News from the Skagit County Democrats

Skagit County Democrats Action Newsletter for December 6, 2021

DEMOCRATIC EVENTS

1. NEW – An Evening with Dave Paul Wednesday, Dec 8, 7:00pm via Zoom
“Join us on December 8, at 7:00PM, on Zoom for the final Team Dave event of 2021! I can’t wait to celebrate with you! You can RSVP to Marie Shimada at mariefshimada@gmail.com for the Zoom link.”

2. NEW – Washington State Democrats 2022 Virtual Kickoff event, Thursday, Dec 9, 5:15pm (4:30pm – Sponsor Reception), via Zoom
“In order to celebrate our 2021 victories and get 2022 started on the right foot, the Washington State Democrats will be hosting a virtual celebration on Thursday, December 9th! We hope you will join folks from all over Washington State to hear from key Democratic leaders and plot the course for an even more successful 2022. Ticketing: $50 Silver Ticket – Access to the Main Event; $100 Gold Ticket – Access to the Main Event and Pre-Event Sponsor Reception”

3. American Association of University Women (AAUW) Anacortes Branch hosts 40th Legislative District Representative Debra Lekanoff to present her “Report to the Constituents” on Thursday, Dec 9, 7:00pm via Zoom
Access to the Zoom link may be obtained at aauw.meeting@gmail.com.

4. UPDATED – The Skagit County Democrats Central Committee is scheduled to meet Saturday, Dec 11, 10:00am – 12:00pm, via Zoom
Email invitations have been sent. If you have not received an invitation and would like to attend, email please chair@skagitdemocrats.org to request connection information.

5. NEW – Fidalgo Democrats next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec 14, 7:00pm – 9:00pm, via Zoom
For more information and the zoom link contact Barbara Cooper, 360 293-41234.

6. NEW – 10th Legislative District Democrats Quarterly General Membership Meeting, Saturday, Dec 18, 10:30am – 12:30pm, via Zoom
Guest Speaker – State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti. Connection information to be published.

7. NEW – Washington State Redistricting
“On Friday, 12/3, the WA State Supreme Court issued an order (5-page PDF) that “concludes that the plan adopted by the Washington State Redistricting Commission met the constitutional deadline and substantially complied with the statutory deadline to transmit the matter to the legislature.” But the order also states, ‘The court has not evaluated and does not render any opinion on the plan’s compliance with any statutory and constitutional requirements other than the November 15 deadline.’ The WA Redistricting Commission published their maps at: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/final-maps.”

8. NEW – Fact Sheets for Washington State for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better framework

• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
• Build Back Better framework

9. UPDATED – School Staff Appreciation
“In order to show our appreciation for all of the hard work done by janitors, school bus drivers, food workers, teachers, and administrators, Skagit County Democrats is asking for donations of baskets of individually wrapped healthy snacks, gift baskets and cards of appreciation signed with your names. Our school staff are facing an incredibly difficult year. Let’s show our appreciation and let them all know how much they are appreciated and valued. You can drop items off at our office located at 2021 East College Way, Suite 104, Mount Vernon – Hours: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday; 12:00pm – 4:00pm and Wednesdays; 10:00am to 4:00pm. Let this be a season of giving to those who give so much to our youth!”

10. Afghan Refugee Aid
“As colder weather approaches, there is a dire need for warm winter clothing for more than 4,000 Afghan refugee children at New Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. They escaped Afghanistan on U.S. cargo planes in August with only the clothes on their backs – and they need everyone’s help. They supported the U.S. military during the war and risked everything for our service members – it’s now time for us to step up for them.
 
Please help by either:

• Donate online (https://gofund.me/fba4cd13) which will be used to deliver coats, jackets, and shoes directly to these children; or
• Donate winter clothing and shoes. These can be dropped off at the Skagit County Democrats Office at: 2021 East College Way, Suite 104, Mount Vernon – Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 12:00pm – 4:00pm and Wednesday 10:00am to 4:00pm. Your coats, jackets and shoes will be picked up by Clyde Shavers who is leading this effort.”

11. Rent Request
“Fellow Democrats,
For our community’s health and safety, we cancelled the annual Gala in 2020 and 2021. Generous donors have traditionally given to our rent fund at the Gala. A year and a half ago we reached out to you to request your help in replenishing our depleted rent funds. You responded so generously that, along with the occasional rent support supplementing your membership dues, we’ve been able to meet our rent obligations up to and including November of this year.

Now, however, we are once again faced with a dwindling rent fund and the very real possibility of having to use money from the general fund to meet those same obligations. Doing so would reduce our options for supporting other priorities, such as candidate support, Get Out the Vote, and Community Outreach, which in turn would risk diminishing our effectiveness in the community.

We are optimistically looking ahead to next June in the hopes of being able to once again stage a live Gala, but in the meantime we have at least 7 months during which we need a minimum of $7,000 to fulfill the terms of our lease. Were it not for the good fortune of finding and moving into our new headquarters the amount needed would be at least $3000 more.

We welcome contributions in any amount either through our website (https://skagitdemocrats.org/) or by check to our address at 2021 East College Way, Suite 104, Mount Vernon, WA 98273. Your support is the mainstay of our party and the ability to make a positive difference in Skagit County.

Thank you so much for your continued support of our party. Respectfully, Lynn Campbell, Chair, Skagit County Democrats”

Click Here to go directly to our ActBlue donation page.

12. NEW – An Editorial from 10th Legislative District Representative Dave Paul – Our ferry system is vital—and it needs reform
“We need better ferry service. As you know, we’ve seen far too many ferry sailings canceled this year. I’ve been working with my colleagues in the Legislature over the last year to ensure lawmakers understand the impact of these cancellations—and to find solutions to help prevent this from happening in the future.

I’m also working directly with Washington State Ferries (WSF), the Washington State Department of Transportation, and the governor’s office to ensure they are focused on building back a more resilient ferry system.

Ferries are vital to the economy and quality of life in our region. For many of us, they are the quickest way to jobs, classes, or medical appointments.?Ferries are also critically important to local businesses and economic development. Businesses need reliable and predictable ferry service to ensure they receive food, goods, lumber, and supplies that we need in our homes and communities.

Many small businesses—especially those most impacted by the pandemic—rely on ferries to bring tourists and visitors to our region. That’s especially important in fall and winter, when fewer people travel and shop in our community.

Our community needs a sustainable, effective ferry system.

So how do we make that happen?

First, we must do more to address the workforce shortage within WSF. Toward that end, WSF should:

• Extend the emergency workforce recruitment efforts begun this summer and fall, including to our high schools and community colleges.
• Increase opportunities for crewmembers to be cross-trained across job classifications and classes of ferries.
• Replace the antiquated on-call system to?more efficiently connect open positions?with on-call personnel.
• Attract more state residents into the industry by ensuring that ferry personnel are paid competitive wages.
• Make permanent a system to allow ferry personnel to more easily change routes if emergencies arise.

Second, we must fund the construction of new ferries for our aging fleet. We know older ferries are more prone to mechanical failures.?To?keep our fleet running smoothly, our state must commit to building a new ferry every two years.

In addition, WSF should seriously consider building only 144-car ferries moving forward. Doing so would ensure that ferry operations and maintenance personnel can move more seamlessly from ferry to ferry, without needing expensive cross-training across ferry classes.

Finally, I will continue to advocate that our state keeps its commitment to building ferries here in the Puget Sound region.?We must keep skilled marine construction jobs in our community. Not only will this help our neighbors by providing high-pay and high-skilled jobs, but it will help to sustain the capacity of our region to meet the future construction and preservation needs of the ferry and transportation system.

Further, if our state makes the commitment to building a new ferry every two years, then local shipbuilders can partner to develop competitive bids–knowing that they can sustain their construction efforts for ten years or more.

That’s good for our entire region, from Freeland to Anacortes to Everett—and for everyone in Washington.”

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.

• The Untold Truth of John Locke
• All Against All – The Sectarian Resurgence in the Post-American Middle East
• Nuclear Strategists Know How Dangerous the Debt Fight Is
• Staffing and compensation are at the heart of building a better early childhood system
• As Arctic Sea Ice Retreats, Orcas Are on the Move, Spurring Changes in the Food Chain

COMMUNITY EVENTS

1. NEW – Protect Yourself from Social Security Scams
Be on the lookout for fake calls, texts, and emails. Scammers are pretending to be government employees. They may threaten you and may demand immediate payment to avoid arrest or other legal action. Do not be fooled!” Click Here for information from the Social Security Administration.

2. UPDATED – Holiday Activities by City

• Anacortes
  • Christmas Business Decorating Contest, Dec 1 – Dec 17 – “Entry Deadline: December 1st, Voting Period: December 2nd – 16th, Winners Announced: December 17th”
• Concrete
  • Find the Gnomes – The challenge starts December 1, 2021 [and ends Dec 31]. Using a special smartphone app, you and your family can win prizes by completing the activities and capturing photos and selfies with the gnomes.
• La Conner
  • Skagit Community Band Free Holiday Concert featuring the A’Town Big Band, Saturday Dec 11, 7:30pm, Maple Hall, 104 Commercial Street – Admission is FREE but donation will be gladly accepted. Proof of Vaccination and wearing of mask will be require for this concert. More details go to http://www.skagitcommunityband.org/.
  • Holiday Lighted Boat Parade, Saturday, Dec 11, Downtown La Conner – Gather on the La Conner Boardwalk (Channel Passage) or along the banks of the Swinomish Channel for the Swinomish Yacht Club’s annual Lighted Boat Parade! This years theme highlights classic characters: A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Sedro-Woolley
  • Breakfast with Santa, hosted by Beta Sigma Phi, Saturday, Dec 11, 8:30am to 11:00am, Sedro-Woolley Community Center, 703 Pacific Street

3. Community to Community Development (C2C) is conducting Monday Vigils to call attention to a new secret detention facility ICE is building in Ferndale – noon every Monday, Pacific Highway & Admiral Way, Ferndale
From Indivisible Skagit, “We believe the public deserves to know that this prison is operating in plain sight in our community. The purpose of the Monday vigils is to bring awareness to the existence of the facility and to shut it down. We invite all those in the community who are concerned about the existence of a detention prison in our community to join us. If you have questions, email bentleybb65@hotmail.com. To download full background information on the detention center and Monday vigils click here.”

4. UPDATED – Flood recovery information from Skagit County

• Deadline for Flood Damage Assessment submission extended to December 17, 2021
• Post Flood Resources
• Flood Recovery Guidance from Skagit County Public Health
• Debris Removal Guidance for Skagit County Residents
• Skagit County Emergency Management Collecting Flood Damage Information

5. UPDATED – COVID-19 Information
Current Skagit County Information – The following is taken from the Skagit County COVID-19 Update of Dec 1

Local COVID-19 Case, Hospital & Vaccine Data
Skagit has a total of 12,832 cases; an increase of 190 new cases since last Wednesday. Skagit has a total of 746 hospitalizations (increased by 22 since Wednesday), and 134 deaths (increased by 7).

Our case and hospitalizations rates continue to decline (though—of course—they’re still higher than we’d like to see). Currently our case rate is 495.2 per 100k over the last 14 days and our hospitalization rate is 16.1 per 100k over the last seven days.

A total of 201,774 doses have been administered in Skagit County. We are now at 76.2% partially vaccinated amongst our population 12 years and older, and 70.3% fully vaccinated amongst
Skagitonians 12 and older.

Pediatric Vaccines at the Fairgrounds
Pfizer COVID-19 Pediatric vaccines are available — by appointment only — for children 5-11 years old. To make an appointment for a pediatric vaccine, go to: https://prepmod.doh.wa.gov/. Search for “Skagit County Public Health” under Name of Location. For more information about pediatric vaccine, go to: https://bit.ly/3Csp7BE.

Booster Updates
Booster doses of all three COVID-19 vaccine types are now available for everyone 18 and older. At least six months after receiving both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine:

• Adults age 50 and older, or those 18 and older living in a long-term care facility, should receive a booster dose, and
• Those 18 through 49 may receive a booster dose.

Everyone 18 and older who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get a booster shot two months after getting vaccinated.

To find a booster vaccine, go to https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/ or call the COVID-19 Information Hotline, dial 1-800-525-0127, then press #. Reminder: Boosters are not currently available at the Fairgrounds Vaccine Site.

Vaccine Verification & WA Notify
There’s a new way to verify your COVID-19 vaccination on the go: WA Notify. If you are planning to attend a large event, bar, restaurant, or other establishment that requires proof of vaccination, you can use the new WA Notify app on your smartphone. For more information about this new resource, go to the WA Department of Health’s blog here: https://bit.ly/3rpNoXk.

Please keep in mind that you aren’t required to use this app. Your Vaccination Card or a print-out or screenshot of your vaccination record from MyIR Mobile.

If you’ve misplaced your Vaccination Card, please stop by the Public Health office during regular business hours at 700 S 2nd street (3rd floor) in Mount Vernon.

Guidance for Traveling during the Holidays
Holidays bring people together. Last year, many of us chose to come together virtually or in small groups. This year, with vaccination rates above 70 percent amongst Skagitonians 12 and older, we expect that folks will be eager to gather—and even travel once again.

So, how do you travel safely? And should you travel at all? Read our recent blog post here: https://bit.ly/3nQ53UK.

Masking Reminder for the Holidays
As Skagitonians are out and about preparing for holiday festivities, please remember: masking is still critical—and required—in all indoor public spaces AND certain outdoor settings. This includes all local businesses, chain outlets, and grocery stores.

The statewide mask mandate requires that all people five years of age and older must wear a mask in public indoor settings and at large, outdoor events with 500 or more attendees, including sporting events, fairs, parades, and concerts, regardless of vaccination status.

It is imperative that people wear their mask properly. To be effective, a mask must cover the nose, mouth, and chin, and must fit snuggly against one’s face. For tips on getting the best fit, visit the CDC’s mask guidance webpage here.

6. NEW – Public Health Reminder: Masking Still Critical this Holiday Season
The holidays are upon us. As Skagitonians are out and about preparing for holiday festivities, please remember: masking is still critical—and required—in all indoor public spaces AND certain outdoor settings. This includes all local businesses, chain outlets, and grocery stores.

The statewide mask mandate requires that all people five years of age and older must wear a mask in public indoor settings and at large, outdoor events with 500 or more attendees, including sporting events, fairs, parades, and concerts, regardless of vaccination status.

There are some exceptions to the mask requirement, including children under five years of age, and people with a medical or mental health condition or disability that prevents them from wearing a mask. Children between 2 and 4 years of age can, and are encouraged, to wear a mask under close adult supervision. Children under 2 should not wear masks.

Face masks remain an important tool in preventing transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Though Skagit County is just over 60 percent fully vaccinated, there are still many folks, including young children, who are not protected.

Science has shown that masking works. COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets when infected people—many of whom do not exhibit COVID-19 symptoms—cough, sneeze, or talk. Evidence shows that wearing a mask reduces an infected person’s chance of spreading the infection to others.
Furthermore, it is imperative that people wear their mask properly. To be effective, a mask must cover the nose, mouth, and chin, and must fit snuggly against one’s face. For tips on getting the best fit, visit the CDC’s mask guidance webpage here.

Wearing a mask when out in the community is an easy way to show your neighbors and favorite businesses that you care this holiday season. Please help our local businesses operate smoothly this season by following all state and local rules and guidance.

Another great way to ensure that things run smoothly for the holidays is by taking precautions at home. If unvaccinated, please remember that masking is still recommended when gathering with non-household members, especially when indoors. COVID-19 can easily spread in these types of environments, causing folks to miss out on school, work, and fun, festive holiday events.
Have a wonderful holiday season, Skagit! Be well!”