Our Accomplishments
Reorganization Work – (November 2018) thru 2019
Nov 2018 General Meeting to propose reorganization plan, garner suggestions and member permission.
Jan-Apr 2019 Reorganization of IT Steering Team to comprise Chairs of Working Teams (Legislative Action, Membership & Outreach, GO4Action,Voter Registration & Engagement, Communication & Technology) plus Treasurer and Secretary. Adopted Values Agreement, new Mission Statement, and studied Indivisible 2.0
Mar-now Regularized meetings, normalized processes, identified tasks & responsibilities
Jan-June Completely re-organized financial records, bank accounts, debit cards, Trulink account, etc.
Apr-June Purchased curtains for Tahoma Unitarian Universalist Church for heat control
July-Dec Revised newsletter and website, increased membership, sponsored actions and monthly mtgs
General Membership Meetings (*Live Streaming)
Mar 20 Indivisible Tacoma Rise and Run – Recruit candidates for 2019/20 & 2-year Birthday Party
May 1 *Julie Anderson, Pierce County Auditor -Impact & Implementation -New WA Voting Laws
June 5 *Tacoma Liquid Natural Gas Plant: Environmental Benefit or Tragedy – 350Tacoma.org Bradley Thompson and Dan Villa
July 10 Disinformation Watch & Progressive Voters Guide – FUSE WA Desiree Wilkins Finch,
July 15 Indivisible Tacoma Picnic at Kobayashi Park in UP
July 30/31 Democratic Presidential Debate Watch and Potluck with 350 Tacoma, 311 Puyallup Ave
Aug 21 *Rep. Denny Heck Town Hall with Indivisible Tacoma over 120 attendees
Sept 11 *Green New Deal & Climate Strike Panel: Sunrise Movement Erin Rasmussen, 350Tacoma with Dan Villa and Grace Hope, Port of Tacoma Commission Candidate Kristin Ang
Oct 9 Canvassing Training and Action 4PM and Local Candidate Meet and Greet 7PM
Nov 13 *Immigration Rights and Policy Panel: Rus Batton, NW Immigrant Rights Project, Jo Anne Geron, AIDNW, and Maru Mora Vallalpandu, La Resistencia
Dec 11 *Indivisible WA Podcasts for 2020: Stephan Cox, Indivisible Broadcaster, Issaquah
Legislative/Election Actions
Jan 3 Indivisible National Day of Action to Celebrate 2018 Elections: US House & WA State Legislature, and local elections assisted by Indivisible efforts in Pierce County. IT/IP met with staff of Kilmer, Cantwell, Murray, and Heck on the Indivisible Offense 2.0 agenda.
Jan 15 Election Congratulations & present the 2019 IT Legislative Agenda: in Olympia offices of WA Reps. Kilduff and Leavitt, LD28, Reps. Morgan and Kirby, LD 29.
Feb 15 First WA Indivisible Lobby Day in Olympia – IT Members and WA Indivisibles training and meetings with State Representatives and Senators or their staffs in Olympia
Jan-Mar Organized active participation to influence WA State Legislation (per Indivisible on Offense) – see list of WA Legislation passed with help of IT and IP – back page
Jan-Dec MOC (Member of Congress) meetings with staff or MOCs (Heck, Kilmer, Cantwell, Murray)
Jan-Dec MOWL (WA Leg) mtgs (Kilduff, Leavitt, Morgan, Kirby, Jinkins, Oban, Fey, Darneille)
June 22 Ripple Effect: Pierce County Rising Collaboration – PC Dems canvassing Pierce County
Aug 7 Joined WA Fair Trade Assn mtg with Rep. Denny Heck staff, Olympia office re NAFTA 2.0
May-Aug Endorsement participants in LD27, 28, 29, Pierce Cty Dems, FUSE WA in 2019 elections
July-Nov Canvassing & phone-calling for local candidates w Indivisible values: Primaries & General
Sept IT Endorsement process for local elections
Oct-Nov Canvassing, phone-calling for Kristin Ang and other local progressive candidates
Nov-Dec Develop 2020 WA State Legislative Agenda
Dec Plan Bob Ferguson Presentation and 2020 Election Actions
GO4Action Rallies/Protests (National, State, Local)
Jan 3 Indivisible National Day of Action at MOC offices
Jan 19 Women’s March – Olympia Capital
Mar 15 Joined Global Youth Climate Strike at Wright Park
Apr 17 Denny Heck Town Hall – Eastside Community Center
April Rally to Release the Mueller Report
May 21 Stop the Bans! National Day of Action with Planned Parenthood
June 15 The People’s Court Impeach Trump rally!
July 2 Close the Camps Protest @ Kilmer’s Downtown Tacoma office
July 12/14 Lights for Liberty support at Northwest Detention Center
Sept 9 Border to Border: Defund Hate Banner to gather signatures from Canada to Mexico
Aug-Oct Weekly Actions: Sign Wave for Gun Safety, Voter Writing, Impeachment Actions
Nov/Dec Impeachment Support Rallies
Voter Registration and Engagement (Registered 705 Voters in 2018)
Feb-Aug Learn new Voter Registration Laws and Regulations. Recruit and assign people for outreach to schools and colleges. Work to develop strategies for voter engagement post registration.
May 21 PLU, Women’s Think Tank Meeting on Voter Registration.
2018-now Attend community events, fairs, rallies to register voters/engage voters. Regular attendance at libraries for voter registration.Plan for voter registration events 2020 – Identifying locations for booths, etc.
Technology and Communications
Jan-now Weekly Mailchimp Newsletter for IT and related events and reports. Monitor and Administer all Social Media: FB pages, website, incoming email, twitter, Live Streaming of General Meetings, Building audiences in all communication, website, social media accounts. Refresh and reconfigure Indivisible Tacoma website
Letters, Testimonies, and Pledges
May IT and Members take the Indivisible 2020 Pledge
Aug Letter to Rep. Denny Heck to express our displeasure at his Republican endorsements/support
Aug 26 Testimony to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency against the final permit for the LNG plant at the Port of Tacoma. Signed NO LNG letter with other Pierce County and State orgs.
Sept Signed the DNC Climate Change Debate Letter with other national organizations
Oct Signed with other organizations to Close the Northwest Detention Center!
Indivisible National, WA State Indivisible Coalition (WASIC), and CD10
Jan-now Register IT Events with National Indivisible – Go4Action Chair
April Conducted IT survey on Preferences and Views on National Presidential Endorsements
Mar-Dec CD10 and WASIC meetings involvement (face to face, Zoom, email, phone, surveys)
Oct 2019 WASIC conference in Ellensburg
Membership and Outreach
Jan-now Rebuild comprehensive membership list, Approve online members, invite to join a team. Phone individual members to listen to concerns, invite to events, Greet people at events.
Sept 2019 Increased members on FB to over 1700, increased members on Mailchimp to 1,101 contacts
Appendix A: Key WA State Legislature Bills Passed 2019 (with active IT and IP help)
2018 Victories = Legislation: IT & IP helped flip CD8, elect excellent candidates to the WA Supreme Court, LD28, Pierce County Prosecutor, Pierce County Council, Tacoma Municipal judges, and pass key Initiatives. With a greater percentage of State Senators/Reps to support our values, we worked for WA State legislation!
Trifectas: WA State became a Democratic trifecta in 2017 when Ind Tac helped flip LD 45 Senate seat to Manka Dinghra. Before 2018, Democrats controlled 8 states and Republicans 26. After 2018 elections, Democrats had trifectas in 14 states and Republicans in 22 states. Where Democrats have a trifecta, State legislation can have a huge impact on the state and nationally. (Ex. Presidential Popular Vote movement, car emission standards, etc.)
Voting: WA State Dem Party: A primary will determine delegates to the national convention.
- WA State Primary moved to second Tues. March (10th) in 2020, 15th primary in the nation.
- Native American Voting Rights Act of WA
- 5207: Notification of felony voting rights and restoration.
- 1379: PAC Transparency: Must reveal donors. (Fix Democracy First & LWV)
Healthcare:
- Public Option for Healthcare: creates Cascade Care, a state-funded subsidized health plan managed by regulated insurance companies by 2021.
- 5602: Reproductive Health Access for All: for low-income adults regardless of status or gender identity/expression.
- 1016: Hospital notification of availability of sexual assault evidence kit collection.
Environmental bills:
- 5116: 100% Clean Electricity: establishes target dates for coal plant shutdown by 2025 and carbon neutral electricity by 2030. Must watch out for utilities to avoid being held to these dates.
- 1112: Hydrofluorocarbons phaseout.
- 5135: Toxic Pollution: Allows Depts of Ecology and Health to initiate regulation of toxics and products harmful to children and endangered species (including orcas).
- Orca Task Force bills – Shoreline protection, oil tanker spill protection (1578), vessel separation (5577), and whale watching limitations passed. $ in budget to implement Orca Recovery (salmon)
- 1543: Sustainable recycling.
- 1444: Increasing Appliance Efficiency Standards
- 1114: Reducing food waste to fight hunger and reduce environmental impacts.
Human Rights:
- I-1000: Reinstate Affirmative Action passed by the WA State Legislature.
- 5479: Immigrants in the Workplace: allows local law enforcement to focus on local issues, not federal immigration.
- 1166 Rape kit backlog, timeline, notification, extension of statute of limitations. (Budget still)
- 5356: Establish a WA State LGBT Commission
- 5689: Anti-bullying in public schools
- 1440: Tenant Rights: Longer notice for rent increases
- 1706: Eliminating subminimum wage certificates for persons with disabilities.
- 5438: Funding the H-2A temporary agricultural program for employer abuse investigations
- 5163: Actions for Wrongful Injury or Death so single adults treated equally with other adults.
- 5995: Economics: WA Investment Trust
Crime:
- Corporate Crime Act: Increases allowable penalties for corporations that have committed crimes. Previously, they could not be assessed more than $10,000. (Pelliciotti bill LD
- 1739: Concerning printed plastic firearms that are undetectable or untraceable.
Indivisible Tacoma Report 2017 & 2018
- Hundreds of IT members have participated in rallies, protests, vigils, to support the Mueller investigation, single payer universal health care, immigrant rights and families, science, and oppose racism, sexism, ICE, fossil fuels & the LNG plant, the selling of public lands, etc.
- Campaign to Save the ACA (Obamacare): letters, calls, postcards, meetings, protests.
- NWDC Resistance Bond Fundraiser: led to release of one person & recycled for others.
- MOC (Members of Congress) meetings with Members or their staff regularly (every 4-10 weeks): Rep. Denny Heck, Rep. Derek Kilmer, Senator Patty Murray, Senator Maria Cantwell
MOC Letters: Research conducted on pressing issues; Letters with ASKS on progressive issues signed by the 6-24 people attending each MOC meeting. Written Responses requested.
- MOWL (Members of the WA Legislature) 1-3 Meetings with MOWLS in each LD 27, 28, 29
- 2018 Voter Registration: Voter Education and Engagement conducted a Voter Registration Campaign that:
- Directly trained IT members in voter registration at a well-attended meeting
- Developed voter registration materials and provided start-up kits
- Organized 55 voter registration events at local libraries, foodbanks, colleges, festivals, and the Islamic Center in 2018, staffed by 49 Indivisible Tacoma members.
- Registered over 700 voters
- Built simple on-line sign-up system supported by email notifications to interested parties
- 2018 Elections – Candidate Forums, Door knocking, phone calling, GOTV (Get Out the Vote):
Indivisible Tacoma leadership endorsed and hosted a forum for Justice Steve Gonzalez for WA State Supreme Court and Mary Robnett for Pierce County Prosecutor. The IT Legislative Action Team organized a well-attended Legislative Candidate Forum with seven candidates for local LDs and judge races. We mentored and supported numerous Indivisible Tacoma Members to put in thousands of hours on the following campaigns:
US Senate: Maria Cantwell Elected
US Congress: Denny Heck & Derek Kilmer Elected
LD25: Jamie Smith and Brian Duthie for State Reps Defeated but engaged voters
LD28: Mari Leavitt and Christine Kilduff for State Reps Elected
Kilduff Re-elected
Leavitt flipped Incumbent Republican seat
LD29: Melanie Morgan for State Rep Won primary over Sawyer (D) & Opponent (R)
CD8: Kim Schrier for Congress Flipped strong R District
Justice Steve Gonzalez for re-election to WA State Supreme Court Re-elected
Mary Robnett, Non-Partisan, for Pierce County Prosecutor Elected over incumbent (D)
Karl Williams for Pierce County District 6 Elected
Lizanne Padula for Pierce County District 3 Elected
Initiative 1631: Carbon Tax (fossil fuels companies opposed $30 million) Failed
Initiative 1639: Gun Safety Passed
Initiative 904: Police training and accountability Passed
Pierce County Library Levy Lift Passed
Opposed Initiative 1634: Prevent local taxes on soda (by companies) Passed
- 2018 Allyship and Diversity Team facilitated workshops on allyship and inclusion.
TaNeashia Sudds from Black Moms Rock on Inclusive Messaging and Language
Kellie Richardson, Tacoma’s Poet Laureate, moderated local candidate forum
Black Kettle Social on healthcare, police brutality, Russian interference and Northwest Detention Center
Crowdfunded a member facing homelessness
Soul Food Social at Uncle Thurm’s on white supremacy, racial justice, and the potential for reparations.
12 Days of NWDC Resistance December 2017 where we:
(A) raised $1500 for immigrant detainees basic needs;
(B) raised $1500 for bail bond fund for detainees at
(C) increased awareness about conditions inside the NWDC (D) holiday gift drive for of detainee families
(E) used music and art to show detainees and families that their neighbors are aware and compassionate
- IT Events were shared widely through live-streaming, thanks to our technical people.