Going On Now

The following comments were sent to the Pierce County Council on January 5, 2021, their first business meeting of the new year, requesting that they take action to adopt the 1/10 of one percent local option sales tax for affordable housing. This is in support of a petition sponsored by St. Leo's Church.

The letter in the name of LWVTPC conveys this League's adopted positions which support the request.

On December 19, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm, LWVTPC will conduct its annual program planning session. This is the meeting at which ideas for the next League year (July 1 through June 30) are proposed.

When program planning results in an idea with enough support, it is further developed over the next few months and submitted through a review process to the membership for a vote. The national and state memberships vote through their respective convention delegates. At the local level, the membership votes at the annual meeting.

Download the agenda here

Download the diagram here

Register for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEld-Cgqj8sH9Yt9KVIG40b0o8R69llNOtN

The League sent a letter to the Pierce County Council on December 15, 2020, as testimony regarding the proposed termination of the interlocal agreement that established the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. Under the proposal, the Health Department would become a department of Pierce County, Tacoma would no longer be a partner, and the Board of Health would change.

The League has opposed this change. Read the letter here.

This plan was described to the Pierce County Council by the County Executive's office staff on October 19, 2020. Read the plan here. See the League's study on mental health here. There have been many system changes, as anticipated in the League's 2016 study, but this is the first report and proposed plan by the County since that time.

Read a review of this plan by League member Liz Knox here.

In December 2020, the Pierce County Council adopted Ordinance No. 2020-138s, https://online.co.pierce.wa.us/cfapps/council/model/otDocDownload.cfm, which will institute the tax provided that a pilot project for Medicaid involving Elevate Health is approved by the state Health Care Authority by April 2021.

This article describes a conversation that League President Cynthia Stewart had with Councilmember Morell, who was the prime sponsor of the Ordinance about the reasons for that contingency provision.

Read the letter sent by the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County to City of Tacoma Mayor and City Council, asking that they not make the reductions in library funding that were proposed by the City Manager here.

Also see the reply from Mayor Victoria Woodards here.

In 2019 the Legislature approved formation of a Commercial Aviation Commission, charged with identifying new potential airport sites to relieve congestion at Sea-Tac Airport. The Commission began its work in 2020. The schedule for development of recommendations is as follows:

1. Recommend a short list of no more than six airports by January 1, 2021
2. Identify the top two airports by September 1, 2021
3. Identify the single preferred location by January 1, 2022, by 60% majority vote

Background on the Commission and its purpose can be found here: https://wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/commission/home.htm.

In July, a WSDOT analysis of potential sites was released. This can be found in a more readable form in a power point at https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2020/07/22/CACC-Presentation-July-22-2020.pdf.

One of the sites being analyzed is Tacoma Narrows Airport.

For more information, see the Commission's web site:https://wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/commission/home.htm.

Read the letter sent by the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County to City of Tacoma leadership, asking that they develop a unified statement about racial justice and establish a citizen task force for racial justice.

Letter to Puyallup Mayor and Council, September 14, 2020

Read the letter sent by the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County to City of Tacoma officials asking that they retain the Civil Rights Investigation section of the Office of Equity of Human Rights, rather than eliminating that section as a budget cut. The City has a revenue shortfall as a result of COVID, but the League asks that the City not select this particular function as a budget reduction. Letter to Tacoma officials, July 23, 2020

Read the open letter to the public from League President Cynthia Stewart regarding protests this week resulting from the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis MN and calling for action to address racial inequality now. Read it here.

On May 5, 2020, the Pierce County Council will be considering a resolution to approve a proposed 5-year plan for homelessness. After much consideration, the League has submitted written testimony to the Council asking that the Plan not be approved.

See the Plan here.

See the League comments here.

For more information, see the County Council agenda page on this issue https://online.co.pierce.wa.us/cfapps/council/iview/proposal.cfm?proposal_num=R2020-29.

For the most recent information about homelessness in Pierce County see https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/3715/Homeless-Programs (scroll down to see data).

The January 30, 2020 Many Faces of Homelessness forum in Puyallup was recorded. Listen to sessions 3, Who's Responsible, and 4, What are others doing, here: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AvPvsD54gzVvKto&id=69F910EB3846C82A%21203493&cid=69F910EB3846C82A

This proposal is before the Pierce County Council for a final vote on March 10, 2020. Read the letter sent as testimony in support of the proposal here.

Read the letter sent to the Human Services Committee in support of this proposal when they deliberated on February 18, 2020 here. The Committee moved it forward without recommendation. For more information about what is proposed, see https://online.co.pierce.wa.us/cfapps/council/iview/committeeMeeting.cfm?committee_cd=hs&meeting_dt=Feb 18 2020 9:30AM

See the mental health study here: http://www.tacomapiercelwv.org/files/report_for_web_10-23-16.pdf

On the 100th anniversary of the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County, February 14, 2020, the Washington State Senate adopted this resolution in honor of the centennial. We were honored to have this recognition.

Centennial Proclamation

Resolution sponsor, Sen. Jeannie Darneille, introduces the proclamation in the Senate on February 14, 2020

LWVT-PC members Susan Eidenschink and Jacki Skaught, along with centennial celebrator Sue Lean, in the gallery during the proclamation ceremony

Sen. Jeannie Darneille with League members and staff member, Noelle Kappert, following the event

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has proposed a new rule related to fuel that would apply only in the four-county PSCAA region (King, Snohomish, Kitsap and Pierce). See a summary of the proposal here: https://pscleanair.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3944/Clean-Fuel-Standard-Draft-Rule-Summary_December-2019?bidId=

The League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County submitted a letter during the public comment period in support of the proposal. You can read that letter here.

Take a look at the editorial published in the Tacoma News Tribune on December 8, 2019, by Katie Baird and Cynthia Stewart.

Taxing Our Way Toward Greater Equality

Katie Baird, primary author, is a member of the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County and a Professor of Economics at the University of Washington Tacoma. Cynthia Stewart is President of the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County and the Lead on Revenue for the League of Women Voters of WA.

For the June 6, 2020 Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting booklet with agenda and materials

Here are some reliable resources for fact-checking statements or claims heard on any media sources.

American Library Association, an exhaustive and up to date list of websites, documents, and videos that can help the community evaluate information and fact check: https://libguides.ala.org/InformationEvaluation

Pierce County Library System Reliable Data Bases: https://polariscatalog.piercecountylibrary.org/POLARIS/search/misc/esources.aspx

CSU Chico Evaluating Information: https://library.csuchico.edu/sites/default/files/craap-test.pdf

University of South Australia - Video, Evaluating Information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U3dkTLjuvE

Austin CC - Fake News and Alternative Facts; Finding Accurate News: https://researchguides.austincc.edu/c.php?g=612891&p=4257736 This guide for students, faculty and staff investigates the phenomenon of fake news, and provides proactive strategies to help them recognize fake news, and identify accurate sources.

Politifact: https://www.politifact.com/

Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/

Annenberg Public Policy Fact Check: https://www.factcheck.org/

Apfactcheck: factcheck@ap.org