January 2024

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Rounding out the corps of 30 were representatives of The Associated Press, United Press International, radio and television. Now there are just six full-time reporters covering state government from Olympia.

The closing of one-fourth of U.S. newspapers and one-fifth of Washington’s over the past several years has damaged our communities and our democracy, according to a study by the League of Women Voters of Washington, “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy.” Our research links the closures and smaller staffs at the remaining newspapers to declines in voter turnout, fewer candidates seeking local office, higher government costs, greater political partisanship, less civic engagement, and problems conducting public health campaigns.

Many of the media organizations represented in Olympia 35 years ago are either out of business or “a shadow of their former selves,” as a number of individuals we interviewed for our study described them.  The previously robust press corps used to work from two dilapidated wooden buildings dubbed the White House and the Blue House, both of which were leveled this year, explained former Seattle Times journalist David Postman in a 2022 TVW broadcast titled, “Historic Washington: Capitol Press Houses.”  “It was a busy place. Both houses were packed and there was a lot of competition. There was an intensity there,” Postman recalled. The handful of reporters who now cover the deliberations and decisions of lawmakers and state agencies work in offices in the Legislative Building, closer to the action.

Despite the shrinking press corps, there are a few bright spots. Continued here.

Where We’re Going with the DEI & Justice Committee

As we navigate from a committee to taking larger strategic steps starting January, the group will function as a Steering Committee driving our DEI &J topics and priorities, involving the board, engaging more LWVTC members and continuing outreach in the greater Thurston area. We’ll continue taking steps to:

• be well informed, advocate for and support actions within our community promoting racial, social, and economic justice

• address systemic and institutional racism including in the history of the LWV 

• deepen our understanding of the complexities of community issues

• develop educational programs and participate in activities offered by others 

We invite you to help with planning and leading DEI & Justice – with related works and creating brave spaces for LWVTC members; offering a place of belonging for historically marginalized people, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer representation, and people with disabilities. The next meeting is Wed., Jan. 10, 2024 at 5 pm on Zoom. To get the zoom link, contact Membership@LWVthurston.org.  Hope to see you!

Program Planning 2024: Determining LWVTC Priorities

Each year, the League of Women Voters of Thurston County gets together to establish its annual priorities and programs. We review our local programs and, in alternate years, we can make recommendations for national or state programs. All members are encouraged to participate – we want to hear from you about the issues that are important locally or nationally. This year, the annual Program Planning meeting will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, at 1 p.m.  The meeting will be at 1000 Cherry St. SE, Olympia.  

Program Planning is the League’s grassroots process of recommending and selecting governmental issues for study and agreement in reaching a position. Through Program Planning we determine priorities for local programs and review the programs from preceding years. The League “Program” includes issues we choose for study, education, and action at local, state, and national levels. Programs include both education and advocacy work. Programs can include studies, updates to studies, concurrences, or an education project. In 2024, LWVTC can also submit proposals to the national League of Women Voters.

At the program planning meeting, we will brainstorm and discuss what we think are important issues and priorities for the League to address – through a DEI lens. A DEI lens is a way of examining the process as to how it is perceived by a variety of communities, voices and perspectives, and what, if any, barriers may exist that prevent it from being equitable or inclusive of everyone. A key part of applying a DEI lens is ensuring that all members feel informed and included in program planning.

Proposals developed at the program planning meeting will be submitted to the county or national board. If the proposal is approved by the Thurston League Board, it will then be voted on by all members at the annual meeting. If a proposal is approved by the national Board, it will be voted on at the national convention. For more information, contact Darlene Hein or Shelley Kneip.

All League members are invited. Join other League members and invited community members working on equity and inclusion. The 30-minute performance will be followed by a facilitated discussion. This is a unique opportunity for League members to learn about our history imagine and intentionally create a future where women of color belong in the League of Women Voters.

We have our script and our director, and readers are ready to start rehearsals. The one thing we are looking for is someone to design the program that will be handed-out at the performance.  Please contact Annie Cubberly if that is in your tool box.

Let’s Talk…Save the dates for the 2024 YWCA Let’s Talk Workshops

beginning in February to talk, listen and learn

LWVTC Let’s Talk About Race Book Group

Host Families Needed for Legislative Student Pages

From January to March 2024, students ages 14-16 years will come to Olympia from across the state to serve as pages. For many, this will be their first exposure to government. While attending Page School, they will be provided the opportunity to assist members of the House and Senate during floor sessions, thereby learning first-hand how state government works. 

Linda Huyck is the Page School teacher for the upcoming Washington State Legislative Session and is seeking help to host a student. In order for a student to participate, local families are needed to house them. Host family members must complete an application and pass a background check, after which they will be added to a list made available to page families. Host families generally charge $250 per week to cover food and transportation for each page they house. If you might be interested in helping our students, please e-mail civic.ed@leg.wa.gov to apply or ask questions.

LWVTC Endorses Olympia for All Campaign

The Board of the League of Women Voters of Thurston County voted at its November meeting to endorse Olympia for All (O4A), a citizens’ initiative that addresses housing uncertainty for large numbers of Olympia residents. The initiative would provide a tenant bill of rights to protect renters from extreme raises in rent, multiple high fees, repairs that represent code violations, and other things that cause financial hardship and, in many cases, requiring tenants to move with no other housing.

New State Law Facilitates Voter Registration 

As you know, when you get a driver’s license or Washington State ID at the Department of Motor Vehicles, they ask if you would like to register to vote or update your registration. If you request an enhanced ID or license, they ask if you want to opt out of voter registration.

Thurston County Adopts Racial Equity Plan

• Diagnosis
• Analysis
• Strategic planning for infrastructural change
• Implementation
• Monitoring for sustainability

The county is currently in the diagnosis phase where we’ve begun to recognize that current practices and policies do not serve the intersectionality of our community.

Operationalizing Racial Equity in Thurston County

The county is currently in the diagnosis phase where it has begun to recognize that current practices and policies do not serve the intersectionality of our community. 

There are three goals outlined in the plan.

• The first goal is to establish a foundation of understanding equity and embed concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the County's employee experiences.

• The second goal focuses on developing an internal culture where decisions, policies, and procedures are informed by data and centered around our values within the county and community. Since many of the County's policies and practices have been established for decades, it needs to go through a review process to ensure that the County is regularly considering equity when responding to events and evaluating its services.

• The third goal focuses on establishing a community-based approach in which the Thurston County government has regular communication and engagement with community members. 

The Racial Equity Action Plan is a living document and is subject to change based on priorities from the commissioners, feedback from the community, and availability of resources and funding.

For more information about the plan and the county’s efforts, visit Thurston County Racial Equity and Inclusion. Read comments from the Thurston County Commissioners here. For questions or comments, please reach out to the Racial Equity Program Manager Devi Ogden.

Governor’s Budget Request Responds to Tribal Fentanyl Deaths 

At the October Centennial Accord meeting, tribal leaders shared four key concerns with Gov. Jay Insley (see the November Voter for previous reporting on that meeting). One of the tribal concerns is the need to raise public awareness of the fentanyl health threat for tribal members. In response, the governor included three tribal-focused funding proposals among his 2024-25 supplemental budget proposals released Dec. 13, 2023. The projects of interest to tribes are:

• Support a tribal public health campaign: The request would fund a campaign called For Native Lives that raises awareness in tribal communities about opioid misuse prevention, overdose response and treatment. Geared to multiple age groups, this campaign would educate people on using naloxone, finding drug treatment, helping people who are in recovery and preventing addiction. ($2 million state general funds)

• Fund tribal fentanyl summit: This investment funds an annual summit that brings tribal leaders, the governor and state agency leaders together to discuss the impact and resolution of the opioid crisis on Native communities across Washington. ($250,000 state general funds and $500,000 Opioid Abatement Settlement Account)

• Establish a youth substance abuse prevention model for tribes: The funds would cover the cost of a pilot program grounded in the understanding that substance use among Native youth is largely a matter of social and environmental factors – not just individual decision-making. The community-driven initiatives in the model aim to reduce substance use and enhance the health and well-being of young people. ($670,000 State general funds, $330,000 federal general funds).

Tribes are enduring opioid overdose fatalities at four times the state death rate for the public, as shown in the graph below.

Other supplemental budget proposals from the governor’s office are here.

Start the New Year Right

by making a difference with the Thurston League!

How might you like to contribute to the LWV’s mission to Empower Voters and Protect Democracy?

• Coffee with the League is an in-person opportunity meeting weekly for breakfast- and learning, discussing and advocating about (mostly) local and state government. Contact Paula Holroyde.

• Tabling is a flexible opportunity to register voters of all ages and encourage voter turn-out. Susan Fiksdal and Voter Service volunteers encourage civic engagement on high school and college campuses. Contact Susan Fiksdal.

• Interested in teaching? Civics education is an opportunity to learn more about how the textbook, The State We’re In Washington can be used in classrooms. A great activity to use skills honed in previous careers. Contact Karen Verrill.

• Want to learn about local organizations and how they connect with and support Black, indigenous, and people of color? Join members of the Steering Committee guiding local League activities focused on supporting racial justice, equity, inclusion and belonging. Contact Carol Goss. 

And more … There’s a place for you at the level that works for you! Contact us to find something that’s interesting and satisfying for you. Get in touch with us at Membership@LWVthurston.org; we can arrange a phone call or coffee.

Here’s to an exciting time to make a difference in the LWVTC and 2024 - Thank you!

Keep on Keeping on, Dr. Jackson!

Neither wind, nor rain or chilly afternoon kept Dr. Thelma Jackson from “showing up” at United Churches of Olympia Dec. 9, along with a large crowd of listeners for her book talk, Blacks in Thurston County Washington 1950-1975: A Community Album. Dr. Jackson kept an attentive audience of close to 100 spellbound by telling stories of Black people who lived, worked and broke new ground in Thurston County and envisioned a path toward racial justice, equity, inclusion and belonging. 

When asked for an example of someone particularly surprising, Dr. Jackson spoke of Freddie Williams Neal. The first Black school teacher in Thurston County, Neal traveled by train in 1957 from Texas for a job interview and arrived in Rochester at 3:30 in the morning. When she died, one of her students posted the following, “Freddie taught us to fly, and opened our hearts and minds to a boundless world. Whether it was the larger world or the nearer environs of Rochester, she taught us to reach for all that our dreams and abilities promised.”

Across the country our shared history is under attack, being sanitized, “white-washed” and in some cases erased. Dr. Jackson reminds us of the importance of recognizing personal accounts and achievements of Black people in Thurston County then and now. The stories and histories of these individuals are treasures to be recognized and protected. To order the book, go to the Northwest Institute for Leadership and Change: https://nwilc.org/book-order.

We thank United Churches of Olympia for co-sponsoring and providing space for this jubilant celebration of Dr. Jackson, her illustrious career, and the stories in her book. 

We also thank LWVTC members, including Karen Fraser who introduced Dr. Jackson, and others for tabling and welcoming guests including Shelley Ferer, Susan Fiksdal, Janice Holloway, Brenda Paull, Eleanor Walters and Karen Verrill.

We celebrate the people who make our work lighter and joyous – THANK YOU!

EMPOWERING VOTERS. DEFENDING DEMOCRACY.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.