News from the Skagit County Democrats

Skagit County Democrats Action Newsletter for January 10, 2022

DEMOCRATIC EVENTS

1. Fidalgo Democrats next meets Tuesday, Jan 11, 7:00pm – 9:00pm via Zoom
“Fidalgo Democrats welcome four community union leaders to discuss the issues that are happening in Skagit County and throughout Western Washington. What are the issues? What do they expect in the near future? And what are their goals? There will be time for questions. For more information and the zoom link call 360 293-4123.

2. The 10th Legislative District Democrats next meet Saturday, Jan 15, 10:30am – 12:30pm via Zoom

3, NEW – Legislative Session & What You Need To Know (Excerpted from Tina Podlodowski’s Friday News & Action newsletter of Jan 7)
“Next Monday, January 10th, the 60-day “short” state legislative session begins for 2022. We’ll go on to talk more about some of the important issues the legislature will be considering this year, but wanted to start with some of the groundwork information we all need to know about the session, the schedule, and how to get involved.

First, the key dates and the deadlines that bills have to move forward by to stay alive:

• Start of session – January 10, 2022
• Last day for bills to pass policy committee in their house of origin – February 3, 2022
• Last day for bills to pass fiscal committee in their house of origin – February 7, 2022
• Last day for bills to pass the floor in their house of origin – February 15, 2022
• Last day for bills to pass policy committee in the opposite house – February 24, 2022
• Last day for bills to pass fiscal committee in the opposite house – February 28, 2022
• Last day for bills to pass the floor in the opposite house – March 4, 2022
• Last day of session – March 10, 2022

All these deadlines will be important for determining what legislation will pass or fail, and the days leading up to those deadlines will be crucial times for advocates to push for action on their bills.

As with last year, every legislative committee will be offering remote testimony options. You have the option of testifying live via video conference or phone, submitting written comments, and/or just noting for the record whether you are for or against a bill. Here are some of the “rules of the road” you should be aware of, if testifying live remotely:

• Registering to testify does not guarantee you a chance to speak or speak at specific times.
• The committee chair may limit public testimony (for example, one minute per testifier) due to time constraints. Be prepared to testify at any point during the hearing.
• Maintain proper committee protocol, which includes waiting to be acknowledged by the committee chair before speaking, ensuring testimony and any objects appearing in the background of video feeds are respectful and professional, and following rules for testimony established by the chair.

For those reasons, it’s a good idea to always combine your live testimony plan with written remarks that you can email to committee members and to the legislators from your own district, in case you aren’t able to deliver your full, planned testimony.

Here are some key links to help with remote testimony participation during the 2022 Legislative Session:

• House remote testimony signup
• Senate remote testimony signup
• Legislative Committee agendas“

4. 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.

• Dam it: beavers head north to the Arctic as tundra continues to heat up
• Legal fight on redistricting returning to the Supreme Court
• Omicron Is the Beginning of the End
• Rand – Alternatives in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

COMMUNITY EVENTS

1. NEW – Individuals impacted by November Flood events can now apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance
Click Here for more information.

2. NEW – Skagit County’s Blake Decision Refund Application Portal
Last February, the Washington State Supreme Court vacated the statute for Simple Possession of a Controlled Substance (RCW 69.50.4013). Consequently, those convicted under this statute who have paid Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs) such as fines and court costs can seek refund of those monies. Click Here to access the Skagit County Portal to request refunds. Click Here for the ACLU explanation of the Blake Decision.

3. Community Conversation: Growth in Skagit Valley, Tuesday, Jan 11, 6:00pm – 7:00pm, via Zoom
Attend an educational session on growth in Skagit Valley that includes a general overview of the County’s current growth management plan, FCCs [Fully Contained Communities] and what they are, and the impact of growth on local agriculture and our community.

Join Zoom Meeting – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4935103876. Meeting ID: 493 510 3876.

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

Local COVID-19 Case, Hospital & Vaccine Data

Skagit has reported a total of 14,522 COVID-19 cases, which increased by 702 since our update last Wednesday. Between 12/22 and 12/29, we reported 358 new cases. This means that we’ve seen 344 more new cases this week than last.

Skagit is currently reporting a total of 828 hospitalizations (increased by 27 since Wednesday), and 153 deaths (increased by 3).

Skagit’s case rate is 461.5 per 100k over the last 14 days and our hospitalization rate is 10.7 per 100k over the last seven days. The State Data Dashboard is showing a steep increase in cases over the coming days.

The most vulnerable population continues to be those who are unvaccinated, though breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated are also likely to occur with the new Omicron variant. Getting vaccinated remains the most effective way to prevent against severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. For data regarding vaccinated vs. unvaccinated hospitalization rates, go to the state’s report here: https://bit.ly/2XO8RNh.

A total of 223,000 doses have been administered in Skagit County. We are now at 78.1% partially vaccinated amongst our population 12 years and older, and 71.9% fully vaccinated amongst Skagitonians 12 and older.

Data Dashboard

As of Monday, Skagit County Public Health is no longer updating ongoing COVID-19 case, hospitalization, death, and demographic data on its website. Instead, Skagitonians are asked to refer to the statewide COVID-19 Data Dashboard for all COVID-19 related data. This is the best place to go for all state and county-level case, hospitalization, and death data, as well as vaccination data.

If you need assistance navigating the Data Dashboard, please call the state COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-525-0127 or text the word “Coronavirus” to 211211 to receive information and updates on your phone. You can also contact Public Health at danicas@co.skagit.wa.us.

Booster Updates

On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to:

• Expand the use of a single booster dose to include use in individuals 12 through 15 years of age.
• Shorten the time between the completion of primary vaccination of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and a booster dose to at least five months.
• Allow for a third primary series dose for certain immunocompromised children 5 through 11 years of age.

Please note that the CDC and Western States Scientific Review Workgroup must still weigh in on the changes. More information is expected in the next day or so.

Fairgrounds to Reopen on January 6th

The Fairgrounds will reopen tomorrow, Thursday, January 6th from 3pm-7pm. Please note that only testing services will be provided on January 6th and 7th. Come to the south gate entrance at 501 Taylor Street in Mount Vernon. Testing continues to be offered only to those who live, work, or go to school in Skagit County and who are currently symptomatic or have been recently exposed to COVID-19. Please be expecting longer than usual wait times this week and next due to extremely high demand for testing services.

The Fairgrounds will recommence full services—both testing and vaccination—beginning Monday, January 10th. Our hours will be changing to 3pm-6pm beginning on this date.

Vaccine at the Public Health Office

Vaccinations continue to be provided at our downtown Public Health office at 700 S 2nd Street in Mount Vernon by appointment only. If coming for an appointment, please enter through the 1st floor elevator lobby. For information or to make a booster appointment, please go to: www.skagitcounty.net/COVIDvaccine.

Available appointments include:

• Thu 1/6 (daytime): https://bit.ly/3FAeYVZ
• Mon 1/10 (daytime): https://bit.ly/3t0vRWp
• Tue 1/11 (daytime): https://bit.ly/3nkT8Pt
• Wed 1/12 (daytime): https://bit.ly/3n0ln5x
• Thu 1/13 (daytime): https://bit.ly/3sYiohM

For a full list of vaccination providers available in Skagit County, go to Vaccine Locator or call the Hotline at 1-800-525-0127.

At-home COVID-19 Testing Options

Public Health has run out of at-home testing kits at this time. Please consider for-purchase at-home testing options, available at locations such as Walgreens, Rite Aid, Bartell Drugs, CVS, Walmart, Safeway, and Albertsons.

If testing at home and you receive a positive test result, please call the state’s COVID-19 Hotline as soon as possible at 1–800–525–0127.

For a full list of testing providers in Skagit County, go to our website here.

Masking

The CDC continues to recommend wearing a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high community transmission, regardless of vaccination status. Here in Washington, 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.

For current masking recommendations, please check out one of our recent blog posts here: https://bit.ly/3oXZLYZ.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. The League of Women Voters of Washington has a new group – ACT via Zoom (Action Coffee Time) – focused on topics currently being debated in Washington State Legislative session
Mondays, 10:00am – 11:00am (with optional 11-11:15 social time). Attend as your interest in a topic and schedule allows. Each session will be recorded for viewing anytime. The continuing Zoom connection link is:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82841749719?pwd=K3cweWNUbkg0bkM0ZzRML2U1TXVBdz09 – Meeting ID: 828 4174 9719. Passcode: 619917.

This week’s session – Election Methods – Lisa Ayrault (FairVoteWA)
Next week’s session – Advisory Votes – Kathy Sakahara (NW Progressive Institute)