a fee on petroleum products to clean up storm water pollution in our rivers, lakes and marine areas. Petroleum is the single largest contributor to storm water pollution. Contamination from petroleum products in surface water runoff accounts for up to ninety percent of the pollution load in Washington's water bodies. (This legislation passed by the House, but did not pass the Senate.)

Rescue tug (SB 5344)
Requires certain vessels entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca west of Port Angeles to include a catastrophic-event response provision in their oil spill contingency plan that includes a contract with a rescue tug. This shifts the responsibility for funding the Neah Bay rescue tug from state taxpayers to the vessels that would use the tug.

Economy and Jobs: Support for Working Families and Fostering Economic Development.

Ensuring that our state remains strong during tough times by supporting our businesses and bolstering economic activity in our local communities.

Unemployment insurance (HB 1906)
Increasing weekly benefits to unemployed workers to assist them through these tough economic times.

Unemployment insurance conformity (HB 2204 / SB 5963)
Reduces the tax burden on our businesses and providing additional benefits to unemployed workers.

Minority and women's business (HB 1087)
Requires the Office of Financial Management to work with the Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises in developing a strategic plan addressing the effectiveness of state agencies in helping small minority and women's businesses compete for state contracts.

Small Business Assistance (SB 5723)
Directs the Small Business Development Center to work with economic and workforce-development organizations to integrate, target, coordinate, and tailor its services, and to increase satellite offices when financially feasible. Adds an institution's contributions to business-assistance organizations as a factor in evaluating a bank's performance in meeting community-credit needs. Requires that state-agency purchased goods and services, as well as personal, information, and printing services bids must be posted on the state's electronic vendor registration and bid-notification system. Requires the state to develop procurement policies and procedures that encourage and facilitate state-agency purchases of products and services from in-state small businesses.

Transportation: Keeping Washington Moving.

Investing in our transportation infrastructure to help people move throughout the region and enable our economy to thrive.

Despite the economic downturn, the transportation budget is still able to forge ahead with unprecedented investments to keep Washington moving. Construction of the 2003 Nickel and 2005 TPA revenue packages will hit their peak in this upcoming biennium, providing thousands of jobs and improving our system.

This budget together, with the $341 million of federal stimulus funds, represents an unprecedented level of nearly $5 billion for transportation projects at the time our people and the economy need it most.

Civil Rights: Expanding rights for domestic partners.

Registered domestic partners (HB 1727 / SB 5688)
Provides that for all purposes under state law, state-registered domestic partners shall be treated the same as married spouses and that provisions of the act shall be liberally construed to achieve equal treatment, to the extent not in conflict with federal law.

Thank you for your interest in state government and for subscribing to my E-memo. Your input is important to me and is key part of the democratic process. However, please do not hit “Reply” to this message, as it is an automated service.

To contact me directly, please send an email to white.scott@leg.wa.gov

Thank you for your time and the opportunity to serve you as your State Representative.

Sincerely,

Scott White
State Representative 46th Legislative district

Legislative Update from Representative Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney

Dear Neighbor:

I have spent the last week wrapping up work in Olympia and preparing to resume my normal life here at home. The legislative session was tough but we managed to create a responsible, budget that protects key programs. We also prepared our state for a 21st century economy. I am particularly proud of the steps we took to build a transportation system that will create jobs and help us emerge stronger from this recession.

The thoughtful feedback and creative ideas many of you shared made a real difference in my voting decisions. I’ll continue to share as much information as I can about what we accomplished and talk about what that means during the coming months.

You told me that protecting working families should be a top priority so I fought to create jobs and offer more training opportunities. We all recognize that when workers receive family wage jobs and benefits, they’re more productive and offer more not only to their employers, but also to their communities.

Through a combination of state and federal money, we’ll be jumpstarting our economy this construction season, building new roads and buildings and laying the groundwork for future economic development in our state. This means family wage jobs immediately and better prospects for attracting and keeping good-paying jobs in the future.

Of course, a lot of folks need short-term help to bridge the gap between jobs. During hard times when working families need it most, we have coordinated with the Obama administration to provide added funding for unemployment benefits, increasing the weekly amounts and expanding the training benefits program.

Unemployed workers will now be eligible to receive unemployment benefits while training for new jobs. We have also opened the program to disabled workers, honorably discharged military personnel and low-income workers.

Support for small businesses was also a priority. We expanded the Shared Work Program, which helps businesses weather tough times by helping employers temporarily cut payroll costs while keeping their skilled workers. Meanwhile, employees can still receive a paycheck, partial unemployment and health benefits.

In the coming weeks, I’ll share more information with you through this e-memo. You’ll also find me at community events and I’m always available if you’d like to meet in person.

I look forward to hearing from you. Your voice keeps our democracy working.

Here is the actual budget bill for 2009-11 operating budget.

Here are the 2009-11 operating budget highlights.

Here is the 2009-11 operating budget agency detail.

Here is the list of transportation projects funded in the 46th Legislative District:

• WA-522/I-5 to I-405 (multimodal improvements) in Seattle - $544,000
• I-5 Reverse Express Lane to/from WA-522 (safety) in Seattle - $615,000
• I-5/5th Avenue to NE 92nd Street (Noise Wall) in Seattle - $4,601,000
• Concrete Rehabilitation Program (Nickel Funds) on I-5 in Seattle - $7,237,000

Here is the list of projects funded through the Capital Budget in the 46th Legislative District, totaling $10,224,000:

• Department of Community, Trade, & Economic Development
  • Community Center for Sand Point Housing (Building Communities Fund Grants) - $350,000
• Community & Technical College System
  • North Seattle CC (Facility Repairs "A") - $709,000
  • North Seattle Community College (Minor Works - Preservation) - $487,000
  • North Seattle Community College (Minor Works - Program) - $702,000
  • North Seattle Community College: Employment Resource Center - $5,000,000
  • North Seattle Community College: Technology Bldg Renewal - $2,976,000

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Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. To send any comments, or to unsubscribe from this newsletter, please go to my E-memo page.

Notes from the Chair, May 2009

The next few months are going to be incredibly busy.  It’s election time again!

Because we don’t think that our members would really want to be at the Olympic View Elementary School from 7:30 to around midnight for our May meeting, we’re not going to have all the candidates for all the positions at our forum.  We just can't.  What we will be focused on for May 21st is the candidates for the Seattle Mayor, Seattle City Attorney and Seattle City Council.

But even in the heart of Seattle, we know how important the County positions are, from Executive to the Port of Seattle.  We have been working with our neighbor districts, and we would like to announce a special joint forum focused on the King County Executive, the Seattle Mayor and the Port of Seattle on June 2nd at the Seattle Labor Temple in Belltown.  This will be the best opportunity for our members to hear from these candidates, so please put this evening’s event on your calendar and try to attend.  This is also our first attempt at a joint event with the 43rd , 36th and 37th, and we will have a few sales tables to buy campaign stuff as a fundraiser to help pay for the space.

The Raymond Cole Committee is getting organized, with their first meeting on May 18th.  The committee will submit a proposal for their operating procedures and the criteria for how we will judge and approve ideas to the eboard at our June meeting for presentation to the membership at the following general meeting.  Please keep the ideas and criteria coming!

The Obama Administration is doing their best to start to turn our national direction, and it's a hard job.  Our Representatives and Senators in Congress are facing decisions every day on what bills to support and what priorities to focus on.  They need our voices to encourage them to do the right thing and push for health care reform that covers everyone, a national energy policy that can help repair our damaged planet, provide a strong financial foundation for our future and bring the United States back onto the world stage as a respected member.  Without our voices hitting their phones, sending emails, writing letters to the editor and talking with our friends and neighbors, the only voices that they will hear are the siren songs of the corporate lobbyists, lulling them to write laws that put profits before the needs of people and our planet.  That's what progressive political activism is all about, keeping our voices louder than the sirens so we can keep our ship going in the best direction for our future.

On a more personal note, I have had some major changes in my family.  I now have an even stronger connection to Olympic View Elementary School, because my 11 year old son Shea is now attending the 5th grade there.  Now my own motivation to help support Education in Seattle and the state of Washington is stronger than ever.  Did everyone see the LAC report? Contact Sarajane if you have not. The Budget cuts hurt everyone, without exception. And until the economy starts turning the corner, there is only one thing that we can do that will really help.

Build our communities, stronger than ever.

Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats

46th District Housing Levy Resolution

Dear Seattle City Council Member:

On April 16th, the 46th District Democrats held a forum focused on the housing needs of our most vulnerable citizens. Our guests spoke about the history of the Seattle Housing Levy, and the evolution of our understanding about how much the services have been needed since the first Levy passed in 1981. We learned a great deal.

With the national economy this hard hit, and our state and local budgets following the same patterns, the number of people just holding on to survival is up all around the country. Seattle and King County have seen the numbers of homeless increase, and we know that we are only seeing the surface of the problem.

We understand there are some efforts being made to use Housing Levy dollars in any 2009 package to include those who are below average income, but not in as much danger as our homeless population. We would love to be able to provide help to everyone who needs it, no matter how little of a boost they need. But the precious dollars that are given by the residents of Seattle to help provide housing resources to our neighbors need to have a focus, and we are proud that the focus of the Housing Levy over the last few decades has been to help the most vulnerable among us. We urge that the 2009 Housing Levy continue this tradition.

I have posted a copy of the resolution that we passed after the forum. We would like to ask the Seattle City Council to focus the upcoming renewal of the Seattle Housing Levy on the people in our community that need the most help.

Please take the message of this resolution and the needs of our city into account when you make the decision of how to draft the Levy measure that we will see on our ballots in November.

Sincerely,

Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats

cc: Seattle City Council Members
Mayor Greg Nickels (via web form)
King County Democrats
Washington State Democrats

The newest addition to 46dems.com

On Wednesday night, Kathryn and I finally set up what Betty has been asking for. We are now able to take donations and membership dues online!

Kathryn and Stan put a lot of work into a point by point comparison between 8 different options to accept online payments. They finally settled on Click and Pledge, after determining that the costs for their services were overall more reasonable for our purposes.

Raymond T. Cole Fund Committee

On April 16th, the 46th District Membership passed a motion creating the Raymond T. Cole Fund, and asking me as chair to appoint the members of the Raymond T. Cole Fund Committee in collaboration with the chair of the Finance Committee, Kathryn Lewis.

In selecting the members of this committee, Kathryn and I set 3 main goals. First, we needed members of the Executive Board to ensure a secure connection with the core leadership team of the district. Second, we wanted to identify people who had worked with Ray while he was Treasurer and an active member of our community in order to help ensure that his values and dreams are part of the discussion of criteria and selection of ideas and projects. Third, we wanted to encourage new people to be involved and bring forward ideas and energy that we might not otherwise see.

Given those goals, I have selected the following people to be members of the Raymond T. Cole Fund Committee:

* Javier Valdez
* Jan Ames
* Pat Emerson
* Stan Moffett
* Betty Means
* Jason Sawatzki
* Janet Miller
* Kathryn Lewis
* Mariah Voutilainen

Per the bylaws, I am also a defacto member of all committees, and I will be very engaged with the process of developing criteria and the selection of ideas. However, because I plan to bring a lot of ideas to the committee myself, I am going to leave most of the organizational work to the nine members so as to avoid undo influence on the process. Ray's primary personal focus was ethics, and I see my role as chair as one of establishing the foundation and supporting the work of others. I have every faith in the members of the committee.

This Committee, and the Fund itself, is a new road for us as an organization. We have the potential to have a huge impact in North Seattle, King County, and Washington State. The more we can extend our opportunities into the future, the better. There is no box.

Let's go change the world.

Notes from the Chair, April 2009

I am relatively new to politics in North Seattle. I only got involved in 2003, when I volunteered to help build our website. The 46th District Democrats has a long and proud history, most of which I honestly am not familiar with.

Part of that history, and a clear indication of the dedication of past members to our cause, revealed itself this past month when I received a notification letter from the Raymond T. Cole Trust. Ray was the Treasurer of the 46th for a number of years in the 1990’s.

We have been given a gift. It’s not huge, but it is substantial. I see it as an opportunity to build our organization, in order to fulfill our mission in ways that we have yet to imagine.

There is a story about a woman who gets a goldfish and a small fishbowl, and when she went to clean that bowl she put the goldfish in the bathtub. She cleaned the bowl and returned to find the goldfish swimming in a small fishbowl sized circle, not understanding that he had the whole bathtub to explore. That is where I see the Democratic Party, swimming our small circles inside imaginary walls. To explore our new horizon and find new opportunities, we need your help. Specifically, we need your ideas.

What are your “Big Ideas” on what a party organization could do? Some ideas that I’ve heard already are extra trainings for activists, both inside the district and around the county or state. We could help provide transportation to big events, like our state committee meetings, by renting a bus to pick up people from around the Seattle area who need to travel across the state. Or we could make some long term capital expenditures.

I do want to make some things clear. This gift does not replace the budget that we passed in March. We still need your membership, and we still need your participation. In fact, we need it now more than ever. More opportunities for activism means more opportunities for activists, and that means you.

It’s also important to mention that this gift was to the “46th District Democrats”. That’s not just me, and that’s not just the Executive Board. That means all of us. So, we need ideas from everyone, thinking outside the box about how we can best use this gift to accomplish our mission. I have posted a copy of Ray’s obituary on our website, and you can read more about him on page 4 of the April newsletter. The Executive Board will be discussing criteria for evaluating the ideas that come in.

What do you think? What can you imagine? Contact me.

Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats