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General Membership Meeting

Thursday, Jan. 16!

 
6:00pm – 8:30pm
 
Tri-Area Community Center, 10 W Valley Rd, Chimacum, WA 98325, USA (map)
Program
Community Health Assessment: Summary Findings,

Red flags, Opportunities and Progress
 
Speaker:  John Nowak, Co-Executive Director of
CHIP and Care Coordination for Jefferson County

At its members meeting Thursday, Jan. 16 in Chimacum, the Jefferson County Democrats will learn about the Community Health Assessment conducted in the county last year. John Nowak, co-executive director of Community Health Improvement Plan and Care Coordination for Jefferson County, will present the findings, red flags, opportunities and progress.
 
Novak will speak from 6-7 p.m. at the Tri-Area Community Center, 110 W. Valley Road. The JCD business meeting will follow, with JCD member consideration and action on the proposed budget for 2020. 
 
The Community Health Assessment process is a best practice that Jefferson County engages in every four to five years to document community member insights and to scan comparisons between state and county data to identify community health anomalies between our rural county and Washington state. 

The results will inform Jefferson County's 2020 Community Health Improvement Plan for update efforts. The metrics, qualitative and quantitative data can be found at https://www.behealthyjefferson.com/copy-of-behavioral-health-consortiu"But you won't want to miss John's summary presentation and audience discussion," said Alise Moss Vetica, JCD vice chair. 
 
JCD membership to vote on 2020

annual budget at Jan. 16 meeting!

The JCD Executive Board approved a budget for 2020 at its Jan. 6 meeting and is submitting it to JCD membership for approval at the Jan. 16 members meeting. Here is a link to the budget document:
 
JCD-2020-draft-budget-3 (excel)

The draft budget was written to accommodate the types of revenue and expenses typical of an even-numbered year during which partisan elections are on the ballot. Comparisons with 2018, 2016, and 2014 were made. Statewide offices and two county commissioner seats are partisan races that will occur in 2020. With filing week not occurring until May, the campaign landscape is at yet unknown. 

The draft budget allows amply for spending; in other words, it is somewhat padded to make sure that the board can approve spending as needs come up. Some of the spending is necessary; much is typical, but much is optional.
The starting balance for the year is very healthy; however, if revenue only matches and doesn’t exceed the forecast and/or if all the budgeted expenses are paid, the party’s year-end carryover balance will be much lower than it’s been in recent history.

The board will need to monitor the budget before making large disbursements to keep the local party’s coffers healthy.

 
END OF MEETING AGENDA
2020 legislative session begins with

Democratic Lobby Day - Jan. 17

By Diane Jones, Elections Committee Chair

The 2020 state legislative session convenes Monday, Jan 13.

On Friday, Jan 17, the Advocacy Committee of Washington State Democrats Central Committee (or WSDCC) is holding a Lobby Day for grassroots Democratic activists.

The Washington State Labor Council is hosting the event, to be held at the Labor Council building in Olympia at 906 Columbia St. S.W. Registration is from 8:30-9 a.m., and the program starts at 9 a.m.

The morning session will include presentations from legislators about their policy goals and their bills. Individual lawmakers have their areas of expertise and tend to focus on those, be it environmental, transportation, education, or another issue. Lobby Day is an opportunity to hear from and meet lawmakers you usually would never meet.

The last couple of sessions in Olympia, with the Democrats firmly in control, allowed for passage of a lot of pent-up legislation. This coming short session will be slower and supplemental to last year. We can expect some tweaks to the budget and cleaning up some policies.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be any significant work done. We may see some major work in education and early learning. Early learning is an important place where we can close the opportunity gap. There will be work on behavioral health and drug transparency.

It is also important to note that voter approval of Initiative 976 on transportation funding has cast a dark cloud over this upcoming session. One of the most critical priorities identified by the WSDCC Advocacy Committee is correcting our regressive tax structure. But that may be a tough call this year. However, if a capital gains tax came to a vote in the Senate, it would pass. The House? It's hard to predict.

There are some other tweaks to our unfair tax structure that could pass during this session. But efforts toward comprehensive tax reform will not come this year. Rep. Noel Frame and Sen. Lisa Wellman are working on that for 2021.

The Environment, Energy and Technology Committee will focus on data privacy and lower carbon fuel standards. Ferry funding is not looking good because of I-976. Sen. Rebecca Saldana is working on legislation affecting agricultural workers. Dealing with pesticides is problematic because many beekeepers are concerned that if the current pesticides are outlawed, worse pesticides will only replace them. There may be a plastic bag bill.

The state bank may come to us in increments starting with an infrastructure fund. This possibility reminds me of a bill last year that would have insulated the Public Works Trust Fund from being swept by legislators. With our regressive tax structure, legislators are left having to raid other accounts to fund pressing issues. Otherwise, the fund was used to give low interest loans for things like sewer projects.

This predicament -- along with the fact that counties before the great recession could also rely on federal grants -- has made it tough for rural counties. Oh, and let’s not forget the 1% cap. I’ve heard from one legislator not to expect a change in that, but another said it is on the table. Sen. David Frockt is working on a carbon tax or toxic control tax.

Several bills ran out of time to get passed last year. They made it through committees but never got a floor vote. One of those is the hazardous waste transportation bill.

There is bipartisan support in consolidating background checks for gun purchases. It is the gun-related bill most likely to pass. There will be a bill to outlaw foreign money in campaign donations. There is a push to rid us of the advisory votes that clog and confuse our ballots. To increase dental-care access to more people, some see raising reimbursement rates for dental care as more important than expanding the dental work that assistants are allowed to do.

Also in the healthcare arena, the 2019 state Legislature convened the Universal Health Care Work Group, https://www.hca.wa.gov/about-hca/healthier-washington/universal-health-care-work-group, to provide recommendations to the Legislature in 2021 on how to go forward with a universal healthcare system. Meanwhile, the state legislature has been protecting and will continue to protect what we have while incrementally building on a future of universal healthcare. There are hopes for a state-based Universal Health Care Act from the federal government to help with state affordability.

Increasing our majorities in Olympia can make attaining progressive goals easier. One of several opportunities is right next door to us in Legislative District 10, where we can flip two seats in 2020. Democrat Scott McMullen, https://www.scottmcmullen.org/about-scott, hopes to take out incumbent Republican Norma Smith. Democrat Helen Price Johnson, https://helenpricejohnson.org, aims to take out recently appointed Republican Ron Muzzall for the Senate seat.

Here's a webpage of Frequently Asked Questions provided by the Washington Secretary of State's office. It answers these questions:
  • What is the Presidential Primary?
  • How do candidates get on Washington’s ballot?
  • How do I participate?
  • Why do I need to mark a party box?
  • Can I vote for a candidate from each political party?
  • What is the difference between a primary and a caucus?
  • Can I participate in both the Presidential Primary and a caucus?
  • What if the candidate I voted for drops out of the race?
  • How will the political parties use the results?
  • What's the difference between this primary and the Top 2 Primary in August?
  • How does Washington define a major "political party?"

Key Dates in 2020:

To get information about each Democratic presidential candidate, visit this page of the JCD website.

Here are key dates in 2020:

Washington's Presidential Primary Election Day will be March 10 (one week after Super Tuesday). Legislation passed in 2019 changes the date-setting process, how candidates gain access to the ballot, and how political parties use the results.  

Here are important dates from now to primary election day:

Jan. 25 – Military and overseas ballots and Voters’ Pamphlets are mailed.

Feb. 12-21 – 3.4 million Voters’ Pamphlets are mailed statewide.

Feb. 21 – Ballots are mailed to every registered voter and voting centers open.

March 2 - Deadline for online registrations and address updates; mailed registrations must be received by an elections official, not postmarked.

Tuesday, March 10 – Presidential Primary in Washington state:

  • Last day to register or update in person at a county elections office.
  • Mailed ballots must have a March 10 postmark to count.
  • All returned ballots must have a valid signature.
  • Ballot boxes and voting centers close at 8 p.m.
  • After 8 p.m., counties begin transmission of results to the Secretary of State.

Washington's delegates to the national convention will be apportioned based on the results of the March 10 primary. There will be NO precinct caucuses this year. Since we do not register by party in Washington, you will attest on your ballot that you are a Democrat. To register to vote or to change your address, visit votewa.gov.

Sunday, April 26: Some locations around the state will have legislative district caucuses on this date. The 24th LD will NOT have a caucus on this date … see the next entry.

Sunday, May 3: Concurrent legislative district sub-caucuses and county conventions: The county party organizations in Jefferson, Clallam and Grays Harbor counties will organize events for all Democrats. Locations to be determined.

  • 24th Legislative District Sub-Caucus. Supporters of each presidential candidate will meet to elect state delegates and alternates. These delegates will take part at the next two levels (May 30 and June 14) on their behalf. The proportion of delegates to be elected for each candidate is determined by the March 10 primary election. The number of delegates to be elected in each county is determined by the number of Democrats who voted there in 2016.

  • Jefferson County Democrats Convention. On the same day, each county party organization in LD 24 will conduct its convention. All Democrats take part together in adopting county platforms. AudioFetch will be available. Location: Chimacum High School.

Saturday, May 30: 6th Congressional District Caucus. State delegates elected April 26 and May 3 will elect delegates to the National Convention. Location: Suquamish.

Sunday, June 11-14: State Convention. State delegates elect more national delegates and adopt the Washington State Democratic Platform. Location: Tacoma Convention Center.

July 13-16: National Democratic Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. National delegates nominate our presidential candidate and adopt the national platform.

Nov. 3, 2020: Election Day. On this day, our fond hopes are to elect a Democrat as president of the United States, elect majorities in both houses of Congress, and to elect Democrats to state executive and legislative offices.

Quilcene School District Levy Vote

Feb. 11 in Jefferson County District 3 
The Quilcene School District has kicked off its "You Are Not Alone Ranger" campaign to pass two needed funding programs. Please read up on the levies and consider voting in the Quilcene levy election when the ballot hits your mailbox. Here's more information from the school district: https://www.qsd48.org/files/user/3/file/Levy%20Flyer.pdf
 
Proposition 1 - Educational Programs and Operations continues current taxes for four more years to fund educational and operations programs (special education, single grade-level teachers, technology and support equipment, buses, locally sourced food and scratch-cooked meals, art, music and athletics). Current tax rate is $1.50 per $1000 of assessed property valuation. Here's more information from the Jefferson County Auditors Office: https://co.jefferson.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/8901/SD48-Prop1?bidId=
 
Proposition 2 in an increase in local taxes for two years to help repair unsafe buildings, increase security for drop-off area, make bathrooms accessible to outdoor field activities (garden athletics, rain garden), and fund a study of needs to improve the school. The rate is $1.97 per $1,000 of assessed value. Here's more information from the county auditor: https://co.jefferson.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/8903/SD48-Prop2?bidId=
Monthly Meetings and Events

JANUARY MEETINGS AND EVENTS
 

Jan. 15    FYI: Lectures Series - Divisive Issues of Our Time
Jan 16     JCD General Membership Meeting
Jan. 17    FYI: Lobby Day
Jan. 18
    FYI: Womxn's Wave March
Jan. 21    FYI: ICE - Turning up the Heat - a report from the front lines

Jan. 22    FYI: Lectures Series - Divisive Issues of Our Time
Jan. 25    FYI: QUUF Book Sale
Jan. 29    FYI: Lectures Series - Divisive Issues of Our Time
Jan 30     JCD Central Committee meeting
Jan. 31-Feb.1   State Committee Meeting - WSDCC
 

See our calendar for details at https://jeffcodemocrats.com/calendar/

For other resources and questions we encourage you to visit our website at:

https://jeffcodemocrats.com/

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Copyright © 2019 | Jefferson County Democrats | All rights reserved.
 
General Membership Meeting: Jan. 16!
 

Jefferson County Democrats
P.O. Box 85
Port Townsend, WA 98368

(360) 379-5655
info@jeffcodemocrats.com

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