Washblog

Rev. Dr. Jerry Hebert, a commissioner with the state human rights commission, was selected to act as the facilitator of the committee. The committee decided early on to present a solution to the council that would institutionalize the value of inclusion. They felt that the solution should be in the form of an ordinance that would include education, outreach, alternative dispute resolution, and ultimately, if necessary, enforcement. Commissioner Hebert was asked by the committee to bring forward a draft ordinance for consideration by the committee and to bring examples of other county ordinances which could be edited to meet the needs of the citizens and visitors to Snohomish.



Jerry Hebert

Over the course of the next several months the committee carefully read each line of the draft ordinance and considered the legal and moral ramifications of each piece of the draft.  They solicited advice and input from the Washington State Human Rights Commission, the Washington State Attorney General's office, U.S. Department of Justice Office on Civil Rights, as well as private attorneys and other state and local agencies. In addition, a cross section of concerned citizens and public officials from the county came together to help the committee with the task of refining the final ordinance. Among those attending at least one of the meetings:

State Representative, John McCoy (D-38th LD)

County Officials:

Dave Somers - County Council
Janice Ellis - County Prosecutor
John Lovick - County Sheriff
Tom Greene - Assistant County Sheriff
Rick Bart - Former Sheriff
Mark Hintz - Chair, Snohomish County Democrats

Human Rights Activists

Anita Moscoso, Deborah Parker, Dottie Cainion, Ed Glazer, Jackie Minchew, Jerry Otis, Jim Gow, Marian Harrison, Maru Mora Villalpando, Paul Benz, Pedro Gonzales, Rashida Harris, and others.

The ordinance as presented begins thus:

PROHIBITING CERTAIN FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION UNDER COUNTY CODE IN EMPLOYMENT, CREDIT TRANSACTIONS, PUBLIC ACCOMODATIONS, HOUSING, COUNTY PROGRAMS, AND CONTRACTING; ESTABLISHING THE SNOHOMISH COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION WITH ENFORCEMENT POWER TO ENFORCE PROHIBITIONS; CREATING A NEW CHAPTER OF THE SNOHOMISH COUNTY CODE

WHEREAS, recognizing the need to combat the effects of bias and bigotry throughout Snohomish County, the Snohomish County Council desires to afford greater protection against certain forms of discrimination than is presently provided under state law, to be known as the "Snohomish County Human Rights Ordinance"; and

WHEREAS, Snohomish County desires to create a Commission on Human Rights to enforce the Snohomish County Human Rights Ordinance; and

WHEREAS, this Ordinance is designed to protect all people who live and work in the County from discrimination and sexual harassment in employment, public accommodations, housing, credit transactions, County services and County contracting.; and

WHEREAS, this Ordinance prohibits these forms of discrimination when they are based upon a persons race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, military discharge status, source of income, housing status, or gender identity; and

WHEREAS, the Commission on Human Rights will be authorized to enforce the Snohomish County Human Rights Ordinance by investigating, conciliating and conducting hearings on complaints of discrimination. In addition, the Commission will develop and conduct educational programs designed to prevent discrimination before it occurs and to promote better relations among the County's diverse racial, ethnic, religious, cultural and social groups.

If enacted, Snohomish County would be the first government body other than the state to establish a separate Human Rights Commission. In response to a question about the current status of the proposed ordinance recently, Council Chair Dave Somers said that the council has referred the ordinance to staff and legal for review and that it has also been referred to the Executive for budgetary consideration.

Dave Somers

What can the public do? What we do best. Contact the members of the Snohomish County Council and let them know that this ordinance is the right thing at the right time for the county.

By the way, I would also like to thank Lynn Allen at the Institute for Washington's Future for the great piece on this subject over there.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue