Green Party of Washington

Galloping Greens Newsletter – March 2019

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Volume 2, Issue 2 – March 2019

Upcoming Events

Spring Gathering of Greens

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum & Hall

20722- 67th Ave NE, Arlington, WA  98223

(see below for more info!)

Welcome to your new Green Party of Washington State bi-monthly newsletter. If you have information to submit for the Newsletter, please send it to GPWANewsletter@gmail.com.

Local Chapter News – Come meet other Greens and find out how you can help promote the presence of Green Values in your community and your government!

Green Party of SW Washington

GP-SWWA held its annual reorganization meeting in Vancouver on January 19th. Contact Margot Faubion to find out more about where and when future meetings will be held. You can email her at Margot@greenpartywashington.org.

Snohomish County Green Party

Come join us at our Monthly Meetings the first Monday of each month at the Everett Public Library. 2702 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA  98201. 6PM-8PM. Our last meeting was snowed out, but we did get a chance to tinker with having a Zoom meeting which we may be doing more of in the future. For more info you can contact Kathryn at GPWANewsletter@gmail.com.

Green Party of the Mid-Columbia

This chapter meets usually on the 3rd Thursday of the month at the Richland Library. You can contact Maricela Sanchez at Maricela.sgr@gmail.com for more information.

Green Party of South Puget Sound

GPSPS recently held its reorganization meetings. Please contact Noah Martin for information on this local chapter at noahtimmartin@gmail.com.

SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR UPCOMING

SPRING GATHERING OF GREENS!!

WHEN – SATURDAY, APRIL 27TH, 2019

TIME – WE HAVE THE HALL FROM 9 AM TO 9 PM, TIMES & AGENDA TO COME SOON

PLACE – STILLAGUAMISH VALLEY PIONEER HALL, 20722 67TH AVE. NE, ARLINGTON, WA 98223

REGISTRATION WILL INCLUDE LUNCH, SO IT WILL BE IMPORTANT TO REGISTER IN ADVANCE!

WE ARE HOPING TO HAVE SEVERAL WORKING SESSIONS DESIGNED TO BUILD THE PARTY IN WASHINGTON! PLENTY OF PARKING AND WE HOPE TO HAVE A SHUTTLE FROM SMOKEY POINT TRANSIT CENTER.

More info to come soon!

GPWA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Campaign Committee – Research Coordinator

The GPWA Campaign Committee is looking for a Research Coordinator!

The 2019 and 2020 election seasons are upon us and the Campaign Committee is preparing to make good use of them – despite massive efforts of the corporate parties and the media to get in our way.

Our goal is to have a Research Coordinator develop a system that can be passed onto volunteers at the local level and which will then become a resource for each local chapter in evaluating potential green opportunities for local candidates.

If you are interested in being the GPWA Campaign Committee Research Coordinator or working with a Campaign Research working group, please contact Jody Grage at jody@greenpartywashington.org.

GPWA Volunteer Coordinator     

Stay tuned… We will be announcing a new Volunteer Coordinator opportunity in our next newsletter!

GPWA WEB PAGE UPDATE!

We recently made updates to our GPWA website. Members may now renew their memberships and choose to pay their dues annually or make a monthly donation to the GP of WA. You can see the new changes here http://www.gp-wa.org/membership.

The media content committee is also working on updating our Website to be more user friendly, adding the ability of members to join their local chapters from our GPWA website, and building a “member’s only” section. Stay tuned for details on that update. If you’d like help with this project and be a part of the media content committee you can e-mail Margot Faubion at Margot@greenpartywashington.org.

GPUS News

There are several Green Party National Committees that should have a representative from the Green Party of WA and currently need a WA Liaison. Complete information about each committee can be found at the links provided below.

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN SUPPORT COMMITTEE – – https://gpus.org/committees/presidential-campaign-support/

The Mission of the Presidential Campaign Support Committee includes-

– prepare and administer an exploratory/outreach plan to potential candidates seeking the GPUS Presidential nomination

– represent the GPUS in coordinating communication with candidates seeking the GPUS Presidential nomination

– voting membership of the committee consists of Green Party members from the various state parties and caucuses approved to serve by their state party or caucus.

– Each state party and caucus may have as many voting members on the committee as delegates to the Nat. Comm., or as many as three voting members, whichever is greater

– meets via Conference calls: once a month and then twice a month as the election gets closer

BALLOT ACCESS COMMITTEE (BAC) – STATE LIAISON – https://gpus.org/committees/ballot-access/

– works to assist Greens in achieving ballot access through petitioning and other initiatives, lobbying initiatives, and legal initiatives.

-works in conjunction with state and local parties, Green candidates, outside organizations, and other GPUS committees and in coalition with national and regional ballot access and works to expand the Ten Key Values of the Green Party.

Voting Membership: Up to three members from each state party or various caucus. Must be approved to serve by their state party or caucus.

Conference calls: First and Third Thursdays 8:00 pm ET

COORDINATED CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE (CCC) – STATE LIAISON – https://gpus.org/committees/coordinated-campaign/

– a standing committee of the GPUS that cooperates with state and local chapters in the support of federal, state, and local Green Party electoral campaigns

– CURRENT WORK: Training for candidates and campaigns, financial support to candidates. In person campaign-school trainings in collaboration with state Green Parties.

– Membership: 10 elected voting members.

The GPUS CCC works with a pool of CCC Associates; these include one liaison from each affiliated state party not already represented on the CCC. State Liaisons may participate in CCC discussions and meetings as needed but are not regular voting members.

YOU CAN BE A NATIONAL CHAMPION FOR THE GREEN PARTY OF THE US AND REPRESENT THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. CONTACT THE GPWA STATE COORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR MORE INFO:

–>> Email us: hello@greenpartywashington.org

There are many committees of GPUS that need people to help achieve their goals.  Members do not have to be elected delegates to the National Committee to serve on many of these GPUS committees. You can go to https://gpus.org/committees/ to find out more about all these opportunities and see where you might be able to lend your talents!

Green Party of WA State Coordinating Council

Elected Members:

Mary Ellen Knoop – Co-facilitator, GP Tahoma (Pierce County)

Kathryn Lewandowsky – Co-facilitator, GP Snohomish County

Scott Thompson – Treasurer, GP Whatcom County

Lisa Canar – Deputy Treasurer, GP Seattle

Maricela Sanchez – Secretary, GP Mid-Columbia

Jody Grage – Member at Large, GP Seattle

Margot Faubion – Member at Large, GP SWWA

Local Chapter Reps:

Noah Martin – GP South Puget Sound

Liam Turnmire – GP Spokane County

Don’t see your chapter represented? Give us a holler. Our goal is to have an elected representative from each local on the State Coordinating Committee! We have a conference call at 7 PM on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.

Contact Us

https://greenpartywashington.org

hello@greenpartywashington.org

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyWA

Green Party of Washington State: Grassroots Organizing & Discussion Group

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/GreenPartyWA

The End!

But wait! No, it’s not! Send in your pictures, stories and ideas to Kathryn at GPWANewsletter@gmail.com.

There’s plenty of room for more!

We hope to publish this newsletter every other month on the Odd Months

Green Party of Washington State, PO Box 70493, Seattle, WA  98127

🌻#WeAreGreen

Demand a Hearing for SB 5222 – Universal Healthcare for WA State!

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Our current private/for-profit healthcare system is in crisis: 522,000 Washington State residents don’t have any healthcare coverage, many more are under-insured, and rates are going up 19% in our state this year. These stats represent real people and genuine hardship that requires urgent action.

Healthcare is the number one concern of most voters, and there’s a solution supported by a majority. In Washington, more than 60% want a government-funded, universal healthcare option. Some legislators are listening. Senator Bob Hasegawa has filed SB 5222, to implement the Whole Washington Health Trust. If this bill passes, every single Washington resident would have quality care, including vision, dental, and mental health services. And there are some unique strengths about this bill to consider:

  • It can be implemented with the same efficient timeline as Governor Inslee’s Cascade Care bill announced on January 8th.
  • It’s been reviewed and vetted by the Department of Revenue and the Employment Securities Department.
  • It’s based on I-1600, which was endorsed by the Washington State Green Party.
  • It’s backed by a study by Dr. Gerald Friedman, a world-renowned healthcare economist.
  • It will save Washington residents billions annually. That’s billions with a ‘b’.
  • It doesn’t contract with for-profit insurance companies. It’s universal healthcare.
  • It’s fully funded and has a transition phase that doesn’t rely on federal waivers.

Please comment on the bill and call your representatives to demand they let this bill have a hearing and out of committee.

Getting these bills out of Committee will take a huge Grassroots effort by Washington Citizens. Please take a few minutes of your day to have your voice heard in Olympia. We have only until Feb. 22nd to move this bill out of committee in Olympia and onto the floor for a vote.

This bill is ready, and the time to act is now!

Go to the Whole Washington website to learn more and Get Active to help establish Universal Healthcare in WA State!

Contact your state legislators NOW to help pass RCV bill for Washington!

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Cities and towns in Washington could soon have the freedom to choose better elections, thanks to bills filed in our legislature. HB 1722 and SB 5708 offer local jurisdictions the option to use ranked choice voting (RCV) for elections.

RCV is engaging voters and invigorating democracy in the 22 cities and counties around the U.S. that have already adopted it for their elections. Under this bill, Washington communities will be able to enjoy these benefits, too.

But without an immediate response from RCV supporters around the state, the Local Options bill is at risk of dying in committee. 

Please contact your three state legislators RIGHT NOW, to urge their support for advancing the Local Options Bill. 

It’s simple and quick:

  • Click on this link to either bill (doesn’t matter which one): HB 1722 or SB 5708.
  • Next, click on the dark green “Comment on this bill” button, at the top right of the page.
  • Fill in your address.
  • Click on the light green button, “Verify District”
  • Select all three of your legislators.
  • Click “Yes” if you would like a response.
  • Enter your contact information.
  • Click on “Support” to indicate your Position.
  • In the comment field, please express your view in your own words. Urge your legislators to ensure that the bill advances out of committee before February 22nd. Say why you think it’s important to allow local jurisdictions in our state to be able to use ranked choice voting i.e. giving voters more choices and decreasing negative campaigning.

What exactly does the Local Options Bill do?

It allows local jurisdictions to opt out of state-mandated primary elections in favor of a general election conducted using ranked choice voting. Alternatively, jurisdictions can keep the primary, but use a “top five” rather than a “top two” primary (with both elections conducted under ranked choice voting.)

How can I learn more?

Look here for an excellent article about our Local Options Bill by Kristin Eberhard of Sightline Institute. And check out this recent press release issued by FairVote WA.

What more can I do to help?

  • Spread the word! Encourage your friends and family to contact their legislators too.
  • Go to the FairVote WA website to learn how you can Get Involved with the growing movement to bring ranked choice voting to Washington state!

Thank you for contacting your three legislators TODAY!

In Solidarity,
Green Party of Washington and FairVote WA

News from the Green Party of Washington – January 2019

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Welcome to your new Green Party of Washington Newsletter! We’re still working on an easy way for people to submit news for the Newsletter. For now you can send it to GPWANewsletter@gmail.com

Report from the Fall Gathering 2018

Saturday, November 10th 
2018 GPWA Fall Gathering Review
by Mary Ellen Knoop

Our first Fall Gathering in several years went well.  It was held at The Pasta Company in Ellensburg, WA.  Although the attendance was less than we had hoped, there was representation from most of the state and it was well worth the time to be there and show our support for the impressive growth of the Green Party in Eastern Washington.  The restaurant itself was crowded; it is obviously a popular place in Ellensburg but the room was perfect for our size group with good food, great service and they even had a good film screen for us to use.

We had a wonderful presentation by FairVote WA where they clarified Ranked Choice Voting beautifully.  They are more than willing to send at least one of their members to any group and share their slide presentation.  Great for a local chapter GP meeting!  Boot Camp was great too with plenty of information to help new chapters get organized.  We were also able to hear from Stoney Bird on things he and his campaign team learned from his campaign for Congress in CD 2.  The rest of the program was interesting and informative as well, including the Women’s Caucus plans to lobby for public funding of all campaigns in 2019.

I was surprised that with the day being so beautiful, more didn’t attend; OK, maybe that was why more didn’t attend.  We had about 17 people in attendance.  The location, being central, was to me a perfect choice, easily accessible to everyone.  The State Coordinating Committee really appreciated and enjoyed hearing from those who did attend on how we can grow the Green Party and help to best get our Green Party candidates elected.  Thank you to everyone who shared the day with us and to the Fall Gathering Committee for making it happen.

Come meet other Greens and find out how you can help promote the presence of Green Values in your community and your government!

GREEN PARTY OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
2019 Annual Membership Meeting

Join us to build a movement right here in SW Washington to put people and planet over profit. This is the Annual Membership Meeting where members elect Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer. We need everyone to come and share their enthusiasm and ideas.

Non-members may attend, but they cannot vote unless they join. Membership forms will be available. Please RSVP if you’re planning on attending.

Saturday, January 19, 2019
2 PM-4PM
Cascade Park Community Library
600 NE 136th Ave.
Vancouver, WA

The Snohomish County Green Party had a Winter Coat Exchange on Black Friday. We were surprised at how many homeless people showed up and traded their worn out coats for donated newer coats. What we discovered though is that the supply of warm coats was not near enough to meet the needs of our homeless population. We also realized that there was a huge need for warm hats, gloves and socks! We’re hoping to be better prepared next year!

Come join us at our Monthly Meeting the first Monday of each month at the Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA 98201. 6PM-8PM.

The Green Party of the Mid-Columbia has been Planning for upcoming social events in Walla Walla and Yakima to recruit members. They are also actively working to find local boards, commissions and agencies that have empty seats. Their goal is to place their Green Party members on these boards in order to have a green presence in their community.

Javier Madrigal is applying to the Benton Clean Air Agency and Maricela Sanchez currently serves on the Historic Prosser Downtown Association. Their chapter meets usually on the 3rd Thursday of the month at the Richland Library.

The Green Party of South Puget Sound was very busy in December fighting for Safe Sleep in Olympia.

Thank you to everyone who showed up to support safe sleep in our community. We packed the courtroom and accomplished our goal of making our presence felt without any arrests or incidents. The judge even commented and thanked us for our participation. Thank you also to Lizzie Carp and Luke from DSA for co-organizing.

The court ruled AGAINST the plaintiffs’ motion for an injunction against the City of Olympia, stating that Olympia has a right to its legislative response to this emergency without court interference. What this means is that the City can continue to address this crisis with its limited means, including mitigation sites. The lawsuit will continue, probably to trial, but for now progress will not be stopped.

In one of the more compassionate and human actions I have seen in our so-called “justice” system, the court also ruled IN FAVOR of the motion to intervene by Phoenix Rae Tendw, making her party to the suit against the plaintiffs’ claims of nuisance.

What we need to do now is continue to build mutual aid networks, finding solutions as a community wherever we can. We must also continue to pressure the County, State, and surrounding cities to step up and face this regional emergency in partnership with Olympia, instead of pointing fingers and hiding from the consequences of inaction. So far, they have fallen short. For years now, the City of Olympia and surrounding communities have been struggling with the reverberations of a failed economic system: a housing crisis based in artificial housing shortages and stagnant wages. We have all been buffeted by precarity.

In this context, Olympia’s underhoused community has struggled with courage and dignity against impossible odds to secure their basic rights to survival. They have told their stories and occupied public space to mark their continued existence and humanity. The organizations and individuals that gathered today stand with these brave, persistent neighbors.

In its response and through multiple administrations, the government and the ruling class have not treated this crisis with the seriousness it deserves. This is why we find ourselves where we are today: inundated with more displaced people, unable to find solutions within the narrow, market-friendly paradigm in which our government operates. This insufficiency must end.

We must also urge the court to identify these plaintiffs so that unhoused people and their allies can take the necessary precautions to avoid and protect themselves against these neighbors who openly wish them harm, exposure, and possible death. The unconscionable words spoken by these plaintiffs’ attorney to block even the most basic first step for stability is now public record: the court even noted the charged political language in their statement, based on discrimination and myths like the “magnet city” hypothesis.

We believe that everyone in this community has a strong stake in the outcome of this case, not just the wealthiest individuals. In whichever way we can, in every space we can occupy, we should offer the testimony of workers, tenants, and especially unhoused people themselves to shed light on the actual circumstances facing the City of Olympia and its community.

In solidarity,
Noah Martin

Did you know that there are many ways you can help the Green Party at a national level? There are many committees of GPUS that need people to help them to achieve their goals. And a person doesn’t have to be an elected delegate to the National Committee to serve on many of these committees. You can go to https://gpus.org/committees/ to find out more about all these and see where you might be able to lend your talents.

A new standing committee has just been formed that is currently in the process of looking for members.

Banking and Monetary Reform Committee (BMRC)  will provide educational materials to Green Party members and Green Party candidates, draft Green Party position statements and press releases with respect to pending or new legislation or events affecting banking and monetary systems, propose platform amendments when deemed necessary to support Green monetary policy, endorse organizations that advocate banking and monetary reform that agree with the Green Party policy and values, and promote actions advocating banking and monetary reform (established 12/12/2018). Here is more information about that committee.

The Green Party has approved the mission statement for a new standing committee, the Banking and Monetary Reform Committee (BMRC). We are inviting state parties and caucuses to appoint new members to the committee. Members from at least 5 states or caucuses are required for the committee to be recognized formally as a standing committee.

An understanding of our national monetary and banking systems, as well as the monetary history that gave rise to our present institutions, is critical for representatives and voters in a democracy. The present debt-based monetary system is the major contributor to adverse economic conditions, the increasing wealth disparity, and systemic paralysis in responding to climate change. However, this debt-based monetary system is not included in the curriculum of high schools and undergraduate studies at colleges and universities.

As part of its mission statement the new committee plans to provide educational materials to members and candidates of the Green Party. These educational materials will include informational material about our current monetary system and the Green Party platform on the monetary reform necessary for long term funding of programs in the Green Party’s comprehensive plan for the future. This monetary transformation will enable all citizens to have access to food, shelter, healthcare, and education, without our governments and people being ensnared by debt.

The Banking and Monetary Reform Committee will also draft Green Party position statements and press releases with respect to pending or new legislation or events affecting banking and monetary systems.

Greens who would like to assist in this effort will be able to join the BMRC by requesting their state parties or caucuses to approve them as members of the committee. Authorized officers of the state party or caucus must inform the temporary co-chairs of the committee and the GPUS secretary of the appointment. The name and email address of the representative should be sent to BMRC@gp.org and also to the GPUS secretary, Jody Grage, secretary@gp.org.

Rita Jacobs
Howard Switzer
Temporary Co-chairs, BMRC

Green Party of Washington Coordinating Committee Local Chapter Reps 

Alice Whittington – GP of Seattle
Liam Turnmire – GP of Spokane
Scott Thompson – Whatcom County GP
Maricela Sanchez – GP of the Mid-Columbia
Margot Faubion – GP of SW Washington
Noah Martin – GP of South Puget Sound
Kathryn Lewandowsky – GP of Snohomish County

Don’t see your chapter represented? Give us a holler. Our goal is to have an elected representative from each local on the State Coordinating Committee! We have a conference call at 7 PM on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.

Together we can accomplish so much more!
Don’t be shy! We’d love to hear from you!

The End! But wait! No it’s not! Send in your pictures, stories and ideas to Kathryn at GPWANewsletter@gmail.com There’s plenty of room for more!

Galloping Greens (Temporary nickname)
January 2019 Bimonthly Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue I

Green Party of WA State Coordinating Council

Elected Members at large:
Scott Thompson – Treasurer, GP of Whatcom County
Deputy Treasurer – Vacant
Maricela Sanchez -Secretary, GP of Mid-Columbia
Mary Ellen Knoop – Co-facilitator
Kathryn Lewandowsky – Cofacilitator, GP of Sno Co
Jody Grage – Member at Large
Margot Faubion – GP of SW WA
Noah Martin – GP of SPS
Alice Whittington – GP of Seattle
Liam Turnmire – GP of Spokane

We’re looking for a Volunteer Coordinator
Approx. 6 hrs/wk
Basic Database skills
For more information contact Jody@greenpartywashington.org

Find us on social media at:

https://twitter.com/GreenPartyWA
https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyWA/

🌻#WeAreGreen

GPWA 2018 Fall Gathering Review

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by Mary Ellen Knoop

The Green Party of Washington held our Fall Gathering on November 10, 2018 at the Ellensburg Pasta Company.

Everything went well. Although the attendance (17 people) was less that we had hoped, there was representation from most of the state, and it was well-worth the time to be there. The meeting content was great. FairVote WA clarified Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) beautifully, and they are prepared to send at least one of their members to any group in order to give their slide presentation. Great for a local chapter GP meeting!

Boot Camp was great, too. The rest of the program was interesting and informative as well, including the Green Party National Women’s Caucus plan to lobby for public funding of all campaigns.

The food was good and the service was great. The restaurant itself was crowded; it is obviously a popular place in Ellensburg.

The room was perfect for our size group, and the restaurant even had a good film screen. I was surprised that with the day being so beautiful, more didn’t attend. We will have to talk frankly about whether to stay with one or try again to have two state-wide meetings per year. The location, being central, was to me a perfect choice, easily accessible; two members came from The Mid-Columbia, and one from Spokane, along with others who attended from Whatcom County, Snohomish County, Seattle, Tahoma (Pierce County), and South Puget Sound.

Read our summary evaluation of the Gathering here.

Summary of Renata Rollins’ First Year on the Olympia City Council

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Renata Rollins, Olympia City Council member, successfully ran for her position as a Green in 2017. This is what Green leadership looks like:

Renata summed up the state of Olympia during her first year on the Olympia City Council as: “We’ve had hard times in the community, but a lot of good groundwork has been done.”

The primary issue that Renata ran on was homelessness. The current Council, thanks to Renata and her alliances with other progressive members, has taken a 180 degree turn in their thinking about homeless issues. City priorities have dramatically changed in the past year, with much more attention to homelessness.

In May, the Council had a retreat to brainstorm policies around reducing the harmful impacts of homelessness. They came out with a new harm-reduction approach: support camping, daytime places to gather, and broaden focus from affordable housing construction to include more immediate housing solutions.

Renata said, “We can’t keep having a whack-a-mole response to homelessness. We need to get in place the basics like sanitation and safe places to camp and stay, and then work on the more difficult issues.”

A tiny-home village is in the works, with 40 dwelling units. Access will be based on an individual’s vulnerability. Renata is also involved with asking Thurston County to move to more evidence-based projects. In addition, there are many in the faith community who want to host encampments who could work with the city.

The 2019 budget cycle is about over. Renata has taken the opportunity this first cycle to learn more about the process. She requested that a Police Auditor be added to the 2019 budget, a contracted position that had been part of the budget years ago. This request has gained support from other council members. Like all local governments, Olympia struggles with revenue – especially from decreasing sales tax revenue. Renata advocated for the city to file an amicus brief supporting Seattle’s income tax case with the WA Supreme Court, which the legal department successfully filed. Hopefully in the future our cities and state will have more progressive tax structures available rather than regressive sales tax and property taxes.

In 2019, Renata will be looking at inclusionary zoning and market-based incentives as currently available tools to encourage affordable housing. For example, city fees could be reduced in exchange for creating units affordable for people earning 50-80% of the average local income. The previous Council approved, and an initiative was passed in February 2018, for a “Home Fund” 0.1% sales and use tax that will be used to create permanent supportive housing for the most vulnerable homeless individuals. So far, the City has purchased some property for affordable housing with funds from this levy.

Renata is also working with a community group on a regional social housing proposal, common in Europe, where public housing is more broadly available to people regardless of income. Social housing essentially is proportional rent – the cost of rent in a building may vary family to family, but the percentage of each family’s income going toward rent would be the same.

Renata has been participating in forming a subgroup of local policymakers to study sea-level rise issues and consider alternatives to the mainstream response that was proposed by hired consultants. Downtown Olympia may need a change in development patterns, as it is built on fill close to the waterline. Additionally, city staff are working closely with the Thurston Regional Planning Council to develop a regional climate change response plan for both mitigation and adaptation.

Renata said that many city department planning processes are currently isolated or siloed. For example, the Parks Plan process has historically asked residents what amenities they want to see in their city parks without regard to how that may impact other important areas such as affordable housing, cost of living, or climate change mitigation and adaptation. With the Parks Plan update commencing in 2019 Renata has been advocating for a more integrated approach to department planning.

Olympia government has a new department: The Office of Performance and Integration (OPI). It happens to be completely staffed by women, who serve as internal consultants for other city departments. They provide a model for community conversations and encourage changing the typical government decision processes to community-driven policies rather than relying on a top-down approach. Renata is meeting with OPI to see how this new process template can be applied to homelessness policy, parks planning and other processes.

Renata serves as Council liaison to the Olympia Heritage Commission. She and a subgroup of the Commission have been meeting to brainstorm ideas, for example, how to honor the area’s traditional stewards, the tribes, by choosing more appropriate place names and posting informative murals or plaques to reflect heritage.

Finally, in 2019 Renata will be working on creating a Human Rights Commission as well as an ordinance for gender-neutral restrooms throughout the city. She will also support work toward getting renters protections such as requiring “just cause” for evictions, and longer notice requirements.

 

Green Party Endorsements and Preferred Candidates for 2018

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The Green Party of Washington State announces our endorsements and preferred candidates for 2018:

*********************

Endorsed Candidate:

Andrew Saturn, Green Party member and candidate for Thurston County Public Utility District Commissioner, District 1 (nonpartisan)

*********************

Preferred Candidates:

Sarah Smith, Democratic candidate for US House of Representatives in WA-9

Tye Menser, Democratic candidate for Thurston County Commissioner, District 3

*********************

Endorsed Initiatives:

Vote YES on I-940, De-Escalate Washington!

Vote YES on I-1631, Clean Air and Clean Energy for WA State!

*********************

Mail in your ballot or drop it in an official drop box ->> Here’s a map to help you find the closest drop box.

Voting begins on October 19th and ends on Election Day, November 6th, at 8:00 p.m.

*********************

🌻 ~ Reminder ~

Support the Green Party:

Please consider volunteering for one of these open positions!

Thank you,

GPWA Coordinating Council

Keep up with us on Twitter and Facebook
Donations always appreciated and put to good use!

🌻 #WeAreGreen

GPWA Fall Gathering – November 10, 2018

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Green Party Fall Gathering 2018

Saturday, November 10th, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Join the Green Party of Washington in beautiful Eastern Washington!

Enjoy meeting Greens from across the state while you enjoy a tasty Italian lunch. Everyone will pay for their own food and drinks.

Ellensburg Pasta Company
600 N. Main St.
Ellensburg, WA 98626

ellensburgpasta.com

Our Agenda:

We will review the results of the 2018 midterms and GPWA’s new projects and ideas for the future.

We’ll hear from representatives of FairVote WA on the benefits of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) and on progress to get RCV implemented here in WA.

We will offer a “Boot Camp” for starting and energizing local chapters.

We will look ahead to 2019 and beyond for growing the Green Party in Washington!

We hope all local chapters will send representatives to attend this statewide Gathering of Greens.

Please RSVP in advance. Our room holds only 50 people, so save your spot!

Sign up to attend here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScGfCP9SjCdFevt8e29Mmet2oivTtmRk7Sch9wFZKKHVQkXvw/viewform?c=0&w=1

Registration fee is $10-$25 sliding scale, payable at the door. (No one will be turned away due to financial hardship.)

All Green Party supporters are welcome, regardless of membership status or level of activity.

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Connecting with the Green Party of the United States

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The Green Party of the United States is a federation of state Green Parties and caucuses – and the Green Party of Washington State is a member of that federation.

A great deal of information is available on the GPUS website at www.gp.org and you are encouraged to take a look.

For information on proposals currently under consideration by delegates from states and caucuses to GPUS, see http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/index.

GPWA members may comment on current proposals by emailing us at hello@greenpartywashington.org with the subject line GPUS Proposal Comment.

 

Meet Stonewall “Stoney” Bird and Jennifer “Gigi” Ferguson

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Tired of the same old choices you’ve always had? Looking for a better future for our communities and our country?

Please come join us and meet:

 Stonewall Jackson “Stoney” Bird, Green Party candidate for Congress in CD 2!

AND

Jennifer “Gigi” Ferguson, our preferred candidate for US Senate!

Hadley Hall at the Arlington Boys & Girls Club

Tuesday, June 26th, 2018 from 6-8PM

18513-59th Ave NE

Arlington, WA  98223

In our broken democracy, both Democratic and Republican voters find that the people they vote for do not stand up for them. This is why both Stoney and Gigi are running for office!

Stoney is running for Congress as a Green in Washington’s Second Congressional District and is endorsed by the Green Party of Washington. His aim is to bring the four Green Party pillars of ecology, democracy, peace, and social justice to Congress.

Gigi is running for US Senate as an Independent and is our Green Party preferred candidate. She stands for justice, dignity, equality, and community development. Gigi is willing to take on any corporations or established political interests in service to the people.

Both Stoney and Gigi are committed to cure the plague of gerrymandering and campaign bribes that mean the people we elect can ignore us. Both vow to work to overturn “corporate personhood” and “money is speech”.

In addition, Stoney is active in promoting ranked choice voting and proportional representation, making our votes count and the politicians accountable.

With these changes we will get representatives who represent us, and we will be able to achieve:

  • universal, single-payer healthcare
  • debt-free college
  • fair trade instead of free trade
  • a path to citizenship for all immigrants
  • strongly progressive taxes
  • expanded Social Security benefits
  • living wages and easy union membership
  • a universal basic income
  • a decent place to live for everyone
  • an end to the endless wars – and their endless costs
  • internet neutrality
  • government and corporate spies out of the internet
  • the big banks broken up
  • public control of the money system
  • Post Office banking and state and local government banks
  • no discrimination against anyone
  • voting rights
  • criminal justice reform
  • ending for-profit prisons
  • a Green New Deal
  • clean water, clean land, clean air, and clean electromagnetic space
  • nature treated with respect and gratitude, not as a thing to exploit

Stoney and Gigi both refuse to take corporate money. Moreover, if elected Stoney intends to donate 2/5 of his salary to causes that support Green values.

We hope you will come meet Stoney and Gigi on Tuesday – Please invite your friends!

If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation: 

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Support Gigi’s Senate campaign for the people!

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Donate to Stoney’s grassroots-powered campaign for Congress!

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RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/667467520274308/