Weekly Call To Action - March 12, 2023

​Quote of the Week:

“You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.” ― Malcolm X

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Legislative Actions:

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Action: Take the following actions and then click the green 'I took this action' button. You will see the button if you are logged into TAN.
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These bills have survived the March 8 cutoff date and moved to the opposite chamber.

The position on the following actions is ‘PRO’. 

Environment
Sign in "Pro" to Reduce climate pollution with thoughtful statewide planning - HB 1181
DEADLINE: Mar 14 7:00am
This bill will put climate change in the forefront of county and city planning for communities of the future. 

Sign in "Pro" for Build with low-carbon materials - Buy Clean, Buy Fair - HB 1282
DEADLINE: Mar 15 7:00am
Build with low-carbon materials and create good family-wage jobs.

Create a Clean Energy Future - sign in Pro SB 5165
DEADLINE: Mar 13 12:30pm
Get connected! The new sources of clean energy Washington will develop must be able to connect to regions of need. SB 5165 helps that process be equitable and efficient.

Sign in "Pro" for HB 1047 ' Remove toxic chemicals in cosmetic products'
DEADLINE: Mar 14 12:30pm
Remove chemicals linked to cancer and developmental and reproductive harm from cosmetics and personal care products.

Sign in "Pro" to Mitigate the risk of Wildfires - HB 1032
DEADLINE: Mar 14 12:30pm
Mitigating the risk of wildfires through electric utility planning and identification of best management practices appropriate to each electric utility's circumstances.

Support Clean Energy Buildings by Signing in "Pro" for HB 1777
DEADLINE: Mar 14 12:30pm
Climate champion Beth Doglio's visionary bill could supercharge efforts to meet the state's decarbonization goals in the built environment. 

Support SB 5371 (Orca vessel protection) by Signing in "Pro" 
DEADLINE: Mar 15 7:00am
Give endangered orcas a 1000-ft. buffer zone. A public hearing on ESSB 5371 is coming up in the House Agriculture & Natural Resources committee. Please let them know you strongly support this bill.

Make Clean Energy Siting Equitable and Efficient -sign in Pro HB 1216
DEADLINE: Mar 15 7:00am
Assure clean energy is done right. HB 1216 helps make sure site selection for new projects is equitable and timely.
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Housing
Help mobile home owners keep their communities - Sign in Pro on SB 5198
DEADLINE: Mar 13 12:30pm
This bill is a high priority for the WA Low Income Housing Alliance. Let's help our neighbors who live in manufactured housing to buy their communities when the landlords propose selling.

Require landlords to document damage claims - Sign in PRO for HB 1074
DEADLINE: Mar 15 12:30pm
HB 1074 clarifies and strengthens tenants' rights to have their damage claims returned after they move out. Please help it move quickly through the Senate by signing in Pro to the Housing Committee.
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Healthcare
Sign in "Pro" to require employee health plans to offer hearing coverage - HB 1222
DEADLINE: Mar 14 7:00am
Require employee health plans to offer hearing coverage.

Support HB 1469 (Health care services/access) by Signing in "Pro" 
DEADLINE: Mar 16 7:00am
Support reproductive and gender justice by signing in PRO for HB 1469. This bill protects abortion and gender-affirming care providers, helpers, and seekers from malicious investigation and prosecution.
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Law & Justice
Give Pathways to Justice for Gun Violence Victims by Signing in "Pro" 
DEADLINE: Mar 14 9:30am
Establish pathways to justice for gun violence victims. Help Washington become the 9th state to pass their own gun safety accountability law!

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Local Actions:

​Now is an Otterly Perfect Time to 
Run For Port Commissioner

Photo credit- afar.com

If you or someone you know cares deeply about protecting water quality and habitat in Budd Inlet for marine life and humans, seriously consider running for Port of Olympia Commissioner. 
Not commonly understood is the fact that Port Commissioners make decisions that affect every aspect of our environment in Thurston County - our water, land, and air. For example, if our Port Commissioners relied on experts in marine biology and followed EPA guidelines, they would have tremendous potential to effectively clean up the legacy pollution in Budd Inlet. However, they do not rely on such experts and the upcoming Budd Inlet remediation project will spread contamination rather than reduce it.

About the Port of Olympia
The Port is the biggest property owner in Thurston County; Port Commissioners have the authority to protect endangered species, wetlands, air quality, and exceptional trees as they develop Port property, manage the Marine Terminal, Swantown Marina and Boatworks, the Olympia Regional Airport, and other Port-owned properties. However, today Port Commissioners consider only the short term gains and cater to private industry instead of considering the long term protection of the environment, habitat, and the well-being of citizens of Thurston County today and in the future.

Becoming A Port Commissioner Candidate
There are few requirements to become a Port candidate. For this year’s election, you must be eligible to vote in Thurston County and live in District 1, 4, or 5 (see map below).

Link to map above: Five Commissioner Proposed Districts

What Do Port Commissioners Do?
The position of Port Commissioner is a part-time job with a four-year term. Commissioners meet three times a month or more and attend monthly committee assignment meetings with such organizations as the Thurston Regional Planning Commission or a chamber of commerce. They are financially compensated according to state law as described in RCW 53.12.260 which includes a monthly salary of $600 and hourly payment for meetings attended, and per diem compensation. Health care benefits are included.

File Soon
Candidates who file soon with the Public Disclosure Commission will have the best chance to develop a successful campaign. Free campaign training is available on March 16, from 10 - 1 p.m. on Zoom. Register Here - Public Disclosure Commission 

Action: If you might consider running, or know someone who might consider running for Port Commissioner, OI’s Port of Olympia Action Team (POAT) is here to help answer your questions. Contact POAT Team Lead, Carla Wulfsberg, as soon as possible at [email protected] 

Additional information about becoming a candidate is available on the websites of the Thurston County Auditor and the Public Disclosure Commission.

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Voter Education on Olympia-Tumwater Regional Fire Authority Proposal

​Olympia Indivisible has created a Voter Education Page on our website for Proposition 1, the Proposed Olympia-Tumwater Regional Fire Authority (RFA). Proposition 1 will be the subject of a single-issue special election on April 25, 2023.
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Why create a voter education page for the Proposition 1 RFA proposal? 
Olympia Indivisible believes that democracy is strengthened when voters are well informed about the issues on which they are asked to vote. The ballot for Proposition 1 which Olympia and Tumwater voters will receive affords only 250 words each for the Vote For/Against statements and only 75 words for rebuttal statements.

Because the proposed RFA merger proposition is a complex issue with very significant consequences for residents of Olympia and Tumwater, Olympia Indivisible reached out to the authors of the Vote For/Against statements for Proposition 1 to ask if they would be willing to provide us with 1000-word statements and 250-word rebuttals (along with related charts and tables) to be posted on Olympia Indivisible's website, in an effort to give Olympia and Tumwater voters vital information which might otherwise be unavailable.

​The authors kindly agreed, and the Thurston County Auditor Election Office kindly made available the ballot title and explanatory statement. We thank them all for helping make this voter education initiative possible.

Action: Please visit our website at Olympia-Tumwater Regional Fire Authority to learn about this complex issue and read the expanded For/Against statements. Watch for your ballot and be sure to vote!

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​Federal Actions:

Stop New ICE Detention Contracts

Source: The Guardian​

There are reports the White House is considering reopening family detention sites – putting kids and their parents behind barbed wire, simply because they are seeking protection here. This is unacceptable. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention is known for abuse, pervasive medical neglect, and complete disregard for the dignity of people in its custody. During the pandemic, new reports emerged of increased uses of force, solitary confinement, patterns of sexual abuse, non-consensual gynecological procedures, unprecedented fatality rates, and an utter failure to protect people from COVID-19.

The atrocities exposed under Trump are only the most recent and egregious manifestations of a fundamentally cruel, inhumane, and unnecessary system. The Biden administration has not only failed to put an end to this harm – it has expanded on it by awarding new contracts to private prison companies who are turning for-profit prisons into immigrant detention facilities.

Action: Send an email to the Biden administration telling them to end their misguided pursuit of new detention contracts and close existing detention facilities.

Suggested script (please personalize!): 
I'm calling on you to stop all new contracts for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities, especially those with for-profit prison companies – and close existing detention facilities, especially those with documented patterns of inhumane treatment, in remote locations with compromised access to counsel and medical care, or were opened by the prior administration without adequate justification. 

ICE detention has long been known for its abuse. In the pandemic, increased use of force, solitary confinement, patterns of sexual abuse, nonconsensual gynecological procedures, and a failure to protect people from COVID-19 have all been reported from inside its facilities. We know that detention facilities disproportionately impact persons of color.

On top of this, reports that your administration is considering bringing back family detention are extremely alarming. Please, I’m asking you to end this pursuit of new detention contracts and shut down inhumane ICE facilities.

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Have You Scheduled These Events?

Building Our Bench Strength

​Save the Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Where: Community Center, 222 Columbia St NW Olympia WA 98501
Multipurpose Room A
 
What: Olympia Indivisible will roll out their strategic plan for 2023/2024 to our members and to the general public. We are building toward the 2024 elections and have much to do in the meantime which involves Building Our Bench Strength. Join us and join a team. Keep your eye out for more details here and in your emails. 

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​Thurston’s Hunger Walk

At the end of February, millions of Americans lost the pandemic boost to their food stamps (now known as SNAP.) That translates to dramatically less access to groceries exactly when inflation and food costs reach near 40-year highs. Your donations to support our neighbors experiencing hunger are now more important than ever! 

Save the Date: Sunday May 7th beginning sharply at 3:00 pm.

Where: This year’s walk will take place at Lacey’s Huntamer Park 618 Woodland Square Loop SE, (Corner of Woodland Square Loop and 7th Avenue SE ). 

What: Olympia Indivisible is once again supporting Thurston's Hunger Walk, an annual fundraiser to help two local agencies: The Community Kitchen and Thurston County Food Bank. 

Donate Now: Even if you choose not to walk, the hungry are still in need. Please join our donation team, and donate on OI’s donation page. Thank you. Check out what the other teams are doing.

And Then Come Walk with Olympia Indivisible: Register here and join us for the actual walk. Sign Up to Walk with Olympia Indivisible's Team ​

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​Action Cafe 2023
Every Monday at Noon

Chef Lisa and the Action Cafe crew are back! The Cafe is a weekly Monday Zoom noon-hour gathering where OI members meet, make new friends, and take actions together. Every Cafe comes with a side order of live music and a heapin’ helpin’ of good cheer!

Action Cafe is a GREAT place to take legislative action: we’ll do the list of bills at the top of this page and Chef Lisa will help out if you need any tech support!

Cafe patrons receive an email on Sunday with a sneak-peek at what we'll do at the cafe the next day. On Monday morning, Chef Lisa will send you a pdf "Menu" which has links to the actions we'll take together at the Cafe. 
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Action: Register HERE. We will send you a Zoom link and tomorrow morning, Chef Lisa will send your "menu." 

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