If you haven’t mailed your OPALCO vote yet, you need to (probably no later than Monday!). You must be a member of the coop to get a ballot. They must receive ballots by the 4th. We did a blurb on OPALCO a couple weeks ago here.
The Lopez Hospital District measure passed. I regard this as neither a win nor a loss, but we did our part to make sure that voters had options. Thanks to all who participated.
National Monument Advisory Committee
Earlier this week I stated that the last day to file to be a part of the National Monument Advisory Committee was this week. Believe it or not, I occasionally make mistakes, and I am happy to report that this was one of them. We have an entire month! The last day is May 27, 2017. It would be nice if the entire committee wasn’t stacked with anti-development liberals. The Islands Weekly reports, and we have also posted a considerable amount of information here.
There are four positions available. It is not a job, just an advisory committee. It would be better to get conservatives on the board now than to have to fight a set of liberal recommendations down the road. If you want someone to nominate you (or if you have ideas for someone), let me know.
In a daily briefing on 4/27 the Seattle Times addressed this issue (includes multiple links): “The San Juan Islands National Monument may escape scrutiny, but the Hanford Reach is likely to get wrapped up in President Trump’s executive order yesterday aiming to shrink or eliminate some national monuments. In this state, people who fought for such lands protection are mobilizing to fight all over again.” This last link deals almost exclusively witih Lopez. (Note: I don’t agree with every article that I post, I post it because it’s important to be aware of so that we can speak out)
SAFE San Juan Event on 4/29
“SAFE San Juans, formerly Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS), is a non-profit agency serving the residents and visitors of San Juan County… Our mission is the prevention and elimination of domestic violence and sexual assault” (from their website here)
They are holding a fundraiser tomorrow evening, a “twilight fun run [that] will feature glow sticks, glow paint, a post-race party with music, food, raffle lottery tickets, family-friendly activities, and much more!” See this page for more info.
A lot of the time these groups are run by Democrats, but many of us know people who have faced domestic violence and/or sexual assault. It’s a serious issue, and worthy of attention. When a woman is battered she often has no place to go, and these institutions do provide important services.
Ferry Updates, Sounder reports.
No county calendar this week, since I mailed it out earlier this week. You can find it online here.
Hope to see you at the Central Committee meeting!