WELCOME to the website of the San Juan County Democrats

Summary of the September 9 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

On the morning of Saturday, September 9 starting around 8:40, Representative Debra Lekanoff held a coffee at Tide Pool in downtown Eastsound.  We had an excellent turnout of about 25 people.  Debra gave a wonderful presentation that highlighted her efforts to bring positive change not just for today, but she talked in terms of what we are looking at in our natural world fifty years from now.  It was sobering but very important.  She then proceeded to take questions and provide responses for quite some time, finally leaving at about 10:20 to attend our county Democrats meeting that followed.  We are truly fortunate to have such a thoughtful, engaged representative. 

The highlight of our meeting was the visit of State Senator and 20-year Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor Manka Dhingra, who is running to be the next state attorney general, and she was wonderful.? She is a fabulous candidate, and her proposed ten-minute visit turned into a passionate 45-minute presentation and Q and A.? If elected, Manka will?work for all the people of Washington State as we confront national challenges to voting and access to reproductive rights, and she will lead nationally on laws that safeguard worker rights, hold polluters accountable, and address the epidemic of gun violence. She will be the first person of color, the first immigrant, and only the second woman in this role.   You can find more information at info@electmanka.com.  While we still want to hear from the other major Democratic candidate for attorney general, Nick Brown, Manka is a very strong candidate. 

Councilor Cindy Wolf attended our meeting.  She told us that at the County Council meeting on Sept. 18, they will be considering a greenhouse gas inventory, sea level rise, and the Destination Management Plan. Cindy also told us that the proposed 1/10 of 1% sales tax that is dedicated to affordable housing can use some support.  If you can, send a note to the councilors telling them that you support the continuation of this tax. 

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One of the things we have been working on over the past year is a one-page statement representing what we, the county Democrats, stand for.  We have a 15-page platform on our website that is wonderful, but we would like a short document to share.  We started by reading a book called Democrats 101, which gives a brief history of the modern Democratic Party and at the end, a four-page creed of what the Democrats stand for.  Geri and Peggy have worked at distilling this into one page that reflects our county group, and I am going to share the rough draft with you all in order to allow you to give feedback and possibly suggest changes or additions.  Here it is: 

What are the basic beliefs of the San Juan County Democrats? 

San Juan County Democrats believe that the purpose of the United States government, which is created by and accountable to its people, is to ensure the well-being of the residents of America. 

We believe the responsibility of the United States government is to: 

• Ensure free and fair elections with equal access to voting 
• Ensure a healthy environment for all living things, including clean air, land, and water 
• Guarantee mass communication platforms dedicated to truth and objectivity 
• Guarantee the right to privacy, including a woman’s right to autonomy over her own body 
• Provide quality healthcare for all 
• Ensure quality, affordable housing and healthy food for all 
• Provide quality education for all 
• Guarantee a livable wage and safe working conditions for all 
• Protect the health and well-being of its people from external and internal dangers, both natural and man-made 
• Guarantee that every member of our society is treated equally before the law, regardless of background 
• Eliminate automatic weapons among the general public 
• Ensure equal opportunities for all, regardless of race, religion, or gender identity 
• Treat all people around the globe as being created equal 
• Embrace and celebrate diversity 
• Ensure freedom of movement for all 
• Ensure that every member of our society is free to shape their own beliefs and lives, so long as it does not infringe on the rights and safety of others  
• Inform the population about all the policies in place that provide for the well-being of the people 

As San Juan County Democrats, we strive to support candidates who share our beliefs.  If you share these beliefs, please consider joining our email list at https://sjdemocrats.org/membership/, or email Chair David Turnoy at davidgeri@rockisland.com.  

At yesterday’s meeting, a number of constructive criticisms were raised.  First, do we expect the government to provide all these items?  Must one believe in all these items, or only most, in order to be part of this group?  Should we include something about honoring tribal treaties and international agreements?  Should we specify equity of opportunity as opposed to simply equal opportunity, as perhaps the latter isn’t enough?  Your feedback is welcome as we try to hone this statement into a document that truly represents what we believe and will draw in others of similar beliefs. 

Another item we discussed yesterday is the creation of a mechanism to use to hold discussions with others in the local party who would like to engage about various topics that perhaps we don’t have enough time to adequately cover at our meetings.  This would be something to opt into and would be available to anyone in the party.  Stay tuned for more on this. 

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One of the things that is so challenging in maintaining democracy in this country today is the media emphasis on covering Trump and all the negative actions of the Republicans while failing to give nearly as much attention to the accomplishments of the Biden administration and the Democrats.  And this slanted media coverage impacts polls that show Biden doing very poorly in the eyes of the public.  Not that I don’t have serious policy disagreements with the Biden administration, but if we want a chance of maintaining a Democrat in the White House, it is important to give credit where credit is due.  To that end, it has been suggested that wherever and whenever possible, we mention the positive accomplishments of the current administration.  Here are a couple of things you may or may not be aware of that are worth highlighting with others: 

On Sep 6, 2023, President Biden canceled the remaining illegal leases in the?Arctic Refuge?and announced new protections for +12 million acres of Special Areas in the Western Arctic/Reserve?and a strengthened environmental review of the Congressionally mandated oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic Refuge. 

Biden’s National Labor Relations Board has taken an action that will help employees trying to unionize.  Under the new framework, when a union requests recognition on the basis that a majority of employees in an appropriate bargaining unit have designated the union as their representative, an employer must either recognize and bargain with the union or promptly file an?RM petition?seeking an election.? However, if an employer who seeks an election commits any unfair labor practice that would require setting aside the election, the petition will be dismissed, and—rather than re-running the election—the Board will order the employer to recognize and bargain with the union.? 

So there we have an example of the administration helping the environment and helping working people, two positives you can share with others. 

As we look ahead to the elections coming up in 2024, we continue to find ourselves in a fund-raising mode.  Our main expense in election years is printing and sending out our election postcard, which many people tell us they rely on for voting.  Costs have accelerated greatly, and last year it cost us well over $4,000 to make this happen.  We would also like to have a booth at the county fair next year if we can recruit enough volunteers, and there is a fee to have a booth.  Finally, it costs money to send our local party representatives to the state meetings.  A one-time donation or a small monthly contribution is greatly appreciated.  There are now six different donors contributing monthly, and if you can afford to participate, even with just $5 or $10 per month, it helps a lot.  Checks can be mailed to PO Box 1007 in Friday Harbor, 98250, or setting up a monthly contribution on Act Blue is very simple; just go to secure.actblue.com/donate/sjcountydems.  Thanks for considering. 

Summary of the May 13 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

Our meeting was highlighted by the appearance of our three state representatives: Senator Liz Lovelett, Rep. Debra Lekanoff, and Rep. Alex Ramel. A lot of time was devoted to discussing the PFAS water problem in a water system in Friday Harbor. One of the homeowners from that neighborhood brought the issue to the legislators, and there is a need from the state to step in with some funding to help. County Councilor Cindy Wolf has been instrumental in leading the county’s effort on this issue, but state help is also needed.

The challenge of school funding was also discussed. Problems have been a lack of money for special education, regionalization of property values, a cap on what can be raised, declining enrollment, and the end of Covid dollars. $1.2 billion was added to education funding, but our legislators say this is not enough. They have tried to make more progress but keep running into a wall. They will address this again next year.

One of our members brought up the fact that more funding is needed for the care of older Americans, especially to help them age in place. Our legislators mentioned a number of programs related to this that received money this session.

One of the highlights of this session was an effort at gun control. There is now a ban on the sale of assault weapons, and there is a ten-day waiting period to buy guns. Interestingly the number one act guns are used in is suicide, and the waiting period will help reduce this number.

Councilor Cindy Wolf told us we are currently seeing a record number of affordable housing starts in the county. In addition, the county is looking at an affordable housing sales tax of one tenth of 1%. Another tax measure that will soon receive consideration is a one tenth of 1% sales tax for support of the arts.

Our state committee representatives reported on the recent state Democratic Party meeting chaired for the first time by new chair Shasti Conrad. She brings an exciting flair to the job that was enjoyed by the attendees.

I am going to make another plea for donations to our party. Two months ago, my request brought two generous contributions, and I am hoping we can get some more of you to help us keep going. You may wonder why we need to ask for money. Of course, our main purpose is to elect Democrats, and the biggest tool we use for this is the post card we send out every two years. Unfortunately, with the cost of printing and postage, this action now costs over $4,000. We also used to buy advertising in local media but did not have money for this last time around. In addition to the post card, we send our state committee representatives to the three state meetings each year, and between lodging and transportation, this runs into some money. We also have website hosting and other administrative expenses just to keep afloat. So in order to continue to represent you with the state party and to keep you informed, it costs money.

A relatively recent development is the ability to donate a small amount monthly through Act Blue. We have one couple who gives us ten dollars each month through this method. If we could increase our number of small donors (or even large donors), this would be really helpful.

Donate to the San Juan County Democrats here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sjcountydems

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of the March 11, 2023 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

Our county Democrats meeting was full of inspiration from our members in attendance and the good work they are doing. 

County Councilor Cindy Wolf, who is also a longtime PCO and former vice chair, informed us about county council doings.  There is a plan to construct a trail from Friday Harbor to Zylstra Lake, and money is already approved.  People are already walking and riding on the road, and the new trail would keep them off the road and make it safer for everyone.  Find out more information at https://sanjuanco.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1332.   There is some opposition to the trail, so if you live on San Juan Island and would like to see this trail become a reality, you can send comments to our county councilors at https://www.sanjuanco.com/Directory.aspx?DID=49 or to Public Works Director Colin Huntemer at colinh@sanjuanco.com or to County Manager Mike Thomas at miket@sanjuanco.com. 

Cindy also told us about the proposed Argyle housing project.  County staff has suggested going with the proposal from the San Juan Housing Trust, which involves public money.  There is also a proposal from a private entity, and this would put some private capital into the project.  If you would like to check out the proposals and make a comment, go to https://www.sanjuanco.com/896/Affordable-Housing.  

Other items from council:  There is an effort underway to get an emergency tug for the county, and this may happen through Senator Cantwell’s office.  Also, there are 13 miles of coastal roads that are in danger of going underwater and/or eroding, and the county will be looking at moving these roads back away from the shore, which would also help the sand lance and herring that live there.   

Finally, a two-year study on water in the county has just been completed.  Preliminary results from the study were presented by a USGS geologist at the?February 28th?Council meeting which you can find at https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/e0ec2f36-a92a-4a88-911f-eb8b21514471.  “Interestingly, while this study shows us how much water comes into the aquifers and how much comes out, it will not show how much water is in the aquifers currently or how much damage pumping during seasons when there is no recharge is doing to aquifers with salt-water interface.? We may need to ask for further research.”?? 

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Our treasurer Alison presented her proposed budget for this year.  We would like to have a booth at the County Fair this year, and we need to be able to send our committee people to state meetings, but we especially need to raise money for next year’s big elections.  If you are able to contribute to the county Democrats, it will help us get ready to send out our election postcard again next year and provide other election-related events.  Checks can be sent to the San Juan County Democrats at PO Box 1007, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.  We also have the capability of accepting contributions through Act Blue; here is the link to contribute – secure.actblue.com/donate/sjcountydems.  

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It was pointed out that Senator Lovelett has a bill in the legislature to keep boats further away from our resident orcas to protect them.  Please go to https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5371&Year=2023&Initiative=false to sign in to support this bill.  It is ESSB 5371. 

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Our state committee person Sharon gave us a very thorough report on happenings in the state party.  She encourages us to sign in to support bills sponsored by our legislators.  Sharon is also working on the climate change aspect of just transition, which is really relevant to our legislative district.  If you are interested in learning about this, Sharon has provided some links: 

https://www.labor4sustainability.org

Also from Sharon: 

1. Please help support the Lummi Nation’s Totem Pole Journey to Oak Flat: https://www.catskillmountainkeeper.org/house_of_tears_carvers_donations

You can read more about the Totem Pole Journey at: https://www.cascadiadaily.com/news/2023/mar/09/washington-tribes-drum-up-support-for-totems-journey/ Also, here is an email you can send to support the rights of Native Americans over the right of an Australian corporation to mine copper on sacred land: 

HELP SAVE SACRED OAK FLAT FROM BECOMING A MASSIVE FOREIGN-OWNED COPPER MINE 

Become a citizen co-sponsor of Rep. Raúl Grijalva’s?Save Oak Flat From Foreign Mining Act?and join the thousands of Americans who are standing in solidarity with tribal nations and protecting our country’s natural and cultural heritage: 

ADD YOUR NAME 

Arizona’s Chi’chil Bildagoteel, commonly known as Oak Flat, is sacred to several tribal nations. But a last-minute deal by the Trump Administration mandated the transfer of this land to a notorious foreign-owned mining conglomerate. 

To prevent this pristine and sacred land from being destroyed, Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, introduced the Save Oak Flat From Foreign Mining Act to permanently protect this area from mining. 

By adding your name as a citizen co-sponsor of this important legislation, you can help protect not only the sacred sites of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and other tribal nations in Arizona but also the environment and water resources of this region. » 

SAVE OAK FLAT 

2. Please email me at sharmuse@gmail.com if you’d like info about the June 10 online event marking the 60th anniversary of JFK’s ‘peace speech’ at American University. There will also be online events around this on April 10 and May 10, leading up to the big anniversary event on June 10, which will feature Dr. Jeffrey Sachs.

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We would like to participate in the County Fair this year.  We have two members who are willing to be part of a committee to organize this, but we will need other helpers.  Once I have more information as to what is involved, I will send it out and ask if you would like to help.  Also, if anyone is interested in helping to organize our participation in the July 4 parade in Friday Harbor, please let me know. 

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Stephen Shubert is interested in securing a grant for a pilot program that would test and hopefully prove that providing in-home care for aging seniors who would otherwise be treated at higher and more expensive levels of care would actually save the government money while allowing such seniors to stay in their homes as long as possible.  Stephen has written a draft to get this started, and he will be appearing before the Northwest Regional Council to present to them.  If any of you might have relevant expertise and would be interested in being involved in this effort, please let me know. 

If you have even wondered why Americans don’t all have the same perspective on issues (aside from the poison from rightwing news), we have a book recommendation for you.  Colin Woodard has written a book called American Nations, which makes the case that there are really eleven different regions of the country, each with an outlook based on the group of Europeans that first settled there.  Geri discussed this at length at our meeting, and I can vouch for the value of the book, having read it twice myself.  You can also find some videos with Mr. Woodard online. 

Thanks for your time,
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, March 11

This Saturday we will be meeting via Zoom at 10am.

We’ll be getting an update from County Councilmember Cindy Wolf, as well as hearing from our treasurer, getting updates about the 40th Legislative District Democrats, hearing some ideas for projects and resolutions, and discuss plans for the rest of the year.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82099124845

Please check your email for documents we’ll be discussing Saturday, and contact me if you have any questions.

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of the January 7 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

The first meeting of the year for the SJC Democrats was well-attended, and we voted on our officers for this biennium. I will continue as chair, my wife Geri will continue as vice chair, Peggy Rhoads will continue as secretary, Alison Longley will continue as treasurer, and Sharon Abreu and Bob O’Connell will continue as our state committee members. Deputy vice chairs will include Jeff Hanks for Lopez, Keara Axelrod for Orcas, and a person from San Juan whose identity will remain undisclosed.

After this officer election, the following precinct positions were filled by appointment and a vote of approval: Siri Thorson for Waldron, Stephen Shubert for Turn Point on San Juan, and Peggy Rhoads for Orcas South. We are still looking to fill PCO positions for San Juan SW, San Juan East, Friday Harbor North, Friday Harbor South, Orcas North, Eastsound, Lopez Village, and Shaw Island.

The 40th LD has its reorganization meeting tomorrow, Sunday, at 10:00. They are looking for a secretary and a membership chair. Please let me know if you are interested, and your attendance is encouraged

At the state level, there will be a lobby day on Friday, January 27, at which you are encouraged to meet with our legislators. The next day the state central committee will be selecting a new chair, as the current chair, Tina Podlodowski, is stepping down. There will also be other officers chosen and resolutions considered.

We spent a lot of time on a subject we have discussed numerous times in the past: How to bring in new people, especially younger people and diverse people? One of the best ways is simply networking, i.e., talking with people you know. Undoubtedly those of you reading this note know of other folks who would be interested in getting on our email list and perhaps even attending meetings. If you can reach out to them, it benefits all of us.

It was mentioned that perhaps a perceived progressive bent of our current organization has discouraged some more moderate Democrats from participating with us. I will make no bones about the fact that many of our members, including myself, are of a progressive bent. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have room for other voices, whether it be more moderate or more radical. We strive to be a big tent, but we can’t be a big tent unless we have people from various perspectives participating with us. It was mentioned that some moderate Democrats may have felt alienated, and I would welcome any of you to communicate with me or simply to attend a meeting and express yourself, as one of our members did today. We can only gain understanding by listening to the various points of view, and we only succeed if we have the Democrats united. Just because some members are quite progressive doesn’t mean they don’t volunteer to help elect the moderate Democratic candidates that have run for president the last two times.

Councilor Cindy Wolf told us about some townhalls that the Council will be conducting at the Senior Centers. The townhall for San Juan will be on Jan. 28, Orcas will be Feb. 4, and the one for Lopez is still to be decided.

If you have a suggestion for a guest you would like to see present at one of our meetings, please let me know. Guest speakers can add a lot to our meetings, and your suggestions can guide our invitations.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.

David Turnoy davidgeri@rockisland.com

360-376-4165

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, January 7

Happy New Year!

Our first meeting of the year is Saturday, January 7 at 10:00 on Zoom.  This is a very important meeting, as we elect officers for the next two years.  I haven’t talked to anyone about filling the deputy vice chair positions yet, so if you are willing and interested, please let me know either before the meeting or during the meeting if you would like to be the deputy vice chair for your island.  This position is not onerous, simply distributing some political signs once in a while and perhaps some other miscellaneous things that I am not remembering right now.

In addition, we have the opportunity to appoint possibly a number of PCOs; I have at least two people and possibly as many as four who are interested.  And we still need people for San Juan East, Friday Harbor North, Friday Harbor South, Orcas North, Eastsound North, Lopez Village, and Shaw.  If you know anyone who lives in one of these areas and might be interested in being its PCO, please encourage them to call me and to attend the meeting.  I can be reached at 360-376-4165.  And please encourage anyone who might be interested in getting involved with us to attend, especially folks who might be new to the county.

If you have anything else for the agenda, please let me know.  Zoom info:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89895325705     
Hoping to see you on Saturday,
David T
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of the November 12 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

At our meeting this past Saturday, the main topic was discussing results of the recent election. Locally, while the Lopez levy on the ballot passed, all other measures failed. This includes the library levy on San Juan, the roads levy lid lift, and all four Charter Review Commission amendments. Most races for office were uncontested, but one that generated a lot of interest was the race for sheriff, and it looks like challenger Eric Peter has defeated incumbent Ron Krebs. Both of our state representatives, Debra Lekanoff and Alex Ramel, were reelected handily. Patty Murray and Rick Larsen won their races for reelection, Steve Hobbs has been elected Secretary of State, Congresswoman Schrier seems to have prevailed in the 8th district, and Marie Perez down in southern Washington’s third district has beaten a MAGA Republican to pick up a seat that has long been in the Republican column. Out of our state’s ten members of Congress, eight are now Democrats. Thanks to all of you who helped elect Democrats.

Our next meeting will be on January 7. At that time, we will elect all our officer positions. If you are interested in becoming involved and would like to discuss this, feel free to send me an email or give me a call. The next meeting of the 40th LD will be the very next day, January 8, and they will also be electing new officers, and they are especially looking for a new chair. In addition, especially with the creation of several new precincts in our county, we have a number of precincts looking for a representative; these folks are known as PCOs. PCOs are elected in August of even years, but we can also appoint volunteers to the open seats at the January meeting or thereafter. In the near future I will send out a note listing the open positions, and I hope a few of you will be willing to step up. Democracy works best when more people participate, so I hope you will consider being involved.

2022 Endorsements

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

At our Aug. 27 meeting, we voted on endorsements for the fall election.  Here is our list:

Senator – Patty Murray                     

Congress – Rick Larsen

Secretary of State – Steve Hobbs

State Rep #1 – Debra Lekanoff                       

State Rep#2 – Alex Ramel  

Sheriff – Ron Krebs and Eric Peter – Dual Endorsement

Prosecuting Attorney – Amy Vira

Prop 1 Road Levy Lift – Yes   

Prop 1 – SJI Library Bond (SJI only) – Yes

Prop 1 – Lopez Solid Waste Levy (Lopez only) – Yes

CRC #1 Citizen Advocate – No position     

CRC #2 County Support for CRC – Yes

CRC #3 Ranked Choice Voting – Yes            

CRC #4 Signature decrease on Initiatives, Referenda – Yes

Thanks to Dick Grout, who will be working on the postcard, and those of you who have donated to us, we will be sending out a postcard with these endorsements.

There are many other offices to vote on in the election, but we did not feel it necessary to endorse in races where there is only one candidate other than prosecuting attorney.  Also, you will notice that we awarded a dual endorsement for sheriff.  Both the incumbent and the challenger are strong candidates, so it will be up to you to do a little research and decide on whom to vote for.

Thanks for reading,

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

County Democrats Endorsement Meeting 8/27

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

The next meeting of our county Democrats will be on Saturday, Aug. 27, at 9:30 AM on Zoom.  At this meeting we will vote on our endorsements for the fall general election.  The endorsement committee has been working to gather information on the candidates and ballot measures, and this committee will have recommendations for the voting members attending the meeting on Aug. 27.  Anyone who has attended at least two meetings in the last year is a voting member.

While a number of races have only one candidate, there are several important races that are competitive.  Both of our wonderful state reps have challengers; Alex Ramel is opposed by Trevor Smith, and I just found out today that Debra Lekanoff has a write-in challenger.  Other candidate races with two candidates include US senator, US congressman, secretary of state, and our county sheriff.  In addition, we have three local ballot measures, and if you haven’t heard, the challenge to the county’s not putting the other four charter review amendments on the ballot was successful, so we will consider those as well.

Here is the information you will need to attend the meeting:  
Time: Aug 27, 2022 09:30 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82060459221?pwd=Wm1nSm1QeUM0K2NuUnVlUDREd3Vidz09

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you at the meeting.

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, July 16

The San Juan County Democrats will be meeting Saturday at 9:30 am via Zoom.

We’ll be discussing the 40th LD and state committee activities, possible endorsements, and we’ll be welcoming guest speaker Amanda Eichelberger, Executive Director of the San Juan Community Home Trust, who will provide an overview of the Home Trust and an update on their current work to address island housing issues, followed by a Q&A.

We’ll also discuss the topics in Democrats 101 and the possibility of conducting a Town Hall to attract younger members.

The meeting will be held at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82861107272. Contact me if you need the passcode.

David Turnoy
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of the June 18 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

Saturday was the San Juan County Democrats’ endorsement meeting for the upcoming August primary. Attendance was rather sparse. We endorsed a slate of Alex Ramel for state rep, Amy Vira for prosecuting attorney, and Patty Murray for US Senate.

In the race for our Congress person, we had about a half hour of Q and A with incumbent Rick Larsen and challenger Jason Call. We then had a heartfelt discussion about what is needed in the immediate future in order to combat all the serious problems we face. Jason’s answers to all our questions move us forward where we need to go, while Rick’s answers did not rise to this same level. Here is the language I sent to Congressman Larsen in telling him that he did not receive our endorsement:

“We acknowledge and appreciate the town halls you held early on in the pandemic and that you have helped our county in a variety of ways over the years. But we are feeling the urgency of the times we’re living in right now and the need for faster and more progressive solutions to the serious problems facing our country. We believe these times are calling for new energy, ideas and quality of leadership in our Congressional District.”

As you can probably tell, we chose to endorse Jason Call for Congress. And as I have stated before, while there is a good chance that Rick Larsen may be re-elected, if Jason Call can finish no lower than second in the primary, then we will have two Democrats on the November ballot, bringing on a healthy debate between the two candidates and hopefully moving Rick in a progressive direction if he is to continue to represent us.

Summary of the May 21 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

The SJC Democrats met on Saturday, May 21. We plan to have a booth at the fair this year, which is August 17-20. Soon we will be asking for volunteers to staff the booth. We have two veterans who will train any of you who would like to help. Shaun Hubbard has volunteered to design the booth but has asked all of us to come up with ideas about: 1) Issues of importance to be displayed and talked about at the booth; 2) Brief slogans about the most important issues; and 3) Contents of the booth, such as voter registration forms, takeaways of our platform, lists of our endorsements, etc. Please submit suggestions in reply to this request.

The state Democrats convention this year will be on June 25. Our legislative district has submitted two resolutions. One encourages the national Democrats to break up the Build Back Better Act into its component parts so that perhaps some of these good proposals get passed, and it would also show the country what Democrats support and Republicans oppose. The other resolution calls for an enforcement mechanism for our platform so that elected officials are evaluated on their performance in following the platform; this would be carried out by the state party.

I reported on candidate filings. Most of our county races have only one candidate. That includes Amy Vira for prosecuting attorney and Jane Fuller for county councilor from Lopez/Shaw. The one county race with two candidates is sheriff, where incumbent Ron Krebs is being challenged by Eric Peter. Races that we will vote on in the August primary include Congress, where Jason Call is challenging Rick Larsen again along with 8 other candidates; US Senate, where Patty Murray is being challenged by 17 others; and WA Secretary of State, where recently appointed Steve Hobbs is being challenged by 7 others. In our LD, Debra Lekanoff has no opponent, Alex Ramel is being challenged in November by fellow Democrat Trevor Smith, while Sen. Lovelett finally gets to sit out an election after running several times since she was appointed.

Bill Appel suggested that we should be following and participating in the Tourist Management Plan process. Bill says, “You might want to alert everyone to sign on for information. Unfortunately, most of the public participation process is over, but people should sign up and participate in what opportunities are left: <https://www.sjctourism.com/>. People need to pile into this one.”

Bob prepared the following poster using info from Democrats 101. You are welcome to play around with this to try to improve it, if you like. We can post something like this in our fair booth.

IF YOU SHARE THESE IDEALS, YOU SHOULD BE A DEMOCRAT!

· All people are created equal (This is America’s fundamental ideal);

· America is a democracy, by and for the people, ruled by the Constitution, protected by the Bill of Rights, and inspired by the Declaration of Independence;

· These founding documents demand Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity for all Americans, in full and equal measure…regardless of who you are, what you believe, or where you live;

· The Duty of government is to strive endlessly to make the ideals of Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity a reality for all;

· The Purpose of government is to protect our nation, defend our democracy, and to endlessly promote the welfare of each and every one of us

Fighting for all of this is the whole purpose of the

DEMOCRATIC PARTY!

If you would like to become involved in the protection of our democracy and the promotion of its ideals, contact the Democratic Party at _________________.

The San Juan County Democrats met Saturday, and our first item was a visit from Richard May, deputy mayor of Blaine and running for the legislative seat currently held by Sharon Shewmake, who is running for the state senate to replace the late Doug Ericksen.  Richard is a longtime progressive participating in the Democratic Party as well as environmental organizations.  He is in the 42nd LD rather than our 40^th LD, but if elected, he would be one more progressive in the legislature to help pass good legislation.  Please consider helping to put another progressive in the legislature by contributing to Richard’s campaign at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/elect-richard-may 

Former State Representative Jim Buck has been pursuing the issue of seismic safety in our schools.  A report had concluded that 93% of Washington schools examined could 

collapse in an earthquake, causing death, injury and entrapment for students and staff. 

[You can find this report at https://www.dnr.wa.gov/school-seismic-safety.]  The legislature unanimously passed Senate/House Bill 5933, “Establishing a School Seismic Safety Grant Program” which does the following: 

1. Sets the ground rules for OSPI to assist school districts in preparing seismic safety planning grants. 

2. Requires OSPI to combine school modernization and seismic retrofit programs to save money. 

3. Sets up the ground rules for OSPI to build a school seismic safety grant program for at-risk earthquake and tsunami endangered schools. 

4. The 5933 bill sets up the Seismic School Safety Account with the Treasurer to accept money from Senate Bill 5651. 

SB 5651, the Capital Budget, appropriated $100 million dollars to the 5933 Seismic School Safety Account to kick-start OSI’s new program.  Mr. Buck has asked locals like ours to put a plank in our platform supporting school seismic safety legislation, so we passed such a measure at our meeting. 

Sharon Abreu has been fearlessly leading the 40^th LD, and we now have delegates in place to attend the June 25 convention.  Delegates are meeting tomorrow.  Great thanks to Sharon for taking on this seemingly endless task. 

In candidate news, a quality progressive candidate for the Lopez/Shaw seat is very close to announcing their candidacy.  In addition, Sheriff Krebs has a challenger for the sheriff position from Sergeant Eric Peter.  Finally, Rep. Alex Ramel has a challenger for his seat in the legislature from union leader and former 40^th LD chair Trevor Smith.   

We are looking to have a booth at the fair this year, which will be in person.  If you are interested in being involved in this effort, please let me know. 

Remember, we will soon have new PCO positions available in the village area of Lopez and on Orcas on the west side and in town.  I am hoping that some of you will consider participating.  Please contact me with any questions. 

We would like to recruit some younger members to participate in our group.  We had quite a discussion today regarding the best way to do this.  We understand that younger folks can be too busy with jobs, family, and life in general, but this is a demographic that we would like to appeal to.  If you have suggestions, please send them my way.  And if you know people of a younger age that might be interested in what we do, please tell them about us. 

Movement Voter Project has a good event coming up that will include Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.  If you remember, MVP funds local grass-roots organizations who encourage people to vote who might not otherwise participate in elections.  They helped win the senate races in Georgia, and they are continuing to work on these kinds of races.  Here is the information: 

Help us win the mid-terms and save our democracy. 

Join us on Sunday May 1st @ 1:00pm PT / 4:00pm ET for a virtual fundraising event. 

Combating Voter Suppression: A conversation with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Jim McGovern 

Congressman Jim McGovern represents the 2nd Congressional District of MA. He serves as the Chair of the House Rules Committee, Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and is a member of the House Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Nutrition and Oversight. Congressman McGovern is a strong defender of human rights, the environment, and our veterans. He is also a tireless advocate for ending world hunger. 

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal represents Washington’s 7th Congressional District. She is the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House and one of only 87 women of color to ever serve there. She is the Chair of the 96-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, and also serves on the House Judiciary, Education & Labor, and Budget Committees. She has spent over 20 years organizing and advocating for women’s and immigrant rights and racial and economic justice. 

To register for the event, click here.  https://www.mobilize.us/mvp/event/450180/ 

To donate in advance of the event, click here.  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/jayapal_mcgovern_05_01_2022?refcode=EMATeam 

To download a PDF version of the flyer with active links, click here 

https://mcusercontent.com/eee660f58aaa03eab667b28e4/files/f4ab72f3-4595-bcc3-8aef-401b5701b815/mvp_flyer_May_1_2022_PDF.pdf

To learn more about MVP, click here.  https://movement.vote/about/?refcode=EMATeam 

For information, email us at MVPEasternMA@gmail.com. 

Force Multiplier also has another upcoming event. 

Matt Cartwright, an “FDR Democrat from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party,” knows how to repeatedly win in a Trump district in a battleground state. He’ll tell us how he does it. He needs our support to keep doing it. A Must-Win House Race. To hold the Democratic Majority,  

we need to win races like this one. 

Force Multiplier invites you to meet Matt Cartwright (PA-08) 

Thursday, April 21, 7:00 – 8:00pm, ET on Zoom 

REGISTER + DONATE  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/forcemultiplier2022cartwrightevent?refcode=MP_DTUR 

Suggested donation $100. Please be as generous as possible. 

Cartwright belongs to the Progressive Caucus + has won five terms…twice in a district that voted for Trump! Let’s find out how he does it. Cartwright is the Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy + Communications Committee! Let’s talk to him about messaging + how to tell the Democratic story to win. Cartwright has introduced the most pieces of bi-partisan legislation in the House! Let’s hear from him about leadership + working across the aisle to get things done. 

Let’s support Matt Cartwright + Reelect a Democratic House! 

Please pass this invite on to others in your world who might be interested. 

forcemultiplierus.org         Follow us + help spread the word! 

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, April 9

This Saturday, April 9 2022 the San Juan County Democrats will be meeting via Zoom.

The agenda includes a treasurer’s report, update from the 40th LD Democrats, offices open for election this fall, language about including seismic education in the county party platform, and redistricting three new precincts on Orcas and one on Lopez. These are depicted below; more information can be seen by clicking on the link:

We will also have a visit from a guest speaker – Richard May, candidate for rep in the 42nd Legislative District.

Hope to see you at 10.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82609908448

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of the March 12 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

All three of our state legislators appeared at our meeting Saturday.  They told us of some of the highlights of legislation that was passed.  There will be more detailed presentations later on.  Below is the link to a recording of most of our meeting; it starts about a half hour into the meeting and just before the legislators arrive.  The main portion of interest would be from just after the start for about the first 45 minutes, as that is the time during which we had our state legislators presenting and answering questions.  Especially important to us is that there will be four new ferries coming out of the transportation package to go along with the one that was already funded, so that’s five ferries total to be added.  They are all hybrid diesel/electric, and we will get one of them.  There will also be a huge recruitment effort to fill the ferry job openings.  We can thank Senator Lovelett especially for advocating tirelessly for ferries. 

The other very important thing our legislators spoke of today is the upcoming campaign.  Debra Lekanoff, Alex Ramel, and Liz Lovelett are all wonderful legislators who advocate for all the things we want, and they are likely to be re-elected fairly easily.  But they can only accomplish what they do if they have a solid Democratic majority in both houses of the legislature.  To that end, a number of their Democratic colleagues have challenging races coming up this fall, and all three of our legislators want to do everything they can to assure re-election of their vulnerable colleagues.  To that end, they are asking us to donate whatever we can to help in this manner.  They know who needs the extra campaign boost, so they are asking us to donate to them, and they will redirect that money to their Democratic colleagues.  Here are the links to use: 

Rep. Debra Lekanoff – https://debralekanoff.com/donate/ 

Rep. Alex Ramel – https://www.alexramel.com/donate 

Senator Liz Lovelett – https://secure.actblue.com/donate/liz-lovelett-for-state-senate-1 

New Chair of the 40^th Sharon Abreu spoke to us about the LD caucus on Saturday, March 26, at 10:00.  This event will be used to elect delegates to the state convention that takes place June 24-26 in Tacoma.  However, it will also be on Zoom, so you don’t have to travel to Tacoma to participate.  Please think about running for delegate to attend the convention.   

David Dehlendorf presented our budget for this year.  Most of our spending will be focused on the fall election. 

Amy Vira, who has been attending our meetings and who heads up our Facebook presence, spoke to us about the role of the prosecuting attorney.  The PA prosecutes crimes, acts as the coroner, and gives civil advice.  The latter included defending the county, doing the legal end of the county’s business, and advising elected officials and county departments.  Her office takes a victim-focused approach.  This was very educational, as the role of the PA is not widely understood.  By the way, you may have heard that current PA Randy Gaylord is retiring, and Amy is running to take over upon his retirement. 

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, March 12 2022; State Representatives Visiting

This Saturday, March 12 there will be a virtual meeting of the San Juan County Democrats via Zoom from 10am to 12pm at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84477562317
Meeting ID: 844 7756 2317       Passcode: Ea0v5c

Rep. Lekanoff, Rep. Ramel, and Senator Lovelett will visit us between 10:30 and 11:00.  They will just have finished their legislative session the night before, and will be answering questions from our group.

We will also be considering and possibly voting on a new Treasurer and Secretary, hearing about progress at the 40th LD Democrats, the state committee, upcoming county elections, and holding a town hall to attract younger members.

I hope to see you at our meeting Saturday. 

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of the February 12, 2022 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

Big news for our group with our officer openings. Two of our stalwart volunteers, Peggy Rhoads and Alison Longley, have stepped up to take on the secretary and treasurer jobs respectively on a trial basis. I am hoping this will work out well for each of them. We also know we need to recruit more folks, especially younger folks, as many of our volunteers may age out soon, and others already have. I welcome any of you who get these messages but don’t attend our meetings to start joining us. We are a very friendly, progressive, welcoming group of people who want to help make positive change, and the more hands we have on deck, the better. We will look to start making more recruitment efforts at our next meeting.

We have learned that the chair of the 40th LD is resigning because he has gone to work for Rick Larsen’s campaign. Therefore, the 40th LD chair position is open. One of our members may be interested in running for that spot, but I want to let everyone know of the opening. If you have any question as to what this would entail, feel free to call me.

We passed a resolution that is worth telling you about. The Fossil Free Finance Act would require the Federal Reserve (Fed) to mandate that major banks and other Systemically Important Financial Institutions (SIFIs) reduce and stop the financing of projects and activities that emit greenhouse gas emissions – S. 3167 introduced by Senators Markey and Merkley; also in the House. See https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-and-merkley-announce-legislation-to-get-big-banks-to-stop-financing-fossil-fuel-projects#:~:text=today%20introduced%20the%20Fossil%20Free,that%20emit%20greenhouse%20gas%20emissions. I encourage you to write to our senators to encourage them to pass this bill. One of the best ways to bring the fossil fuel era to a close is to end the ability of those companies to get financing for fossil fuel projects.

Cindy Wolf reminded us that for any of you who may want to apply for the volunteer positions for the advisory environmental committee, you need to get that in by Tuesday, Feb. 15.

Ande Finley of Lopez had recommended a book called Democrats 101: A Primer For Us. It does a wonderful job of explaining who we are, from centrist to progressive. Here is a summary I have composed:

The Democratic Party starts with FDR in 1933. He stood for the idea that the American government exists to help the people, a radical concept for the time. And following on this idea, the Democratic Party exists to better people’s lives, that we are not just out to hold office but to make America a better country to live in. The Common Thread we possess is the natural human impulse toward fairness and justice. The author says we still talk the talk, but the party doesn’t walk the walk, have lost touch with our base, which he says is made up of farmers, labor, and Black Americans. He sees an arrogance and elitism, a smugness that everyone knows we are the good guys, a complacency that led to Hillary’s defeat.

Modern politics isn’t about facts, logic, policies or positions, it is about emotional perception. People vote on emotion, not ideas. Also, the vast majority of Americans don’t have time in their

lives to follow politics closely. We need to be the ones that these people trust, and we do that by good messaging based on our values, as our core beliefs excite people; equal rights for women, a livable minimum wage, clean air and water, affordable health insurance, an end to racism. You don’t become the majority party by being ahead of your time, you do it by being in your time. Our core values and the beliefs they inspire are our moral compass.

Our core values:

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which translates as justice, freedom, and opportunity.

Justice – Everyone is respected and safe, a just society.

Freedom – Democracy, safe and free elections.

Opportunity – A fair chance, putting education first over special interests, universal access to acceptable medical care, access to a decent job and a way to support your family, an end to racism.

Our declaration has to be devoid of politics, these are the things we stand for, not ideology or the way we will accomplish these goals. We need to be about pragmatism, getting things done, as most Americans believe in this. It’s time for us to reconnect with the American public.

We will always have moderates and progressives, realists and idealists, establishment and activists – But we don’t need to choose one or the other, we need to be us. Our identity as a party needs to be about our basic values and how we present them. Our basic values are American values. Our central message has to be about all of us (all races) and coming from all of us, not separate messages for different races. Us. America must be a truly just society for everyone.

This book, no longer than a pamphlet, is a Common Sense for our time. It takes about two hours to read, and it gives us all a common grounding in what it means to be a Democrat. My wife and I have both read it and found it very helpful. I have ordered 20 copies for our party, and I will pass them around first to those who attend our meetings, but I will encourage them to be passed on to others when done. The book can also be ordered from bookstores and online both in paper or as an online read. See https://www.jmpurvis.org/democrats-101

Summary of the January 8, 2022 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

Our January 8 meeting consisted of visits by Congressman Rick Larsen and challenger Jason Call. As you may know, Rick is an eleven-term incumbent. Rick spoke to us for a half hour, giving a brief presentation about things he is working on, stressing the importance of getting rid of the filibuster in order to pass the Build Back Better Act and the Voting Rights Act, two very significant pieces of legislation that he helped pass in the House. He then answered questions that were put to him live. While Rick didn’t have time to get into all the questions submitted by all of you, I am expecting written answers from his office that I will post once I receive them. Rick spent a half hour with us before he had to leave for a meeting with the Skagit Democrats. He stressed the importance of Democrats winning wherever possible this year, that it is important to keep his district blue, and that his campaign for re-election is going well.

Jason Call spent an hour and a half with us, generously answering all questions put to him and giving us an opportunity to truly get to know him. Jason is a long-time political activist who is not afraid to speak up for what he thinks is right. His policy positions are progressive all the way down the line, supporting Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, a more peaceful foreign policy and reducing Pentagon spending, really fighting climate change, and so on. Jason takes no corporate PAC money and likens himself to members of “The Squad” in Congress. He stressed that our Congressional district is safely Democratic, that Rick wins his elections over Republican candidates by a 2 to 1 margin, that whether the candidate is Rick or Jason, the Democrat will win. He has had good success with fundraising for his campaign.

I recorded almost all of the meeting (started a little way into Rick’s time), so if you would like to see Rick Larsen and Jason Call in action answering questions, go to the following: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/jYkPzunKdOemaK0L_2yJ6oshdt4ClPAcRKmvqEizf6KLiNIaOvnb-QS7UJuyEex_.4ijCcQs7dmj3G2Ml
Passcode: 6Vm6F7?c

New Friday Harbor Port Commissioner Victoria Compton was going to address our meeting, but the Congressional discussion lasted the whole meeting, and Victoria had to leave for another meeting. She asked us to let you all know about the commission’s meeting coming up this week. “Please come to (or Zoom into) the next Port of FH meeting on Wednesday, 1/12 at noon. The agenda will be posted here next Tuesday a.m.: https://www.portfridayharbor.org/about-the-port/commissioners/agendas/ “

Local member Alexandra Gayek is the only active member in the Mt. Baker Sierra Club group from our county. She is asking that if you have any environmental information you would like presented to the Sierra Club, please let her know. She can be contacted at gayek07@hotmail.com.

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, January 8 2022; Upcoming Election

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

I want to remind you that we will hold our first meeting of 2022 on Saturday, January 8, at 10:00.  You will have the opportunity to hear from both Congressman Rick Larsen and from challenger Jason Call.  Rick will speak and answer questions from 10:05 until 10:30, whereas Jason will attend our whole meeting and speak after Rick.  You might remember that Jason is a longtime Democratic activist and teacher who challenged Rick in 2020, coming within one percentage point of finishing second in the primary, which would have qualified him for the general election in November.  It is the hope of many in our party that Jason will finish at least second in the primary this next time around, which will provide an opportunity to have some serious debate about the issues that matter to us during the general election campaign.  Our district has become much more blue during the 21 years Rick has been in office, and whether Jason wins or not, many of us would like to see our Congressman move in a more progressive direction.  Instead of Rick running against a Republican in the general election, running against a progressive Democrat like Jason will provide the impetus to have a constructive discussion.  Please attend this meeting and ask the questions you have been waiting to have answered.

Here is the information you need to attend the meeting:

David Turnoy is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Time: Jan 8, 2022 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85433525771?pwd=YVNlQWlBWFAyNkhJUzBNSkJCOExodz0

Meeting ID: 854 3352 5771
Passcode: S6Xme6
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________An election in February?  That’s right, if you live on San Juan Island.  The following is from our county elections department:2022 February 8 Special Election
Think Local and Be Vocal: Register and vote in every election. Your vote is your voice and together we can make a difference in our community.
Local Ballot Measures:

SJI School District No. 149 – Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy

SJC Hospital District No. 1– Renewal of Six-Year Emergency Medical Services Property Tax Levy

Only registered voters on San Juan Island will receive ballots for this election. San Juan Island voters will vote on two levies.
San Juan Island School District is renewing a four-year levy for educational programs and operational expenses not funded by the State. San Juan County Hospital District is renewing a six-year emergency medical services property tax levy.                     

Key Dates
Jan 7       Military and overseas ballots mailed
Jan 18    Ballots mailed to domestic voters (in the United States)
Jan 21    Special Election 18-day voting period begins.
Jan 31    Deadline for online and mail-in voter registrations and transfers
Feb 8      Election Day!
• 8:00 PM Deadline for in-person registration
• 8:00 PM Deadline to return February 8 Special Election ballots. Ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day or placed in an official ballot drop box by 8:00 PM on Election night.
Feb 18    February 8 Special Election certified by Canvassing Board
We recommend dropping your ballot in the ballot box or mail by the Friday before Election Day to make sure it gets postmarked in time to be counted.

Mailed ballots must be postmarked by February 8.

Online voters’ guide available now
sanjuanco.com/elections             
Register to vote at VoteWA.gov

That’s all for today.

Thanks for reading,David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of the November 13 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

The SJC Democrats had their most recent meeting on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 10:00 AM.  We still are in need of someone to take care of the secretary’s duties, which simply involve taking notes at our meetings.  Once again, Sharon Abreu stepped into the breach to do this for us.  But we can’t ask Sharon to do this permanently.  First, she is already involved in way too many causes and meetings, plus she already has two official positions with our group as PCO and state committee woman; our bylaws don’t allow more than two positions.  We need to spread the load, so I hope someone will step up.

One of the exciting developments taking place within the state party is the evolution of the Advocacy Committee.  Bob O’Connell, our state committeeman, is one of the participants on this committee.  The purpose is to advocate for our platform, to attempt to get our elected representatives to honor and follow the platform.  While our 40^th LD elected representatives are right in tune with our state and county platforms, our national representatives often are not.  Hopefully the Advocacy Committee will find a way to bring more adherence to our platforms.

We discussed the results of the recent election.  As you may already know, our endorsed candidate Victoria Compton won her race for Port Commissioner by a landslide.  Our other endorsed candidate, Dwight Colley, is still slightly ahead in his race for Fire Commissioner.  We haven’t traditionally weighed in too often in nonpartisan races; there seems to be a strain of belief among many in the county that political parties should stay out of nonpartisan elections.  But we are seeing throughout the country how the other side is politicizing school boards and other nonpartisan bodies, and it may be necessary for us to weigh in more frequently in such elections.

The Charter Amendments were a mixed electoral bag.  The first amendment, dealing with acknowledgment of the land, ended up passing.  The amendments on term limits and nondiscrimination also passed.  While the voter initiative amendment did not pass, the effort to lower the threshold for initiative signature requirements from 15% to 8% will be reintroduced next year as a separate amendment.

The Mullis Center election continues to generate controversy.  The ballot counting on Friday morning was being broadcast on Zoom, but some bad actors “bombed” it with racist, sexist, and pornographic content, and the ballot counting was temporarily shut down.  The incident was reported to law enforcement, and counting will resume next week.

Three important local positions will be voted on next November, and it is not too early to start organizing for this.  Our current Auditor is retiring, and it is really important that we find a candidate with the requisite accounting skills as well as the proper disposition to remain completely neutral politically.  According to Dave Zeretzke, here are some more of the important skills and traits needed:  The auditor must be someone who can work with folks of all stripes to accurately account for the dollars and to communicate with the public and elected officials.  CPA preferable and demonstrated skill with public entity accounting.  (Private CPA’s usually grossly underestimate the complexity of county bookkeeping, software and reporting requirements.    Some have even suggested Quickbooks as the chosen software–impossibly naive and unseasoned by true experience with complex clients who suffer state audits annually, public audits).  The auditor needs political sensibility and good common skills regarding the press, the public and the other elected officials and key appointed officials.  There are lots of stakeholders.   SJC has 11 elected officials, all of whom want influence with the Auditor and control over their own expenses.  Then there’s the County Manager and critical Department Heads.  The Auditor needs strength of character and integrity.  The Auditor has to take the heat for many honest evaluations/opinions/trends/problems.  As the overseer of Elections and supervisor of the Elections Clerk, it is critical that the person in this role can make sound and legal decisions but still face constant criticism for them.  Sounds like a challenging position, so it is really important we find qualified candidates.

The second important local position up for election is the Prosecuting Attorney.  Again, the incumbent is retiring, so this is an open seat.  Dave’s advice here is to identify a capable attorney who can refrain from trying to control political issues regularly.  The Prosecuting Attorney is there to give legal advice but to let the political process work without interfering.  We expect a current deputy prosecutor to run for this position.

The third important position to be elected is County Councilor. We understand that Jamie Stephens will be retiring as County Councilor from Lopez and Shaw.  It is crucial that we elect a candidate to this seat who will join Cindy Wolf in forming a progressive council majority.  If you know potential candidates, please chat with them, and feel free to suggest that they give me a call.
_________________________________________________________________________

Here are a couple of events you may want to attend:

1. From Sharon A – This Tuesday evening, Nov. 16 at 7 pm Pacific time, the Washington State Progressive Caucus is hosting an online presentation by the Climate Crisis & Militarism Project of Veterans for Peace. I encourage you to tune in!

You can tune in at this private Youtube link:
https://youtu.be/w-8NmF9t0xI

Here is the agenda for the meeting:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ocHcRYWTE_OBlewP-oEJ8hKQEL6XQ0OeEX6-EiMErkc/edit

For more info, please visit:
https://www.veteransforpeace.org/take-action/climatecrisis
and https://waprogressives.org

2. The next Force Multiplier event- Join Force Multiplier on Zoom on Wednesday, December 1^st to welcome the nation’s first Latina senator, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada who will be introduced by none other than Amy Klobuchar!

________________________________________________________________________
As promised, here are the actions.  RootsAction is an outfit I have received emails from for quite a while, and they have started to put out actions that we progressives can take.  I am pasting in two emails from them, and if you feel so motivated, please take some or all of the actions.

Last week’s election results continue to reverberate. One of the more obscene outcomes is the New York Times demanding that Democrats not challenge oligarchy, and instead find a way to productively make nice with Republicans, if at all possible. Note: it is not possible. But we can appreciate a close reading with our guides Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen.

All of the stories below highlight important news and analysis that the mainstream routinely fails to provide. We’re confident that reading them will enhance your understanding of our world. That said, as activists have long known, the point isn’t to just understand the world, but to change it. So, each of these stories is accompanied by a quick action opportunity.

It’s Time to Rein in the Pentagon’s Yearly Blank Check
Pentagon funding seems to be just about the only thing that Congress is always in agreement on. Changing course would mean real reform and genuine accountability, starting with serious cuts to a budget for which “bloated” is far too kind an adjective.

Despite Failure in Afghanistan, the Pentagon Gets a Bigger Budget
The defeat in Afghanistan offers a chance to rethink America’s war machine, but Congress is on the verge of raising Pentagon spending to $740 billion.

Israel Using Facial Recognition Tech on Palestinians in West Bank
Israeli soldiers have been involved in an organized effort to take photos of Palestinian residents of the West Bank town of Hebron and have even competed with one another to provide the photos for a facial recognition database being used to monitor Palestinians.

Supreme Court Refuses to Protect Your Right to Record Cops
The Supreme Court chose not to take on a pivotal case to protect your right to record police, leaving six states with fewer constitutional rights. For anyone who believes that Black Lives Matter, this is a big deal. Now that cops in six states can get away with blocking your right to film them, we can expect more of this behavior. A chilling reminder that even with the right to film firmly established, police continue to kill unarmed Black people at alarming rates.

The Democrats’ Big Tent Collapses — and Fundraising Drives the Divide
As the dust settles after a bruising election night for Democrats, recriminations are already flying between the progressive and “moderate” wings of the party. While corporate so-called moderates are laying the blame on progressive resistance to passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill without Build Back Better, progressives are pointing out that, again, Democrats have not delivered wins on their most popular policy items.

Thank you for tuning in this week. And before you click to take action, please know that we’re looking to expand the roster of sources we use to compile our stories. We’re especially interested in smaller progressive sources that we might have missed — including those from outside the United States. Got one to share with us? Email us directly.

Sincerely,
The Progressive Hub Team at RootsAction

And here is another message:  Please be aware that this is not an antisemitic action, it is an action against an oppressive regime.  As I am sure I have mentioned in the past, I am Jewish, but I cannot support the actions of what has become an apartheid regime in Israel.  So please do not misinterpret this message as an antisemitic diatribe.  Thank you.
 

www.RootsAction.org
  Thanks for reading,David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, November 13

Our next meeting of the San Juan County Democrats is Saturday, November 13 at 10am via Zoom. The link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84299470361. Please contact me if you need phone access.

We’ll be talking about local candidates for next year.

From Dave Zeretzke:

Milene Henley is retiring in 2 yrs. Her position as SJC Auditor is a critical one. Time for the local Demos to consider who would be a capable person to run and who can work with folks of all stripes to accurately account for the dollars and to communicate with the public and elected officials.

Historically, the Prosc. Attorney and Auditor are more important by far than any one Council Member. So the same goes for the job Gaylord does. Nick Power will probably run again, but time to identify a capable attorney who can refrain from trying to control political issues regularly – it will always happen but a good PA works will try to let the process work.

So now is the time for capable candidates to know they can have help and support since early campaigning is the most powerful. That to me is the critical thing for a local Demo party to do: find good candidates who can take the heat and still smile and support them. There’s nothing like help to get started meeting people on all the islands and listening to their concerns-that’s what early campaigning is about.

Re Auditor: #1 – CPA preferable and demonstrated skill with public entity accounting. (Private CPA’s usually grossly underestimate the complexity of county bookkeeping, software and reporting requirements. Some have even suggested Quickbooks as the chosen software–impossibly naive and unseasoned by true experience with complex clients who suffer state audits annually, public audits. #2 – Political sensibility and good commo skills re the press, the public and the other elected officials and key appointed officials. Lots of stakeholders. SJC has 11 elected officials, all of whom want influence with the Auditor and control over their own expenses. Then there’s the County Mgr and critical Dept Hds. #3 – Strength of character and integrity. The Auditor has to take the heat for many honest evaluations/opinions/trends/problems. As the overseer of Elections and supervisor or the Elections Clerk, it is critical that role can make sound and legal decisions but still face constant criticism for them, think of Tim White and Tom and think of the many Republican and Demo election folks who did not buckle a bit under the Trump big lie attacks.

We’ll also address our Endorsements process and what might be limited information available on state employment history.

We’re also looking for a new Secretary!

See you Saturday,

David Turnoy
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of the October 9 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

Our meeting started out with Rep. Debra Lekanoff speaking to us about all the reasons that the maps by the two Democratic members of the Redistricting Commission, Brady Walkinshaw and April Sims, need to be revised so that instead of moving San Juan County into the 10th LD with Island County, we instead should remain in the 40th LD, where we currently are. According to Debra, our testimony at the recent hearing and all the comments being sent in are having an impact. It is important to continue to send in comments. If you haven’t sent one yet, please do so. If you have already sent one, please send another. Debra recommended that we not only use the redistricting website, but also contact legislators Walkinshaw and Sims at their legislative offices. She also recommended that we send comments to state party chair Tina Podlodowski and to the respective heads of the House and Senate Democratic caucuses. I have also been requested to contact the school superintendents in the county. I will provide all the contact information as well as Debra’s talking points at the end of this summary.

Debra also spent time responding to concerns about the ferries. She will actually have a meeting with the governor about this Monday morning, and she has asked that we provide personal stories that she can use in her conversation. If you have a personal story about how poor ferry service or lack of staffing has impacted you in recent times, please send me your story by Sunday night so I can provide it to Debra before her meeting Monday morning. Send to me at davidgeri@rockisland.com.

We have a new secretary. Jane Fuller was in attendance at our meeting today, and she generously volunteered to be our secretary. Thanks so much, Jane!

Stephen Shubert, PCO from San Juan Island and also the head of Mullis Center, told us about an attempt by some very rightwing folks to take over the Mullis Center. This politicization could prove to be very harmful. If you live on San Juan Island and you are at least age 60 or disabled, you will have an opportunity to vote for district committee members. You can vote by downloading a ballot, showing up in person, or mailing a ballot. Voting days are Monday through Thursday, Nov. 11-14. Mail-in ballots must be received by Nov. 14. For further information, go to mulliscenter.org/howtovote. For more information about the conflict and the challenge to current district committee members, go to https://www.mulliscenter.org/faqs.

We had seven members of the Charter Review Commission present at our meeting, and additionally I had received a note from another commissioner asking if we would consider endorsing the amendments proposed by the commission. While these are nonpartisan issues, we felt that providing input on them would be helpful to the public. We chose to go ahead with examining each of the six amendments individually, and on each one we almost unanimously agreed that it would be a positive change for the county. Kevin Ranker has written an article briefly summarizing the six amendments at https://salish-current.org/2021/08/12/community-voices-san-juan-county-to-vote-on-climate-environment-equity-justice-amendments-to-county-charter/. In addition, the commission will be putting out an article shortly that I will send to you.

Of course, you can find the amendments in your Voter’s Guide. Three members of the commission (Jane Fuller, Dick Grout and Kevin Ranker) wrote an article that was in the Journal and the Sounder this past week at https://www.islandssounder.com/opinion/vote-for-climate-action-justice-equity-and-responsive-government-guest-column/ and https://www.sanjuanjournal.com/opinion/vote-for-climate-action-justice-equity-and-responsive-government-guest-column/. Also, here is the link to a Voter Information Session organized by some of the San Juan County Charter Review Commissioners that took place this past Thursday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c_GY608Yww Again, we think each of these is a positive step, and we support all six amendments.

Thank you for reading this far. Here is the redistricting information I promised. I will start with the email addresses of relevant decision-makers: Tina Podlodowski – tina@wa-democrats.org Laurie Jinkins (head of House Democrats) – https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/27/1
(Because we are not in her district, you have to click an instruction that says to send the email anyway.)

Joe Fitzgibbon (head of WA House Democratic Campaign Committee) – https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/34/2 (Click to send anyway.)

April Sims – to be provided.

Brady Walkinshaw – to be provided.

To send comments to the Redistricting Commission website: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/submit-public-testimony

Points to make:

Make smaller changes; don’t overhaul the 40th.

Leave east Whatcom in the 42nd and keep San Juan County and Anacortes in the 40th. Make changes to the edges as needed to balance the districts.

Don’t put the people of the 40th at a disadvantage with all new legislators in Olympia. That’s unfair to us and to the important issues we value.

Ferries are a critical piece of our transportation system in our state and we need six legislators working for them, not just three. Putting San Juan together with Whidbey puts San Juan County at a disadvantage. Small businesses and the people who live on the San Juan islands need ferries.

Keep our Hispanic communities together – the proposed maps split Hispanic neighborhoods in Mount Vernon in half, splitting some agricultural and residential areas between districts.

The Democratic maps split the Nooksack Tribe, a clear community of interest. It also moves the Tribe to a new district with all new legislators. Please keep Nooksack together and in the 42nd.

The Lake Whatcom watershed is a community of interest; keep them together in the 40th.

My testimony last Tuesday night:

My name is David Turnoy, and I am the chair of the SJC Democrats. I live on Orcas Island in SJC.

The values supposedly guiding the Democrats in the redistricting process are

– To protect fair and effective representation

– To maintain and create communities of interest

– To respect Tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government relationship with Tribal partners

– To center and engage communities that have been historically underrepresented

As I said, I am the chair of the SJC Democrats. My colleagues and I have worked hard to elect strong progressive legislators. The proposed map removing our county from the 40th LD will require all three of those legislators to run against incumbent Democrats. We in the San Juans could end up with three brand new legislators who don’t know us at all. This is gerrymandering against ourselves. It looks bad when the other party does it to us, but this is the state Democrats writing our district out of existence. It also reduces the number of legislators with their eyes on effective ferry service from 6 to 3. This hardly protects fair and effective representation.

Combining our county with Whidbey in the 10th pits those fighting Growler noise in the San Juans against those on Whidbey for whom the Growlers provide their living. This is hardly creating a community of interest.

The proposed map splits the Nooksack tribe. Our tribes on the mainland have fishing, hunting, and gathering rights in the San Juans. How does this respect tribal sovereignty?

The proposed map also splits Hispanic communities. Is this what is meant by centering and engaging underrepresented communities?

We understand that population changes require some movement, but let’s keep it to a minimum of tinkering around the edges of the district, not creating total upheaval.

Thank you

To see Nels Magelssen’s longer and much more eloquent statement, please see my Oct. 5 email that I sent you.

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, October 9

Our next meeting of the San Juan County Democrats is Saturday, October 9 at 10am via Zoom. The link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82414629461. Please contact me if you need phone access.

Our Washington state representative Debra Lekanoff will be joining us to discuss redistricting.

We will also discuss upcoming openings in local elected office, including the need to replace the retiring Milene Henley as San Juan County Auditor.

On a related note, we’ll be discussing our endorsement policy and how we can work with the state party to increase voter engagement.

We’re also looking for a new Secretary!

See you Saturday,

David Turnoy
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of the September 11 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

The Sept. 11 meeting of the county Democrats covered a lot of ground, including four guest speakers.  Here is a summary: 

The first item we had to deal with was an emergency resolution dealing with racial equity.  You might remember that we learned earlier this year that I-200 from 1998 was mistakenly interpreted as ending affirmative action in Washington state.  Both the state supreme court and the state attorney general have recognized that this interpretation was erroneous, and the Washington Equity Now Alliance (WENA) has been trying to remedy this by convincing the governor to sign an executive order overturning the mistaken directive issued 23 years ago.  We had passed such a resolution three months ago in our county group, and WENA thought they had everything in order to have the resolution considered at the state party meeting later this month.  However, due to a logistical oversight by the state party discovered at the last minute, it was necessary for us to re-pass the ordinance to clear the procedural hurdles for the resolution to be considered at the Resolutions Committee meeting that was taking place at the same time as our meeting.  But all went well, we re-passed it unanimously, and it was unanimously passed at the Resolutions meeting, so it goes on to the state party. 

The next meeting of the 40^th LD will be Sunday, Sept. 19, from 2:00 until 5:00.  Some of the candidates on the mainland in the 40^th will be heard from, but more important for us, there is an opening for state committeeman that one of you might want to consider filling.  This official attends the state party meetings.  The current committeeman resigned due to a conflict, so we need someone who is male or non-binary to fill this role.  Our local Democrat Larua Jo Severson is the female committee person, and it would be great to have another islander representing the 40^th.  There is also an opening for a new treasurer; the current treasurer is looking to retire after holding the position for many years.  If you are interested in either of these positions, please contact Geri or me at davidgeri@rockisland.com.  The link for the meeting next Sunday is 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84861585590#success.

Many of you are probably familiar with donating money to Democratic candidates and progressive organizations through ActBlue.  It is now possible to donate to the San Juan County Democrats on ActBlue’s site.  I tried it out, and it is about as simple as it could possibly be.  Part of our funding normally comes from donations from those who attend our meetings in person, but we haven’t had this opportunity for a year and a half.  As we try to build up our coffers for next year’s very important elections, please consider helping us with a donation of any size.  Go to https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sjcountydems?refcode=directory.  If you have donated through ActBlue before, it will take you 30 seconds or less.  Thanks! 

Emily Morrow is the new state party organizer for NW Washington state; her email address is emily@wa-democrats.org.  She appeared at our meeting today to tell us about voter engagement projects.  We are looking for people who are interested in working on one of the following: 

1. Contacting and finding out more about voters for whom we have little data. We need to know more about some of these voters so that we can target them appropriately next year, for persuasion and GOTV. By contacting them and having a conversation, we can begin building a deeper relationship between them and the Democratic party, and find out how best to communicate with them through the rest of the cycle and beyond. 

2. Reaching out to likely Dems who didn’t vote in 2020 and finding out why. Unfortunately, too many likely Democratic voters still aren’t getting their ballots in, and we want to find out why. By building relationships with these voters and listening to their issues and concerns, we can get them ready to vote this year and next! 

3. Re-registering likely Democratic voters who’ve been purged from the voter rolls by the Secretary of State’s office. Thousands of Democratic voters are purged from the voter rolls every year by the Secretary of State’s office, and we know many of them are people who are still alive, still living at the same address, and still should be eligible to vote. We can identify these people, let them know they were purged, and get them re-registered to vote.  

4. Registering non-registered voters. There are still so many likely Democrats who fall through the cracks of our automatic voter registration system – we need the face-to-face touch to reach them and get them registered. 

This may look familiar, as I sent it out a couple months ago.  Unfortunately, I received only one response.  Now that summer is over, I am hoping there may be some more interest.  Please let me know if you would be interested in being involved with one or more of these items. 

County Councilor Cindy Wolf attended our meeting, and I put her on the spot to ask if she had anything she would like to tell us.  She warned us about the sickout being participated in by many ferry workers, that now is probably not a good time to ride the ferry.  She encouraged the wearing of masks to protect against the Delta Variant.  Cindy mentioned that the council is working on caps for vacation rentals, that the Planning Commission meeting this coming Friday would again deal with that.  She said that participating on citizen advisory boards is important, that this council listens closely to them.  She particularly needs two people to fill the openings on the Eastsound Planning Review Commission.  She said that if you care about the environment, this is a good place to have some influence, while another spot to have environmental influence will be the new environmental commission that will include citizen representatives. 

Victoria Compton addressed us today.  You may know her as the head of the Economic Development Commission, but she spoke to us in a new role today—candidate.  Victoria is running for Port Commissioner for Friday Harbor.  She brings lots of fresh ideas, including using the Port Commission as a way to foster more affordable housing as well as environmental sustainability.  We think Victoria would be an excellent Port Commissioner, and we voted unanimously to offer her our endorsement.  You can find out more at comptonforport.com.   

Amy Vira and David Dehlendorf have been working on improving our Facebook page.  It will be kept much more up to date and will have more content.  You can find it at https://www.facebook.com/San-Juan-County-WA-Democrats-710973952268643/. 

If you have content you would like to have put on the page, please send it to me.  Thanks to Amy and David D for bringing us into the 21^st century. 

Bob O’Connell gave us an update on the work of the Charter Review Commission.  There will be six proposals put forward by the commission for voters to consider this fall, so be sure to look for those when you receive your ballot next month.  Also, the fact that the commission was looking to establish a new position for a person to deal with climate has led the County Council to create such a position.  Stay tuned for further developments. 

Another of our guests was Joseph Bogaard, Executive Director of Save Our Wild Salmon.  There is an effort to breach the four lower Snake River dams to help save our salmon and our orcas.  A resolution has been passed by all the northwest tribes and is being considered by Democratic locals across the state in order to influence the political powers in the northwest.  The resolution thanks Congressman Simpson of Idaho who got this conversation going, it calls for breaching the dams along with investments to take care of stakeholders and communities affected by this, and it calls on the Biden Administration to drop the Trump salmon plan and instead work with the tribes, states, stakeholders and elected officials to meet the U.S. Government’s legal and treaty obligations.  We have a little language that we want to add to the resolution, and once that is complete, we will vote on the resolution, which I would imagine will pass unanimously. 

Our final guest was Dwight Colley, candidate for Fire Commissioner in Friday Harbor.  Dwight has a long history in public service, both in his career and in volunteer capacities, especially in managing nonprofits.  He also has personal experience in EMS, which gives him a perspective on the job not shared by his opponent.  He wants to make sure EMS is represented if EMS and the Fire Department merge.  Dwight would also like to see more transparency and accountability from the department.  As to dealing with fire, he has some excellent suggestions related to having smaller fire trucks that can be used to fight brush fires a lot better than the large engines.  Dwight is an excellent candidate who has asked for our endorsement, and once we vet him, we look forward to voting on his endorsement. 

We had on our agenda another major topic—looking at local elections for next year.  However, we decided that after our well spent two and a quarter hours at this meeting, we can safely postpone that topic until next month.  Our next meeting will be at 10:00 AM on Saturday, Oct. 9. 

Wrapping up, let me just remind you of items to keep in mind: 

If interested in running for state committeeman or treasurer of the 40^th, please contact Geri or myself. 

Remember the meeting of the 40^th next Sunday afternoon. 

Please let me know if you would like to participate in one of the four areas of the voter engagement plan. 

If you can, we would really appreciate a donation to help get our organization ready for ncxt year’s elections.  Go to https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sjcountydems?refcode=directory. 

Thanks for reading, 
David Turnoy 
Chair, San Juan County Democrats 
davidgeri@rockisland.com 
360-376-4165 

Summary of the July 10 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

Hello SJC Democrats,

The San Juan County Democrats met Saturday morning for the first time in two months. Here is a summary of the important items.

Whole Washington is promoting a new initiative to bring universal healthcare to Washington state. A petition to put I-1362 on the ballot is currently being circulated. 400,000 signatures are needed by the end of this year to get it on the ballot for next year. To get involved, go to

https://wholewashington.org/. I am hoping that we can get our local party involved in this effort.

Sandy Strehlou attended our meeting, and she gave us a brief summary of the Palestine solidarity event that she hosted in May. She will be organizing a gathering of people interested in working for justice on that issue, so please stay tuned.

The 40th LD will be having a soup cookoff fundraiser event the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 19. The event will be near Lake Samish. We encourage everyone to come and if possible, register to bring a home-made soup. Prizes will be awarded.

David Dehlendorf and Amy Vira gave a presentation on increasing our social media presence so that we can communicate with a younger demographic. We are especially looking to use Facebook and Instagram. Several volunteers were recruited for the mechanical end of doing this, and we will be looking at content to include. There is room for involvement by others who didn’t attend the meeting, so if you are interested, please shoot me a brief email.

David D and other Charter Review Commissioners told us about what has been happening with the CRC. They are currently wrapping up their work, and they will have their final meeting Monday afternoon, followed the next day by the presentation of their report to the County Council that morning. Eventually there will be fact sheets available on each of the issues that will appear on the ballot this fall.

It looks like we will have a presence at the virtual County Fair again this year. We have a small committee so far to get this going, but more help is welcome. If you are interested, please let me know.

The state Democratic Party is implementing a voter engagement plan this year in preparation for next year’s extremely important midterm elections. It is crucial that we maintain and hopefully increase our Democratic majorities in Congress. The party has four areas in which it wants to be active:

1. Contacting and finding out more about voters for whom we have little data.

2. Reaching out to likely Democrats who didn’t vote in 2020 and finding out why.

3. Re-registering likely Democratic voters who’ve been purged by the Secretary of State.

4. Registering non-registered voters.

There will be a meeting of party leaders this Friday that will give an overview, and after I have that information, I will provide it to all of you to hopefully gain your participation.

In regard to the election next year, we need to start rebuilding the coffers of the San Juan County Democrats. as we spent most of our funds on the election last year. If you are able to send a donation, we would really appreciate it. Please send to San Juan County Democrats,

PO Box 1007, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.

Here are some upcoming events besides the CRC events mentioned earlier:

On Monday at 11:30 there is an opportunity for public testimony about vacation rentals as the current moratorium nears its end.

This Thursday at 11:00 in Friday Harbor, come meet Jason Call, progressive candidate for Congress and a viable challenger for the office. This will be at Sunken Park above the ferry lanes.

On Sunday, July 25, the state party is hosting a rural summit. Connecting with rural voters will be covered. The event runs from 9:00 until 4:00, and it is free. You can register for the even at https://act.myngp.com/Forms/2113176045767100160

BIG NEWS! We will skip August, but our meeting on Sept. 11 will be live and in person, the first time in a year and a half. We will try to book the community college meeting room in Friday Harbor where we used to meet. To attend in person, you will need to either be vaccinated or wear a mask. For those unable to travel to FH, we will continue to have our Zoom meeting available so you can tune in without leaving home.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, July 10

Our July meeting is Saturday, July 10 at 10am. Here is the Zoom info:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81336823696 Meeting ID 813 3682 3696

The agenda includes talking about Facebook page, the status of fact sheets by the Charter Review Commission, participation in the San Juan County Fair, engaging with the state party’s outreach, re-registering Democrat voters who have been purged by the Secretary of State, and Registering new voters.

An information session for local party leaders will be held on Friday, July 16 at 6 pm over Zoom. Register now to join us Friday evening for an overview of the projects, how to plug your local party into them, and an opportunity to ask questions! Here is the link – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpfu-qrDIjH93garkMXmcz3bcQo4VLCe7i

Summary of the May 8 Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats

We had the presence of Senator Liz Lovelett and Representative Alex Ramel at our county Democrats meeting this past Saturday.  We heard their perspectives on quite a number of topics, and lots of our questions were answered.  Here are a few of the highlights: 

• Congressman Ramel spoke about going into the session with 4 big priorities: COVID recovery, economic recovery, responding to the historic civil rights movement, confronting the climate crisis. He believes they have responded to those priorities in a big way. Not as many bills died this year. The large shift in politics is believed to be from all the grass roots level activism provided by folks like us. 

• While the final climate bill was not all we wanted, it is still a historic achievement, and it incorporated many of the good provisions from the WA Strong Act. 

• Sen. Lovelett secured for us the state funding to conduct a water capacity analysis in San Juan County.  Combined with some funding from the USGS and implementation by USGS, we will be able to finally know what the real population capacity is for our county based on available water.  This is a hugely important tool to help the county plan for the future. 

• Arrests for drug use will no longer be a felony; instead, they will become a misdemeanor and eventually an infraction.  The Legislature knows that 81-95% of drug users want help, yet only 11% get help, so almost half a billion dollars is being invested in this effort. 

• The formerly incarcerated are having their voting rights restored upon having served their time.  This has been shown to reduce the rate of recidivism. 

• Most of the criminal justice proposals related to police were adopted.  The chokehold and no-knock warrants are banned, militarized police equipment is banned, and a use of force standard that prioritizes de-escalation was adopted.  A few other bills were passed in this area, but it is recognized that there is more to be done. 

Our local party has not done any kind of a fundraiser in several years.  We spent most of our treasury on the November elections, and while the results were very good, our treasury has been mostly depleted.  In normal times we meet in person and pass the hat at meetings, usually collecting $100-$200 per meeting.  Due to meeting virtually, we haven’t had that opportunity.  Therefore, I am going to make a pitch for you to make a donation to the San Juan County Democrats.  If you value receiving the election postcard we send you at election time to help you with your voting decisions, if you value the information I provide in my frequent emails to you, if you value having an active local Democratic Party that is very progressive, I would ask you to make a contribution.  It would be terrific if you could mail a check to the San Juan County Democrats c/o PO Box 1007 in Friday Harbor, 98250.  While this year is fairly light with big ticket elections, there are local elections for many positions this year, and next year will be an extremely important election year both here in the county and nationally.  Starting to build up our treasury now for these elections will be most prudent. 

One of the somewhat controversial issues we deal with is whether to endorse in nonpartisan races.  We know that some people are not happy about political parties getting involved in nonpartisan races, so it has not been our policy to engage in all of these.  However, there are people who appreciate and rely on our endorsements when voting, which is why we put out a voter postcard in presidential election years.  In addition, while some positions may be technically nonpartisan, a ploy sometimes used by minority parties is to make positions nonpartisan in order to hang onto power.  For instance, as our state becomes more heavily Democratic, it is rumored that our only statewide elected Republican, Secretary of State Kim Wyman, wants to make her position nonpartisan.  Another factor to consider in whether to endorse is the need to build the bench of candidates who will in the future run for higher positions; they have to start somewhere, and Port or School Board or Fire Commissioner are good places to start.  The 40^th LD would like to endorse this year in county council, city council and port commissioner races.  We discussed how far we want our county party to go in this endeavor, and it was the consensus that we should send an email to all who file, giving them the chance to seek our endorsement.  We would not endorse anyone who does not want our endorsement, and we would certainly vet anyone who applies to us for an endorsement.  Positions included will be FH city council, port commissioner, school board, parks and recreation commissioners, fire commissioners, water commissioners, hospital commissioners, and cemetery commissioners.  Four of us volunteered to be part of an endorsements committee. 

If there is anyone reading this note who was not at the meeting and would like to help with endorsements, please let me know. 

I have a very exciting event to tell you about.  The Lummi woodcarvers have created a huge totem pole that they will be driving across the country, stopping at sacred sites along the way, then delivering it to President Biden.  Eventually it will go to the Smithsonian.  But before they start the journey, they are coming to visit their traditional home here in the San Juans, and there will be events on the three largest islands: 

RED ROAD TO DC 2021 Totem Pole Journey to Protect Sacred Sites 

A totem pole carved at the Lummi Nation from a 400-year-old red cedar will begin a cross-country journey next month, evoking an urgent call to protect sacred lands and waters of Indigenous people.  The journey called the Red Road to DC, will culminate in early June in Washington, D.C. 

Lummi tribal member Jewell Praying Wolf James with The House of Tears Carvers will kick-off the Red Road to DC Totem Pole Journey to Protect Sacred Sites with three stop-overs in their traditional territory of the San Juan Islands: 

San Juan Island – Monday, May 10, 2:30-4:30 pm, Pe’pi’ow’elh, Mitchell Bay Lhaq’temish Village (English Camp, San Juan Island National Historical Park) 

Orcas Island – Tuesday, May 11, 12:30-2 pm Orcas Island, Madrona Point Lhaq’temish Village 

Lopez Island – Tuesday, May 11, 4-5 pm Sxw’alech (Odlin County Park) 

After traveling across traditional lands and throughout the US, the totem pole will be gifted to the Biden administration in June and displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC.    

All gatherings will abide by covid-19 safety measures of mask-wearing, socially distancing, and hand sanitizing. Events will also appear on Facebook Live. 

Donations can be made at the event or to the: 

Lhaq’temish Foundation c/o House of Tears Carvers 
2665 Kwina Road, Bellingham WA 98226 (360) 312-2114 

For more information, please contact: 

NW Road Manager, Sul ka dub Freddie Lane (360) 391-7560 
National Director, Dr. Kurt Russo (360) 961-4554 
San Juan Islands Stopover Coordinator, Stephanie Buffum (360) 472-0404 

The Charter Review Commission is continuing to meet, and several of our leading local Democratic Party participants are members of the CRC.  There are several meetings coming up that you should know about.   

• This Tuesday from 10:30-12:00 the process committee will be discussing the rights of nature.  Go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84297134309#success, or go to  https://www.sanjuanco.com/1764/Charter-Review-Commission and click on “join the zoom meeting” next to Charter Review Process under Charter Review Committees.   

• If you can tune in to the CRC meeting next Wednesday, May 12, you’ll get to hear the Climate & Environment Committee’s meeting about the creation of a new Climate & Environment Department headed by a Climate & Environment Commissioner for SJC that will have the authority and the time to deal with climate and environmental issues in the county that those currently tasked with that responsibility don’t have the time for.  The meeting is 10am-12pm on May 12. You can join that Zoom meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85271643269 or dial +1 253 215 8782, meeting ID: 852 7164 3269.   

• Later that day from 4:00-6:00 that committee will present to the full CRC.  You can attend that one at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85271643269.   

• Finally, there will be two final Town Halls – June 1 & June 2, from 4-6 pm.  I hope you can attend at least one of them. This will be the final opportunity for community members to chime in on the CRC’s work over the last several months, our recommendations, and to voice your priorities again, or perhaps for the first time.  Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81389616014 ; Meeting ID: 813 8961 6014  Dial by your location: +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma); Meeting ID: 813 8961 6014  Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc3jo8TjR  For more information, please contact Olivia Roseberry, Vice Chair at oliviar@sanjuanco.com. 

Virtual Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, May 8

Our next meeting is this Saturday, May 8, at 10:00.  I have attached the minutes from last time and the agenda, which contains the Zoom info at the top.  Here it is also in case this is more convenient:                                

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86532124135

Meeting ID 865 3212 4135       

The highlight of our meeting will be appearances by our state legislators.  We will have Sen. Lovelett for the first half hour and Rep. Ramel for the first full hour; Rep. Lekanoff has a prior engagement, so she cannot attend. They will be there right at 10am, so please come on time. They will present an end-of-session wrap-up for what turned out to be a very consequential legislative session, and we have them all to ourselves.

There will also be a wrap-up presented by the three of them a couple days before to the whole 40th LD on Thursday in the late afternoon. You can find information about that in my email.

Hope to see you Saturday.  It would be nice to have an especially good crowd to show our appreciation to our hardworking legislators.

Thanks,

David T

Minutes of April 10 Meeting

I. Call to order / Quorum – 6 PCOs in attendance, quorum achieved for confirming new PCOs, meeting called to order at 10:07am

II. Approval of minutes of March 13 – Motion to approve minutes by Susan, 2nd by Geri. All voted in favor. Minutes approved.

III. Treasurer’s report – no report given as David D will not be in attendance.

IV. 40th LD report – Geri – Bylaws 4/18 2-5; Endorsements 4/29 5-7 Geri gave report from 40th LD, Geri has been going to Executive board meetings monthly as well as the elections committee. Geri has been reporting to 40th LD on Vacation Rentals. Skagit working on getting bi-lingual materials and ballots. Whatcom has eliminated the executive committee as they already have an executive board. Working on a ballot to demilitarize the police. Washington Dems working on Gender Parity issues. Spencer Lively questioned why so much time is being spent on this issue. Given that we have an active chair, (Lively) is proactive in getting more membership from the 40th LD and increasing phone banking opportunities. Let Geri know if interested in volunteering with reengagement phone banking for the 40th LD. April 18th, 2-5 bylaws committee for 40th will be presenting the bylaws revisions, located on the 40th LD website calendar. April 27, 40th LD presenting an event called “how to run for office” speakers and a panel of folks who have run for office. It’s a facebook event and Spencer Lively is working to get it on the website. April 29th, endorsement committee will be meeting to go over the endorsement process. (link coming)

V. State committee reports – Sharon, Bob. Bob reported that a call went out for the next meeting for the State committee will be May 1st 9am-2pm on Zoom. April 17th will be the next meeting of the resolution committee. Bob was appointed to the advocacy committee (which reminds State Party of Party Platform). And Sharon was re-appointed to the resolution committee.

VI. Charter Review Update? Charter commission has yet to make any recommendations for change officially yet, however there are discussions in the pike ongoing. Ranked Choice voting is likely to find its way into the CRC. There is a public comment period at the end of each of the CRC meetings.

Bob is in charge of coming up with a new preamble to Charter. Lots of people are interested in having a “rights of nature” section added to the Charter. and potentially a commissioner of climate and environment. Bob states that it’s a terrific experience to be a part of the CRC.

To add public comment and see all information, notes and members for the Charter Review Commission, visit the county website. https://www.sanjuanco.com/1764/Charter-Review-Commission and click on calendars for Charter Review commission.

Membership discussed the CRC meetings, website difficulty and conflicting information.

VII. Chair’s report – David T – Contest Every Race (CER)

David Presented on Contest Every Race. The State Party hired a private firm in recruiting potential candidates for various offices. They have requested from county chairs a report on positions, incumbents, and offices that could be contested by a more democrat-leaning candidate. Group then discussed.

VIII. Old Business

A. Vacation Rental Moratorium – Keara – led off and set parameters – Can we discuss the vacation rental moratorium/permitting issue some more at the next meeting? Specifically trying to organize a showing of San Juan Island residents who are in favor of reasonable restrictions on vacation rental permits… apparently there is an impression that most of San Juan Island wants unfettered tourism (despite the restriction on vacation rentals in Friday Harbor). Spending of lodging tax dollars is also an issue. Group then discussed organizing residents on San Juan Island is needed to present to the county council in favor of moratorium. Ryan mentioned that the need for decoupling VR permit from Home Title would radically reduce vacation rental Recidivism. Alexandra mentioned the worry from lack of concern for businesses working in residential zoned area. Bill mentioned that the largest amount of covid cases brought to the islands are from people who live here, making trips to mainland and less from tourism. Much discussion about the pros and cons of vacation rentals, tourism, local economics.

B. Election – Fire and Hospital – Dick Grout presented about the special election with background information on the various ballot measures listed below. The group then discussed the measures. Dick was requested by Chair for a paragraph on the issues with his view, to send out to the party at large.

1. Orcas Island School District No. 137 – Resolution No. 2021-01 Technology Capital Projects Levy

2. Town of Friday Harbor – Ordinance No. 1710 – Intent to Annex the Town into SJC Fire Dist #3

3. San Juan Island Park & Rec District – Resolution No. 21-01 – Property Tax Levy

4. SJC Fire Protection District No. 3 – Resolution No. 2021-01 – Supporting annexation of the Town of Friday Harbor

IX. New business

A. New PCOs – Nathan Ross for SJ SW #12, Siri Thorson for Waldron Island – Motion to confirm Siri Thornson and Nathan Ross as PCO’s for San Juan and Waldron. Voted all in favor.

X. Good of the Order – Sharon Abreu – Charter Review Commission this Wednesday, April 14, from 4pm-6pm on zoom. Presentation from Fairvote Washington on ranked choice voting. Please attend if you can.

CRC meeting Wednesday April 14th 4-6 pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85271643269

Meeting ID: 852 7164 3269

Or call in by phone: +1 253 215 8782

CRC proposed Climate Council position. Elected? Appointed? What is best? Group discussed.

XI. Next Meeting – May 8

XII. Meeting adjourned at 12:40

Virtual Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, April 10, 2021

Hi Everyone,

Our April meeting of the county Democrats will be this Saturday at 10:00 AM on Zoom. 

I am very excited to announce that we will be voting to approve two new PCOs: Siri Thorson from Waldron Island and Nate Ross from San Juan SW.  You may remember Nate from several years ago, so we are happy to welcome him back.  And we want to extend a very warm welcome to Siri, who will be joining us for the first time and giving Waldron some representation.
If you wish to attend and haven’t received the Zoom information via email, contact me for information.

Hope to see you on Saturday,

David T

davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary, Meeting of San Juan County Democrats, March 13, 2021

This past Saturday was the most recent meeting of your county Democrats. Our vice chair Geri reported on doings at the 40th Legislative District. The new chair, Spencer Lively, has been a bundle of energy, launching a number of new committees to foster more activism. There is a membership/recruitment committee, a political action/campaign committee, and a fundraising/finance committee. A few of us from our county have been participating in the political action/campaign committee. If you have an interest in participating in any of these committees, please let me know so I can put you in touch. And if you would like to check out the amazing website of the 40th LD, you can find it at 40thdems.org.

We have been holding our meetings by Zoom for the last year. This has been much more convenient for those of us who used to have to take the ferry over to Friday Harbor. Sometime in the future we will have the opportunity to again meet in person, should we want to do that. On the one hand, the Zoom meetings are more convenient and no impact on the environment, but on the other hand, we often have greater attendance at meetings in person. Several suggestions were made, and we may end up continuing with Zoom for the bulk of our meetings but hold a few meetings in person, perhaps one per year on each of the three major islands. If you have any suggestions about this, especially if it would motivate you to attend a meeting, please send them my way. And fyi, starting next month, we will hold our meetings at 10:00 instead of 11:30, giving those who attend more of their Saturday back.

After Joe Symons’ presentation in January about the need to be more aware of the carrying capacity of our county and its resources, a few of us have followed up on this. Alexandra has done an incredible amount of reading and research and reaching out to various officials. Her emphasis right now is on our stormwater systems, that we need more of the rain to end up down in our aquifers as opposed to draining down to the sound. She has submitted a docket request to the county on this, and she will be sharing more about this soon. Alexandra also suggested a number of resources to check out, especially Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy, which is available at our local libraries. You can also read her letter that appeared in the Orcasonian at https://theorcasonian.com/guest-opinion-we-have-good-cause-to-extend-vacation-rental-moratorium/

Joe has also filed a docket request with the county, asking them to do a study of what our county would look like at “full” buildout. At what point will the number of people outweigh the ability of nature to regenerate its various natural systems? What is the true carrying capacity of our islands? I will be sending a letter to you shortly explaining more about this and how you can support Joe’s effort.

My own contribution to this effort was to talk to a member of the Planning Commission, a staff member at County Environmental Health, and state Senator Liz Lovelett’s office. Apparently two years ago two of our locals and a man from Guemes Island had reached out separately to Sen. Lovelett about a water carrying capacity study, i.e., how many people can our water support without hauling in water or using desalination? This seems like an important bit of information to know when intelligently planning for the future. The study had been approved, but when Covid hit, the state budget had to be pared back, and this project fell victim. I was able to get the process going again, with the various parties resuming contact with each other, and we

are hopeful that the Legislature will approve this project. About 2/3 would be paid for by the state, the remaining amount by USGS, who would also be the ones to do the survey.

There will be an election of local candidates and issues on April 27. Right now, I am aware of several issues: a new tech levy for Orcas Island School District, a renewal of San Juan Island’s Parks and Rec levy, and an effort to bring the town of Friday Harbor into the fire district for San Juan Island. More information should be coming soon.

We discussed the recent decision of the County Council to alter the vacation rental moratorium. The moratorium will continue in place for six months in the villages, hamlets, and activity centers, but otherwise it is lifted.

Thanks for reading this summary, and you are always welcome at any of our meetings. There are always interesting issues discussed and important decisions to be made, and your participation with us gives you a voice in what we do.

Virtual Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, March 13

We will be having our March meeting of the county Democrats this Saturday at 11:30.
The link for our meeting is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84365604010 with this additional info:  Meeting ID  843 6560 4010. Contact our chair David Turnoy for password information if you need it at davidgeri@rockisland.com.

We will talk about the upcoming election on April 27, subcommittees, and a resolution regarding prosecution of the former president.

We will be discussing the utility of a buildout analysis in updating the San Juan County Comprehensive Plan. Check your email for details, and/or read Joe Symons’ analysis at http://www.doebay.net/appeal.html.

Summary of the January 9 Meeting

The first monthly meeting of the San Juan County Democrats took place this past Saturday. We elected officers for the coming two years. Here is the list.

Chair – David Turnoy

Vice Chair – Geri Turnoy

Deputy Vice Chair – San Juan – Ryan Palmateer

Deputy Vice Chair – Orcas – Keara Axelrod

Deputy Vice Chair – Lopez – Jeffrey Hanks

Secretary – Ryan Palmateer

Treasurer – David Dehlendorf

State Committee Woman – Sharon Abreu

State Committee Man – Bob O’Connell

40th Legislative District – Bill Severson

The main event for our meeting was a presentation by longtime islander Joe Symons. Joe has been trying for almost 30 years to get the county to study the carrying capacity of the county in terms of how many people can realistically live here without changing the quality of life. He also wants the county to make our wonderful Vision Statement an operational plan, breaking it down into actionable items. If we do nothing, it will cost all of us more, because growth doesn’t pay for itself; either we all have to pay more in taxes, or services are reduced. It will cost us money to do something about the problem, but better to spend the money and get some positive results than spend more money and continue to see livability degraded. Joe would like to see a branding of San Juan County so that everyone who lives here and everyone who visits here becomes a steward of our environment, as if we were stewards of a park. Currently there are no restrictions on vacation rentals or building permits, so growth is only limited by what the market will bear, not by a plan to preserve our quality of life.

New county councilors Cindy Wolf and Christine Minney were both in attendance. Cindy was able to ask Joe a number of questions, and Cindy made it clear that she welcomes working with members of the public. Joe mentioned that the council’s format for public comments has been really limiting over the years, providing three minutes per person and no opportunity for dialog back and forth between the speaker and the councilors. Cindy is interested in looking at changing that so there is more interaction with the public. Cindy also mentioned that the council will be dealing with the vacation rental issue this Monday and Tuesday at 9:00 each morning, and you are welcome to tune in.

We have formed a small committee to work on getting this issue before the council and keeping it there. If you have an interest in joining us in this effort, please contact me. It’s your county and your quality of life.

Important websites for information from Joe’s years of work on this issue can be found at http://doebay.net/bigpicture.pdf and https://www.keepsanjuanswild.org/.

There were a number of important items written into the chat during our meeting, and many in attendance were interested in those. Therefore, I am listing them below:

The Peacekeeping bill was introduced in the last Congress by Barbara Lee https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1111

A wonderful piece of writing by our own Susan Grout links domestic violence to some of the violence we saw last Wednesday at the Capitol – https://susansmagicfeather.blogspot.com/2021/01/do-domestic-terrorism-and-domestic.html Song about a Department of Peace by Sharon Abreu – https://sharmuse.com/DOP.html

History of efforts to start a U.S. Dept. of Peace (Peacebuilding) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Peace

Here is the staff Memo and Draft Land Use and Rural Element, being discussed by Planning Commission this week 1/15 – https://www.sanjuanco.com/DocumentCenter/View/21615/December-29-2020-Staff-Memo-Natural-Resource-Land-Policies-Discussion-on-January-15-2021

We had a great comment from Learner about the buildout issue: Other pathways for reducing the max-buildout potential include community non-profit or cooperative ownership. Profit driven development is the problem because developers only concerned with their bottom line tend to externalize the true costs to the community and the natural resources. Community ownership tends to result in better stewardship decisions because triple bottom line cost accounting is in the DNA of community-owned institutions.

If people have ideas about public/council interaction, contact the Charter Review Commission.

Virtual Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday, January 9, 2021

Happy New Year to all you SJC Democrats!

Our first meeting of 2021 will be this Saturday, Jan. 9, at 11:30.  While I hope all of you attend, it is especially crucial that if you are one our PCOs, your attendance is needed for a quorum to elect our new officers, and you are the only ones who can vote for these positions. There is still time for others to enter the race for any position, so let me know if you are interested.  I hope you will also look at doebay.net/bigpicture.pdf  to gain a little background information on the topic of our future livability in the county and the failure of county government to study our carrying capacity, the subject which our featured speaker Joe Symons will present to us. The Zoom link is:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82717169584

I have given Joe an hour for his presentation and Q & A, so we don’t want to add too much to our agenda, but if there is something of timely importance, please let me know.

Hope to see you Saturday,
David

For more information or questions, including the password for the meeting, please contact me at davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of December 19 Meeting

Meeting called to order at 11:35.

$2257 in bank. Question if Spokane Democrats still need our $250, David will try to find out, but their offices are closed until the new year.

Reorg is coming at next meeting on Jan. 9, followed by reorg of 40th LD the following day.

Post-election survey was approved as written.

Legislative session preview on Dec. 20 was announced, will include our three reps. A good time to talk about our ideas for better publicizing ways to fight Covid.

Georgina talked with Dr. Frank James about how to better publicize the need for people to continue taking precautions to prevent themselves and others from catching the virus. There is something to the idea of scaring people a little more without getting them to dig in their heels, perhaps a campaign like we had with smoking and AIDS. Dr. James suggested a well-known person, especially if that person has had the virus, doing a video public service announcement. A long discussion ensued. The effort could include humor and music along with fear. Showing a patient in the hospital on a ventilator or intubated could be useful, also letting people know that we are running out of doctors, nurses, and hospital spots, also chronic long-term effects. Putting our own personal doctors in these advertisements could be helpful. We especially have to deal with the antivaxxers. Alexandra said that a lot of the antivaxxer mentality is due to the fact that only MDs are listened to in the current climate, that naturopaths and others are not given as much credence, yet when people are unable to be cured of something by MDs, they become suspicious of the MD establishment and the system based on Big Pharma and turn to alternative practitioners. Including these practitioners in the conversation would help to convince people to get the vaccine Strengthening one’s immune system is critical along with a vaccine. Bob suggested if we could get Trump to endorse the vaccine (perhaps in exchange for a pardon?), it would convince millions to get the vaccine. One local issue in prevention is that all ferry riders need to wear masks, but the state is not requiring that ferry riders be masked when in the ship’s seating area.

From Sharon Abreu:

https://medium.com/wagovernor/inslee-announces-bold-climate-package-for-2021-2023-biennium-d7c4460a3d26

Texting opportunity sending messages via Instagram: https://www.mobilize.us/flipthewest/event/366815/

From Sharon Abreu: Green Bond info: https://www.carbonwa.org/wastrong-details

environmental, social and governance = ESG https://www.investopedia.com/news/esg-and-bonds-its-match/

We raised a glass to our new county councilor, to our new president, and hoping that the two Democratic candidates in Georgia are victorious as well.

Virtual Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats, Saturday, December 19

The next meeting of the San Juan County Democrats will be on Saturday, December 19 at 11:30am. Once again, we will be holding the meeting virtually. This means you can access the meeting via Zoom videoconferencing software using the link
https://zoom.us/j/89506077679

We will be discussing the upcoming county party reorganization, the Georgia Senate runoff elections, the Spokane Democrats, and raising awareness about the dangers of COVID-19.

For more information or questions, please contact David Turnoy at davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of November 14 Meeting

County Democrats Meeting, Nov. 14, 2020 
We had two guest speakers, Erin Lake and Janae Lopez, founding members of the San Juan Social Justice Collective.  This is an organization that formed recently, and its members are mostly on San Juan Island.  They have been holding biweekly discussion groups that often are related to a podcast, and on the first Saturday of the month they have been having demonstrations/conversations at the courthouse.  They recognize that white supremacy is a problem and needs to be largely solved by white people; they are committed to undermining white supremacy and divesting from the current justice system that treats people of color unfairly.  They want to provide help to homeless local people, so it was suggested they work with the community resource centers.  It was also suggested they look at supporting local native people.  Bob suggested a pledge from local law enforcement to treat people of color equally.  They have a Facebook page, but they said they could use some help with tech and social media stuff.  If anyone reading this would like to help, please email them.  To get on their email list, go to sanjuansocialjusticecollective@gmail.com.

Lots of our members did phone banking during the election campaign, and a few of us did lots of texting.  Most of our endorsed and recommended candidates were elected.  At the local level we were disappointed that Ryan didn’t win the council seat from San Juan Island, but Cindy was elected from Orcas.  We were also disappointed that Gael Tarleton did not win the race for Secretary of State, and while Marko Liaas did really well in our county running for lieutenant governor, he did not win statewide.   Otherwise, all our state and federal candidates won.

Beth shared about the current trouble being caused by Trump in trying to stay in office.  She is pretty sure he will not be able to get enough state legislatures to agree to appoint their own electors for the Electoral College vote.  And really, Trump has no plan, just causing chaos.

As we look ahead to the Georgia senate runoff, where control of the US Senate is at stake, we heard about a number of ways to help.  Beth and Geri each talked about their letter writing campaigns on San Juan and Orcas respectively for Vote Forward, and they plan to do it again for the Georgia senate runoff.  If you would like to get involved in doing this, go to votefwd.org.

Other ways to help in Georgia are the following:
     Movement Voter Project is registering new voters in Georgia – go to movement.vote
     Donate directly to Warnock and Ossoff – https://warnockforgeorgia.com;
https://electjon.com
     Fair Fight: https://fairfight.com – This is Stacey Abrams’ group.
     New Georgia Project: https://newgeorgiaproject.org
     Black Voters Matter: https://blackvotersmatterfund.org
     I have been getting lots of good information before the general election and now during the run-up to the Georgia runoff from Consumers United For Fairness (CUFF).  Their website doesn’t seem to yield a good place to go, so the best contact would be to get on the email list of Susan Madrak, the head of the organization.  She is at info@cuffnow.com.  They already had phone banking and text banking this weekend, and it continues this week.

We spoke about wanting to have some input on the appointments that the Biden transition team will be making.  We are particularly concerned about the potential Defense Secretary Michele Flournoy, of whom I have written earlier this week.  Probably the best place to go is the Biden Facebook campaign site.  We can also contact our senators, as they are in the position of approving appointments or not.

 We discussed our party’s role in the recent election and considered any changes we might want to make.  Almost all of us agreed that endorsing in the technically nonpartisan county council race was the appropriate thing to do, and Cindy expressed that our endorsement really helped her.  A number of other questions were discussed, and it was decided that it would be good to survey our membership.  We could send out a survey to the broader membership asking what worked and what did not and what suggestions they have for the next election cycle.  We could put together the results, discuss them with the PCOs and active members and make a final report with recommendations for any bylaws changes needed or any policy points and tips for planning we think would be useful.  We can also include any institutional memories we think would help whoever is running the SJCDC next time a Charter Commission is elected. It might be the kind of thing that goes in a box of stuff that gets passed along whenever there is a new Chair in office.  This was an idea that resonated with many.  The suggestion was made to have the Endorsement Committee look into doing this.      

On January 9, we will have our reorganization meeting that happens every two years.  At that meeting, all officer positions are open for voting.  These include chair, vice chair, deputy vice chair for each of Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan, secretary, treasurer, state committee persons (2), and 40^th LD vice chair.  If you have an interest in being considered for one of these positions, please contact me so I can put you on the ballot.

We are planning a meeting for December, either on the 12^th or the 19^th.  The thought was shared that it would be nice to meet after the Electoral College meets and votes, and this is happening on Dec. 14.  Then we could celebrate Biden’s win by raising a glass.  So I will let you know later on as to the date of our meeting once it is certain.

And if you want to celebrate some more, tune in to the livestream of Cindy’s inauguration on Jan. 4 at 4:00.  As soon as I have the link, I will send it out.

Thanks for reading,

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Voting News for Week of Oct 12

Hello SJC Democrats,

Here are the topics covered today:
1.  Voting / Drop Box pickup
2.  Defending the election
3.  Supporting candidates in the 42nd LD
4.  Phone banks with WA Dems

1.  The most reliable way to make sure your ballot is turned in is to put it in your local drop box. I have learned that the drop box will be emptied weekly and then again on Election Day. If you do not have a drop box on your island or if you are not anywhere near the drop box, the next safest way is to take your ballot yourself to your local post office to mail, and you are encouraged to do so by Oct. 27. 
     Though it is optional, please put your phone number on your ballot, as there is what is called a “curing” process from after the election for the next couple of weeks to “cure” any ballots that contain anomalies. For instance, if you forget to sign your ballot, you can only be given a chance to fix this if the elections people can contact you. So please, give them the contact information to guarantee your vote will be counted.
     Finally, if you note any irregularities with the voting process, contact the voter protection line at 206-309-VOTE.  There are some concerns about various shenanigans that may happen around the state, even with mail-in voting, so just be aware.

2.  Defending the election – From 350 Seattle:

Donald Trump has repeatedly indicated that he may not respect the results of the upcoming election. It’s important to understand that such threats are generally made from a position of weakness, not strength — by those who understand they’re likely to lose. Nevertheless, we believe these threats should be taken seriously.

Across the country, coalitions are forming to protect the results (see  https://protecttheresults.com/) of this election, experts on how popular mobilizations have stopped coups in other countries are sharing their insights, and local groups like 350 Seattle are teaming up with others to get ready to mobilize if necessary.

This Thursday and next Tuesday we’re hosting meetings that will cover the state of national strategies and how to best prepare and plug in locally.

Preparing to Defend the Election: How to Plug in Locally

• Thursday, October 15, 5:30–7:00pm Register for Thursday here. 
• Tuesday, October 20, 6:00–7:30pm. Register for Tuesday here. 

We’re also tracking the work of national organizations. Shut Down DC: Defend Democracy, a DC-based direct action coalition,is hosting the following trainings:

• Street Smarts and Direct Action — October 13 from 7-9pm : https://www.shutdowndc.org/calendar/street-smarts-direct-action-training-5hc97
• Timeline to a Meltdown: 2020 Election Simulation — October 14 from 7-9pm : https://www.shutdowndc.org/calendar/timeline-to-a-meltdown-2020-election-simulation
• Escalating Resistance in Times of Crisis: Mass Rebellion Training with Lisa Fithian – October 20 from 7-9pm : https://www.shutdowndc.org/calendar/escalating-resistance-in-times-of-crisis-mass-rebellion-training
• Street Smarts and Direct Action — October 17th from 2-4pm : https://www.shutdowndc.org/calendar/street-smarts-direct-action-training

Choose Democracy, a national group that has come together to organize against a coup, is hosting trainings on How to Beat an Election-Related Power Grab at the following times:

• October 16, 7:30-9:30PM ET : 
• October 21, 7:30-9:30PM ET : 
• October 22, 7:30-9:30PM ET : 
• October 27, 7:30-9:30PM ET : 

Democracy dies without participation, and voting is not enough. Whatever happens this election, please join us in preparing to stand up for free and fair elections, and for the right of every voter to be counted.

3.  Supporting Shewmake and Rule – From Lovel Pratt
     I hope this email finds you well. I’m emailing to invite you to join me in supporting Sharon Shewmake’s and Alicia Rule’s campaigns to represent the 42^nd district in the State Legislature. We need environmental leaders in Whatcom County’s 42^nd district, our neighbors just across the strait. These candidates are facing Republican opponents who are supported by fossil fuel companies. It’s up to us to support these candidates who are fighting for the environment and a sustainable Washington.
     Sharon and Alicia will be joined by State Senator Liz Lovelett and State Representatives Alex Ramel and Joe Fitzgibbon. This online event shouldn’t run longer than an hour, and there will be opportunity for questions and discussion.
     I hope you will join me for an evening with these wonderful Washington State leaders on Tuesday, October 20th, at 5:30pm through Zoom. Please RSVP here. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0oduqhrTgvEtRbLkYoqMwIM8eK_x4zLR-p
     If you are unable to attend, please consider donating to Sharon’s (https://www.sharon4whatcom.com/donate) and Alicia’s (https://secure.actblue.com/donate/vote-alicia-rule-1) campaigns.
     Thank you!
     Lovel

4.  Democratic Party phone banks in Washington state
10/13/20 Northwest Virtual Dialer Phonebank : https://secure.ngpvan.com/8yVtEbMnKkeccWq1ZHRxoA2

10/14/20 Northwest Virtual Phonebank  : https://secure.ngpvan.com/DRnfjqxmA0yFjfucWA40Aw2

10/15/20 Northwest Virtual Dialer Phonebank : https://secure.ngpvan.com/inAwaQU7_UydAOV28HwMYg2

10/16/20 Northwest Virtual Phonebank – 1pm : https://secure.ngpvan.com/gRIwj_SYhE-b-PXopaJOFQ2

10/16/20 Northwest Virtual Dialer Phonebank – 4pm : https://secure.ngpvan.com/GcXLJy8TPEOgWVqYVay-gA2

10/17/20 Northwest Virtual Dialer Phonebank – 4pm : https://secure.ngpvan.com/EbKpGCyIL0aYnJKh6CVRAw2

10/18/20 Northwest Virtual Phonebank – 1pm : https://secure.ngpvan.com/DZqOL7Jec0a410jG6e-K7A2

10/18/20 Northwest Virtual Dialer Phonebank – 5pm : https://secure.ngpvan.com/TNXxEnxhdUqokDKYEuKADQ2

10/19/20 Northwest Virtual Phonebank – 1pm : https://secure.ngpvan.com/1VOp_CyTd0y8yXbIm31_Sw2

10/19/20 Northwest Virtual Dialer Phonebank – 5pm : https://secure.ngpvan.com/DHjwBbHQoEGZdcBt1Mi8gg2

That’s all for now.  Thanks for reading.
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of the SJC Democrats Meeting September 19

The highlight of our meeting was a visit from Senator Mona Das and former senator Kevin Ranker to tell us about a new political action committee whose goal is to elect more Black women to the Washington state legislature. Their thesis is that Black women have been the most consistently progressive Democrats, and this year with eight of them running for the legislature, we should do everything we can to elect them.

The name of this new organization is Opportunity PAC, and their website is opportunity-pac.com. The idea for this organization was the brainchild of Senator Mona Das, herself an east Indian-American state senator who found it tough going running for office and once being in office. To help others have an easier time, she got the idea of raising money to help elect more women of color and to set up a support structure for these new legislators. Her goal was to raise $12,000-$14,000, but so far Opportunity PAC has raised $350,000 in hard cash, and has about another $350,000 in pledges. However, more money is sorely needed, as the opponents of the eight Black women are getting money from rightwing groups that don’t want to see more integration in the legislature.

If you want to help the organization set up to recruit more female candidates of color and to prepare these candidates to serve, and make a 501©(3) donation at the same time, you can contribute to the Opportunity Leadership Network, also founded by Senator Das. You can find them at https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/738b442a-c975-4623-93a6-c570b5b7eaa7. They operate under the auspices of the Seattle Foundation. See http://www.seattlefoundation.org/oln.

Here are the seven candidates for the House and the one candidate for the Senate:

Tanisha Harris, 17th Legislative District (House) https://hdcc.org/our-candidates-2/tanisha-harris-profile/

Joy Pratt Stanford, 26th Legislative District (House) https://www.joyforwashington.com/

T’wina Nobles, 28th Legislative District (Senate) https://twinanobles.com/

Rep. Melanie Morgan, 29th Legislative District (Re-Elect for House) https://hdcc.org/our-candidates-2/melanie-morgan-2/

Jamila Taylor, 30th Legislative District (House) https://hdcc.org/our-candidates-2/jamila-taylors-profile/

Kirsten Harris-Talley, 37th Legislative District (House) https://www.electkht.org/

April Berg, 44th Legislative District (House) https://www.aprilberg.com/meet-april

Rep. Debra Entenman, 47th Legislative District (Re-Elect for House) https://hdcc.org/our-candidates-2/debra-entenman/

If you can afford it, it would be great if you could make a donation to Opportunity PAC, which will spread money to all eight candidates. However, you are welcome to donate to individual candidates if that works better for you. For that reason, I have provided websites for their campaigns. If you want to simply focus on the races that could most use support, according to Kevin Ranker, these are the three:

T’wina Nobles http://twinanobles.com against Steve O’ban (R). Steve is the Republican who has fought against LBBTQ rights and equality in the Senate and privately as an attorney. Getting Steve out of the Senate and winning here will do more for advancing equity and justice in Washington State than nearly any other race. And, the Senate Republicans are spending thousands of dollars on negative attacks (https://www.kiro7.com/home/south-sound-political-flyer-decried-racist/NRKVWCJIJBE53HO7PARRCKVN5E/).

Tanisha Harris https://www.electtanisha.com/ against Vicky Kraft (R) – Tanisha is great on every progressive issue from climate, to choice to justice to equality and Vicky is the one who put 100 amendments of the Sex Ed bill trying to kill it.

Joy Stanford http://joyforwashington.com running against Michelle Cauldier (R) – Joy is a powerful champion for education, equality and affordable housing and she will bring a strong voice and diversity to Olympia. She is running in Gig Harbor where our Democratic Senator only won the election by 101 votes! This is a major battle and one that will require significant resources. You can donate individually, or donate to all three through Opportunity PAC at https://secure.anedot.com/opportunity-pac/kr.

Kevin Ranker will be working full time with OpportunityPAC until the election. He is totally committed to the organization and the candidates. If you have any questions about this, he welcomes your calls or emails. You can reach Kevin at kevin@kevinranker.com, or at either 360-376-4031 or 360-472-1850.

There will be a concert to benefit Opportunity Leadership Network on Oct. 14. As soon as I have details, I will get them to you.

Here are some other comments from Kevin Ranker on other important races you may want to consider in your political donations:

Another absolutely critical race is just south of us on Whidbey Island with Helen Price Johnson (https://helenpricejohnson.org/). This is a very close race but one that we can, AND MUST, win. Helen is great. She was wonderful and an Island County Commissioner and will be a powerful Democratic voice for the environment, housing and education in the Senate who will also stand up for ferries!

Two other very important seats in the State House where we can have a real chance of flipping the seat from Republican to Democratic are: Angie Homola – also Whidbey Island and Alicia Rule in Bellingham.

Finally, the top defends in Washington State are:

Dave Paul (Whidbey) House

Dean Takko (Grays Harbor / Pacific County) Senate

Sharon Shewmake (Bellingham) House

All three of these are serious fights to keep those seats blue!

Thank you for all you continue to do for Washington State and San Juan County.

All the best, Kevin

You may remember the policing resolution that we sent to the state party. It turns out that a lot of local party organizations sent similar resolutions. The resolutions committee used all of them to craft a resolution that takes the best from each, and you can find the new resolution at https://drive.google.com/file/d/17MaJ9RXFtfh5BL4RtN-4RNfALSWR3q7M/view

A lot of the language looks similar to what Bob O’Connell had put in ours.

If you are concerned about the Growlers, the next meeting of the Sound Defense Alliance is Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 6:00 PM, link to be provided. I am providing their latest email so you can read it, as it provides some helpful actions:

https://www.quietskies.info

MEETING: Sound Defense Alliance and Quiet Skies

Speakers from Whidbey Island, Olympic Peninsula and San Juan County

There will be time for questions and comments

Meeting details will be emailed the week before

Action

Olympic sound defenders,

This afternoon (it’s Friday, so a fine time to issue a controversial decision), the Navy sent out its final decision on their Northwest Training and Testing plans.

The link is https://nwtteis.com/?utm_source=Northwest+Training+and+Testing+Supplemental+EIS%2FOEIS

NPCA is doing some quick reactions to media outlets and then we’ll take a closer look at all the details. However, for a place to start, look at Appendix J/Airspace Noise Analysis. In short, the Navy does a pretty good job of highlighting the pervasive noise from their Growler jet training over and around

the Olympics. Jet noise is compared to a garbage disposal flying overhead when the natural background sounds are close to a whisper or even quieter at places like the Hoh Rain Forest.

The Navy admits that while they fly out to their training area on the West End on a narrow route, they return from all across the west side, flying over most of the park. And they say their noise can travel 11-16 miles on either side of the aircraft. Their key strategy for obscuring the full impact of the jet noise is averaging the noise over time and space to even out the highs of the intrusions and the lows of background quiet. Even then, it’s a lot louder than nature; but only for a few minutes out of every average day. But Olympic National Park is not an average place, nor do people have average experiences there.

One fun read was to look at their analysis of the dilemma of loud jets descending while returning to their Whidbey base while crossing over a quickly elevating landscape. While it might get loud on top of Mount Olympus, they acknowledge, there aren’t many people up there and it’s only for a few minutes. No problem – on average. Then you might turn to Volume 2/Description of Proposed Action and Alternatives. This is where they make their case that going elsewhere or flying less just doesn’t work for them. But I especially liked the passage (thanks to avid reader Donna Osseward for noting this) on page 2-23 where they toss the hot potato to the FAA for creating a military airspace in an “isolated, rural area”. This despite Olympic being the Northwest’s most visited national park, seeing more than 3 million visitors annually throughout the year.

TO DO: take a look for yourself at the Navy’s document, then drop a letter to your newspaper, social network and elected official asking the Navy to protect America’s people and parks by flying elsewhere.

IT IS NOT GETTING BETTER!

The map below shows where the reports are coming from. For the full report in PDF format click https://f4be68e4-2f42-4ce8-b4c0-6fb1e95c8ac6.filesusr.com/ugd/f9226a_ca0d815d5b384dfc9e176611b7b59ecb.pdf

Report Jet Noise at https://gis.sanjuanco.com/aircraft-noise-reporting. If you need help there are hints at https://www.quietskies.info/access-the-county-report-site. You can also send an email to ask for help at QuietSkiesSanJuan@gmail.com.

Also consider sending comments to the Navy at (360) 257-6665, or via e-mail: COMMENTS.NASWI@navy.mil.

Our endorsements for the general election will soon be up on our website, and as usual, we are having a postcard printed and mailed to help you with your ballot decisions. Ballots are slated to be mailed out Oct. 13, and our postcard should arrive at your mailbox a few days before that. I strongly encourage you to vote promptly and get your ballot in as soon as you can, either by mail or by depositing in the drop box on your island.

It’s not too early to start thinking about our reorganization this coming January. Every two years we elect officers, and we are always looking for new people to join us. We are especially in need of a new treasurer, as our current treasurer served first as treasurer, then three years as chair, and now four more years as treasurer again. While he will remain a PCO, he would like to step down from the treasurer duties. It is not a difficult job to learn, and the only way we can accept donations, which we use to fund our voter postcards and other important uses, is if we have a treasurer who reports donations to the Public Disclosure Commission. Whether you have experience or not, it would be a huge help to have a new person take over as treasurer and enable us to continue to receive donations. Please contact me if you would consider this request.

San Juan County Democrats Meeting Saturday, September 19

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

We will have another Zoom meeting this Saturday, September 19. Our agenda includes discussion about the DNC national convention, the San Juan County Fair, activities related to the upcoming election, and further discussion on growlers.

The meeting will start at 11:30 am, and the zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88462591632. Please contact me for the password if you would like to attend and are not on our mailing list.

Thanks for reading,
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Welcome San Juan County Fair Visitors!

Why be a member of the San Juan County Democrats?

Here are some local members of the San Juan County Democrats talking about what being a Democrat means to us:

Principles of San Juan County Democrats
We, the Democrats of San Juan County, believe in the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These fundamental democratic principles to which we subscribe: Liberty, Equality, Community, Justice, Cooperation, Security, and Open Society, provide the foundation of our work as a local political party. In promoting these principles, we place enduring value on the individual qualities of honesty, integrity, fortitude, ethics, forward vision, and open communication essential to sound democratic process.

Read about our Platform here: https://sjdemocrats.org/platform/

Support our picks for the San Juan County Council here:
Ryan Palmateer: https://www.ryanpalmateer2020.com/support-ryan.
Cindy Wolf: https://votecindywolf.com/donate/

Want to get involved in making Washington better? Volunteer to help the state party here:

Sign up for our newsletter and get invited to our next Zoom meeting on Saturday, September 14:

Thanks for visiting!

Summary of San Juan County Democrats Meeting, August 8, 2020

Most of the ballots have been counted from the recent primary election, though there is still a small number to count. Just about all the candidates we endorsed did very well. 1st and 2nd place finishers move on to the general election. At this point, we can tell you most of the candidates who will be in the general election this fall:

Governor – Incumbent Jay Inslee is 1st at 50%

Lt. Gov – Denny Heck is 1st at 26%, Marko Liias is 2nd at 17% (both Dems)

Secretary of State – Gael Tarleton is 2nd at 43%

Treasurer – Mike Pellicciotti is 1st at 53%

Auditor – This is a race about which we weren’t able to find information, so we will work on that for the next round. Incumbent McCarthy is 1st at 47%, Leyba is 2nd at 42%, both are Dems

Attorney General – Incumbent Bob Ferguson is 1st at 55%

Public Lands Commissioner – Incumbent Hilary Franz is 1st at 51%

Insurance Commissioner – Incumbent Mike Kreidler is 1st at 59%

Public Instruction Superintendent – Incumbent Chris Reykdal is 1st at 40%

Congress – Incumbent Rick Larsen is 1st at 50%, Jason Call is in 3rd place at 13.5%, trailing the 2nd place candidate by 1% and about 2,500 votes

State Senate – Liz Lovelett is 1st at 72%

House Position 1 – Debra Lekanoff is 1st at 96% (her only opponents are write-ins)

House Position 2 – Alex Ramel is 1st at 71%

County Council Position 1 – Ryan Palmateer is in 2nd place at 32%, 7% behind Chris Minney

County Council Position 2 – Cindy Wolf is in 1st place at 45%, 2% ahead of Rick Hughes

Both Lopez and Orcas school levies are passing handily

Thanks to everyone for voting and making this a very successful election. Thanks especially to those of you who participated in making calls to voters. Stay tuned for the general election this fall.

Related to the election, our local group decided to donate funds to both of our endorsed county council candidates. In addition, if you would like to help them get elected, you can go directly to their sites to contribute: For Ryan Palmateer, go to https://www.ryanpalmateer2020.com/support-ryan. For Cindy Wolf, go to https://votecindywolf.com/donate/

Both candidates are also looking for personal endorsements, so please go to their websites to endorse. In addition to supporting these two candidates, you can support any of our LD and statewide candidates, as well as candidates for US Senate in crucial states so we can take the majority in the Senate. Look for a future email containing names and links.

There is an opportunity for locals who are not familiar with Ryan Palmateer to tune in to a meeting of the Lopez Huddle group this Tuesday from 3:00 to 5:00. The Huddle group is going to have the two finalists for county council position 1, Ryan and Christine Minney, present at their meeting to do Q & A. Please encourage people you know who may not be familiar with Ryan to watch this video. Any of you who watched the League of Women Voters forum know

that Ryan was in a much higher league than any of the other candidates, including Christine. Ryan is the future of our county government, and we need to do everything we can to get him elected.

The virtual San Juan County Fair is coming up this Wednesday through Saturday. A committee led by our own Ryan Palmateer has created an online video in which a number of local Democrats speak to why they are members of our party. It will appear on the fair website as well as on this website shortly. See how many of the speakers you can recognize.

We had a discussion today about adopting a platform plank related to the Growler jets that cause so much noise to so many of our residents. It was pointed out that they also put a tremendous amount of carbon into the atmosphere. We know that the Sound Defense Alliance is working on this issue, so a small committee was formed to look into this issue further. Members are Sharon Abreu, Jeff Hanks, and David Dehlendorf. In addition, Bob O’Connell will share language with the committee. Because the naval base is so entrenched and the community there is so entwined with the base, the committee will be looking at alternatives to having the base moved, which is probably not likely to happen anytime soon. For your benefit, here is the language we were considering:

We call for the Growler mission to be moved to more appropriate sites that are not as densely populated and environmentally fragile. We call for no warfare training to be allowed in Olympic National Park or Olympic National Forest, including Growler overflights. Mobile emitters should be moved to sites nearer the re-sited Growlers. We call for ceasing all fixed wing flight operations at Outlying Field Coupeville.

We also briefly discussed the idea of Just Transition, which is the need to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy while taking care of the workers who will be displaced. The more we can communicate this to our state legislators, the better chance they will act on it. If you would like to write our legislators on this matter, here is their contact information: Senator Liz Lovelett: liz.lovelett@leg.wa.gov Rep. Debra Lekanoff: debra.lekanoff@leg.wa.gov Rep. Alex Ramel: alex.ramel@leg.wa.gov

Our main item of interest today was a presentation on Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) by Sharon A, Bob O, and myself. Bob and I each read the recent book by Professor Stephanie Kelton called The Deficit Myth. She argues that because we no longer use the gold standard, the Fed simply creates new money with a keystroke on its computer, that it spends money into our economic system. The reason we can do this is because the US is a currency issuer. As long as we keep inflation under control, we can continue to issue money to be spent. Only a government that is a currency issuer can do this. For instance, state governments cannot do this and have to balance their budgets, much like family households have to do. The benefit to understanding our economic system through an MMT lens means that we don’t have to worry about deficits, that as long as inflation is under control, we can spend money on projects for the public good. Obviously, this goes against everything we have always believed about government and budgets, that we have to collect tax revenue or borrow by selling bonds in order for the government to have money to spend. Everyone is always skeptical about this at first, and we had some skeptics

at our meeting today. But this way of looking at our system has the possibility of issuing money to take care of all of the problems in our country, and this can help us in helping the rest of the world also. I encourage you to read the book, and for a shorter introduction, you can read the article I wrote for Orcas Issues earlier this week at https://orcasissues.com/modern-monetary-theory-mmt-and-the-deficit-myth/. The more people to whom we can introduce this concept and convince them that it is real, the more we will be able to convince our members of Congress to spend funds on needed public services.

That’s it for now. If there is anyone you know who you think would be a supporter but is not getting our emails, I would encourage you to have them contact me so I can put them on our list. The more people we have on our list, the more impact we can have on the direction of our county and beyond.

Thanks for reading,

David Turnoy

Chair, San Juan County Democrats

360-376-4165

davidgeri@rockisland.com

San Juan County Democrats Meeting Saturday, August 8

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

We will have another Zoom meeting this Saturday, August 8. Our agenda includes an update to our Platform to include a statement about growlers, as well as a vote on our budget for the upcoming year, and a presentation on Modern Monetary Theory, or MMT. We will also discuss recent local election results!

The meeting will start at 11:30 am, and the zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89587507308. Please contact me for the password if you would like to attend and are not on our mailing list.

Thanks for reading,
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Mailing vs Dropping off Ballots

Hello SJC Demcrats,

I have one more reminder for you about the election Tuesday August 4. I have heard from a number of you with helpful information, so I am going to relay that here.

Karen tells us that if ballots are mailed on Tuesday, because they go to Seattle to be postmarked, they may not get postmarked by Tuesday.  Especially with the Postal Service starting to slow down on getting the mail processed and delivered, at Trump’s behest, you will want to mail your ballot by Monday.  After Monday, you will need to use the drop boxes.

If you need to use the drop box, here are the locations:

San Juan Island:

Election Office
55 Second Street STE A
Friday Harbor, WA

San Juan County Court House
350 Court Street
Friday Harbor, WA 

Orcas Island

Orcas Island Senior Center
62 Henry Rd
Eastsound, WA

For those of you on Orcas, Marlia reminds us that the drop box is is at the north end of the building near the Jehovah’s Witnesses Hall. 

Lopez Island

Lopez Island Fire District Office
2228 Fisherman Bay Road
Lopez Island

More questions?

See the County Elections web page for more information: https://www.sanjuanco.com/1221/Elections-Office

Thanks for reading,
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com 

Tuesday August 4, 2020 is primary election day!

The San Juan County Democrats have made the following endorsements in this election:

Governor: ……………………………. Jay Inslee (I – incumbent)
Attorney General: ………………………………Bob Ferguson (I)
Lieutenant Governor:………………………………….Marko Liias
Commissioner of Public Lands:…………………Hilary Franz (I)
Secretary of State: ………………………………… Gael Tarleton
Secretary of State: Treasurer ………………… Mike Pellicciotti
Insurance Commissioner:………………………Mike Kreidler (I)
Superintendent of Public Instruction: ………. Chris Reykdal (I)
Congress: Dual Endorsement….. Rep. Rick Larsen (I) and Jason Call
State Senator…………………………………………. Liz Lovelett
State Representative, Position 1 …………….. Debra Lekanoff
State Representative, Position 2 …………………..Alex Ramel
County Council – Orcas ………………………………Cindy Wolf
County Council – San Juan Island………….. Ryan Palmateer

Get your ballot in the mail (no stamp needed!) so that it’s postmarked by the 4th, or to your island’s ballot box by 8pm on Tuesday, August 4:

San Juan Island:

Election Office
55 Second Street STE A
Friday Harbor, WA

San Juan County Court House
350 Court Street
Friday Harbor, WA 

Orcas Island

Orcas Island Senior Center
62 Henry Rd
Eastsound, WA

Lopez Island

Lopez Island Fire District Office
2228 Fisherman Bay Road
Lopez Island

More questions?

See the County Elections web page for more information: https://www.sanjuanco.com/1221/Elections-Office

Messages from Congressional Candidates and San Juan County Democrats Meeting Summary for July 11, 2020

As you may remember from our previous meeting, the San Juan County Democrats chose to endorse progressive challenger Jason Call as well as incumbent Rick Larsen. I am starting off this communication with a message from each of them. We will hear first from Jason Call.

Dear San Juan County Democrats,

Our congressional campaign has quietly become one of the strongest progressive campaigns in the nation. We are running a no corporate money grassroots campaign to support Medicare For All, the Green New Deal, and many other vital progressive policies.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to hear from me directly, I have many interviews and forums on my campaign website media page https://www.callforcongress.com/media/ . If there’s any one of them I would want you to watch, it’s the forum I organized on June 16th that delves into Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) https://www.pscp.tv/w/1MnxndBLrvMGO . Our current economic structure is broken, and only works for the already wealthy. MMT is a way to restructure taxing and spending to have a democratic economy that works for everyone.

I look forward to being on the ballot with the incumbent in the general election, and again I am extremely grateful for the endorsement of the San Juan County Democrats.

Solidarity

Jason Call

[Notes from David Turnoy]

1. Jason just appeared on a program for progressive candidates yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWp48pSd6fE

2. Jason just received the endorsement of the Snohomish County Democrats today.]

Here are some items from Congressman Larsen’s campaign:

You can watch Rick’s latest Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/RickLarsenWA02/videos/628850097735172/?v=628850097735172 ,

where he talks about the past two weeks in Congress. House Democrats recently passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to end police brutality, hold police accountable and build trust in law enforcement, as well as the Moving Forward Act https://mltnews.com/larsen-champions-changes-in-federal-legislation-that-would-invest-1-5-trillion-in-transportation/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter , a more than $1.5 trillion investment in infrastructure, and a bill to strengthen the Affordable Care Act. It’s now up to the Senate to act.

You can contact Rick’s campaign staffer Jack to sign up to phone bank at jack@ricklarsen.org .

Also, here is information about a virtual conversation on education:

San Juan County Virtual Conversation on Education

Tuesday, July 14, 6 – 6:45 p.m.

Hosted by retired professors Miriam Ziegler & Tom Baldwin

Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83042902714

Or call: +1 253 215 8782 – Meeting ID: 830 4290 2714

At our general meeting today, the County Fair committee updated us on their plan for a virtual exhibit. This will include short statements by individual Democrats in our county as to why you are a Democrat. If you are interested in recording a short statement for this exhibit, please contact Ryan Palmateer (our secretary and candidate for county council from San Juan Island) at ryanpalmateer@gmail.com . Ryan will take care of the technical end so you don’t have to; all you need to do is to prepare a brief statement that you are willing to share.

We had a brief presentation today from local members Bob O’Connell and Sharon Abreu on Modern Monetary Theory, or MMT. MMT is a new way of looking at our monetary system. Since we are no longer on a gold standard, we don’t have to have anything backing our currency except the faith of the people, productive capacity, and a low inflation rate. The government can issue as much money as it wants as long as we have productive capacity and low inflation. For instance, we spent billions we didn’t actually possess to fight WWII, and we spent more billions on the economic stimulus after the crash of 2008. Did we have to pay this back? No. In essence, the idea that we have to pay back the deficit is a myth. The federal government is a currency issuer, and it can issue as much money as it wants with the above caveats. The Federal Reserve can keep the rate of inflation low by keeping interest rates reasonably low, so all we need to really make sure we have is productive capacity, i.ie. the ability to produce things. We have the money for universal healthcare, a Green New Deal, and any other enterprise that involves producing something. MMT creates a whole new paradigm for spending on social needs, and we need to educate our government representatives so they get on board. The book to read on this subject is The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton. There are many articles on the internet about MMT, and a great way to learn about it is the video listed above in Jason Call’s letter at https://www.pscp.tv/w/1MnxndBLrvMGO . The short presentation at our meeting was well received, and we look to have perhaps an hour at our next meeting to delve further into this subject.

We had updates from both of our members running for County Council. You can find Ryan Palmateer’s campaign at ryanpalmateer2020.com (San Juan Island). You can find Cindy Wolf at https://votecindywolf.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/votecindywolf/ (Orcas). Both appeared on the League of Women Voter forums this past week. If you missed them but would like to view them, here are the links:

Orcas: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/xcMsdYjXxnpJaI3r6mfyV4kBGZ39X6a8g3Af-aVbzRu_Llx8AMOHal4zSIjBcjFq (1st half hour missing)

Password: 1g&X+.I$ Type in the password rather than copying and pasting.

San Juan I: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/wZZTA_bC72pOcpHo5B7THZ4KFIe4eaa80CdI-_YMmUsrrL6KA2dhqwltBz2M_w6q

Password: Password: 2V&8W02q

Dr. John Geyman has released another book on the perils of our current healthcare system: Profiteering, Corruption and Fraud in U.S. Health Care. I am part way through the book, and it is excellent. I have especially appreciated learning about how we went from a service-oriented medical sector to a profit-oriented system.

Ryan and a buddy are working on a new logo for us. It will be three-dimensional, and on live broadcasts it will actually move. Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You need to be aware of an item that will be on this fall’s ballot related to sex education in schools. The legislature passed a law providing for age-appropriate sex education in schools, but some people in the state would seem to prefer ignorance, and they put a referendum on the ballot to overturn this law. The way the referendum is worded, we will need to vote yes to approve the law providing for this education. I will have more information about this as we get closer to the election. It is titled R-90.

You may have wondered what happened with I-1776, the initiative to overturn I-200 and 22 years of systemic racism. Unfortunately, the timeline was too short, and in less than a month, while more than 230,000 signatures were collected, this fell short by about 40,000. A new effort will begin later this month to gather signatures for an initiative to the legislature so that when they meet in January, they can move it right onto the ballot for November, 2021. This effort will have until the end of December for signature-gathering.

You will see our campaign endorsements shortly in the local newspapers (July 22 and 29) and online at Orcas Issues and the San Juan Islander (July 15-Aug. 4). You should receive your ballot in the next week. There will also be an article in the local newspapers on July 15 that lists our endorsements. Be sure to vote.

While we have had our disagreements with the DNC (Democratic National Committee) over the years, they are actually on the right track with climate action. They have adopted a bold, ambitious and transformative climate policy platform for 2020. If you want to take a simple action to support this plan, please go to https://www.dncclimate.org/platform-petition where you can read about the plan and sign the petition.

Finally, after meeting once or twice a week over the past four months, the platform committee has finished its work revising and updating our platform. It is probably about four times as long as the previous platform. The progressive nature of the previous document is what first attracted me to the San Juan County Democrats, and we have now gone way beyond in crafting a pretty amazing platform of what we stand for and believe in. Our hope is to share this widely, getting other Democratic locals to buy into this so that we can try to hold our elected officials accountable in representing us. The whole document is available at https://sjdemocrats.org/platform/

I am pasting in the highlights page that appears at the beginning of the new document:

SAN JUAN COUNTY DEMOCRATS PLATFORM HIGHLIGHTS

1) Election Reform: Publicly Financed Political Campaigns (buy back our lawmakers), Constitutional Amendment overturning Citizens United and declaring that corporations are not people and money is not speech. (This is listed first because none of what follows can be adopted until we buy back our legislators.).

2) Voting Reform: Ensure universal voting rights; institute vote-by-mail; install Ranked Choice Voting; eliminate the Electoral College (popular vote election of the President).

3) Green New Deal/Fight Climate Change/Protect the Environment, Paris Climate Accord.

4) Single payer Medicare-for-All-type universal healthcare.

5) Reduce the Military Budget and Stay Out of Endless Wars.

6) Racial Justice and Law Enforcement Reform; opposition to the killing of Black people in interactions with law enforcement (see recently adopted Resolution).

7) Free Public Education (including pre-K-12 and four-year public college or trade school), plus elimination or easing of college debt.

8) Federal Job Guarantee, linked to the restoring and upkeep of our infrastructure; Establishment of a Living Income Guarantee.

9) Immigration Reform.

10) More progressive tax policy, including higher income tax rates at the top end, a wealth tax, and a Wall Street transaction tax.

11) Immediate Adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Note: This list is only a glimpse at the Platform, which contains many other invaluable provisions.

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats Saturday July 11

Hello SJC Democrats,

The next meeting of the SJC Democrats will be this Saturday, July 11, at 11:30 on Zoom.  The link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84895943048; contact me for the password if you are not on our mailing list.  The main topic will be reviewing our new platform proposal.  Our platform committee has been meeting once or twice a week for the last several months to update and expand our platform.  If you would like to see a copy of our proposal, please email me at davidgeri@rockisland.com so I can send you a copy.
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Here is a message from the Larsen campaign:

With just two weeks until ballots drop, can you help get out the vote with Rick Larsen? 
We are calling Democratic primary voters and we need your help! You can support Rick and Democrats across the 2nd District by making voter outreach calls with us. The calls we make together will help Democratic candidates win up and down the ballot in 2020. 

Can you join Rick and help turn out Democratic voters across the district by signing up for a phone bank? 
–Monday, July 6, 5:30 pm 
–Tuesday, July 7, 5:30 pm 
–Wednesday, July 8, 5:30 pm
–Saturday, July 11, 1:00 pm (co-hosted by Organized Labor) 
–Sunday, July 12, 1:00 pm 
The phone bank event will kick off with an update and q&a with Congressman Rick Larsen, then we’ll jump into calling voters. We will provide the training, call lists and script, and a quick tutorial for the phone banking. 
Thank you for all your support on the virtual campaign trail!  Contact Jack at jack@ricklarsen.org.
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Just a reminder that we have also endorsed Jason Call for this same position.  If you would like to help Jason’s campaign, contact callforcongress.com.

Thanks for reading,
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

San Juan County Democrats Meeting Summary, June 20, 2020

Saturday was a very important meeting of our local Democrats. Our endorsement committee had done lots of research on candidates for the upcoming primary (and some for the general election), so the committee presented its report, then considerable discussion was had on a number of items related to endorsement. Finally, a vote was taken, and I am pleased to list the following candidates and measure endorsed by the San Juan County Democrats:

Governor – Jay Inslee (I – incumbent) Attorney General – Bob Ferguson (I)

Lieutenant Governor – Marko Liias Commissioner of Public Lands – Hilary Franz (I)

Secretary of State – Gael Tarleton Insurance Commissioner – Mike Kreidler (I)

Superintendent of Public Instruction – Chris Reykdal (I)

Congress – Dual Endorsement – Rep. Rick Larsen (I) and Jason Call [Note: Our party has a very progressive platform, which aligns much more closely to that of Jason Call. If you want progressive change, you will want to consider Jason. However, we recognize that Rep. Larsen has been a strong leader during the pandemic and has accomplished many good things during his career. Therefore, we are endorsing both candidates.]

State Representative – Debra Lekanoff (I and unopposed, will only be on November ballot)

State Representative – Alex Ramel (I, will only be on November ballot)

State Senator – Liz Lovelett (I, will only be on November ballot)

County Council – Orcas – Cindy Wolf County Council – San Juan Island – Ryan Palmateer

I-1776 – An initiative to stop discrimination in our state, which is still legal in many situations under a Tim Eyman initiative from more than 20 years ago. You may be asked to sign an online form in the next week and a half to help get this on the ballot for November.

We will do our best to publicize these endorsements.

If you are able to commit a little bit of time to phone banking for Democrats, here is information for you. Phone banks are Monday – Thursday evenings from 5pm – 8pm. Also, every Sunday evening from 5pm – 8pm we have a dialer system (it makes the calls for you and connects volunteers to voters after they have already picked up) that we run. We also have a voter texting program, plus several volunteer leader-led (often PCOs!) phone banks happening that we can set

up any day of the week and time based on the local leader’s desired schedule. Lastly, for those who cannot or prefer not to be part of a group, we have set up individual phone bankers (again, often PCOs) to make calls from their home any day and time that works best for them.

At the beginning of every group phone bank event, staff provide training and remain on for the whole event to offer one-on-one support to volunteers who need more help. We also have training webinars every other Saturday. a. Virtual Organizing Academy: https://secure.ngpvan.com/dkxLhVDufk-jJw11GMjj6g2

b. 5/16 Volunteer Tools Training: https://secure.ngpvan.com/d7e2QF1VAE2sjLjwKoeFPA2

c. The Regional Field Director for NW Washington is Savanna Steele, at savanna@wa-democrats.org . She can set up a time to talk to you 1:1 and give you plenty more detail.

We have two local Democrats who were elected to attend the National Democratic Convention in Milwaukee (or virtual) convention in August. Sharon Abreu was elected as a Bernie Sanders delegate, and Bob O’Connell was elected as a delegate at large. Congratulations!

We are looking for a person to manage our Facebook page. If you or someone you know would be interested, please have them contact me. There would be a small stipend involved.

Many of us have become very concerned over the last few weeks with the ongoing police brutality against black people in our country. This is a tragic part of the American that needs to be changed. In an effort to put together a resolution that might be used for a model around the country, Bob O’Connell did a lot of research, including from documents created with the input of numerous black people and organizations, and he submitted a proposed resolution. Over several weeks numerous members of our local group have given input, and Bob took all of that and re-crafted his proposal. With a little more fine-tuning at our meeting today, the resolution was passed by those in attendance. I will be passing it on to many different organizations, and hopefully it will become a model for others to use. Here is the language of the resolution.

A RESOLUTION

WHEREAS this country has never healed after the wound it caused itself by the institution of human slavery, and

WHEREAS, down through the decades and the centuries, this failure to heal has led to continued human suffering, in the form of outward violence and insidious discrimination against Black people, and

WHEREAS, this continued circumstance leads to the degradation of us all, whether we are victims, perpetrators, or allegedly innocent bystanders, and

WHEREAS, the most visible sign of this racial hatred and discrimination descended from slavery is found embedded in our law enforcement agencies and is manifested by the brutal and frequently deadly treatment of Black people;

THEREFORE, in support

The killing and mistreatment of Black people, including harassment, arbitrary arrests, injury, and physical abuse at the hands of law enforcement, must stop now,

People of good intent everywhere should stand in implacable opposition to the mistreatment and killing of Black people at the hands of law enforcement,

To bring an end to this heart-breaking violence, we must at a minimum do the following, without hesitation:

(1) Establish a separate unit of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice which, in the absence of swift and just action by state or local authorities, will be tasked solely with the investigation and criminal prosecution of any law enforcement personnel found to have deprived a Black person of their civil rights through violence, including violence resulting in death. This division would also be charged with the investigation and prosecution of any person found to have deprived any law enforcement agent of their civil rights through violence, including violence resulting in death,

(2) Establish in every community in this country which has a police department or other law enforcement agency a Citizens’ Advisory Council on Law Enforcement and the Community. In addition to its broad responsibility to advise government and law enforcement agencies, this Council would conduct an ongoing, periodic Public Forum on Law Enforcement and the Community. Any of the Council’s recommendations not adopted by the law enforcement agency would be sent to the community’s executive and to its legislative body for their action,

(3) Appropriate federal funds to sponsor the retraining of all law enforcement agents on Non-Violence in Interactions with the Public,

(4) Conduct psychological testing of all prospective employees of law enforcement agencies, aimed at identifying and rejecting as candidates any active racist, white nationalist, or other persons who could pose an unnecessary threat of violence, particularly to Black people

(5) End “qualified immunity” for law enforcement,

(6) Re-imagine law enforcement, with rearranged budgeting, which would include: a) a significant reduction of the number of armed, sworn, uniformed officers to reflect the fact that they would only be assigned to calls where armed persons were presenting a threat to other members of the community, b) hiring of other unarmed Community Safety Officers who are experts educated in resolution of problems regarding mental health, substance abuse, family altercations, homelessness, and the apparent commission of non-violent felonies and misdemeanors. Some of law enforcement’s former budget would be redirected to addressing many of those issues which cause members of the community to commit crimes in the first place, and

(7) Condition Federal funding of law enforcement agencies upon the adoption and enforcement of the following policies a) the termination of officers found to be guilty of serious, unnecessary violence, b) banning of chokeholds and other moves resulting in the blocking of airways, c) banning of “no-knock” searches, with or without warrants, and d) cooperation, through the supplying of information, with a new Federal registry of police misconduct and use

of force. This would include the refusal to hire anyone who appears on that registry for misconduct or is otherwise found to have such a record.

BE IT RESOLVED that the principles set forth here and the actions demanded are principles basic to the Democratic Party. As such, they ought to be formally adopted by this body, and by the national Democratic party and by the Democratic Parties of every state and county in the United States.

Adopted by the San Juan County, Washington Democratic Party, this 20th Day of June, 2020.

Note: Many of the ideas contained in this Resolution are taken from the letter to Congressional Leadership from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and its hundreds of organizational and individual signatories, dated June 1, 2020.

The following is from Rep. Debra Lekanoff’s office:

As a way to stay connected as a community while we stay home and stay healthy, we’re hosting Terrific Tuesdays with Debra Lekanoff and local leaders to discuss the issues that are at the top of our minds.

The next one will focus on education! Grab some lunch, bring your questions, and join us on Facebook Live at 3:00PM on Tuesday, June 30! It will be streamed onto Facebook live, but there will be an option to watch without Facebook as well.

Thank you!

Makenzie

—

Makenzie Graham, MPH (she/her)

Schedule Coordinator

Re-Elect Debra Lekanoff

(651) 247-5306 www.debralekanoff.com

Fyi, Debra’s Facebook link is https://www.facebook.com/votedebralekanoff/ .

Thanks for reading,

David Turnoy, Chair

San Juan County Democrats Virtual Meeting June 20, 2020

Hello SJC Democrats,

Here is the Zoom link for our meeting this Saturday at 11:30:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83124521705?pwd=czNKOHdEOVByQi9Zb0c2cVA2TFZHQT09 . Contact me for the password if you are not on our email list.
Our meeting will be covering endorsements and a couple of resolutions.  If you have attended at least two meetings in the last year, you are a voting member and are welcome to vote on these items if you are in attendance.  If you aren’t sure if you have attended two meetings in the last year, email me and I will check our attendance records.

With all of the attention focused the last three weeks on police treatment of African Americans, you may be interested in a couple of articles whose links I will provide.  The first comes from local member Peggy Rhoads, and here is her synopsis and the link: “This attachment is long but if you have time to read it, it is a dynamite chapter from Lerone Bennett Jr’s book The Making of Black America. The chapter is titled “The Road Not Taken”. It would be good source material for a discussion on the origins of the police in America, not surprisingly, as armed men assigned to capture and return escaping slaves (my synopsis). Redirecting the massive funds spent on police oppression of minority, immigrant, and homeless populations would be just a beginning. Citizen review boards have been in general powerless.
https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~furrg/essays/bennettroad.html .

The second article is from Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now, and it provides details on how slave patrols led to some of our first police forces; an African American college professor discusses this.
https://www.democracynow.org/2020/6/10/khalil_gibran_muhammad_history_us_policing . 

Thanks, .
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Pre-Endorsement Meeting Letter

Dear San Juan County Democrats, 

You will be receiving your ballot for the August primary in mid-July.  In preparation for that election, our Endorsement Committee of the San Juan County Democrats has been looking at races and candidates.  We have received answers to questionnaires from a number of candidates, which will be posted below for your review.  The committee will present its recommendations at our June 20 general meeting., which will again be held through a Zoom conference.  All voting members will be eligible to vote on endorsements.  You are a voting member if you have attended at least two meetings in the last twelve months.  If you think you might be eligible but aren’t sure, I have the attendance records, so you are welcome to check with me.  If you are not eligible to vote, you are still welcome to express an opinion, which you could do by sending me an email. 

We sent questionnaires to the Democrats running for Congress, lieutenant governor, and public lands commissioner, as at least one candidate in each race requested our endorsement.  The county council races are nonpartisan, but we had two Democrats request our endorsement here too, so they are included as well. 

Congress 

Rick Larsen, incumbent: 

How long have you been a Democrat? __I have always been a Democrat, from the day I registered to vote in 1983, to the time I was a Precinct Committee Officer, to now as a member of Congress.  

List the Democratic and pertinent organizations that you are a member of such as non-profits, and community groups.  What have you done in these groups to show leadership and to accomplish positive change?  

My parents were an important influence on me, encouraging me to be involved in my local community. Their encouragement continues to be a motivation for my service to our communities.   

I have accomplished positive change throughout my time in public service, for example:  

? As chair of the Snohomish County Council, I helped negotiate a labor benefits package that preserved the healthcare benefits of the hundreds of union workers at Snohomish County, saving them hundreds of dollars.   

? Despite Republican opposition and because of my persistence, I successfully negotiated the first Wilderness Area in Washington State in over 20 years. The Wild Sky Wilderness Area is a testament to the collective commitment of people with a strong environmental ethic and of my commitment to the progressive conservation ethic of Washington State.  

? Probably nothing exemplifies my commitment to universal access to healthcare then the healthcare town hall I held in 2009 at Everett Memorial Stadium that attracted 2,800 people to the open air venue where I defended President Obama’s signature social policy effort and where it cemented my continued commitment to the ACA as the effort to ensure healthcare as a right of all Americans.  

1. What actions to address climate change do you believe are most urgent? 

The most important step Congress can take to address climate change is setting real requirements and timelines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That is why I support the 100% Clean Economy Act, which would set a national goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.  Certain sectors contribute greatly to emissions and climate change. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I support investments to increase efficiency and reduce emissions from transportation, including maritime, air, and ground transportation.   Finally, America must be a leader in this global effort, which is why I support rejoining the Paris Climate Accord. 

2. How would you strengthen our transboundary protections with Canada for the Salish Sea and its airshed?  

The U.S must continue to work closely with Canada to advance regional maritime transportation within the Salish Sea, while harmonizing regulations to ensure the sustainability of this environmentally sensitive ecosystem. I support improving the U.S. Coast Guard’s ability to work with its Canadian counterparts on vessel traffic monitoring, oil spill prevention and response and maritime infrastructure needs. I also support investing in coordination with Canada to protect Southern Resident Killer Whales and endangered salmon, restoring critical habitats within transboundary waters and mitigating the impacts of emissions and pollutants to the region’s airshed.  

3. How would you allocate COVID stimulus dollars to stimulate new environmentally sustainable industries?  

America can and should be a global leader in the green industries of the future. In COVID-19 relief, as in regular spending bills, I support federal investments in innovative sectors like renewable energy and green and resilient infrastructure. Additionally, Congress should support education programs like apprenticeships that give workers the skills to compete for high-paying careers in these fields.   

4. How would you address providing healthcare to all Americans?  

I support universal healthcare because ensuring access to high-quality, affordable healthcare is essential for people in Northwest Washington. Healthcare is a human right. I believe the best way to provide universal healthcare is to protect the Affordable Care Act and expand coverage by adding a public option to drive marketplace competition. I am proud Washington state has taken the lead and passed its own public option legislation, which will help more people access healthcare coverage.  

5. What would you do to encourage environmentally sustainable economic development in CD2, WA state, and America?  

Too often, economic development and environmental responsibility are framed as being in conflict. In fact, the opposite is true.   

I will continue to support economic policies that spur growth, benefit the environment, and create good-paying jobs.   

Congress has a number of ways to advance these priorities, including strong environmental oversight, investing in training and education for students and workers, and supporting broad investments in infrastructure, including road, rail, aviation, maritime, and water. After all, Washington state and the country cannot have a big league economy with little league infrastructure.   

6. How would you address wealth and income inequality?  

I will continue to take steps to address income inequality and the hyper-concentration of wealth.   

First, I opposed the Republican tax cuts which slashed taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans.   

I am proud to represent a state that has recognized the importance of jobs that pay a living wage, and I support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.   

Reduction in union membership, largely driven by partisan attacks from Republican leaders, has hurt workers and led to increased income inequality. That is why I support efforts like the PRO Act, which would create real penalties for violations of labor law and strengthen the middle class by making it easier for workers to organize and bargain collectively for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.   

7. What actions would you take to reform our justice system?  

I support reform efforts to establish diversionary courts, reduce recidivism, and implement post sentencing support. Specifically, I supported legislation that reformed sentencing standards for non-violent drug offenders. I also support allowing previously incarcerated individuals to access employment assistance, substance abuse treatment, housing, family programming, mentoring and victim support. These reforms are important to address the disparity in criminal justice outcomes.   

Additionally, I support federal investments in alternative and diversionary courts (e.g. drug courts). Drug courts are both a sound investment and a successful way to address serious addictions. Federal partnerships in these courts ensure access for non-violent and drug-addicted offenders. When drug courts intervene, addictions are overcome, crimes prevented, families reunited and lives saved.  8. What is your position on our current, ongoing foreign military actions?  

I have a strong and consistent record of support for requiring presidents of both parties to respect Congress’ constitutional authority to declare war. And I believe that prolonged engagements must be authorized by Congress. Sunsets are one effective tool for ensuring continued oversight of a conflict and to prevent mission creep, by requiring Congress to debate and vote to continue an action. For too long, Congress has been negligent in its responsibility over these issues of the use of force. I have worked hard to ensure that my constituents know where I stand and that servicemembers know that their elected officials are invested in preventing conflicts from escalating. For example, I voted against the Iraq War authorization and was one of just four members to cosponsor a new authorization to use force against ISIL in 2014.  

9. How can you reduce the carbon footprint and other environmental effects of our military?  

The United States military is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in the world and is the largest consumer of fossil fuels. Reducing the military’s carbon footprint is good for the environment, but it is also good for the military, as it is uniquely vulnerable to sea level rise and instability caused by climate change.  

Often, the military wants to be more environmentally friendly. Reliance on fossil fuels makes bases and assets sensitive to disruptions in fuel supply, like attacks or market forces. And outdated infrastructure means the military spends billions of dollars every year on heating and cooling. Modern infrastructure and renewable energy can significantly reduce the military’s environmental impact and Congress should be a partner in these efforts.   

I will also continue to oppose Republican attacks on the environment that cite military readiness as justification for disregarding environmental law.   

10. Do you support reducing our military footprint around the world, and, if so, how would you do it? I will continue to support ending conflicts in the Middle East and bringing U.S. forces home from the region, closely coordinated with allies and partners.  

 Worldwide, the United States faces significant military challenges, like an increasingly capable Chinese military and a Russian government intent on provocation in Europe. Often, U.S. military presence can be a force for stability and deterrence. However, under the Trump administration, military force has seemed to be the only element of national power. In my conversations with allies, they care as much about U.S. economic and diplomatic commitment to their regions as they do security commitments.  

I support preserving and enhancing U.S. global engagement and commitment to partners and allies, and I am confident this can be achieved with a strategy that focuses on diplomatic and economic engagement ahead of military force.  

11. What is your philosophy on what we should be supporting with our foreign aid?  

Foreign aid is a powerful tool for achieving U.S. policy goals. I believe foreign aid should be values-based, with the aim of supporting freedom of speech, religion and expression, equal rights for women and minorities, and promoting civil society and the rule of law.   

Foreign aid can also help lift millions out of poverty and protect vulnerable people from disease and hunger. Last year, I participated in a congressional delegation that visited Rwanda, and saw firsthand anti-HIV/AIDS efforts funded in part with U.S. foreign aid.  

12. Would you vote to end US support for repressive regimes like Saudi Arabia?  

Sanctions and export controls are important tools promoting human rights worldwide, and ensuring American tax dollars are spent in accordance with American values. I have voted to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led air campaign in the Yemeni Civil War and opposed arms sales to Saudi Arabia.  

13. What are your goals for our national immigration policy?  

I support comprehensive immigration reform that creates pathways to citizenship for immigrants who have spent their lives in the United States. And I will continue to oppose the Trump administration’s bans and wall construction.  

Ultimately, I support an immigration policy that replaces deterrence with compassion, callousness with humanity and any talk of a border wall with more talk about the Statue of Liberty and the freedom she represents to people around the world.? ?The Statue of Liberty is more than a tourist attraction. The words on the statue beckoning the world’s tired, poor, huddled masses convey what is exceptional about the U.S.  

 14. What would you do to make our voting/elections system more democratic and secure?  

I support strengthening the FEC’s oversight and enforcement role to ensure real penalties for violators of election law. To strengthen voting rights and accountable democracy, I also support legislation that would overturn Supreme Court decisions in the ?Citizens United ? and ?Shelby County ? decisions. And I support mail-in voting nationwide modeled after Washington’s system and the Voting Rights Advancement Act.  

15. What are your top priorities?  

I am focused on fighting for an economy that works for everyone, bringing middle class families better jobs and higher wages, increasing access to healthcare, fighting climate change, and protecting the right to vote. My priorities include: Addressing the transportation needs of my state:? In our state, transportation means jobs. And if we want bigger paychecks, we need to invest in better transit, including road, rail and maritime, where union women and men get the work done and we can train another generation through registered apprenticeships. I also support bridge safety investments, ensuring bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure gets its fair share of investments and that we invest in electric bus transit and other means to lower emissions from transportation.  Fighting climate change and protecting our environment: ?It is my priority to address the impacts of climate change, ensure the U.S. transitions to clean renewable energy and environmental sustainability, protect the environment, and create good-paying jobs. I support global and local Paris Climate Agreements, Clean Power Plans, lower emissions for aviation travel, green resilient infrastructure to restore estuaries and salmon habitats, a net-zero emissions economy, and jobs investment to prepare next-generation innovators and workforce to support a green economy. I support stopping Pebble Mines in Alaska and protecting Bristol Bay fishing while stopping mining in Skagit River headwaters.  Creating jobs and investing in skills training: ?I believe in creating jobs and investing in skills training right here in the second district. I support ensuring that workers have access to registered apprenticeship programs that help them learn the skills they need to succeed. My Youth Access to American Jobs Act will establish a 2-2-2 pilot program that allows students to go from high school to community college to an apprenticeship program, creating a real pathway for young people looking to enter the workforce. I helped write the section of the aviation bill that helps fill in gaps in aviation technicians and mechanics. Our local community and technical colleges play an important role in training the next generation workforce and investing in local jobs. My record stands strong in support of them.   

16. Do you support the Washington State Democratic Platform? Why or why not? If you do not, what specific planks do you disagree with and why?  

Yes, I support the current version of the Washington State Democratic Platform. The 2020 platform has not yet been adopted and I have not had a chance to review it. I anticipate it will be done this month and then I will be able to review it.    

Jason Call, challenger 

How long have you been a Democrat? Since 1992 

List the Democratic and pertinent organizations that you are a member of such as non-profits, and community groups.  What have you done in these groups to show leadership and to accomplish positive change? 

I have been a member of the WA Dems State Committee since 2016, for Snohomish County and the 44th LD.  As a member of the body I have written and had passed a number of important platform resolutions, and was an elected member of the State Party platform committee in both 2018 and 2020. I am active in both my county and Legislative District local parties. In 2018 I was the Chair of the Snohomish County Democrats platform committee. I have helped cofound both the Economic Justice Caucus and the Separation of Church and State Caucus, where I was recently Chair.  I have also been on the Executive Board of the WA State Progressive Caucus. 

I am a Board Member of Whole Washington, the volunteer led nonprofit that is trying to, in the absence of passing a federal Medicare For All bill, bring single payer healthcare to Washington State via ballot initiative or bill through the State Legislature.  I have also worked gathering signatures for other recent ballot initiatives, most recently I-735 (Move to Amend) and I-1433 to raise minimum wage 

1. What actions to address climate change do you believe are most urgent?

If we can’t manage the global warming feedback loop by eliminating emissions, we will be faced with a massive climate refugee concern here in coastal areas due to rising tides.  The most important direct action is to eliminate fossil fuel emissions (the pandemic crisis has proven this is possible with the political will, at least temporarily – we have taken cars off the road and seen results), which should be done by job creating federal investments right here in WA-02 in tidal and geothermal energy, as these are our local sustainable and renewable sources.  Concurrently we have to get an efficient green mass transit system in place to get cars off the road, (which will also help manage the climate refugee problem if it gets to that stage). Beyond that we need to scale back cutting our forests and let them do their healing work cleaning our atmosphere. 

2. How would you strengthen our transboundary protections with Canada for the Salish Sea and its airshed? 

(This is the one question that I don’t feel informed enough to provide a competent response, but based on some research I’m going to try.)   

I located a US-Canada agreement from 2002 which states a partnership that recognizes the need for clean air in the Georgia Basin-Puget Sound area. Not surprisingly commercial fossil fuel use is a primary culprit in diminished air quality.  Legislation in line with Green New Deal goals should require merchant fleet to adhere to environmental standards or be barred from using our waterways. I also support cessation of pipeline building through BC from the Alberta tar sands, pipelines which terminate at points on the Salish coast and put waterways at risk for pollution, as well as elimination of refineries and the use of coal trains through the area. There are obvious concerns that both US and Canadian Government works hand in glove with the fossil fuel industry to promote continued construction of pipelines. Both governments will resist real accountability here, and progressive activism in Congress will be a necessity. 

(I am always open to further education on issues, and this is one I want to look more deeply into, so anyone who has resources for me, please share.) 

3. How would you allocate COVID stimulus dollars to stimulate new environmentally sustainable industries? 

Like France, I would put restrictions on access to any bailout dollars without strict conditions on commitment to environmental standards that meet carbon emission reduction goals. France did this with the airline industry, and so should we. Stimulus money should have a goal of requiring existing business to retool, redesign, and invest in new technologies as applicable, that are supportive of the goals of the Green New Deal. This should expand employment with existing businesses.  Startups that meet the goals of the Green New Deal should be subsidized. Money should not be going to the fossil fuel industry directly. Money going to state and local governments should be heavily invested in updating and constructing public transit. There should also be conditions on the rate of reinvestment of stimulus to continue to provide employment as opposed to making CEOs and shareholders wealthy. Economic justice and environmental justice should be coequal. 

4. How would you address providing healthcare to all Americans?

I am 100% in support of National Improved Medicare For All HR 1384.  Healthcare is a human right. 

5. What would you do to encourage environmentally sustainable economic development in CD2, WA state, and America?

We need federal standards for green building both commercial and residential properties, and federal subsidies to retrofit existing buildings with solar panels and other energy efficient upgrades. We need to subsidize new green technologies as we phase out petroleum-based products and energy. We need a federal waste management program to partner with private industry to ensure that the recycling and other waste management technology and infrastructure is fully funded. We need efficient green public transit, including rail and buses, that is fare free as an incentive to reduce use of personal vehicles. We need to upgrade our rail systems for transport of goods to reduce use of long haul trucking.  We need to invest in solar panel production as likely our primary source of sustainable and renewable power. All of these efforts will be part of the federal jobs guarantee and just transition provisions of the Green New Deal. 

6. How would you address wealth and income inequality?

There are state issues in WA with regressive taxation that I would address if I could at the federal level, but hope our legislature will forge ahead with an income tax, and sales and property tax reductions.  We need a federal wealth tax. We need to maintain estate taxes. We need to increase corporate taxes, and also hold corporations accountable for their own pollution cleanup and for low wages that force employees onto public assistance. We need to raise the federal minimum wage to at least $20/hr. We need federal rent control standards. We need a vacancy tax to reduce speculation in the housing market. We need Medicare For All.  We need to cancel student debt and make colleges and vocational schools tuition and fee free. Supreme Court Justice Brandeis said you can have democracy or you can have concentrated wealth, but you can’t have both. 

7. What actions would you take to reform our justice system? 

I write this as riots are occurring in Minneapolis following the murder by police of George Floyd, who was at worst suspected of passing a bad check, which does not carry a death sentence. Our policing is broken, our courts are broken, and institutional racism in the justice system is rampant. We need improved police screening and training for de-escalation.  We need to demilitarize the police.  We need to federally decriminalize cannabis, release all incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses, and expunge those records so these individuals can rebuild their lives. We need to prosecute police when warranted, and eliminate the code of silence in the police force. We need to do away with blanket immunity for prosecutors. All police forces should be accountable to community review boards, not mayors, and all police shootings should be immediately investigated by such boards. We need to end private for-profit prisons. 

8. What is your position on our current, ongoing foreign military actions? 

I have been an anti-war activist since I was a sophomore at the University of Washington, when the US invaded Iraq in Desert Storm under false pretenses. It is one of the reasons I chose Political Science as my undergraduate major. I have marched countless times to protest military actions and have involved myself in pro-peace activities with groups such as Veterans For Peace.  The US has a record of worldwide military engagement that is tarnished at best given what we know about the Gulf of Tonkin and WMD, among other actions. I oppose military interventions that are not based in verifiable national security threats, and are grounded in national defense.  I oppose violations of the Geneva Conventions, and military operations that are humanitarian engagements should be approached as a multinational effort guided by the UN. I oppose all war profiteering, which is the driving force behind ongoing actions. 

9. How can you reduce the carbon footprint and other environmental effects of our military?

The most important way to reduce the carbon footprint of the military is to reduce the size of the military.  I support cutting the defense budget drastically, which will in my mind include closing bases worldwide and in the US. I can’t speak from a perspective of military strategy or national security, but I do believe our military as it exists is far larger than is strategically necessary. There is no doubt that this will be a huge and contentious fight in Congress, but as an antiwar activist for 30 years, this is a commitment I am willing to keep fighting through because it has to be done.  As with all workforce transitions, a just transition to private sector labor force must be assured.  I do not believe that the US military should be a jobs program for surplus labor.  

10. Do you support reducing our military footprint around the world, and, if so, how would you do it?

Continuing from my prior response, I would add that whatever we do retain as far as military power (and I’m sure that it would be substantial, but there’s no strategic value in the excess that we currently face, that is purely for industry profits/war profiteering) must be redesigned and retrofitted to be “green”.  All of this is in line with how we should be investing in the Green New Deal with accompanying jobs guarantees. The only thing that stands in the way of this is lack of political will. 

Locally, I support the reduction and relocation of the Navy Growler fleet, as part of these overall objectives. I made a campaign statement on the decade old Growler concerns in February, and I have been in communication with Sound Defense Alliance to better understand the direct human and environmental issues with this program. 

11. What is your philosophy on what we should be supporting with our foreign aid?

Our foreign aid should be used to support legitimate humanitarian efforts worldwide, funding education, healthcare, and infrastructure that will benefit people.  All aid must have strict accountability and oversight measures to ensure that it is not propping up oppressive corporations or corrupt political establishments. Aid should have requirements that support the global goals of the Green New Deal as much as possible. Governments with a history of oppression, apartheid, and genocide should not be recipients of aid. In areas of strife and violence, aid should be used to encourage peace and negotiations with legitimate actors to eliminate warfare and promote sustainable local economies to retain peace. 

12. Would you vote to end US support for repressive regimes like Saudi Arabia?

Yes, however we cannot oppose the brutality of the Saudi regime while giving subsidies to fossil fuel industries. We also cannot sanction countries in a way that harms the people of that country, who are the victims of such oppression. While I oppose interventionism on behalf of corporate profits, there is legitimate concern with some countries that routinely break human rights conventions. Political actions must be well devised and have a goal of liberating people from oppression. Regimes like Bolsonaro’s are a threat to human rights and the planet with the destruction of the Amazon. Duterte in the Philippines, who has imposed brutal penalties on drug addicts and sex workers. I would be remiss if I didn’t note the often unspoken offenses committed by the right wing Likud government on the people of Palestine. We must strive not to be a part of hypocrisy in these human rights affairs. 

13. What are your goals for our national immigration policy?

The best immigration policy is to stop assisting corporations in privatize and exploiting resources and labor in developing nations. Global capital is often backed by repressive regimes that use fear and political oppression as a tool of control.  Many immigrants are political, economic, and increasingly climate refugees.  The best remedy is to work to reduce refugee status by eliminating corporate colonialism. I oppose the current system of for profit immigration detention centers, and I support the abolition of ICE, which has proven itself an unaccountable human rights violator. I support the DACA program, and I support a pathway to citizenship for current undocumented immigrants so they can come out of the shadows. Many undocumented exist in highly exploitative circumstances. I support subsidized legal assistance for undocumented workers so they can navigate the immigration process without fear. Our immigration courts need better funding and staffing. 

14. What would you do to make our voting/elections system more democratic and secure?

I have been an Election Integrity advocate since 2004. I have studied electronic voting machine systems and proprietary vs open source code for those systems.  I do not believe that any electronic system is secure and I oppose their use for ballot counting purposes unless they are backed up by continuous random audits for accuracy. I support hand marked paper ballots, but access to such balloting presents challenges for many marginalized groups, and is likely disenfranchising. Thus I am in support of federal standards for mail-in ballots, which provides equitable accessibility to voting. Mail-in ballots are efficient, effective and provide the best option on balance for voting security and accuracy. This also would eliminate voting suppression frequently seen at the ballot box. I support Ranked Choice or STAR voting. Corporate lobbying should be eliminated. Political campaigns should be publicly finances. Citizens United should be overturned. 

15. What are your top priorities?

Medicare For All 

Green New Deal 

Money out of politics 

16. Do you support the Washington State Democratic Platform? Why or why not? If you do not, what specific planks do you disagree with and why?

Having helped write a good deal of the current State Party platform (as of this writing, the convention in June may present changes) and a number of resolutions, I can confidently say I am 99% in support of the platform.  Without re-reading the document, I can’t identify a point of disagreement at this time.  There’s probably a plank somewhere.  It’s an extremely detailed progressive vision. 

Lieutenant Governor (open seat, no incumbent) 

Marko Liias

How long have you been a Democrat? I have been a lifelong democrat.

List the Democratic and pertinent organizations that you are a member of such as nonprofits, and community groups. What have you done in these groups to show leadership and to accomplish positive change?

I am a Democratic PCO in the 21st District, also allowing me access to Snohomish County events. I have used my positions with both organizations to be part of the discussion on what we should be looking for in leadership and in endorsing candidates at every level of government to best represent us to keep our communities strong. I am also a proud union member with AFT Everett Higher Education Local 1872. 

I have the privilege to sit on the Board of Directors for the Washington Institute for Public Policy, a bipartisan partnership with The Evergreen State College, to research policy that will best benefit our state. Additionally, I’ve previously served on the Boards of the Youth Suicide Prevention Program, Community Transit, and Snohomish County Board of Health. I am proud of the work I have done with these organizations to save the lives of our kids who are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel, promote transit options in my community, and make scientifically informed decisions in how we address public health. 

1. If elected, one of your main duties would be to act as President of the Senate. What qualifies you for this role? 

For the last four years, I have served as Floor Leader, elected by my colleagues to lead our caucus on the Senate floor. Since 2018, I have been the Majority Floor Leader, where I have had the responsibility of drafting the Senate’s parliamentary rules, scheduling bills for floor action and serving as our caucus liaison to the Lt. Governor—all experiences that make me uniquely qualified for the role of our next Lt Governor. Furthermore, I am the only person in this race who has ever served in the State Senate. It was these experiences that led our current Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib to endorse my campaign, calling me the most experienced candidate in the race. 

2. Another important job of the lieutenant governor is to step in as governor should the governor become unavailable. What executive branch or other relevant experience do you have to step into this position? 

I am running for Lt. Governor because I am excited at the opportunities to use the role as President of the Senate and number two in the executive branch to help make progressive change for our state. The role does mean that I will step in as acting governor when Governor Inslee travels out of state, and there is always the possibility that any Governor may not complete their term of office. I know that I could step in, if needed, to ensure the continuity of our government and the success of our shared progressive vision for our state. 

I have over a decade of experience in the Legislature and deep relationships with lawmakers and leaders all over our state. These are reflected in the endorsements by 21 of my Senate colleagues, more than any other candidate in the race, as well as a wealth of other early endorsements by elected officials and community leaders from Seattle to Spokane. I have deep experience with state budgets and a broad array of policy issues, and I have been selected by my colleagues to negotiate major legislative victories on transportation funding, paid family and medical leave, and aerospace competitiveness. This has given me a deep and comprehensive understanding of state government. 

My priorities, no matter where I am called up to serve, are the same: chart a bold, progressive path forward for our state. We must build an economy that works for all Washingtonians, not just the rich; we must invest in public education and workforce training to ensure there are equitable paths to opportunity and into the middle class; we must address the crisis of affordability in housing, health care, and child care that threatens our middle class; and, we must boldly confront the challenge of climate change and use this opportunity to build a sustainable, resilient economy for our shared prosperity. 

3. Washington state has one of the most regressive tax structures in the country. What changes would you help try to make? 

I have been a longtime supporter of more equitable tax structures and I voted for every single progressive tax structure change that the legislature put forward when we crafted our finance package in 2019. In that package, we closed loopholes on corporate taxes, we lowered real estate taxes for low and middle income families while raising it for the multibillion dollar corporations building skyscrapers in Seattle, and many other progressive changes. While we did not get every win on moving us towards a more balanced tax structure, it has set a precedent that I hope we are able to continue with so we can get smart, progressive revenue sources like a capital gains tax. 

This progress is more important than ever as we recover from COVID-19. We cannot go back to the austerity measures of the Gregoire era that harmed our most vulnerable, and must instead raise new, progressive revenue so we can bounce back faster and stronger. 

4. How could you help in the position of lieutenant governor in the fight against climate change?

The Lt. Governor has historically worked on trade and economic development policy, as well as education and workforce development issues. I look forward to continuing this critical policy work, while applying a social justice, equity and environmental justice lens. I look forward to growing the youth development initiatives that my predecessors have started, the Legislative Youth Advisory Council, Boundless Washington, and Washington World Fellows programs. I am excited to embed environmental justice as a focus of these efforts, to channel the deep commitment of our newest generation of leaders to our climate crisis and mentor them in advocacy and action to realize their goals. But I am also committed to ensuring that our broader policy advocacy focuses more directly on the incredible potential in green jobs as a tool to grow economic opportunities all over the state, and considers access to healthy housing and good mass transit as priorities in this work. 

As President of the Senate and Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, I will use my full authority to demand bold climate action in 2021 and the years to come. I will continue to leverage my strong relationships in the Legislature and my detailed knowledge of the Senate rules and procedures to help partner with environmental leaders, the Governor, legislators and advocates, to take continued action to address the existential threat we face and meet it head on. I am proud that under my leadership as Majority Floor Leader since 2018, we have seen more meaningful climate action than ever before in state history, I will continue that leadership as Lt. Governor. 

5. What would you do to encourage environmentally sustainable economic development? 

The Lt. Governor presides over the State Senate, but also serves as number two in the Executive Branch, all while running a small state agency. This unique combination of responsibilities makes it an ideal role to continue my work building a green economy that works for everyone, expanding equitable access to education and opportunity, and ensuring that our state is a model for social justice and inclusion. I completely agree with Governor Inslee that climate inaction is the same as climate denial, we cannot shirk our responsibilities in this critical moment. I will use my leadership role in the Senate to insist on bold climate action that recognizes the magnitude of the crisis we face. 

In the Senate, I have focused on growing green jobs in every corner of our state, which I believe is critical to ensuring a just transition to our carbon-free future. I sponsored legislation to transition our state off coal-fired power and to authorize the largest expansion of mass transit in history through ST3; this massive undertaking will create tens of thousands of family-wage construction jobs for decades to come. I have helped pass new building codes to encourage the use of carbon-sequestering mass timber, and also championed investments in pollinator health and soil research, so that our agricultural economy in this state is both competitive and sustainable. As Lt. Governor, I will never stop fighting for green jobs and opportunity in every ZIP code in Washington. As chair of the Senate Rules Committee and as President of the Senate, I will use my full authority to ensure that my colleagues take action to address this existential threat to our state and our shared human community. 

6. What would be your top priorities as lieutenant governor? 

In the face of gridlock in Washington DC, our state has made progress these last few years. We have funded our schools expanded access to college, taken bold action to transition to a clean energy economy, and worked to make sure that everyone — white, Black and brown — has access to opportunity. We have shown that a growing economy, clean air and water, and rising wages and benefits can go hand-in-hand. I know that we can accomplish so much more in the years to come for Washington. I know that we can harness the spirit of innovation that has led our state to build the best airplanes, write the best software, and grow crops that feed the world to meet the challenges we face today. 

My highest priority will be to lead our efforts to create green jobs in every community in our state. As we turn to the urgent work of recovering from this global health emergency, we cannot lose sight of the existential emergency that still exists. And we cannot ignore that persistent reality that too many communities across our state have been left out of the prosperity of these last few years. I will continue to lead youth development and higher education partnerships that ensure our future leaders are part of the policy process now, not ignored until the decisions we have made have consigned them to a stark future. And embedded in all the work we do will be a commitment to social justice, equity and environmental justice. 

I am a proud, lifelong Washingtonian. I would not be who I am or what I am, without this place. As I take this next step, I am more committed than ever to expanding opportunity and building on the progress we have made together. We have risen above our challenges in the past with our courage and our innovative spirit. And I know that the best is yet to come. I hope you will join me in this moment as we lead the way to a brighter, more inclusive future for this state we all love. 

Denny Heck 

How long have you been a Democrat?  

I am a proud lifelong Democrat. While still in junior high, I organized and was president of the Teen Democrat Club and have been an active Democrat my entire life serving as a precinct committee officer to various state and national party leadership roles.(see below)  

List the Democratic and pertinent organizations that you are a member of such as non-profits, and community groups.  What have you done in these groups to show leadership and to accomplish positive change? 

I am the co-founder and former president of TVW, the statewide public affairs network where I had a ringside seat to the legislature and where for many years I hosted the award-winning public affairs program, Inside Olympia. I have been active in my community my entire life including serving on the board of trustees of my alma mater, The Evergreen State College, serving on Governor Gregoire’s Washington Learns Commission, serving on the advisory boards of the New Market Skill Center and the Clark County Skills Center. My wife, Paula, and I co-founded the Olympia Principals’ Emergency Checkbook Fund.  

I have held numerous party leadership roles over the years including serving as a precinct committee officer multiple times. I chaired the State House Democratic Caucus Campaign Committee three times (and we increased our seats every time!). Nationally, I served as chair of the HDCCC’s recruitment committee the last four years, which is generally credited with playing a vital role in the US House flipping to Democratic control in 2018. In addition, I co-chaired the HDCCC’s Red to Blue Committee the last four years. 

1. If elected, one of your main duties would be to act as President of the Senate.  What qualifies you for this role?

The Lt Governor is the president of the Senate, where he/she breaks ties and maintains parliamentary order. They must be committed to presiding in a fair and civil way – it is the only way the process works. I was elected to five terms in the State House where I served as Majority Leader and I have hundreds of hours presiding over the State House (which uses the same rulebook as the State Senate) and have also presided over the US House multiple times. The Lieutenant Governor also becomes governor in the event of a vacancy. I served as Chief of Staff to Governor Booth Gardner, and being a COS is as close to being governor as you can be without actually being governor. The Lieutenant Governor, by law, chairs the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations. In Congress, I serve on both committees of jurisdiction for the economy – the Financial Services Committee and the Joint Economic Committee. I also have had a successful career in business having co-founded a company, which we grew from two employees to more than 300. In some ways, I think my life’s experiences have led me exactly to this point. I have a passion for public service and for this office, my experience counts.   

2. Another important job of the lieutenant governor is to step in as governor should the governor become unavailable.  What executive branch or other relevant experience do you have to step into this position?

 With Lt Governor, the question always has to be: Is this person ready to be governor if necessary. I am. I think my experience outlined above demonstrates that my experiences have prepared me should I need to step into this position.  

3. Washington state has one of the most regressive tax structures in the country.  What changes would you help try to make?

 Higher income people need to pay more of their fair share, and we must vigorously resist taxes that fall disproportionately on lower income people. Once again, this is going to be a particularly important question in the 2021 session with the budget challenges it will face. My commitment to fairer taxation goes way back to my days in the legislature when I was the prime sponsor of a constitutional amendment to create an income tax.  

4. How could you help in the position of lieutenant governor in the fight against climate change?

It is time to go big and bold with a plan to rebuild our economy that prioritizes investments in infrastructure of all kinds and notably green energy and renewables, and provides for more broadly shared prosperity. We get lower carbon output by making carbon pollution more expensive (carbon fee). (I am a sponsor of just such legislation at the federal level.) We use revenues to invest in all manner of infrastructure notably to include green energy. But we also use revenues to help displaced workers make a transition to good jobs of the future, a transition that safeguards their compensation and health care. (As you will recall, the failure to do this is the primary reason why I opposed fast tracking TPP.) But I also think we need to think more broadly about this. It is not just carbon-dependent employees who are the cusp on being displaced; it is also the millions of jobs under pressure by forces such as AI and globalization. Now is the time to invest in workers. We have a window of opportunity.  

Finally, please note that I am endorsed by the Washington Conservation Voters. Among those members of Washington’s Congressional delegation that I’ve been serving with since I was elected to Congress, I have the highest League of Conservation Voters voting record.  

5. What would you do to encourage environmentally sustainable economic development?

 There is an incredible opportunity before us as we rebuild our economy. Inarguably, we will consider infrastructure investments to put America back to work. We need to define infrastructure broadly, and not just as roads and bridges. Investments need to be made in all manner of environmentally sustainable areas such as improving the electrical grid system, adding more electric car recharging stations, finally getting serious about storm water retention, retrofitting public buildings to be more energy efficient, updating water and sewer systems, and expanding public transit. I feel especially strong about efforts to improve water quality in the Puget Sound as I am the co-founder of the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus and the author of the Puget SOS (Save Our Sound) legislation that passed the US House overwhelmingly earlier this year.  

The Lieutenant Governor can help do this and more through use of the bully pulpit the office has and in his/her role as chair of the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations.  

6. What would be your top priorities as lieutenant governor?

Three issues that I don’t think are getting enough action are 1) income inequality, 2) climate change, and 3) storm water pollution of the Puget Sound and other bodies of water. The Lieutenant Governor has the unique opportunity to use their bully pulpit to define the problem and provide real intellectual thought leadership on solutions. There is gravitas to the office that can and should be used to solve problems. 

Commissioner of Public Lands 

Hilary Franz, incumbent 

How long have you been a Democrat? _Lifelong Democrat________  

List the Democratic and pertinent organizations that you are a member of such as nonprofits, and community groups.  What have you done in these groups to show leadership and to accomplish positive change?  

 Former Board member Washington Environmental Council, represented on critical environmental cases before Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; Former Board Member of Conservation NW; Former PCO, 23rd LD Democrats; Puget Sound Regional Council board member, developing transportation, housing and economic development policies and investments; Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council, setting policy and investments for salmon recovery.  

1. What actions to address climate change do you believe are most urgent?  

We’re on the front lines climate change as we respond to increasing floods, wildfires and drought. We are taking action.  

We’re reducing our agency’s emissions through energy efficiency and clean transportation solutions. We’re increasing carbon sequestration through conserving forest and agricultural lands and implementing our Forest Health Plan to reduce catastrophic wildfires and forests dying. We’re expanding clean energy on our public lands, including completing the first solar leases for the largest solar farms in the state.  We’re now working with large and small utilities to build out 100% clean energy by 2040. We’ve developed the state’s first Climate Resilience Plan which sets forth strategies to manage our lands and waters to be more resilient to a changing climate and sets forth investments needed throughout the state to make our communities more resilient to climate change. We’re working with communities to increase the resiliency of our lands, waters and communities.  

2. How would you address providing conservation of Washington’s public lands?  

Specifically, under my leadership we have begun to increase our public lands by thousands of acres.  We will continue to expand our NCRAs, NCHAs, and our working forest and agricultural lands by: • Creating a carbon market program where we can increase conservation of state’s old growth forests and also prevent conversion of our working forests.  • Implementing 20-Year Forest Health Plan for the state, restoring 1.25 million acres of forests to health to prevent them from dying and burning up.  

• Placing thousands of acres of forests in protected conservation status and preventing thousands of additional acres of working forests from being converted into development. • Increasing our agricultural lands portfolio through strategic acquisition and addressing our checkerboard issue. • Placing thousands of acres of high value natural areas in conservation status, including some of the highest natural resource conservation and natural resource heritage areas.  

3. What would you do to encourage sustainable economic development that conserves our public lands and moves us to a transition away from fossil fuels?  

We’ve expanded our wind portfolio and completed 2 solar leases with 33 solar leases in the works.  Our goal is to generate over 1,000 MW of clean energy by 2025.  We helped push for 100% Clean Energy along with labor, and we are now working with utilities to help meet 100% clean by 2040 on our public lands.  We’re also doing geothermal mapping and exploring biomass energy on the slash left behind after timber harvests and forest health projects. DNR already sells some biomass but markets are limited so we are working to expand this market and ensure that labor is part of each of these projects.  We’re also expanding agriculture on our public lands, increasing vineyard, orchard and high value crop investments.  And we will continue to invest in projects like the derelict vessel removal facility we did and cross-laminated timber manufacturing facilities in NE Washington.  

4. What actions would you take to protect our islands from forest fires?    

I’ve made our catastrophic wildfires and forest health crisis one of my top priorities.  I immediately implemented strategies to protect our communities, pre-positioning equipment and utilizing air resources on initial attack.  I then took action, bringing together state, federal, and local agencies to develop Washington’s first interagency 10 Year Wildfire Strategic Plan. And I went to bat for our firefighters, working to secure record-setting funding of $50 million to give our firefighters the resources they need to build a 21st century wildfire team, including more resources for the San Juan Islands.   We’re also getting at the root of increasing wildfires.  In 2017, we developed the Forest Health Plan for Eastern Washington where we’re making 1.25 million acres of forests more resilient.  We’re now developing the Forest Action Plan for Western Washington with a focus on San Juan Islands and communities that are seeing increasing wildfires and increasing forest death.  

5.  What is your philosophy on the use of herbicides and pesticides on public lands? 

We need to be careful about herbicides and pesticides on our lands to prevent harm to humans, fish and wildlife and our water quality.  I have worked with the Department of Agriculture to set forth task force to address concerns around use of herbicides and pesticides on public and private lands.  We are now working to deploy recommendations  

from that task force to ensure the health of our public, our lands and waters, and our fish and wildlife.    

6. What is your philosophy on managing timber sales from public lands? 

DNR manages 3 million acres of trust lands to provide a continuous flow of revenue to our schools and counties — through revenue-producing activities such as: harvesting timber, biomass products; agricultural purposes, like orchards and vineyards, irrigated agriculture, dryland crops, and grazing; Leasing communications sites, mining and mineral leases, wind farms and energy production, commercial properties.   In addition to earning income, activities on trust lands are managed to protect habitat for native plant and animal species, provide clean and abundant water, and offer public recreation opportunities. Everyone in Washington depends on wood products.  The most sustainable thing we can do is grow our wood products here in Washington State and do it with sustainable practices, practices that are set out in our multi-species Habitat Conservation Plan.   We need to be expanding our conservation lands and our working forest lands to avoid conversion to development and keep the Evergreen State evergreen.  

7. What is your philosophy on managing recreation and tourism on public lands? 

We’re blessed to have beautiful forests and trails, beaches and waterways.  These areas provide rejuvenation and refuge from the chaos of daily life.  I am increasing opportunities for people to connect with nature.  If people of all ages can connect to nature, they will have commitment to protecting them.  I’ve expanded recreation areas throughout the state on our 6 million acres of public lands.  We’ve developed a regional recreation planning approach, connecting our urban areas to our mountains to our seas while providing a diversity of recreation opportunities from diving to biking to skiing.  We’ve launched an effort to increase opportunities for all to get outside through our Trail Direct program.  We’ve also partnered with USFS to increase recreation areas and connect our state and federal landscapes together for recreation users.  I funded a study of our recreation economy to increase jobs and recreation and increased enforcement to reduce impacts. 

Franklin Wallbrown, challenger 

How long have you been a Democrat? _As long as I could vote.________ 

List the Democratic and pertinent organizations that you are a member of such as non-profits, and community groups.  What have you done in these groups to show leadership and to accomplish positive change? PCO Mountlake Terrace 001, Washington State Progressive Caucus, Washington State Veterans’ Caucus, Washington State Young Democrats,  

1. What actions to address climate change do you believe are most urgent?  Getting corporate money out of politics and reducing the inequity of the people of this country.  Until we get corporate money out of politics, our politicians will be beholden to them and not the people.  Until we reduce inequities, we cannot have people truly participate in urgent climate action.

2. How would you address providing conservation of Washington’s public lands?  Implement large scale hemp farming on legacy farmland to stop clearcutting.  Listen to experts and my constituency for more ideas.

3. What would you do to encourage sustainable economic development that conserves our public lands and moves us to a transition away from fossil fuels?  Hemp farming.  End corn & fossil fuel subsidies.

4. What actions would you take to protect our islands from forest fires?  Stop spraying Glyphosate (which kills and dries our flora).  Smaller controlled burns (as our native people did).  Diversify the flora of our forests.  Heal our soil (to capture moisture).

5.  What is your philosophy on the use of herbicides and pesticides on public lands?  Don’t do it…

6. What is your philosophy on managing timber sales from public lands?  Very small, surgical sales…

7.  What is your philosophy on managing recreation and tourism on public lands?  It should be open to everyone.

County Council, San Juan Island (Open Seat) 

Ryan Palmeteer 

How long have you been a Democrat? 5 Years 

List the Democratic and pertinent organizations that you are a member of such as non-profits and community groups.  What have you done in these groups to show leadership and to accomplish positive change? 

San Juan County Democrats – Executive Secretary 

San Juan Islands Electric Vehicle Association – Founder/President 

Transition San Juan Island – Co-founder, steering committee member 

Transition Lopez Island – steering committee member  

Transition Orcas Island – Co-founder, steering committee member 

Islands Public House – Board Vice President 

Energy Roundtable – Chairman 

Citizens Climate Lobby – Group Leader 

San Juan Islands Stewardship Network – Member 

San Juan Island Grange #966 – Member  

Within all the organizations I belong, I have brought with me technical and communication skills that have allowed them to expand their abilities and outreach capabilities. From hosting virtual meetings at the San Juan County Democrats, to expanding San Juan County to the largest percentage of Electric Vehicle owners in the State of Washington, to forming community organizations at a grass roots level and expanding them to regional and international influence to achieve large goals.  

1. County Councilor is in name a nonpartisan position.  How will you explain why you chose to seek the endorsement of the San Juan County Democrats?

I plan to seek endorsement from both political parties in San Juan County. I feel that together as Islanders, we have more in common with each other at the local level, than the political divides at a State or Federal level. While there may be differences of opinion rooted in political affiliation, the shared goal of making our Islands a better place to live is not politically motivated. The paths we take in achieving these goals may diverge, however the end location is the same. It is my most sincere desire to unify and amplify the voices of all Islanders in a spirit of collaboration in making our home better for all.  

2. What will you do about our affordable housing crisis?

The Affordable housing crisis in San Juan County is one of my top concerns. Which I believe is linked to the lack of regulation with vacation rental permitting and financial incentives regarding long-term rentals vs. short term rentals. Given the increasing number of homes now operating as a vacation rental property from off island interests, every home for sale on the open market currently has the potential to be taken out of the long-term rental market and turned into VR investment properties, forcing renters out. To protect affordable homes, I would 1) Retain and protect the real estate excise tax and 2) Introduce fair regulations for vacation rental permitting to reduce the rate of VR conversion.   

3. How would you address the issue of growth versus sustainability?

I don’t believe that the two terms of growth and sustainability are necessarily at odds with each other. Economic and ecologically sustainable practices can be blended together to improve the environment and take care of the needs of the residents of San Juan County simultaneously. The wise use of a given resource is the key to achieving a balance between the two. Take for example our existing tourist based economic model; tourists come here to witness our beautiful ecology and, in the process, damage it. Without that ecology, we will cease to have tourism. What I propose, is that we mitigate damages to the environment by supporting renewable, clean and sustainable technologies that helps our islands to blend economic growth and ecological sustainability. With this practice, one day ‘growth’ will not simply be calculated with dollars, but with the level of integration within the environment.  

4. What is your stance on vacation rentals?  What will you do to address this problem?

I believe that we have been and will continue to feel the increased negative effects of a lack of simple and fair regulations governing the practice of vacation rental permitting. The very first step that is necessary to addressing this problem is to listen to the people who have been adversely affected by the current established practice. Establishing a diverse committee to come up with fair and balanced regulations. The second step is increased enforcement of vacation rental permitting compliance. We must establish fair rules and then make sure everyone is following them. Given that there is a larger percentage of owners of vacation rentals who do not reside within San Juan County, this issue disproportionately effects those who do.  

5. How would you manage the tourism in San Juan County?

Tourism is the linchpin of the current economic planning within San Juan County. It affords us the ability to have the lowest property taxes in the State, as the county budget is heavily subsidized from the income generated from tourism. However, over-tourism threatens, both ecological tranquility and beauty of the islands as well as the ability for locals to live on island year-round. As county council, I would propose policies that require damage from over-tourism be mitigated by funds generated by tourism. This would require marketing to focus on eco-logical tourism, a list of island values that we ask tourists to follow and increased enforcement of all existing policies and laws governing tourism. I believe that if we utilize our tourism resource wisely, it can be a very sustainable and beneficial practice to help protect San Juan County well into the future. 

6. Do you think that mental health services are sufficiently funded in our county?  If not, how will you improve that situation?

No, I do not. If you look at the San Juan County website, it shows a link to Skagit County Crisis Center. In times of crisis, timing becomes critical.  We must provide local services to our residents that can quickly respond in these events. This would require hiring of staff who are specifically trained to respond to these situations.  

We do however have an excellent organization in Safe San Juans that assist those who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault. However, their primary funding source for prevention outreach is mainly made up from donations and volunteer fundraising efforts. We must do better! I would propose increased funding to both mental health services and domestic abuse services in the county.  

It is my belief that the truest measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. 

7. What will you do to help San Juan County address climate change, energy independence, sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, and the preservation of wild lands?

It is my greatest dream to help the islands achieve 100+% of its own power from renewable sources. Fully achieving Energy Independence. Anything over 100% could then be sold to the mainland as an added revenue stream for future county programs. I will look into new ways to transport Islanders in a low carbon model by incentivizing electric vehicles (gas powered vehicles making up the single largest co2 emitter in the State) I would also seek to require all new purchased vehicles for county use be emissions free where applicable.  

Preservation of wild lands is critical to the continued success of San Juan County. We must protect our collective heritage for future generations by improving our management of preservation land. We need to investigate new zoning regulations to increase energy production in tandem with best land practices. This will also make preservation and agriculture lands more economically self-sustainable.  

8. Do you see our county diversifying so that we are not so dependent on tourism?  What other economic sectors would you encourage?

Absolutely. Not only is this the right thing to do, but also holds historical precedence. The San Juan islands were once the fruit basket of Washington State prior to the establishment of the dam systems along the Columbia and Snake rivers. I believe that sustainable agriculture will become a huge part of the San Juan Islands Economy. I also believe that the current ‘exploitative tourism’ model will slowly transform into an ecological tourism model. When people will come to our islands to see how we are able to achieve what we have achieved, not simply for the beautiful views. I also believe that we need to focus on repopulating our county with more year-round residents, who actively participate in making the Islands a better place to live sustainably. We desperately need young farmers to continue that legacy into the future. 

9. What is your operational management experience?  How will you manage the county?  

I have managed various organizations keeping a close eye on the bottom line. Making sure that deliverables are met beyond expectation and under budget. I have 10+ years of managerial experience from various sectors. I would manage the county with that same level of accountability and responsible spending to achieve the goals set forth by the people of this county. However, I believe that we cannot use the natural environment as a subsidy for short term gains. All of my decisions will be based on the will of the people, taken into account with the state of our environment. My goal will be, determining the overall vision of county residents and then to tirelessly and faithfully meet or exceed those goals while maintaining fiscally responsible budgets. Every penny must be maximized to its most efficient use.  

10. How will you improve public access to the Council? 

I plan on holding weekly informal meetings in public locations to hear from residents across the county. I want to know the exact issues individuals are experiencing and their thoughts on how to improve them. I will also investigate on-line polling opportunities so that residents can easily and quickly express their thoughts to their elected officials. A system like this can improve the response from council to those who have elected them. This will also increase the accountability to the people as these polling results would be a public record that could be compared to how members of council have voted.  

11. What are your other priorities as a potential Councilor? 

As your representative on the San Juan County Council, I will work tirelessly to restore our local economy, helping to create jobs that get islanders back on their feet in the wake of the global pandemic.  As part of that effort, I will work toward innovative solutions to the affordable housing crisis and a fair and balanced approach to vacation rental permitting. I believe these goals can, and must, be achieved in an ecologically sustainable manner that enhances the rural character of these islands.     

I commit to providing fair and just governance that faithfully serves the public. I bring with me many years of experience in amplifying the voices of our residents, increasing trust in local government through direct accountability. I believe that together we can build the foundation for a bright future.  

County Council, Orcas Island 

Cindy Wolf, challenger 

How long have you been a Democrat? ____Since 1992_____ 

List the Democratic and pertinent organizations that you are a member of such as non-profits and community groups.  What have you done in these groups to show leadership and to accomplish positive change? 

SJCDC Vice Chair & LD40 Democrats –  

Co-organized county fair booth with Walt Cooter in 2017 

Set up PCOs with maps and call lists in 2018 

Organized reconciliation and vision building meeting facilitated by Diane Berreth 

Suggested meeting protocols that enhanced opportunities for all present to speak 

Served as a delegate to the WSDCC Platform Committee in 2018 

Participated in phone banks  

Used my PCO vote and party status to encourage women and people of color to run for leadership positions within the Party and different parts of government and to call out racist campaign tactics. 

Washington State Federation of Democratic Women  – at-large member 

National Women’s Political Caucus – member 

Orcas Women’s Coalition – Founding Member 

Community-based Civics Teacher 

Co-lead for Political Action and Civic Engagement team 

Chief strategist for the campaign to pass 2017-07, Immigration status protection ordinance 

Coordinated the organization of the annual International Women’s Day Celebration 

 Consulted with Environmental Action Team leaders on negotiations with OPALCO to rescind support for Snake River Dam retention. 

1. County Councilor is in name a nonpartisan position.  How will you explain why you chose to seek the endorsement of the San Juan County Democrats?  

Within the island community I am known to be an active Democrat and a leader in the county organization.  If I did not seek and, hopefully earn, the endorsement of the organization I am so deeply involved with people might wonder what was wrong.  Also, I am proud of my work to promote D/democratic values.  It is important to share this part of the picture of who I am as a leader so people know how I am likely to behave as a public servant.   

2. What will you do about our affordable housing crisis?  

There are some creative ideas bubbling up through the community.  I intend to explore a few of them and advocate from within for the county to support the most effective and sustainable solutions. For example, one that I’d like to explore with the Land Bank and the various housing trusts is the possibility of them working together  to allow one or more residential units for farm managers and workers when the Land Bank acquires land on which agricultural use will be allowed.   

3. How would you address the issue of growth versus sustainability?

I want the county to look at everything it does through the lens of sustainability. We need to govern in a way that builds resilience into our economy and ecosystem.  We should be working from a plan for the long term future that guides the spending of every tax dollar.   

4. What is your stance on vacation rentals?  What will you do to address this problem?

The problem, as I see it, is vacation rental owners who view the islands as an investment opportunity rather than as a year-round community. It makes sense to me to let people who live in the county offer vacation rentals at their address of residence.  The San Juan Islands are also a traditional summer-house spot for a number of families, so private individuals should be allowed to rent out one vacation/second home for a limited number of weeks per year.  I do think the proliferation of vacation rentals contributes to the shortage of year-round rental housing, driving up real estate prices and pushing working people out of the housing market.  I think permits for vacation rentals should be issued only to individuals, expire when the property changes hands and be subject to the same fees, taxes and regulations that govern hotels and motels.  They should also be subject to anti-nuisance regulations and penalties, including possible revocation of the permit.  

5. How would you manage the tourism in San Juan County?

Like it or not, we live in a tourist-based economy. That said, tourism must exist in harmony with our rural way of life. We cannot offer our guests a positive island experience if there are too many of them at the same time. We don’t want to become Disneyland. We need to make balanced decisions about lodging, transportation and public access that will significantly reduce the environmental impact of tourism on the islands while still allowing people to enjoy time here.  Also, I think an ADA accessibility survey of island recreational and business facilities is long overdue. 

6. Do you think that mental health services are sufficiently funded in our county?  If not, how will you improve that situation?

I think public health funding in general is given short shrift by our current county council.  Mental health, in particular, is being addressed primarily by a number of non-profit organizations.  In the short term, that infrastructure needs to be treated as an ancillary part of county government and funded appropriately in the county budget. In the long term, I think the approach of our county government to providing health and human services to vulnerable populations needs to be rethought, sustainably funded and treated as a serious obligation of good governance.  

7. What will you do to help San Juan County address climate change, energy independence, sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, and the preservation of wild lands?

– Work with the Land Bank as I described in #4, above. 

– Support efforts, some of which are underway through the “Transition” groups, to build local diversified, alternative energy infrastructure. 

– Take long term environmental impact and climate change resilience into consideration on all county spending decisions. This needs to happen with a full understanding of carbon footprint calculations. 

8. Do you see our county diversifying so that we are not so dependent on tourism?  What other economic sectors would you encourage? 

Tourism will always exist in the San Juans, and it should.  This is a breathtakingly beautiful place.  But it can’t be the sole basis of our economy. We do have a part of the service economy sector, including small trades, health care and construction, that does not count so heavily on tourists and new vacation homes.  The cash to power this mostly comes from transfer payments to retirees living here for all or part of the year. Ideally, we need to encourage a greater percentage of young people to settle here to do this work.  That means addressing affordable housing.  It may also be that with online learning becoming a norm, educational institutions could be encouraged to keep small campuses on the islands where students could meet for intensive, hands-on learning experiences.  Labs and think tanks for developing innovative, ecologically responsible technology for food production and transportation would also be well suited to the islands. 

9. What is your operational management experience?  How will you manage the county?  

I managed a grocery store wine department with sales of over $3,000,000 per year.  I was the Northwest District sales manager for a national wine import and distribution company with responsibility for budgeting, sales force education, marketing and generation of revenues in the tens of millions of dollars.  I am now the Customer Service and Shipping Manager of a small company with worldwide wholesale and retail online operations. 

There is a paid professional manager who actually “runs” the county.  The council functions more like a very hands-on board of directors.  My approach to county government will be to listen, gather good data, make good plans, facilitate stakeholder communication, build partnerships and make organizational and spending decisions that are environmentally sustainable.  

10. How will you improve public access to the Council? 

– Make teleconferencing a permanent part of meetings, especially public comment by teleconference.  

– Possibly have a sign language interpreter available. 

– Keep regular office hours on all the islands.  Attend junior tax district and school district meetings. 

– Attend as many “community conversation” style events as possible, just to listen.   

11. What are your other priorities as a potential Councilor? 

1) Public Health.  The fact we did not have a proper refrigerator for vaccines during the measles outbreak was unacceptable.  The duty to protect public health is literally deadly serious.  Infrastructure and staffing need to be funded.  Inspections of hospitality industry facilities, beaches and schools needs to happen.  Nursing and sanitation expertise need to be available for nuisance outbreaks of communicable diseases like Norovirus, as well as for more serious outbreaks like whooping cough, measles and COVID. Domestic violence prevention, drug and alcohol recovery programs, and safe, nurturing foster care all have a bearing on the health of our communities.  

2) Oversight of county staff to ensure fair and evenhanded hiring practices, permitting and enforcement. 

Important notice for candidates seeking SJCD endorsement

Candidates seeking the endorsement of the San Juan County Democrats for the upcoming election need to contact David Turnoy by Friday, May 22.

You can reach him at 360.376.5465 or davidgeri@rockisland.com.

Summary of San Juan County Democrats Meeting Saturday, May 16, 2020

Hello SJC Democrats,

           We had an excellent turnout Saturday for our monthly virtual SJC Democrats meeting.  Several of our people are representing us during the upcoming vote for delegates who will attend the national convention in August and at our virtual state convention on June 13, and we have four candidates running to be some of those national delegates.
            Our treasurer reported that we will be getting a refund from the Fair Board, as the physical fair has been cancelled.  However, the Fair Board is trying to create a virtual fair, and we established a committee to work on coming up with a couple of possibilities.  One idea is to produce a video on what the Democrats are about, why one should be a member and vote Democratic, and actions we are taking.  Another idea is to create a political trivia game.  Finally, if we can get our Facebook page updated, we could provide a link to it.  In that regard, we are looking for someone who would be willing to manage our Facebook page.  If you are interested, or if you know someone who might be interested, please reach out to me.
            The Platform Revision committee continues to meet weekly, and we will now begin meetings twice a week so we can wrap this up.  The committee has been considering every point in detail, adding many new worthwhile planks.  When the committee is done, the voting members will consider the proposal and then vote on it.  Once it has been approved, it will be posted on our website.  By the way, we don’t require dues to be a voting member of the SJC Democrats; instead, we require that you attend at least two meetings in a year.  So if you would like to be part of deliberations on the platform revision proposal, please join us at our meetings.
            The 40^th LD will be having its endorsement meeting on June 7.  All PCOs and anyone else who is a member of the 40^th (it costs $10 per year) is eligible to vote.  More information will be forthcoming.
            Speaking of endorsements, we have formed our endorsement committee for this year’s elections for our county Democrats group.  The committee will begin meeting soon.  Candidates must ask to be considered for an endorsement in order to be endorsed.  Candidate filing week just ended, so we now know who the candidates will be.  Locally there are three candidates running for county council on Orcas, and there are five running for council on San Juan.  For our Congressional seat, Rick Larsen is running for reelection, he is being challenged by progressive Democrat Jason Call, and there are six Republicans running.  For our state legislative seats, Debra Lekanoff is unchallenged, while Rep. Alex Ramel and Sen. Liz Lovelett face one Republican opponent each.  In races where there are only two candidates, their election will be held in November; only if there are three or more candidates is there a primary.
            There are a number of statewide races which we will be looking at, especially if we are requested by candidates to endorse.  Incumbent Governor Inslee has 36 opponents, Attorney General Ferguson has three Republican opponents, Commissioner of Public Lands Hillary Franz is being challenged by Democrat Frank Wallbrown as well as four Republicans and a Libertarian, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal is being challenged by five other candidates.  The Lieutenant Governor’s seat is open, and there are five Democrats and seven other candidates for this seat.  Incumbent Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman is being challenged by Democrat Gael Tarleton, a current member of the legislature, as well as an independent and a progressive.  Democrats have not held this seat for over 50 years, so it is time.  For treasurer, you may remember that last time three Democrats and two Republicans ran, allowing the two R’s to be the highest finishers.  So nice when a lesson is learned, and this time Democrat Mike Pelliciotti is the only Democrat running against the incumbent Davidson.  
             As you can see, there are a lot of contested races with lots of candidates.  In the past, we have generally only endorsed after the primary and before the general election.  However, with so many important races involved in the primary, we have decided that we want to endorse for both elections.  We generally send out an election postcard with all of our recommendations to help guide you in selecting your preferred candidates, especially in situations where you are not familiar with any of the candidates.  It costs a substantial amount of money to send out these postcards, and by endorsing in both elections, we may want to send out postcards twice.  In that event, we may come to you asking for a little financial help to make this happen.
             In helping our Precinct Committee Officers prepare for the election campaign, David Dehlendorf has gotten copies of the Presidential Primary results from the county elections office, and I have distributed these to all our PCOs.  This will help in identifying others who may be willing to help us as well as those we needn’t waste our time with.  Specific candidates voted for are not listed, rather the results show which party was voted for in the primary.
             Are you ready and willing to help in getting out the vote this year?  As you are aware, this could be the most important election of our lifetimes.  We have to get rid of the current president, or it is quite likely our country as we know it will no longer exist.  We know our state will vote for the Democratic presidential candidate, but the other races I have mentioned above require that we get every possible Democratic voter to participate in the elections this year.  The state Democratic Party, through volunteers around the state, is already making calls to identify voters who are likely to vote Democratic so that we know to contact them again later to help make sure they vote.  Our own Alison Longley has already been making calls, and she would love for others to join her on Thursday evenings.
             I had a conversation yesterday with our state party organizer Savanna Steele, and following our conversation, she sent me an email that I think is worth including here:

             The Coordinated Campaign has staffed up and we are running a full complement of all-online voter contact events. We do phone banks Monday – Thursday evenings from 5pm – 8pm, we have a dialer system (it makes the calls for you and connects volunteers to voters after they have already picked up) that we run every Sunday evening from 5pm – 8pm. For a peek at what the Dialer looks like watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAuW-NMpyK4&feature=youtu.be  For those who cannot or prefer not to be part of a group, we have set up individual phone bankers (often PCOs) to make calls from their home any day and time that works best for them.
             At the beginning of every group phone bank event, staff will provide training and remain on for the whole event to offer one-on-one support to volunteers who need more help. We also have training webinars every other Saturday, including some coming up this Saturday, 5/16. Our Organizing Academies cover the Coordinated Campaigns plan to Win in 2020 and the Tools Training covers how to use the technology we are utilizing to do our work. I’ve included registration links for all of this upcoming weekend’s events, please feel free to share them far and wide!

5/17 Virtual Dialer Phonebank: https://secure.ngpvan.com/vQH-LCLFj0KOKb28RVajIw2

Additional Events can be found: https://www.wa-democrats.org/organizingevents/

**The next Organizing Academy and Tools training will be on 5/30.

             We have opportunities across the board in San Juan County and our State to elect great Democrats. Locally, we need to retain our elected State Legislators in the 40th LD! Statewide, we have an opportunity to win back Republican-held statewide seats, like the Secretary of State’s Office (which has been held by a Republican for 55 years), as well as, the State Treasurer Offices! To win these statewide races we have to turn out every Democrat in our blue strongholds. With your help we can accomplish our goal of electing Democrats across the state!
             Direct Voter Contact Questions:
             Who we are contacting & why: Right now we have a whole bunch of voters that we don’t have enough data on to know which party they support. We received a lot of information on Washington voters from the Presidential Primary, but for our newly registered folks that didn’t vote and more, we have the opportunity to identify additional Democrats and put them in our universe of voters to mobilize and turn out when ballots are in voters’ hands. Our Voter ID effort also helps clean up our lists by getting all the wrong numbers, disconnected, and Republicans off them. The Voter ID phase of our work is critical, as it enables us to execute a GOTV effort that is as accurate and efficient as possible. (Which will be needed in the 10thLD!) At the end of the day, all this work allows us to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in November!
             Can I call into my LD: Yes you can call into your LD on any virtual phonebank. However, when calling on the Dialer, the calls will be made statewide. (With that being said the more folks on the dialer leads to more calls going out and therefore more calls going into the 40th LD.)
I look forward to working with you and your fellow PCOs/members to elect Democrats in San Juan County.              There’s a lot to do!
             Savanna

             Savanna Steele, Regional Field Director | Northwest WA     Washington State Democrats
             509 | 366-1076
             Thanks for reading this far.  Our next meeting will be on June 20.  And if you are willing to help with the phone banking described above, please contact Savanna.  If you want to work in conjunction with Alison, please contact me so I can put you in touch.  If you find yourself railing at the daily outrages you see on the news, this is your chance to do something about it.

Thanks,
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com 

San Juan County Democrats Virtual Meeting May 16

Hello SJC Democrats,

Our next virtual county Democrats meeting will take place on Saturday, May 16, at 11:30 AM. This meeting takes place the day after candidate filing week ends. That means that we will know who all the candidates running for local, state, and federal office will be. We will have time to look at the candidates and decide on whether we want to endorse before the primary as opposed to endorsing later for the general election, and we can talk about this race by race.

If you would like to join with us, you can be part of our conversation from the comfort of your home on your device. Go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89381993076?pwd=ZUgxRHJYNkE3bFVqa2dvV3FYMkFzdz09.  Please contact me if you wish to attend and have not received the password via email.

Thanks,
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

San Juan County Democrats Meeting Summary for April 11

We had the good fortune of having visits to our county Democrats meeting Saturday from both Rep. Ramel and Congressman Larsen. Here is a summary of our meeting.

State Rep. Alex Ramel addressed us at noon. He first talked about Covid19. The curve on Covid19 is flattening lower than where we thought it might be. Luckily our hospitals are not having to prioritize whom to treat but can treat anyone. The economic recovery will be done in stages as we bring different industries back to work.

The legislative session accomplished a lot on housing affordability and homelessness. Tenant protections were passed. The housing trust fund added $55 million for homes that will stay affordable. Preventing homelessness was addressed by putting $20 million toward a fund to pay temporary rent for 2,000 people. Shelter grants were approved. HB 1590 gives local government the taxing authority to raise revenue for local priorities; it can be used to match money from state and federal. All these priorities are focused on urban areas. There will be areas that are part of the Growth Management Areas to preserve land.

On climate, a community solar bill passed to try to make solar energy affordable for anyone. A commercial building retrofits bill passed. None of the bigger items on climate passed, though there was a bill passed encouraging more electric vehicles. Alex says that the virus can be used as an opportunity to start to transition on energy and that state legislators can have some input on this. We can use this sense of urgency to act. The oil and gas industry is on its heels: there had been a price war on oil in international markets, and this industry is hurting the worst it ever has. We can invest our time and energy in a different future, we can change the trajectory. When we have stimulus money to spend, it should be spent on clean energy, energy-efficient housing, not expanding roads which invites more cars, etc.

A question was asked about how to protect farmworkers, Rep. Lekanoff is the point person on this, she will be preparing a letter to the governor suggesting ways to help here. We need more social distancing in their housing and more PPE. We expect 25,000 people working on farms by July.

On ferries, the Elwha is not going to be repaired. We do need a fifth boat for the summer rotation. There was an effort in the state senate to privatize the international ferry run, but Senator Lovelett killed it. Privatizing will still be studied but there will be lots of local input. They are looking at a run from Fidalgo Island to Vancouver Island. Hybrid electric ferries are several years away. They will look at existing ferries to see if one of them can be a backup for the international run.

School levies are of concern in our county. Small communities with high property values are not being treated fairly, which leaves not enough funding for schools. Our three legislators offered bills to remedy this situation, but all were defeated. We need to be able to pay our teachers enough to be able to live here.

There are no challengers yet to our three state legislators in the upcoming election. If Alex does not have an opponent, he will work to help others who need help, and his campaign money will go to electing House Democrats. Susan suggested Alex sending us information on campaigns we can help with. Alex says it takes lots of allies, a coalition, to get things done, so it makes sense to help get other good people elected.

Our PCOs will be voting for delegates to the Congressional District selection process, which will choose delegates to go to the national convention this summer, and these delegates will also attend the state convention (unless it is also done remotely, which looks likely). There is still time to file to be a delegate for either Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders. While it looks like Biden will be the nominee, Sanders delegates can have influence on the party platform, so it is worth your while to be a delegate no matter who you support. And chances are it will all be done remotely unless you opt to attend the national convention in Milwaukee. If you want to run, go to waelectioncenter.com.

Congressman Rick Larsen addressed us on Covid 19 at 1:00. He said that this Monday the IRS will begin distributing the payments to people; it should be nontaxable income. Most people will automatically either receive direct deposit or a check if one of the following applies to you:

Individuals who filed a federal income tax for 2018 or 2019

Individuals who receive Social Security retirement, disability (SSDI), or survivor benefits

Individuals who receive Railroad Retirement benefits

However, if none of these apply, the IRS will not be contacting you; instead, you have to contact them. Go to https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here By the way, if someone contacts you claiming to be the IRS, it is not the IRS, it is a scam.

There will be filing on April 18 for unemployment assistance. Unemployment claims are 7 or 8 times higher than during Great Recession. Esd.wa.gov is the website for independent contractors and part-time people to file, those whose employers have paid into state unemployment will be covered through that. The Payment Protection Program is administered through banks for small businesses. Companies with more than 500 employees cannot participate in the Payment Protection Program, it is for small businesses. There is a wide range of loan amounts, the average being $500,000. They are looking at possibly raising the number of employees for companies to be eligible.

The Department of Health at doh.wa.gov has health information.

Can this crisis be used for transitioning to clean energy? When Congress is in session, there will be a transportation/infrastructure package considered that will orient toward cleaner burning fuels, electrification, more efficient sewer and water systems, more efficient airplane transportation, broadband, etc.; all this is in the Moving America and the Environment Forward bill.

Will Congress try to provide leadership to providing supplies for the crisis appropriately instead of as a political favor the way the president has been doing? The governors have been trying to coordinate with each other. There is no way to fix the current system under this president, we need new people in charge who are trying to lead in an organized and helpful manner. In some cases the vendor has decided where to send its supplies. Congress set up a commission to look at this misappropriation. There are many committees doing oversight. Because Congress isn’t meeting for a few more weeks, it is hard to oversee everything going on. Hopefully they can exert the power of the purse to stop the administration from doing the wrong things.

Related to elections this year, $400 million was put in the second package to protect elections and run them in an election emergency including vote-by-mail, which Rick supports nationally. Congress is trying to fix the Voting Rights Act, which had been undercut by the Shelby decision. Congress has a big voting rights bill ready to pass. The Voting Advancement Act would work against voter suppression.

The Congressman was asked about employer-based healthcare coverage, has Rick changed his view on Medicare-for-All? With so many people losing their healthcare coverage along with their jobs, doesn’t it make sense to stop tying healthcare coverage to employment? Rick supports the Affordable Care Act and expanding it to include a public option plus a bill to make prescriptions negotiable for Medicare. He wants a special enrollment period to allow people to buy in. He wants to stabilize prices. He thinks this is the consensus among Congress right now.

Rick was asked about Boeing and all its workers in the Congressional District. Boeing was having some severe issues before the virus, what programs are being supported for them? Money has been included to provide loans to companies generally seen as critical to national security, but Boeing has yet to say if they are going to participate. This is frustrating to the employees’ union and Rick, he has contacted Boeing but received no response.

Rick’s campaign is up and running. He is running for his 11th term.

We need volunteers to be on the Charter Review Commission. There was a good article in Orcas Issues on this: https://orcasissues.com/charter-review-commission-to-be-elected-in-2020/ . The county website on this is https://www.sanjuanco.com/civicalerts.aspx?aid=856 . I will be trying to find out if this will be done remotely. This is a position for which you need to file during the filing week of May 11-15, you are then elected in the fall election.

If you have been waiting for a good opportunity to get involved with the county Democrats and you are somewhat tech-savvy, we really need a person to manage our Facebook page. Please contact me if you would be interested.

The filing period for this year’s election is May 11-15. If you have been thinking about running for Precinct Committee Officer (PCO), this will be the time for you to file with the county elections office, which you can do online. We will have a few open seats, which you can run for, or you can challenge an incumbent. I should know shortly which geographic seats will be open. Feel free to contact me to find out if your precinct will have an open seat or if you want to find out more about being a PCO.

Now that Senator Sanders has suspended his presidential campaign, we briefly discussed when and how to show support for Mr. Biden’s campaign. It was mentioned that nothing is for sure until the convention, and there could be any number of events between now and then that might prevent Mr. Biden from becoming the nominee. Therefore, especially with Bernie Sanders still collecting delegates and hanging on to those he already has, we will be waiting until the convention to do anything in this regard. We are all committed to supporting the Democratic nominee, as the number one goal has to be replacing Trump. So stay tuned.

Related to this, now that there is really no longer a presidential campaign, if you have been donating to presidential candidates, it may be time to move your money to one or more of the Senate races we would like to win. After all, even if we elect a Democratic president, it won’t mean a lot without a Democratic Senate to pass the appropriate legislation instead of holding it up on Mitch McConnell’s desk to die. Therefore, I am going to mention some Senate races where you might want to think about supporting the Democrat:

Maine…incumbent (I) is Susan Collins

Kentucky…I—Mitch McConnell, the Grim Reaper

South Carolina…I—Lindsay Graham (need I say more?)

Texas…I—John Cornin (Texas is turning blue)

Colorado…I—Cory Gardner (Colorado is purple with a gay governor & other senator a Dem)

Georgia…Has 2 seats up for election, one of which is open

That’s it for now. Stay safe and healthy. Let’s get through this crisis and then work to build a better America.

April Meeting with Rep. Ramel and Congressman Larsen

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

Our next monthly meeting will be Saturday, April 11, at 11:45.  As we did last time, this meeting will be done by Zoom conference.  The Zoom link has changed, and a password is now required; Zoom has had to upgrade their security due to meeting-crashers.  Please contact me for the Zoom log in information if you would like to attend and you did not receive an invitation via email.

The highlight will be an appearance by our state representative Alex Ramel, who asked to appear at our meeting.  Alex will speak at noon on the recent legislative session, the coronavirus, and his upcoming campaign, and he will be happy to take questions.  If you haven’t had a chance to meet our newest rep, this would be a good opportunity.  Hopefully we will have our other reps attend future meetings.

Also at this meeting at 1:00 will be Congressman Larsen to talk about Covid 19.  He has been doing a series of remote public appearances to keep everyone informed, and he asked for an opportunity to appear at this meeting as well.

I hope you have a chance to join us.

Thanks for reading, 
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

Summary of SJC Democrats Meeting March 14, 2020

Hopefully you are staying safe and healthy. Today’s meeting of the county Democrats took place on Zoom, everyone (23 people) attending from home on their electronic devices. It actually went pretty well, all things considered. We had Congressman Rick Larsen calling in to our meeting, speaking briefly, especially about the coronavirus, and answering lots of questions. He told us that the US House has now passed a public health package and an economic relief package, both in response to the virus. One of these packages still has to be passed by the Senate and signed by the president. There will also probably be a third package down the road when more is known about what is needed. Items included in the most recent package include small business loans for businesses impacted by the virus, enhanced unemployment compensation, and paid emergency leave.

     There was also discussion of some other topics with the Congressman. He was asked about military training in state parks, and his suggestion was to contact the state parks department and also our local state legislators. Rep. Larsen was asked about redirecting some of the bloated military budget to fighting climate change. He says that the Trump administration is putting far too much money into nuclear weapons, which he opposes, and that some of that money could be used for fighting climate change. While Rep. Larsen does not support the Green New Deal, he says his twenty-year record in Congress shows that he has accomplished much in fighting climate change. The Congressman finished with a request for our endorsement, to which I answered that we will begin considering endorsements once the May filing deadline passes.

Regarding our participation in choosing a presidential nominee, here is the process in brief. Our recent primary will decide how many delegates each candidate will receive. It is likely that both Biden and Sanders will get 3 delegates each from San Juan County. Those delegates will be elected at our county caucus on May 3 at the Grange in Friday Harbor. Should you want to run to be a delegate to the Congressional District Convention on May 30 and to the state convention in mid-June, you are encouraged to file by April 20 at https://wademscaucus2020.azurewebsites.net/. Another website to go to for good information is https://www.waelectioncenter.com/. You are welcome to attend the May 3 caucus if you would like to vote for delegates even if you don’t want to run to be a delegate. Three of the folks at our meeting today expressed an interest in running.

However, the previous paragraph may all go out the window if the state Democratic Party, in responding to the coronavirus, completely changes to a virtual format. In that case we would need our bylaws to authorize the use of a teleconference to hold our caucus and for voting. To amend our bylaws, we need to give at least a ten-day notice that an amendment is being considered, so please consider this your notice. I have proposed the following language: When an emergency situation arises, such as a pandemic, such that county health officials deem attendance at a large public gathering, like a county or LD caucus, is not safe, the caucus may take place by teleconference and voting may occur through the teleconference or by email. There were several comments about the wording, some wanting the language simpler and

broader, others not wanting that, so I am putting out a call for you to tweak this language in any way you feel would improve it. We would then vote on the amendment at our meeting in April so that our caucus can take place electronically should that be necessary.

Speaking of bylaws amendments, here is another ten-day notice for a separate bylaws amendment proposed by our treasurer: “The Executive Committee shall develop and monitor the SJCD’s budget. The Treasurer shall prepare and provide for publication and approval the annual budget by a vote of the Precinct Committee Officers and members of the Executive Committee at a meeting during the first three months of the calendar year. The Treasurer shall also provide year-to-date revenues, expenditures and balance, at each quarterly meeting and at any other meeting as requested by the Executive Committee or Central Committee.” Our treasurer would prefer that only our PCOs and Executive Committee be the ones to approve our budget, as those are the people who are most familiar with it. Our previous language did not so specify.

George Orser and Molly Donovan kindly offered their beautiful home on Orcas for a fundraiser to benefit the Movement Voter Project (MVP) on Feb. 29. I have mentioned this organization the last couple of months, but the work they are doing is important enough to mention again to anyone not familiar with their work. MVP funds local, grassroots organizations that register people to vote and then get them out to vote. There is a large emphasis on minority communities, and through the funding provided by MVP, local residents do the work to bring in more voters. This work is largely focused on five swing states (PA, MI, WI, FL, AZ), but they also have a nationwide presence and are helping over 400 groups. If your goal is getting rid of the current abomination in the White House, you won’t find a better way to spend your political dollars. Our fundraiser brought in $8,000, thanks to a matching donor, and if anyone on Lopez or San Juan Island would like to hold a similar fundraiser, please contact me so I can put you in touch with the statewide coordinator, who happens to be close by on Whidbey. If you don’t feel you can put on a fundraiser but simply want to contribute to this very effective organization’s work, go to www.movement.vote.

Last month Beth Larson gave a presentation to our group on the work of Vote Forward, an organization aligned with Swing Left that is promoting a massive letter-writing campaign to get left-leaning but inconsistent voters to vote in the election this November. Research shows that such voters who receive a personalized letter are twice as likely to vote. Beth’s group in Friday Harbor has been working at this for two years, and they have thousands of letters ready to be mailed. We decided that we wanted a group on Orcas, so my wife Geri has spearheaded an effort to get this going. We now have 25 letter-writers, which is all we can personally handle, as we print off 20 letters per writer per week, generating 500 letters per week. If someone on Lopez would like to start up one of these groups, if someone else on Orcas or San Juan would like to start a second group, or if any of you would like to simply print letters for yourself to complete each week, go to https://votefwd.org/ This is a way to actually do something concrete to make positive change as opposing to yelling at your TV. If you decide that you would like to start another group, let me know so I can publicize it here and the organizer can gain writers.

We decided to move our platform revision work back to a small committee. Thanks to those who have volunteered, and we will convene remotely this Wednesday.

One final note is to point you to a site where you can get local information on the coronavirus. The county has a website devoted to this at https://www.sanjuanco.com/1668/2019-Novel-Coronavirus. If you want to get specifics on the number of cases, go to https://www.sanjuanco.com/1682/COVID-19-SJC-Case-Count.

Virtual San Juan County Democrats Meeting Saturday, 14 March; Update

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

The next meeting of the San Juan County Democrats will be on Saturday, March 14. Due to concerns about COVID-19, we will be holding the meeting virtually. This means you can access the meeting via Zoom videoconferencing software using the link
https://zoom.us/j/811216392

    Representative Rick Larsen will be attending to speak briefly and then take questions.  In addition, we will continue our planning for our campaign actions this year and continue to work on revising our platform. 

Last month I had mentioned that there would be a fundraiser for the Movement Voter Project on February 29 on Orcas Island.  The event was very well attended, and the presentation was excellent.  You may remember that this is a project to help local, grassroots community members register people to vote and get them out to vote for Democrats in five swing states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Arizona.  These five states all went to Trump last time around.  The first three have generally gone to the Democratic presidential candidate but were neglected in 2016, so with a little extra effort they should go to the Democrats again this time.  Arizona had been red but is increasingly purple while its population continues to grow, while Florida seems to be a state that can go either way; because of its large population, third largest and with 29 electoral votes, it is a very important state to win.  MVP’s goal is to raise money around the country to support the efforts in the five named states so that all five states vote for the Democratic presidential candidate.  They are helping fund over 400 of these vetted, local groups nationwide.  For more information, go to https://movement.vote .
      I strongly encourage you to donate to MVP.  Rather than sending people from other states into areas to canvass, this is a way to support local people to do the canvassing without having to travel there yourself.  The locals know their communities, and they can do the job that needs to be done.  Here is a link to FAQ about donations including how to give by check (best for donations over $1000 to avoid transaction fees): https://movement.vote/faq . 

Most of the organizations supported are 501(c)(4)s, meaning they are not tax-deductible, but for those who need tax deductibility, look at the site for opportunities for this. This is one more way to defeat Trump!

Thanks for reading,
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165

Important Upcoming Event, Opportunity for Your Participation [with a minimum of effort], and Summary of San Juan County Democrats Meeting, February 8, 2020

I have a fair amount of information for you in this message.  There are two very important topics, so I am noting them right here with two bullet points.

• Movement Voter Project fundraiser Feb. 29 on Orcas (or donate).
• Vote Forward/Swing Left letter-writing project already going on San Juan Island and soon to be organized on Orcas, also hopefully on Lopez.

We are a pretty blue state here in Washington, so we often wonder how we can impact results in other states that are not so dependably Democratic.  In the summary of last month’s meeting, I mentioned that there will be an event this month to support the Movement Voter Project (MVP).  You may remember that this is a project to help local, grassroots community members register people to vote and get them out to vote for Democrats in five swing states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Arizona.  These five states all went to Trump last time around.  The first three have generally gone to the Democratic presidential candidate but were ignored in 2016, so with a little extra effort they should go to the Democrats again this time.  Arizona had been red but is increasingly purple while its population continues to grow, while Florida seems to be a state that can go either way; because of its large population, third largest and with 29 electoral votes, it is a very important state to win.  MVP’s goal is to raise money around the country to support the efforts in the five named states so that all five states vote for the Democrat.  Here is some information from their site:
“Movement Voter Project (MVP) raises money to support vetted grassroots organizations (as opposed to specific candidates) in swing states! These are organizations that exist today and will exist after elections, making them a great short-term AND long-term investment. From immigrant rights groups in Arizona to student groups in Michigan to reinstating voting rights in Florida, MVP builds infrastructure in critical states with national implications. (MVP’s own operating expenses are covered thanks to another group of committed donors; every dollar they raise now goes to organizations on the ground.) MVP has a great website https://movement.vote
for you to explore…”
To that end, a fundraising event is being held on Saturday, Feb. 29, at George Orser and Molly Donovan’s farm on Orcas just past Doe Bay.  This is Orcas Farm at 120 Byrle Hall Rd.  The time is 3:00-5:00.  I am hoping that many of you can make it, and you will want to go to the following site to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/winning-in-2020-washington-state-tickets-92547793943 .
For those who are unable to attend the event, you can contribute online or by check.  Here are some links:
Here is a link to FAQ about donations including how to give by check (best for donations over $1000 to avoid transaction fees): https://movement.vote/faq .  Most of the organizations supported are 501©(4)s, meaning they are not tax-deductible, but for those who need tax deductibility, look at the site for opportunities for this.
Here is a unique link setup for the Orcas party for donating to MVP (it is in 3 different formats but all the same place):
-Long link: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/big5battleground/?refcode=WAOI022920
-Short link: http://bit.ly/WAOI022920
-QR code: WAOI02_29_20.png
Those donations will go to the Big 5 Battleground Fund.  If folks want to give to another fund that is fine… there are 13 funds and folks can give to any of them or to an individual group/ groups. You can explore the website for giving in a more specific way if you prefer.

In the previous section I provided a way for you to support electing the Democratic presidential nominee with your dollars.  But perhaps you would also like to be a little more involved with some personal participation.  If so, here is the perfect opportunity to affect voting in other states through as little as an hour per week.  Vote Forward and Swing Left have teamed up to promote a letter-writing campaign.  Research shows that personal letters sent to voters who don’t always vote can have a significant impact on the number of voters who turn out to vote, definitely increasing turnout.  Vote Forward is targeting letters to voters who tend to vote Democratic, whether they are actual Democrats or Independents who lean toward the Democrats, but are not consistent voters.  This is in certain states where a little more turnout could make a big difference: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas.  Volunteers are writing personal letters to these voters, the letters to be mailed shortly before election day to get them out to vote.  Most of the verbiage is already printed on the letters, but each volunteer writes a short message by hand about why we vote, making it personal.  For instance, those of us with children and/or grandchildren can express our desire for a habitable planet, or we can talk about the need for better and more economical health care.  Nowhere in the letter are the names of any candidates mentioned, this is merely to get the recipients to vote.  However, these are likely Democratic voters, so there is no need to provide candidate names.  Then you address the envelope yourself so it looks like a personal letter, which it is, rather than the mailing of some political group.  You would need to bring your own stamps, but the letters and envelopes will be provided.
San Juan Island has a group that has been doing this for two years already, meeting weekly, and they have produced thousands of letters that are ready to be mailed.  If you are on San Juan Island and would like to get involved, contact Beth Larson at betha.larson@me.com ; she would love to hear from you.  If you are on Orcas and would like to help us start a similar group here on our island, please contact Geri and me at davidgeri@centurylink.net .  Or if you are on Lopez and would like to start a group over there, contact Beth at the above address.  If you have been waiting for an opportunity to really make a difference without having to travel to other states, this is it!

At the meeting on Saturday, besides Beth’s presentation about Vote Forward, we had a brief presentation on the Bernie Sanders campaign from Sharon Abreu, and I read a note from the statewide coordinator who wasn’t able to attend.  We then had a presentation from the statewide campaign coordinator for the Warren campaign, Maria Leininger, and one of her assistants, Henry Pollet.  The website for the campaign is elizabethwarren.com.  They had a meet-up after our meeting to talk with volunteers and do some knocking on doors.
Thanks to the efforts of Bob O’Connell, Ken Crawbuck, and Lynn Baker, we finally have verbiage for our platform plank on the income tax and a wealth tax.  Here is the language we adopted
We call for a more progressive federal tax system, including:
— income taxes at the highest brackets to be increased significantly.
— elimination of loopholes in the tax code which allow persons and entities to escape taxation largely or entirely.
— amendments to the tax code to ensure that all persons and entities pay their fair share.
— creation of a wealth tax to redress the historically unprecedented imbalance of wealth distribution in this country.
— creation of a financial transaction tax on every Wall Street and other financial market transaction, and measures to tax capital gains at the same rate as income.
We also started to work our way through the platform in general, which we will continue at our next several meetings.  If you would like to see a copy of the platform along with proposed changes, email me and I will send you a copy.
There are three committees that work in preparation for the state convention in June: Credentials, Platform, and Rules.  At our meeting Saturday, Sharon volunteered for Credentials, and Stephen Shubert volunteered for Platform.  If there is someone who would like to represent us on the Rules Committee, please let me know.
You might remember that regarding endorsements, we have agreed to consider each election individually and not tie ourselves down to just endorsing for the general election, that there may be circumstances that merit our endorsements for the primary election also.  The other question was what term to use for endorsing more than one candidate, as many people understand an endorsement to be solely for one candidate.  From the situation last year with the race for state senate, we found that two equally qualified candidates may emerge who both merit our endorsement.  We considered a number of terms to use for endorsing more than one candidate, and the term most of us agreed on was “dual endorse”.  Hopefully this will not confuse anyone.
Our state committeewoman Sharon spoke on her attendance at a state party meeting in Vancouver, WA, and at several lobby days in Olympia.  She had lots of praise for our three elected state officials, Representatives Debra Lekanoff and Alex Ramel and Senator Liz Lovelett.  They are very approachable and wanting to do their best to represent us.  Her meetings with them were excellent.
I want to remind you that you will be receiving your presidential primary ballot in a little less than two weeks.  I had sent out a long explanation of how the process will work this year, but if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.  Be sure to vote by March 10.
We seem to still be having trouble with our Zoom transmission for virtual attendance.  We know of one member who tried to attend that way but couldn’t get any sound.  We will try to remedy that for next time.
Our next meeting will be March 14.  As of this writing, Congressman Rick Larsen is scheduled to attend.

Thanks for reading,

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
davidgeri@centurylink.net
360-376-4165

San Juan County Democrats Meeting
Saturday, February 8

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

Our February meeting will take place this Saturday at 11:45 at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor.  We will have both statewide campaign managers of the Sanders and Warren campaigns presenting, and we will also have a presentation on Vote Forward.  If you would like to see the whole agenda, email me and I will send it to you.

As usual, if you are coming from another island, we will have drivers to pick you up at the ferry and bring you back.  Please let me know you are coming so we will be sure to have enough drivers.

We had trouble with Zoom last time, but we hope to have it up and running this time so you can attend virtually.  The link is https://zoom.us/j/930896006 .

Hope to see you Saturday.

Summary of January 11 SJC Democrats Meeting

Includes Actions to Take and Opportunities to Participate

I am providing a brief list of items which I would like you to consider taking action on or getting involved in here. You will read about all these items in the following summary, but by placing a quick list here, you can refer back to this after you finish reading. Sorry, but as we have learned only too well the last three years, democracy is not a spectator sport. It only survives and thrives if we all help out.

1. Look at our wealth and tax resolution, think of ways to improve.
2. Think about whether you want to stand for election as a delegate for your favorite presidential candidate, which would require you to attend the May 3 caucus/convention, and if elected, attend the Congressional Caucus at the end of May. Also think about whether you want to attend May 3 so you can vote for delegates.
3. Think about contributing to the Movement Voter Project and/or to LIFT for Chucho.
4. Watch Hedrick Smith’s Democracy Rebellion on TV Tuesday or Saturday.
5. Contact our state legislators about Ranked Choice Voting.
6. Think of a synonym for endorse.
7. Think about how you would like to be involved in helping the local party in this year’s elections.

We had a packed agenda for our first meeting of the year on Saturday, January 11. Twenty-five people attended, mostly regulars but also a few new people who added to our conversations. We welcome you to come to our meetings if you haven’t before, as the more points of view shared, the better.

Probably the most interesting part of our meeting was the visit of a challenger for our seat in Congress currently held by Rick Larsen. Jason Call has been involved in the Democratic Party and in progressive activism for a long time, and he gives us a real alternative to examine. Jason supports Medicare-for-All, a Green New Deal, and all the other policies espoused by Bernie Sanders. While we have seven Democratic members of the House of Representatives, we really only have one progressive, that being Pramila Jayapal from Seattle. If you are looking for a progressive alternative to our current Congressman, you might want to go to Jason Call’s website, www.callforcongress.com, to check him out. Unlike our current representative, he is not accepting any PAC or corporate money, instead he is hoping for lots of individuals to donate $5 or $10 per month. By the way, I have also been in touch with Congressman Larsen, and he has been invited to attend one of our upcoming meetings, which he is interested in doing.

You have probably already heard, but just in case, Alex Ramel has been appointed as our new state representative in Olympia to work alongside Debra Lekanoff in the House and Liz Lovelett in the Senate. It is pretty unusual to have all three offices filled by new people within the period of a year, but we are fortunate that all three are very competent, progressive representatives. They are starting their short session on Monday, January 13.

We are still working on the language for our platform plank dealing with wealth and taxes. I provide it here for your perusal: As we see once again, and as we did before the Great Depression, when wealth and income inequality increase, our democracy will begin to fail. Therefore, in order to ensure that our democracy functions properly, we must manage the level of wealth and income inequality that exists in our country. We call for a more progressive federal tax system, which would include taxing capital gains at the same rate as income. We call for income taxes at the highest brackets to be increased significantly. We call for the elimination of loopholes in the tax code which allow persons and entities to escape taxation entirely. We call for further amendments to be made to the tax code to ensure that all persons and entities pay their fair share. We call for the creation of a wealth tax which will address the historically obscene maldistribution of wealth in this country. Finally, we call for the creation of a financial transaction tax. I presented this to our group, but it was felt that it needed a little more work, particularly tightening it up by making it a little shorter. If you have comments or would like to draft your own version to submit to us, I would welcome it.

We have finally received word on the format of our presidential process here in our county. We will be holding a caucus/convention on Saturday, May 3, at the Grange in Friday Harbor. We will have already voted in our presidential primary by March 10, and those results will determine the number of delegates and alternates to which we are entitled. Therefore, you only need to attend the May 3 event if you want to be a delegate or alternate, or if you want to vote for delegate and alternate. We will probably only be entitled to about 6 delegates and 3 alternates, and these numbers will be split up among the candidates according to their performance in the March 10 primary. Those who are elected on May 3 will attend the Congressional District Caucus in late May at a location still to be determined (but for sure on the mainland).

Attorney Bill Appel talked to us about I-976, the state measure passed in November that would greatly reduce spending on transportation projects. The measure has been put on hold for now by a Washington court, and it will have to be dealt with by the courts; it will be a complicated process. San Juan County will be presenting an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in favor of the transportation projects and against the initiative, as our county had one of the largest percentages in the state voting against the ballot measure.

The money in our treasury is generally spent on campaigns and helping our officers attend meetings around the state. However, we had two very worthy requests tendered to us that totally align with our values, so we felt it important to make small contributions to these efforts. One is a trip to Olympia while the Legislature is in session for students in middle school at the public school, the Christian school, and Salmonberry. The other is to support local husband and father Chucho, who was detained by immigration authorities last year while on his way to work, and the organization LIFT (Local Immigration Family Treasury), which is supporting Chucho in his battle to stay here with his family. If you would also like to help Chucho, there is a fund for him at Islanders Bank to which you can contribute. His legal fees will total about $35,000, and so far $13,000 has been raised. I will include a letter about this situation at the end of this summary.

If you didn’t already watch Hedrick Smith’s new documentary, Democracy Rebellion, it is a must-see. Hedrick Smith is a part-time resident in our county, and he has been providing reports from around the world for close to 60 years. This program documents the efforts of grassroots groups and people around the country to take democratic reform into their own hands, including a segment about those of us involved right here in Washington in the battle for I-735 to overturn Citizen’s United. You can read about the program at https://orcasissues.com/hedrick-smith-launches-democracy-rebellion-film/, and you can still watch it on KCTS channel 9 (PBS) on Tuesday, January 14, at 2:00 or Saturday, Jan. 18, at 11:00. In this really difficult political time, it is important to find reason for hope, and this program will inspire you.

I had sent out a few notices about the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) presentations taking place on the three major islands. Geri and I attended the presentation today on Orcas Island, and it was fantastic. RCV will improve our democracy in so many ways. By getting to rank the candidates in order of your preference, your vote is never thrown away; if your first choice is eliminated, then your second choice is used, and so on until there are two candidates left, and the one with more than 50% wins. This eliminates winning with less than a majority, it encourages voting because one of your votes will be part of the final runoff, it eliminates negative campaigning because candidates who may not be your first choice will still want to be your second or third choice so they have to be nice, it encourages more people (particularly women and minorities) to run for office, and it results in less polarization. RCV has already been enacted in some states, and we have a chance to bring it to our state. Currently in the Legislature, we have HB 1722 and SB 5798 that would allow local jurisdictions to use RCV. It wouldn’t be required, but it would simply be allowed if the citizens of a locality want to try it. Rep. Lekanoff is one of the co-sponsors, and brand new Rep. Ramel will receive a visit from the sponsoring organization FairVote to bring him on board. You can contact them to voice your support, and we especially would encourage you to contact Sen. Lovelett, as she has not voiced an opinion yet. Here is their contact info: Debra.Lekanoff@leg.wa.gov ; Alex.Ramel@leg.wa.gov ; Liz.Lovelett@leg.wa.gov. And if you are on Lopez, be sure to attend the presentation Monday night at the golf club. For more information, go to fairvotewa.org.

I have just been made aware of an excellent organization that could help win the presidency for the Democratic nominee. The Movement Voter Project (check them out at movement.vote) was established to fund local, grassroots organizations in five of the swing states most crucial to winning the Electoral Vote and the presidency: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Florida. Trump won these states last time by a total of approximately 77,000 votes, so these states are very winnable with the right campaigning. By targeting local, grassroots organizations who will campaign for the Democratic presidential nominee in these five states and increase voter turnout, especially in areas of minority voters, MVP uses a smart, strategic strategy to insure victory. If you are wanting to contribute to an organization that could really bring about a Democratic victory for president, this would be a good one to support. In addition, there will be a house party most likely on Feb. 29 on Orcas Island at George Orser’s farm to raise money for MVP. I will send out more information as I have it.

We had a discussion of our endorsement policy, about which there were two items to consider. We generally endorse after the primary and before the general election, but we decided to make this flexible, as there may be times that it is important to endorse before the primary. The other issue was more difficult to resolve. Our current policy is that an “endorsement” can only be for one candidate. If we equally support two candidates, as was the case last August with Liz Lovelett and Carrie Blackwood, we can “approve” both but not “endorse” both. Approval only indicates that both candidates are acceptable to us, and we actually felt much more strongly in favor of both Liz and Carrie than “acceptance” indicates. It was suggested we use the term “co-endorse”, which is used by some other county parties, but some of our members thought it might be confusing to voters to “endorse” two candidates. So we need a word that will help us in this situation. I like “recommend” or “support”, but if you can think of a good word to consider, please send it my way. Thanks.

The last part of our meeting dealt with planning for our election efforts this year. We are going to need a lot of you to help. We do have some of our regulars who have agreed to be involved in some of the following, but I would ask you to think about how you might like to help in what will probably be the most important election of our lives. Here is the plan that was sent out a couple of months ago:

1. Develop and continuously update a list of: a) local, Washington state, and federal offices on the 2020 primary and general election ballots; b) names of individuals and their party affiliations who have officially filed as candidates for the offices listed in a); and c) referendums and other ballot measures on the 2020 special, primary, and general election ballots. These updated lists will be distributed to SJCDs members at our regular meetings and on our website;

2. Coordinate the Committee’s activities with those of the Washington State Democrats, other Democratic state, county, and legislative district organizations, and the campaigns of any candidates and ballot measure organizations that the SJCDs have endorsed;

3. Register new San Juan County voters, including 17-year olds who will be 18 by Election Day on November 3, 2020. (Assist with voter registration elsewhere?);

4. Recruit candidates for San Juan County partisan and non-partisan positions who support SJCD values and platform, including county council and official citizen committees;

5. Inform membership and other county Democrats of the specifics of the 2020 presidential primary process. Assist the SJCDs chair in implementation of this process;

6. Develop and implement program to assist PCOs in informing voters in their precincts about issues and candidates:

7. Promote our local and national parties, our values, our platforms, and our candidates, including by participating in July 4 parade on San Juan Island, a Democratic HQ storefront in Friday Harbor, and County Fair in Friday Harbor;

8. Develop action plan for volunteers seeking to support Democratic candidates in San Juan County, other areas of Washington State, and in other states;

9. Manage SJCD’s candidate and ballot measure endorsement process in conformity with our bylaws;

10. Publicize our endorsements, including by countywide mailing, newspaper ads, and on social media channels; and

11. Coordinate and implement phone banking program.

Again, please consider plugging yourself into one of these, and contact me.

Here is the letter about Chucho:

Would you and your friends be interested in supporting immigrants facing deportation in San Juan County, in particular, one on Orcas Island named Jesus Coro?

In August 2017, the Orcas Women’s Coalition and other individuals were active in getting an ordinance passed by the San Juan County commissioners to end cooperation with ICE, with some exceptions. Eleanor Hoague, a retired attorney who lives on Orcas, was instrumental in drafting the ordinance. Eleanor says that since the San Juan ordinance* was adopted, “Washington state has passed the Keep Washington Working law, which does much of the same thing that our ordinance does, but is weaker in some areas, and stronger in others.”

Since the ordinance went into effect, there has been one highly publicized case** on Orcas Island that pro-immigrant organizers and members of our community have been supporting.

Jesus Coro, “Chucho” to his friends, “was picked up by a Customs and Border Protection agent on his way to work on Trump (!!) Island in January 2019 and then jailed for two weeks at the Tacoma Detention Center. He has been bonded out and his case will be heard in Immigration Court. There is a dedicated fund at Islanders Bank in Eastsound called “Stand Up for Chucho”. His court costs are expected to be about $35,000 and $13,000 has been raised so far. Chucho’s fund is a part of the LIFT (Local Immigration Family Treasury) campaign.

Eleanor is the chairperson of LIFT, which was organized as a “…non-profit to help and educate immigrants and their families with their immigration questions. LIFT provides immigrants who live in the San Juan islands and who wish to discuss their immigration situation, a one-hour free interview with an immigration attorney [there have been about 10 such interviews since the ordinance became law.] LIFT lent the money for Chucho’s $12K bond.”

Eleanor and Judy Scott, another attorney who lives on Orcas, formerly General Counsel to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), have been spearheading the efforts to provide support for immigrants on Orcas through LIFT. (Judy’s daughter, by the way, is Sarah Stillman, a journalist active in immigration issues, who is a 2016 MacArthur Fellow and a staff writer for The New Yorker.)

Eleanor can be contacted at echoague@gmail.com, 206-850-0547 or 360-376-7101 and Judy’s contact info is: judithscott863@gmail.com.

Electronic donations can be made to the Stand Up for Chucho account at https://www.gofundme.com/f/n7y2x-stand-up-for-chucho

.

Checks are payable to: “Island Stewards” (LIFT’s fiscal sponsor) and should be designated in the check’s memo line for: LIFT re Chucho, Island Stewards, 3222 Pt. Lawrence Rd. Olga, WA 98279.

If people wish to donate to LIFT to boost the general fund for immigrants, they need to send a check to Island Stewards indicating that it is for LIFT. It is very important to indicate the desired purpose as Island Stewards has a number of different non-profit aims that it funds.

Here is the link for the ordinance passed in August 2017

*https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/SanJuanCounty/html/SanJuanCounty09/SanJuanCounty0924.html

Here are the links to the Islands’ Sounder article and to the Orcas Issues article explaining Chucho’s situation.

**http://www.islandssounder.com/news/orcas-resident-jesus-coro-detained-by-ice/

https://orcasissues.com/letter-to-editor-immigration-nabs-local-resident/

Thanks for reading,
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats
Saturday, January 11, 2020

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

Get ready for 2020, which is clearly going to be one of the most important political years in our lives and in the history of this country.  Nothing less than our democratic system of government is at stake, as the current White House occupant is looking to become a dictator.  Here in San Juan County we will hold our first meeting of the year on Saturday, January 11, from 11:45 until 2:30 in the upstairs community meeting room at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor.

At this meeting we will be planning our actions for this important political year.  In addition, we will have a visit from a progressive challenger to Congressman Rick Larsen.  And one of our legal experts will be discussing the possible court challenges to the recently passed horrendous initiative I-976.

If you cannot attend in person but would like to attend virtually, the link to join our meeting on Zoom is https://zoom.us/j/386062877.  If you are traveling from another island, we will have drivers to give us rides to and from the meeting.

I hope to see you at this and/or other meetings this year, and please be ready for calls to action.

Local Events for Ranked Choice Voting Info for Washington

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

One of the political reforms that would really help our political system is ranked choice voting.  Please read the following from Liz Smith of Fair Vote Washington, who will be presenting on our three major islands:

“Our non-partisan non-profit FairVote Washington is working to bring Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) to Washington state. RCV is a simple, non-partisan way to help put power back into the voters’ hands, increase civility in politics, and improve our democracy. It’s also an effective way to lower primary and run-off elections costs. And we’d like to show you how it works!

RCV is also sometimes called Instant Runoff Voting, which says a lot about how it works. On a ranked-choice ballot, instead of voting for one candidate, you would get to rank the candidates in your order of preference: 1, 2, 3, and so on. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the first place votes, the last place candidate is eliminated. If that was your candidate, your vote is transferred to your second choice. That process of elimination continues until one candidate has a majority and is declared the winner. (A candidate can still win on the first round with an outright majority, and voters can still vote for one candidate, if they prefer.)

The WA Local Options Bill (HB1722 and SB5708) would allow localities to try Ranked-Choice Voting. We’ll tell you all about that and our other efforts at three upcoming presentations on Orcas, Lopez, and San Juan Islands. All are welcome, regardless of party or political views. Local FairVote Washington lead Liz Smith of Friday Harbor and FairVote Washington Chair Lisa Ayrault will be there. Let us answer your questions about this simple, non-partisan voting reform!

Sunday, January 12 from 2pm-3pm at the Orcas Island Odd Fellows Hall
Our event page: https://secure.everyaction.com/aian00iQIUK9xnJbU6oT9Q2
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/795106250953763

Sunday, January 12 from 7pm-8pm at the San Juan Island Grange Hall #966
Our event page: https://secure.everyaction.com/-zL2kUDHDk-BNRkiGVwrtg2
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/883249492077298

Monday, January 13 from 7pm-8pm at the Huddle Lopez mtg at the Lopez Island Golf Club
Our event page: https://secure.everyaction.com/4c2IyXOM2EGHVDkUVBt7GA2
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/514079569190134

For more info or questions, you can contact Liz Smith at liz.smith@fairvotewa.org, (360) 610-7136

Impeachment Events in Friday Harbor and Eastsound
Tuesday, December 17 2019

There will be impeachment rallies in Friday Harbor at the Courthouse and in Eastsound at the Village Green on Tuesday, December 17 at 5:30pm. The president used military aid to pressure a foreign government to interfere in our elections, then he tried to cover it up. He should be impeached and removed from office because no one is above the law.

Please dress warmly and bring some kind of light, as it will be dark. You can even download a candle app for your phone. Our main goal is to contribute to the buzz going on across the nation; there will be more than 500 such events nationwide at the same time. We have confidence that the House will vote for impeachment, and our efforts on Tuesday will go toward convincing the Senate that they need to vote to convict. So bring your cameras and phones, and if you think your sign will be visible, bring it too.
You can register for the event by going to www.impeach.org, then type in your zip code, or you can go to:
Friday Harbor Event: http://act.moveon.org/event/impeach-and-remove-attend/126555/
Eastsound Event: https://act.moveon.org/event/impeach-and-remove-attend/126535/

Please notify and bring friends and family.

Summary of SJC Democrats Meeting

November 9, 2019

I have a lot to report from our meeting this past Saturday, including some important information as we organize for the very crucial 2020 elections. I hope you will read this to the end, as you might find a place where you will fit in to help us in what may be the most critical election of our lives.

First, we will not be meeting in December, but there will be a holiday party hosted by the 40th Legislative District, of which we are a part. It will be held in Alger, ten miles north of Burlington, the same place the 40th’s endorsement meeting was held last June. It will be on Sunday, Dec. 8 from noon until 3:00. My wife and I will be attending, and we would be happy to drive anyone else that would like to come from Orcas. I am hoping there will also be contingents from San Juan and Lopez Islands. If you would like to come, please let me know so I can send you more information, as this event is very well organized. For all who would like to plan for the dates of the general meetings of the 40th for this coming year, the dates are March 1, June 7 (endorsements), Oct. 4 (in Friday Harbor), and Dec. 6.

Jeff Hanks was confirmed as our newest PCO (precinct committee officer), filling the position for south Lopez Island. Jeff looks to be an excellent addition to our group.

In our ongoing discussions about a more equitable tax system, Stephen Shubert talked about adding a capital gains tax here in Washington state. Our constitution currently does not allow an income tax, but a capital gains tax can be treated as an excise tax, and this could potentially bring in a lot of revenue for the state, which may be critical should I-976 be allowed to stand. Retired attorney Bill Appel said that a taxpayer could take the I-976 matter to court, and a court may very well rule that I-976 cannot be allowed to stand.

In other sad election news, it looks like I-1000/R-88 has been defeated. This is the measure that would have ratified the legislature’s decision to allow affirmative action on a case-by-case basis. The final margin of defeat was 0.7%, a tiny margin. The one bright spot: Senator Liz Lovelett was overwhelmingly elected over perennial candidate Daniel Miller.

You may be aware that this past Tuesday, the county council turned down the request made by a citizen committee asking for a moratorium on vacation rentals while the issue is studied. Forty citizens, mostly from Orcas, made the trip to the hearing to testify. The county council seems to feel they have already dealt with this issue with their recent housing needs assessment and hiring a code enforcement officer. The committee will be looking at its next steps.

Mike Hansen reported on his efforts to find out if the state attorney general’s office is dealing with the threat of private militias. He didn’t get much of a response from that office. Do we know that order will be maintained by our law enforcement officers should there be some kind of

“civil war” or other fracas initiated by a private militia group? Mike will be preparing a one-page historical, logical straightforward narrative with bullet points on this matter.

Dave Zeretzke presented an excellent tutorial on the redistricting process. In early 2021, all states will go through redistricting, where they look at population changes and make boundary adjustments based on this. Most states have made this a political process, which results in gerrymandering. Washington is one of the few states that has a commission do this job. The minority and majority caucuses of both the House and Senate appoint a person to the commission, resulting in two Democrats and two Republicans, plus there is a nonvoting fifth member who acts as the chair. The chair makes sure that redistricting is done as fairly as possible, and the plan is accepted only if the voting members vote either 3-1 or 4-0 for the plan. Since this was implemented in the 1980s, redistricting here in Washington has not suffered as badly as in states where it is a totally political process controlled by the majority party.

Former chair and current treasurer David Dehlendorf has composed a plan for an election committee for next year. It has many components to it, which I shall now present. I am hoping that as you read through this, you will find a task that appeals to you and for which you would be willing to volunteer. Here we go:

1. Develop and continuously update a list of candidates and measures that will be on the ballot for the elections in 2020 at the local, state, and national level.
2. Coordinate the activities of the SJC Democrats with other Democratic organizations and campaigns.
3. Register new voters, including 17 and 18-year-olds.
4. Recruit candidates.
5. Provide information about the presidential primary process, and help the chair in implementing this.
6. Help the PCOs work together to form ways to inform their voters about issues and candidates.
7. Help promote our party and candidates, including the following:

a. The 4th of July Parade in Friday Harbor (maybe on Orcas and Lopez also)
b. Helping at the County Fair booth
c. Helping at the storefront we open between July and October in central Friday Harbor. By the way, if you know of an available space, please let me know.

8. Develop an action plan for volunteers to help in our county as well as other regions.
9. Manage our candidate and ballot measure endorsement process in accord with our rules.
10. Publicize our endorsements.
11. Coordinate and implement a phone-banking program.

As you can see, this is a substantial list. We will need many hands onboard. If you are interested in one of these tasks, please contact me.

That’s about it for now. As always, there is much going on, and we all need to remain as informed as possible.

Thanks for reading,

David Turnoy

Chair, San Juan County Democrats

360-376-4165

davidgeri@centurylink.net

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats
October 12, 2019

Saturday, Oct. 12, will be the next meeting of the San Juan County Democrats from 11:30 until 2:00 at the community college in Friday Harbor.  We still have the issue of endorsements to discuss, we will be voting to approve Bill Appel as a new PCO, and we will hear highlights of the meetings of the state party and the 40th.

Attend via web: https://zoom.us/j/640781911

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats
June 15, 2019

David Turnoy
Chair, SJC Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

Summary of SJC Democrats Meeting
April 13, 2019

Thanks,
David Turnoy
Chair, SJC Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats
April 13, 2019

Thanks,
David Turnoy
Chair, SJC Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

Meeting of the San Juan County Democrats
March 9, 2019

We discussed the recent decision by our county councilors to appoint Liz Lovelett to the vacant state senate position.  While Liz looks to be doing a very good job so far, what concerns us is the fact that our county councilors ignored the wishes of their constituents in voting for Liz rather than Kris Lytton.  The councilors technically have the right to vote for whomever of the three nominees they choose, but our county clearly heavily favored Kris, as did the PCO votes at the meeting to nominate the three candidates.  As yet there has been no public statement by the councilors on this matter, though we have strongly encouraged them to do so.
Ken Crawbuck’s resolution on wealth and income tax was discussed.  Everyone present supports the idea in theory, which is to significantly raise income tax on the wealthiest and to tax wealth.  The debate was over whether we want to see this oriented toward setting rates at the level that would generate the most revenue, toward fighting inequality, or toward doing whatever best furthers democracy.  These goals are not necessarily mutually exclusive.  A committee of people will continue to try to refine this and distill it down to one page, as it may end up being a model for the state party.
Stephanie Buffum of Shaw Island, whom you probably know better as the director of Friends of the San Juans, has been confirmed as PCO from Shaw.  Welcome, Stephanie, and thanks for being willing to join us and help us.
We are debating whether to have an entry in the 4^th of July Parade this year and also whether to have a booth at the county fair.  If you are interested in helping to coordinate either of these, please let me know.  Without volunteers, these events will not happen for us.
Liz Smith, newly arrived from Maine, joined us for the first time.  In Maine she was in the position of participating in elections with Ranked Choice Voting, a system that allows one to rank their choices for a particular office so that if their first choice doesn’t survive, their second choice then gets their vote.  Washington state is considering this in the legislature this year for local elections.  The system promotes democracy and promotes more positive campaigns, two things we could use more of.  The city of Vancouver, WA, uses this for their elections.
Geri reported on the 40^th LD.  Tomorrow is a general meeting in Anacortes.  There will be an endorsement meeting in Bellingham on June 2, followed by a meeting in Friday Harbor at the Grange (thank you, Bill Severson) on Oct. 6, with the year’s final meeting just north of Burlington on Dec. 8.  There will also be a 40^th town hall with Liz Lovelett and Jeff Morris on March 23 in Burlinton.
The state party is in the process of choosing whether to adopt a primary/caucus model or a straight-but-improved caucus model for the selection of presidential candidates.  Those of us who participated in 2016 well remember the chaos of the local caucuses and we were hoping that we would move to a primary this year to solve that.  But because the state party didn’t thing the legislature would approve of Ranked Choice Voting for the primary, the only choice for a primary we are being given is a primary without any change to specify a second or third choice.  The caucus model automatically has Ranked Choice, because when it becomes obvious that a candidate is not going to meet the 15% threshold required to be considered, the attendee switches to another candidate.  We voted 17-10 to go with the improved caucus for 2020, on the theory that using it this time with the Ranked Choice voting it includes would set the stage for moving to a primary with RCV in 2024.  Just to see where we were as far as who favored a primary with RCV, we almost unanimously supported such a measure.  So it is really a shame that we don’t have that available for 2020, but hopefully we can move to that in 2024.  Learner and Sharon will represent us in this matter at the April state meeting.  By the way, if you have comments as to what you would prefer, you are welcome to go to the state party website and communicate those.
Nancy Greist presented on a citizen advocacy action group the Colorado Democrats have used called CLEAN, which stands for Community Legislative Early Action Network.  This has been used for citizen action to support good legislation, and we are thinking of implementing this here in our county.  Laura Jo will be researching the various contact information we would need to put this in place.
Those are the main points from today’s meeting.  Thanks for reading.  We will look to have our next meeting on Saturday, April 13.

Thanks,
David Turnoy
Chair, SJC Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

Summary of San Juan County Democrats Meeting January 12, 2019

Prior to our regular Democrats meeting Saturday morning, we had a special meeting with new Representative Debra Lekanoff. We assembled people representing the county council, the planning commission, public schools, the Comprehensive Plan, the Agricultural Resources Board, the Clean Water Advisory Committee, the Conservation District Energy Program, the Orcas Exchange, the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, the County Land Bank, the Friends of the San Juans, Friday Harbor Labs, Kwiaht, the Housing Advisory Committee, the SJ Islands Museum of Art, the SJ Local Integrating Association, the Friday Harbor and Lopez Port Commissions, OPALCO, and the Sound Defense Alliance/Quiet Skies. Debra had each of these entities share programs they are working on and asked how she could be helpful to them in her role in the legislature. It was an example of democracy at its best, our elected rep gathering input from locals about how best to represent them in Olympia. Debra is going to be amazing!

Also at this earlier meeting today, Stephanie Buffum of Shaw Island expressed willingness to become Shaw’s PCO. Therefore, this is hereby notice that we will vote on confirming her as a PCO at our meeting on Feb. 9.

The result of our reorganization conducted at the meeting are the following officers:

David Turnoy Chair
Cindy Wolf Vice Chair
State Committee Man Learner Limbach
State Committee Woman Sharon Abreu
Treasurer David Dehlendorf
Secretary CJ Collier
Deputy Vice Chair San Juan Island Laura Jo Severson
Deputy Vice Chair Orcas Island Keara Axelrod
Deputy Vice Chair Lopez Island Bob O’Connell
SJC Liaison to the 40th Legislative District Bev Layman

If anyone interested in helping with our project to bypass the Electoral College with the National Popular Vote Compact, I welcome your contacting me. I have this all organized and am hoping several more people will volunteer. This simply involves a few phone calls and emails. Or if you have relatives or friends in Colorado, Nevada, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, or Arizona, I can provide you materials for them to contact their legislators to ask them to sponsor appropriate legislation. Somebody has to do this, and it might as well be us.

This year’s women’s march will be in Friday Harbor from noon until 2:00 on Saturday, January 19. Please meet at the courthouse at noon. This will be the event for all the islands, and Rhea Miller will be the guest speaker.

If you haven’t heard the news, Senator Kevin Ranker resigned Saturday, January 12.

A replacement will be nominated by the local Democratic Party organizations and selected by the county councils of the legislative district.

Unions used to be one of the main constituencies of the Democratic Party. But as I am sure you know, private sector union membership is down to about 7%. Public unions are still hanging in there, especially as we saw multiple states’ teachers go on strike last year. The teachers in the Los Angeles schools, which is the second largest district in the country, will be going on strike this Monday to protest the district’s failure to use its massive reserves to address huge classes, abysmal building conditions, teacher pay, and many other issues. Our local party would like to be more attuned to union actions, and our Rick Rhoads will be writing a letter expressing our support of the teachers’ action to be sent to the union and the school district, with possibly a press release also.

How can you help support Democratic legislative action? Attend Environmental Lobby Day in Olympia. Cindy Wolf, our vice chair, is the one to contact if you are interested in attending. You can reach her at cwolf@seanet.com. She will be coordinating with Stephanie Buffum of Friends of the San Juans to make this happen.

Sharon brought to us a resolution that calls for the county council to support 100% clean, renewable energy. There is an effort to get county councils around the state to do this in order to show enough support to get the state legislature to do the same. We are sending the resolution to the county council. As it happens, Councilor Jamie Stephens was in attendance at our meeting and said that the council will actually be addressing this shortly.

It is time for the SJC Democrats to come up with an action plan for this year. We won’t be dealing with elections that much, so we have time to work on some other issues. As mentioned earlier, one of these issues is reforming the Electoral College. Another issue has to be moving away from fossil fuels and doing all we can to combat climate change including a Green New Deal. Other items mentioned today included recruiting more young people, looking at the Washington Military Alliance and its various impacts (environment, land use, war training zones, etc.) along with decreasing dependency on the military for employment, having a discussion of Israel/Palestine (possibly a talk by Sandy Strehlou and/or a showing of James Longley’s “Gaza Strip), more author or movie maker talks, ranked choice voting, flipping the national government in 2020, what to do if Trump declares a national emergency and/or martial law. If you have other ideas, feel free to bring them to the next meeting or send them to me. This is your party, let’s consider doing what you think we should.

Ken Crawbuck introduced a resolution related to making our income tax system more progressive. We discussed this at length today, and the net result is that we decided people should send Ken feedback so that he can re-craft his message. Looking at significant increases to income tax at the very high end of the scale is becoming much more mainstream, so this is no longer just a pipe dream. Ken’s email address is kenc@rockisland.com. Here is his resolution:

Bring Democracy back by taxing the wealth and income of the rich in accordance with Thomas Piketty’s economic research results.doc. Resolution on taxing the rich annually for both wealth and income in Washington state and also federally

Amendment “To bring democracy back by taxing the rich annually for both wealth (0.7% for wealth over $10,000,000.00) and income (83% for income over $1,000,000.00) in Washington state and federally.” By taxing the income and wealth of rich at such a high rate each year that they cannot use their money to undermine democracy, we serve to establish and maintain democracy as the political process across Washington state and across the country. This connection between democracy and taxation of the rich is now proven in economic research fact, along with other critical research results of our time for problems like global warming. Our recent decline into ‘inequality for all’ and economic proofs like that of Thomas Piketty prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt.

WHEREAS, our local, state and federal governments profess to support democracy and act as though they believe in the power of the vote,

WHEREAS, our local, state and federal governments acknowledge that “Money in Politics” presents problems for our democratic processes (e.g. the recent carbon tax initiative failure),

WHEREAS, there are many research papers that prove that our democratic processes do not support the agenda of the average person but clearly do support the agenda of the rich

WHEREAS if we continue down the path we are today, which will allow the world to be fried for profits while also supporting the defeat of a truly progressive agenda, which requires progressive taxation of the rich, that is designed to ensure the average Americans voice is reflected in a truly democratic political system,

WHEREAS the contradiction inherent in Washington States laws which both profess to support the notion of a democracy while also wrongly supporting a creative interpretation of a phrase in the state constitution that prevents the implementation of progressive taxation, as that notion is now defeated via challenges to the law in Washington State,

WHEREAS the connection between rising wealth and income inequality is now proven to negatively impact democracy by world famous economists like Thomas Piketty and Robert Reich,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the San Juan County Democratic Party send a message to the members of the Washington State Legislative delegation and the Federal Congressional delegation as well as the platform committees at the state and federal levels urging them to support the declaration of “support bringing democracy back” by Instituting wealth and income taxes on the wealthiest Washington State residents as detailed by Thomas Piketty which is 83% annually for income over $1,000,000.00 and 0.7% of wealth annually for wealth over $10,000,000.00.” Whatever the final tax rates are they should be defined to support the preservation of democracy by taxing the rich, and needs to account for federal income and wealth taxes that may also be applied. This resolution needs to become part of the Democratic Party Platform and legislation that is passed in the state of Washington legislature and signed by the Governor, passed federally as legislation and signed into law, and

THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the SJCDCC urge the Washington State Democratic Committee to add this resolution into the WA state and national platform without delay.

Submitted by the San Juan County Democratic Convention to the (fill in the blank) (Date Submitted 1/2/2019)

The <fill in the blank> committee “RECOMMENDED A PASS” on this resolution at its <date> meeting <location>.

The <fill in the blank> committee “PASSED” this resolution at its <date> meeting in <location>.

Related to the above issue, Learner mentioned that there is now an economic equity committee as part of the state party. We have our next state meeting in two weeks, and a number of us who will be attending will check it out.

That’s all for now. Please join us at our next meeting at the college on Feb. 9 at 11:45.

San Juan County Democrats Meeting January 12

Fresh off a successful 2018 campaign season, the San Juan County Democrats are ready to begin their activities for 2019. Our first meeting will be this Saturday, January 12, in the community meeting room at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor from 11:45 until 2:30.

This is our reorganization meeting when we will elect people to fill all our officer positions. FYI only elected Precinct Committee Officers are eligible to vote for these positions, but anyone who is a Democrat is eligible to run for an officer position. At the meeting we will also start to plan our activities for this year, especially looking at themes that might guide those activities. We are a friendly group and welcome new people who would like to get involved in bringing about progressive change. We also are not a rubber stamp group for the national Democratic Party; we are trying to get them to be the progressive party we need.

David Turnoy
Chair, SJC Democrats
360-376-4165
thesjcdems@gmail.com

San Juan County Democrats Meeting November 10

Hi SJC Democrats,

This Saturday will be the final meeting of the year for the San Juan County Democrats.  We will be celebrating our victories in the recent election as well as reviewing a number of important events in which we were involved that haven’t received their due attention because of our focus on elections.  The meeting will take place at our usual locale, the street-level community meeting room at the community college in Friday Harbor.  The meeting will last from 11:30 until 2:00.  For those attending from other islands, you can simply walk on the ferry, as we will have drivers picking us up at the ferry and then returning us later to catch the 2:20 return.

For anyone who would like to virtually attend, you can do so through a Zoom conference.  To join the meeting, on your computer go to https://zoom.us/j/413931590, then use the following ID: 413-931-590.

Hope to see you Saturday.

Thanks,
David Turnoy
Chair, SJC Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

San Juan County Democrats Meeting September 22

Hi SJC Democrats,

The next meeting of the San Juan County Democrats will take place Saturday, Sept. 22, at the street level community meeting room at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor from 11:30 until 2:00.  Our main order of business will be to consider endorsements for the upcoming general election.  Our endorsement committee has been busy vetting candidates and campaigns, and we will present our recommendations at the meeting.  Also, many of the candidates will be present and speak to us briefly.  Anyone who considers oneself a Democrat and who has attended at least two of our meetings in the last year is permitted to vote on endorsements.

If you are coming from Orcas, Lopez, or Shaw, you may park your car on your island at the ferry terminal, walk on the ferry, then receive a ride to and from the meeting from Friday Harbor Democrats.  If you have any questions, contact me at the phone or email below.

And yes, we are still taking volunteers for canvassing on Sept. 29.  Plus, if we get a few more volunteers for canvassing in the 42nd, we will add a date for that as well.

Thanks,
David Turnoy
Chair, SJC Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

Join us at the San Juan County Fair!

Summary of San Juan County Democrats Meeting
June 30, Friday Harbor Grange

Hi SJC Democrats,

We had a crowd of more than 30 join us for our meeting yesterday.  Many of us had earlier participated in the protest on the streets of Friday Harbor in conjunction with hundreds of other protests around the country to bring attention to the horrible policies of the current national administration as regards immigrants.  We were glad for a chance to get out of the rain after the rally.

We have had a lot of our people involved in various activities around the state of late.  Cindy Wolf, our vice chair, attended four meetings on the mainland as part of the state party platform committee, and this culminated in the passage of many outstanding resolutions at our state convention in Wenatchee two weeks ago.  Six of us were present at the convention, including 18-year-old Julia Keane, our youngest delegate.  Several of us attended an event in Burlington on May 2 to meet the candidates for Kris Lytton’s state rep position, then another group of us attended the endorsement meeting of the 40^th Legislative District on June 2.  At that meeting all four Democratic candidates presented a letter in which they asked that we not endorse any one of them, instead to endorse all of them and let them battle it out in their campaigns, which we agreed to.

Great preparations have been made for our participation in the Friday Harbor 4^th of July parade.  We have donkey costumes, banners, music, and an enthusiastic group of marchers.  If you haven’t already committed to marching, join us Wednesday morning at the top of Spring Street (near the ballfield) at 10 AM.  Thanks for all this to David Dehlendorf!

Bev Leyman has been doing some research on local campaign finance, looking at different systems for assuring that spending on local campaigns is fair and that money does not buy elections.  She gave us a preliminary report on this and will continue next time.

Andi Rowley was confirmed as our new PCO for Friday Harbor North.  Alison Longley filed to be PCO for San Juan Southeast, and Rick Millson filed for PCO for Friday Harbor South.  They were the only ones to file for their respective precincts, so they will automatically become PCOs on Dec. 1.  However, in order to get them active ASAP, I am hereby giving notice that I will be convening a meeting of our PCOs electronically at least 10 days from now so that we can vote on putting them into their positions early.  So PCOs, please look for an email from me after July 11 setting this up.  The reason I am not waiting until our next meeting is that it probably won’t take place until after the primary, and I am not allowed to appoint PCOs between the primary and the general election.

Thanks to PCO Stephen Shubert volunteering to chair our entry in the county fair this year, we will have a booth.  Please contact me if you are willing to help with setting up our booth or if you would be willing to volunteer to “man” (or woman) our booth for a couple of hours.  It is a fun way to meet locals and to tell them about their options for improving our political landscape.  This year’s fair is Aug. 15-18.  Thank you, Stephen!

Rita O’Clair, our postcard person, brought stamped postcards for us to fill out, one to Sen. Cantwell to get on board with introducing a Senate companion measure to the House bill calling for the overturning of Citizens United, another to Senators Murkowski and Collins, asking them to vote against any extremist SCOTUS nominees to protect women.  Also, Rita has generously volunteered to be in charge of our new library of politically worthwhile books, and she will also be our person observing the ballot-counting process during the upcoming primary.  Let’s hear it for Rita!

Representatives of each of the four state rep Democratic candidates spoke to us, and campaign literature was handed out.  Sharon Abreu spoke for Tom Pasma, Michael Riordan spoke for Alex Ramel, Cindy spoke for Debra Lekanoff, and I spoke for Rud Browne.  The speakers aren’t necessarily supporting the particular candidates, but we wanted to make sure each was represented, and we didn’t want to have to make the candidates travel to the islands for a five-minute presentation, especially since they will be coming out here in a week and a half for League of Women Voters forums; also, they had another candidate event yesterday in Burlington.  Speaking of the LWV forums, I encourage you all to attend the one on your island, where you will be able to meet the candidates in person.  Orcas is at the Eastsound Firehall on Wednesday, July 11, 5:30-7:00, San Juan is July 12 at the Grange, 4:00-6:00, and Lopez is Wed, July 18, 4:00-5:45, at the Lopez Grace Episcopal Church.  The two races which will present candidates are this state house seat and Rick Larsen’s Congressional seat, the latter presenting Rick along with another Dem, a Green, a libertarian, a “moderate” GOP, and an independent.  Should be interesting.

We also had two candidates for a state appellate court position appear before us.  Cecily Hazelrigg-Hernandez is a public defender running for this position, and Rita Latsinova is an appellate attorney running for the same slot.  There are also three other candidates.

One of the candidates for county prosecutor, Nick Power, happened to attend our meeting.  He will be running against incumbent Randy Gaylord in both the primary and the general election.  The primary vote does not really matter, as the vote in the general will determine the winner of this race.  Because Nick was in attendance, I permitted him to introduce himself, but I did not let him go on as long as he may have wanted, as Randy was not there to represent himself.  We will discuss this race more after the primary.

We have chosen not to endorse any candidates in the primary.  Instead, we will be waiting for the primary results to come in first, then we will assemble our endorsement committee to prepare questions, get them answered by the candidates, make endorsement recommendations to our general meeting, and have a vote on each race (there will be many others by then) at a meeting in September or October.

During my chair’s report, I spoke briefly about my conclusion that we have two different Democratic Parties.  We have our state and local parties, and ours in particular are very good.  It is crucial for us to have state leadership in running candidates in every possible location, something our current chair has made a priority.  You may be aware that during the Obama years at least 1,000 positions in legislatures around the country transferred from Democrats to Republicans, and Republican legislatures have been responsible for things such as refusing to opt into the Affordable Care Act, cutting the social safety net, etc.  Therefore, it is crucial for us to have a strong Democratic Party presence in every state to prevent the Republicans from further ruining our quality of life.

The other Democratic Party is the national party, and the jury is still out here.  The DNC has been undergoing a reform process that is now almost two years old, and this past week their Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to bar super delegates from voting on the first ballot, enabling all candidates to start from the same place.  This is a huge step in making our presidential process much more democratic.  But too many of our national leaders still oppose single payer health care (health sector campaign donations, e.g., Patty Murray received $1.7 million in 2017 alone) and other positions that the majority of the Democratic rank and file favor.  And you have the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee coming in and telling locals who they should run for Congress, and these are always moderates with ties to big money.  Yet in the face of this, last week you had Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, a 28-year-old Democratic Socialist Latina, defeat a ten-term incumbent in a Congressional primary in NYC, even though the upstart candidate was outspent 10-1.  While it is important to be aware of different needs and values in different locales, it is obvious that if the Democratic national establishment does not get their act together, addressing the needs of the people rather than their big donors, the national Democrats may be in big trouble, and we cannot let that happen for the sake of all of us.

As soon as we can reschedule our Celebration of Success with our three legislators, you will hear about it.  Hopefully it will be sooner than later.

Our next meeting will most likely occur in early September.  Look for a note about when that will be.  Again, please join us in the parade and at the fair.  Our country is in trouble, and we can make a difference in restoring the rule of law and justice.

David Turnoy
Chair, SJC Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

San Juan County Democrats March and Meeting June 30

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

Please join us and the larger San Juan Island community on Saturday, June 30 for a Families Belong Together march in Friday Harbor, beginning at the courthouse at 10 am! Wear white to show solidarity with immigrant families who have been separated.
If you are on Orcas, there will be a rally at the Village Green in Eastsound, also starting at 10 am.

After the march, the San Juan Democrats will be holding a meeting at the Friday Harbor Grange beginning at 11:30.

We hope to see you there!

San Juan County Democrats March and Convention March 24

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

The San Juan County Democrats will be holding our biennial convention on Saturday, March 24, at the Grange in Friday Harbor, from 1:00 until possibly as late as 5:00. This will follow a march through Friday Harbor demanding that the issue of gun violence be addressed, and it will include children as well as adults. We wanted to be able to participate in this march because the issue is so important, so we have purposely scheduled our convention to begin right after the march, which starts at the courthouse in Friday Harbor at noon on March 24. The march finishes at the courthouse around 1:00, and that is right across the street from the Grange located on 1st Street.

What do we do at our convention that occurs in a non-presidential election year?
First, we elect delegates to attend the state convention that will take place in Wenatchee on June 15 and 16. We have three positions whose occupants automatically attend (our two state committee people and the chair), and we need to elect two more delegates and one alternate. We also have the opportunity to submit additions to the state party platform. If you would like to see what is currently in the state party platform, go to

http://www.wa-democrats.org/sites/wadems/files/documents/Washington%20State%20Democrats%20-%20Platform%20-%20160618.pdf

If you find that there is something that really should be in the state platform that isn’t, you can attend our convention to bring it forward, or you can email it to me. If you would like to see what is currently in our county party platform, which is the reason I joined the local party, go to http://sjdemocrats.org/platform/. We are currently revising the platform to add more good progressive ideas, but even what is already there is excellent.

I hope to see you at the march and then at our convention on March 24.

Thanks for reading,
David Turnoy

Update from SJC Democrats

Summary of Important Information from SJC Democrats Meeting of Sept.16
By David Turnoy

Manka Dhingra campaign trip: Sept. 30 is the date for our trip down to Redmond to campaign for Manka in the 45^th LD for state senate.  If we can flip her seat blue, both houses of the legislature will be majority Democratic.  Busfare and meals are taken care of, all you have to pay for is walking on the ferry.  There will be flatter turf for those unable to do hills, and you can call to be picked up whenever you are physically done.  For those who can’t really get out there physically, there is data entry and phone calling that you can do from Manka’s campaign headquarters.  Go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094ea4ae2fa6fa7-lets1  in order to sign up for what will be a fun and very important event.

Donating to three campaigns: Speaking of campaigns, our voting membership decided to contribute $300 to each of three campaigns in eastern and/or rural Washington.  Under the new leadership of state chair Tina Podlodowski, we are now making our presence felt in many jurisdictions where there have been no Democrats even on the ballot in more than ten years, and campaign contributions go a lot further in eastern Washington and other rural areas.  Soon to receive our cash are two state senate candidates, Karen Hardy in the 7^th and Michelle Rylands in the 31^st, and in the house we are helping Navy veteran Susan Swanson in the 7^th.  I will be announcing our contributions to the other party chairs around the state so hopefully their local parties will follow suit.  For any of you able to donate individually, you can find out information about each candidate at the following: www.karenforsenate.com, www.michellerylands.com, and www.susanforhouse.com.

Local positions to run for: In November of next year, the county auditor position will be up for election.  It would be wonderful to have a Democrat in this position, and it is a fulltime job.  Also, there are soon to be three openings on the Planning Commission from San Juan Island.  Councilor Bill Watson is especially anxious that we appoint some women.  If you are interested, go to http://sanjuanco.com/589/Planning-Commission.

Blog: Islanders Voice is to be revived under the direction of PCO Stephen Shubert.  Cindy Wolf has also expressed interest in being involved.  If you are interested in being part of this worthy effort, please let me know.  Thanks to Stephen and Cindy.

Platform Committee: The Platform Committee is going to meet in its reconstituted form to weed out old planks we no longer need and to add new planks relevant to today’s circumstances.  Joining me will be Learner, Natasha, Cindy, Walt, and Robert.  If anyone else is interested, please let me know.  I will look at the ferry schedule to try to organize something soon.  It might be possible to meet at the Orcas Hotel at the ferry landing on Orcas if the ferry schedule is at all convenient.  Thanks to those mentioned.

Aquaculture: Natasha reminded us that resolutions opposing fish farms were passed 10 and 5 years ago respectively, yet fish farms still exist, and recently a pen bordering on our county leaked millions of non-native fish.  Natasha volunteered to write a letter for our county party to Governor Inslee reminding him about these resolutions, and she will cc Tina Podlodowski.  She will draft it, pass it around to us, then send it.  Thanks, Natasha.

Test of ballot tabulating equipment: Tom volunteered to be our rep for this important testing of our ballot counting system.  Thanks, Tom.

Orcas deputy vice chair: Keara Axelrod was confirmed in this position.  Thanks, Keara.

State Meeting: Various reports about the meeting of Sept. 8-10 were shared, including Learner’s very complete notes on the sessions he attended https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9O64jKf78oEMThjTHpUMU1yNGM.  One of the most exciting developments is the establishing of an Advocacy Committee, which will bring our platform to the attention of our elected officials and attempt to have them implement items on the platform.  I was impressed with all the young progressive folks involved at the meeting.  Good things are happening at the state level; progressive, energetic folks are working on our behalf all around the state.  If you are not already contributing to the Resistance, the money raised is being well spent on organizers, and soon (with your help) there will be enough money coming in that local entities will start receiving funds.  Please go to the state Dems website and sign up to contribute $10, $20, or any amount you can afford monthly.  This really is a good investment in our future.

Important Bylaws change: As we have been working on creating new endorsement rules, which we will hopefully have ready by our October meeting, it has become apparent that the people getting to vote on endorsements would be limited to possibly as small a group as only the PCOs.  My feeling is that we want to be as inclusive as possible and that we want to give those who attend our meetings reasons for attending, one of which could be to be able to vote on endorsements.  Therefore, I proposed that our definition of “voting members” be expanded to include anyone attending at least two meetings in the previous year who otherwise meets our criteria.  This would prevent packing the room for an endorsement vote while still allowing our regular (or semi-regular) attendees to participate.  We will need to take attendance at our meetings, which we started today by passing around a sign-up sheet.  The motion was passed unanimously.

Next Meeting: The next meeting will again take place at the community college in Friday Harbor on Saturday, Oct. 14.  The possibility was broached about meeting on other islands at times, and there are good points to be considered on both sides of the argument.  This is something we will keep looking at.  Also, we really need to join the modern age and somehow have a teleconferencing way for people from more remote islands to virtually participate in our meetings.  I will do some serious investigation of this, and if any of you have expertise in this area and want to help make this happen, please contact me.

Thanks,
David Turnoy, Chair
San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

We just had our monthly meeting in Friday Harbor this past Saturday, July 8.  A lot of news was shared, therefore I am putting this notice out so you are in the loop.

First, this coming Wednesday, July 12, Lt. Gov. Habib and Sen. Ranker will appear at the Orcas Senior Center at 3:00, then they will appear at an affordable housing rally on the Village Green at 5:00.  Dinner is available at the latter event for $5.

On Friday, July 28, at 7:00 at Orcas Center, Orcas Currents is presenting Hedrick Smith and Sarah Stillman on the future of journalism in a “post-truth” environment, a conversation moderated by Floyd McKay.  Admission is free but donations are welcome.

The county fair is coming up Aug. 16-19 at the fairgrounds in Friday Harbor.  The Democrats will have a double booth there, which is open to other progressives as well.  We still have some time slots that need a volunteer or two.  Here are times where there is already one volunteer, but another would be nice:
Aug. 16: 10-12, 12-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-9
Aug. 17: 10-12, 12-2, 2-4, 4-6
Aug. 18: 10-12, 2-4
Aug. 19: 2-4. 4-6, 6-9
Here are times where there are no volunteers yet:
Aug. 17: 6-9
Aug. 18: 12-2, 4-6, 6-9
Aug. 19: 12-2
To sign up to work at the fair, please go towww.signupgenius.com/go/5080F4BA5A62BA6FB6-COUNTY
If you have any questions, contact Walt Cooter atwalter@rockisland.com or Cindy Wolf atCwolf@seanet.com.  Also, if you would like to speak on a topic at the fair, let Cindy or Walt know about this.  Even if you can’t work at the fair, please come by the booth, and send others over to the booth.  We will have speakers, and we will have postcards available to fill out to send.

Keep in mind that we will be taking a busload of folks down to the 45^th senate district near Seattle in early September to do some campaigning for Manka Dhingra.  We are hoping to have Kevin Ranker leading us.  Remember, if we can help carry Manka to victory, we can turn the senate blue and have control of both houses of the legislature, so be on the lookout for my notice about this later in August.  In addition, we may have an opportunity for those who would like to call voters in that district from their own homes.  Finally, if there are any of you who live in the islands part-time but live in Manka’s district at other times (from Kirkland on the west, to Duvall on the east, and Sammamish on the south; includes Redmond and Kirkland), please let us know who you are, as you could be a big help.

Thanks to all who gathered signatures and/or simply signed the petition to protect our undocumented residents from fear of being asked their documentation status if not relevant.  This is a matter of public safety, as all of us need to feel safe in calling for help if we need it.  The number of signatures gathered was 1,000 more than required, so you will see the proposed ordinance on the ballot this November.

For those who have been wondering what is happening with the move to change our nominating procedure where we have a whole bunch of people try to cram into a caucus room as opposed to using a primary, our State Committeewoman Natasha Frey reports that the State Democrats’ Rules Committee will be meeting this weekend, and one of the main items of business will be this topic.  We are hoping to have the primary become the vehicle for determining how many delegates each candidate receives, then have those who are interested attend a caucus to determine the delegates and possibly work on the platform.  Natasha will be attending and will update us afterward.  If you have any comments about this, please get them to me this week so I can forward them to Natasha, or email her at freyn2@wwu.edu.

If anyone is interested in participating in establishing a national bank to fund infrastructure projects, please contact me.  We are hoping to get one of our Washington State Congresspeople to introduce legislation for this.

PCO and Orcas Deputy Vice Chair Cindy Wolf has been elected vice chair of our county Democratic Party.  That opens up Cindy’s deputy vice chair position.  Keara Axelrod is very interested in filling this position, and she will do so unless anyone else from Orcas contacts me that s/he would like to be considered.

Our Platform Committee has not met in a few years, and it is time to update our county platform.  If youhaven’t read this document, it is well worth taking the time to do so, as it is a very progressive document.  Find it at http://sjdemocrats.org/platform/.  If you would like to be part of this committee, please contact me or let me know at the next meeting in September.

Due to our participation in the fair in August and the fact that lots of people take vacations that month, we will not have a regular monthly meeting in August.  Our next meeting will most likely be on Sept. 16.  I will send out a notice when we get closer to the time.

Thanks for reading!
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
Tel. 376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

SJCDs Meeting Saturday, July 8

Hello San Juan County Democrats:

Our next scheduled meeting of the San Juan County Democrats is Saturday, July 8, at Skagit Community College in Friday Harbor.  The inter-island ferry arrives at 11:20, so we would hope to start by about 11:35 or 11:40.  The ferry leaves at 2:15, so we will end the meeting about 1:50.   Thanks to our generous drivers in Friday Harbor, rides will once again be provided to and from the ferry. Also, we will have childcare available if anyone calls me that they would like to utilize it; call David Turnoy at 376-4165 or email davidgeri@centurylink.net.  Please contact me by Monday, July 3, if interested.

We plan to elect a vice chair for our county organization.  We will still have individual deputy vice chairs for each of the three largest islands, but we need a woman in place as vice chair to follow state rules for gender equity, plus one more person in a leadership position will be very helpful.  I have not had anyone contact me expressing her interest, as of this date.  If you are interested, please let me know, and please be prepared to give a brief chat about yourself.

We will not have a meeting in August due to the county fair and our participation in it. Therefore, we should use part of the upcoming meeting to plan for that.  And if you haven’t signed up to help at the Fair, please go to
www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F4BA5A62BA6FB6-COUNTY.  Simply copy and paste this link.

Even though the state legislature is still in session, Senator Ranker recently contacted me to say that he still wants to lead a busload of islanders down to the 45th district to campaign for Manka Dhingra later this summer.  If I have more news about this by the time of our meeting, I will relay it.

It has been several months since our committees have met, so I hope to have a substantial amount of time for this to happen.

If you have other items to add to our agenda, please contact me.  I look forward to seeing you on July 8.

Thanks.

David Turnoy
Chair
San Juan County Democrats
Tel. 376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

San Juan County Democrats Meeting Saturday, June 10

Hello San Juan County Democrats:

Following our bylaws revision meeting in May, our next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 10, starting at 11:30 am, ending by 2:00 pm, at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor. The inter-island ferry arrives in Friday Harbor at 11:15 am and leaves at 2:20 pm. Thanks to our generous drivers in Friday Harbor, rides will once again be provided to and from the ferry. Also, we will again have childcare available if anyone calls me that they would like to utilize it; call David Turnoy at 376-4165 or email davidgeri@centurylink.net.  Please contact me by Monday, June 5, if interested.

You may be aware that the Immigrant Rights Group of the Orcas Women’s Coalition is seeking to put an initiative on the ballot for an election this November that would establish an ordinance preventing our county prosecutor and law enforcement from asking about immigration status.  If undocumented folks know they will be asked their status, they are less likely to report danger or crime to the authorities, compromising their safety.  In addition, there are many other reasons why this kind of ordinance makes sense.  We hope to have the author of the ordinance present at our meeting to tell us about it and answer questions, then we will vote on whether to endorse the ordinance.

It has been a couple of months since our committees have met, so I hope to have a substantial amount of time for this to happen.

At this point the state legislative session continues to go on, so Senator Ranker is not yet free to lead our charge to help in the senate election in the 45th district.  I hear really good things about the organization in place in that district to elect Manka Dinghra, so we will have to see how much help we can provide.

If you have other items to add to our agenda, please contact me.  I look forward to seeing you on June 10.

Thanks.

David Turnoy
Chair
San Juan County Democrats
Tel. 376-4165

New County Resolution that Protects Immigrants

We have a new resolution in the works. The Orcas Women’s Coalition’s Immigrants’ Rights Group has been working over the last few months to create a new resolution for San Juan County that goes the extra miles to protect immigrants and residents in the county. You can read the resolution, A Resolution Reaffirming San Juan County’s Commitment to Tolerance, Diversity and Inclusiveness, at the Orcas Women’s Coalition website.

What can you do to support this resolution? 

• Attend the County Council meeting to show support in numbers. I will post an update once we have a meeting date.
• You can also write and call your council members to let them know that you want this resolution to pass. Their contact info is:

Bill Watson, District #1, billw@sanjuanco.com 360-370-7473
Rick Hughes, District #2, Rickh@sanjuanco.com 360-472-0253
Jamie Stephens, District #3, jamies@sanjuanco.com 360-378-2898

Mailing Address:
350 Court Street
No. 1
Friday Harbor, WA 98250

More to come once we have the latest updates!

San Juan Democrats Meeting Saturday, April 8

Hello San Juan County Democrats:

Due to widespread interest, the San Juan County Democrats are continuing to meet once a month. Our next meeting is our regular quarterly meeting and will take place on Saturday, April 8, starting at 11:30 am, ending by 2:00 pm, at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor. The inter-island ferry arrives to Friday Harbor at 11:15 am and leaves at 2:20 pm. Thanks to our generous drivers in Friday Harbor, rides will once again be provided to and from the ferry. Also, we will again have childcare available in an effort to attract younger folks to participate in our meetings and actions.

Our agenda on April 8 will include:

1) Introductions, approval of minutes, and treasurer’s report;
2) Report on Rep. Larsen’s meeting in Friday Harbor on March 26;
3) Report on the April 1 coordination meeting in Friday Harbor of the leaders of the various progressive action groups throughout San Juan County;
4) Formation of new groups on minority and immigrant rights, legislative bills, and elections;
5) Planning for meet and greet with Manka Dhingra, Democratic candidate for State Senator for the 45th LD;
6) Addressing post cards in support of Planned Parenthood;
7) Calendar of upcoming meetings; &
8) Breakout into action groups, then report back to full meeting.

Gretchen Allison and others are putting on an art exhibit focusing on political protest and social and environmental issues in the first week of May at Maria Michaelson and Eban Shay’s new art center on San Juan Island. They would like to get the word out to a broad swath of artist types so they know it’s happening and can consider showing their work. Contact Gretchen at gretchen@rockisland.com. Gretchen also has “Resist!” bumper stickers available.

Speaking of resistance, you may be interested in the Resistance Manual website, which is a Wikipedia-style platform with background information on current issues. You can access it at www.resistancemanual.org. This is a good site to use in conjunction with Indivisible actions or on its own.

It has been suggested that we may want to have a group, or individuals, tracking legislative bills and elections so we can act when it is timely. If you are motivated to initiate a group to do this, please come to our upcoming meeting. Or if you want to do this on your own, you can monitor happenings at https://www.senate.gov/legislative/active_leg_page.htm and https://www.congress.gov/search?q={%22source%22:%22legislation%22,%22congress%22:%22115%22,%22bill-status%22:%22passed-one%22} .

Another suggestion for a group is one to protect minority rights. The Orcas Women’s Coalition has had a group working on immigrant protection since soon after the election, and they have met with County Council Members, the sheriff, the county prosecutor, our state senator, and the school board on Orcas. If you have an interest in being involved, please contact me and I will put you in touch with them.

You are encouraged to bring blank postcards to our April 8 meeting. Rita O’Clair, the lead of our Planned Parenthood and Related Issues group and our most prolific political postcard writer, has acquired stamps to imprint the addresses of our legislators on postcards, and if you would like a turn to stamp a bunch of postcards for yourself to use as you continue to contact our legislators as part of the resistance, please bring your supply of postcards with you to the upcoming meeting.

If you will be attending our April 8 meeting and will require childcare, please call David Turnoy at 376-4165 by Monday, or email him at davidgeri@centurylink.net, so we will know if we should provide childcare or not.

I look forward to seeing you on April 8.

Thanks.

David Turnoy
Chair
San Juan County Democrats
Tel. 376-4165

Special Meeting on 3/4/17

Below is the agenda for the special meeting of the San Juan County Democrats at noon to 2:30 pm on Saturday, March 4 at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor. Child care will be provided for those attending with children. Those arriving by ferry from other islands will be provided with transportation to/from the ferry landing.

I hope to see you on Saturday.

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats

San Juan County Democrats
Agenda for Special Meeting on March 4, 2017

1. Call to order (12:00 pm).

2. Approval of minutes (12:00-12:02 pm).

3. Introduction of parliamentarians (12:02-12:04 pm).

4. Discussion of provided child care (12:04-12:08 pm).

5. Request for confirmation of appointment of Mike Simmering as PCO for Shaw Island (12:08-12:12 pm).

6. Announcement of new Democracy Forum meetings at San Juan Cheese in Friday Harbor at 1-4 pm on 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month (12:12-12:15 pm).

7. Election of Tom Perez as new chair of DNC and Keith Ellison as deputy chair (12:15-12:20 pm).

8. Report on Kevin Ranker’s speech on Orcas on February 19 (12:20 -12:30 pm).

9. Discussion of county council goals for 2017 (12:30-12:40 pm).

10. Action Groups: Introduce groups so far, anyone wanting to start a new one, break out into work sessions (12:40-1:50 pm).

11. Reassemble, share, & wrap-up (1:50-2:20 pm).

12. Determine schedule for next few meetings: April 8, May 20(?) for bylaws, June ??? for ? (2:20-2:30 pm).

13. Adjourn (2:30 pm).

Invitation to Action Meeting on 2/4/17

Hello San Juan County Democrats:

As your newly elected county chair, I would like to welcome you to attend the next meeting of the San Juan County Democrats at noon on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor. Back in December, the SJCDs began brainstorming issues that we want to work on to help to change our political landscape. We plan to complete that process on February 4, then we will break into issue-related groups and get busy.

This is what we have brainstormed so far:

Election-related Issues
Abolish the Electoral College (National Popular Vote Compact).
Work to roll back gerrymandering when redistricting is next implemented in 2020.
Implement nationwide campaign finance reform. Reverse Citizens United ruling.
Implement preferential voting system for local and state offices (instant runoff/ranked choice).
Fight voter suppression:
Motor Voter, Automatic Voter Registration, Mail-in Ballots, same day registration.
Too few polling places.
Denial of vote to incarcerated persons.
Election Day on a weekend or have it be a national holiday.
Help register Latinos in Yakima Valley.
Replace voting machines with paper ballots.
Replace caucus system with primary system to choose Democratic presidential candidates.
Eliminate super delegates.
Prosecute voter fraud in 2016 presidential primary elections.

Environment
Climate Change.
Air and Water pollution.
Protection of wildlife, whales and endangered species.
Green Jobs Program, Just Transition.
Put pressure on the county council for better environmental practices including renewable energy (solar and wind energy), and grey water usage.

Local Action
Support efforts to win the special election for state senator from the 45th LD to be held in November 2017 in order to give the Democrats a majority in the State Senate and the ability to pass key legislation.
Hold county council feet to the fire (POD strategy).
Support Democrats throughout the state in elections to WA State house and senate.
Reassure Hispanic community and other people and minorities at risk (sanctuary, county
council, sheriff, prosecuting attorney).
Organize event on Orcas/ Friday Harbor/Lopez to coincide with the Million Women March in Washington DC on January 21 protesting the inauguration of Trump as President and generally supporting women’s rights.
Work for local progressive candidates, judges, county council and sheriff.
Support affordable housing in SJC.
Increase minimum wage in SJC.
POD Strategy (Organizing locally, Cindy Wolf)

Democratic Party
Adopt/support Our Revolution platform position so as to appeal to younger voters.
Democratic Party should represent integrity in all aspects.
Reform the State and National Democratic Parties.
Appeal to men as a voting group.

Miscellaneous
If the federal government reduces funds for state and federal social programs, WA State should reduce/eliminate its contribution of funds to the federal government so that those funds can be used to make up the shortfall locally.
Immigration Reform.
Maintain and improve care for all.
Support Planned Parenthood.
Press county council and WA State for more funds for community outreach, civics education, and field trips.
Provide better economic opportunity and jobs.

If you would like to be part of a more progressive, action-oriented local Democratic Party, please plan to attend our February 4 meeting.

For those of you coming from an island other than San Juan, you can walk onto the ferry, then walk off at Friday Harbor and receive a ride to and from the meeting. Our friends in Friday Harbor are always happy to help those of us from other islands to get to/from the meeting. Please let me know if you need a ride.

I hope to see you on February 4.

Thanks,

David Turnoy
Chair
San Juan County Democrats
Tel. 376-4165
davidgeri@centurylink.net

San Juan County Democrats Elect New Officers & PCOs

At its reorganization meeting on January 14, 2017 in Friday Harbor, the SJCDs elected the following new officers and precinct committee officers (PCOs) for 2017-18:

Chair – David Turnoy

Vice Chair San Juan Island – Walt Cooter

Vice Chair Orcas – Cindy Wolf

Vice Chair Lopez – Bob O’Connell

40th LD Vice Chair – Sharon Abreu

Treasurer – Eric Vittinghoff

Secretary – Art Van Gelder

State Committeeman – Learner Limbach

State Committeewoman – Natasha Frey

PCO Orcas West #22 – Cindy Wolf

PCO Turn Point #17 – Stephen Shubert

PCO San Juan SW #12 – Pat Miller

A complete list of our officers and PCOs can be found under the About Us menu above.

Candidates Sought for 2017-18 Officer Positions

Candidates are sought to run for election to the officer positions of the San Juan County Democrats listed below. The elections will be held at our next regular quarterly meeting at noon on January 14, 2017 at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor. The officers elected then will serve for two years (2017-18). The names shown below are those individuals who have so far communicated his/her candidacy for the corresponding position. Anyone else interested is encouraged to declare his/her candidacy.

Chair – David Turnoy
Vice Chair for San Juan Island – Laura Jo Severson
Vice Chair for Orcas Island
Vice Chair for Lopez Island – Bob O’Connell
Vice Chair for 40th Legislative District – Natasha Frey (incumbent)
Treasurer – Eric Vittinghoff (incumbent)
Secretary – Art Van Gelder (incumbent)
State Committeeman – Jamie Stephens (incumbent), Learner Limbach
State Committeewoman – Diane Martindale (incumbent), Natasha Frey

If you are interested in running for any of these positions, or would like to nominate someone else whom you believe would be willing to serve, please reply to this email or call me at the telephone number found below.

Thanks.

David Dehlendorf
Chair
San Juan County Democrats
Tel. 360-378-1082

Special Meeting on 12/3/16

Local Democrats are invited to the special meeting of the San Juan County Democrats at 11:30 am on Saturday, December 3 in the community meeting room at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor. The entrance is off the parking lot at the rear of the building.

The sole purpose of the meeting is to gather input from attendees, with discussion, as the SJCDs begin the process of developing our priorities and action plans for 2017-18 in view of the recent disastrous election results. We encourage you to attend on December 3 to be part of this development process, as well as to consider your subsequent participation in the implementation of the results over the next two years.

If you would like to comment in advance of the meeting, or want to do so because you are unable to attend, please email us at thesjcdems@gmail.com.

Thanks.

David Dehlendorf
Chair
San Juan County Democrats

Invitation to Hillary Election Celebration Party on Wednesday Night

Democrats of San Juan County are invited to a party on Wednesday, November 9 at the Grange Hall in Friday Harbor to celebrate the historic election on November 8 of Hillary Clinton as the first female President of the U.S., as well as of other Democrats up and down the ticket. Come any time between 5:30 and 8:00 pm. Parents are encouraged to bring their daughters and sons.

Pizza, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Feel free to bring your own beer or wine.

Be sure to also bring your dancing shoes. Women of Hillary’s generation are encouraged to wear a pants suit.

Hillary’s election will be a truly historic event. We hope you will help us recognize the significance of her election.

Feel free to invite friends, neighbors, and any visitors from off-island.

Just show up. It is not necessary to respond to this email.

If you haven’t voted, be sure to deliver or mail your ballot by Monday or Tuesday.

David Dehlendorf
Chair
San Juan County Democrats

Endorsements for 11/8/16 General Election

The San Juan County Democrats have endorsed the following candidates and ballot measures in the November 8, 2016 general election. Voters will receive their ballots by mail the week of October 17. You are urged to vote for:

• President/Vice President of the United States – Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
• U.S. Senator – Patty Murray
• U.S. Representative for 2nd Congressional District – Rick Larsen
• Governor – Jay Inslee
• Lt. Governor – Cyrus Habib
• Secretary of State – Tina Podlodowski
• State Auditor – Pat McCarthy
• Attorney General – Bob Ferguson
• Commissioner of Public Lands – Hilary Franz
• Superintendent of Public Instruction – Erin Jones
• Insurance Commissioner – Mike Kreidler
• State Senator for 40th Legislative District – Kevin Ranker
• State Representative for 40th Legislative District – Kris Lytton
• State Representative for 40th Legislative District – Jeff Morris
• San Juan County Council Residency District #1 – Bill Watson
• Supreme Court Justice Position #1 – Mary Yu
• Supreme Court Justice Position #5 – Barbara Madsen
• Supreme Court Justice Position #6 – Charlie Wiggins

Vote “Yes” for:

• Initiative Measure No. 1433 – Increases state minimum wage, requires employers to provide paid sick leave, etc.
• Initiative Measure No. 1464 – Concerns campaign finance laws and lobbyists. Gives each voter three $50 vouchers to donate to state legislative candidates. Lobbyists limited to $100 donation to any candidate whom they may lobby in future. Bars elected officials and public employees from becoming lobbyists for three years after leaving office.
• Initiative Measure No. 1491 – Allows police, family, or household members to obtain court orders temporarily preventing firearms access by persons exhibiting mental illness, violent or other behavior indicating they may harm themselves or others.
• Initiative Measure No. 1501 – Increases the penalties for criminal identify theft and civil consumer fraud targeted at seniors or vulnerable individuals, etc.
• Initiative Measure No. 732 – Imposes a carbon emission tax on certain fossil fuels and fossil-fuel-generated electricity, reduces the sales tax by one percent, increases a low-income exemption, etc.
• Initiative Measure No. 735 – Urges the Washington State congressional delegation to propose a federal constitutional amendment that constitutional rights belong only to individuals, not corporations, and constitutionally-protected free speech excludes the spending of money, thereby overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

Vote “Maintained” For:

• Advisory Vote No. 14/House Bill 2768 – To maintain or repeal an insurance premium tax previously approved by the legislature for some stand-alone family dental plans.
• Advisory Vote No. 15/Second Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2778 – To maintain or repeal certain limitations on the retail sales and use tax exemptions previously approved by the legislature for clean alternative-fuel vehicles.

Vote “Approved” For:

• Senate Joint Resolution No. 8210 – Requests the voting public to approve a state constitutional amendment previously approved by the legislature concerning state legislative and congressional redistricting. This amendment would require the state redistricting commission to complete redistricting for state legislative and federal congressional districts by November 15 of each year ending in a one, 46 days earlier than currently required.

Invitation to 10/8/16 Quarterly Meeting

Democrats and independents are invited to attend the quarterly meeting of the San Juan County Democrats at 11:30 am on Saturday, October 8 in the community meeting room of Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor. The meeting is expected to last approximately 1-1/2 hours.

This will be a very important meeting as we will be discussing our final efforts to get out the vote (GOTV) in the November 8 election, including the need for volunteers to participate in phone banking. Our GOTV efforts will focus not only on the presidential election, but also on other races and ballot measures up and down the ballot, including support for Bill Watson for county council, Jay Inslee for Governor, Erin Jones for Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tina Podlodowski for Secretary of State, and I-735 to help overturn Citizens United through a constitutional amendment. Your assistance in these efforts is critical to our success. Please don’t sit on the sidelines and think that voting is the only thing you need to contribute. Democracy is not a spectator sport! Please participate.

Other agenda items for the meeting include: 1) Discussion of results of recent presidential debates; 2) Consideration of several endorsements; 3) Report on proceedings of the 40th LD Democrats; 4) Planning for victory celebration in mid-November; 5) Planning for our reorganization meeting on January 14; and 6) Update on the revision of our by-laws.

Please put October 8 on your calendar. I hope to see you then. If you are coming from Orcas, Lopez, or Shaw, please let me know if you need transportation from the Friday Harbor ferry terminal to Skagit Valley College.

Thanks.

David Dehlendorf
Chair
San Juan County Democrats
Tel. 360-378-1082

Endorsements for November 8, 2016 General Election

The San Juan County Democrats are pleased to announce that at its meeting on September 10 in Friday Harbor, it voted to endorse the following candidates and ballot measures in the Washington State general election on November 8, 2016. Only candidates who requested endorsement were given consideration.

Candidates Bill Watson, Cyrus Habib, and Tina Podlodowski attended in person to request endorsement. Patty Murray and Kevin Ranker were represented by members of their election staff.

Candidates – Endorsements Were Approved For:

• Bill Watson for San Juan County Council Member – San Juan Island Residency District #1

• Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine for President & Vice President

• Patty Murray for U.S. Senator

• Rick Larsen for U.S. Representative – 2nd Congressional District

• Kevin Ranker for State Senator – 40th Legislative District

• Kris Lytton for State Representative – 40th Legislative District

• Jeff Morris for State Representative – 40th Legislative District

• Jay Inslee for Washington State Governor

• Cyrus Habib for Lt. Governor

• Tina Podlodowski for Secretary of State

• Bob Ferguson for State Attorney General

• Pat McCarthy for State Auditor

• Hilary Franz for State Commissioner of Public Lands

• Erin Jones for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

• Mike Kreidler for State Insurance Commissioner

• Barbara Madsen for Washington State Supreme Court Justice Position #5

Initiatives to the People – “Yes” Votes Were Approved For:

• Initiative Measure No. 1433 – Increases state minimum wage, requires employers to provide paid sick leave, etc.

• Initiative Measure No. 1491 – Allows police, family, or household members to obtain court orders temporarily preventing firearms access by persons exhibiting mental illness, violent or other behavior indicating they may harm themselves or others.

• Initiative Measure No. 1501 – Increases the penalties for criminal identify theft and civil consumer fraud targeted at seniors or vulnerable individuals, etc.

Initiatives to the Legislature – “Yes” Votes Were Approved For:

• Initiative Measure No. 732 – Imposes a carbon emission tax on certain fossil fuels and fossil-fuel-generated electricity, reduces the sales tax by one percent, increases a low-income exemption, etc.

• Initiative Measure No. 735 – Urges the Washington State congressional delegation to propose a federal constitutional amendment that constitutional rights belong only to individuals, not corporations, and constitutionally-protected free speech excludes the spending of money.

Advisory Votes to Legislature – “Maintained” Votes Were Approved For:

• Advisory Vote No. 14/House Bill 2768 – To maintain or repeal an insurance premium tax previously approved by the legislature for some stand-alone family dental plans.

• Advisory Vote No. 15/Second Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2778 – To maintain or repeal certain limitations on the retail sales and use tax exemptions previously approved by the legislature for clean alternative-fuel vehicles.

Proposed Amendment to the State Constitution – “Approved” Vote Was Approved For:

• Senate Joint Resolution No. 8210 – Requests the voting public to approve a state constitutional amendment previously approved by the legislature concerning state legislative and congressional redistricting. This amendment would require the state redistricting commission to complete redistricting for state legislative and congressional districts by November 15 of each year ending in a one, 46 days earlier than currently required.

 Invitation to Special Endorsement Meeting on 9/30/16 

All Democrats and independents of our county are invited to a special meeting of the San Juan County Democrats (SJCDs) at 11:30 am on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at the Grange Hall located at 152 1st. St. N. in Friday Harbor. The meeting is expected to last approximately 2-3 hours.

The primary purpose of the meeting will be for the SJCDs to consider the endorsement of most of the candidates in the 18 races for local, state, and federal offices on the November 8 general election ballot. The SJCDs has a policy of only considering for endorsement those candidates who request our endorsement.

We will also consider the endorsement of the nine state ballot measures on the November 8 ballot, including I-735 related to campaign finance reform.

We will post later on this website a list of all of the candidates and ballot measures on the November 8 ballot.

Some of the candidates to be considered for endorsement are expected to attend, including Cyrus Habib, Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor. Some other candidates are expected to be represented by surrogates.

Attendees will be able to ask questions of the candidates and surrogates present and to comment on motions to endorse candidates and ballot measures. However, under our by-laws, only those Precinct Committee Officers present will be eligible to vote on motions to endorse, with 66-2/3% approval required to pass any motions.

We hope to see you on September 10.

David Dehlendorf
Chair
San Juan County Democrats

Report on Quarterly Meeting on 7/9/16

The San Juan County Democrats are pleased to announce that at our meeting on July 9, we voted unanimously to endorse the following candidates in the August 2 primary election:

Patty Murray for U.S. Senator.

Kevin Ranker for State Senator for the 40th Legislative District.

Kris Lytton for State Representative, Position #1, for the 40th Legislative District.

Jeff Morris for State Representative, Position #2, for the 40th Legislative District.

Due to time limitations, we temporarily suspended the meeting without finalizing our consideration of other endorsements. For that reason, the meeting will resume on Saturday, July 23 on the inter-island ferry to consider other endorsements and to complete the remaining agenda from July 9. Democrats and independents are welcome to attend by boarding the inter-island ferry leaving that morning at 8:30 am from Friday Harbor, 9:15 am from Orcas, 9:30 am from Shaw, and 9:50 am from Lopez. The actual meeting will start at 10:00 am once members have boarded from Lopez, and end at 11:15 am when members disembark in Friday Harbor.

Also at the July 9 meeting, we voted unanimously to confirm the chair’s appointments to the following positions:

Art Van Gelder as Secretary.

Diane Martindale as State Committee Person.

The following Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs):

Nathan Ross – Friday Harbor North
Celina Wright – Friday Harbor South
Ed Strum – San Juan South East
Tom Munsey – San Juan South West
Susan Grout – San Juan Central
Laura Jo Severson – San Juan West
Natasha Frey – San Juan North
Diane Martindale – San Juan East
Pat Miller – Turn Point
Bob O’Connell – Waldron
David Turnoy – Orcas West
Learner Limbach – Orcas Central
Geri Turnoy – Eastsound
Penny Buttke – Orcas East
Art Van Gelder – Blakely
Mac Langford – Lopez North
Bob Hall – Lopez South
David Dehlendorf – Decatur
Jon Shannon – Shaw

This is the first time the San Juan County Democrats have had a full complement of 19 PCOs.

And be sure to visit our new blog for the latest progressive news and opinion: Islanders’ Voice and its accompanying Facebook page.

Invitation to Quarterly Meeting on July 9

All Democrats and independents are invited to attend the next quarterly meeting of the San Juan County Democrats at 11:30 am on Saturday, July 9 in the community meeting room at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor.

After we vote to confirm the appointments of our ten new Precinct Committee Officers and on several minor amendments to our by-laws, the primary agenda item will be to listen to presentations from several Democratic candidates for state and federal office in the August 2 primary. These candidates include incumbent Rick Larsen and his opponent Mike Lapointe for representative for the 2nd Congressional District, two candidates for governor, and one candidate for state senator. There will also be a presentation by the supporters of the EMS levy on the same ballot. After these presentations, we will consider motions to endorse candidates in these and other races, as well as the EMS levy.

Other agenda items include the need for party unity, reports on the recent Democratic State Convention and the July 4 parade, the need for volunteers for our booth at the county fair, and an update on this fall’s get out the vote campaign.

Please join us.

 Invitation to Opening of Democracy Place on June 21

All Democrats and independents are invited to the grand opening of “Democracy Place,” the San Juan County Democrats 2016 election headquarters at 11 am to 3 pm on Tuesday, June 21. Democracy Place is located at 335 Argyle Ave. in Friday Harbor, between Cecil’s and The Computer Place.

Attendees will be able to speak with State Rep. Kris Lytton, State Sen. Kevin Ranker and local party leaders and volunteers. Rep. Lytton and Sen. Ranker will be in attendance from approximately 1 to 2 pm.

Democracy Place will be open through the November election, with volunteer staffing from 11 am to 3 pm daily except Wednesday. Campaign materials and candidate information will be available for Democrats running for state and national office, for candidates running for County Council, and on local and state ballot measures, all for the August 2 primary and November 8 general elections. The location also provides a welcoming venue for political discussions and other various campaign activities.

Whether you attend or not, be sure to register and vote on August 2. Ballots will be mailed the week of July 11.

 San Juan County Democratic Party Convention Report

By David Turnoy, Vice Chair, Orcas Island

San Juan County Democrats may have been wondering what happened with those delegates and alternates who were elected at our recent San Juan County Presidential Primary Precinct Caucuses on San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, Shaw, Waldron, and Decatur islands. On Sunday, May 1, these delegates and alternates participated in our county convention in Friday Harbor. 104 delegates had been elected on March 26, and almost that many alternates. Some delegates were replaced by alternates as they notified us that they were unable to attend, and seven unannounced delegates who failed to attend were replaced by alternates.

Once the alternates were seated, we had the same split of Bernie and Hillary delegates that we had coming out of the precinct caucuses: 79 delegates for Bernie Sanders and 25 delegates for Hillary Clinton. Because our county is allocated five delegates to go on to the 2nd Congressional District Caucus on May 21 and the state convention, four delegates were allocated to Bernie and one for Hillary. Under the rules, if one candidate has more than 75% of the delegates, s/he gets both of our alternates, so they both went to Bernie.

Close to 30 people ran to be a delegate for Bernie to the next level, and about 10 ran to represent Hillary. Each had to speak to their whole caucus to try to woo the voters. Once the secret ballot was completed, Diane Martindale of San Juan Island emerged as a landslide victor for the opportunity to represent Hillary. The Bernie delegates are Learner Limbach and Marta Nielson, both of Orcas, and Robert O’Connell and Kate Czaya, both of Lopez. The two alternates for Bernie are Susan Toch and Barbara Starr, both of San Juan Island.

Once the delegate selection was complete, the convention moved into the consideration of resolutions to send on to the state platform committee. I had chaired a platform committee that worked on sifting through the more than 50 proposals that came out of the precinct caucuses. Many of these proposals are actually already in our state party platform, which is extremely progressive in its content. If you care to see what the Washington State Democrats stand for, at least on paper, I encourage you to go to http://www.wa-democrats.org/about/documents and click on the link to “Platform”. Proposals submitted at the precinct caucuses that relate to items already in the platform are being submitted in the form of platform amendments to the state platform committee, as we were told the committee would only really consider about five resolutions from each county and legislative district. If you are interested in knowing about those, you are welcome to contact me for our list.

We passed six resolutions at the convention. The first is an effort to reform our state election season as follows: change the current Democratic Party reliance on a caucus to a three-step process where the first step is a town hall forum in each locality around the state for voters to get information, the second step is the statewide primary where everyone votes and the results are used to determine the delegates allocated to each candidate, and step three is a caucus where only those interested in running for a delegate position would attend. This still allows the best parts of the caucus but eliminates (for those folks merely wanting to vote) having to crowd into a small, chaotic space to vote. Other provisions of this comprehensive resolution include eliminating superdelegates, aligning the timing of primaries or caucuses of WA, OR, and CA with the early Nevada caucus so that our region has more influence on the presidential race, and requiring delegates to vote for the candidate to whom they are pledged on the first ballot, among other items. This provision with the three-step process outlined here started with a conversation I had with Orcas resident Fred Klein, and it was put into its final form by Robert O’Connell of Lopez.

Our next resolution was to support the carbon tax initiative that will be on the November ballot, I-732, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. This was submitted by Bill Appel of Waldron, who actually has written the language for the initiative.

Our third resolution deals with the impacts of increased Navy activity in our region, including the Growlers, EMF radiation emitted from Navy equipment, and war games to take place on public lands throughout western Washington. Cynthia Dilling of Lopez and the local citizens who have been fighting the life-changing effects of the Growlers for years prepared this resolution.

Our fourth resolution, from San Juan resident Pam Finley, calls on Congress to repeal a section of the 1996 Telecommunications Act which allows communications companies to determine where they would like to locate cell towers with no input from local government. Repealing this section would allow local governments to prevent towers from being put in places where they will cause detrimental health effects.

Gay Wilmerding of San Juan Island presented a resolution that requires warning signage be posted at all facilities where religious belief takes precedence over best medical practice. The measure would also require the ending of public subsidies like property tax levies, tax abatement and charitable donations to facilities that allocate service based on religious preference. Until such practices change, these medical facilities would be taxed at regular business rates.

The final resolution passed is a measure to require that guns be engraved with a gun identification number to assure ownership and transfer of ownership, that a use license be issued requiring competency and safety in gun use, and that liability insurance be required to allow for recourse for victims of gun violence. This measure was submitted by Walt Cooter of San Juan Island, with the aim being to treat guns the same way as another dangerous item in our society is treated, namely automobiles.

We ran out of time to consider other issues of interest. We hope to continue consideration of further issues at an upcoming meeting of the local Democrats. I have proposed the date of May 21 for this meeting, and I am waiting to hear back from other local party leaders.

Many people’s hard work went into making this day a success. The credentials committee, which consists of the folks who checked in all the delegates and alternates, replaced missing delegates, and tallied the votes, was chaired by Geri Turnoy and Arthur Vangelder. Other helpful members were Marilyn Parman, Walt Cooter, Susan Williamson, Learner Limbach, Randy and Kathy Moss, Kirman Taylor, Robert Hall, Susan Grout, and Jamie Stephens. Thanks to those on the platform committee, especially Robert O’Connell, Lovel Pratt, Glenn Hendrick, Tom Munsey, and the others who contributed their thoughts and efforts. David Dehlendorf, our permanent county chair, was in constant email contact from abroad. Eric Vittinghoff, a master of spreadsheet manipulation and other computer-related wizardry, was an invaluable contributor by presenting the lists of delegates in each way we needed. Walt Cooter and Diane Martindale were extremely helpful in marshaling their respective delegates and in helping with decisions and other odds and ends, including name tags, opening the hall and cleaning the hall, and getting and returning extra chairs. Robert O’Connell helped out with a variety of items at our head table at the convention, Ron Claybourn was our parliamentarian with help from Robert O’Connell and Ry Barbin, with the latter also serving as our secretary. Alan Rounds was kind enough to do me the favor of accepting the position of sergeant at arms. Thanks to Laura Jo Severson for helping to open the hall. Thanks to all the delegates and alternates who gave up their Sunday, a gorgeous day which we all would have enjoyed by being outside, to further the work of participatory democracy. And a final thank you to anyone I may have missed.

The 2nd Congressional District caucus on May 21 will elect seven delegates and no alternates to the national convention. We should all wish our delegates well in their efforts at this event and the state convention, especially should they choose to run for delegate to the national event.

Don’t forget to vote in the Democratic presidential primary, currently meaningless but hopefully soon to be the avenue of choosing our delegates, especially if we have a large showing that proves to the state party that many more people will vote if there is a primary instead of having to attend a caucus to vote.

Finally, while local democracy can be a lot of work, it actually provides a chance to get things accomplished, and should you wish to participate further in the local Democratic Party, feel free to contact me at 376-4165 or davidgeri@centurylink.net.

Message to County Convention Delegates and Alternates

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April 16, 2016 by Pachamama

Category: National elections | Edit

Quarterly Meeting April 9, 2016 at Grange Hall in Friday Harbor

San Juan County Democrats are invited to attend our next quarterly meeting at 11:30 am on Saturday, April 9 at the Grange Hall in Friday Harbor.

The agenda will include: 1) Report and discussion on March 26 precinct caucuses; 2) Preparing for County Convention on May 1; 3) Treasurer’s report and status of fundraising plan; 4) Update of action plans; 5) Planning, and recruitment of leaders and volunteers, for 4th of July parade, summer social, Gov. Inslee fundraiser, county fair, and Get Out The Vote; and 6) Development of endorsement guidelines, process, and schedule.

This will be a very important meeting to prepare us for our efforts this summer and fall to elect Democrats on November 8.

We hope to see you on Saturday.

David Dehlendorf
Chair
San Juan County Democrats
Tel. 360-378-1082

Breakdown by Precinct & Island of San Juan County Caucuses on March 26

Bernie Sanders was the landslide winner in all precincts in San Juan County in the precinct caucuses on March 26. See below how your precinct and island compared to others in our county. And it is important to note that we had 2,039 attendees last Saturday compared to 75 at the recent Republican caucus in Friday Harbor. Could that poor turnout have anything to do with the quality of the Republican candidates?

Whoever is your preferred candidate, we need to unite behind the winner of the Democratic nomination in July to help prevent Trump or Cruz from increasing our country’s inequality even further, building a wall along the Mexican border, patrolling minority neighborhoods, shutting down Planned Parenthood, further eroding voter rights, and imposing his religious beliefs.

Thanks to all of you who attended and voted at the San Juan County Democratic Presidential Primary Presidential Caucuses on Saturday on San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, Shaw, Waldron, and Decatur islands. And thanks to the many volunteers who made the event possible.

Approximately 2,040 people voted at these caucuses, casting 1,580 votes, or 77.5%, in favor of Bernie Sanders, and 21.9% in favor of Hillary Clinton. In addition, 79 delegates for Bernie were elected to San Juan County Convention on May 1, with 25 elected for Hillary.

Here is the breakdown by precinct and island. The percentages of votes for each candidate in some precincts do not add up to 100% because of undecided voters.

San Juan County Democrats Vote Overwhelmingly for Bernie

March 28, 2016

San Juan County (Washington) Democrats met on Saturday in 18 individual precinct caucuses on seven islands, with 2,039 party faithful in attendance. Bernie received 1,580 votes, or 77.5 % of the total, with Hillary receiving 446, or 21.9%. It will be interesting to see if any other county in the country votes as strongly for Bernie as ours.

With our county’s 105 delegates at stake, Bernie received 79 delegates, with 25 going to Hillary supporters. There was one unallocated delegate.

The 104 delegates elected today will attend the San Juan County Democratic Convention on May 1. The time and location of the convention will be announced soon.

Additional information, including a precinct by precinct breakdown, will be posted on Islanders’ Voice on Monday.

Thanks to all of you who attended and showed the other party what to expect from us in November no matter who is the final Democrat candidate for POTUS.

And thanks to all of the volunteers who made today’s caucuses a resounding success in spite of the overflow turnout, probably a record for our county.

Reminder March 26 San Juan County Democratic Presidential Primary Precinct Caucuses

Posted March 19, 2016

Whether you are a supporter of Bernie, Hillary, or any other Democratic candidate for president, make sure your voice is heard by attending and voting at one of the following caucuses starting at 10:00 am on Saturday, March 26: High schools on San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez, the schools on Decatur and Waldron, and the Community Building on Shaw. (If you know someone who might be interested in organizing a caucus on Blakely, please email dauffa@gmail.com.)

The official start of the meetings is 10:00 am, with the 19 individual precinct caucuses at which voting will occur starting at 10:30 am. Be sure to arrive promptly at 10:00 am to allow time to register. If you prefer to pre-register, you can do so at http://www.demcaucus.com/register. If you do, be sure to print out your pre-registration form, sign it, and bring it to your caucus.

The deadline has passed for filing surrogate affidavit forms for those unable to attend.

If you are 17 years old today but will be 18 by the general election date of November 8, you can still attend and vote.

At our county’s 19 precinct caucuses, Democrats of San Juan County will elect a total of 105 delegates to the San Juan County Convention in Friday Harbor on May 1. The number of delegates elected for each candidate at each of the precinct caucuses will be determined in proportion to the number of votes received by each candidate at each precinct caucus. At the County Convention, a substantially reduced number of delegates will be elected to attend the 2nd Congressional District Caucus where 7 delegates will be elected to the Democratic national convention out of a total of 67 congressional district-level delegates from our state.

Please inform your friends, family, and neighbors about these important caucuses.

Online Registration & More for March 26 Caucuses

You can now pre-register online if you are planning to attend and vote at one of the San Juan County Democratic Presidential Primary Precinct Caucuses on March 26. You can also complete the required surrogate affidavit form if you will be unable to attend for specified reasons and want to give your vote to someone else, as well as read other information about the caucus process. All and more is found at:

http://www.wa-democrats.org/page/2016-democratic-caucuses

If you do pre-register, be sure to print and sign the completed form, which contains your precinct number and meeting location, and bring it to the caucus.

Anyone who will be 18 by November 8, 2016, resides in San Juan County, and affirms he/she is a Democrat on caucus day, is eligible to participate.

Please inform your friends and relatives about this important meeting to help nominate our next president.

You can comment below or email thesjcdems@gmail.com with any questions.

We hope to see you on March 26.

David Dehlendorf, Chair, San Juan County Democrats

Invitation to Presidential Primary Precinct Caucuses on March 26, 2016

The following invitation provides details about the process to be followed by the San Juan County Democrats and the Washington State Democrats to elect a total of 119 delegates and 7 alternates to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 25-28. Those of you who have participated in the process before may want to skim over it, as it has been written primarily for the numerous interested voters, many first-time, who have asked us detailed questions over the last several weeks. But even if you have participated before, we encourage you to do more than just skim as a refresher in case there are new elements to the plan that were not present in 2008 and 2012.

To: 1) All registered voters of San Juan County; 2) All other residents of our county age 18 or older who are not registered to vote elsewhere; and 3) All other residents of our county age 17 who will become 18 before or on November 8, 2016.

You are encouraged to begin the process of nominating Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders to be our next president by attending and voting at one of the San Juan County Democratic Presidential Primary Precinct Caucuses to be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, March 26, 2016.

Our Precinct Caucuses and those of other counties in our state are the start of the three-tier process to select 67 Congressional District-Level Delegates from our state to the Democratic National Convention on July 25-28 in Philadelphia where the official Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates will be selected. Of the 67, seven will be selected from the 2nd Congressional District in which we live based upon the process described below.

The three-tier process consists of the Precinct Caucuses on March 26, the San Juan County Convention on May 1, and the 2nd Congressional District Caucus on May 21. Anyone can attend all three, but only delegates or alternates elected at the previous tier can vote at the County Convention and at the 2nd Congressional District Caucus.

The entire Washington State delegation to the National Convention consists of 119 delegates and 7 alternates selected as described below. The 119 delegates include the 67 Congressional District-Level Delegates plus 52 other delegates and 7 alternates chosen at the State Convention.

San Juan County Presidential Primary Precinct Caucuses

The locations of the Precinct Caucuses at 10:00 am on Saturday, March 26 are: San Juan Island (Friday Harbor High School), Orcas Island (Orcas Island Public School in Eastsound), Lopez Island (Lopez Island Public School), and Waldron Island (Waldron School). Other locations on other islands may be announced at a later date.

The primary business of the Precinct Caucuses is the election of delegates to the San Juan County Convention on May 1. At the Precinct Caucuses, each of the county’s 19 precincts will meet in separate caucuses to elect between 1 and 10 delegates each to our County Convention, plus alternates, for a total of approximately 105 delegates. (We will publish soon the exact numbers for each precinct.) The number of delegates elected in each Precinct Caucus will be divided between the two candidates in proportion to the number of votes each of them receives in each caucus.

Before voting to elect delegates, attendees at each Precinct Caucus will have the opportunity to speak in favor of their preferred presidential candidate. The party welcomes the active discussion of the pros and cons of each candidate and their announced policies.

To be eligible to vote at your Precinct Caucus, you will need to register as you enter, including a declaration that you are registered to vote in our county and consider yourself to be a Democrat. However, if you are not yet registered to vote, including because you are 17 years of age, you can still vote at the caucuses by signing a voter registration form at the event provided you are not registered to vote elsewhere and you will be at least 18 years old on November 8, 2016.

Attendees will also have the ability to register online prior to March 26. We will publicize the link to this registration site as soon as it becomes available.

You can determine which precinct you live in by accessing the precinct maps at:

 https://wei.sos.wa.gov/county/sanjuan/en/maps_precincts_districts/Pages/default.aspx

You can also call the county’s elections office at 378-3357. We will also be able to make this determination for you when you enter the caucus.

Those who cannot attend their Precinct Caucus can sign a surrogate affidavit by March 18 granting their vote to another person. A link to this affidavit form will be provided shortly on this website. You can only use the form if you will be absence for certain specified reasons, such as work schedule, military service, illness, disability, or religious observance. Unfortunately, absence to attend school does not qualify for use of the affidavit form.

Although there will no formal action taken at the precinct caucuses, attendees may present resolutions pertaining to political matters for discussion and forwarding on to the Chair of the San Juan County Democrats for consideration at the County Convention on May 1.

No 40th Legislative District Caucus

Unlike other counties in our state, San Juan County Democrats do not participate in the caucus of the 40th Legislative District of which it is a member.

San Juan County Convention 

The primary business of the San Juan County Convention on May 1 in Friday Harbor (location to be announced) is the election of a yet-to-be determine number of delegates and alternates to both the 2nd Congressional District Caucus on May 21 and to the State Convention on June 18-19.

The County Convention will also include discussion and adoption of resolutions and modifications to the platform of the San Juan County Democrats. Resolutions will be forwarded to the State Democrats for consideration at the State Convention on June 18-19.

Anyone can attend the County Convention. However, only delegates or their alternates elected at the Precinct Caucuses are eligible to vote.

2nd Congressional District Caucus

The primary business of the 2nd CD Caucus on May 21, at a location to be announced, is the election of 7 delegates (4 men, 3 women) to the Democratic National Convention on July 25-28. (There is no election of alternates.) These 7 delegates will join others from Washington State’s nine other congressional districts for a total of 67 Congressional District-Level Delegates to the National Convention.

There is no discussion of resolutions or the platform.

Anyone can attend the 2nd CD Caucus. However, only delegates or their alternates elected at the County Convention are eligible to vote.

To be considered for election to the National Convention at the 2nd CD Caucus, delegates must file a Statement of Candidacy with the State Democrats by May 6 specifying the presidential candidate to which they are pledged. Representatives of each presidential candidate then have six days to review each delegate’s filing for their respective candidate, with the right to reject any applicant for any reason.

Washington State Convention

June 18-19 in Tacoma. Delegates (1,400 plus 700 alternates) include those elected at the state’s County Conventions, plus local and state party officials and elected officials such as all Democratic members of our Congressional delegation, big city mayors, state-wide elected officials, and state legislators.

The business of the State Convention includes: 1) Selection by a sub-committee of 52 additional delegates to the National Convention, consisting of 22 At-Large Delegates (see below), 12 Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official Delegates, and 18 Unpledged Party Leader and Elected Official Delegates, with the latter automatically selected by virtue of holding specified party or public offices; 2) Election of our state’s representatives on the Electoral College; 3) Adoption of the platform of the State Democrats; 4) Endorsement of nominees for partisan office; and 5) Various workshops.

Alternative Route to National Convention

In addition to the three-tier process described above for the election of Congressional District-Level Delegates, registered voters of San Juan County can also run for election to one of the 22 At-Large Delegate or 7 At-Large Alternate positions for the entire state by filing a Statement of Candidacy with the State Democrats by June 10. Those who file by this date will be considered for election at the State Convention on June 18-19.

At-Large Delegate candidates do not need to attend any of the three meetings described above. However, they must attend and speak at the State Convention before the vote is taken. Individuals considering this route need to be aware that the selection of At-Large Delegates and Alternates is used by the State Democrats to assure compliance with its stated diversity plan.

Washington State Presidential Primary

By state law, the State of Washington requires political parties to participate in a state-wide presidential primary election on May 24. However, the law does not require the parties to use the results of the primary in any specific manner. In fact, they may ignore the results, which is what the Washington State Democratic Party has decided to do. Instead it will rely exclusively on the results of the caucus and convention process described above.

Democratic National Convention

July 25-28 in Philadelphia. Details will be provided at a later date as needed or requested.

Why do the Washington State Democrats use a caucus system rather than a primary system to allot delegates?

The following question answer have been provided by the State Democrats:

“The Washington State Democrats have a long history of allocating delegates using precinct caucuses. The Washington State Democrats believe that caucuses – meetings where voters sit down with their neighbors and discuss the various candidates prior to casting their votes – encourage greater participation and involvement than simply casting a ballot from one’s home. In addition, by holding caucuses on March 26th, Washington was able to join into a “regional cluster” with Hawaii and Alaska, which grants a 15% bonus to our total number of delegates.”

Please encourage your family and friends who are Democrats to attend the March 26 precinct caucuses.

You can email thesjcdems@gmail.com with any questions. Or call 378-1082.

We look forward to your participation in the March 26 presidential primary precinct caucuses to nominate our next president.

David Dehlendorf, Chair, San Juan County Democrats

Press Release 08/10/15

In response to her request for endorsement, the San Juan County Democrats have decided to endorse the candidacy of Monica Harrington for Position #3 on the board of commissioners of San Juan County Public Hospital District #1 in the general election on November 3, 2015. Hospital District #1 consists of the following islands: San Juan, Brown, Henry, Johns, Pearl, Spieden, and Stuart. Only registered voters of these islands are eligible to vote.

We urge the registered voters of Hospital District #1 to support Ms. Harrington by voting for her in the general election on November 3.

The board of Hospital District #1 is primarily responsible for assuring that the public tax money it receives from the two levies that are its sole source of funds are used to serve the best interests of our entire community in an effective, transparent, and accountable manner. This responsibility includes ensuring compliance with Washington State’s Reproductive Privacy Act and Death With Dignity Act, both of which San Juan County voters overwhelmingly approved.

We believe noncompliance with either of these acts undermines the will of the voters and puts the district at risk of legal action. Ms. Harrington has the business background, knowledge of State health law, and commitment to the public interest to help assure that Hospital District #1 fully complies with its responsibilities.

The San Juan County Democrats also urge the election of other hospital district candidates in November who support our state’s Reproductive Privacy Act and Death with Dignity Act.

For further information, contact David Dehlendorf, Chair, San Juan County Democrats, tel. 378-1082.

Democrats of San Juan County
P.O. Box 1007
Friday Harbor, WA 98250