Meeting Minutes Archive

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

    11-18-20 Virtual Executive Board Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    Executive Board Meeting Minutes

    11-18-20 – Held via Zoom conference due to COVID-19.

    Attendees: Carla Rogers, Steve Butts, Gina Topp, Rachel Glass, Dawn Rains, Jordan Crawley, Jeff Sbaih, Ben Reilly, Ted Barker, Ann Martin, Karen Richter, Chris Porter, Nick Bonazza, Jeff Sbaih, Max Brown, Art Chippendale

    7:05 – Gina called the meeting to order.

    Our last executive board meeting! Gina thanked the board for their good work over the past 2 years. Everyone contributed a high or low about the last 2 years. 

    King County Dems candidates visited the meeting and said a few words. Shasti Conrad is running for reelection. The reorganization is on December 5 and will be online. PCOs will receive a mailed packet with a special code to register for the meetings. Sarah Toce is running for Communications Chair. kcdems.org/reorganization has more information. 

    7:35pm – Wrap-up reports from committees

    • Treasurer – Ben shared the details in the final budget report. We ended the year with approximately $16k to carry forward.  We also hired a deputy treasurer.  Membership is at ~298 and 126 PCOs. Ben would prefer not to return as Treasurer but he is considering other roles.
    • Communications – Carla shared that she is planning to return as communications chair so no transition is needed. Carla is also running for chair. James Moore has joined the committee and is working on the website. 
    • Legislative Action Committee – Jordan’s activities are complete and he plans to continue his work on LAC next year. Jordan is also running for Second Vice Chair. 
    • Caucus/Elections – Rachel would like to understand what the caucus/election role will be in the next term. Will we need to fill this role? Rachel wants to continue to be involved in these areas as VC1.
    • Outreach – Karen and Steve would like to return as Outreach Co-Chairs. They are already planning when they can resume events after it is safe. They want to start working with the Equity and Social Justice committee for outreach.
    • Newsletter – Steve plans to continue his good work on the newsletter. 
    • PCO – the committee is planning close out and transition. Nick is updating the calendar and binder. Nick is willing to serve again and Max will support. Trey Lykins also wants to help Nick. 
    • State Committee – State reorg is at the end of January. Ann is not running again but there is one person so far who has announced that she will run – Janine Anzalota. Chris Porter is planning to run again for his current role. 
    • King County Committee – Max and Martha are not running again. Leah will run for Alternate. Ted will run for King County Committeeperson.  No wrap up activities. KCDCC may switch to quarterly meetings next term.
    • Bylaws – Art will work with Carla to get some things up on the website. Was hoping to have some. Art doesn’t want 
    • Finance – Dawn shared that there is not really anything to wrap up. Do we need this committee?
    • Membership – would like to have a membership drive immediately in January. Planning to create a cheat sheet for the membership committee. Wants to connect Membership to Outreach and to Diversity. 
    • Hospitality – not present
    • Leadership Development – not present
    • Social Justice and Equity Committee – Jeff wants to return in his role. Meeting next week with the committee to talk about goals both short and long term. 
    • Gina stated that she would be interested in fundraising for the next term. 

    December Holiday Party

    The group discussed ideas for the holiday party/meeting. Elected officials will be at the holiday meeting. Ideas included: 

    • A thank you holiday postcard to members to be sent
    • Raise the paddle for charity – food banks, OneAmerica, SW Youth and Family Services
    • Talk about the committees in the break out sessions

    Jeff made a motion to donate proceeds to the 3 food banks. Karen Richter seconded, motion passed. 

    Candidates will have 2 minutes to speak. Slides can be shared as well. 

    Very few nominations have been submitted for the awards.. 

    Georgia Opportunities

    Gina shared that we have volunteer opportunities already on the website. The group discussed whether we would want to hold an event. An event would be helpful to inspire folks to sign up for shifts. Rachel, Ben, Ann and Gina will organize an event. 

    January Meeting Overview

    Our reorganization will be on January 13. KCD will send out instructions on the process. The new chair will handle the rest of the elections. 

    Good of the Order

    Nick thanked Gina for her leadership. 

    Art talked about how we will need to double down on the work in our next 2 years. 

    Ann thanked everyone for allowing her to represent us at the state. 

    8:53pm Adjourned

    Monthly Meeting

    11-11-2020 November Virtual Membership Meeting Minutes

     400 300 34th Democrats

    General Meeting Minutes

    November 11, 2020 – Virtual meeting held via closed ZOOM

    6:30 pm – Gina kicked off the Virtual Potluck that included comments and reactions about the election. Ballots will be cured through November 23rd in King County. We hit 86.33% voter participation county wide and 87.93% in the 34th. 

    7:00 – Gina Topp, chair, called the meeting to order.

    Opening Ceremonies 

    • Gina Topp gave the land acknowledgment
    • Ben Reilly, Chris Porter and Rob Saka gave presentations to honor Veterans
    • Gina reminded everyone that we use Robert’s Rules of Order for our meetings. We are also a safe, welcoming environment for all members and guests. 
    • Carla provided an overview of Zoom logistics: voting, muting and raising hands.

    VIP Acknowledgements

    • KC Executive Dow Constantine was recognized and spoke about his father who is a Veteran. Harborview Health for All was approved last week, we are privileged to have such a high caliber hospital in our community. Constantine spoke about the impact of the Presidential election. 
    • KC Conservation District Supervisor Chris Porter spoke about the native plant sale being held on their website. There will be an open seat available on the KC Conservation District board, with the election taking place in February. 
    • Gina spoke about the results in the various races where we endorsed candidates. 

    Adoption of October Minutes – Rachel Glass made a motion to approve the minutes as presented, Ann Martin seconded. The motion passed unanimously. 

    Adoption of November Agenda – Dawn Rains moved that we pass the agenda for the meeting with Ann Martin seconding the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 

    7:34 – Gina called for Nominations for Annual Awards: Nominations are due by Nov 30, for the 34th Democrats Annual Awards, to be announced at our virtual holiday party on December 9th. Read more about the awards and make nominations on this form. Nominations are due by November 30th. 

    7:36 – Jordan Crawley, LAC Chair, introduced our annual Legislative Town Hall. Jordan shared the process for the Town Hall. Dawn Rains, membership chair and Rachel Glass, 1st Vice Chair moderated. 

    Senator Joe Nguyen gave opening statements about the upcoming session. Progressive Revenue is on the top of his list for the upcoming session. Representative Eileen Cody, Chair of the House Healthcare and Wellness Committee noted the response to COVID and the budget will be key. She is expecting less bills to be introduced (third of prior years) due to virtual sessions (COVID). Representative Joe Fitzgibbon talked about the election and expressed disappointment in that the majorities in the House and Senate did not grow this year, margins will be the same.

    Members asked questions of the Senator and Representatives and discussion of various topics was held. Jordan thanked the electeds for presenting the Town Hall. 

    8:38 – Maury Island Resolution – Jordan Crawley gave an overview of the resolution. Leah Griffin made a motion to approve and Bunny Hatcher seconded. The resolution passed unanimously. 

    8:41 – Campaign Contributions – Gina shared that the board had suggested that we approve a $500 contribution to help payoff campaign debt for Chris Reykdal’s campaign. Ann Martin moved that we give $500 to the Chris Reykdal campaign. Chris Porter seconded. Ann spoke for her motion. No arguments against. A voice vote resulted in an unanimous approval. Motion passed.

    8:43 – Elected Board Positions Overview

    Our bi-annual reorganization is in January. Elections will be held for Chair, 1st and 2nd Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, State Committeeperson (one male, one female), King County Democrats Committeepersons (1 female, 1 female alternate, 1 male, 1 male alternate). The new Chair will appoint standing committee chairs and ad-hoc chairs in January.

    See the November newsletter for elected board position information. 

    See the website for committee descriptions. 

    9:09pm – Adjourn

     

    Executive Board Meeting

    10-21-20 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

     400 300 34th Democrats

    Executive Board Meeting Minutes

    10-21-20 – Held via Zoom conference due to COVID-19.

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

    7:02 – Gina called the meeting to order.

    Ben presented the Budget overview. We have over $15k in the bank. Campaign contributions have gone out based on the membership vote last week. Membership is down compared to last year. Donna Christiansen asked the board to consider donating to the Reykdal campaign at the membership meeting. Ann Martin made a motion to contribute $500 to the Reykdal campaign. Dawn seconded. Ann spoke for her motion. The motion assumes that we would take the recommendation to the next board meeting. Board members voted and passed the motion. Gina will email the Reykdal campaign about this contribution intent. 

    Survey from the State Party – Chris shared information about the demographics survey being sent to all LD executive board members. This is for each LD and board and will be sent out after the Reorg to the PCOs.

    Gina provided an overview of the Reorganization process. Only elected PCOs as of January 1 are eligible to vote. 

    Gina noted that we will hold our virtual holiday party in December. An Awards Committee was formed, which will decide those honored (Ted, Steve, Chris, Ann, Karen, Gina volunteered to be on the committee) – Committee, PCO, Member, Board Member, Elected Official, … of the Year and two named awards Lifetime Achievement, Rising Star… will be given. 

    November will be the last Executive Board meeting and the November 11th program will be a Legislative Town Hall.  Jordan, Rachel, Dawn will organize the program. Chris and Ben will do a tribute to Veterans since it will be Veterans Day. We will also have each board member share a quick 30 second overview of their responsibilities.

    The board discussed the Maury Island Resolution, which was tabled at the last board meeting. Jordan made a motion to recommend approval to the membership. Rachel seconded. Motion passed. 

    Committee Reports – Board members were asked to consider the upcoming transition, whether they are interested in running again/serving as chair. 

    State Committee – Please refer to the newsletter for this report. Max and Leah were absent.

    King County – Refer to the newsletter for Chris and Ann’s report.

    Communications – We have had great success with the Meet Us Monday campaign in social. Lots of social media engagement now with the election coming up. Website and social promotion of the phone banks have also been successful.

    Outreach – Karen and Steve are getting in touch with other LDs to determine if there are ways to do outreach during COVID, otherwise it has been difficult to do anything in outreach. They would like to work with the Equity and Social Justice Committee on ways to do outreach to diverse communities. 

    Fundraising – DeLancey is in NC so Gina provided an update. We have reserved a facility in Burien for the fundraiser. We need to select a date between now and mid-July to hold the event. The TAF Center has given us through July or we lose our deposit. The new board will choose the date. Rachel shared that a community contact was willing to donate 20 t-shirts as a possible fundraiser. Rachel will explore the opportunity and will work with Gina to execute. 

    Finance – No updates. 

    Membership – Dawn reported that we are still down (same period) in membership, from 304 last year to 295 current members. Dawn asked what transitions activities are needed for Membership and will work with Gina to handle so we preserve the data.

    Equity and Social Justice – Jeff is assembling the caucus. Activities have slowed during GOTV but will pick up in November with a February goal to start activities. Jeff also shared information about the upcoming OneAmerica event on Nov 13.

    Bylaws – Art was absent.

    Leadership Development – No progress to report. 

    Newsletter – Steve is tech-challenged right now but will be working on the newsletter next week. The goal will be to send by Nov 4.

    PCO – Nick provided a quick report in addition to the written report.  It’s all GOTV! Dialers will start Saturday 31 – Nov 1 Monday and go all day. 

    LAC – Jordan shared his Membership Policy Caucus presentation. This is a Rules change allowing for MPCs to be convened. The goal is to amplify our advocacy work. The change to the Rules has been submitted/published for membership review as of Oct 2. Document will be shared. 

    Hospitality – Jesse was absent.

    Caucus & Elections – Rachel asked in these last few days to send her any phone-bank-averse volunteers and she will connect them to non-phone bank options for GOTV.. Several members shared what they had done for GOTV. 

    Gina adjourned the meeting at 8:41.

    Monthly Meeting

    10-14-20 Virtual Membership Meeting Minutes

     400 300 34th Democrats

    General Meeting Minutes

    October 14, 2020 – Virtual meeting held via closed ZOOM

    6:30 pm – Virtual Potluck

    7:01 – Gina Topp, chair, called the meeting to order.

    Opening Ceremonies 

    • Land acknowledgment made by Gina Topp. 
    • General meeting statement – Reminder that the 34th is a safe, welcoming environment. 
    • VIP Acknowledgements
      • King County Executive Dow Constantine was acknowledged. Executive Constantine spoke about the election and how we will be able to rebuild our democracy in 2021.
      • KC Councilmember Joe McDermott was acknowledged and updated us on work that the council did this week. They adopted a budget which included the Health Through Housing legislation, funded by the sales tax. 
      • KC Councilmember Dave Upthegrove was acknowledged and discussed the impact of the Health Through Housing program. Upthegrove promoted a yes vote on Charter Amendment 6.
      • Senator Joe Nguyen was recognized and spoke about the next session. 
      • Representative Eileen Cody was recognized and spoke about the Politico article which mentioned WA state and called out our effective COVID response. 
      • Representative Joe Fitzgibbon was recognized and discussed the election in terms of house races. He noted that the next session likely will be all remote. Police Accountability, Tax Structure, Transportation and Climate are big priorities.
      • King Conservation District Supervisor Chris Porter was recognized and spoke about saving pollinators by leaving leaves on the ground and keeping mason bees over the winter. 
    • Adoption of September Minutes – Gina shared the September minutes. Ann Martin moved and Eileen Cody seconded accepting the minutes as presented. Motion passed and minutes were approved. 
    • Adoption of October Agenda – The agenda was presented. Rachel Glass made a motion to approve the agenda as submitted and Earl Godt seconded. Motion passed and agenda was approved

    7:17 – GOTV 34th LD Virtual Phone Banking Program 

    Trey Lykins, Rocco DeVito, Steve Butts and Marcee Stone-Vekich shared reasons why they spend time making phone calls in our 34th LD phone banks.  

    Colleen Hinton spoke on behalf of the Sister District Phone Bank supporting NC. the 34th is supporting Brian Farkas for State House and working with DeLancey Lane in this battleground state. We will be calling into NC on October 31 from 3:30 – 5:30. Sign up on our website.

    7:30 – New Precinct Committee Officer Appointments

    We are up to 126 PCOs as of this evening! Chair Nick Bonazza thanked all the volunteers who are working with PCOs and volunteering on the phone banks. Nick nominated the 4 PCOs below for appointment. Ann Martin moved and Rachel Glass seconded the motion to approve these 4 new PCOs. Motion passed and PCOs were appointed.

    • Joshua Wilmot – Burien 0381
    • Margo Crandall – SEA 1409
    • Trey Lykins – SEA 1454
    • Merrilee Runyon – 34 Vashon Burton

    7:40 – Endorsements

    Rachel Glass moved to endorse YES for Transit Prop 1. Ann Martin seconded. Rachel ceded her time to Emilio Garza who spoke about the measure. $39m for transit annually. No speakers against the motion. Ann Martin moved acclimation for a voice vote. 100% voted for endorsing YES for Transit Prop 1. 

    Senator Joe Nguyen moved to endorse the Highline Technology Levy. Rachel Glass seconded. Joe yielded his time to Long Phan who shared information about the levy. The group voted and approved the endorsement by acclimation.

    Ann Martin moved to endorse all 7 King County Charter Amendments. Rachel Glass seconded. Ann spoke to her motion. The group voted and approved the endorsement by acclimation.

    7:40 – Campaign Contributions

    Gina shared the news that we have $11K to spend on campaign donations. The executive board is proposing that we spend accordingly: $1000 – R90, $2500 each to Gael Tarleton, the WSCC, the HDCC and Mike Pellicciotti. Chris Porter moved to approve and Marcee Stone-Vekich seconded the motion. Chris spoke on behalf of his motion. No speakers against the motion. The group voted by voice vote. Motion passed with 100% approval of voting members. 

    Donna Christianson asked that the board consider granting a contribution to Chris Reykdahl (Superintendent of Public Instruction). Gina noted this for the Executive board meeting next week. 

    7:51 – 2021 Officer Elections

    Gina shared that executive board elections are coming up in January of 2021. This is called ‘Reorganization’. Gina shared the basics of the process. Only PCOs will be voting (those elected in May). Candidates will speak at the December meeting. PCO lists are made available to declared candidates. Gina will be stepping  back from the chair position. Anyone interested in running, can reach out to Gina for more information. Ann Martin mentioned that members join PCOs in electing the Secretary and Treasurer. Ann mentioned that she would like to share her experience as a State Committeeperson if anyone is interested in that position. 

    7:58 – Maury Island Discussion

    Marcee Stone-Vekich shared the research she had done looking into the naming of the island. Marcee asked for volunteers to work with her as she works toward recommendations for action to change the name of the Island. Representative Fitzgibbon spoke about the issue. Fitzgibbon explained the process for initiating a name change. The Resolution will be taken up in the November meeting. 

    8:11 – Proposed Code of Conduct

    Gina opened the conversation with a recap of how this revision started, and why. She shared the steps we’ve taken as an organization to revise the Code of Conduct (CoC). This CoC was presented initially in February but tabled a member requested more time to review the draft. Jesse Greene made a motion that we pass the Code of Conduct as written. Ann Martin seconded. Jesse spoke for his motion. Jesse ceded the balance of his time to Jordan Crawley who spoke for the motion.  Les Treall spoke against the new CoC. Chris Porter spoke for the new CoC. Chris Weiss spoke against the CoC. Code of Conduct passed with 80% vote. 

    Gina closed the meeting with a few announcements.

    • Yard signs are available for Gael Tarleton and Biden/Harris. 
    • Please sign up to phone bank! 

    8:32pm- Adjourn

     

    Executive Board Meeting

    09-16-20 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

     400 300 34th Democrats

    Executive Board Meeting Minutes

    09-16-20 – Held via Zoom conference due to COVID-19.

    Attendees: Carla Rogers, Steve Butts, Gina Topp, Rachel Glass, Les Treall, Dawn Rains, Jordan Crawley, Art Chippendale Jeff Sbaih, Ben Reilly, Ted Barker, Ann Martin, Karen Richter, Chris Porter, Max Brown, Dawn Rains

    Guests: Marcee Stone-Vekich, Trey Lykins, Jim Street, Erin Jones

    7:02 Gina called the meeting to order.  The board introduced themselves to our guest speakers. 

    7:10 Chris introduced Erin Jones who provided a presentation entitled Addressing Systemic Racism and How to Take Action. Erin provided a long list of recommended resources on the topic.

    To become more equitable in your practice, you are going to need to listen/watch/read something related to equity at least 4-5 times a week (just like what is required to stay physically fit). Here are some suggestions: Reading: anything by authors Dr.  Beverly Tatum, Zaretta Hammond, Ibram X Kendi, Jason Reynolds, Kathy Obear, Richard Rothstein, Michelle Alexander, or Dr. Christopher Emdin; New York Times “The 1619 Project” Podcasts: Revisionist History, Code Switch, This American Life, Words Matter, Teaching While White, 1619 Project, Nice White People, Calling Justice, Seeing White, Facing Ourselves, Speaking of Racism, Throughline; Christian: Pass the Mic, Quick to LIsten, Truth’s Table Watch:  TV: This is Us, Black-ish, The Red Line, Black Earth Rising, When They See Us; Black Lightning, Watchmen, Self Made, Black-ish, Dear White People; Film: The Hate U Give, Emanuel, Hello, Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea, Cracking the Codes, 13th, Just Mercy, Selma

    8:21 Gina introduced Jim Street from the 43rd LD who shared information about the Climate Advocates’ Collaboration Hub. Jim invited a representative from the 34th to join this group in their advocacy actions. Email streetjim2@gmail.com if you are interested in getting involved. Ann Martin made a motion to ask the Legislative Action Committee, in concert with Karen Richter and her role to make a recommendation on how we night engage with this organization. Chris Porter seconded the motion. Ann spoke for her motion. The board voted and the motion passed. Gina will connect Jim and Jordan. 

    8:48 Gina provided a reminder of the 34th Calendar overview for the rest of the year. 

    There are only 2 more ‘working’ months as a board. Code of Conduct and Resolutions are still outstanding. We also need to consider a spend-down, which would need to be voted on by the membership in October. 

    • Jordan advocated for us to designate time for Code of Conduct. He also shared that we have 4 remaining resolutions, 3 of which are internally driven. 
    • Jesse mentioned that we should not spend a lot of the remaining budget money because we may be hampered in raising funds next year due to COVID. Jesse also agreed with Jordan on the CoC. 
    • Chris agreed on CoC priority. 
    • Gina shared a proposed meeting agenda. 
    • Others commented. 
    • Discussion transitioned to how we would handle the budget overage.
    • Carla shared her research on costs for a postcard printing which could be provided to PCOs for distribution. 
    • Ann Martin moved and Carla seconded that we take a recommendation to the membership in September for spending as follows: $3000 (communications effort TBD), $1000 R90, $2500 Tarleton campaign, $2500 Senate campaign, $2500 House campaign, $2500 Treasurer Mike Pelliciotti campaign. 
      • The board voted and the motion passed. 

    Gina opened the floor for continued discussion about the resolutions process, opened by guest Marcee Stone-Vekich. Discussion was held. 

    Ann signaled a push back on Jordan’s belief that it is not our place to make changes to submitted resolutions. 

    Jesse made a motion to vote to add the Maury Island resolution to the agenda in October as presented, Steve seconded. Jesse spoke to his motion. Motion passed, the resolution will be added to the agenda. Ann moved that the board take the resolution to the membership with no recommendation. Carla seconded. Chris called the question. Motion failed. Ben made a motion and Rachel seconded to send the resolution back to the author. Chris spoke against the motion. Rachel spoke for the motion. Motion failed. Karen made a motion which Ben seconded to table this resolution until after the election. Carla seconded. Motion passed. 

    • Gina noted that the PCO committee is asking the board for volunteers to call the membership to recruit for phone banking. 

    10:08 Gina adjourned the meeting 

     

    Monthly Meeting

    09-09-20 Monthly Meeting Minutes

     400 300 34th Democrats

    General Meeting Minutes

    September 9, 2020 – Virtual meeting held via closed ZOOM

    6:30 pm – Virtual Potluck

    7:01pm – Call to Order by Chair Gina Topp

    Opening Ceremonies

    • Chris Porter shared the land acknowledgment.
    • General meeting statements provided by the Chair.
    • Zoom logistics – Carla provided pointers for using the mute, raise hand and vote mechanisms.

    Gina shared the August Minutes. Ann Martin moved to approve the minutes as presented. Karen Richter seconded the motion and the motion passed by voice vote. 

    Gina presented the September Agenda. Dawn Rains made a motion to approve the agenda and Ann Martin seconded. The agenda was approved as submitted by voice vote. 

    VIP Acknowledgements

    • Justice Montoya-Lewis asked for support in her contested campaign. Justice will be asking for our endorsement later in the agenda. 
    • Eileen Cody greeted attendees and ceded time to ‘the Joes’! 
    • Councilmember Joe McDermott was recognized but wasn’t able to speak at the time. 

    7:20 – Virtual Phone Banking

    1. Senator Joe Nguyen and Representative Joe Fitzgibbon shared an update on this year’s races, in particular key defensive/offensive races and races which need volunteer support. 
    2. We need all possible volunteers to support our state and local races, along with swing state and presidential races. Anyone interested in Phone Banking should sign up asap at . 
    3. Max Brown – PCO Lead for the 34th LD phone banking program – gave an overview of our efforts. Training is available. Max stressed the importance of phone banking. We would like to double our efforts from now until the election. 

    7:40 – Harborview Health for All – Yes Proposition 1

    Olga Laskin introduced Anika Garman who spoke about the Harborview Health for All Proposition 1, which will be on the ballot in November. She spoke of the importance of Harborview to the community and the crucial nature of the levy. Olga explained the $1.74B levy for Harborview and what it will fund including seismic upgrades. 

    Councilmember Joe McDermott provided an update on the recent activities of the council to address the pandemic and the economic crisis which is upon us. 

    7:52 – New Precinct Committee Officer Appointments

    Nick Bonazza presented 6 new PCO candidates! Nick shared the oath and questions for each PCO, regarding their responsibilities.

    • Clara Sekowski
    • Rocco DeVito
    • Zach Seikel
    • Cameron Levon
    • Carey Rayburn
    • Jeff Keever

    Ann Martin made a motion to approve the new PCOs. Grace Stiller seconded. PCOs voted by voice and all were approved. The current PCO count is over 120!

    7:57 – Washington State Coordinated Campaign Regional Field Director for King County Cat Floate gave a report on the recent activities of the coordinated campaign. Cat introduced Alexandra Carter as our new coordinator. 

    37 days until ballots drop! Ballots may drop a week earlier, due to the post office issues.

    8:00 – Endorsements

    • Proposition 1 – Councilmember McDermott moved to endorse Prop 1. Rachel Glass seconded. McDermott spoke on behalf of Proposition 1. No one spoke against it. Attendees voted and we approved the endorsement.  
    • Washington State Supreme Court – Ann Martin moved that we endorse Justice Montoya- Lewis to WA State Supreme Court position 3. Neal Traven seconded. Ann Martin spoke on behalf of the nomination. 

    8:12 – Resolutions  

    LAC Chair Jordon Crawley provided a neutral summary of each resolution to be considered. 

    • West Seattle Bridge Now – Les Treall moved that we pass the resolution as submitted. Rachel Glass seconded the motion. No one spoke against the resolution. The attendees voted and the Resolution passed.
    • Black Lives Matter – Dawn Rains moved to consider the resolution and John Murphy seconded. Moti Krauthammer made a motion to amend.
      • Add after 4th Whereas  :  Whereas this body acknowledges our own political parties history of defending slavery and establishing Jim Crow laws. 
      • Ann Martin seconded the motion. Moti spoke on behalf of his motion. No speakers against the amendment.
      • Amendment passed. 
      • Discussion on the original motion was held. Dawn spoke for the amendment, no one spoke against. 
      • Votes were collected for the resolution, as amended and the resolution passed. 

    8:48pm – Adjourn

     

     

     

    08-12-20 Monthly Meeting Minutes

     150 150 34th Democrats

    August 12, 2020 – Virtual meeting held via closed ZOOM

    6:30 pm – Virtual Potluck hosted by 2nd vice chair Jesse Greene.

    7:01pm – Call to Order

    Opening Ceremonies 

    • Jeff Sbaih led us in a land acknowledgement. Jeff shared some history about Alki. We honor with gratitude the land and tribe of the Duwamish. 
    • Chris Porter shared a slideshow honoring Representative John Lewis.
    • A statement about the process for the meeting was made by Gina Topp.
    • Carla Rogers provided Zoom tips. 

    VIP Acknowledgements

    • Eileen Cody thanked everyone for support during the Primary and looked forward to the general. 
    • Joe Fitzgibbon spoke about the opportunity to flip the 34th. 
    • Hillary Madsen thanked the 34th for the endorsement for Superior Court position 13. 
    • King County Councilman Joe McDermott was recognized. 
    • King County Councilman John Upthegrove was recognized and mentioned how having our meetings on Zoom allowed him to attend.

    The July Meeting Minutes were presented and Jesse Greene made a motion to approve the minutes. Rachel Glass seconded. Motion carried, minutes were approved as presented.

    The August Agenda was presented. Ann Martin made a motion and a second was made by Marcee Stone to approve it as presented. Motion carried, minutes were approved as presented. 

    Virtual Phone Bank – Max Brown spoke about the 2 phases of voter contact during election season. Pre-primary, the 34th made a pass and a half through our GOTV universe. The size of the GOTV universe in the general election will be doubled. We need everyone who is comfortable with phone banking to participate in the 34th phone bank program. See our website for links to sign up.

    7:31 – New Precinct Committee Officer Appointments 

    Nick presented 6 PCOs for consideration. 

    • Jordan Crawley 1435
    • Hannah Cameron 1456
    • Laura Goodsell – Stocki 1463
    • Erica Brody  1476
    • Richard Bartlett 1486
    • Sarah Koch 34 – Glasgow

    Ann Martin moved that we welcome and approve all PCO candidates. Jesse Greene seconded. Motion passed unanimously. There are now 126 PCOs elected.

    Turnout for King County was 54% (approximately). There were 12 contested PCO precincts. 

    7:35pm – Endorsements

    Leah Griffin made a motion to endorse Referendum I-90. Karen Richter seconded. Leah spoke on behalf of the initiative for comprehensive sex ed in schools. No one spoke against the endorsement. Les moved that we vote by acclamation. Vote passed, the 34th officially endorsed I-90.. 

    7:48pm – King County Charter Amendments Regarding the Criminal Legal System

    Rob Saka, who served on the charter review commission, spoke about the police accountability amendments. The presentation will be placed on the homepage of the website after the meeting.  Rob’s informative presentation is available on our website. Rob took questions and shared the final report link: https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/independent/charter-review-commission/2020/Approved_KC_CRC_Report_-_Full.ashx 

    8:18 – Postcard Writing Presentation

    Rachel Glass introduced Kathy Rawle who gave a short overview of the Postcards to Voters initiative. Kathy shared various groups who are doing postcards and text banking as an alternative to phone banking. Opportunities are available on the website: https://34dems.org/6167-2/.

    8:29 – Resolutions: Jordan Crawley

    Three resolutions have been considered by the Executive Board and moved to the General Membership with a recommendation to approve.

    1. Commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace & opposition to further occupation, settlement expansion, or other unilateral annexation of West Bank territory.

    Jordan Crawley provided a summary. Ann Martin moved to pass this resolution. Annie Phillips seconded.  Katie Harris spoke in favor of the resolution. Moti Krauthamer spoke against the resolution. Dean Shuey made a motion to table the resolution due to inconsistencies with the language and changes suggested by VP Biden. Marcee Stone seconded the motion to table. Chris Porter spoke against the motion. Marcee Stone mentioned that motions to table are not debated per Robert’s Rules. Katie Harris spoke against tabling the resolution. Motion to table did not pass. Resolution passed with 87%. 

    1. Defending immigrant rights

    Jordan Crawley provided a summary. Ann Martin made a motion and Chris Porter seconded to pass the resolution. Chris spoke in favor of the resolution. No one spoke against the resolution. Resolution passed unanimously. 

    1. Equitable hiring and spending processes for political consultants of color.

    Jordan Crawley provided a summary. Ann Martin moved and Sara Koch seconded that we pass this resolution. Ann spoke in favor. Chris Porter spoke against the resolution. Moti Krauthamer made a motion to table the resolution for updates.  Layne Bautista seconded. Motion to table passed. Resolution will go back to the author.

    9:13pm – Policy Discussion Group

    Michael Epton is forming a policy discussion group and will be hosting groups to discuss policy ideas and campaign talking points. Please contact him at epton@drizzle.com if you are interested in joining this group. Ideas for the policy discussion group are available on our website. 

    9:17pm – Adjourn

     

    Executive Board Meeting

    07-22-20 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

     400 300 34th Democrats

    Held via Zoom conference due to COVID-19.

    Attendees: Carla Rogers, Steve Butts, Gina Topp, Rachel Glass, Les Treall, Dawn Rains, Jordan Crawley, Art Chippendale Jeff Sbaih, Ben Reilly, Ted Barker, Ann Martin

    7:04 Gina called the meeting to order.

    Updates from Gina

    • Gina notified the Hall at Fauntleroy that we will not need the hall for the rest of the year. We do have the option to get the hall if we change our direction. 
    • PCO report will be submitted by Nick via email as he wasn’t able to attend. 
    • Carla gave an update on the success of our Phone Banks. We have 31 people signed up as interested in phone banking. We are continuing to Phone bank on Thursdays and Saturdays. Aug 6 will be our 26th LD focus phone bank and Aug 15 we have added a phone back for NC, via Sister District. All board members are expected to phone bank at least one shift a month. The PCO leads are doing a great job. 

    Leadership Development

    • Les is spear-heading an initiative to contact new people interested in or just joining the 34th..
    • Les drafted a letter and sent it to the Exec Board and posted it in Slack. 
    • Jordan has created a second draft. 
    • This would be sent to interested parties and anyone visiting a meeting for the first time. A different version would be for new members.
    • Les is willing to make phone calls to these same people to follow up on our letter.
    • Dawn is willing to identify visitors and new members. 
    • Who are we mailing to? – 4 groups: mailing list sign ups, new attendees at meetings, new members, caucus attendees/delegates
    • Board comments on Jordan’s letter are due by Saturday and then we will vote on Slack since the letter comes from the board.
    • Dawn will help get letters out after the meeting. 

    Bylaws

    • We made some small changes already to the Bylaws in February.. Art has added language from the state for emergency meetings. 
    • Les noted that section 7 needs to be updated. 
    • Art is proposing additional changes to be voted on in our September meeting. 
    • Board is to review the proposed Bylaws and bring any comments, updates to the August Board meeting. We will present to the general meeting in September or October. 

     Announcements

    • Carla asked that everyone try to make progress on your committee goals without relying on a board meeting. Work in sub-committees and try to accomplish tasks. 
    • Have we gotten reimbursement from SPS? No. 
    • Karen asked about communicating with Jayapal’s office regarding the GND. Gina provided a name of who to connect with at her office.

    8:07 Adjourn

    Executive Board Meeting

    07-15-20 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

     400 300 34th Democrats

    Held via Zoom conference due to COVID-19.

    Attendees: Carla Rogers, Steve Butts, Gina Topp, Ann Martin, Rachel Glass, Leah Griffin, Les Treall, Max Brown, Dawn Rains, Nick Bonazza, Jordan Crawley, Art Chippendale, Jesse Greene, Jeff Sbaih, Chris Porter

    7:03 Gina called the meeting to order. 

    7:04 Rachel Glass introduced guest Kathy Rawle who spoke about the Postcards to Voters program. This is a great alternative to phone banking if folks want to help but don’t want to make phone bank calls. Campaigns are selected based on those which need high voter turnout to win. Sign up by texting JOIN to 484-275-2229. 

    7:20 Carla provided updates about the 34th Virtual Phone Banking program which started on July 9. We will be supporting the 26th LD once per month (August 6th is the first date) and the NC Legislative races once a month via Sister District. The latter starts on August 15th. Sign up links on Facebook and on the events calendar. More dates will be added soon for August phone banks. Every board members encouraged to sign up for at least one shift a month.

    7:30 Committee Updates

    Carla provided the Communication Committee report. Sheila Ghiabi has created a cross-platform social content plan and we will start with ‘Meet Us Monday’ on 7/27. The board and electeds will respond to a questionnaire to provide the content. Board members are asked to respond to the questionnaire by the end of week.  

    Chris and Ann gave the State Committee updates. Ann noted that the state is starting to draft rules for ‘virtual’ meetings. Chris was very unhappy with the actual results of the diversity and inclusion efforts from the delegate process. Chris also shared how the National Convention will be held. 

    The King County update was provided by Max. Endorsements were made for Kreidler and Pat McKarthy. BLM speakers gave updates. I-940 (criminal justice de-escalation and training) representatives spoke. 1776 resolution was passed (regarding the Ahmaud Arbery killing), defunding police/investment, a resolution was passed to support equity and inclusion of Political Consultants of Color (PCC). 

    Steve gave the Outreach report. Committee is unable to do much due to COVID. Steve and Karen are working on a Voter Registration training meeting on Zoom. Tina Eck may help – she did the program currently on the website. 

    Dawn gave the Finance/Membership updates.  We got a nice increase in membership for the endorsement meeting.

    Jeff provided the Diversity and Inclusion committee report. Next meeting is 5:30 at 7/28 via Zoom. Committee has met twice. The committee would like to change the name to Social Justice and Equity committee. Jeff shared that this change was in response to the current goals of the committee. They have worked on a mission statement and new goals. The group asked questions and made comments. Leah made a motion to change the name of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee to Social Justice and Equity Committee. Chris Porter seconded. Ann amended the motion to change the name to Social Justice and Equity Caucus. Carla seconded. Jeff spoke against the amendment. Amendment failed. Original motion came to a vote and it passed. 

    Jeff also mentioned the incident at the Endorsement meeting last week where a member called out Jesse. Discussion was held.  

    Jordan gave the Legislative Action Committee report which included his work on Resolutions currently in front of the board/membership. We have 9 outstanding resolutions. 

    Three resolutions have been considered by the Executive Board and moved to the General Membership:

    1. Re: Commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace & opposition to further occupation, settlement expansion, or other unilateral annexation of West Bank territory.
    2. Re: Defending immigrant rights
    3. Re: Equitable hiring and spending processes for political consultants of color

    Three resolutions have been submitted to the Chair and are pending consideration by the Executive Board:

    1. Re: Valuation of Seattle’s green space and subsequent use as an asset in the budgeting process.
    2. Re: Police accountability, reappropriation and investment of SPD budget dollars to other uses, redesignation of city-owned parcels for public use, and other related causes.
    3. Re: Supporting the proper and efficient stabilization and repair or replacement of the Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge, commonly referred to as the West Seattle Bridge.

    Two resolutions were previously intended for consideration by the 34th Dems, but have since been withdrawn:

    1. Re: Referendum 90
    2. Re: Taxing Amazon

    One resolution has yet to be received, but is reported as remaining an issue area for conversation:

    1. Re: I-1776; expansion of the prohibition on discrimination, ensuring no-cost vaccinations, and other related causes.

    Gina shared that we can only bring in 3 resolutions to the August meeting, based on the current agenda. Chris made a motion and Leah seconded to include the PCC resolution with a recommendation to pass at the August meeting.

    Ann moved that we use the remaining 2 slots for the Israel – Palestine and Immigration resolutions. Motion was seconded by Leah Griffin. Motion passed. 

    Steve stated that the Newsletter deadline for August is July 30.. 

    8:57 Proposed General Membership August Agenda was shared by Gina. Board agreed on the agenda.

    Les made a motion to have an additional Executive Board meeting. Bylaws, Newsletter, PCO, LD, Hospitality, Treasurer, Fundraising committees did not get to provide their updates. We could also cover more of the resolutions as well. Gina stated the meeting will be held next Wednesday at 7pm via Zoom.

    9:05 Good of the Order

    Rachel mentioned that Tamsen Spangler had a house fire and needs to rent a home while repairs are being made. Her and her husband are safe. Please contact Rachel if you know of a home for rent.

    9:08 Adjourn

    Monthly Meeting

    07-08-20 Virtual General Membership Meeting Minutes

     400 300 34th Democrats

    July 8, 2020 – Virtual meeting held via closed ZOOM

    6:30 pm – Virtual Potluck

    Gina shared the rules and process for the endorsements portion of the agenda. Board members and members introduced themselves. 

    7:00pm – Call to Order

    • Opening Ceremonies – Gina began the meeting by acknowledging the land we live on as the home of the First People. Gina also noted that we stand in solidarity with the Duwamish tribe.  Gina discussed the structure of the endorsements meeting. The meeting was recorded. 
    • VIP Acknowledgements
      • Councilmember Joe McDermott addressed the attendees. Charter Amendments are under consideration. A town hall will be held this Monday at noon on Zoom.
      • Senator Joe Nguyen spoke about some of the issues being discussed at the capital. 
      • Representative Cody spoke about the possibility of a special session. Joe Fitzgibbon, Joe Nguyen, Joe McDermott and Rep Cody are working closely on the WS Bridge Task force.
      • Representative Fitzgibbon added that he’s been working hard to get more democrats elected. He has been working on the Unemployment (ESD) situation in the state, which has been overwhelming. 
    • Gina spoke about the 34th Phone Banking initiative and asked folks to sign up for shifts.  
    • Adoption of June Minutes – There was a motion to approve the minutes as submitted. Motion was seconded and the motion passed. Minutes are adopted.
    • Adoption of July Agenda – There was a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion was seconded and the motion passed. Agenda is adopted.  

    7:10pm –  Precinct Committee Officer Appointments

    Nick presented 5 new PCOs for appointment. Votes were tallied and all PCOs were confirmed. 

    • SEA 34-1245  Jessie Culbert Boucher
    • SEA 34-1435  Jordan Crawley
    • SEA 34-1468  Richard O’Neill
    • SEA 34-1489  Kallie Ferguson
    • SEA 34-1246  John Murphy

    7:29pm – We heard from available candidates 

      • Don Rivers spoke as candidate for Governor. He spoke of inclusion and the importance of all people in the state.  
      • Gene Hart spoke as candidate for Governor. His written statement will be shared with the membership.
      • Michelle Jasmer spoke as a candidate for Lt. Governor. She shared her business/finance experience. 
      • Denny Heck spoke as a candidate for Lt. Governor. He discussed his endorsements and vision for governor. 
      • Mike Pellicciotti spoke as a candidate for Treasurer and discussed the importance of the role. He stressed the importance of taking the seat from a Republican who is not showing up in many of the committee meetings and is not using his voice in policy-making and financial oversight areas.  
      • Marko Liias spoke as a candidate for Lt. Governor. Marko wants to deliver bold change.
      • Joshua Casey spoke as candidate for Auditor.  He spoke about his experience and accredidation.
      • Pat McCarthy spoke as current State Auditor and candidate for re-election. Pat spoke of her past experience in Pierce county and in her current role. She spoke about the role of the Auditor.
      • Eileen Cody spoke as candidate for reelection as State Representative, running unopposed.
      • Joe Fitzgibbon spoke about his candidacy for reelection as State Representative, running unopposed.
      • Andrea Robertson spoke about her candidacy for KC Superior Court Judge Pos. 13.
      • Hillary Madsen spoke about her candidacy for KC Superior Court Judge Pos. 13. 
      • Doug North spoke about his candidacy for reelection as KC Superior Court Judge Pos. 30.
      • Carolyn Ladd spoke about her candidacy for KC Superior Court Judge Pos. 30.
      • Justice G Helen Whitener spoke about his candidacy for Supreme Court Justice, pos. 6.

    7:45pm – Endorsements (in the following order)

    Gina reviewed the process for endorsement and voting. 

    Ann Martin made a motion to endorse a slate of candidates. Jay Inslee, Pramila Jayapal, Gael Tarleton, Mike Pellicciotti, Bob Ferguson, Hilary Franz, Mike Kreidler, Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon. Motion was seconded by Chris Porter. Anne spoke in favor of her motion. 

    Donna Christianson made a motion to add state auditor Pat McCarthy to the slate. Art Chippendale seconded the motion. Jesse Greene spoke against Donna’s motion. Motion failed. Motion to amend the slate was suggested by Annie Phillips. The motion is to include on the slate only candidates who are incumbents and who are unopposed which would mean that only Joe Fitzgibbon and Eileen Cody would stay on the slate. Motion was seconded by Jesse Greene. Discussion for and against the motion was made. At 9:13 the group voted on the second amendment. This amendment failed. Next, the original slate was voted on and the slate passed with a 60% or more majority. 

    9:26pm ENDORSEMENTS

    • WA Governor – Jay Inslee via slate
    • U.S. Representative District 7 – Pramila Jayapal via slate
    • WA Lieutenant Governor – Gina opened nominations for Lt. Gov. Joe McDermott nominated Denny Heck. Marcee Stone-Vecich seconded. Joe Fitzgibbon nominated Marko Liias and Brianna Thomas seconded. Joe McDermott spoke for Denny Heck. Joe Fitzgibbon spoke for Senator Liias. Marko Liias was endorsed by a 60.1% vote. This vote will be audited. 
    • WA Treasurer – Mike Pellicciotti via slate
    • WA Secretary of State – Gael Tarleton via slate
    • WA Attorney General – Bob Ferguson via slate
    • WA Commissioner of Public Lands – Hilary Franz via slate
    • WA Auditor – Kyle Wolfer nominated Joshua Casey. Jeff Sbaih seconded the nomination. Chris Porter nominated Pat McCarthy and Donna Christianson Salcedo seconded. Kyle Wolfer spoke in favor of Joshua Casey. Chris Porter spoke on behalf of Pat McCarthy. After the vote, Pat McKarthy was endorsed with 62% of the vote. This vote will be audited.
    • WA Insurance Commissioner – Mike Kreidler via slate
    • WA Representative, District 34 Position 1 – Eileen Cody via slate
    • WA Representative, District 34 Position 2 – Joe Fitzgibbon via slate
    • Judicial Candidates 
      • Hilary Madsen was nominated for Pos. 13 by Leah Griffin, with Neal Traven seconded. Steve Butts nominated Andrea Robertson, with Nick Bonazza seconded. Leah Griffin spoke on behalf of Hilary Madsen. Andrea Robertson spoke on her own behalf. Hilary Madsen was endorsed at 73%.
      • Marcee Stone-Vekich nominated Judge North for pos. 30. Second was made by Chris Porter. Jeff Sbaih nominated Carolyn Ladd, seconded by James Williams. Members spoke for and against Judge North. Stone-Vekich spoke for Judge North. Leah Griffin spoke against Judge North. Jeff Sbaih spoke in favor of Carolyn Ladd. Carolyn Ladd was endorsed by a 72% vote. 
      • Chris Porter nominated Justice Helen Whitener for WA Supreme Court pos. 6.  Nomination was seconded by Ann Martin. Chris spoke on behalf of the candidate. Justice Whitener was endorsed by a unanimous vote. 
    • WA Superintendent of Public Instruction – Heather Barker nominated Chris Reykdal. Ann Martin seconded the nomination. Heather spoke on behalf of Reykdal. Endorsement was granted. 

    Leah Griffin requested to suspend the rules to consider an endorsement of referendum I-90. Moti Krauthamer spoke against the suspension of the rules. Leslie Harris spoke in favor of suspending the rules. Steve Butts spoke against. After the vote, we did not get to the required 80% to suspend the rules. Endorsement request was not considered but will be on the agenda for August.

    11:02 pm – The remaining attendees considered Resolution Whereby the 34th Legislative District Democrats Join Local Efforts to Support the Green New Deal at the Federal Level. Karen Richter made a motion to approve the resolution as submitted. Ann Martin seconded. Roxanne Thayer made a motion to add ‘state and’ to the content of the resolution. Danny Pinsker seconded. Thayer spoke in favor of the amendment. Marcee Stone-Vecich spoke against. Amendment was rejected by a majority. Karen Richter spoke in favor of the resolution. Resolution was approved. 

    11:17pm– Confirmation of Diversity and Inclusion Chair  Chris Porter made a motion to approve appointment of Jeff Sbaih as the Diversity and Inclusion Chair. Ann Seconded. Jeff was approved as the 34th LD Diversity and Inclusion Chair. 

    11:19pm – Adjourn