Weekly Call To Action - August 27, 2023

Quote of the Week:

​“One individual cannot possibly make a difference, alone. It is individual efforts, collectively, that make a noticeable difference–all the difference in the world!” –Dr. Jane Goodall 

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OI Picnic on Sunday, September 10:

Come Early to the Picnic - 11:30am

At our picnic on September 10th, our five endorsed candidates will be there to celebrate Indivisible and to let us know about issues that concern the county and the port. The candidates are: Emily Clouse and Wayne Fournier, who are running for County Commission, and Sarah Tonge, Jasmine Vasavada, and Maggie Sanders who are running for the three open Port positions. Come at 11:30 and get to know them. They will be there from 11:30 to 12:00.

When: Sunday, September 10 from 11:30 to 2:00pm
Where: Squaxin Park’s Rose Garden

It's an Olympia Indivisible all-member picnic! We'll meet under the shady Rose Garden shelter at Squaxin Park (2600 East Bay Drive NE). Family and friends are welcome! 

Bring your picnic lunch and eating utensils. We'll serve iced tea, lemonade and cake to celebrate seven years of Olympia Indivisible's pro-democracy activism. We'll also share news about what we’ve been up to and where we are headed. And we’ll offer some inspiring opportunities for our members to be part of!

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Local Actions:

Thurston Election Security Meeting

​Support Auditor Mary Hall and attend this important meeting. 

The Board of County Commissioners is holding a meeting with the Thurston Auditor, a representative from the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary of State Hobbs to discuss funding and election security. 

The Ballot Processing Center needs to be expanded with security features such as a vestibule that will serve as a public entrance with metal detectors, physical separation of observers and ballot processing, and a safe room. 

A Zoom link will not be available to the public but the meeting will be livestreamed on the Thurston YouTube channel for public/virtual attendance.
 
Action: Please attend the meeting
What: Voting Center and Funding Briefing
When: Monday 8/28/2023 from 9:00 - 10:00 am
Where: The Atrium in Room 110, 3000 Pacific Ave. SE, Olympia

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Do You Have Input for the Thurston County Comprehensive Plan?

​On September 13, 2023, the Local Good Governance Coalition (LGGC) will meet with the Thurston County Planning staff to present this list of big picture ideas for the future. Olympia Indivisible (OI) has a representative in the LGGC. 

Please review the list of ideas and ask yourself: 

• Does this overview reflect OI’s perspective on the challenge related to climate and affordable housing in the Comp Plan (status quo is not working)? 
• Is OI okay with stating a need for additional long-term revenue sources to respond to climate change and affordable housing needs? 
• Is OI in agreement on the intersection of Climate/Affordable Housing and most of the other chapters in the Thurston County Comprehensive Plan?

The keys to the Comp Plan are the policy statements at the end of each Chapter and the development code language to implement the policy. This is the opportunity to update the language of the policies and add new ones. The Dept of Commerce has compiled policy statements into a Menu of Measures. 

Later in the Comp Plan Update process, as the revised or new policy language becomes clear, the final step is to update development codes to implement the policy.

Action 1: Send concerns and edits of the list of big picture ideas for the future to the Olympia Indivisible liaison by Sept 4. 

• Email: olyindivisiblecoms@gmail.com 
• Subject: Comp Plan

Action 2: If you are interested, attend the LGGC September 13 meeting with the Planning Commission staff.
When: September 13, 2023 3:00pm
Where: Via Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85920207191 ​

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​School Board Corner:

Exceptional Candidates for School Board 
Jess Tourtellotte-Palumbo - Olympia School District Position 2

Jess has signed the Defense of Democracy Pledge to protect our public schools, community and country. 
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She is endorsed by the South Salish Progressive Alliance. Read more about Jess on her website. 

Jess has outstanding qualifications and deserves your support! 

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Federal Actions:

End the Blue Slip Process 

Photo Credit: StockMonkeys.com 

The Blue Slip Process is an antiquated routine that allows Republicans to veto vital judicial appointments. 

Since the blue slip process is not mandatory under the U.S. Constitution but instead is a courtesy process, the extent to which a blue slip can halt a nomination is dependent on the committee chair’s policy. In other words, Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has the power to end this practice. 

Background

• The Congressional Black Caucus Calls for Reforms to the Blue Slip System 
• Groups urge end to 'blue slip' tradition as judicial nominations slow

 
Action: Stop the Blue Slip Process

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Stop a Sulfide Mine

Leviathan Mine,CA, 2010. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

​A new sulfide nickel mine has been proposed just miles from the Line 3 pipeline route in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
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The Rio Tinto - Talon Mine further compounds existing threats to the land, water, and communities in this region. In particular, sulfide mining threatens nearby wetlands, manoomin (wild rice) lakes, and the Mississippi River. Many Indigenous residents and others in the local community are opposed to the project.

Rio Tinto and Talon Metals have signed a contract promising the nickel from the Talon Mine to Tesla for luxury electric vehicle battery manufacturing. They’re greenwashing this project and distracting from real climate solutions while propping up the automobile industry.

Despite the fact that Talon Metals has only just begun its state environmental review process, the Biden administration has already pledged $114 million in federal support for the mine. 

Now is not the time for corporations to further degrade land and water while hiding behind false solutions to the climate crisis. Aitkin County and Anishinaabe Akiing have suffered enough from extractive industry.

Action: Tell the Biden Administration to stop subsidizing toxic mines on Indigenous land

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You Might Like to Attend:

Overdose Awareness Day

International Overdose Awareness Event in Maryland, 2022. 
​Credit: Patrick Siebert.

Head to Heritage Park on August 31 from 5 pm to 7 pm for the Overdose Awareness Day event.

Katie Strozyk, Opioid Response coordinator at Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, invites everyone to attend the Overdose Awareness Day event at Heritage Park on August 31 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., where providers and agencies would be available to share different resources, tools, and services related to opioid overdose.

The event will focus on memorial-based activities to honor those who recovered and recognize those who lost to a fatal overdose.