By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

On the warmest, sunniest evening so far this year, our area’s three state legislators – and about a dozen or so spectators – spent almost two hours in a mostly windowless venue talking politics.

The timing may have been unfortunate, but the information and opinions were even livelier and more pointed than what the legislators had to say at another local forum less than a week earlier (WSB coverage, also with video, here).

First, if you can spare the time and are interested in what transpired in Olympia this year and why, here’s our video of the entire Wednesday (May 28) forum in the Fauntleroy Church Fellowship Hall, organized by the 34th District Democrats and moderated by the group’s chair, Jordan Crawley:

We of course took notes as our camera rolled, but they’re nowhere near as detailed as watching the recording (in which, realizing it would likely be seen by more people than were present in person, they addressed the expected WSB viewers from time to time).

34th District State Sen. Emily Alvarado, State House Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (who is House Majority Leader), and State House Rep. Brianna Thomas all began with self-introductions,

Alvarado noted that her appointment to the Senate (to replace Joe Nguyễn after his appointment as state Commerce Department Director) came about two weeks into the session. She launched “a bill to stop rent gouging” while in the House and saw it “across the finish line” in the Senate.

Fitzgibbon said one of the things of which he was proudest year was a bill that “ramps up the targets” for the clean-fuel standards, as well as recycling reform “many years in the making … the companies that make hard-to-recycle products have to change their packaging to be more recyclable, or pay for (the recycling).”

Thomas (appointed to the House seat Alvarado vacated for the Senate move) remarked on how many people from the district came to Olympia to meet with her – “The 34th travels! We did 57 meetings in 62 days … you guys are really engaged.”
She said she introduced seven bills, and two became law, including the one increasing the allowable compensation for Sound Transit-initiated relocation (“someday somehow some way a train is coming to West Seattle”). She also remarked on being part of a “robust class of newcomers” that lowered the average age by seven years.

They answered both pre-submitted questions and “live” questions. Among the latter, one of the final ones was, what can. people do to “fight back” if they are dismayed by the way things are going with the federal government?

Alvarado said it’s vital “to talk about what’s happening – as soon as we stop paying attention they go on to the next egregious thing – we have to be loud, we have to share stories, we have to continue to be vocal.”

Fitzgibbon said he had nothing to add. But Thomas did: “We’re getting bullied – I come from a military family” and so she’s determined to fight back. Document what’s happening, and “leverage the privileges we have,” she advised, saying that’s “what WILL make America great again.” An attendee then said he would “leave the room a lot more optimistic and inspired.” Alvarado observed that “one of the best things we can do is feel optimistic … (their) strategy is to divide and to make us feel helpless.”

Crawley added that “defense of our values as a party” is crucial, and vocalizing how those values relate to people’s everyday lives.”

Now back to other issues discussed:

Asked about “rent stabilization,” Alvarado said that was a tough issue, with the first House hearing on the first day of the session and a bill finally passed on the last day. “What we introduced was rent stabilization, what passed was anti-rent gouging – a 10 percent cap.” She acknowledged that “people expect us to make housing more affordable.”

Regarding “a more equitable tax system,” Thomas said it was unfortunate that the “wealth-gap bill” didn’t get far and said she didn’t buy the argument that the tax would lead coompanies to take their money elsewhere: “Most other states have an income tax. I don’t think we have a resource problem in Washington, I think we have a capture problem.”

Fitzgibbon said that when Gov. Bob Ferguson took a property-tax proposal off the table, “we were left with business tax and sales tax” as the only options to work with. “We need a state income tax … we are now the 49th most regressive state (in taxing)” – he said Tennessee is the only state with a more “regressive” tax system.

Alvarado said the business and sales taxes won’t be able to cover the cost of fully funding public schools. “We can’t sales-tax our way to a great education for our children” or to full operation of behavioral-health facilities, or to child-care subsidies, though “we knew if we funded child care, education, we’d have smarter healthier people around …I hope the public knows we can make investments but we don’t have the tools” and they need Gov. Ferguson’s cooperation to get some of them through.

And, Thomas noted, potential federal cuts mean even more of a crisis is looming; if “rural” clinics have to close, for example, that doesn’t just mean in the mountains somewhere, that means, for example, Vashon Island. “an 18-minute ferry ride.”

Fitzgibbon echoed Thomas on federal accountability: “What Congress is considering right now is SO unconscionable I don’t know how these people sleep – the Medicaid cuts are going to be devastating”; he said they’re also proposing to cut the Medicaid match “only for states like (ours) that use their own health care dollars to provide care for undocumented folks” – so the state is left with a choice, either accepting “billions of dollars in lost money” or “repeal(ing) health care for undocumented people (and lead to sicker people) … The federal government is terrible.”

Alvarado added, “Some think it’s OK to stop defending humans because they’re undocumented,” but she disagrees, and notes that State Attorney General Nick Brown (a West Seattleite) “has been taking on cases.” Meantime, “there are people getting rounded up at their workplaces by people in masks – it’s time for those of us with privilege and power to stand up and not let it be so easy … it’s just gonna get harder over the next few years.”

“We are a wildly diverse and beautiful district,” added Thomas, expressing regret that the “domestic worker bill of rights” died.

Fitzgibbon said that since immigration is largely in the feds’ purview, there’s not much the state can do to protect people except “one thing we’re getting better at – regulate the detention facilities in our state that ICE uses – ICE has a lot of detention facilities all around – the Ferguson administration is identifying where they are to be sure local governments are inspecting them.”

Other pre-submitted questions addressed local employment-related regulations and clean energy. The first “live” questioner had three questions, including regarding the seeming inaccessibility of information and a complaint about the format of the “telephone town hall” the three legislators offered during the session.

Thomas acknowledged “government is opaque” but said the “part-time legislators” are trying to make it less so. Regarding the telephone town hall, Alvarado said it’s an experimental format but the fact it went “to every phone in the district” meant the event at least began “with thousands of people on the line.”

The questioner also asked about school funding and Alvarado agreed, “You’d think it would be simple to raise the taxes to fund our schools, so we have to keep fighting, we have to keep getting creative.” She blamed the governor and “the corporations” for killing the main tax ideas. But she also noted, “We DID put $1.6 billion in schools over four years. That’s nowhere near enough but it’s $1.6 billion more than we had.” She also had warm words for the constituent engagement on schools this year, including the “billion-dollar bake sale” crew.

Fitzgibbon added that “Republicans were on fire against (potentially) allowing Seattle voters to tax themselves more for their schools.”

Other points of discussion included religious organizations’ takeover of hospitals, solar power, and debt. On the latter, Alvarado said a law was passed “limiting the use of medical debt on credit reports” and a bill allowing you to keep $2,000 if debt collectors are after you, rather than allowing them to seize every last cent you have.

Another question: Can “church parking lots” be taxed? Alvarado said that might relate to a “conversation across the nation (about) land-value tax,” whether there’s a better way to tax property.

A ferry-riding student asked about the Mosquito Fleet bill that died; the legislators agreed the idea of putting “more boats on the water” had promise. They also expressed hope for money to fund weekend Water Taxi service to Vashon Island.

Another young attendee expressed dismay at the possibility of “resource officers” at schools, asking, “is there anything we can do to stop it?” Thomas replied “no,” noting that “what looks like safety, feels like safety, is different from school to school to school.” Alvarado said talking about how to make buildings safer could take the focus away from increasing police presence.

Again, watch the video for the entirety of the discussion.

WHAT’S NEXT: The 34th DDs’ next event is their annual fundraiser Forward.Together, Saturday, June 7, at Washington State Black Legacy Institute (2656 42nd SW) – more info here.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS: Info’s here.