Meeting Minutes Archive

    Archived notes from our business meetings, WSDCC meetings, KCDCC meetings and our newsletters.

    January 8, 2020 Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    January 8, 2020 – Hall at Fauntleroy

    6:30 Potluck Social Time

    7:07 Call to Order

    • Pledge of Allegiance 
    • Opening Ceremonies
      • VIP Acknowledgements
    • Eileen Cody was recognized. 
    • Jimmy Matta was recognized and thanked the 34th for our support in getting the new progressive Burien City Council elected in November. Council members were installed on Monday. Jimmy was also endorsed for another term being Mayor of Burien. 
    • New attendees and members were recognized.
    • Joe McDermott was recognized and announced that Claudia Belducci was voted in as Chair of the King County Council. He spoke about the new work for the regional approach to homelessness governance.
    • Review and Approval of the Minutes and Agenda
      • Minutes from November were presented and unanimously adopted as submitted.
      • Agenda was presented. 
        • Motion to remove the 2nd Vice Chair election from the agenda as this is an elected member of the board and we need to follow the process for election notification. This will be added to the February agenda.
        • Agenda, as revised was adopted unanimously. 
    • Ben Reilly shared the treasurer’s report. 
    • Nick Bonazza shared the PCO report. The 2020 PCO Kick Off will be held on February 22. More information will follow on the website. Filing for PCOs will be in May. One new PCO was sworn in for 1255.  Motion and second were made to approve John as PCO.
    • Gina Topp gave the Chair’s report. 

    7:28 King Conservation District Candidates

    February 11th is the election for this position. Chris Porter spoke about his campaign for King Conservation and what got him interested in the role. Chris shared the new method for voting, which starts online and ends with a mailed ballot. Information will be made available on the website. 

    Jesse Greene read a statement from candidate Steven Deutschman.

    7:35 Confirmation of New Executive Board Members

    There will be an election next month to fill the role of Second Vice Chair. Sofia Aragon has stepped down due to her position on the Burien City Council. 

    • Second Vice Chair: Jesse Greene
    • By-Laws Chair: Art Chippendale
    • Mobilization Chair: DeLancey Lane

    Both Art and DeLancey were confirmed unanimously.

    7:38 2019 Annual Awards

    Jimmy Matta was given the Elected Official of the Year Award

    Carla Rogers was given the Executive Board Member of the Year Award

    7:30 Resolution: Urging Washington State Adoption of the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Program

    A motion was made and seconded to adopt the resolution. This is Senator Joe Nguyen’s legislation.

    • Ann Martin spoke in favor of the resolution.  
    • A member spoke against the resolution in that it doesn’t address demand. There should be more of an incentive to drive a ZEV.
    • Jesse Greene spoke in favor of the resolution. 
    • Resolution passed unanimously.

    7:40 Hate Crimes in Washington State

    Monisha Harrell, Chair of Washington Equal Rights, and Ximena Velazquez-Arenas from the Economic Opportunity Institute presented a panel discussion on the prevalence of hate crimes in Washington State. The panel was moderated by Chris Porter. 

    8:40 Good of the Order

    • Katie Harris shared that on Monday the 20th (MLK Day) there will be an annual event at Garfield High School (MLK Day). Information will be placed on the website.

    9:00 Adjourn 

    11-20-19 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Attendees: Carla Rogers, Steve Butts, Gina Topp, Nick Bonazza, Ann Martin, Rachel Glass, Art Chippendale, Ben Reilly, Chris Porter, DeLancey Lane, Karen Richter, Ted Barker, Leah Griffin, Les Treall

    7:07 Gina called the meeting to order. 

    Julianne Kempf provided an overview of the Legislative Caucus. The deadline to provide signatures to the state to be included on the ballot is Jan 3. Names are due to Secretary of State by Jan 7. We are expected to have massive turnout in the 34th. In the Primary we will be looking at the candidates within the districts as well as statewide. 

    LD process – There will be an opportunity to pre-register for the caucus but you can also participate without pre-registering. April 26, 2pm is first caucus activity. We should set up a candidate filing table. We should expect 6 candidates on the ballot (they must get 15%). 

    DeLancey posted all of the caucus details on Slack for the board to review via Google. 

    8:00 Caucus Planning Update

    Rachel provided updates on the caucus planning front. We got quite a few volunteers at the last monthly meeting. Rachel held a meeting on Nov 12. Ted is providing historical input for the committee. There are 58 delegates for the state at the National level. Will be using Tom’s Planner to keep the full team of leaders and volunteers aligned. Art will be running registration. Ben will also be working with Art at Registration. There are webinars will be available for the committee for preparation. A communications plan will be developed by Carla. A communications/outreach/affirmative action subcommittee is being formed by Les. 

    The next full committee meeting will be scheduled soon by Rachel.

    8:10 Housekeeping items

    • Timeline for Bylaws/Code of Conduct – Changed to February for the general membership to review/vote. The Immigration program will be in January.
    • Gina has plans for GOTV 2020 which will be shared at the next meeting. 
    • Gina provided an update on the Glen Morgan lawsuit. Due to the Supreme Court case, this lawsuit may go away. The board needs to decide whether to settle at a lower amount or wait out the Supreme Court case. Chris made a motion to wait it out, DeLancey seconded and members approved. 
    • We will plan to do an early endorsement at the February meeting for Bob Ferguson, Jay Inslee and Pramila Jayapal. 
    • The December Executive Board meeting is cancelled. 
    • January Executive Board meeting will be held at Ann Martin’s house. We should resume board meetings at the Public House in February.
    • Chris gave a progress update on January program on Racism. A 4-person panel is planned. We will begin publicity for this event as soon as we have the panel locked in. 

    8:22 Budget Review 

    A full budget review will be done at the January meeting. Our contract with The Hall at Fauntleroy is up for renewal. The group agreed that we should stay at the Hall for next year. 

    8:24 Events

    Holiday Party is Dec 11. We will provide a smoked turkey. Moscow Mules will be the featured beverage. Attendees will be able to decorate cookies. Navos donations will be collected. Awards will be announced as well.

    8:28 Code of Conduct

    The Code of Conduct was distributed in Slack and in email. The members divided into groups to discuss their input. Coming back together, various points were discussed. 

    • The Social Media bullet was of particular concern by some members. 
    • The confidentiality piece needs to be fleshed out further.
    • Other points were provided to the committee for consideration in developing the final draft to be viewed and voted on by the membership in February.

    The board discussed the freedom of speech aspect at length. It was decided that the concerns will be taken back to the committee and a new draft (or the original) will be submitted back to the board at the January meeting. A final draft will be needed prior to the February board meeting. 

    9:21 Code of Conduct Violation Submitted by Jordan Crawley

    Gina provided a summary of Jordan Crawley’s Code of Conduct violation submission against David Ginsberg. The group discussed the submission and the behavior. David Ginsberg has resigned his position as Co-Chair of the Bylaws Committee.  

    Gina shared that she met with David Ginsberg and that he has resigned from the board.

    Ann made a motion that the board supports the action taken by the Chair. 

    The board generally agreed that no further action was warranted/necessary. Motion was made and was passed unanimously.

    The meeting was adjourned at 9:44pm.

    An awards committee meeting began at the end of the meeting. 

    November 13, 2019 General Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Hall at Fauntleroy

    6:30 Potluck Social Time

    7:00 Call to Order

    • Reminder of Code of Conduct
    • Pledge of Allegiance was led by Sofia Aragon

    Opening Ceremonies

    • VIP Acknowledgements
      • Sofia Aragon and Kevin Schilling thanked the audience for their support during the general election. Looking forward to advocating together. Knocking on doors is how it happened. 
      • Aaron Garcia (Highline School District) thanked the 34th for their support during his campaign.
      • Tina Podlodowski spoke about the local races and encouraging candidates. She discussed 2020 tactics and how we will need to knock doors and drive turnout across the state. Republicans will target Washington for the freshman up for reelection and the governor’s race. 
    • Review and Approval of the Minutes and Agenda

    Ann Martin requested two edits to the October general meeting minutes. Both are in the state party update section. 

    1. LD and County levels – by proxy
    2. Often Under-represented communities

    A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as amended. 

    • Adoption of the Agenda – A motion was made, seconded and the agenda was adopted as submitted. 

    7:20 Legislative Town Hall

    8:37 Good of the Order

    West Seattle Democratic Women are meeting at the Senior Center next Wednesday Nov. 20 and the program features Moms Demand Action.

    Highline/Burien Healthcare Workers are picketing on Nov 20 2:30-6 at Highline Medical Center. 

    Chris Porter announced the January program about racism. 

    Gina announced the holiday party – December 11. Bring back the Navos cards and nominate someone for the awards being given.

    9:00pm Adjourn to Locöl Barley & Vine 7902 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126

    10-16-19 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Attendees: Carla Rogers, Dawn Rains, Steve Butts, Gina Topp, Nick Bonazza, Ann Martin, Rachel Glass, Art Chippendale, Jesse Greene, Ben Reilly, Chris Porter

    7:13 Gina called the meeting to order.

    • Gina shared the updated calendar and walked through all the items. 
    • April 26 is the LD Caucus – all are expected to work that day.
    • Carla shared the plan for the Nov 13 Town Hall and asked everyone to share the details sent in email and on slack to their connections, while also sharing the event on Facebook. 
    • Holiday Party details were shared by Gina on behalf of Delancey. We will do the Navos giving tree at the November meeting, with the gift to be brought back by December. 
    • We need nominations for the awards we will give at the Holiday Party. 
    • The Code of Conduct is in its final stages. Code of Conduct will be shared with the board prior to the next board meeting. 
    • Bylaws final draft will also be shared at the November meeting. 
    • Ben shared that Lisa Herbold did not intend to buy a full page ad in the sample ballot. We will invoice for $200 with a $200 in-kind donation. The Burien candidates will also not be charged. We should have about $8000 to carry into next year. A large legal bill has been paid.
    • Membership dues income has been better than in past years. Gina mentioned that we could consider changes to the dues structure. We will push renewal of memberships at the Holiday Party.
    • Carla gave Communications committee updates – Lindsey Schober will start posting 2x weekly on Instagram and we will start to keep a content calendar for all channels. We need a plan for Twitter as we do not have anyone owning this. Chris Porter volunteered. Carla purchased a Tripod to be used for the live streams. We will change the position of the camera for the Facebook live stream going forward. 
    • Ann and Chris gave the state committee report. The caucus information will be coming out soon, won’t be as last minute as in the past. Next meeting is in January. 
    • Max Brown provided the King County committee report. A canvass will be held this weekend (see KCDCC website for details). Ballot Party is also planned for Saturday, Oct 19.  KCDCC Platform will be formed early next year. 
    • Outreach committee doesn’t have anything planned for the rest of the year. Sept 28 was the 2nd clean up Saturday of the year. 
    • Fundraising – Delancey is looking at locations and quotes for the 2020 annual summer fundraiser. A theme selection is in Slack and members should weigh in. 
    • PCOs will be called to get out this weekend for canvassing. Really need help in Burien. 
    • We are at 303 for membership. 103 PCOs.

    Gina announced that after the next Post-general meeting we will adjourn to Locol Barley and Vine. Whiskey West is too loud to have conversation.

    Caucus – April 26

    Rachel shared the report of the Caucus Committee. The committee convened for the first meeting on Monday, Oct 14. Rachel is creating a month by month plan. 

    Operations and Outreach are the two areas of planning focus.

    Operations  – set up, venue (Chief Sealth High School) 

    • Deadline for Insurance is early December.
    • State party has hired someone to help us get ready.
    • There is a grant available but we will not spend time on this due to the fact that we would likely not qualify. 
    • A walk thru of the venue will be held in March. 
    • Will need a lot of volunteers and technical support for the event.
    • Agenda for day-of event will be formed.
    • Gina will be the chair at caucus but we will need to be prepared for others to run for chair.
    • There will be concessions sold.
    • We will need printers to print out ballots and other documents. 
    • Signs for parking and directions to the venue will be needed. 
    • Sound Systems need to be arranged. 
    • Donation forms needed – we need to keep track of donations during the caucus.
    • Rachel will need to keep a budget for this event ($20k).

    Outreach

    • We need to do a lot of work to educate the public.
    • The state party has a webinar.
    • We will need to get the word out (use the libraries) to the public – programs will be held in multiple locations.
    • Need to contact affirmative action communities.
    • Outreach campaign work will start on January 3 (deadline for turning in signatures for national delegate).

    Next caucus planning meeting will be Nov 12 or 14, to be confirmed by Rachel. 

    9:06 Adjourn

    10-09-2019 Monthly Meeting Minutes, Amended

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Hall at Fauntleroy

    6:30 Potluck Social Time

    7:00 Call to Order

    Pledge of Allegiance was led by Sofia Aragon

    Opening Ceremonies

    VIP Acknowledgements

    • Joe Fitzgibbon was recognized and spoke about referendum 88 and I-1000 as well as I-976.
    • Kevin Schilling thanked the 34th for continued support. Merrill Gardens canvas this weekend. 
    • Sofia Aragon talked about how the democrats came out in the primary. 
    • Joe McDermott talked about recent legislation coming out of his committee that affects Vashon Wineries. Joe announced GOTV Efforts on the 17th and 20th as well as a campaign event (on 34th website). 

    The chair recognized visitors, first time guests.

    The chair reminded attendees of our code of conduct.

    Review and Approval of the Minutes and Agenda

    • Approval of the Minutes – The minutes were provided and a motion was made and seconded to approve as submitted. Motion passed unanimously.
    • Adoption of the Agenda
      • Nick Bonazza asked to allow Cydney Moore to speak about her campaign, (Burien City Council) during the New Business section of the agenda.
      • A motion was made to add teh Vashon Parks Levy, with was accidentally left off the agenda.
      • A motion and second was made to accept the agenda as amended. The amended agenda was unanimously approved.

    Report of Officers and Standing Committees

    • Chair’s Report – important to GOTV! Please pick up the new General Election Sample Ballot. Gina attended Pramilla Jayapal’s Impeachment Town Hall and shared her takeaways. 
    • Membership and Treasurer’s Report – Ben Reilly provided a financial update and announced that we have 303 members now!
    • State Committee Report – Ann Martin and Chris Porter attended the state committee meeting in Yakima at the end of September. LD and County Level Vote by proxy was submitted and was not approved. Bylaws changes around constituency caucuses were also vetted. Chris sits on the Code of Conduct Committee and reported on those activities. Chris also sits on the Affirmative Action Committee which is working to engage members of often under-represented communities. 
    • Gina announced that a Caucus Planning Committee will be held on Monday, Oct 14, 6pm at Uptown Delridge.
    • PCO Committee Report was provided by Nick Bonazza, chair. PCOs are canvassing in their precincts and in Burien. All members are encouraged to volunteer to GOTV. Sample ballots are available tonight.
    • Events Committee Report (Holiday Party Invitation) Carla discussed details of the Holiday Party to be held on December 11 here at the Hall at Fauntleroy. Chris Porter shared the process for nominating someone for our annual awards. Form is online and the deadline is November 19.

    7:42 Our Climate Crisis

    Alec Connon from 350 Seattle made a presentation about our Climate Crisis.

    8:27 New Business 

    • Endorsement of the Vashon-Maury Hospital District – a motion and second was made to endorse. Members spoke in favor of the endorsement. Members approved the endorsement. 
    • Endorsement of Vashon Parks Levy – a motion and second was made to endorse. Members spoke in favor of the endorsement. Members approved the endorsement. 
    • Cydney Moore (Burien City Council candidate) shared information about herself and her opponent and asked for our support in her effort to bring change to Burien.
    • The chair recognized Executive Dow Constantine. Dow spoke about I-976 and encouraged an endorsement in opposition of the measure.
    • Endorsement in Opposition to Initiative 976 – A second was made to endorse. Members spoke in favor of the endorsement. Members approved the endorsement.
    • Endorsement in Support of Referendum 88 – a motion and second – a motion and second was made to endorse. Members spoke in favor of the endorsement. Members approved the endorsement. 
    • Appointment of PCOs – Nick Bonazza introduced 2 nominees for PCOs in Burien. New PCOs were confirmed. 

    8:30 Good of the Order

    • Dawn Rains encouraged anyone interested to consider participating in Emerge Washington.

    8:49 Adjourn to Whiskey West 

    09/18/19 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Board Meeting Minutes

    09/18/19

    Attendees: Carla Rogers, Karen Richter, Les Treall, Dawn Rains, Jordan Crawley, Steve Butts, Gina Topp, Nick Bonazza, Ann Martin, Rachel Glass, Art Chippendale, DeLancey Lane, Leah Griffin, Jesse Greene, Ben Reilly, Chris Porter

    7:05 Calendar through the end of 2020

    • Bylaws and Code of Conduct are not yet ready for review by the board. 

    7:07 Seattle Green Spaces Coalition

    Martin Westerman shared a presentation with the board about the recent history of Seattle’s greenspaces and the coalition’s intent to place a value on the city’s greenspaces (turning greenspace into an asset for the city). Marty is asking for our support in encouraging the funding of a consultant. Seattle would be the first to undertake this approach. The group asked for a resolution to be drafted for consideration.

    7:34 Resolution Process

    • Resolution submitted
    • If board approves to go to membership, LAC will do an analysis (interpretation) of the resolution to be shared at the membership meeting. 
    • LAC discusses resolution with the sponsor.
    • Analysis to be shared in a non-biased fashion to the membership. Factual, not opinion or conclusion.
    • Analysis will also be posted to web/social.

    Good feedback was collected after the first use of the process during the last meeting. Ann was concerned the analysis shared last month was too detailed. Ben suggested a high level summary. Carla suggested that Jordan consider doing a summary level read for the membership, and have the details on the tables at the meeting.

    7:48 Executive Board Meeting location needs to change for October and November. We will not have a board meeting in December. October meeting will be at Ann’s home and November will be at Carla’s house.

    7:50 Continue discussion of calendar through the end of 2020

    October program is climate change – Rachel is organizing. 

    November will be the Town Hall with Legislative Updates from Joe N, Eileen Cody and Joe F.

    December program will be the holiday party, organized by Jacqui.. No business. We need to form an ad hoc awards committee.

    January program will be bylaws and code of conduct. (Chris’ Racism program added at the end of the meeting.)

    February program will be Immigration.

    PCO Popcorn Party will be held in February.

    March 10 is the Primary and March 26 is the Caucus.  The March program will be about delegate selection process and expectations of being a delegate.

    We will continue to plan for a “Non-Profit Speed Dating” program. Those with connections to non-profits will own an invitation to participate as we get closer. Rachel, Gina and Carla will continue planning this and a date will be confirmed in the near future.

    8:07 Committee Reports

    • Treasurer/Membership – continued issues with members not getting into NGP. A solution has been defined for this going forward.
    • Settlement for Glen Morgan was submitted and there has been no response yet..
    • Fundraising – DeLancey shared planning options. The group approved July 25 as the date of the 2020 fundraiser, before the local primary. Theme ideas will be debated in Slack.
    • PCO – Nick shared that we have appointed 21 PCOs since January. Nick shared some of his goals for the coming year including PCO mentors. We will hold a PCO recruiting event in February. 
    • Outreach – Karen and Steve talked about their last event of the year coming up on the 28th (adopt-a-street). Voter registration goal was met this year! 
    • Communications – Carla proposed that we buy a tripod for use at the meetings to live stream on Facebook. Group approved $75 for the tripod. Councilmember Bagshaw and candidate Pugel responded to the endorsement for the Tree Protection Ordinance. Lindsey Schomer will join the Comms Committee to support Instagram.
    • Caucus – Rachel and DeLancey will tour 3 venues for the Caucus. Volunteers are coming forward. 
    • State Committee – Chris and Ann are going to Yakima for the state party meeting next weekend. Code of Conduct will be decided. 
    • King County Dems – No report.
    • Legislative Action – Gina and Jordan have been working on a bill for the State Party. Change the current law to have all PCO candidates to be on the ballot whether they are opposed or not. Discussion was held. This will be a cost-focused issue. 

    8:42 Sample Ballot

    The group discussed having a sample ballot to distribute at the October meeting. Group agreed that we do want to pursue this and will confirm goals/plans outside the meeting. 

    8:56 Good of the Order

    Reminder that October Executive Board meeting will be held at Ann’s house. 

    Chris brought up the topic of racism and would like to have a program. Chris will work on a program about race for January.

    Art mentioned that Friday is the kick off of Strike for Climate.

    Jesse and Nick will bring forward a plan for the PCO recruitment party.

    9:10 Adjourn

    09/12/19 Monthly Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    September 11, 2019 – Hall at Fauntleroy

    6:30 Potluck Social 

    7:04 Call to Order

    Opening Ceremonies

    • Pledge of Allegiance was led by Sofia Aragon
    • Moment of Silence
    • VIP Acknowledgements 

    Joe Nguyen was recognized and announced his upcoming event held for LG Bob Ferguson on Sept 28 at C+P Coffee. 

    Joe McDermott was recognized and requested help from the 34th. Saturday, Sept 14 doorbelling for Sofia Aragon and Kevin Schilling.  Meeting at 1:30pm Boulevard Park Library. 

    • Gina reminded everyone about our code of conduct.

    7:07 Review and Approval of the Minutes and Agenda

    • A motion was made to approve the minutes from the August meeting. Motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
    • A motion was made to adopt the agenda. Motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
    • Chair’s Report – Executive board is working to update our code of conduct and Bylaws. Drafts are circulating. Input to the chairs of the committees are welcome. (Jordan Crawley – Resolutions Process, Chris Porter – Code of Conduct and Art Chippendale – Bylaws)Approval by the end of the year is the goal.
    • Membership and Treasurer’s Report – Ben shared highlights of the treasurer’s report and shared membership figures.

    7:16 Housing and Homelessness Presentation

    Sofia Aragon provided updates on the legislative front around housing.

    Robin Koskey – Communications Manager at the Seattle Office of Housing

    • Shared info about current housing initiatives in Seattle

    Daniel Malone –  Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC) https://www.desc.org/about/

    • Over 500 beds
    • Behavioral Health Organization
    • “Housing is what ends homelessness”

    If members want to help advocate, sign up for action alerts on the Low Income Housing Alliance website. www.wliha.org. 

    8:11 New Business

    • School Board District Endorsements

    A motion was made to support Aaron Garcia for Highline School Board Position 1. Motion was seconded. No further motions were made. Several members spoke in favor of Garcia’s nomination. A voice vote was held and Garcia was endorsed.

    Steve Butts made a motion to nominate Eric Blumhagen for District 1 Seattle School District Director. Motion was seconded. No further motions were made. Blumhagen was endorsed with no dissention by the 34th.

    Leah Griffin made a motion to nominate Rebeca Muniz for Seattle School Board District 3 Director. The motion was seconded and no further motions were made. Muniz was endorsed with no dissention by the 34th. 

    • Resolution in Support of the Seattle Urban Forestry and Commission’s Draft Tree and Urban Forest Protection Ordinances

    Jordan Crawley, Legislative Action Committee Chair, provided background on the resolution. 

    Motion and second was made to consider the resolution. Steve Zemke spoke in favor of the motion. Les Treall spoke against the resolution. The resolution passed as submitted.

    • Appointment of PCOs – 2 new PCOs were nominated and approved by representing PCOs at the meeting.
    • General Election Campaign Donations

    The attendees talked among themselves to provide ideas for how to divide the 34th’s allocated budget for campaign donations of $1000.

    Motion was made to give $500 each to Sofia Aragon and Kevin Schilling. Motion was seconded and a vote affirmed this donation.

    8:56 Good of the Order

    Ann Martin invited the group to support the Gala to be held on October 5 at the Seattle Design Center.

    Jesse Greene spoke in support of the Regional Housing Authority. 

    Art Chippendale encouraged attendance of the Impeachment Teach In.

    DeLancey Lane mentioned the upcoming fundraisers for Joe McDermott. 

    Les Treall reminded everyone that the West Seattle Food Bank Auction this weekend. 

    Aaron Garcia thanked the group for his endorsement and invited support at his upcoming fundraiser. 

    Eric Blumhagen thanked everyone for the endorsement. 

    9:09 Adjourn to Whiskey West

    08/21/19 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Board Meeting Minutes

    08/21/19

    Attendees: Carla Rogers, Karen Richter, Les Treall, Ben Reilly, Dawn Rains, Jordan Crawley, Steve Butts, Ted Barker, Gina Topp, Jesse Greene, Nick Bonazza, Ann Martin, Rachel Glass

    7:07 Gina called the meeting to order. 

    Glen Morgan Lawsuit

    Gina shared the Possinger Law Group memo regarding the State of Washington ex rel. Morgan v. 24th Legislative District Democrats. This memo is a settlement offer in the lawsuit. 

    The group discussed the offer as communicated in the letter. 

    Our attorney Laura Ewan shared options with the board and answered questions.

    The board agreed to the following response to be provided by Gina to our attorney.

    • No admission of violation
    • Public Disclosure Commission Training
    • Civil Penalty Payment of $3000
    • Suspension of $1500
    • 34th will pay no attorney’s fees
    • Probation to the end of the current board term, November 30, 2020

    8:00 Committee Reports

    • Treasurer’s Report – Ben Reilly presented the treasurer’s report. 
    • September Program – Sofia Aragon is organizing the program
      • Homelessness program, 2 speakers
      • Seattle School District candidates speak and potential endorsements
      • Highline School District School Board 
    • State Committee
      • State committee meeting is end of September and will be taking up the code of conduct
    • Communications
      • Sponsorship of Joe Nguyen’s Town Hall
        • Carla will get more details about the nature of our involvement. Who’s paying, nature of sponsorship – official state event or a Joe campaign event
      • Communications Committee is growing. 3 interested members have connected and we are working out how they can support the committee. 
      • Tai Yang will be working as Technology Special Projects Lead going forward and will be first working on the Donations page.
    • Outreach – Steve and Karen gave updates. 
      • 2 events upcoming
      • Goal is 175 registered voters. Need 20 more to make the goal. 
    • LAC
      • Jordan has been working on the Code of Conduct with Chris. 
    • PCO
      • Nick submitted a written report prior to the meeting. 
      • Nick is asking our electeds to provide names of potential PCOs. 
      • Also in communication with One America to help find volunteers or PCOs.
      • With the September meeting we will have 100 PCOs (207)
    • Bylaws 
      • Art Chippendale will be nominated at the next meeting to be the chair of the Bylaws committee. Jordan, Chris and others expressed interest in being on the committee.
    • Hospitality
      • Jesse stated he talked 5 folks (visitors) who had not signed in at the last meeting. 
    • Caucus
      • Sunday, April 26 is the Legislative District Caucus
      • Locations have been contacted
    • Events
      • Gina received and email about the picnic. The group agreed that we will not have a picnic this year due to lack of time for planning and other initiatives that are more important. 
      • Gina shared and email from Delancey regarding event planning questions. Comments should go into Slack.

    8:53 Resolution in Support of Seattle Urban Forestry Commission’s Draft Tree and Urban Forest Protection Ordinance

    • Ann Martin presented a resolution to consider. Discussion was held about the resolution. 
    • There was a motion and a second to send the resolution to the membership for consideration with no recommendation.
    • Discussion of the resolution process was held. 
    • The motion passed unanimously.

    9:07 Good of the Order

    Brunch Fundraiser for Lisa Herbold, 11-12:30 Sept 7 at the Public House 

    September agenda will include a proposal for how to spend funds in the budget for campaign contributions.

    Les shared his experience canvassing. Lesson – be careful canvassing!

    WSDC Picnic is Aug 22 (3-7pm) at Ann’s home. 

    9:15 Adjourn

    08/14/19 Monthly Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    General Meeting Minutes

    August 14, 2019 – Hall at Fauntleroy

    6:30 Potluck Social 

    7:01 Call to Order and Opening Ceremonies

    Gina led the Pledge of Allegiance

    VIP Acknowledgements

    • Krystal Marx was acknowledged and gave a few updates about tenant protections, just-cause ordinances and funding for a housing ombudsman. She stated that these topics/goals came from speaking with constituents. 
    • Kevin Schilling thanked the room for their support and endorsement then mentioned that GOTV is super important. 31% turnout in Burien vs. 35% in Seattle. 
    • Leslie Harris (School Board District 6, president) requested continued support for  her re-election campaign. Mentioned that Collective Bargaining will happen this year during the election cycle. She mentioned that the last school board vote was about a new district dress code. 
    • Lisa Herbold thanked the 34th for helping deliver a victory in the Primary. She needs continued support to fight big business influence in the election. She needs help with GOTV.

    Recognition of Visitors 

    • Eric Blumhagen spoke about his run for District 1 School Board and requested support in the district-wide election.

    Code of Conduct Reminders and announcements from Chris Porter 

    7:22 Review and Approval of the Minutes and Agenda

    The July meeting minutes were presented. Motion and second was made to approve as presented.  Minutes were approved. 

    It was moved and seconded to approve the agenda as presented by the chair. Motion passed and agenda was approved. 

    7:27 Report of Officers and Standing Committees

    • Chair’s Report – Gina thanked those who worked in support of the Primary. 
    • Ben Reilly presented the Membership and Treasurer’s Reports. We are ahead of goal for carry over to 2020. Membership is at 290 as of this evening.

    7:29 Program

    Leah Griffin (King County Representative) made a presentation about the state of legislation regarding sexual assault. 

    7:50 New Business

    Appointment of PCOs

    • Nick Bonazza introduced 2 new PCOs. Jesse and Wendy shared their stories. A motion was made and seconded to affirm the new PCOs.

    Family Separation Resolution

    • A motion and second was made to adopt the resolution.
    • Ben Reilly spoke in favor of the resolution.
    • A vote was held and the resolution passed unanimously.

    Affirmative Action Resolution

    • A motion and second was made to adopt the resolution.
    • Ann Martin presented a motion to amend. The amendment was to substitute “the 34th District Democrats” for “the WA State Central Committee”. 
    • A vote was held to include the replacement of language. Motion passed unanimously.
    • Ivan Weiss spoke in favor of the resolution.
    • Resolution passed unanimously, as amended. 

    8:05 Good of the Order

    Les Treal announced the Postcards to Voters meeting at C&P coffee 10-12 on Thursday. Les also is going to host a fundraiser for Lisa Herbold on Sept 7 at the Public House where he lives. 

    Ann Martin announced a WSDW picnic on August 27th from 3-7 at her home to celebrate the birthday of founding member Georgia Kunkel. 

    Peggy Abbie reiterated the Postcards for Voters effort which will also be done at the Senior Center. 

    Max Brown announced a panel about the census to be held on Tuesday, August 27 6-8pm at El Centro De La Raza. 

    Marcelle Johnsen promoted attendance of the “Between the Lines” presentation at the Log House Museum starting August 19 (general public). 

    Keith Weir spoke about IRAP (Apprenticeships) and  HR397. 

    8:25 Adjourn to Whiskey West 

    July 10, 2019 Membership Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    General Meeting Minutes

    July 10, 2019 – Hall at Fauntleroy

    6:30 Potluck Social 

    7:00 Call to Order and Opening Ceremonies   

    Sophia Aragon led the Pledge of Allegiance

            VIP Acknowledgements

      • Eileen Cody spoke about actions in Vashon.
      • Councilmember Joe McDermott announced his upcoming event to be held from 6-8 PM on July 29th at Roxbury Lanes

    Recognition of New Members

    The Chair provided a few notes on the Code of Conduct of the 34th District

    7:10 Review and Approval of the Minutes and Agenda

    Approval of the Minutes – a motion to approve the minutes as printed was submitted and seconded. Minutes were approved as presented. 

    Adoption of the Agenda – a motion to adopt the agenda was made, seconded and passed. 

    7:09 Report of Officers and Standing Committees

    • Chair’s Report – Gina reported out a recap of the actions taken regarding the incident which occurred at our last monthly meeting. A visitor asked for a recap of the incident. Actions are ongoing and the agenda tonight includes a few of the follow ups. 
    • Ben Reilly presented the Membership and Treasurer’s Reports. We are on pace to exceed our fundraising goal. Current membership is 285. 
    • Nick Bonazza presented the PCO Committee Report. PCO packets will be handed out tonight. Nick announced two events: a canvas for our Burien candidates will be held on July 20 and 21. On July 22, a candidate phonebank for Lisa Herbold will be held. PCOs will be given the location information via email.

    7:15 Code of Conduct Exercise  

    Chris Porter led discussion around our current Code of Conduct. The members broke into groups to provide input and feedback for the Code of Conduct revision to be owned by a committee of executive and general members.  We will have a new Code of Conduct to vote on at a future meeting.

    7:50 New Business

    Appointment of PCOs 

    It was moved, seconded that Max Brown be appointed as a PCO, bringing us to a total of 94. PCOs confirmed Max with a unanimous vote.

    Hate Speech Resolution

    • A motion was made and seconded to consider the Hate Speech Resolution submitted. 
    • Jesse Greene spoke in favor of the resolution. 
    • Max Vecich spoke about the importance of Freedom of Speech.
    • Chris Porter made an amendment to Section 6. 
      • Strike “sexual orientation”
      • Replace with “LGBTQI”
      • Amendment passed 18-14
    • Marcee Vecich made an amendment to section 6
      • Add “or lack thereof” after religion
      • Amendment passed 31-0
    • A credential vote was made.  Resolution passed with amendments.

    Seattle Green New Deal Resolution

    • Motion was made and seconded to consider the resolution. 
    • Members spoke for and against the resolution. 
    • Marcee Stone-Vecich requested an amendment to add a section:
      • Whereas we recognize and thank the Seattle City Council for signing a letter of support, 
      • Amendment passed.
    • Resolution passes with the amendment.

    8:24 2020 Census Presentation, WA Census Alliance

    The 2020 U.S. Census will lay the foundation upon which some important decisions are made in our region over the coming years. For example, it will determine how much funding is available for critical services like health care and where our legislative district lines lie. It’s critical we count all residents, including those who are traditionally underrepresented. 

    Kamau Chege provided a presentation about the 2020 census (available as a download). After a brief period of Q&A, Kamau mentioned that the group will be looking for support from the 34th in March.

    9:09 Good of the Order

    Martha announced her session at the White Center Library regarding how to advocate for universal healthcare. See website calendar for details. 

    Max Vecich announced that Terminal 5 activities started today.

    9:10 Adjourn to Whiskey West