Washington Indivisible Podcast

Chris Franco is an Afghanistan combat veteran and an Indivisible member. He joins us to talk about President Biden's move to effectively end the longest war in American history.

Franco is currently a candidate for King County Council in district 9: https://www.francoforkingcounty.com/

Our town hall with Indivisibles and Democratic party leaders in red and rural districts throughout the state. We center their work, both their organizing and electoral work, and explore some of the ways that Indivisibles in blue and purple areas can come together to help advance the work being done by our friends in these districts.

Our guests are:

- Bob Schutte, group leader for Indivisible Pend Orielle County, and Vice Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Caucus for the Washington State Democrats.

- Alex Fane and Marsha Maguire, leaders with Indivisible Sequim.

- Danielle Garbe Reser, co-chair of the Washington State Democrats Rural Committee, and the 5th Congressional District representative to the Washington Democrats Executive Board. She also recently ran for state Senate in the 16th LD.

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene represents Washington’s 1st Congressional District, and she also currently serves as the Vice Chair on the House Ways and Means committee, and the Select Revenue Measures and Trade Subcommittees.

She joins us for a talk about COVID relief, Biden’s infrastructure plan, the THRIVE agenda, the For the People Act, the permanent child tax credit, and much more.

Many Indivisibles here in Washington are saying that there is just an almost overwhelming number of things that need action right now.

The legislative session is in its final days, so we’re working to push some bills across the finish line—and making sure others go down. 

And then, at the federal level, there are things like S1, DC statehood, ending the filibuster, and the THRIVE Act.

To help us prioritize all of this, and to talk about how you can be most effective in taking action, we’re joined by Nina Moussavi, Indivisible’s senior regional organizer for Washington and California.

Show Notes:

Tool to write a letter to the editor supporting elimination of the filibuster: https://act.newmode.net/action/indivisible-project/demand-senate-eliminate-filibuster-save-our-democracy

Write a letter to the editor and submit it to your local paper! ACLU WA has a toolkit and list of outlets around the state.

Op-ed written by Linda Wehrman of Indivisible Whidbey, Jon Pincus of Indivisible Plus Washington, and retired Republican state legislature Norma Smith (R-Whidbey): https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-we-need-a-data-privacy-law-but-senate-bill-isnt-it/

Template tool for writing letters to the editor: https://act.newmode.net/action/indivisible-project/demand-senate-eliminate-filibuster-save-our-democracy

Bad WA privacy bill:

 Let your legislators know they need to Fix It Or Nix It! https://bit.ly/FixItOrNixIt

Shasti Conrad (Chair, King County Democrats) and Will Casey (Managing Partner, Left Wing Digital) join Stephan to discuss Biden’s infrastructure package—what’s in it, why it’s imperative, and why many progressives are saying it needs to go even further.

And then, in the second half of the show, Will talks with two local activists, Alicia Busch and Taira Shimbashi Ortega about combating AAPI discrimination, and promoting equity in local governments here in Washington.

Show Notes:

AAPI Organizing Coalition Against Hate and Bias: https://www.facebook.com/AAPIOrganizingCoalitionAgainstHateAndBias/

Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/

Seattle JACL: http://seattlejacl.org/

If we weren't aware of how much we need fully-funded public health programs before the pandemic, we very much are now.

We speak with executive director of the Washington State Public Health Association, Jeff Ketchel, about how Washington can make vital improvements in public health, starting with the push in the legislature to establish permanent funding.

Bills to support:

SB 5149 - Funding foundational public health services

SB 5371 - Sweetened beverage tax

HB 1550 - Vaping tax

Support Washington State Public Health Association: https://www.wspha.org

This week, we discuss the situation at the southern border--the humanitarian toll, the dynamics that bring about this cyclical influx, the media's coverage and their push for "balance," and thoughts on how we can take specific action.

In the second half, we check in with one of the House members leading the charge on police reform, 30th LD Representative Jesse Johnson, who is also the Vice Chair of the House Public Safety Committee.

Johnson gives an update on current legislation, including his two key bills on use of force and de-escalation, and offers a call to action to push his and other bills over the finish line this session.

Actions:

Support SB 5051 funds to restore trust in the criminal justice system and law enforcement (Decertification): https://www.takeaction.network/xactions/14604?ref=356

Support SB 5066 (Officer duty to intervene in excessive use of force) by Signing in "Pro" to the House Appropriations's Public Hearing: https://www.takeaction.network/xactions/14644?ref=356

Bill HB 1054 - 2021-22: Establishing requirements for tactics and equipment used by peace officers: https://www.takeaction.network/bills/3853

Bill HB 1310 - 2021-22: Concerning permissible uses of force by law enforcement and correctional officers: https://www.takeaction.network/bills/4374

The ARP is already benefiting tens of millions of Americans, with checks arriving in mailboxes and bank accounts. Stephan Cox, Will Casey, and Shasti Conrad talk about how the Democrats can and must take credit for it.

Also, Shasti speaks about Tuesday's killings in Atlanta of six Asian-American women with 34th LD state senator Joe Nguyễn, and

Toshiko Hasegawa, candidate for the Port of Seattle position 4 and current Executive Director of Washington State’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.

Show Notes:

Getting involved...

Stop AAPI Hate
 (https://stopaapihate.org/)

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta
 (https://www.advancingjustice-atlanta.org/)

The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (https://apaics.org/)


For further learning…

Anti-Asian Violence Resources (https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/)

Bystander Intervention to Stop Anti-Asian/American Harassment and Xenophobia Workshop
 (https://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention/)

Donate to the victims' families through a fund set up by Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta (https://actionnetwork.org/.../support-georgias-asian.../)

Want to know where things stand with state legislation on climate, healthcare, police accountability, progressive taxation, and more, but haven't had the time to follow it all?

This show is for you! We bring you a midterm report on this year’s legislative session—what bills made it and which didn’t, and which will need our help getting over the finish line.

We talk with four bill trackers with the Washington Indivisible Legislative Action Team for an update, and some calls to action.

Jim Austin tracks healthcare, Hanna Floss tracks good governance (taxation & voting rights), Kirsten Hansen’s team tracks racial equity and police accountability, and Kevin Jones follows the environment.

This was recorded live on Tuesday, March 9th.

Looking for an easy way to stay engaged with calls to action that are tailored to your precise interests? Learn more about the Take Action Network with the program's creator, Daniel Weise, and Washington Indivisible and Indivisible Eastside steering committee member, Louise Pathe.

Show Notes:

Take Action Network: https://www.takeaction.network/

To learn more: [email protected]

Group leaders contact: [email protected]

Videos:

TAN - 4 Unique features of TAN Actions for a great activist experience: http://bit.ly/TAN-4Features-Video

TAN Activist Training: http://bit.ly/TAN-Activist-Video

Overview of TAN: http://bit.ly/TAN-WILA-Intro-Video