There are many different kinds of legislative advocacy events that concerned citizens can participate in. Keep checking back to view the posts below for ways in which you can bring your voice to the halls and offices of our State Legislature.
2019 Lobby Days
Hunger: Monday, February 11, 2019
Domestic Violence Advocacy: Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Democracy: Thursday, February 21,2019
Equal Justice: Thursday, Feb 21, 2019
Land Trust: Thursday, February 21, 2019
Faith Action Network-sponsored Candidate Forums, Oct. 5-23, many locations
As we prepare for November elections, Candidate Forums are an opportunity to hear from candidates about the issues that matter most to you. We hope you will join us for a
FAN-sponsored candidate forum in October, and share the flyers in your community:
- Seattle Candidate Forum on Police Accountability October 16, 6:30-8:30 PM Centilia Cultural Center, 1660 Roberto Maestas Festival St, Seattle
- Snohomish County Sheriff Candidate Forum: A Conversation on Police Accountability October 18, 6:30 PM Snohomish County Administration (East)/Robert J. Drewel Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave, Everett
- Federal Way Candidate Forum October 23, 6-9 PM Calvary Lutheran Church, 2415 S 320th St, Federal Way
- Bellevue City Council Candidate Forum October 23, 7-9 PM at East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 SE 32nd St, Bellevue
- City of Spokane 2019 Candidate Forum October 5, 10 AM - 12 PM East Central Community Center, 500 S Stone St, Spokane
- Vancouver Candidate Forum October 9, 5:30-7:30 PM Vancouver Community Library, 901 C Street, Vancouver
- Seattle City Council District 3 and King County Council District 2 Candidate Forum October 9, 6:30-8:30 PM Immaculate Conception Church, 820 18th Ave, Seattle
- Kirkland City Council Candidate Forum October 14, 7-8:30 PM Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, 10021 NE 124th St, Kirkland
- Seattle City Council District 1 Candidate Forum October 14, 7-9 PM Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 7000 35th Ave SW, Seattle
- Battle Ground Candidate Forum October 16, 5:30-7:30 PM Dollars Corner Fire Station, 21609 NE 72nd Ave, Battle Ground
- Camas Candidate Forum October 23, 5:30-7:30 PM Camas Public Library, 625 NE 4th Ave, Camas
- Seattle City Council District 2 Candidate Forum October 23, 7-9 PM Edward Church, 4205 S Orcas St, Seattle
Free Skill-building Workshops for Public Policy Advocacy in Seattle, Olympia and Tacoma
Join the Statewide Poverty Action Network for our Communities in Action advocacy program, a FREE series of workshops that will focus on how to use your voice to influence public policy and create the social change you want to see!
Our Communities in Action program is a series of three workshops that will focus on skills-building for people interested in advocacy, policy, community organizing, and social justice. Participants will leave with the tools, knowledge, and resources to enter the 2020 Legislative Session as anti-poverty and racial justice advocates for their own communities. All participants will receive a $20 travel reimbursement for each session, as well as food and childcare! Note: As our work has traditionally been centered around the experiences and voices of low-income communities and communities of color, we ask only those to attend who self-identify as low-income.
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All on the Line's Redistricting U Initiative to Impact the Redistricting Process in Each State
Redistricting U is All on the Line's free, in-person organizing training initiative. We’re sending dedicated trainers to cities across the country to train volunteers, give them the tools to impact the redistricting process in their state, hear from them on how to best make change in their communities, and empower them to be leaders in the movement for fair maps. Sign up to be among the first to hear when Redistricting U opens up shop near you.
“I’ve always believed that training is at the heart of organizing. It’s why I made it a priority in my 2008 campaign and throughout our larger movement for change in the years since. … The movement for fair maps will determine the course of progress on every issue we care about for the next decade. And we can’t wait to begin organizing when the redistricting process starts in 2021. We need to build this movement from the ground up – right now.” — President Obama
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Historic Congressional Session Debates Reparations
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VOTE FOR US - Reception & Book Reading with Joshua Douglas,July 2, 2019, Seattle
The League of Women Voters WA and Fix Democracy First are happy to welcome Joshua Douglas to Seattle. Professor Douglas, an expert on US election law and advocacy will be discussing his new book Vote for Us: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting at Third Place Books, Seward Park at 7 PM on Tuesday, July 2.
Please join us before that event for a private, VIP reception with Josh. He will share with us insights into the latest developments around issues of democracy, including the two new partisan gerrymandering cases and the Census case that the Supreme Court is expected to have decided by that time.
Come join us to learn more about not only the challenges facing our democracy, but the ways that everyday citizens are successfully facing those challenges.
Date of Event: Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019
*Time of Event: Reception @ 5:30 pm & Book Reading @ 7 pm
*Location: Reception @ 5511 52nd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118-2579 (a short walk to Third Place Books) & Book Reading @ Third Place Books, Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
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Hone Your Justice Skills at GA, June 19-22, Spokane WA
THURSDAY, JUNE 20
10 am-12 pm - Effective and Relational Justice Work in UU Spaces
Offered by UUs for Social Justice in the Middle East
Social justice work is central to Unitarian Universalist identity and is often controversial. UU activists must be effective in making a difference and relational in showing respect while being courageous and prophetic. This program will examine how these goals can be met in UU congregations and organizations.
SATURDAY, JUNE 22
3 - 4 pm - Effective and Relational Justice Work in UU Spaces
Offered by UUs for Social Justice in the Middle East
Social justice work is central to Unitarian Universalist identity and is often controversial. UU activists must be effective in making a difference and relational in showing respect while being courageous and prophetic. This program will examine how these goals can be met in UU congregations and organizations.
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Youth Climate Strike Petition to Commit Candidates to a Debate on Climate Change
With the magnitude of the oncoming climate crisis, it's no longer sufficient to have a single token environmental question that 2020 candidates get to brush off with a soundbite. We need the 2020 candidates and DNC to commit to an entire debate on environmental policies.
Sign Youth Climate Strike's Petition
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Vigils for the Indian Child Welfare Act Appeal - URGENT
In October a federal court in Texas struck down the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), what I consider to be an important piece of civil rights legislation for Native families here in the U.S. This important law, passed in 1978, strengthened the legal rights of Indigenous families and specified that when Native children are removed from the care of their families, they will be placed in the care of extended family members, families in their own tribe, or Indigenous families from another tribe. Oral arguments will be heard in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana, on March 13. In preparation for this hearing, 325 tribal nations, 57 Native organizations, and 21 states [including WA State through the Bob Ferguson, our Attorney General] joined the United States and four intervenor tribes by filing briefs to urge the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act. We are working to organize candle-light vigils in our communities on March 13th in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. For this to have an impact in each of our communities, we ask that participating congregations send press releases to local papers explaining these vigils, so that they know we support Indigenous Self-Determination, and stand with the 322 tribes that wish to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act.
~ From Sarah Augustine, Structures Committee Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition
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House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee on HB 1398, SB-5438
Ramon Torres, President of Familias Unidas por la Justicia and Rosalinda Guillen, C2C both testified
Support House Bill- 1398 and Senate Bill -5438
You can take action on these bills by clicking on the links above, and then click on "Comment on this Bill." The comment link will take you to a page that requests your address and email information, a button where you can indicate support, oppose or neutral. You need to make a comment but it can be short - "please support the bill."
Concerning the H-2A temporary agricultural program
Please contact and thank the prime sponsors:
Senator John McCoy - (360) 786 - 7674 John.Mccoy@leg.wa.gov
Representative Laurie Dolan - Laurie.Dolan@leg.wa.gov
This bill will begin to provide WA State funds from the AG industry and Employment Security Dept. for oversight and monitoring of the h2a program in our State -
Call the following and tell them take responsible action to protect farm workers from exploitation and ask them to send this bill to the Governor:
House Democrats
Speaker: Frank.Chopp@leg.wa.gov
Majority Leader: Pat.Sullivan@leg.wa.gov
Chair of Appropriations: Timm.Ormsby@leg.wa.gov
Chair of Labor & Workplace Standards: Mike.Sells@leg.wa.gov
Senate Democrats
Majority Leader: Andy.Billig@leg.wa.gov
Chair of Ways and Means: Christine.Rolfes@leg.wa.gov
Chair of Labor and Commerce: Karen.Keiser@leg.wa.gov
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Town Hall for 36th District
Please join your 36th District legislators at the Seattle Opera Center (363 Mercer St., Seattle, WA, 98109) on Saturday, January 5th from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Representative Noel Frame is hosting this town hall prior to the 2019 Legislative Session so that you can share your thoughts and ideas on the issues that matter most to you. Light refreshments will be provided and children are welcome to attend.
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Washington Low Income Housing Alliance - Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day
When: Thursday, February 28, 2019
Where: United Churches of Olympia and Capitol Campus REGISTRATION WILL OPEN IN JANUARY 2019 At Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day, your voice is heard on some of the most pressing issues of our time: housing affordability and an end to homelessness. Be a part of one of the largest annual lobby days at the Washington state capitol! Registration fees are on a sliding scale ($0-$25), with full and partial scholarship options open to anyone who needs them. Advocacy Day includes workshops, rallies, pre-arranged meetings with your lawmakers, lunch, and more. If you need some convincing, check out this video on the importance of advocacy and community action! Every voice makes a difference at Advocacy Day; and it's your chance let your lawmakers know that you care about finding solutions to the affordable housing and homelessness crisis in Washington. Experienced advocates coordinate each lawmaker meeting, but it’s the faces and stories from their district that lawmakers remember. Don't know your district or who your lawmakers are? Look them up here! Meetings with lawmakers, workshops, and other events of the day will focus on advancing the Housing Alliance policy priorities for the year. For more information, check out our State Advocacy page.Continue reading
Poverty Action's 14th Annual MLK Lobby Day
When: Monday, January 21, 2019 • 9 am - 3:30 pm
Where: St John's Episcopal Church, 114 20th Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501 This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, join Poverty Action members from across the state as we demand a more just Washington state. This MLK Day you will:- Meet with your lawmakers
- Share your story
- Take Action to build a more just Washington
- Advocate for racial and economic justice
- Join the fight to erase unfair debt traps
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Lobby Day for a Free Flowing Snake River
Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 9 AM – 3 PM
Olympia State Capital Building
416 Sid Snyder Ave SW, Olympia, Washington 98501
Join us for the lobby day for a free-flowing Snake River in Olympia on Tuesday, February 5th.
We will be meeting with Washington State Legislative representatives and gathering support for Snake River dam breaching, an action integral in the survival of the Southern Resident Orca pods that depend on the Snake and Columbia Rivers for more than 50% of their diet.
RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/orca-lobby-day
Save the date. More information coming soon!
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