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:
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.
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