See anyone you know in this flyer?

One of our own gets national exposure!  Erica Minshull, the King County Female Delegate and Obama Delegate in 2008 to the State Convention, has had a picture of her used in a national OFA flyer asking for people to express their voices to members of Congress in support of the President's health care reform efforts.  In the picture, taken at the 46th LD Caucus last April, she is speaking with fellow Obama Delegate Kavita Shah.

Here's a link to a scanned copy:

http://46dems.com/2009/Erica_Minshulls_Obama_Flyer.jpg

Congratulations, and let's keep up the pressure on both Congress and the White House to get this done!!

Chad Lupkes

Chair, 46th District Democrats

August KCDCC Executive Board Meeting

Carpenters’ Hall, Renton, August 25, 2009

The meeting opened with an announcement by our own Steve Zemke (on behalf of LAC): 80 organizations have now lined up (with KCDCC) in opposition to Tim Eyman’s Initiative 1033, which would adversely affect our state by limiting growth of the state budget to the rate of inflation and increases in population – effectively curtailing potential economic growth. Four Democratic candidates for King County Assessor were invited to give 3-minute introductory speeches. One, Bob Blanchard, did not appear. As for the other three:

Lloyd Hara, retiring as a Port Commissioner, promised a transparent, ethical administration of the Assessor’s office, and to assure that appraisals are realistic in view of current economic conditions. Too many recent appraisals have not reflected that reality and thus been subjected to appeals. Lloyd has won awards in prior public offices: Seattle City Treasurer and county auditor.

Gene Lux is a Group Health board member and former state legislator. The Assessor’s job is a complicated one, and he promised transparency therein if elected.

Robert Rosenberger, of the 37th LD, made clear that their chief opponent, former WaMu chief appraiser Graham Albertini, is definitely a Republican. The KC Assessor’s present appeal rate, 2%, though higher than its usual 1% rate, is still way better than some others; e.g., Phoenix’s 20%.

(Note: The voting on this race will be conducted as part of the general election, with only a plurality required for election as KC assessor.)

MSC (24-10) to endorse Lloyd Hara.

MSC (29-8) to endorse Robert Rosenberger.

M&S to endorse Gene Lux: failed (9-19).

KCDCC’s September meeting will consider whether what endorsements (if any) to make in the Seattle mayoral race, Seattle City Council Position 8, and Seattle School Board District 7. As in the 46th, a 2/3 vote is required.

Rob Holland, who won a remarkable 55% of the primary vote in a 3-way race for Port Commission Position 3, spoke briefly, thanking KCDCC for its helpful endorsement.

KCDCC Treasure Andrew Peabody provided a written report reflecting, among other data, $1795 cash on hand as of July 31. The subsequent KCDCC Aug 22 picnic in the Carpenters’ Hall parking lot was a big success, generating $4372 in income – vs. about $400 in expenses.

Sharon Mast announced that Howard Dean, who’d been the guest speaker at the Clark County Dems Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, may come to King County later in the year.

Chad (KCDCC 1st Vice-chair and technology guru) reported that his recent "Maps and History" project had attracted favorable attention and interest from Dem organizations in other states.

Platform/Resolutions Chair Joel Ware presented two resolutions cleared by his committee with an affirmative recommendation. One, urging prompt enactment of health care reform including a strong public insurance option, was presented on an emergency basis and adopted forthwith. The other, a 36th LD resolution urging the State Dems to retain, improve and strengthen Washington’s caucus system, proved more controversial and, with a tired Dow Constantine having just arrived from a campaign fundraiser, was tabled.

Dow received congratulations on his primary win over three other fine Democratic candidates, whereupon he gave a brief rousing speech. Among other things, he noted that after all the primary votes were counted his total had risen from the initially reported 24% to 27%, and Susan Hutchison’s had dropped from 37% to just under 33% (vs. 62% for the four Democrats combined). So his (our) prospects for the Nov. general election look quite good. The meeting then devolved into a cake-laden “celebration” of Dow’s victory.

The meeting resumed with a successful motion to take the 36th‘s caucus resolution off the table, whereupon it passed 26-11.

Noteworthy among reports from the various LDs in King County was that from the 41st, citing the need for support of Max Vekich for Port Commission Position 4. Disgraced outgoing Commissioner Pat Davis has been working to help Max’s opponent in that race.

Chad reported on SustainableWorks, a nonprofit community organizing group that has obtained $14.5M in stimulus funds to provide green jobs and weatherization for up to 200 homes in part of the 46th LD: the area between 20th Ave. NE and 35th Ave. NE, from NE 65th St. to 80th St. (Anyone living in or near that area who is interested in having an energy assessment done should contact that organization: Also, PCOs in or near that area are needed to leaflet a block or more on October 17th.)

Another attendee urged everyone to call Senator Cantwell promptly with a simple, straightforward urgent message: "We want a public option!"

The meeting adjourned at 8:56 pm.

Dean Fournier, your male rep to the KCDCC Exec. Board
(with an assist from Sarajane Siegfriedt & Erica Minshull)

Notes from the Chair, September 2009

The cause endures, the hope still lives
and the dream shall never die.

—Senator Edward Kennedy (1932-2009)

I woke on the morning of August 26th to read about the passing of the Liberal Lion. We knew it was coming. Let us hope that Gov. Patrick is able to get the law in Massachusetts changed soon so that he can appoint another Democrat. No one will ever be able to fill the shoes, but torch has been passed to us, and our children. We have a lot of work to do, and we’re ready.

Our September meeting will feature the General Election Endorsements as the primary agenda item. (ouch, bad pun). Any endorsements that we have made will stand if our endorsed candidate(s) made it through the Primary election. Any race where we have not made an endorsement will be eligible for nominations, and any ballot measure will be up for consideration as well.

These endorsed candidates made it through to the General Election:

• King County Executive: Dow Constantine
• Port of Seattle Position 3: Rob Holland
• Port of Seattle Position 4: Max Vekich
• Seattle City Council Position 4: David Bloom
• Seattle City Council Position 6: Nick Licata

Races where we have not endorsed a candidate yet include King County Council Position 1, King County Sheriff & Assessor, Port of Seattle Position 1, Seattle Mayor, Seattle City Council Positions 2 & 8, and Seattle School Board Districts 5 &7.

As of this writing, the signatures for Referendum 71 are still being confirmed. Similar the Seattle Bag Fee, we will be asked whether the citizens of the State of Washington approve the law that was passed.

“This bill would expand the rights, responsibilities, and obligations accorded state-registered same-sex and senior domestic partners to be equivalent to those of married spouses, except that a domestic partnership is not a marriage.”

“Should this bill be Approved  or Rejected?”

One other item that will be on the ballot in November is the latest attempt by Tim Eyman to drown our government in a bathtub. Initiative 1033 would limit the 2010 budget to 2009 numbers, after the Legislature had to cut Billions of dollars thanks to the economic recession. The state of Colorado tried this a few years ago, and it was a huge mistake. If you would like to learn more, contact Steve Zemke and go to http://no1033.com.

The Seattle Housing Levy, which we voted to support in April, will also be on our ballots. See SaraJane’s article on page 4.

Other measures on the ballot will be posted on our website as soon as we know about them.

Thanks to the membership approval of the Raymond T. Cole Fund, Committee pages are up, including a blank Letter of Intent. We have already gotten a few ideas that are far beyond what I expected, and it’s fantastic. Please keep them coming!

Chad Lupkes, Chair

Stand Up for Health Insurance Reform Rally!

Have you had your voice heard on Health Insurance Reform yet?  Here's an opportunity that I hope you won't miss!

Stand Up for Health Insurance Reform!

Join Congressman Jim McDermott, along with Organizing for America, Health Care for America NOW, SEIU, UFCW 21, the Washington State Labor Council, WashPIRG, and Planned Parenthood Votes for an evening rally at Westlake Park. We will release the full list of speakers and acts once confirmed. Please join us as we send the strongest signal yet to Congress that Washingtonians support strong Health Insurance Reform.

You can view the details of this event at any time by going to:

 http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpfzwj

Time(s):
           Thursday, September 3 from 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Location:   Westlake Park
           4th Ave & Pine St
           Seattle, WA 98101

Directions:
   We strongly encourage you to take public transportation.
   Parking will be limited.

Please pass this on!


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

LEV’s Award-Winning Ad to go LIVE on King 5

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lisa Macfarlane | League of Education Voters <info@educationvoters.org>
Date: Tue, Aug 25, 2009 at 3:19 PM
Subject: LEV's Award-Winning Ad to go LIVE on King 5
To: chadlupkes@earthlink.net

August 25, 2009 Dear Chad,  Watch our Ready for Life ad.   Make a donation to air it on television. We have a unique opportunity to air our Ready for Life campaign ad during a special one-hour program on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 9 PM titled Learning for Life: Ready for School, Ready for Life on King 5 television. This is an amazing opportunity to spread our message to a highly targeted audience who care deeply about education.  We need your help.  We are building a movement called Ready for Life, to make sure kids get what they need to succeed—an education that gets them Ready for Life. Click here to donate $25, $50 or $100 to help us show our award-winning Ready for Life ad on television. For $1,000, we can get our 60-second ad up once during prime time! The ad will help us build the movement to change our schools so every child graduates ready for life. Ready for Life means every high school graduate has the opportunity to pursue and complete college and/or job training and attain a living-wage job. It's about changing our schools to achieve an education system from birth through college that ensures: • Every child reads by the third grade; • An excellent teacher in every classroom; • Math and science curriculum that helps our kids lead the way in a changing, high-tech economy; • Diplomas that get kids ready to complete college and/or job training, attain a living-wage job and succeed in life; • More investment in our kids' education, and more accountability to ensure success. Help us air our Ready for Life message on television by making a donation today. Please forward this message to 5 friends.  Thank you for your support and helping to raise awareness. Lisa Macfarlane League of Education Voters  League of Education Voters www.educationvoters.org | info@educationvoters.org | Facebook | Twitter

Paid for by the League of Education Voters

PO Box 1727
Seattle, WA 98111

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

The 46th District Democrats - working for a better future.

Hi everyone,

For those candidates who were on the August 18th ballot, congratulations on making it through the Primary!  I am writing to all of the candidates and campaigns who will be on the November ballot with an offer and an opportunity.  

We are a very active district organization, and we are growing stronger every month.  I am very focused on building our infrastructure for long term growth and activism.  Our website is one of the best in the country, with Mapping and Election History tools that you can use for canvassing and targeting.

The 46th District Democrats publishes a newsletter each month that we have a meeting, and our September meeting is our General Election endorsement meeting, so this is an important one to get a quick word out to our members. Our advertising rates are as follows:

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

We hope to have our September newsletter finalized at the end of next week.  You can send in nearly any graphic format, and we develop the newsletter in Microsoft Publisher.  

In addition, I would like to provide a link to our Resources Distribution Policy, which gives the rates for accessing our Membership list for a one time use.  Please let me know if you are interested, and we will make the necessary arrangements.

http://46dems.com/2009/resourcedistribution.pdf

Please let me know how else we can help.  I consider the mission of the Democratic Party to be enacting an agenda, specifically the agenda articulated in our Platform.  All of our tools and infrastructure are designed to help us do that, and one of the most important ways is to help support great progressive and Democratic candidates seeking elected office.  During the election season, we focus on getting literature out on doorsteps, and working with candidates and campaigns.  Our goal is the same as yours, to help build a better world for our children.  That's why we are all active.

See you in September!

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

From the Inslee office

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Hogan, Patrick <Patrick.Hogan@mail.house.gov>
Date: Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 3:26 PM
Subject: From the Inslee office
To: Chad Lupkes

Chad,

I understand that the monthly meeting is tonight. I have pasted below our notice regarding out town meetings that are coming up on the 29th and 30th. Please share this info at the meeting tonight. Below that, I have copied Jay's statement on health care reform. This may have gone out to you in mid-July but I wanted to remind people of Jay's support for reform -- including his support public option. I hope you could mention this tonight also.

All the best,

Patrick Hogan

Special Assistant

Congressman Jay Inslee

18560 1st Ave. NE, Suite E800

Shoreline, WA 98155-2150

206-361-0233 phone

206-361-3959 fax

www.house.gov/inslee

Inslee to hold two health care town hall meetings

POULSBO, Wash. – U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee will hold two town-hall meetings in Washington's 1st Congressional District this August. He plans to host the hour and a half long public events to hear the views of his constituents and provide an update on the congressional response to the health care debate.

Inslee's first public forum will take place in Poulsbo on Saturday, August 29, during the August district work period. His other town hall will be held on Sunday, August 30 in Edmonds. Attendees are asked to RSVP via email to inslee.rsvp@mail.house.gov or by phone at 206-361-0233.

Poulsbo town-hall meeting

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 North Kitsap High School The Gymnasium 1780 NE Hostmark St Poulsbo

Directions from Silverdale:

Take SR 305 in the direction of Poulsbo/Bainbridge Island Turn LEFT (East) onto NE Hostmark St North Kitsap High School will be on your left about a half mile up Hostmark

Directions from Bainbridge:

Take SR 305 in the direction of Poulsbo/SR-3 Turn RIGHT (East) onto NE Hostmark St North Kitsap High School will be on your left about a half mile up Hostmark

Edmonds town-hall meeting

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009 Edmonds-Woodway High School The Gymnasium 7600 212th St SW Edmonds

Directions from I-5N and I-5S:

Take Exit #179 220th Street SW

Head west (away from I-5) onto 220th Street SW

Continue west on 220th Street and cross Highway 99 Turn RIGHT onto 76th Avenue West Continue north on 76th School will be on the left

On Deck: Health Care Reform

July 15, 2009

The United States spent approximately $2.2 trillion on health care in 2007, or $7,421 per person - nearly twice the average of other developed nations. Americans spend more on health care than on housing or food. If rapid health cost growth persists, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2025, one out of every four dollars in our national economy will be tied up in the health system. The time for true health care reform is now, and as a supporter of a public option and delivery system reform, I believe we in Congress must seize this opportunity.

I am pleased to share with you that health care reform legislation which includes a public health insurance option is on its way to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. As a member of this committee, I will have the opportunity to participate in the markup of this historic legislation in the near future. As such, I would like to share with you my thoughts on what I believe should be our top priorities in health care reform. First, we must create a health care system that delivers quality patient care and services at an affordable cost. And, we have great examples of this already in our medical system at places like the Everett Clinic in Washington State, and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. One cornerstone of a system that provides quality care for all is the creation of a public insurance option that ensures consumer choice and access to care for all Americans. At the same time we must include strong delivery system reforms that improve cost containment in the system.

I support a public health insurance option as part of health care reform because I believe that it will guarantee competition and consumer choice. In 2008 the American Medical Association found that 94 percent of health insurance markets were not competitive, and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that wages had grown by 29 percent whereas the average insurance premiums had grown by 120 percent. Competition in the insurance market is greatly needed. A public option can help provide quality care at a more affordable cost. It also provides another layer of accountability for private insurance companies because they will need to remain competitive by keeping costs down and providing quality services. I believe that my constituents, and all Americans, should be able to choose the health insurance that works best for them and their family, so I support President Obama's approach that if your health insurance works for you, you can keep it.

As you know, there are those that favor a single payer option, those in favor of leaving the insurance markets alone, and everything in between. This is true of Americans and their representatives in Congress. Under the direction of President Obama the consensus has landed on a public health insurance option as the most viable way to ensure that everyone has health care coverage. The public option provides strong consumer choice that can compete in the insurance market and will drive delivery system reforms through cost containment measures, such as a physician feedback program, that I am working to include in this bill in order to lower costs and increase efficiencies.

It is my belief that we must be much more aggressive in this bill in implementing delivery system reforms to improve the effectiveness of current programs, notably Medicare and Medicaid, and take steps to dramatically bend the cost curve. I want to amend this bill to address cost containment issues which significantly affect providers and access to care in states like ours. Medicare currently reimburses based on the quantity, rather than the quality, of patient care, and has also resulted in significant geographic disparity in reimbursements. I am working with my colleagues to make sure that in these reforms we find a way to reward efficiencies instead of penalize them.

This has long been a problem in Washington state where doctors have found ways to bring down costs, but are not rewarded adequately due to the fee-for-service reimbursement model. As a result, it is possible that the regional inequities that exist in Medicare and hurt Washington state, could be incorporated into this new health care system. I am working to find ways to ameliorate this problem to ensure that Washington state is not penalized for our efficient health care system. Bundling of service payments, using a value or efficiency index, and creating a robust physician peer review program would realign payment policies to promote greater quality and significant cost-savings.

The draft proposal currently circulating in the House offers a tremendous opportunity to reprioritize and streamline the health care industry while also improving quality of care. You may be pleased to know that the draft health care legislation which is circulating in the House would include in the basic package, preventive services with no cost - sharing, dental and vision for children, mental health services, and it would cap the amount of money a person or family spends on covered services in a year. In addition, it would not only prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, but also limit the ability of insurance companies to use factors like health status and gender to charge higher rates.

This proposal also calls for a Health Insurance Exchange program that will help individuals and small employers as they search for the health insurance option that best fits their needs. Additionally, the draft includes a public health insurance option that would include sliding scale affordability credits to assist those with low and moderate incomes. It would also create a small business health tax credit to make it easier for small businesses to cover their employees and assist in lowering premium costs for businesses.

The House proposal also seeks to fill the "donut hole" in Medicare Part D by providing an additional $500 in coverage in 2011, and increasing that amount over time in order to eliminate the "donut hole" within 15 years. This proposal also seeks to improve Medicare and Medicaid and prevent waste, fraud and abuse in the programs and would eliminate cost - sharing for preventive services.

Finally, I want to make sure that I get to hear from you about your concerns and hopes for this very important reform so please do not hesitate to respond to me with your views so that I may consider them as we markup this bill in committee. I would like to share with you the following summary of the House draft health reform proposal: http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090619/healthcarereform_summary.pdf. Also, the entire text of the discussion draft is available here: http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090619/healthcarereform_discussiondraft.pdf. I look forward to hearing your feedback on this proposal and working with my colleagues to pass a public option bill.

Very Truly Yours,

Jay Inslee

Member of Congress

Door to door across Washington

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dustin Lambro, WA.BarackObama.com <info@barackobama.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Subject: Door to door across Washington
To: Chad Lupkes <chadlupkes@gmail.com>

Chad --

With attack groups stirring up fear about health insurance reform and members of Congress back in town, it's critical that folks like you stand up now in support of the President's principles for reform.

That's why this Saturday, Organizing for America volunteers will be going door to door across Washington to build local support and get out the facts about health insurance reform.

Will you sign up to join a Health Care Canvass near you?

From Spokane to Bellingham, we'll be asking folks to sign on in support of the President's core principles for reform, and to make their voices heard in this debate.

No prior experience is necessary. Organizing for America volunteers will be on hand to provide all the materials and guidance you'll need to be successful.

With members of Congress back home to listen to their constituents this month, we need to seize this moment and keep pounding the pavement and reaching out to the public across the country.

As President Obama wrote last week, "We didn't win last year's election together at a committee hearing in D.C. We won it on the doorsteps and the phone lines, at the softball games and the town meetings, and in every part of this great country where people gather to talk about what matters most."

And that's exactly how we'll win this fight for real health reform.

Find an event nearby and RSVP here:

http://wa.barackobama.com/WashingtonHCCanvass

Hope to see you out there,

Dustin

Dustin Lambro
Washington State Director
Organizing for America

Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee -- 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Stimulus money + local action = Sustainable Works

Chad Lupkes and I met with representatives from Sustainable Works today to discuss an initiative of possible interest to members of the 46th District Dems, particularly those in the pilot area described below.

Sustainable Works is a non-profit organization that facilitates energy efficiency retrofits for homes and small commercial buildings. Their goal is to perform 4,800 energy retro-fits in moderate income homes around the state -- starting here in a portion of the 46th District (and the 43rd).

Their pilot area is defined by these boundaries:

NE 65th Street to NE 80th
20th Avenue NE to 35th NE

Here is a map of the area:

View this map full screen.

Senate Bill 5649, passed during the last legislative session and signed by Gov. Gregoire, allocates federal stimulus money to the project. We were told that the Sustainable Works program, now in its "launch phase", is designed to cost the homeowners nothing, create green jobs, and reduce carbon emissions.

Representatives from Sustainable Works will be making a presentation during Good of the Order at our next monthly meeting this Thursday, August 20, at Olympic View Church. They will also be describing the program in more detail at a community briefing on August 27, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., at University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Ave NE.

Further information is currently available at these postings:

http://46dems.com/2009/SustainableWorksQA.pdf

and

http://46dems.com/2009/SustainableWorksOverview.pdf

If you are interested, please contact Richard Wells, 206-930-6377.

The lawyer in me adds: this is not a program of the 46th Dems. We are just facilitating the flow of information that is of possible interest.

J Peter Shapiro
Outreach Committee Chair

Update: They let us know on Wednesday that they have adjusted the boundaries from 30th Ave NE to 35th Ave NE and from 85th to 80th.

Fwd: Who you should vote for

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dwight Pelz, Washington State Democrats <chair@wa-democrats.org>
Date: Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 6:59 AM
Subject: Who you should vote for
To: Chad Lupkes <chadlupkes@gmail.com>

Dear Chad, Today is Primary Election Day and your last chance to make a difference in important local races. Because of low turnout and the high number of candidates in some races, your vote could mean a win or a loss for a candidate. To make sure your vote is counted, mail your ballot, deliver it to a dropoff location near you, or go to the polls (Pierce County only) today! (Click here for a list of dropoff locations.) Not sure about that City Council or Mayor's race? Visit our candidates and endorsement page to see who you should vote for: http://www.wa-democrats.org/2009candidates If you do not see endorsements for your area on this page, contact your local Democratic Party organization to learn about their recommendations. We've also created a page where you can find answers to your voting questions: http://www.wa-democrats.org/2009votinginfo If you don't find an answer to your question, call your County Auditor's office. If you need further help, call our office at (206) 583-0664. Thank you for voting today, Dwight Pelz Washington State Democrats Chair p.s. Local Democratic organizations are the backbone of our endorsement process and the work that we do. There is a local Democratic organization in each Legislative District and County. To find out more about your local Democratic organization, click here to contact them or view their website: http://www.wa-democrats.org/index.php?page=display&id=50 p.p.s. All counties in Washington State vote by mail except Pierce County, which will still have voting at the polls on election day. Go to the website for Pierce County Auditor's office for more information, like polling locations.

Please forward this email to friends and family

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee PO Box 4027 Seattle, WA 98194 - (206) 583-0664 - www.wa-democrats.org This communication is not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

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