Unit Meeting Materials

Due to the resurgence of COVID, the Delta variant, and the need to stay ever-more vigilant, the Unit Meetings have been canceled for the remaining of 2021. The Board will decide in late November or early December whether to resume them in January 2022.

Normally, the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County holds regular monthly unit meetings, neighborhood-focused discussion groups, approximately 10 months per year.

When Unit Meetings resume, programs will be announced and links will be posted at the calendar page, http://tacomapiercelwv.org/calendar.html.

In 2020 and 2021 we are also emphasizing diversity, equity and inclusion in each meeting. See Planning with a focus on equity.

Each month our unit meeting topics will also relate to how diversity, equity and inclusion can be considered within the topic of discussion. These equity considerations will be discussed each time:

1.Who should participate in this project/program?
2. Who would benefit?
3. What are the barriers to participation?
4. How does this address underserved voters?
5. How does this address equity?

See more background here.

September 2021 Unit Meetings covered the Pierce County planning process, "Ending Street Homelessness by November 1". See the power point here.

May 2021 Unit Meetings were on the topic of Land Use Planning. See presentation on the Growth Management Act here. See Pierce County Planner Erika Rhett's power point presentation here. Video of the second Unit Meeting, May 8, 2021, is at https://youtu.be/fND7M1zeU0s.

February 2021 Unit Meetings were on the topic of Sustainability Plans: why do we need them? What do they contain? What may be required? See power points used by presenters Chuck Jensen here and Elly Claus-McGahan here.

November 2020. The November 2020 Unit Meeting topic was Homelessness, an update. Causes, work that has been done since 2019, and possible solutions were discussed. See the power point here.

October 2020. The October 2020 Unit Meeting topic was "General Election 2020: The Power of the Vote". Resources to supplement the Unit Meeting discussion are attached here. This is a list of various video presentations in which the importance of the vote, the actions to suppress the vote, and more, are discussed.

Also see the report by the Academy of Arts and Sciences on repairing our democracy: https://www.amacad.org/sites/default/files/publication/downloads/2020-Democratic-Citizenship_Our-Common-Purpose_0.pdf

The November 2019 Unit Meetings discussed an update to homelessness in Pierce County. See the power point here.

Gig Harbor - May 2019

The Gig Harbor/Key Peninsula Unit chose "Climate Change: What Can One Person Do" as its "unit choice" topic in May 2019. Here are the handouts from that meeting.

Virtual Unit - May 2019

Alison McCaffree, LWVT-PC Member and Executive Director of Politics of the Possible in Action, presented "Census and Redistricting: Action Planning for One-Person, One Vote".

See the power point here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MKOuoT3Jdwx_oVkXJD5FBpCTG7fWFh7l/view

All Units - April 2019

The April 2019 program is an update on state legislation of interest to the League. It includes a wide range of topics.

The handout for the Gig Harbor/Key Peninsula Unit on April 20 is here. It reflects changes in bill status during the seek since the other four unit meetings were held.

The handout used for the remaining, earlier unit meetings is here.

All Units - March 2019

The March 2019 unit meeting program is a discussion of various levels of transportation systems and planning, from WA State Department of Transportation to City of Tacoma. The following power point portrays both projects currently underway and planned projects for the future.

Transportation Planning in Pierce County

At the time of producing this presentation, Pierce Transit's web site was inaccessible, so discussion of Pierce Transit will be oral only.

All Units - February 2019

Ned Witting, League member and coordinator for the organization Better Angels, gave this presentation at February 2019 unit meetings.

Better Angels

All Units - October 2018

This article is intended for reading in advance to prepare for the October Unit Meetings.

Understanding Oppression, Part 1: Strategies for Addressing Privilege

This article will also be discussed during the Unit Meetings.

Using Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lens to Strengthen Social Impact and Collaboration, LWVUS 2018

This presentation was given to all five units in April 2018. Feedback was then solicited regarding what additional work LWVT-PC should undertake regarding mental health.

See the power point here.

March 8, 2018 Unit Meeting and Public Forum: Transportation - Where Are We Going?

See the presentations on power point here

March 8 2018 Unit Meeting discussion of Affordable Housing.

Amanda deShazo, Executive Director of the Affordable Housing Coalition, provided a report from 2010. Many of the recommendations from this report have not yet been implemented.

Read the report here: City of Tacoma Affordable Housing Policy Advisory Group, Policy Recommendations to the City Council, December 3, 2010

If you missed the November unit meetings regarding the NW Detention Center, here is the power point for the presentation. Also see a glossary of terms here. It includes contact information for AID NW and NWIRP. We will be posting more ideas of how you can help soon.