Quote of the Week: “Oh you can’t stop us when we volunteer together When we volunteer together Rain or shine or stormy weather Oh you can’t stop us when we volunteer together When we all lean in together, that’s when we win.” – Olympia Indivisible Steering Committee, Nov. 15, 2023 Thank You Gathering For Olympia Indivisible Electoral Volunteers (to be sung to the chorus of “Union Maid”) Campaigns, How Did We Do? We Won! OI Endorsed Candidates from top left to right: Maggie Sanders, Sarah Tonge, Jasmine Vasavada, Emily Clouse, Wayne Fournier Congratulations to All Our Candidates: All of our candidates have won their respective positions, aided by all our volunteers who helped make this happen. We are making a difference! County Commissioner Positions Emily Close 59.90% Wayne Fournier 50.17% Port Commissioner Positions Jasmine Vasavada 51.83% Maggie Sanders 50.35% Sarah Tonge 52.81% ----- Come to the Swearing-in Ceremony! Maggie, Sarah, Wayne, and Emily will be sworn into office immediately following Certification on November 28 at 12:30 at the County Commissioner's chambers, 3000 Pacific Avenue, Olympia. This is a public event so mark your calendars and let’s show up to cheer! Jasmine will be sworn into office on January 2nd, 2024. Local Actions: Put Solar Panels Over the County Dump  The Thurston Board of County Commissioners is moving forward with plans to put solar panels over the Waste and Recovery Center (WARC). Background
Action: Thank our Commissioners and the Planning Department for moving ahead with the WARC Solar Project. WA State Actions: Washington’s Climate Resilience Strategy Photo Credit: Global Climate Action Summit, Nikki Ritcher Photography This image was originally posted to Flickr by gcas2018team The Washington Department of Ecology is hosting three listening sessions to hear input from individuals, communities, and organizations across the state related to Washington’s Climate Resilience Strategy! There are 3 options for this action. Take 1 or all 3.
One key question is: “For you or your organization, what would a climate-resilient Washington look like, feel like, act like? Please describe the key features, qualities, or outcomes that you believe are important.” Please click here to complete the survey. The survey closes Jan. 12, 2024. Both the listening sessions and survey aim to provide opportunities for Ecology staff to listen and learn from individuals and communities about the most pressing climate risks they face; challenges and opportunities in responding to and preparing for these risks; and their vision for a more climate-resilient Washington. Action 3: Review the draft Climate Resilience Engagement Plan and share your comments with Ecology. Federal Actions:Johnson’s “Debt Commission” to Cut Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security  House Republicans Debt Commission Could lead to reductions of Social Security and Medicare. In one of his first moves after being elected House speaker, Mike Johnson promised to form a bipartisan debt commission to tackle what he termed “the greatest threat to our national security.” Background: When Johnson chaired the Republican Study Committee a few years ago, the conservative group called for a variety of changes to the entitlement programs that it argued would save them from insolvency. And the speaker now intends to address the ballooning spending on Social Security and Medicare as part of the debt commission, according to a source familiar with his office. Johnson said last week he will “not predetermine the outcome” of the commission’s discussions. Read more about this here. The panel will be holding a fiscal commission hearing the week after Thanksgiving. Johnson will announce it at the GOP conference meeting Tuesday morning. Action: Call your house member and let them know this is unacceptable.
Script: Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______. I understand that Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, are hoping to launch a “debt commission” with the goal of cutting Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. I want to be clear that I strongly, strongly oppose any cuts to these essential programs and will be paying attention to how lawmakers act on this plan. We can easily fix the funding shortfalls in these programs by getting rid of income caps and/or raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. Cuts are not an option. Please don’t let it happen. Thanks. Help Win Back Net Neutrality Photo credit: “Neutrality-3-large” by EFF-Graphics CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Source: From our friends at Common Cause Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs), such as Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T, must treat all content that streams through them the same way: no “fast lanes” or “slow lanes,” no censorship or “throttling” of content, no blocking access to or charging more for accessing competitors’ content. Under President Obama, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) enacted the Open Internet Order, establishing strong regulatory oversight to protect net neutrality. But in 2015, President Trump’s FCC Chair repealed the entire order, so corporate ISPs once again became the final arbiters of the flow of information on the internet. Now under President Biden, the FCC is again moving forward to promote net neutrality. But telecom lobbyists are already working hard to convince the FCC to leave corporate ISPs in charge of deciding what we, the people, will and will not be able to access online. Action: Help to restore net neutrality! Make your comments today, urging the FCC and Congress to reverse Trump’s evisceration of internet protections Note: Please make sure to uncheck the permission boxes below the yellow SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT link before you submit your comment, unless you want to receive emails from a ton of organizations! Stop Catastrophic Cuts to Funding for Services for Victims of Crime  The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund (CVF) is a non-taxpayer source of funding that supports thousands of victim services providers serving millions of victims annually and is funded by monetary penalties associated with federal convictions. Deposits fluctuate annually based on the cases that the Department of Justice successfully prosecutes. Deposits have been low for several years, impacting the balance of the CVF. This year, Congress has proposed slashing funding allocated to VOCA by 40% cut. Potentially millions of victims nationwide will lose access to lifesaving and life-sustaining domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, and other victim services. Without access to these critical services, the real-time impact will not only be felt by individuals and families, but also in communities nationwide. Action: Ask our Senators and Rep. Strickland to ensure that VOCA funding remains intact in the FY 24 budget. Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] to ensure survivors of child and elder abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault have access to life-saving assistance. At a time when domestic violence deaths are skyrocketing, a proposed 40% cut to the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) will force shelters to cut staff and programs or even close their doors completely. Please ensure that VOCA funding remains intact in the FY24 budget to meet the rising demand for these critical services. Have You Scheduled This Event?Action Cafe 2023, Every Monday at Noon 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! 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. Action: Register HERE. We will send you a Zoom link and tomorrow morning, Chef Lisa will send your "menu." Comments are closed.
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