Housing and Decentralizing Power

By Kevin Patrick Fitzgerald

I see three bills on the floor presently in Olympia regarding housing. Jay Inslee proposes a large-scale affordable housing construction program; also funding assistance for people with addiction and other behavioral health diseases. Patty Kuderer proposes expanding a tax break incentive program to facilitate access to affordable housing for low-income families. Peter Abbarno spoke of an upcoming proposal to lower property taxes and loosen restrictions on population density, which can allow for larger apartment buildings with smaller apartments.

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The Evergreen – December 2022

Volume 4, Issue 2


Welcome to your Green Party of Washington State quarterly newsletter. If you have information to submit for the Newsletter, please send it to newsletter@greenpartywashington.org.


Enter The Box by Matthew Villata

Imagine, the American electoral system of representative democracy. A fine system, democracy, yet there is a complication within the American version. Democracy is a pathway to a multitude of possibilities constrained only by the action and imagination of the electorate. The American version, is covered by a box, in order to restrain action and imagination. The electorate simply cannot think outside the box, even though they do have the ability. This is because the box has been insidiously designed to appear inescapable, to appear immutable and to appear institutional. The box is first past the post voting. The box is gerrymandering and other forms of voter suppression. The box is a media complex designed to stoke fear and apathy. As a result, the democratic process inside the box resembles less a healthy electorate and more a game of football where two teams work to score points against the other in a constant contest. This does not have to be so; all sides of the box can be challenged. READ MORE HERE


Primarily Disappointed by Matthew Villata

This is my first year as a member of the Green Party. I am excited to work towards environmental and electoral reform in Washington State and beyond. I write today because I need the help of anyone and everyone who reads. Recently, Washington State held primary elections for a plethora of positions. I was disappointed to find a lack of green and third-party candidates for the Washington State House. That is not to say that there were not any, but there were far from enough. That is the question I need help answering; why is this the case? The times we find ourselves in are turbulent, but there is an opportunity to seize. There are Greens across Washington State who are ready and willing to challenge the big two-party structure. Where are they during the primary and how can the Green Party of Washington State better equip these individuals? State House elections are smaller than national contests and are less awash in endless swarms of donor dollars. They are prime targets to insert Green hopefuls into. READ MORE HERE


Electric Cars and Charging Stations by William Walker

I have a feeling that most people are like me when they consider buying a new electric car. They really want to do their part in removing fossil fuel and its multiple harmful pollutants from the atmosphere but running a battery dead is a bit different than running out of gas.

The reason of course is because charging stations in many parts of the country are still far and few between. Another big reason is because many people use their cars for vacation traveling and long weekends. On the vacation issue, electric car manufacturers and dealers could easily solve this problem. READ MORE HERE


Route 66 by William Walker

Japan’s high-speed rail system with its bullet trains has been the envy of Amtrak for many years. And for years Amtrak has been lobbying Congress here in the United States to fund high-speed rail. Bullet trains run on electrified magnetic rails that are environmentally clean and efficient. In Japan most of this electricity is produced by nuclear power plants with the hopes that someday an even cleaner more sustainable source of energy will become available.

Imagine what it would be like if we here in the US could travel at hundreds of miles an hour as we watched the countryside pass by, having no concern about how much pollution our car or the jet was belching out along the way. What would it take here in the US to make that happen? While you consider that, I’m going to change subjects here for a bit. READ MORE HERE 


 A new Green Party challenge that cleans out your email folders by William Walker

It’s almost time for Christmas and a perfect time to clean up your computer email folders for the New Year. Here is how it works. You go to each and every email address that you have. And for each email message that you delete you add one cent to your Green Party donation. You can donate to either your state or local chapter of the GP or the National Chapter or all of them.

Example: In my case, I have three primary email accounts.

Yahoo #1 I deleted 92 emails in my trash folder and 42 in my spam.

Yahoo #2 I deleted 121 in my trash folder and 20 in my spam.

Gmail account I deleted 175 emails in my trash folder, 4 in my spam folder, 306 in my updates folder, and 938 in my promotions folder.

Added all together. I deleted a total of 1694 emails. OK, I rounded that up to 1700.

I’m sending a check for $17.00 dollars to the Washington State chapter of the Green Party.

JOIN GPWA   DONATE TO GPWA


Important Voting Information for those Convicted of a Felony in the US by Jody Grage

Effective January 1, 2022, if you have been convicted of a felony in Washington State, another state, or federal court, your right to vote in Washington State is restored if you are not currently serving a DOC sentence in total confinement. Going forward, voting rights are immediately restored upon release from prison, regardless of community supervision status. All you need to do is register to vote using one of the methods below.
To register to vote in Washington, you must be:
  • A citizen of the United States, a legal resident of Washington state, AND at least 18 years old by election day
  • Not disqualified from voting due to a court order OR incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction.
  • Not currently serving a sentence of total confinement under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections for a Washington felony conviction

READ MORE


2022 RCV Ballot Measures

In 2022, ranked choice voting (RCV) appeared on the ballot in ten American jurisdictions and won in eight of them, including statewide in Nevada. Details of each 2022 ballot measure campaign can be found below. READ MORE 

PASSED NOVEMBER 8, 2022
Seattle, Washington

Ranked choice voting primaries won in Seattle. First, voters were asked if they wanted to change the city’s voting method, and they said yes. Next, they were asked if they would prefer ranked choice voting or approval voting, and they picked RCV by an overwhelming margin.

Seattle’s RCV campaign was backed by some of the most prominent organizations in the city, winning endorsements from several state legislators, the League of Women Voters Seattle-King County, the King County Democrats, More Equitable Democracy Action, and the Faith Action Network, among others.

“Voters delivered a mandate for ranked-choice voting and sent a strong signal to the legislature that Washington voters want better elections.” – Kamau Chege, Executive Director of the Washington Community Alliance.


Seattle Will Vote on Creation of New ‘Social Housing’ Authority in 2023 by Justin Carder
September 1, 2022

From: The South Seattle Emerald


The backers of I-135 to create a new public developer “to build, acquire, own, and manage social housing” in Seattle say they have successfully gathered enough signatures to place the initiative on the ballot — but the vote won’t come until 2023.

“Voters across Seattle will now get the opportunity to vote for a new intervention to our affordable housing approach,” the House Our Neighbors! group said in a statement. “We are on the brink of establishing a public developer to create housing for folks who are in the 0-120% AMI bracket, where restorative justice measures must be implemented — no more punitive evictions.”

Backers say their proposed ballot initiative would establish a developer to create more rental housing options in the city, powered by public funding and protected from free-market influences and City and County restrictions. READ MORE


LOCAL CHAPTER NEWS

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

Green Party of Seattle

This chapter holds membership meetings on the third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 PM in Seattle and online. Find out more at GPSEA.org or check out their Facebook page for meeting details. All Greens, as well as friends and allies for sustainability, are welcome to attend.

South Sound Greens (formerly Green Party of South Puget Sound)

This chapter is focused on initiative campaigns, solidarity efforts, mutual aid, and building left unity. Contact them for information on meetings and other activities and check out their website (https://www.southsoundgreen.party), Facebook page, and Facebook group for updates.

Green Party of the Mid-Columbia

Find them on Facebook by joining the discussion at Green Party Friends of the Mid-Columbia.

Green Party of the Olympic Peninsula

We are hoping to form an active chapter on the Olympic Peninsula. For more info and to get involved, email hello@greenpartywashington.org. You may also join the Facebook group at Green Party Olympic Peninsula.

Green Party of Snohomish County

This chapter is currently inactive and is seeking new members and organizers. For more info, check out their Facebook group or email hello@greenpartywashington.org.

Green Party of Whatcom County

For more information, contact Stoney at whatcom@fairvotewa.org.

Green Party of South King County

For more information, contact Starlene at starlene@greenpartywashington.org

Green Party of Spokane County

For more information, contact Jon at jonclegault@gmail.com Also, check out their Facebook Group.


GPWA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Interested in helping with Social Media or doing Graphic Design? Interested in volunteering as Deputy Treasurer or as an at-large member of our Coordinating Council? We need you! Please email to let us know!


GPUS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

GPUS has many committees that need volunteers. Members can find out more at gpus.org/committees. If you want to volunteer on a GPUS committee, just email us a short bio with your request to join the committee, and your request will be added to our next agenda.


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

(Views expressed in Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the views of the Green Party of Washington State. Please note that letters may be edited for content, grammar, and length. Letters should be signed by the person submitting the letter.)

No letters were received this time…

Green Party of WA State Coordinating Council

Elected Members:

Daniel Bumbarger – Secretary

Lisa Canar – Treasurer

Margaret Elisabeth – Chair

Matthew Villata – Member at Large, Snohomish County

Starlene Rankin – Member at Large, South King County

Local Chapter Representatives:

DANIEL BUMBARGER – South Sound Greens

LISA CANAR – Green Party of Seattle

STONEY BIRD – Green Party of Whatcom County

Forming Chapter Organizers:

BOB CONE – Southwest Washington

DARRIAN BLACK – Central Washington

JON LEGAULT – Spokane County

KRISTA PARADISE – Olympia Peninsula

NOAH MARTIN – Grays Harbor

RICHARD REDICK – Mid-Columbia

STARLENE RANKIN – South King County

WOODY DERYCKX – Skagit County

Don’t see your chapter represented? Give us a holler. We aim to have an elected representative from each chapter on the State Coordinating Council. We meet online 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

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/greenpartyofwashington/


The End!

But wait! No, it’s not! There’s plenty of room for more!

Send in your pictures, stories, and ideas to Starlene at newsletter@greenpartywashington.org.


We hope to publish this newsletter every 3 months at the start of each new season. Send your Newsletter submissions to newsletter@greenpartywashington.org.

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

 #WeAreGreen

A new Green Party challenge that cleans out your email folders by William Walker

It’s almost time for Christmas and a perfect time to clean up your computer email folders for the New Year. Here is how it works. You go to each and every email address that you have. And for each email message that you delete you add one cent to your Green Party donation. You can donate to either your state or local chapter of the GP or the National Chapter or all of them.

Example: In my case I have three primary email accounts.

Yahoo #1 I deleted 92 emails in my trash folder and 42 in my spam.

Yahoo #2 I deleted 121 in my trash folder and 20 in my spam.

Gmail account I deleted 175 emails in my trash folder, 4 in my spam folder, 306 in my updates folder and 938 in my promotions folder.

Added all together. I deleted a total of 1694 emails. OK I rounded that up to 1700.

I’m sending a check for $17.00 dollars to the Washington State chapter of the Green Party.

Important Voting Information for those Convicted of a Felony in the US by Jody Grage

Effective January 1, 2022, if you have been convicted of a felony in Washington State, another state, or federal court, your right to vote in Washington State is restored if you are not currently serving a DOC sentence in total confinement. Going forward, voting rights are immediately restored upon release from prison, regardless of community supervision status. All you need to do is register to vote using one of the methods below.
To register to vote in Washington, you must be:
  • A citizen of the United States, a legal resident of Washington state, AND at least 18 years old by election day
  • Not disqualified from voting due to a court order OR incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction.
  • Not currently serving a sentence of total confinement under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections for a Washington felony conviction.
ALSO: 16- and 17-year old’s can pre-register to vote. The registrations are held until they are eligible to vote.
THREE WAYS TO REGISTER
1. Online – 24 hours a day, at the Washington Secretary of State’s website: https://olvr,votewa.gov/
You will need either: A current Washington State driver license; OR A current Washington State ID Card AND: Even without either of these forms of ID, you can still register using by mail or in-person methods.
2. By mail – Get a voter registration form OR download and print a voter registration form https:/www.sos.wa.gov/elections/print-voter-registration-forms.aspx
Fill out the form and mail it to: King County Elections, 919 SW Grady Way Renton, WA 98057.
  • The Mailing Address is printed on the back of each voter registration form.
  • Form folds for easy mailing; No postage required if you use the official form. (YAYI)
  • Forms are available in many languages.
3. In-person – At the King County Elections Office in Renton or at a Vote Center.
At a community event listed at this link:
For questions or need assistance, please contact: elections@kingcounty.gov OR 206-296-VOTE (8683).
At one of these locations – INCLUDING TO VOTE IN PERSON:
King County Elections Annex – KC Administration Building, 500 4th Ave, Room 440, Seattle 98104
King County Elections Office – 919 SW Grady Way, Renton 98057 – Office Hours: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Election Day – Ballots must be postmarked or put in a ballot drop box by 8 p.m.
See Your Voter Registration, Your Ballot, or Find a Ballot Drop Box at https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx

Electric Cars and Charging Stations by William Walker

I have a feeling that most people are like me when they consider buying a new electric car. They really want to do their part in removing fossil fuel and its multiple harmful pollutants from the atmosphere but running a battery dead is a bit different than running out of gas.

The reason of course is because charging stations in many parts of the country are still far and few between. Another big reason is because many people use their cars for vacation traveling and long weekends. On the vacation issue, electric car manufacturers and dealers could easily solve this problem.

Let’s face it electric cars are expensive, but I don’t see any reason why dealers and car companies can’t reasonably build the cost of a rental car, of say fourteen days a year for three or four years, into the cost of buying an electric vehicle. And let the car buyer use those rental days in any way that he or she likes. If I wanted to take a few long weekends over the course of a year, fine, or use all two weeks at one time for a longer vacation, also fine.

This would take a huge amount of stress out of people’s minds that would rather own an electric car than a gas-powered car. It would also give the country a few more years to start adding charging stations wherever they were most needed. And most importantly for people who go electric it would take their greenhouse polluting machines off the roads fifty weeks of the year. And it would also be a business boom for rental car companies to boot.

OK, car manufacturers and dealers, this is a pretty simple and fairly cheap fix, and our atmosphere desperately needs it. And remember, if you’re purchasing an electric car soon there is no reason why you can’t ask the dealer to make this a part of the purchase agreement. Even if they refuse to do this perhaps you can convince them to knock off five hundred or a thousand dollars from the price instead!

Route 66 by William Walker

Japan’s high-speed rail system with its bullet trains has been the envy of Amtrak for many years. And for years Amtrak has been lobbying Congress here in the United States to fund high-speed rail. Bullet trains run on electrified magnetic rails that are environmentally clean and efficient. In Japan most of this electricity is produced by nuclear power plants with the hopes that someday an even cleaner more sustainable source of energy will become available.

Imagine what it would be like if we here in America could travel at hundreds of miles an hour as we watched the countryside pass by, having no concern about how much pollution our car or the jet was belching out along the way. What would it take here in the US to make that happen? While you consider that I’m going to change subjects here for a bit.

The West Coast is suffering through one of the worst droughts in our recorded history. It’s been three years since many of the states in the desert southwest and California have had a substantial amount of rain fall. Reservoirs, lakes, and rivers are nearly bone dry. California’s agriculture industry is facing major cutbacks in the amount of water that they desperately need to maintain their farming operations. Millions of dollars in crop losses are happening now with an even darker future in the years ahead if dramatic changes aren’t made soon.

Now you’re probably wondering what high-speed rail and a horrific drought on the west coast have to do with each other. And better still you’re probably wondering how Route 66 fits into all this.

Route 66 is a highway relic from the past. It was built as a roadway connecting the Midwest all the way to California and all points in between giving drivers easy access to places such as Las Vegas, Nevada. In its hay day it was one of the heaviest traveled highways in the country before many more interstates were built as cars became more popular for travel. It starts in Chicago and runs both south and west through the heart of many of those states that are experiencing the worst of drought conditions right now. For the most part Route 66, as a highway, is obsolete and little used by car drivers of today. However, Route 66 has a couple of things going for it when it comes to high-speed rail and the west coast’s current drought situation.

Here in America a hundred years or so ago railroads owned many rights of way when it came to both passenger and commercial rail service across America. Unfortunately, because of the automobile, railroads ended up selling this right of way to interstate highways or more recently to hiking trails and what not. And this is what makes Route 66 so appealing for high-speed rail. The right of ways is already there. There would be no need to disrupt private property or businesses that are already established along that roadway.

As for the persistent droughts in the desert southwest and west coast, in general Route 66 also gives us a route for a future water pipeline from Lake Erie and the Great Lakes all the way to California. Obviously, a massive water pipeline from the world’s largest source of fresh water, the Great Lakes, all the way to the west coast would only be a small piece to a massive problem. California and other states are going to eventually have to invest in massive desalinization plants using ocean water to meet their needs fully.

And as for high-speed rail, Route 66 would be the perfect place to start a passenger only electrified rail system that would eventually encompass the rest of the west coast as well as the east coast and all points in between. Bullet trains in America could be the future of travel if we would just make that investment. And as for our interstate network, many of our interstates were built with large median strips for future highway expansion. How about using these median strips as future high-speed rail lines as we move away from the gas-powered automobile? That would also be a great way to add more charging stations along our interstate networks where these electric trains would run side by side. The final question is, do we have the political will to make these changes happen?

Enter The Box by Matthew Villata

Imagine, the American electoral system of representative democracy. A fine system, democracy, yet there is a complication within the American version. Democracy is a pathway to a multitude of possibilities constrained only by the action and imagination of the electorate. The American version, is covered by a box, in order to restrain action and imagination. The electorate simply cannot think outside the box, even though they do have the ability. This is because the box has been insidiously designed to appear inescapable, to appear immutable and to appear institutional. The box is first past the post voting. The box is gerrymandering and other forms of voter suppression. The box is a media complex designed to stoke fear and apathy. As a result, the democratic process inside the box resembles less a healthy electorate and more a game of football where two teams work to score points against the other in a constant contest. This does not have to be so; all sides of the box can be challenged.

Challenging the box is no simple or easy task. First, in the past the post voting systems have long been ingrained in U.S politics as are various tactics of voter suppression. Still, there are both alternatives and long-standing opposition to these factors. There is hope, as ranked-choice voting spreads across the country and the state with the help of organizations like Fair Vote. Ranked Choice voting transforms elections from winner take all contents into referendums on the reception of the candidates. The change is simple and actionable. The change is already occurring and there is hope for vast systematic change with simple agitation and reform, longtime tools of Americans and all Democratic societies.

Ranked Choice voting is a needed electoral reform and will have a transformative effect on any area where it is adopted. Still, it is not a cure all. Standing against media and internet misinformation and a corrupt media establishment are goals that seem to lack a definitive end point. Twenty First Century mass communication has impacted the electorate in ways that are still being understood and undergone. One thing is certain, voters are demoralized. Voters are being told their opponents want to destroy them, with varying degrees of accuracy. Voters believe they cannot challenge a political class that has secured their power with billions of dollars and corrupt institutions. Indeed, the prognosis can feel bleak.

The bleakness is merely an illusion of the box. Outside of the box exists the possibility to engage in vibrant political action, to in-vision a dream and actualize it in reality with the help of others. Outside of the box are options that now merely conceptualizations. The possibilities outside of the box are endless. The box must merely be identified for what it is, an artificial construct that can be thrown in the garbage.

Primarily Disappointed by Matthew Villata

This is my first year as a member of the Green Party. I am excited to work towards environmental and electoral reform in Washington State and beyond. I write today because I need the help of anyone and everyone who reads. Recently, Washington State held primary elections for a plethora of positions. I was disappointed to find a lack of green and third-party candidates for the Washington State House. That is not to say that there were not any, but there were far from enough. That is the question I need help answering; why is this case? The times we find ourselves in are turbulent, but there is an opportunity to seize. There are Greens across Washington State who are ready and willing to challenge the big two-party structure. Where are they during the primary and how can the Green Party of Washington State better equip these individuals? State House elections are smaller than national contests and are less awash in endless swarms of donor dollars. They are prime targets to insert Green hopefuls into.

As a member of the coordinating council, it is my hope to look further into the best possible methods to make Democrats and Republicans sweat during state elections and start building Green Power in a way that will allow the massive systematic maintenance the country requires. I welcome and request all input to this end. I am curious to learn party members’ perspective on what can be done to provide and equip Green Candidates when the opportunity arrives again in two years’ time to win these contestable elections that are so often neglected in the minds of voters. It is my firm belief that the Green Party of Washington can in the course of two years, win such elections. It is only a question of research, development, and deployment. I look forward to sharpening my ideas against off your own.

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2022

A formal statement will be coming from the National Lavender Green Caucus and National Green Party shortly on the horrific mass murder which took place in Colorado Springs.  

My name is Margaret Elisabeth, I’m a Co-Chair of the National Lavender Green Caucus and a Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Green Party of the United States.  I’m a nonbinary trans femme and, on behalf of the National Lavender Green Caucus, I want to speak to all of you reading this very personally.

I’m angry and heartbroken at the news we received overnight about the terrorist attack on Club Q, in Colorado Springs, CO. in which at least 5 people were killed and 25 injured.  I’m heartbroken for the victims and their families, for the patrons and for the staff.  I’m grateful that it wasn’t worse, it certainly could have been if not for the actions of two heroic patrons.

I’m furious that Anderson Lee Aldrich had previously been arrested for a bomb threat in June 2021, only to be released and able to purchase a firearm.  How can you be arrested for a bomb threat and still be permitted to purchase firearms?  I want to shout “This has to stop!” yet it doesn’t.  What good are gun-control laws if they are not enforced?

Every year we gather on this day to mourn our dead.  Is it a “good” year that only 33 trans people that we know of were killed in the United States for being trans? Overwhelmingly the trans people who are murdered are Black and Brown trans women and we engage in a morbid and macabre situation every year; during the same week we start with a celebration of trans people existing, we end with a public mourning of our dead.

Club Q is a gay and lesbian night club that features drag shows on Saturdays, and Club Q’s Facebook page said the planned entertainment included a “punk and alternative show” preceding a birthday dance party, with a Sunday “all ages brunch.” The attendees were trying to enjoy a social night out with friends, in a safe place to express themselves, like every other person in the country. A night of music, laughter and fun.  Instead they received a lifetime of pain and trauma, if they were fortunate enough to live.

I have no words to express the depth of my anger, hurt and sadness tonight.

In solidarity and mourning,

Margaret Elisabeth
Co-Chair, National Lavender Green Caucus

Support Action to Abolish the Death Penalty

The Green Party of Washington State has joined a coalition of organizations calling on President Biden to act on his pledge to end the federal and military death penalty.

We stand in solidarity with all concerned citizens and call on President Biden to:

  • Commute the sentences of those currently on federal and military death rows;
  • Order a halt to new death sentences in federal prosecutions;
  • Order the Federal Bureau of Prisons to demolish the federal execution chamber and the building in which it is housed at the Federal Correctional Institution at Terre Haute;
    • Consider replacing it with green space for use by inmates and prison staff;
  • Pledge to support and sign H.R. 262/S.B. 582, the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act, which abolishes federal and military death penalty laws, removes the possibility of death sentences, and mandates fair re-sentencing of those currently on federal and military death rows.

We encourage individual supporters to write to their members of congress, sign the petition to President Biden, and find additional resources for action at http://deathpenaltyaction.org/federal-death-penalty

This will be an ongoing effort until President Biden fulfills his campaign promise to abolish the federal death penalty. The ask may be modified at times as appropriate. The list of endorsing organizations will be updated regularly. The first presentation of this list will occur in mid-November, 2022. All of the organizations signed on by November 11, 2022 will be included in the congressional “dear colleague” letter inviting Members of Congress to sign on, and in press materials disseminated at that time. This list will continue to grow and be used by the members of congress and this ongoing campaign, as needed.