WSDCC Meeting Notes

    2022 GOTV Kick Off

    2022 Primary Season Begins

     400 300 34th Democrats

    It’s Time! Our 2022 Primary GOTV Kick Off is July 9th!

    This is our chance to say what kind of America we want to live in.

    Participate. This election is a fight for democracy itself.

    It’s going to take all of us to win in 2022. Are you in?

    Come out to C&P Coffee (5612 California Ave SW) on July 9th between 10-1pm. We will have members of the WA Dems Coordinated Campaign, along with our 34th District endorsed candidates. Our PCOs may pick up their sample ballots and volunteers can grab a walk list to knock some doors.

    Ballots drop on Wednesday, July 13th for the August 2 Primary.

    Be a VOTER!

    22-05-11 Membership Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    22-05-11 Membership Meeting Minutes

    Held virtually via Zoom

    6:30pm Pre-Meeting Program: Post Legislative Session Wrap-up

    • Senator Joe Nguyen and Representative Joe Fitzgibbon spoke and answered questions.

    7:15 pm – Call to Order by Carla Rogers, Chair

    Land and People Acknowledgement – Rachel Glass, First Vice Chair

    Approval of Meeting Agenda

    • Moved for approval by Chris Porter, seconded by Ann Martin. Approved by unanimous consent.

    Minutes from the April Membership Meeting

    • Moved for Approval by Sarah Koch, Seconded by Ann Martin. Approved by unanimous consent.

    Budget and Membership Report

    • Treasurer Julie Whitaker reported on the budget. Income of $1,932.87 was reported, due primarily to July Fundraiser advance ticket sales. Month End Balance is $30,444.71.
    • The end of the fiscal year was April 30, 2022.
    • There are currently 138 paid members, and 101 PCOs post-redistricting.
    • Carla noted that to be able to vote at the June 8th endorsement meeting, new members must sign up by the end of this meeting, and that 2021 members must renew no later than 6pm on June 7, 2022.

    July 14 Fundraiser 

    • Rachel Glass provided information about the “Paint the Night Blue” July 14th fundraiser. There will be alcoholic and non-alcoholic signature “Blue” drinks. There will be a raffle and a “raise the paddle” donation event along with a short program and other activities. Attendees are encouraged to wear blue apparel.

    Announcements

    • Carla Rogers gave State Convention updates:
    • The 34th delegation will consist of 44 people, including elected and automatic delegates.
    • 5 resolutions have been submitted by members; 2 will be sent forward.
    • 39 platform amendments have been presented to the state.
    • She thanked those who volunteered to serve on convention committees: Ann Martin, Rules; Bunny Hatcher, Platform; and Zach Ricketts, Credentials.
    • Pop Up Social May 20, 2022
      • At The Georgetown Liquor Company, 5:30 to 8 pm.
      • KC Executive Dow Constantine will be attending.
    • 34th District State Representative Candidate Forum will be held jointly with the West Seattle Democratic Women.
      • Ann Martin, Chris Porter, Jordan Crawley, and Ted Barker are assisting.
    • Help is needed during the June 8th endorsement meeting. Contact Chair Rogers to volunteer.
    • May board meeting will be Wednesday the 18th.
    • There will be no July meeting.

    Candidate Spotlight

    • Andrea Jarmon, running for King County District Court, SW Division, Position 2
    • Democratic Candidates for 34th Legislative District Representative, Position 1
      • Emily Alvarado
      • Leah Griffin

    Precinct Committee Officer Filing Week

    • PCO Committee Chair Nick Bonazza gave the dates of May 16 – May 20 and described the 2-year term for 2023/2024. He explained the filing process with King County Elections.

    Election for Male/Non-Binary KCDCC Committeeperson

    • Bunny Hatcher moved to nominate Ted Barker. Ann Martin seconded. Ted was elected by voice vote.

    Resolution: To call for an independent study of cost and environmental impacts of a gondola as an alternative to light rail to serve as West Seattle’s link to the Sound Transit system.

    • Bunny Hatcher summarizes the resolution and moves for adoption. Randy Litzenberger seconds
    • Randy speaks in favor of the resolution.
    • Tamsen Spengler speaks against.
      • Tamsen moves to make an amendment to remove language stating the gondola as “34th’s favored option”. Ann Martin seconds.
      • Tamsen speaks for the amendment.
      • Katherine Woolverton speaks against.
      • Chris Porter speaks for.
      • Amendment passes via Zoom show of hands.
    • James Boyle speaks in favor of the resolution as amended.
    • David Kerlick speaks against.
    • Resolution adopted via Zoom Poll. 19 in favor, 14 opposed.

    Resolution: In support of the “Keep Our Care Act”.

    • Bunny Hatcher summarizes the resolution and moves for adoption.
    • Chris Porter seconds.
    • Roxanne Thayer speaks for.
    • Resolution is passed unanimously via Zoom poll.

    2022/2023 Budget

    • Treasurer Julie Whitaker summarizes the budget and moved for adoption.
    • Bunny Hatcher seconds.
    • Budget is adopted via Zoom poll

    Bylaws Revisions

    • Changes include new content, to match current practices, and minor edits for clarity and format
    • Chair Rogers summarizes and reads new content
      • Art Chippendale moves an amendment, Sarah Koch seconds.
      • Amendment is passed via voice vote
    • Chris Porter moves to adopt new Bylaws as amended, Julie Whitaker seconds. Motion to adopt passed via voice vote.
    • Chris Porter moves to adopt changes to the Endorsement Rules Addendum section, Bunny Hatcher seconds. Motion is passed via voice vote.

    Meeting is adjourned at 9:40 pm.

    platform

    34th Dems Platform

     400 300 34th Democrats

    Our Platform & Legislative Action platform Committee in partnership with our Membership Policy Caucuses, began the platform process after our reorganization in January.  The Board recommended that the membership adopt this platform. At the July membership meeting (July 14, 2021), members made revisions and eventually approved the 34th Dems 2021 Platform.

    This process has done a lot of good for our organization. Not only are we taking steps toward formally establishing a tangible identity for our organization, but we’ve also begun forging strong, meaningful, cooperative partnerships with other community-based organizations, other Party organizations, and our region’s Tribes.

    This platform will be reviewed at minimum bi-annually. Any member or caucus may suggests revisions on the platform, as situations arise. Please send comments or suggestions to lac@34dems.org.

    Executive Board Meeting

    4-21-21 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

     400 300 34th Democrats

    Executive Board Meeting Minutes

    April 21, 2021 – Virtual meeting held via closed ZOOM

    7:00pm – Call to Order by Chair Carla Rogers 

    Attendees: Carla Rogers, Rachel Glass, Sara Smith, Steven Butts, Jeff Sbaih, Colleen Hinton, Karen Richter, Gina Topp, Bunny Hatcher, Jordan Crawley, Julie Whitaker, Estey Chen, Trey Lykins, Leah Griffin, Norman Sigler, Richard O’Neill, Nick Bonazza, Chris Porter 

    Call to Order

    • Welcome & Reminder of our social contract
    • Review of Agenda and Minutes 
        • Retreat Minutes from March 6
        • March 17 Board Meeting 
        • Both accepted with no changes
    • Review of April Membership Meeting
        • Starting in May, we will have a new registration process via Zoom which will take the manual process out. Users will get an immediate confirmation of their registration, and the link for Zoom.
    • Organizational Goals 
        • Discussed new goals for 34th and reviewed the Google doc
    • Committee Spotlights 
        • Platform and Legislative Committee – Jordan Crawley provided an update about the MPC process of building the Platform; Jordan is also working with tribal leaders to include their plank of the platform.
        • Upcoming Programming  – Rachel Glass provided an update, on the deep and thoughtful reflective work on becoming diverse,  understanding racism, listening and outreach, designed to change the way our organization looks and works; also looking at redistricting and redlining since redlining and gun violence intersect strongly; also looking at setting up a marketplace to highlight BIPOC businesses in the 34th. 
        • Resolution & Endorsements Committee – 
          • New process step to ensure resolutions go to the correct committee first to get their feedback, prior to the committee reviewing.
          • Platforms and resolutions should be well aligned, and if they are not, note that during the resolution discussion  
        • Green New Deal Committee – Karen Richter provided an update regarding the  5 point plan to move US to a green economy moved forward by AOC; WA state formed a coalition to support green new deal legislation made up of youth groups, progressive faith based, and political orgs, amongst others, to support those.  Website now up and running. Climate town hall this weekend. 
    • Resolution for Consideration
      • Voting Practice
        • Preparation for upcoming Endorsement meeting and will also practice in upcoming members meeting.  
        • Using a Zoom poll which can vote live and download a spreadsheet to validate credentials. 
          • Users must log in to Zoom in order to vote. 
          • NGP list of members and PCOs will be pulled after 9pm the night before the Endorsement meeting
          • Ballots are in Zoom window
          • No more links and separate windows/tabs during the meeting
          • Ballot data and NGP data will be combined for credentialing
          • Second and third ballots will be pre-prepared and edited during the meeting as necessary
          • Tally committee and candidate reps will be put into Breakout rooms and will use a shared screen method for validation
    • Endorsements Slate 
        • Resolutions & Endorsements Committee Role: brief discussion of committee role in Endorsement process.
    • Planning Committees
        • Forums Planning Committee – interested in being involved? Planning meeting April 27 
        • Fundraising & Events Planning Committee – interested in being involved?  Planning meeting May 4
    • Good of the Order (GOTO) & Announcements 
      • Jeff Sbaih found an organization to go into micro communities to deliver vaccines this Sunday at High Point, contact him through Slack if you have any interest. 
      • Bunny mentioned Vashon has extra vaccines available
      • Colleen mentioned John White is running and wondered if anyone knew him – he is a developer
      • Colleen mentioned that tomorrow is Earth Day and the Puyallup tribe is holding outdoor work parties to clean up green space on tribal land for Earth day 10 till noon, here is the sign up:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAncT2VQ6AMVeJjEN7kSPuWft24ydPkq6Sml1-mxOVhSn6Zw/viewform
      • GreenSeattle.org  has work parties for Earth Day as well. 
      • Town Hall (Jayapal, Nguyen, Cody, Fitzgibbon) – May 2, 1-2:30pm; Submit Questions 
      • Candidate Forums – May 22, 25 and June 5
      • Endorsement Meeting – June 9
      • Committee Chairs: Committee Reports are due the Saturday before our Board meeting
      • Sarah Koch will be appointed as the new Bylaws & Rules Chair, to be confirmed in May.
      • CER – State Party Initiative: Contest Every Race – goal is to get a democrat for every race in the state, like Vashon Parks & Rec, etc. , there are plenty of races in the state that need good candidates. 
      • Sharing our Member/PCO List with candidates; a Mayoral candidate requested access to our lists but we only do that for our endorsed candidates
      • Endorsements slate will be presented in May meeting, will only endorse candidates that complete a questionnaire. 

    8:50 – Adjourned by Chair Carla Rogers 

     

    Letter in Support of the Proposed Code of Conduct

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Proposed Code of Conduct

    I am in full support of the new code of conduct and appreciate the work of the executive board in taking this necessary step to ensure all members are welcome and have full access to participate.  If we are an organization that is truly “dedicated to maintaining a culture of respect, inclusion, and equity” then we must do more than write words on paper. A well-thought out and effective code of conduct, one that is applied objectively with clear mechanisms in place to enforce our values, brings meaning to these words and backs up our commitment to inclusivity. It demonstrates that the 34th Dems is an organization that is intolerant of inflicting harm, despite whatever good reason a person may think they have to do so. If we want to have a representational democracy, we must take active measures to ensure that all people are welcome and that means assuring people feel safe, respected and valued. The statement against the code of conduct argues that, should it pass, it would force the ideals of respect and dignity upon our membership. Why as a group would we not want to unify behind these basic ideals of human decency?

    The argument against the code of conduct lists out three main concerns should it be passed by the membership. Each is addressed below.

    1.      The code of conduct will waste a bunch of “precious” time

    The opposition uses the code of conduct complaint filed in 2018 against the former King County Chair, Bailey Stober as an example of how resolving these issues is a big waste of our time. What is not mentioned is that Stober was accused of harassing his employee, creating a hostile work environment and committing financial improprieties. Donations were withheld and work stalled because it took three independent investigations, several district resolutions calling on his resignation or a vote on his resignation (including the 34th), a letter from our State Chair and an open letter signed by over 200 democratic members and elected officials calling for his resignation, and an 11 hour trial with dozens of witnesses and hundreds of pages of documentation before he was found guilty on most charges and finally stepped down.  People resigned over the frustration and disappointment the allegations demanded that level of proof and public outcry before they were taken seriously. It seems for some, they are still not taken seriously. They left because the Democratic ideals of worker’s rights and women’s rights did not appear to be upheld or respected, not because it took up too much of their time.

    The two other examples given of how the code of conduct is an unworthy use of our time, involved members of the 34th– one regarding members conduct in a meeting and the other members conduct on social media. Here are my questions: What happens when a new member walks in and sees this aggressive hostile behavior? With the many ways a person could volunteer their time, what’s the chance of them returning to our organization?  And how does this behavior displayed on social media read to people outside of the 34th? Will we really be respected if we are an organization that “speaks our truth” by engaging publicly in hostile and divisive behaviors to settle conflicts?  The opposition argues for more, not less of this conduct as it is believed this allows people the freedom to speak their truth. That’s not an organization I’d be proud to be in. I argue that ensuring worker’s rights and women’s rights, taking code of conduct complaints seriously and handling them judiciously, and making sure all people feel safe and welcome is a very good use of our time, maybe even the best use of our time.  

     2.      The code of conduct will stifle free expression

    Yes, we are all ‘free’ to “speak our truth”, but with this freedom comes the responsibility each of us has for the impact we have on others.   If a member cannot refrain from using defamatory language, demonstrating intolerance or engaging in inappropriate physical contact to express their opinion then there is a fundamental flaw in their argument. The code of conduct states it is on the speaker to find a way to respectively get their point across, not on us to “get over it”.  We are held to these same standards of behavior in our places of employment, our schools, our houses of worship, and our community centers, why should the place where we exercise our civic duties and engage in activism be any different?There is a bigger point to be made about the opposition’s protection of free expression. Some of us are freer than others. The opposition in a “that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” argument, attests to the value of getting hurt as a motivator to “stand your ground”. Not all of us feel safe enough to stand our ground. Our ability to stand our ground depends on how much privilege we have in the world.  I assume not many people could, or would even try, to intimidate an over 6-foot-tall white male. On the other hand, for women, people of color, and members of the LBGTQ community, harassment and intimidation can be a daily occurrence. For them, the idea of safety is a more tangible concern than it is a desire to feel warm and fuzzy. There are consequences for standing their ground. When we think about the values of our organization and how to best live up to them, we must look from positions of less privilege then we hold. Rather than focus solely on the most “passionate” in our group who may leave because they are now required to filter their thoughts, we need to think about how many voices are silenced in service to maintaining the loudest ones. 

    3.      The code of conduct will be weaponized to remove members

    This fear has no basis in reality. Attempted coups and political takedowns probably do happen even in small local politics. However, in reality, it is more likely that a complaint will be filed for a valid reason than it would be used as a subversive strategy. Concern that the code of conduct will provide a tool for people to lie about their injuries to gain some nefarious benefit is not backed by facts.  The facts clearly show false claims to be rare. The code of conduct complaint was filed against the King County chair because he was guilty of harassing his employee and for no other reason.
    Addressing the final paragraphs of the statement against the code of conduct:

    The opponent suggests that serious misconduct should be handled by either the cops or the courts. Not only does an act of misconduct not need to be ‘serious’ (whatever that means) to cause harm, code of conduct complaints rarely rise to this level of criminality.

    The argument against also suggests that a code of conduct is unnecessary due to member’s presumed ability to get along following conflict, proving that people can “get over it”.  When there isn’t a strong code of conduct in place there is often no recourse, nowhere to go to, no one to ask for help, no one to believe you. Without the ability to confront the behavior directly, a person has few options. They either have to leave or find a way to stay and “get over it” by denying it, forgetting it, diminishing it, invalidating it, or taking the blame. A code of conduct gives members who have experienced disrespectful, intimidating or harassing behavior, the option to stay in the organization while preserving the dignity of their own experience. Then, and only then, can they truly move past it.  

    The code of conduct represents an organizational change and a larger societal one as well. Change is hard and some people are going to have to take more time to consider their words, time they didn’t have to spend before. But I assure you this will benefit everyone. Voting for the code of conduct is the right thing to do and now is the right time.

    Treina Aronson

    Letter In Opposition of the Proposed Code of Conduct

     400 300 34th Democrats

    Proposed Code of Conduct

    At the February meeting, this organization will be asked to approve a Code of Conduct (Code), which describes how members are expected to behave towards each other and describes a mechanism to punish members who violate these prescribed norms. I intend to speak against this Code but will not be able to present my concerns in the allotted 2-minute speech. I beg your indulgence.

    I believe whole heartedly that we should all treat each other with respect and dignity. I try to live my life with that as a guiding principal. That said I don’t want to force my ideals upon others by codifying it.

    Most of us are here because we are passionate about an issue, or many issues. Being passionate about issues, we hold strong opinions and we don’t always agree. We often debate how to achieve our goals and who should be elected. Several of our most active and passionate members use social media and our meetings to speak “their truth”. Sometimes that truth is hard to hear or counter to the beliefs of others. I think that is OK, even good. If someone says something that makes you angry or hurt, good. Use that to motivate you to do more and express your own opinions.

    I have three primary concerns with this Code. First, if a grievance is filed, the board will use a bunch of it’s precious and limited time to investigate and potentially try the complaint. Second, it will stifle the free expression of thoughts and ideas, and third, it could be weaponized to remove some of our most passionate and active members. 

    Board time: I was elected as one of our delegates to King County Democrats in January of 2017. In January of 2018, they adopted a similar Code of Conduct. Three days later, a grievance was filed against the Chair, and we spent until August resolving the issue. That board spent almost all of every meeting in between, often running late, litigating the complaint. In that period, the only substantial work done towards their mission, was getting the candidates questionnaire assembled so that endorsements could be made. There was tremendous turnover on the board including 3 of 4 vice chairs, the treasurer and eventually the Chair. The January, 2018 meeting had almost all 48 delegates in attendance. By August, barely half were attending. They raised only enough money that year to keep the lights on and distributed none to candidates. It also alienated everyone on the board from each other. 

    Last year, here in the 34th, there was an incident at our endorsement meeting involving some of our most passionate members. The Board spent two meetings, one 6 hours long and one 3 hours, figuring out how to resolve the complaint. We spent about 200 volunteer hours in meetings for this instead of working to elect Democrats. There were countless other hours spent in communications and discussions. In the end we suspended 3 of our most active members until after the election in November. I suggest that our board has more useful tasks to attend to.

    Stifling free speech: This year, during our City Council race, one of our members posted comments on social media that were unflattering to towards one of the candidates (both candidates are members). A grievance was filed by one of our other members citing ad homonym arguments, cyberbullying, harassment and other conducts. The board spent much of another meeting on this grievance. I had seen those posts and while the member used verbiage I would not, I saw it as a member speaking their truth. I felt it was OK and frankly, I wish more folks would speak their truths. I worry that, if the Code passes, fewer will speak, in fear of reprimand.

    Weaponization: I fear the code will be used to drive some of our most active and passionate members out of the party and to discourage them from running for office. I felt it was used that way in the case of the King County Democrats Chair and I felt it was used that way in our Council race last year.

    In summery. I want everyone to treat each other with respect and dignity but I don’t think this is how you do it. I also understand that our members can be passionate about an issue or a candidate. I understand how one’s passion can overcome judgement and that we are not all friends all of the time. I have also witnessed members being really upset at another member about something said or done and then seen them call the same person seeking advice a year later. I’ve done it myself. We can move on.

    We already have mechanisms in the bylaws to address serious misconduct. We can censure a member; we can suspend a member and we can remove officers from the board. If there should be a serious misconduct, we can refer it to the police and/or the courts. We do not have the time, or energy to manage every member’s personal behavior. I ask that you use the Code to model your behavior but that you not codify it in the bylaws.

    Finally: Politics is all about conflict and the resolution of conflict. Don’t run and hide from it. Stand your ground and speak your thoughts as best you can to defend your values. In the end, come together and move on.

    Les Treall, PCO SEA 34-1498

    05/23/19 KCDCC Monthly Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    05/23/19 KCDCC Monthly Meeting Minutes

    • submitted by Max Brown KCDCC committeeman

    KCDCC is hosting a “fun” – raiser involving local candidates and partner organizations – more details to come on social media channels. This event replaces the planned “fish fry” or “salmon bake” from years past. 6/23, 2- 5pm @ IAM 751 hall in South Park

    Pride Plans – Tshirt design just released (50 yr anniversary of Stonewall)

    • Booth Saturday, 6/29, on Broadway from 11a – 6p
    • Parade Sunday, 6/30, 8:30a – RSVPs would be appreciated – need to track logistics re: water, snacks etc
      • Currently, no exact place in line, but if folks show up at 4th and Pike st. KCDCC rep will be present to help guide folks to location
      • Note Reps Smith, Schrier, Jayapal, DelBene will be in attendance
      • Hillary, Bob, and Dow will all be present

    Endorsements, approved by the body:

    Judicial

    Averil Rothrock, King County Superior Court Position 16

    Marshall Ferguson, King County Superior Court Position 31

    Aimee Sutton, King County Superior Court Position 49

    Mike Ryan, King County Superior Court Position 37

    Maureen McKee, King County Superior Court Position 5

    Comments: All five of these judges are running unopposed and are aligned with KCDCC’s platform and values.

    Bellevue 

    City Council Pos 3 – Jeremy Barksdale

    City Council Pos 5 – Janice Zahn

    Burien 

    City Council Pos 6 – Sofia Aragon

    Kirkland 

    City Council Pos 2 – Kelli Curtis

    City Council Pos 5 – Neal Black

    City Council Pos 6 – Amy Falcone

    Redmond 

    City Council Pos 1 – Varisha Kahn

    City Council Pos 5 – Vanessa Kritzer

    Renton

    Mayor – Marcie Maxwell

    City Council Pos 7 – Kim-Khanh Van

    Sammamish 

    City Council Pos 2 – Karen McKnight

    City Council Pos 6 – Rituja Indapure

    Seattle 

    City Council Dist 1 – Lisa Herbold

    School Board Races 

    Kent School District 415 – Leslie Hamada (District 3)

    Candidates who have been endorsed by Legislative Districts where the positions are solely within the jurisdiction of only one (1) Legislative District and candidates have returned KCDCC questionnaires:

    11th Legislative District 

    Tukwila City Council Pos 4 – Cynthia Delostrinos Johnson

    Tukwila City Council Pos 6 – Kate Kruller

    41st Legislative District 

    Mercer Island City Council Pos 3 – Wendy Weiker

    Mercer Island City Council Pos 4 – Patrick Allcorn

    Mercer Island City Council Pos 5 – Craig W. Reynolds

    33rd Legislative District 

    Seatac City Council Pos 1 – Senayet Negusse

    Seatac City Council Pos 5 – Takele Gobena

    2018 WSDC Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Meeting called to order at 7:00 by Acting Chair Michael Taylor-Judd

    7:00 Pledge of Allegiance.

    7:02 Acknowledgement of VIP’s – Representative Eileen Cody, State (and endorsed) Senate Candidates Shannon Braddock and Joe Nguyen.

    7:07 Minutes and Agenda (M)oved(S)econded(P)assed.

    7:08 Recognition of the nominations of Rashida Tlaib and Sharice Davids, the first Muslim woman and one of the 2 two first Native American women to Congress respectively.

    Need to get our PCO#s up. 2020 Caucuses are expected to be very well attended.

    7:10 Treasurer’s Report –
    Garden Party raised $23,000, expenses for it were $8,000
    There is $15,000 in the caucus fund and $19,641.56 in the savings account.

    7:12 KCDCC Report – Martha Koester reports that there is a new Treasurer.

    7:13 Chris Porter expressed his thanks to the Garden Party Committee.

    7:14 Recognition of Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold.

    7:16 – Program – Things you can do to get involved!

    Help with the Outreach Committee to get people signed up to vote!

    Get involved and help with other districts and campaigns.

    Some organizations worthy of your consideration:

    Voter Registration and Engagement:
    Latino Community Fund of Washington (info@latinocommunityfund.org) – Works on growing
    Latinx community involvement.

    Code Blue Washington (www.codeblue.team/) – Kim Ricketts reiterated that STATE LEGISLATIVE
    RACE MATTER. She invited the membership to join the Code Blue Facebook Group. They are not
    A fundraising operation in this state yet. They try not to favor any candidates in primaries.
    Voter Registration is NOT their focus. It is more on engagement. Don’t have an iPhone? Prefer
    pen and paper to tapping on a keyboard? Check out https://postcardstovoters.org
    You can help from the comfort of your own home! The Code Blue team does work with
    MiniVan, the state parties and candidates.

    Knock 10 (itunes.apple.com/us/app/knock-10/id1241443399)

    Homelessness:
    Facing Homelessness (www.facebook.com/HomelessInSeattle/)
    Low Income Housing Institute (https://lihi.org/tiny-houses/)
    Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (http://WLIHA.org)
    Real Change (http://realchangenews.org)
    West Side Interfaith Network (https://sites.google.com/site/wschristianchurches/) Provides
    meals and funds

    Timothy Harris from Real Change spoke about the paper.

    Also discussed were the Facing Homelessness Facebook Group, the Pike Place Senior Center,
    Camp Second Chance, Low Income Housing Alliance’s Tiny Houses program, support for
    Veterans, the America’s Promise program.

    Observed that centralized services were not as efficient as de-centralized services were.

    It was also pointed out that School Districts define homelessness differently than the
    government does, and that tough conversations were needed about prioritizing funding.
    Teams? Theaters? Or…People?

    Other:
    Bathrooms that are safe for all (www.refugerestrooms.org)
    Assist Citizenship Seekers
    Planned Parenthood (www.istandwithpp.org
    Volunteer to help pass Initiative 1639.
    Check out www.volunteermatch.org

    8:10 New Business – Martha Koester introduced a Resolution in support of Councilmember Kohl-Welles’s Amendment to invest an additional $184 million into affordable housing for King County residents. It is a compromise on stadium funding and funds for the homeless.

    A point of order was raised of the necessity of suspending the rules to consider the motion.

    Moved and Seconded to vote to suspend the rules. Motion failed. Steve will publish it in the newsletter.

    8:20 Recognition of newly Elected PCO Julie Whitaker from Vashon Island.

    8:23 Good of the Order.

    8:25 Adjourned.

    February 2019 Board Meeting

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Board Meeting Minutes

    February 20, 2019

    Attendees: Gina, Ann, David, Tai, Max, Steve, Karen, Nick, Les, Jacqui, Sofia, Ben, Dawn

    7:04 Call to Order and Introductions

    7:06 Photoshoot

    7:16 General Announcements from the Chair

    • KCDCC Bylaws Meeting is this weekend.
    • Joe McDermott invited us to attend the Alliance for Gun Responsibility Luncheon on April 30 at noon at the Sheraton downtown.
    • Still seeking a membership chair.

    7:20 Communications Report

    • Carla presented the committees goals for 2019.
    • Committee plans to survey the membership via google docs to solicit input on the 34th communications (web, newsletter and social)
    • A request was made to have Hotspot at the Hall of Fauntleroy for meetings. Board members with Hotspots will share this information at the next meeting.

    7:33 Caucus Committee Report

    Ann Martin gave a report for Rachel Glass. There are significant changes being discussed for the upcoming election cycles. The group held a lively discussion.

    DNC provided the new rules and they are being reviewed.

    At April State Party meeting, Ann and Chris will vote to determine how we will do the next election. Several board members requested the ability to give input on this to our representatives.

    Suggestion made by Karen and Gina to have this topic on the March meeting agenda to share status with the membership.

    • Historical Context of the Process
    • Options being considered
    • Ask for input to be submitted during the public comment period in March

    8:11 Outreach Committee Update

    Karen and Steve shared the Outreach Committee events calendar and invited the board to jointhe Outreach Slack channel. Next Outreach Committee meeting March 21. Adopt-a-Street sign is up and will be shared in communications channels when a picture is available.

    8:19 Treasurer’s Report will be posted on Slack as Ben wasn’t able to attend the entire meeting to give a report.

    8:20 Glen Morgan lawsuit status – Gina provided updates under closed executive session. (No  minutes.)

    8:26 Events Committee Report

    Jacqui stated she has not been in touch with Lacey (co-chair) yet. Earth Day is in April and she is beginning to plan an event. Her suggestion was to hold it at the West Seattle Nursery.

    Jacqui would like to rename the Garden Party to the annual fundraiser.  The group mentioned that this event must be held before the Primary. Jacqui will move forward with a June date for the fundraiser. She proposed a June date with an indoor location (potentially the Eagles hall on California or the Burien community center.

    The annual picnic will be held in August.

    8: 34 A spirited discussion of the 34th endorsement calendar was held.

    Jordan suggested that we have a Policy Roundtable along with the usual debate format.

    The endorsement schedule/plan will be defined by Gina and shared at the next meeting.

    The South King County Democrats organization is holding a spaghetti feed on May 18. They have asked us to partner on the event providing auction items (10 items), attendance, and someone to attend planning meetings. Nick Bonazza volunteered to represent us.

    8:54 Bylaw changes

    David shared that we need to update bylaws to align with the DNC bylaws.

    Work was done in the past but never pursued. David will bring recommendations to the April Board Meeting.

    8:56 Program for March

    The group agreed on the following program items for the March 13th membership meeting.

    • Democracy Vouchers
    • Caucus Decision Updates

    9:00 Good of the Order

    Dawn suggested that state level budget/new revenue discussions be a topic for a future meeting.

    9:06 Adjourn

    34th District Democrats ⛄❄ Holly Jolly Holiday Party ?

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Celebrate the holidays and everything we’ve accomplished this year with the 34th District Democrats!

    By tradition the 34th District Democrats, like most other local party organizations, does not conduct business in December. Instead we get together at our regular meeting time and location to celebrate our accomplishments and cheer in the next year.

    POTLUCK! We’ll have turkey and vegetarian main courses – please bring a dish to share if you can (not required, we’ll have plenty of food)!

    GIVE! We’re also collecting food for our local food banks, please bring some canned goods to share the abundance of the holiday season with those less fortunate.

    6:30PM-9:30PM
    Hall at Fauntleroy (Old Fauntleroy School)
    9131 California Avenue SW
    Seattle, WA 98136

    Parking lot available behind building
    Transit Rapid Ride C Line