.

The 17th LD Democrats Work!  And not only are they working for our candiates and helping get Democrats elected, they are working in our community!  Volunteers Les Lomax, David and Bobbi Olson, Chuck and Lorretta Thomas and Dena Horton spent some time at the new warehouse facility of the Clark County Food Bank and processed an entire pallet of onions! Way to go 17th LD Democrats!

October Meeting Notes (to be approved 11/28/11 at the November 28th Meeting -

7:00 PM at The Waterford; now known as Touchmark)

The subfloor decking was glued, positioned and nailed by about 12 people, including Tashi, Pete, Dena, Marsha, and Dave Shehorn, under the leadership of Matt Reese, Project Manager.  After that all the plates and studs were cut, assembled, and layed out on the decking for wall erection.

Tashi

Marsha

Matt & Pete

Breaktime

Probst Flyers to handout when Doorbelling your precinct or at an event are available.

They describe the accomplishments of Rep Tim Probst during the 2011 Legislative Session. 

For copies to pick up, call Peter Sterr at 360-260-6375,

or go to Link

We Did it and it was great.  Good turnout and a good time!

Saturday March 26, the Bailey's Classic Lanes at the Elks Club is reserved for us.  Alll 8 lanes with up to 8 bowlers per lane will make a great opportunity for family and friends to a have a ball... a bowling ball, that is!

$20 dollars, 1:00 - 4:00 PM.  11605 SE McGillivray Blvd MAP

Mon Mar 28 at TheWaterford, we'll hear from Jeremy Walker -  the Director of Organizing For America for Southwest Washington.  OFA is the campaign arm of the Democratic National Party and is far reaching and very active.  Come hear how they are involved, and find your niche to be involved.

Schuyler Hoss, with able help from Taylor Hoss, reviewed the Governor's 2011 Budget in detail.  The presentation took into account the necessity by law for the Governor to present a balanced budget to the legislature, the very difficult financial position the State of Washington is in (although not as bad as some), and the emotional trauma associated with having to cut essential services. 

The outcome is that Governor Gregoire was forced to undo many of the valuable programs she had benn able to put into place in the last several years.  The future, with a 2/3 legislature voting requirement for revenue increases, will continue to make minimal monies available. 

It was a well-developed presentation - Thank you Schuyler!

Let's get informed about the LIGHT RAIL LEVY.

This very improtant topic was covered Monday Jan 24 by Jeff Hamm, Executive Director for C-Tran.

Remember, if no light rail maintenance, then no light rail, and no Bridge!

This is stuff you'll want to know about to remind your family and neighbors.

Important points from the C-Tran presentation at the 17th LD Meeting:

1.  C-Tran will be asking voters to approve 1/10th of a percent sales tax increase for BOTH bus rapid transit on the 4th Plain corridor as well as for light rail maintenance and operations.  If people vote it down we lose the opportunity for both bus rapid transit on the 4th Plain corridor and light rail.

2.  C-Tran will also be asking voters to approve 2/10ths of a percent sales tax increase to maintain and operate the existing bus and C-Van system.  This increase is necessary to maintain the fleet and current operations. If it is not passed, then C-Tran will need to start cutting services for the buses and C-Van in 2013.

3.  Freeways are not free!  It costs money to build a freeway, maintain it, and try to increase the capacity over time. The same is true for bridges.  The investment in infrastructure helps us get to work, school, etc. and helps our local and regional economy move freight. It is vital to the economy and the community to invest in infrastructure like freeways, bridges, light rail, etc.

 

HELLO, 17th LD DEMOCRATS! 

It was an LD ELECTION -

Chair -  Dena Horton

Vice-Chair -  Tashi Chogyal

Secretary -  Tanisha Harris

Treasurer -  Lorretta Thomas

State Committeeman -  Gary Akizuki

State Committeewoman -  Marsha Manning

The first 17th LD Executive board Meeting was held on 01/06/2011 and the excitement was rousing.  A multitude of thoughts, ideas, and energy poured forth with plans and ideas for the upcoming year that will stimulate and involve the PCO's, Volunteers, and citizens!

June 27 Meeting - Heather Melton Stuart reviewed the dire need for a 0.2% sales tax increase to keep our C-Tran busses running holidays and for ADA needs - a 35% cut in service is necessary otherwise.  The body voted unanimous support for Proposition 1 on the Nov. ballot.

Other announcements included the Build Day with the 17th LD Democrats and Habitat for Humanity on Aug 27 8-4, see the details on the Events Calendar.  RSVP to Tanisha - neshalynn@hotmail.com or 360-521-5103.

JUNE 12 - ON AGAIN! PIZZA WITH PROBST:  It's been rescheduled for Sun Jun 12 at 4:00 - 6:00 PM at Juliano's Pizza

May 23rd - This went down in a Commissioner's Decision. OPPOSITION TO THE CHARTER/FREEHOLDER ELECTIONS:  Monday night (9th), the CCDCC voted to oppose the effort to put the County Charter/Election of Freeholders on the ballot this fall.  Please contact the Clark County Commissioners to voice your opposition!  The effort has been voted down three times before, but a very vocal minority refuse to take no for an answer. Carrie Parks will be providing additional information at the next 17th LD meeting on May 23rd at the Waterford Retirement Village 2911 SE Village Loop in Vancouver at 7:00pm. 

As a reminder: This was an eye-opening preesentation.  This is an excellent organization. Craig Lyons, Executive Director for Council for the Homeless will be our speaker at the next 17th LD meeting on May 23rd. Rather than a bio, below* is a brief perspective from Craig Lyons below. We hope to see you at the 17th LD meeting to hear more about his perspective and about the Council for the Homeless...

May 14th - We all had fun!  FUNDRAISER FOR US SENATOR MARIA CANTWELL:  Dr. Paul and Jane Jacobsen are graciously hosting a fundraiser for US Senator Maria Cantwell on Saturday, May 14th at 4:00pm - 5:30pm.  The suggested donation is $250+ and will be at the grand Jacobsen home - 703 E. Reserve Street, Vancouver, WA 98661. RSVP to Jessica at (206) 285-2012 or Jessica@cantwell.com

IT WENT WELL.  Here's our Chair, Dena Horton, with Jane Jacobsen and the Senator.
 
May 16th- Congresswoman Herrera-Beutler Town Hall: Town Hall will take place at Skyview High School- 1300 NW 139th Street- Salmon Creek, at 6:30pm.
 
May 19th - REDISTRICTING INFORMATION MEETING:  The Washington State Redistricting Commission is hosting a series of public forums to gather input they will use in redrawing the boundaries of voting districts across the state. The public’s input is vital to the process and public input becomes all the more critical this year, as Washington gains another seat in Congress, requiring the formation of a 10th Congressional district. The five-member Redistricting Commission has the rest of 2011 to set the new lines for the 10 congressional and 49 legislative districts. The public forum will be held Thursday, May 19th at the Vancouver Hilton Hotel, 301 West 6th Street in the Discovery Ballroom starting at 6:00pm and public comment will be taken from 7:00pm - 9:00pm.
 
May 17th - 24th - COMBATING CORPORATE MONEY IN CAMPAIGNS: In the past year, Washington Public Campaigns (WPC) has been working to combat the ruling by the Supreme Court that allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money in elections. During May 17th to the 24th, WPC is going to have 7 events all across Washington (from Spokane to Seattle) with Riki Ott - a national environmental community activist and co-founder of Move To Amend. During these events we are connecting the dots with how any issue you care about is impacted by the Citizens United ruling and how citizens can work to reclaim our democracy. For more information you can look at the website: http://washclean.org/hijacked.htm  And the facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=151580008240538  For more info contact Tiffany McGuyer at 253-250-8869.

*Craig Lyons' Message
" Recently, I visited Washington, D.C. for a national conference to collaborate with, and learn from, my colleagues. Beyond the striking number of homeless people I observed scattered throughout the city, another sight also disturbed me. The capitol of our “land of the free” is filled with barricades, fences, and armed guards. The similarity of these different yet related images has left me somber and introspective. The only way we can return these community members to being neighbors living in homes is to tear down the barriers, or teach how to overcome them. These are not just the barriers of finding gainful employment, an affordable house, or affordable health care, but are often emotional, stigmatic and fear-based. Your challenge is in making the effort. We applaud all that you already do, to reach over barriers and pull someone across, to welcome them and embrace them. You listen to their stories and you give them a hopeful chance at self-sufficiency and independence." - Craig Lyons
 

The WA legislative session is over.  One victory is Tim Probst's success with money for education.  See Link

Sen Don Benton acheives another 'record' - for most votes missed. Link to Columbian Article http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/jun/02/benton-missed-2nd-most-floor-votes/

Be reminded that this man is also completely against a new I-5 Bridge - not enough justification,  he says.

                                     Celia, Chuck, Pete, Mike (49th)
                               Marsha, Dena, Gwen, Martin, Lorretta

Here's the gang for 17th Legislative District Democrats Work Event on EARTH DAY 2011 out in the Old Apple Tree area picking up trash and debris...and having a heckuva time talking with each other about issues and life experiences.  It was a sweet morning.

                                      KIMBERLY PINCHEIRA ADDRESSING the 17th LD DEMOCRATS

We were very pleased to have as our special guest speaker for the April 2011
meeting of the 17th LD Kimberly Blake Pincheira of US Senator Maria Cantwell's
office!  Kimberly updated the group on Senator Cantwell's current projects, and
took questions.