News from the Skagit County Democrats

Skagit County Democrats Action Newsletter for May 24, 2021

DEMOCRATIC EVENTS

1. UPDATED – The Skagit Democrats are pleased to invite you to our annual  GALA SILENT AUCTION, Tuesday Jun 1, 10:00am through Saturday, Jun 5, 8:00pm
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our auction will be virtual this year. To View the Auction…PLEASE CLICK HERE. Click Here to register for the auction. Feel free to share this link with friends and family who may be interested as well.  All are welcome to bid on these items. We are still adding items and improving the site until the auction is live on June 1st. In addition, any proffered monetary donation (Click Here) will be happily received.
 
Each year, we rely on the support of you our generous donors to support Democratic causes and candidates in our community. With your support, we are striving to turn Skagit County Blue. Usually, we rely heavily on the proceeds of our festive in-person annual gala to raise the funds necessary to continue operating throughout the year. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been unable to host a traditional gala since 2019.  Due to the loss of the usual funds that are generated by this event, we are in need of additional support.  We greatly appreciate your continued generosity.  
 
2. UPDATED – Important Information for Candidates – Earlier Deadlines
Congratulations!  Skagit County Democrats are excited that you and so many others have filed to run for office this year.  Now that the State’s filing deadline has passed, you may wish to take two additional steps:  certification as a Democrat and endorsement.  Both require that you apply to the Endorsement Committee, except as we indicate below. We have published four documents to assist candidates in meeting both our deadlines for this year’s election. These are must-read documents for all candidates seeking certification and/or endorsement by Skagit County Democrats.

• New and Earlier Deadlines – Sets forth an early and a later deadline for applying for certification and for endorsement by Skagit Democrats to assist those candidates wishing to apply early to gain earlier access to resources.
• Requirements for Certification– Explains the certification process, including how to apply for certification as a Democrat and why you must be certified before applying for endorsement. If you want access to Vote Builder, you must first be certified by Skagit Democrats. Certification also gives you access to other non-financial party resources.
• Requirements for Endorsement – Explains the endorsement process, including the importance of timely completing the Endorsement Questionnaire. No one can be endorsed without completing the Questionnaire.
• Endorsement Questionnaire

Given the large number of candidates filing this year and our desire to move ahead quickly with Certification and Endorsement, the timeline now sets forth Early and Final deadlines for sending in your requests for Certification and/or Endorsement. If you send in your requests for Certification and/or Endorsement to Endorsements@skagitdemocrats.org by the earlier date of May 26, we can review your documents earlier. This will enable Skagit County Democrats to vote on the earlier requests on June 12 rather than later in July.  With this change, candidates who turn in Certification and/or Enforcement requests sooner will have early access to resources, provided that all candidates for those races meet the earlier date.

If you have any questions, please contact the Endorsement Committee at endorsements@skagitdemocrats.org.

3. UPDATED – The 40th Legislative District Democrats Executive Committee is scheduled to meet Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm – 7:00pm via Zoom
If you have any amendments you would like added to the agenda, please let Spencer Lively know by either texting him at (206) 487-8946 or email at spencerelively@live.com. Also, email Spencer for the meeting link. 40th Website: https://40thdems.org/.

4. NEW – Police Accountability Discussion sponsored by the 39th Legislative District Democrats, Saturday, May 29, 7:00pm – 8:00pm via Zoom
Click Here for more information and the Zoom connection link.

5. UPDATED – The 39th Legislative District Democrats Executive Board is scheduled to meet Sunday, May 30, 10:00 – 10:30am via Zoom FOLLOWED BY a General Membership Meeting, 10:30am – 11:30am to consider Endorsements
Click Here to register.

6. NEW – The 40th Legislative District Democrats General Meeting (tentative), is scheduled to meet Sunday, Jun 13, 2:00pm – 5:00pm, via Zoom
Go to http://tinyurl.com/40LDMtg or check the 40th Website: https://40thdems.org/. If you have any amendments you would like added to the agenda, please let Spencer Lively know by either texting him at (206) 487-8946 or email at spencerelively@live.com.

7. NEW – Votebuilder training for all Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) will be conducted Saturday, Jun 26, 4:00pm
Registration and further information will be sent out to all PCO’s in an email. All PCOs should have login information from the state, however, if they need help with login information they can contact Bennett Massey Helber at bmasseyhelber@gmail.com or Nathaniel Block at nathaniel.r.block@gmail.com. The training will be provided by Bennet Massey Helber. There will be an approximately 30-minute refresher for experienced PCOs followed by an additional hour of instruction for those who need extra help. There will be other trainings provided to volunteers and candidates, but those dates have not yet been determined.

8. NEW – The Fidalgo Democrats has shared the video recording of the Legislative Update with Senator Liz Lovelett, Representative Debra Lekanoff, Representative Alex Ramel and Representative Dave Paul from their meeting on Tuesday, May 11
Click Here for the recording.

9. Join the conversation with Skagit County Democrats on Facebook and Twitter!
Engaging with our social media content by liking, commenting, and sharing helps us reach more viewers, builds community in a digital space, and provides opportunities to better mobilize when opportunities arise. If you haven’t already, please consider:

• Following us on Twitter.
• Liking our Facebook page.
• Joining the new Skagit County Democrats private Facebook group. This is open to all Skagit Dems members, voters, and like-minded constituents. The link directs you to the group, where you’ll have to request to join and an Online Media Posting (OMP) Committee member will approve your request.

For questions about Skagit County Democrats social media, please contact OMP@skagitdemocrats.org.

10. Skagit County Democrats Volunteer Opportunities

• Are you active with social media? If you love to Tweet or post Facebook messages, we need you! Please contact Kat Lohman at kat@sidenoteconsult.com.
• Are you a policy wonk and are actively tracking bills? Please be part of a new committee – the Legislative Committee. Contact chair@skagitdemocrats.org.
• We have various Committees needing volunteers, including the Candidate Recruitment, Social Media, Finance, Outreach, and Fundraising Committees. Due to Covid-19, all events and meetings are online, and everyone is working from home. If you are interested in learning more about volunteering and being on our Committees, please reach out to our Volunteer Coordinators, and they will help you find the right fit for your skills. We can also connect you to the Committee Chairs or our Party Chair. Please reach out to Larry at Larry.Hilliard@gmail.com for more information about Committees or Ashley at ash.gregorius@gmail.com for Outreach and Candidate Recruitment Committees.

11. Skagit Democrats Fundraisers

• Greeting Card Fundraiser:  Social distancing and staying safe makes it difficult for us to get out and look for cards to mark special occasions or just say hello. For a donation of $15.00 you will receive a box of 6 – 8 beautiful hand-made greeting cards. These are one-of-a-kind cards so no two boxes are the same and aren’t made to order. Let us choose your lovely card set. Pictured on the web site (Click Here or Here) are samples of the kinds of cards you will receive. If you would like to donate, Click Here. Under purpose on the donation, please indicate “Cards” and the number of boxes you want.
• The Our America signs are still available at $10 each. Call (360-336-1555) or email staff@skagitdemocrats.org for pick up times and payment information.

12. NEW – Chair’s Corner – A message from Skagit County Democrats Chair, Lynn Campbell
“Filing week has been super busy. Democrats have turned out in record numbers for all offices across Skagit County! This is exciting news for all of us. Between the hard work of the State’s efforts, and our Candidate Recruitment Committee, we have at least 60 democrats running for local offices. In addition, Patty Murray, our Senator is running again in 2022.

The bad news is the Republicans have also been successful in getting candidates. They seem particularly interested in our Mount Vernon City Council, retaining seats in Burlington and challenging Democratic seats in Sedro-Woolley as well as Anacortes.

What this means for us: We must all volunteer and work hard for our Democratic candidates! We need every volunteer, and PCO to work hard to help us retain the Democratic seats, and in some cases win some new Democratic seats.

Our Endorsement Committee will be hard at work in the coming weeks. Once a Democrat is Certified we will begin phone banking, door knocking (with masks and standing 6 ft from the door) sign waving, and other activities.

This is a good problem to have! But – we are relying on everyone to help us Get Out the Vote in record numbers! Local elections typically have a much lower voter turn-out but I believe we can change that! Electing Democrats up and down the ballot is the very essence of the Mission of Skagit County Democrats. Let’s all work together! We are stronger together!

I am so proud of the committee chairs and members of committees who are all working together to make us stronger.

Please keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities. Let’s flip our County BLUE! This is an exciting time to be a Democrat!!!”

13. NEW – Links of the Week
The Links of the Week provide in-depth pieces and resources the Editor has found to be relevant, insightful, and thorough on important issues of the day.

• Blazes That Refuse to Die: ‘Zombie Fires’
• To Observe the Muon Is to Experience Hints of Immortality
• AI – Truth, Lies, and Automation, How Language Models Could Change Disinformation
• Why men and women feel pain differently
• Amazon’s battle against fakes may be too little, too late

COMMUNITY EVENTS

1. NEW – Helping Hands Food Bank presents Leaders Inspiring Leaders – An Evening with Dr. Robert Gates, Saturday, Jun 12, 7:00pm, Lincoln Theatre and Virtual
Click Here for ticket information.

2. J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) speaker series, Part 3 – The ABCs of LGBTQ+, Tuesday, Jun 1, 1:00pm via Zoom
This is a free event sponsored by the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce. Linden Jordan, MA, JD, and President of PLFAG Skagit will be the presenter. Click Here to register.

3. NEW – Skagit County Fair will return August 11 – 14
Click Here for more information.

4. Farmer’s Markets
Common sense COVID-19 precautions remain important. Keep a 6’ distance between yourself and other people. Wear an appropriate face covering per state regulations. Practice good hygiene – wash your hands with soap and water before you visit, while you are here at one of our handwash stations, and when you get home. Stay home if you are sick or experiencing symptoms.

• Anacortes – Saturday, 9:00am – 2:00pm, The Depot, 611 R Avenue – Opened May 1
• Concrete – Saturday, 10:00am – 1:00pm, 45821 Railroad Avenue – Opens May 29
• Mount Vernon – Saturday, 9:00am – 2:00pm, Riverwalk Park, 501 Main Street, Opened May 15
• Sedro-Woolley – Wednesday, 3:00pm – 7:00pm, Hammer Heritage Square, Corner of Metcalf & Ferry Streets, Opened May 19

5. Skagit County continues in COVID-19 Phase 3 Recovery

6. UPDATED – COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19 Skagit County Public Health DRIVE-THRU Vaccination Site is at the Skagit County Fairgrounds BUT IT WILL BE CLOSING NEXT MONTH. Operating hours: Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays, 10:00am – 4:00pm, drop-in or by appointment. Thursdays, 1:00pm – 7:00pm, drop-in clinic – no appointment required. Other local vaccine sites can be obtained Here by entering your Zip code.

The final day to drive-up or make an appointment for a first-dose COVID vaccine at the Skagit County Fairgrounds will be Saturday, June 5. Skagit County Public Health will be closing out first-dose vaccine services at the Fairgrounds following this date and will focus primarily on second-dose vaccinations until June 26 when the site will close permanently. This move will allow Public Health to right-size operations and serve the community in more convenient locations through additional mobile clinics.

*New* Pop-Up Vaccine Clinics this summer! Find us at the following Skagit County locations:

• Sat, May 29: Mount Baker Presbyterian Church, Concrete from 10am-2pm
• Tue, June 1 & 8: Pine Street Park, Mount Vernon from 11am-4pm
• Wed, June 2: Sedro-Woolley Farmers Market from 3-7pm
• Fri, June 4: Drive-In Movie, Skagit Valley College from 8-10pm
• Sat, June 19: Mount Vernon Farmers Market from 9am-12pm
• Sat, July 3: Big Lake 3rd of July Festival from 10am-2pm

All individuals 12 years of age and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Parent/guardian consent to vaccinate will be required for all dependent minors (ages 12-17) and can be provided either in-person or over the phone at the time of the appointment. Please note: 12-17 years old will need to receive the Pfizer vaccine, as this is the only vaccine currently approved for use in minors.

Click Here for the Skagit County Public Health Department vaccine webpage and the most current information about availability. Evening appointments are now available at the Fairgrounds. On March 31, Governor Inslee announced that all adults, ages 16 and older, are eligible for vaccination.

7. NEW – Skagit County now lists several locations for COVID-19 testing
Click Here for the list.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Listen to Speak Up! Speak Out! Radio
Listen to Speak Up! Speak Out! – a half hour weekly radio show committed to community, peace, justice, and non-violence issues. The show airs on Community Radio stations (times subject to change) – KSVR 91.7 FM (Skagit Valley College), Wednesdays 5:00pm, rebroadcast Sundays 8:00pm; KSVU 90.1 FM, Hamilton, Sundays 8:00pm and Thursdays 8:00am; KMRE 102.3 FM, Bellingham, Sundays 11:00am and Wednesdays 7:30am. Our shows are available online. Stream or download a show at http://speakupspeakoutradio.org/ anytime.

NEW – SUSO – Wednesday, May 26 – Hanford’s legacy after bombs were built there
Hanford’s Legacy with downwinder Trisha Pritikin. Many thanks to No More Bombs for this presentation. Author and activist, Trisha Pritikin has fought over thirty years for justice for the thousands who, like herself and her family, have suffered serious illnesses and death following radiation exposure at Hanford Nuclear site in Eastern Washington near the Columbia River. Hanford, in our backyard, produced the plutonium used for the first ever nuclear bomb, Trinity, and on Nagasaki and continued producing radioactive material for more than 40 years. The No More Bombs website (https://www.nomorebombs.org) will post their video recording of her presentation.