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