Washblog

I served as a poll inspector for the February 19th, 2008 Presidential Primary in King County WA. This is my (very late) report. The highlight, for defenders of democracy, is that we had to field repair our Premier Election Systems' (formerly Diebold) AccuVote TSx. Yes, the irony of an opponent to computerized voting being the one to fix the machine slays me too. Other highlights include challenges setting up and new opposition to mail balloting.

I hope this report motivates others to become poll workers for the upcoming elections in August and November. The need is real; we need eyes, ears, and hands to help safe-guard our election. In King County, call 206-296-1606.

More...

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"After American corrections has set world records in the numbers of persons incarcerated and placed on probation and parole, some criminal justice professionals believe the field needs to get serious about its $60 billion a year industry and produce a better product."
How much risk can we take? The misuse of risk assessment in corrections.  Federal Probation, 9/06, 70(2): 58, James Austin.

"Most Americans remain ignorant ... that they live in a country that holds hostage behind bars another populous country of their fellow citizens."
Jimmy Santiago Baca, "Past Present" 363 quoted in Total Confinement: Madness and reason in the maximum security prison, Lorna A. Rhodes, 2004

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With 1 in 100 Americans currently behind bars, (1)   1 in 10 American children with a parent incarcerated or under community supervision, (2)  , and a massive re-direction of national wealth and talent into criminal justice policies that don't work, it is past time for a national consensus that we're locking up too many people.  Mass incarceration is having profoundly destructive impacts on public safety, human rights, and democratic institutions at a time that we cannot afford the social destabilization that this brings.

Reform of Washington State's 3-Strikes law has national significance in relation to these developments.

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Ron Peters, sentenced to life under Washington's 3-Strikes law for a Robbery 2, a Robbery 1, and a Burglary, contributes this guest post.  

Washington was the first state in the nation to pass a 3-Strikes law and ours is the harshest.  Voters approved I-593 in 1993 on the basis of this description in the voter's pamphlet: "By aiming at 3-time violent offenders, (593) targets the `worst of the worst' criminals." Few people would consider robbery 2, which is by definition, committed without use of a deadly weapon, to be a "worst of the worst" crime.  Washington's Sentencing Guidelines Commission recommended removing it from the list of 3-Strikes offenses in 2001. Efforts to do this are defeated in the legislature every year. This story is part of this series. For notification of upcoming stories write noemie(at)washblog.com or contact Justice Works!.

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I am 43 years old and I have been incarcerated more than 12 years under Washington's 3-Strikes, you're out! law.  I was born in Tacoma and raised in the projects of East Tacoma where as a fat, introverted kid, I endured constant jibes by other children of the neighborhood. All I wanted was to be accepted and liked so this hurt me deeply. I was often upset to the point of physical confrontation.

My mother took very good care of my brother and me. She provided a good home for us, taught us right-from-wrong and without any assistance whatsoever.  We were made to go to school during the week and to church on Sundays. However, drinking and drugging were accepted behaviors in our neighborhood when growing up. I was exposed to alcohol and drugs at a very early age.

Noemie,

Here is a little personal blurb on the big climate change bill that passed last night.  Thought it might be of interest for WashBlog readers...

Dave

I received the email quoted above from Representative Dave Upthegrove today about HB2815,  "Providing a framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Washington economy".  The bill, which originated in the committee he chairs, Ecology and Parks, passed yesterday, and has received significant press coverage.  It builds on a law from last session, which set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Washington 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. HB 2815 makes these goals mandatory.  It also amends RCW 43.330 to establish a comprehensive green economy jobs growth initiative based on the goal of increasing the number
of green economy jobs in the state from 8,000 in 2004 to 25,000 in 2020.

Dave's blurb continues below the fold.

With Texas and Ohio producing no clear nominee, the democratic party here in Washington is headed for a train wreck unless unified direction is given to counties and legislative caucus credentials committees across our state.

This need might have been minimized had one candidate or the other been established as the presumptive nominee in yesterday's primaries. Now, I have a prefrence but am trying to stay above the frey. In fact, I have known about this potential problem for some time but held out hope that events would eliminate the climate we now are faced with as we look toward our legislative and county caucus conventions.  

With the fight for every delegate now expected to continue through the time of our next level of caucuses the state party must remedy the situation or risk differing rulings and outcomes across our state and ultimately litigation and harm to the party itself.  

This is an exciting victory.  Thank you to all the legislators who voted for this law, including my three legislators here in the 47th, Senator Claudia Kauffman, Representative Geoff Simpson, and Representative Pat Sullivan.  From a press release from Craig Salins, Director, Washington Public Campaigns:

"We have a legislative VICTORY! - on the Local Option bill!

How sweet it is!

Late today, the House approved E2SSB 5278 - which moves this bill toward signing into law by the Governor, likely within days.  In 90 days, this bill will take effect as law in Washington State."

From Unite4Justice:

"Our state legislature is considering a gang bill,  HB 2712, that could be devastating to communities of color, especially youth of color, if it passes. In this 3-part video, Priest Amen of POCAAN and James Bible of the NAACP summarize the bill and their objections to it. Please consider lending your support by opposing this bill. Here are action steps we urge you to take:

1. Send out email encouraging your people to watch this video and learn about HB 2712.
2. Call the WA State Legislative Hotline 800-562-6000 to voice your opposition to HB 2712, the gang bill.
3. Please come to the Public Hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 3:30 in Olympia at the Capital Building. A strong turnout is very important - voices concerned about racial profiling and the over-incarceration of people of color need to be heard. Going to the Public Hearing from Seattle? Join our Caravan, leaving Starbucks at 23rd and Jackson at 12 noon."

Major victory today!  At least for people who want reduce the influence of special interest money in political campaigns. It's one that Washington Public Campaigns has been fighting for these past 2 years.

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Photo: Governor Gregoire meets with South King County supporters at  the Federal Way Senior Center, 1/30/08. Photo by William Taylor.

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See the DailyKos diary here: Yes Washington Can.

Good for her, endorsing Barack Obama. Good for us! And I'm appreciating how she's been reaching out to the public.

 

Today we drove to Naselle for the Democratic Caucus for our three Pacific County communities of Naselle, Nemah and Bay Center. I had been keeping quiet about the caucuses after Lietta indicated earlier in the week that she'd be interested in going.

I thought that I had better things to do with my time and as one who had unofficially renounced membership in the party, I didn't want to go.

But Lietta did and since the flyer said folks could come as observers I went with her.

With the race heading to this states caucuses next Sat. at a tie, Washington State is an important state and here come the candidates.

On January 25 the Washington State House passed EHB 1551, a bill to allow local governments to enact public financing of local elections. The bill now moves to the Senate.

This bill is a step forward in removing the corrupting influence of money on lawmakers. View it as an experiment. If public financing works locally, it can be enacted state-wide and eventually nationwide.

Like all issues, there are some complexities.

Rob Holland Chairs the 37th District Democrats, located in Southeast and Central Seattle and parts of Renton and Tukwila. The 37th has among the highest concentrations of Democratic voters in the state. And it's also considered a target for GOP vote suppression. So get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts here are key to electing Democrats statewide. Rob has built on the work of previous Chair Gwen Wrench in bringing new members and energy to the district organization. His approach is informed by a professional background in strategic marketing, wide involvement in community organizations, and a belief in the importance of local relationship building. It's paying off with a growing and more active membership. Last October, he received the prestigious Warren G. Magnuson Rising Star award from the state Democratic Party for his work in the 37th.

There's a certain historical poetry to Rob's political presence here. His great uncle Sam Smith was a 5-term state Representative in the 37th who then went on to be the first African American Seattle City Councilmember.

Local democratic organizations like the 37th offer grassroots counterbalance to corporate interests that fund elections and demand their just due. While the party mainstream pulls to the right, the members of these local organizations provide political pressure at the other end of the spectrum, demanding that the party and elected officials remain true to Democratic values. The progressivism in the Democratic party platform is no mystery. Members of these local organizations write them. Strong district organizations have more power to bring forward candidates who represent progressive values, to get them elected, and to hold them accountable. Leadership like Rob's is politically empowering for local communities and for the Democratic wing of the Democratic party.

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Above, Rob Holland (foreground) talks with  37th District member. Washington State Democratic Party Chair, Dwight Pelz is in the background. Photos in this story were taken at 37th District Democrats holiday party. Click on images for larger size or here for slideshow.

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"I didn't talk to my dad for 8 years.  And I just started talking to him last year.  And then he moved." (Anthony Scott, 11 years old, testifying on 1/24/08 before the Washington State House Committee on Human Services in favor of HB 2688.)

"We have an over-crowding situation in our prisons here in Washington State as well as around the country ... not because of the absence of a vigorous transfer program (but) because we hyper-criminalize certain types of behavior. Most notably, we over-criminalize punishment for drugs.... Right now, there are commercial entities that build prisons on "spec", speculating that there will be enough demand with the current drug policies to make these prisons profitable. What I'm saying to you is that this prisoner transfer program literally reduces incarcerated people, well-behaved incarcerated people, to units of barter, units of money. It's a commercial enterprise." (Le Roi Brashears, Washington Association of Churches Religious Coalition for the Common Good, testifying on 1/24/08 before the Washington State House Committee on Human Services in favor of HB 2688).

The use of prison in Washington was quite stable from 1930 to 1980.  On any given day during this 50-year period, roughly two persons were incarcerated in a state prison out of every 1,000 people in Washington between the ages of 18 and 49.2... Today, Washington's prison incarceration rate stands at about 6 adults incarcerated per 1,000 -- nearly three times the rate 30 years ago. Assuming no changes to existing laws or additional laws, the CFC currently sees incarceration rates growing roughly another 10 percent by 2019. (Options to Stabilize Prison Populations in Washington, WA State Institute for Public Policy, 2006.)

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Photo above: Nicole Brummitt and Anthony Scott outside the John L. O'Brien building in the state capital after testifying before the Washington State House Committee on Human Services in favor of HB 2688, Constraining the department of corrections' authority to transfer offenders out of state.

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I've never before seen a bill that had more sponsors than it needed votes to pass into law.  But that's the case with both the House and Senate versions of "Enacting the local farms-healthy kids and communities act" (SB 6483 and HB 2798.) In a recent Seattle Times article Representative Pettigrew, the prime sponsor in the House, was quoted as commenting on the lack of opposition: "very scary".

This legislation is the kind of win-win economic stimulus proposal that I had hoped to see on the national level in response to recent economic woes.  Approximately $4 million in 2007-09 and then $5 to $7 million each for the next two biennia would be invested in facilitating the purchase of Washington-grown food by state schools, agencies and institutions of higher education. Benefits listed in the bill: children's health and school performance; stewardship of working agricultural lands; direct and spin-off jobs in farming, processing, tourism, and support industries; energy conservation; greenhouse gas reductions; increased food security. There is also the matter of the "local multiplier effect". According to findings from the recent Local Food Economy Study by Sustainable Seattle, "locally directed spending by consumers more than doubles the number of dollars circulating among businesses in the community.  This means that a shift of 20% of our food dollars into locally directed spending would result in a nearly half billion dollar annual income increase in King County alone and twice that in the Central Puget Sound region."