Podcast appearances and mentions of Julia Reed

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2022 38:01

On this Friday show, we present Part 2 of the Hacks & Wonks 2022 Post-Primary Election Recap which was live-streamed on August 9, 2022 with special guests EJ Juárez and Doug Trumm. In Part 2, the panel breaks down primary election results for State Legislature seats in the battleground district of the 47th LD and in Seattle-area Democrat vs Democrat races in the 36th, 37th, and 46th LDs, The historical importance of The Stranger endorsement in the progressive path out of the primary is discussed as well as Doug and EJ's thoughts on other races in the 42nd LD and for Secretary of State. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-hosts, EJ Juárez at @EliseoJJuarez and Doug Trumm at @dmtrumm. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Resources Hacks & Wonks 2022 Primary Election Recap Livestream | August 9th, 2022: https://www.officialhacksandwonks.com/august-2022-postprimary-recap Transcript [00:00:00] Bryce Cannatelli: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Bryce from the Hacks & Wonks production team. On this show we talk with Policy Wonks and Political Hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work, with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening and what you can do about it. You're listening to part 2 of our 2022 Post-Primary Election Recap, with special guests EJ Juárez and Doug Trumm, that we live-streamed on August 9th, 2022. If you missed part 1, you can find it as the previous episode of your podcast feed, or you can find the audio and transcript for the full recap on our website, officialhacksandwonks.com. Thank you for listening! [00:00:59] Crystal Fincher: Another very interesting district is the 47th Legislative District, which is half of Kent, Covington, Maple Valley, parts of Auburn - again, a very purple district - one that sees two open seats - an incumbent remaining in Representative Debra Entenman, but an open Senate seat after Mona Das announced that she was leaving and an open House seat after Pat Sullivan retired. And so we had competitive Democratic and Republican primaries going on here with open seats, just a lot of questions about what is going to happen here in the 47th - very hard to predict. But we saw some really interesting results. Again, this is one of the districts that Republicans said was one of their top targets - definitely in the top two or three targets that they felt were there for pickups and turning these seats that were held by Republican [Democratic] incumbents and two of them now open seats into Republican pickups. And what we saw was in the one seat with Debra Entenman, she finished comfortably with 55% against a Republican candidate, Kyle Lyebyedyev. There was another Republican contesting in the race, but Debra made it through fairly comfortably. We had a Senate race with Satwinder Kaur and Claudia Kauffman as Democrats against Bill Boyce, the Republican. Bill Boyce, who is a City Councilmember in the City of Kent, a Republican, also a Black Republican that's running here is - has 45.58%. And then a very, very, very close race between Claudia Kauffman and Satwinder Kaur. Currently, Claudia Kauffman is leading with 27.23% over Satwinder with 27.02%. This is a race that is under a hundred votes separating the two and it looks like Claudia Kauffman is going to squeeze and squeak through here. This is a really interesting race. And again, you look at the combined percentage of the Democratic vote - they're above, they're like 54% there. That's a great result that we see on the Democratic side, but wow, what a really closely contested race. And then in the other seat, we saw two Democrats - Chris Stearns with 33.4% against Shukri Olow, another Democrat, who is making it through - both Democrats making it through the primary - Shukri with 19.6% against three Republicans. One of - again, a party pick for the Republicans - Carmen Goers raised $200,000 in the primary, spent the bulk of it. She actually finished in last place. This was another Black Republican here with two other Republican white male opponents who finished with 15.1% and 17.4%, respectively, with Ted Cooke and Barry Knowles. Very interesting result. I don't know that many people - I certainly did not call that there was gonna be a Democratic shutout in one of these seats in this purple district, or that the other results looked so strong in favor of the other ones. What do you see when you see this 47th Legislative District race, Doug? [00:04:37] Doug Trumm: Yeah. You can't get any bigger with them not even making it to the primary. So having two Democrats in that Position 2 seat - that is going to be an exciting race, but not for the Republicans. But we'll circle back to that, 'cause I do want to talk about that race more, but I suppose we should talk about the other races more a little bit too. Mona Das retiring - I think that certainly led to some nervousness that we're not gonna have the incumbent advantage and that didn't seem to be an issue with the result. And it does look like it'll be Claudia Kauffman, so again - an established name - but someone I think who seemed to do a good job, so someone I'm actually glad to see coming back. I'm not always thrilled when you get people who keep going back for many decades, but I think that one is an exception. But yeah, and going back to the 30th as well - on the Democratic side, I guess over all those years of not having that many Black - and apologies for my cat making all that noise - not having that many Black candidates, I guess assumption was they would do worse than the white candidates that people were putting forward, or just maybe wasn't even a thought. But it's pretty clear that those Black candidates are doing just as good as any of the white candidates, if not better, because we see these results in the 30th and in the 47th and all across really the metro area where we're seeing voters really resonating with these folks. If anything, it appears to be an asset. And yeah, it just clearly is a district that is slipping away from Republicans and they don't seem to be doing very much to fix that. And as you mentioned, Carmen Goers finishing fifth when she had the support of the party at, I think, all levels. And then additionally, she had The Seattle Times endorsement, which didn't appear to be worth the paper it was written on - which I don't know if that's true of every race, but in the 47th that's a really embarrassing finish for the Seattle Times. And as EJ alluded to - a Viking funeral for $200,000 worth of cash - that's gotta be one of the only times that's happened in Washington history - that a candidate has raised $200,000 in a primary and then finished fifth, at least at the state legislator level. [00:07:14] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. What did you see here, EJ? [00:07:19] EJ Juárez: I saw - I think one of the most exciting things for me is that this actually might be the first time where we have two Native people representing the same district in the House in Washington State. And I think that is incredible - the opportunity and the history making moment of those candidates' ascension if they are the victors in November. I really think that is the underreported takeaway of this cycle in that these are two candidates, although one has - both of them are previously elected in other offices - that's a big deal, right? On the other end of that spectrum, it is wildly confusing to me the uneven field game that has occurred in the 47th. We have some candidates who were deeply knocking on doors every weekend, huge volunteer turnout. And then we have some candidates who really focused on media and focused on really traditional electronic - I don't even know if that's the way to put it, "traditional electronic" - they weren't at the doors, they weren't making a ton of phone calls, and they were pretty open about it. So I think there's a lot of questions to be answered in terms of how people got through and the vote share. So when you're looking at Rep Position 2 with Shukri and Chris, Shukri outraised Chris and really produced not very many votes for that. And when you look at the per dollar spend on per vote, it doesn't really - the math doesn't quite work out the way you would expect. Now, a D-on-D race in that is going to be pretty - there will be fireworks, right? Because you have to make up a considerable amount of points and the clock is reset for both of those candidates. So I'm watching them really closely. I'm excited. I think they're both great candidates. I think they're both folks who, as they move towards the general, are going to start to distinguish themselves to voters. I think when you look at that Senate race, I cannot help but think if I was a Republican strategist and fundraiser, I would've wanted to pour a lot more money into that race supporting a Black Republican versus some of the white Republicans, which received much higher proportions of spend from caucus accounts and from PACs associated with Republicans. There's probably some obvious reasons for that on that side that don't need to go too much into depth on, but it is shocking that in a three-way race, the Republican still only musters 45%. [00:10:06] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, I think that's all valid. And I even think - actually in this district in the 47th, it has been an interesting one. This is actually - I live near the border of the 47th - the 47th and the 33rd District border. And in the 47th, actually, we've traditionally seen Black candidates, visibly non-Christian candidates - whether it's someone with a hijab or a turban - underperform compared to spend a number of times here. And so it's interesting to see these results come through. I don't know what role that played on the Republican side also, but that's just another dynamic in this race that has been interesting. I do think that this sets up - just for the candidates that are there, that are gonna be in the general - really interesting matchups and comparisons. And I do think that Democrats - all of the Democrats in these races - do need to be out on the doors, do need to work through the general. Certainly a favorable result in the primary, but another one where they can't rest at all and need to continue to push forward. But one where I think - this was an area where people were wondering - Hey, where's the public safety conversation gonna be? And are Republicans gonna be able to land some hits here and are people hyper-worried about inflation? I think, yet again in this district, I think people saw that the conversation on public safety on the ground is a lot more nuanced than it is in the media - I think is safe to say. So many times we hear the conversation between more cops and "Back the Blue" and - hey, we're - no candidates are actually running on this, FYI - but like "Defund Everything." There's not actually a candidate saying that right now, but the perception is out there - that that has been there. And people aren't there - even people who favor more police, who are not bothered by more police - are saying - but what we really need are behavioral health services, are substance use disorder, addiction treatment services, are housing for people. We have to address these root causes. If there's an issue with someone who is going through a crisis, police just don't have the tools to solve that. I think that's pretty universally acknowledged and not a controversial statement. And when polling goes beyond just some very basic questions and probes into those, we repeatedly see the public saying - yeah, of course we need those things. And so it was very interesting to see some of these attacks - whether it's in the 30th, or throughout the state, in the 47th - on those issues and they just fell flat. And even on the inflation issue, people are worried and people are absolutely squeezed, but looking at - okay, so what are you gonna do about it? And I think Democrats told a better story about - okay, here's the plan. This is what we plan to invest in and this is how we plan to help. I think working people felt that Democrats had a plan that was more tailored to their needs from Democrats. So just an interesting result that we saw there. We will pivot a bit to the Seattle races, which are different than all of these battleground races that we've been talking about. And these are in the City of Seattle - Democrat versus Democrat races. We saw a number of open seat races that have happened here. And so we can start with the 36th District, which had a pretty stark and conclusive result, I think, in the open seat race that was there, where there was a contested primary that had five Democratic candidates there - different shades of there, from more progressive to probably on the most moderate end with Waylan Robert. But we saw Julia Reed, who received The Seattle Times and The Stranger endorsement take 55% of the vote, followed by Jeff Manson who is making it through the primary with 13.5% of the vote. And then followed by Nicole Gomez, Waylon Robert, and Elizabeth Tyler Crone. Looks like that is a race that is Julia's for the taking, I think realistically, just looking there. And certainly benefited from both The Times and The Stranger endorsement. There's another race in the 37th in South Seattle where Chipalo Street got both The Stranger and The Times endorsement, but that was a much closer race where we saw Chipalo with 41% of the vote - 41.53% - and Emijah Smith making it through the primary with 35.37% of the vote - a much closer race. We saw in the 46th Legislative District - Darya Farivar make it through in first place, the progressive candidate in the race - she currently has 31.61% of the vote and Lelach Rave finishing in second, making it through the primary at 28.06% of the vote. And then we saw in the 34th Legislative District, in that open seat there, Emily Alvarado with 54% of the vote to Leah Griffin's 31.2%. I'll kick this off, as we discuss these Seattle races at-large. It's been talked about so many times before - how in Seattle, how consequential the Seattle Times and The Stranger endorsements are. On a previous post-primary recap, Michael Charles put it very succinctly - saying there are two political parties in Seattle - The Seattle Times and The Seattle Stranger. And actually went back and looked at the numbers - and for races in the City of Seattle, for legislative districts in Seattle, for candidates on the ballot, for the past decade - candidates endorsed by The Stranger have made it through to the primary a 100% of the time. It actually seems like, particularly for progressive candidates, the path requires going through The Stranger - requires that endorsement to make it on to the general. How consequential is that, and what do you think we saw overall in general in these races, Doug? [00:16:50] Doug Trumm: Yeah, I think that Stranger endorsement - it's really huge, particularly in a primary in Seattle - I think the 46th is where we really saw the test of that. In Seattle the Urbanist Elections Committee, which I'm a member of, is lucky enough to talk to most of the candidates. And when people skip - usually it's a sign that they're either running in that centrist lane, or they just got the race together so late that they didn't really have time or put it together enough to respond. But we agreed with The Stranger and The Seattle Times with Julia Reed - I think there's a unique case where there's just a candidate that was so - just polished - and any other candidates had some promise, but there just weren't really compelling case to say - but why not, Julia Reed. And I think that's a testament to running a really good race and being a good candidate. And hopefully everyone's right about that, 'cause I don't think you see all three of us agree very often. In the 46th, on the other hand, we did end up endorsing Melissa Taylor and really liked what she brought to the table in housing. But we were also - really thought that Darya Farivar was a fantastic candidate as well. And particularly around the issues of transportation - being Policy Director at Disability Rights Washington, which is a great partner of us and a great leader on all these climate and climate justice issues at the state level and the local level. So we were happy with both candidates and great to see Darya go through and being several points ahead of Lelach where - we didn't get a chance to talk to her. And I think she's more in the Sara Nelson lane of the party who endorsed her, if you will. How that race shakes out will have, I think, pretty big bearing on just what is possible on some issues like housing, where it seems like someone like Rave is staking out a very moderate position there and not really being upfront about - Hey, we need to do something about exclusionary zoning, we need to make our zoning more inclusive and be able to fit more people into parts of the city - where Northeast Seattle is so wealthy, so much opportunity, so many good schools and good parks and everything, and it's a part of the city that's pulled up the drawbridge a little bit. Maybe she will change her tune on that position a little bit, but I think - although Darya didn't talk about housing a lot, she's someone who on the questionnaire was pretty clear - she's on that same page around ending exclusionary zoning and promoting missing middle. It's an issue that we track really closely - polling shows that Washington voters are increasingly focused on that. And I think it's because people are smart and you get that the whole world's experiencing inflation - you can't really blame one party for that. You maybe can blame Putin for that a little bit, but no one can control Putin. But what are you gonna do to help people control their costs? And one - the hugest thing is housing. It's just - it's a massive cost in our region. And if you don't have a solution that both gets at promoting affordable housing through investment and also dealing with our zoning and policies that just make it really restrictive to create more housing, you're not really tackling that problem. And I think for some voters that's really starting to hit home, which could give a candidate like Darya the edge. And I will let EJ break down some of the other races, as I've gone on long enough. But it definitely was a reassuring result in that sense. [00:20:45] EJ Juárez: Yeah, so I - one, I appreciate being on a show with Doug because Doug is so smart about so many things. And as he is talking, I'm writing down things - oh, I need to look into some of that. For me, back to the question around endorsements and the power of The Stranger. I think Michael Charles was absolutely right around the two-party system now. I also feel like it is incredibly disingenuous for anybody who works in politics to be surprised if the candidate who gets The Stranger endorsement gets through. I think it shows a lack of context around just how much that means to people, both as a key part of many people's own political maturity within the city, right? The Stranger serves as this thing that people learn about Seattle from, learn how Seattle operates - and discounting the weight of that endorsement is done at one's own peril. I think how we get, how we've gotten to this place - and many of these endorsements and many of the races bear this out - is that there are a couple of things at play. Media consolidation has removed many of the other endorsing organizations that had typically seen - excuse me, typically been seen as nonpartisan, right? We no longer have The Seattle PI, we no longer have many of the regional or neighborhood papers that were also doing this for many years. The lanes of engagement have also changed for people who are coming into elected office. The salaries that we pay people to do public service no longer match the cost of living in many of our cities. So therefore, you are narrowing the field more and more and more as this goes. I think the two remaining factors that I think of when you think about just the power of these - of The Times and The Stranger's endorsements - are the policy hegemony, right? The lane in which we talk about policies is so locked in and narrow in the full spectrum of possibility. So the process of differentiating - if we're looking at the 36th - 7 candidates, is it 2, 4, or 6 candidates who have minor policy differences and may only sell that difference with enthusiasm or gusto differently, but are 99% aligned - is more and more difficult for voters to actually judge on policy versus performance. And I think that gets to the last piece here of - the opposition that is understood in Seattle politics has become more and more clear around - there is the folks that are trying to do good and the folks that are trying to do bad. And the folks that are trying to do bad - when I started working in politics here, that was - you could name 50 different organizations, 50 different people off the top of your head. And now it feels like every campaign has really locked in on - the bad guys are Amazon, the bad guys are the tech bros, the bad guys are X, Y, and Z, but it's really focused on small pockets of opposition. And for many reasons, some of those groups earn that label - I will say that - but in many ways it limits the amount of discourse that happens. And I'm going on a little bit long, but I think it can't be overstated that many of these factors inform how we got to a place where two newspapers informed so much of our political success in the City. [00:24:25] Crystal Fincher: Yeah - to your point - the reason why Hacks & Wonks exists is because of the frustration with how narrow and shallow some of those conversations can be, with so much consolidation and with the thinning of just the amount of people covering these races, the amount of visibility that races and policy have, the lack of accountability that we see with so many of our leaders - not just federally, but in the City of Seattle - we're still wondering what happened to texts that disappeared at a really pivotal time in the City. So it is challenging to work through that and deal with that. And I just think that this is a time where I hope lots of community organizations lean in and engage and try to connect their own memberships, their own spheres of influence to the process. One thing that I found really exciting about these results that I haven't really seen talked about was - there's a lot of public polling available, but the primary is a spectacular, actual public poll. And when we talk about inclusive zoning and making progress on affordable housing, the vast majority of voters in every single district - from the 46th to the 37th - voted in favor of the candidates who said we're taking on exclusive zoning, we're going to make it more inclusive, we're going to vote for that missing middle housing bill, and that spoke strongly in favor of it. That they voted overwhelmingly for candidates who talked about strengthening the social safety net, who talked about addressing behavioral health services, substance use disorder services, supportive housing and wraparound services - and not just focusing on the - well, we just need to lock people up and do what we've been doing that has landed us here today. They're really talking about addressing a lot of these root causes and taking substantive - not incremental, but pretty dynamic - change in many of these areas. And voters were right there, so I think that that was encouraging to see. And I would just wonder and hope that we're going to see that reflected and responded to throughout the general election. Full disclosure - I worked for Melissa Taylor, I've paid close attention to the 46th and a number of these races - and am excited to see a strong progressive get through in that race - and Darya Farivar, especially with a lot of the work that she's done in disability justice, which is critical. And so it's just gonna be really interesting to see as these general election races go by, and I think the 37th Legislative District looks like a very competitive race that could go either way right now, that it's gonna be really interesting to hear in these opportunities where it's not quite a Democrat versus Republican conversation that does get flattened a lot, but hopefully we can get into some of the meatiness of issues. There's a lot of policy space in the Democratic arena, in the progressive arena to really talk through - what are your plans for fixing the issues that are challenging people? How do you plan to make people's lives easier and simpler and what are you going to stand up for? Where are your red lines? What are you gonna lead on? Are really interesting and exciting things to see, that I see there. So I think that the entire media ecosystem from The Urbanist playing a crucial role, the South Seattle Emerald, Real Change - just a lot of community media. Community organizations have a lot of power just because there just aren't many people covering or talking about this - and this is an opportunity for them to talk about what's important to them, their members, people they serve, their community. And we need it now more than ever - as we finish thinking about these Seattle races and just other races across the state, is there anything that you think is flying under the radar that's notable or things that we haven't discussed tonight that you feel we should be paying attention to? And I will start with Doug. [00:29:05] Doug Trumm: Oh, so many things - I think, just to add another thought about the Seattle races is - again, I think what was another case with Chipalo Street, where we endorsed him as well and I think that's another race where Seattle Times and Stranger - we agreed. And I think that may have partially been just an advantage of him having his game plan set when he announced and it seemed like Emijah Smith was a little bit more still trying to catch up - announcing a little bit later, I think. And we didn't get a chance to talk to her, so that was part of our decision - she didn't return a questionnaire. But he was someone who was really good at talking about housing. So again, I think that fits the theme and Emily Alvarado doing better than Leah Griffin, who we endorsed - but we like both candidates, we were very clear that you have two great options there - again, someone with housing chops was doing a little better. I don't know - I might be stretching this theme a little bit much, but it definitely seems like credibility on that issue is a huge asset. And that should be good news. Unfortunately we're gonna have people like Gerry Pollet getting re-elected, but they might look at this and go - maybe I've been doing this a little bit wrong if I really want to continue getting re-elected. But I guess one race we didn't talk a lot about - but we shouldn't shy away from the bad news, which is the 42nd did not go well for Democrats. You had hope of a Senate pickup there and it's still not completely impossible, but Sharon Shewmake, who is an incumbent House representative, getting 47% in that district - that's not a great result against two Republicans. And one of 'em did have kind of that name ID - Simon Sefzik, or however you say that - so that might have helped him, but does look like he'll be the one through. So she'll continue to face that in the primary. And then we have actually - two of those seats are Democratic held, so the people lower on the ticket did a little bit better. But these could be the two seats we lose, but I do think we make that up maybe in LD10 where Greg Gilday, the Republican incumbent, isn't doing well at all - is down like four points. And also in the 26th, as we've talked about a little bit, with having Adison Richards potentially being a pickup there - it might end up coming out in the wash. But I don't know what's going on in the 42nd - I thought that district was drifting a little bit blue, but - and the redistricting is really odd because it's such a huge district - all the changes happened within the sort of Bellingham scope. And I guess they must have just carved out a little bit of Bellingham that was keeping that district where Shewmake was winning. And it's also - I guess, maybe Shewmake wasn't as strong of a candidate as maybe some of - her seatmate Alicia Rule doing a point and change better. I don't know if that's just the money in that race or what, or if it really should have been flip-flopped who tried to grab that Senate seat, but it might have been for naught if that district is just now a +3 or something Republican - you really have to run a really good race maybe to win that. And with Republicans pouring money in there, it's not as favorable terrain - which kind of brings us back to redistricting - it's a weirdly drawn district and I guess we left it that way, but why? Maybe I'll leave it at that for now and let others jump in. [00:32:44] Crystal Fincher: Go ahead, EJ. [00:32:45] EJ Juárez: I think I'll start with the 42nd. I think this is a district that is an opportunity for Democrats to begin with, right? If it were not for the death of conspiracy theorist, COVID-denying Doug Ericksen, who loved to work for dictators - I think we wouldn't even be in this situation. Any Democrat who is putting up numbers right now - it was an uphill battle - and I think that the points are valid around just how hard that was going to be for just about anybody, given the challenges of where the lines are gonna be and all these things. I think in terms of other stuff that is top of mind for me is the real tragedy of Julie Anderson's run for Secretary of State - incredible underperformance, not even carrying her own county of Pierce County, running as an independent against the incumbent Steve Hobbs - is something that I can't, I keep coming back to where I'm like - all right, that does not make sense in my head yet. Given everybody's enthusiasm of keeping Steve Hobbs as far away as possible from actually legislating - that part does. But the lack of challenge to his ascension into the Secretary of State's office seems a bit odd. It is almost certain that the Democrat will hold that seat for the first time in 60 years, and I think that is something that is to celebrate. I think that is a good thing for Washington, even as oddly as we have arrived at that fact. Some of the other quick things on my list is - as long as you're asking for that grab bag - I'll go back to the complete lack of strategy on the Republican side, in terms of how they are planning on taking and building a majority in this state. Still top of mind for me - it is the bright, shiny object of - are they going to produce a strategy at any point in the next decade? I don't know. And then lastly, where Democrats have made long-term investments, they are starting to yield the results and the rewards of that - whether that's Federal Way, whether that's in the 26th out in Gig Harbor - Democrats are getting those rewards for decisions and investments that they made 8-10 years ago. And the multiple cycle layering of those massive multimillion dollar investments in voter turnout, in improving the data on who lives in those areas, and making the case to those voters is making their job easier. And when you look at places that have not enjoyed that investment that are continually looked at as opportunities and pickups, especially when you're looking at the kind of "demographics as destiny" argument that gets made, we don't see perennial investments in places where there are large populations of color that are ascendant to majorities. We haven't seen the multi-layered approach in Yakima. We haven't seen that multi-layered approach in the Tri-Cities. And frankly, the results show - Democrats are not moving forward in many of those primaries and the lack of investment from the party shows. But where they have done it, it has been an incredible reward for them. [00:36:03] Crystal Fincher: Completely agree. And with that, this recap comes to a close. I want to thank our panelists - EJ Juárez, Doug Trumm - for their insight and making this an engaging and informative event. To those watching online, thanks so much for tuning in and for sending in questions. If you missed any of the discussion tonight, you can catch up on the Hacks & Wonks Facebook page or Twitter, where we're @HacksWonks. Special thanks to essential members of the Hacks & Wonks team and coordinators for this evening, Shannon Cheng and Bryce Cannatelli. If you missed voting in the primary, you still have time to make your voice heard in the general elections coming up on November 8th. If you need to register to vote, update your registration, or find information, you can go to MyVote.wa.gov. And as a reminder, even if you've been previously incarcerated, your right to vote is restored and you can re-register to vote immediately upon your release, even if you are still under community supervision - so that's new this year. You can vote if you are not currently incarcerated - you just need to re-register at MyVote.wa.gov. Be sure to tune into Hacks & Wonks on your favorite podcast app for our midweek interviews and our Friday week in review shows or at officialhacksandwonks.com. I've been your host, Crystal Fincher - see you next time. [00:37:27] Bryce Cannatelli: Thank you for listening to part 2 of our Hacks & Wonks 2022 Post-Primary Election Recap. If you missed part 1, you can find both parts of the livestream in our podcast feed or you can find the video and text transcript for the full recap on our website at officialhacksandwonks.com. Thank you for tuning in - talk to you next time.

36th LD State Representative Position 1 Primary Candidate Forum

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2022 87:41

On this bonus episode, we present our Hacks & Wonks Candidate Forum with Tyler Crone, Nicole Gomez, Jeff Manson, and Julia Reed - all running for State Representative Position 1 in Seattle's 36th Legislative district, which covers northwestern Seattle, including the neighborhoods of Ballard, Magnolia, and Queen Anne. This was originally live-streamed on Facebook and Twitter on July 13th, 2022. You can view the video and access the full text transcript of this forum on the 2022 Elections page at officialhacksandwonks.com. We hope you enjoy this forum, and please make sure to vote by Tuesday, August 2nd! As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal, on Twitter at @finchfrii. Resources Register to Vote, Update Your Registration, See What's on Your Ballot: MyVote.wa.gov 36th LD Primary Candidate Forum Video and Transcript: https://www.officialhacksandwonks.com/36th-ld-candidate-forum-2022 Hacks & Wonks - Julia Reed, Candidate for 36th LD State Representative (April 26, 2022): https://www.officialhacksandwonks.com/blog/julia-reed-candidate-for-36th-ld-state-representative Hacks & Wonks - Nicole Gomez, Candidate for 36th LD State Representative (May 10, 2022): https://www.officialhacksandwonks.com/blog/nicole-gomez-candidate-for-36th-ld-state-representative Hacks & Wonks - Jeff Manson, Candidate for 36th LD State Representative (May 24, 2022): https://www.officialhacksandwonks.com/blog/jeff-manson-candidate-for-36th-ld-state-representative Hacks & Wonks - Tyler Crone, Candidate for 36th LD State Representative (June 21, 2022): https://www.officialhacksandwonks.com/blog/tyler-crone-candidate-for-36th-ld-state-representative Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Hello everyone, this is Crystal Fincher, host of Hacks & Wonks. This is a bonus podcast release of our Hacks & Wonks Candidate Forum with candidates for State Representative Position 1 in Seattle's 36th Legislative district. This covers northwestern Seattle, including the neighborhoods of Ballard, Magnolia, and Queen Anne. This was originally live-streamed on Facebook and Twitter on July 13th, 2022. You can view the video and access the full text transcript of this forum on the 2022 Elections page at officialhacksandwonks.com. We hope you enjoy this forum, and please make sure to vote by Tuesday, August 2nd! Hello everyone. We are here for the 36th Legislative District candidate forum. My name is Crystal Fincher - I'm a political consultant and the host of the Hacks & Wonks podcast, and I'm honored to welcome you to tonight's candidate forum. I'm so excited to hear from our guests - all running for State Representative Position 1 in the 36th Legislative District. Before we begin tonight, I would like to do a land acknowledgement. I would like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the coast-Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish people, past and present. I would like to honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe. So welcome to the Hacks & Wonks 2022 Primary Candidate Forum for Legislative District 36 Position 1. We're excited to be able to livestream this series on Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, we are recording this forum for rebroadcast and later viewing. We invite our audience to ask questions of our candidates. If you're watching a livestream online, then you can ask questions by commenting on the livestream. You can also text your questions to 206-395-6248. That's 206-395-6248, and that number will scroll intermittently at the bottom of the screen. The candidates running for 36th Legislative District Representative Position 1 with us tonight are - in alphabetical order - Tyler Crone, Nicole Gomez, Jeff Manson, and Julia Reed. A few reminders before we jump into the forum: I want to remind you to vote. Ballots will be mailed to your mailbox starting today - ballots were mailed. You can register to vote still, update your registration still, and see what will be on your ballot at MyVote.Wa.gov. So please take advantage of that and double check that everyone you know is also. I want to mention that tonight's answers will be timed. Each candidate will have one minute to introduce themselves initially and 90 seconds to answer each subsequent question. Candidates may be engaged with rebuttal or follow up questions and will have 30 seconds to respond. Time will be indicated by the colored dot labeled "timer" on the screen. The dot will initially appear as green, then when there are 30 seconds left it will turn yellow, and when there are 10 seconds left it will turn red. You will be muted as soon as time is up. I want to mention that I'm on the board for IDF or, The Institute for a Democratic Future. Jeff Manson is an IDF alum and Nicole Gomez was the program director for the most recent IDF class. We've not discussed any details of their campaigns or of this forum. In addition to tonight's forum, Hacks & Wonks is also hosting a 47th Legislative District State Rep Position 2 candidate forum, in South King County, for next Wednesday, July 20th at the same time - 6:30-8p. Now we'll turn to the candidates who will each have one minute to introduce themselves, starting with Tyler Crone, then Nicole Gomez, then Jeff Manson, finally Julia Reed. And we will proceed immediately to a lightning round of Yes/No questions following that. So starting with Tyler Crone. [00:04:14] Tyler Crone: Hi, I'm Tyler. I'm a global public health leader, human rights advocate, public school parent for 14 years and counting, and a mama bear of three. I'm not an ordinary candidate and this is not an ordinary time. The stakes are extraordinarily high. We are at an inflection point for shared prosperity and progress. We continue to live through a pandemic. We are experiencing an historic rollback of our rights, self-determination, and even our collapse of our church and state separation. COVID-19 has shown us that global health is local and public health is essential. Advancing sexual reproductive health and rights has been what I have done throughout my career and it is needed now more than ever with the overturn of Roe. And ultimately I had to jump into this race as transgender kids and their families, just like mine, are being criminalized across our country. I spent my lifetime making a difference for others, partnering with impacted communities, and centering those most impacted. And so I look forward to your questions and I see this as the leadership our state needs now. Thank you. [00:05:20] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - and next. [00:05:26] Nicole Gomez: Hi everyone. Hello, I'm Nicole Gomez and I'm a mom, an advocate, a community leader, and I'm running to be your next State Representative here in the place I'm really proud to call my home and where I've chosen to raise my family, the 36th District. I'm running to be the next State Representative of the 36th because I would like to help create an economy that works for everyone. And that means addressing our regressive upside-down tax code, healthcare for everyone, fully funded public education, affordable housing, addressing the climate crisis, and so much more that's important right now in the 36th and across the entire state. At age five, I went from living in a secure house and lifestyle to quickly losing a home simply due to the illness of a parent. And from that moment I learned everything I can to navigate complex systems. And so I've been quietly doing this work behind-the-scenes through my healthcare nonprofit that works on transformative policy. I currently sit on the Universal Healthcare Commission and I'm the Executive Director of IDF, and I look forward to talking to you more. [00:06:27] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - and now Jeff. [00:06:31] Jeff Manson: Hi everyone. I'm Jeff - I'm a state administrative law judge, labor leader, and disability community advocate. And as an administrative law judge, I see every day how state laws and budgets affect people and I'm tired of underfunded government that tends to prioritize the wealthy and corporations over working people and the most vulnerable in our state. And although administrative law judges are state employees - for almost 40 years, we did not have the right to collectively bargain. So a few years ago, I organized my colleagues to successfully lobby the Legislature to extend collective bargaining rights to us. And then we formed our new union with 85% of my colleagues signing union authorization cards. I'm endorsed by the King County and 36th District Democrats, the Washington State Labor Council, the Environment and Climate Caucus of the Washington State Democrats, and Mary Lou Dickerson, who represented this district in the house for 18 years. And for those who are watching who are registered voters in the 36th - would be honored to have your vote. [00:07:30] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Julia. [00:07:32] Julia Reed: Thanks - my name is Julia Reed and I'm running for the State House to advocate for a Washington State where everyone can belong and everyone can have a place. I'm a workforce policy expert, an advocate for youth and racial justice, and a lifelong Seattleite - and I love my hometown. I love the 36th District. But I know that if my public school educator parents were moving to Seattle today, they couldn't afford to live here. As a millennial, my peers and I are living the housing crunch, the high cost of living, lack of childcare, and the threat of climate change. These aren't policy hypotheticals to us, it's about fighting for the future - for our future and the future of other young people. I know we can make different choices in Olympia that will build a vibrant, empowering, equitable economy, where everyone can participate and everyone can thrive. As someone who bridges old and new Seattle, I wanna help create a future of shared prosperity and possibility for generations to come and I'm excited to get your questions. [00:08:41] Crystal Fincher: Thank you so much. So now, we are actually gonna start right off with the lightning round portion. Candidates - get your Yes/No paddles ready to respond to questions. After the lightning round is complete - with all of the questions - you'll each get one minute to provide any further explanation of any of your votes or waffles or anything that happens like that. So we've got a number of questions to dive into - they go pretty quickly and we will attempt to announce the votes as they happen, so if anyone is listening along, you can hear that. So starting off - first question, do you support calling a special session this year to codify reproductive rights and access into law? That is a Yes from everyone, and it looks like we have some background interference with green in that, for those of you who have that. So please make an extra effort to make sure that your green check is visible, but everybody appears to be a Yes for that. Are there any instances where you would support sweeps of homeless encampments? I see Nicole Gomez, Julia Reed, and Jeff Manson have said No. Elizabeth Tyler Crone has said Yes. We'll move to the next one. Would you vote to end single-family zoning to address housing affordability? I see that - I see Nicole Gomez and Julia Reed have answered Yes. Jeff Manson, Elizabeth Tyler Crone have answered No. Would you vote to end the statewide ban on rent control and let localities decide whether they want to implement it? Everyone has answered Yes to that question. Would you vote in favor of Seattle's, or will you vote in favor of Seattle's social housing initiative, I-135? Everybody is a Yes vote for social housing. Would you have voted for the Legislature's police reform rollbacks in the last legislative session? Everybody is a No. Should the Legislature pass restrictions on what can be collectively bargained by police unions? It's taking a long time to get those Yes and Nos up. This is - looks like everybody's waffling on this - so you can address this in your one minute afterwards. So we have a districtwide waffle on this. Should we continue to limit the circumstances under which law enforcement is authorized to perform vehicular pursuits? Everybody is a Yes. Do you support a state law that would remove obstacles, like qualified immunity, when suing police officers for violating a person's civil rights? Everybody is a Yes on that. Should we offer tax credits or rebates for the purchase of electric bikes? Another Yes from everybody. Would you vote for any bill that increases highway expansion? Nicole Gomez is a No and the only one to answer definitively so far. Julia Reed says No. And Jeff and Tyler look like they have a more nuanced answer to this. Will you vote to ensure that trans and non-binary students are allowed to play on the sports teams that fit with their gender identities? Everybody is a Yes. For people wanting to change their name to match their gender, do you support removing the cost and need to see a judge for legal processing name changes and gender marker changes? Everybody is a Yes. To provide relief from inflation, should we temporarily suspend the gas tax? I see everybody as a No. Would you vote to enact a Universal Basic Income in Washington? Everybody is a Yes. Do you support a wealth tax? Nicole, Julia and Jeff are Yes. Tyler was a little bit after the Yes, but it's a Yes. Should we increase taxes on large corporations? Everybody's a Yes. Should we increase taxes on small businesses? Everybody's a No. Should we lower taxes on small businesses? Everybody is a Yes. Do you support implementing ranked-choice voting in Seattle? Everybody is a Yes. Do you support moving elections from odd years to even years to significantly increase voter turnout? Uniform Yes. In 2021, did you vote for Bruce Harrell? We've got three Nos, except from Julia Reed who just came in with a No. In 2021, did you vote for Lorena González? We have uniform Yeses. In 2021, did you vote for Nicole Thomas-Kennedy for Seattle City Attorney. I've got a Yes from Nicole Gomez, a No from Jeff Manson, No from Tyler Crone, a Yes from Julia Reed. In 2021, did you vote for Ann Davison for Seattle City Attorney? Nicole Gomez, Tyler Crone, Julia Reed, and Jeff Manson all say No. Is your campaign unionized? We've got uniform Nos. If your campaign staff wants to unionize, will you voluntarily recognize their efforts? Everybody says Yes. Would you vote to provide universal healthcare to every Washington resident? Everybody says Yes. There's more uniform agreement than I thought we were gonna have. The Legislature just passed a law that will cap insulin at $35 a month for out-of-pocket costs for Washington residents. Would you vote to expand price caps to other commonly used drugs? Uniform Yeses. Will you vote for a budget that increases funding for charter schools? Everybody is a No. Right now, money raised by PTAs and parent organizations can be donated to their individual school. Should we require that this money instead be distributed equally across all similar schools in the district? Nicole, Jeff. Okay. So Julia and Jeff are Yeses, Nicole Gomez and Tyler Crone say No. That concludes our lightning round today. So thank you - just kicks off, sets a baseline for where folks are and what they have. So moving into these questions, and we will begin the questions starting with Nicole Gomez. First question is we've seen significant increased investment in programs meant to reduce homelessness, yet people are saying they're not seeing the problem get much better despite a significant increase in funding. Do you agree that our homeless crisis is not improving? And if so, what needs to happen to get results? Starting with Nicole. [00:17:00] Nicole Gomez: Great. I think that - so the homelessness and - [00:17:08] Crystal Fincher: Oh! [00:17:08] Nicole Gomez: Wait, did we get to respond to our answers before we move on? [00:17:11] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, you did. I totally forgot that - thank you for that reminder, Jeff Manson. Yeah, you guys get to explain your waffles and there were a number of them. I just jumped into the other section. So pause on that, Nicole - thank you so much for your flexibility in that. And we will start the explanations starting with Nicole on that one. Anything you wanna clarify about your answers, waffles, your unique Nos? [00:17:35] Nicole Gomez: Sure. So I think the only one that was a unique No was the requiring PTAs or PTSAs to distribute equally to other schools as a requirement. I believe that individual PTAs should be allowed to make that decision. And the only reason is that back when my kid was at Salmon Bay K-8, that did come up as a topic. And so we were really interested in exploring it further and were able to vote on it together as a team. Parents have kids in their schools and so sometimes they would like to donate the money to their school specifically and other times not. So I think it's more democratic process to allow them to have that opportunity to vote. We ended up with a vote to share. [00:18:32] Crystal Fincher: Thank you, and now we move to Jeff. [00:18:36] Jeff Manson: Yeah, so a couple answers I'd like to discuss. One was collective bargaining rights for police officers. There have been a couple things that have been addressed. One is making the collective bargaining sessions open to the public, which I am opposed to, because I think that would undermine public sector unions beyond just police officers. And I don't think the benefit we would get would be worth that risk. It's been a right-wing, anti-union idea for years and I think we'd just be handing them something if we did that. In terms of - the other thing that's been discussed is the discipline process. I do think that law enforcement are in a unique position of power that other public employees like myself are not in. And so if we're careful about how it's written, there could be some aspects of the discipline process that we could look at. The other is highway expansion - should be our lowest priority, but wouldn't absolutely vote No. [00:19:36] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - and Tyler. [00:19:39] Tyler Crone: Yes, so the collective bargaining - I do not know enough to make a sweeping statement on that. Regarding eliminating single-family zoning, I think we all agree that there needs to be more density. We have affordability and housing as a middle-class crisis, but I am not in favor of eliminating single-family zoning all together. It needs a more thoughtful approach. The sweeps piece - I couldn't make an absolute statement to say, I would never agree to that, because there have been instances where there are encampments in schools and other places where children and families need to go and we need our civic space. Regarding the PTAs and the schools, we need to fully fund education so that our PTAs do not provide our specialists, our librarians, our counselors, our nurses, our arts. So I will fully support fully funding education. I understand that parents are desperate for options around - [00:20:35] Crystal Fincher: It looks like that is your time. And we'll go to Julia. Oh, Julia, you're gonna have to unmute yourself - there you go. [00:20:47] Julia Reed: Oh, sorry. There we go, I'm unmuted. I was just gonna say on the police bargaining question, I think that I have seen from working in City Hall, the challenges and obstructions that can come from police unions and sometimes that run counter to police officers' own wishes around wanting to implement reforms. So I'd like, but I'd also as someone who's endorsed by the Washington State Labor Council, I wanna be sure that any actions we're making regarding collective bargaining or something that the labor community feels is right and is not going to undermine overall labor rights across the board. And I thought Tyler's answer just now was excellent on the need to fully fund public education, so I feel like I wanna change my position on that question. She definitely convinced me, made a great argument. I think that fully funding our schools is essential. We shouldn't be relying on PTAs to fill the gap. [00:21:46] Crystal Fincher: And that is the time. Thank you so much. And now - thank you for your flexibility. We are heading into the general question portion. So restating the question and we will start this time with Jeff, we've seen significant increased investment in programs meant to reduce homelessness, but people are saying that they're not seeing the problem get better yet despite the increase in funds. Do you agree that the homelessness crisis is not improving? And if so, what needs to happen to get results? [00:22:24] Jeff Manson: Yeah, so I think we have - the City and the County make a lot of decisions about homelessness programs and contracts and parcel by parcel, but the state provides a lot of the funding for shelters, for tiny homes, for permanent supportive housing, for low income housing. And I think the - what the pandemic in the last few years have shown is that we've underinvested in these areas in recent decades. I do think that the services and the housing options are getting better. I just think during the pandemic, the lack of housing was rising faster than the services for homeless could keep up. So I think we're heading in the right direction, I think we are slowly seeing improvements, I think we're finding models that work. I think having peer navigators start with people when they're on the streets and looking through the whole process, I think tiny house villages are a good first stop for people. I think we've relied too much on our emergency shelters. As a housing option, they're great when it's subfreezing or 108 degrees but not as much as a night-to-night housing option. But a tiny house village is a good first stop and the majority of people there are placed in permanent housing within a few months. And I think permanent supportive housing is the gold standard. It's permanent housing, but with mental health therapists and other social workers on site for people who can't fully live on their own. And the Legislature put money in for about 2,000 more units statewide this last session, which should be coming online later this year, which is great, but it's not enough. We need a round two. [00:23:56] Crystal Fincher: Thank you so much. And now we head to Tyler. [00:24:04] Tyler Crone: Thank you. I know that the issue of homelessness is top of mind. I was out door knocking today in Ballard and that's the major concern. I have seen us spend a ton of money. I do not know what the results are and we've been calling it a protracted crisis for a very long time. I think it is the moment to accelerate and strengthen our partnerships at a city, county, and state level. Coordination was one of the key takeaways from an article in The Seattle Times about what we needed to strengthen our response. One, housing is a human right - we do not currently have enough shelter to put those who are unsheltered on the streets somewhere safe overnight. We need more immediate shelter options. Two, that long-term work towards affordable housing is critical. Right now, housing insecurity now is a middle class issue. Three, we do not have a sufficient mental and behavioral health system. That is top of mind for me - that both, we need to have a place where people can go and people can be safe, but we also need to be taking care of those who are most vulnerable amongst us. And currently our sweeps are happening without necessarily a place for people to go and that is not okay, so circling back to an earlier point that I made. The last piece I'll make is that it needs to be a regional approach. Thank you. [00:25:33] Crystal Fincher: Thank you so much - now Julia. [00:25:36] Julia Reed: Yeah, I think that - so when I was working in City Hall, one of the things that I remember - what came up in the conversations we had around the original start of the Regional Homelessness Authority was that actually the system within the greater Seattle area is exiting thousands of people and thousands of families from homelessness every year. The challenge is that tens of thousands of more are entering homelessness every year because of the high cost of living, the shortage of affordable rental property, the stagnant wages that we experience all across our country that mean that every person is really just one medical emergency or one sudden event away from finding themselves homeless. I understand that people's frustration is that we put money into it, it seems like it's getting worse. But I think that we invest comparatively little in our homelessness response. If you look at the billions of dollars we might put into roads and bridges, we don't invest a comparable amount in our human infrastructure in our state. And as a legislator, that is gonna be one of my big focuses - not just housing, mental healthcare - but also human infrastructure, like childcare, green spaces, access to healthy food. All of these things contribute to a safer, healthier community for everyone and particularly contribute to addressing our homelessness challenge in a permanent and lasting way. [00:27:09] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - now Nicole. [00:27:11] Nicole Gomez: Sure. So I think of homeness as a phenomenon that also should be contextualized with systemic issues, right? Racism or ableism, education access - there's a lot of different things that go and contribute to homelessness. So while it might seem like our numbers have been increasing, we've also been in the middle of a pandemic. And that, in addition to the high cost of housing overall, has been - exasperated the problem. Our unhoused individuals are carrying an immense amount of pain and trauma and we need to be looking at the programs that are also supporting - we've been underfunding a lot of them for decades. And so it's really time for us to think about what our true north is again - and make universal housing a goal - making sure that we are housing everyone and make it a priority. And I think that we're on the right track, we just need to get there in the long run. It's an issue and a problem for a really long time and it's gonna take a while to fix. [00:28:40] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. For the next question - last year, Washington experienced a natural disaster in the form of our record breaking heat wave that left hundreds dead. Due to human-caused climate change, we're guaranteed to see more disasters like this. What will you do as a legislator to prepare our state and your district for future crises? And we are going to begin this question with Tyler. [00:29:13] Tyler Crone: Thank you. So to prepare our state for future crises - this is an urgent and top-of-mind response issue for me - accelerated climate action and the climate impacts must be embedded into all of the decision making we make. One of the things that was top-of-mind related, Crystal, to the heat dome question as I entered this race was how smoke season has come up as a issue in the very short time that my youngest child has been alive. I see a way forward as - one, bringing my public health expertise and prioritizing that as what are the health impacts of these climate emergencies and how are we centering frontline communities? Two, the UN report on the climate crisis has suggested a very important strategy and that is something that we have an abundance - is centering Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous leadership. That is another key priority and approach of mine. Three, it is again about planning and coordination. Do we have the systems in place to keep people safe and healthy? Four, there is a piece of - do we have the funds available to help people recover from these climate emergencies and navigate them? And five, I would say it is about leaning into the bold innovation and leadership across our state so that we are all working together. As a young student said to me, "It's Earth Day, and I don't know what to do to make a difference." Thank you. [00:30:50] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - and next we're headed to Julia. [00:30:53] Julia Reed: Thanks. When I was working in City Hall, a group of Parks Department staffers came to me early in the spring and said, "We really wanna work on getting ready for wildfire season early. Can you help us?" And as a mayor's policy person, I was able to help elevate that issue. We created the first ever Smoke Ready Communities Day, which was a four-countywide event across King, Pierce and Snohomish county that tried to create awareness and information about preparing for wildfire smoke, especially for low-income communities, because these climate emergencies - they touch all of us, but they hit our low-income communities, our communities of color, our working people who have to go out to work the hardest and first. It's one of the reasons I'm proud to be endorsed by Puget Sound Sage and one of the reasons why I've been talking about wildfire smoke resiliency from the start of my campaign. I really want to see the state use some of our cap-and-invest funding to create a grant program for small cities to increase their climate resiliency and to help create a strategy for those cities as well - because large cities like Seattle have the staff and the expertise to create their own filtration systems as we did when I was in the mayor's office, but smaller cities and towns don't have that support and their folks are suffering right now and they need the state to step in and help them understand what to do and help them afford to make the retrofits to keep their community safe. [00:32:22] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Nicole. [00:32:25] Nicole Gomez: Sure. Our communities are being attacked, are being destroyed every day by the climate or impacts of climate change. And we're seeing this in the forms of the flooding, the wildfires, droughts and we're being threatened by the inaction that's been not taken. So I think Washington should lead on reducing the carbon emission through more sustainable, like transportation, construction and consumption. Also, one of the secret weapons - I've read articles - one of the secret weapons against climate change is affordable homes. And it's a problem that I think that if we think about it in a more holistic way and look at the larger overarching systems, I think we can come up with some really good ideas for tackling our goals, our climate goals. And then also with the creation of the HEAL Act that's just been put into place - and that's engaging community through our state agencies and being able to make those recommendations from the bottom-up will really help also with that environmental justice aspect as well. [00:33:52] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - now, Jeff. [00:33:54] Jeff Manson: Yeah, I agree with what everyone else has said. I would just add, in addition to smoke season that we have now and the heat waves, which are gonna be more common, we also have a water crisis that's coming - and that's both our drinking water, it's our agricultural water, it's our electric power. So we need to be preparing for not only the disasters we're already experiencing, but the ones that we should be anticipating 5, 10, 20, 30 years from now. And we also need to keep leading on preventing these worse outcomes. Washington - the good news is Washington State has been a leader among states and among countries in terms of pushing our pro-climate policies to reduce our carbon footprint. The bad news is it's not enough. Even if every jurisdiction in the world copied exactly what we're doing, they're not gonna meet - none of us are gonna meet our climate goals of halving, cutting in half our carbon emissions by 2030 and even more by 2050. We had some low-hanging fruit this last legislative session - we had electric vehicle subsidies, which we can bring back - also support the electric bike subsidies, redoing our building code to promote electricity over natural gas. There was also a bill to include climate effects in the Growth Management Act comprehensive plans. So it's easy, low-hanging fruit to pick up next session, but we need to keep investing in green infrastructure and clean energy to prevent the worst from happening. [00:35:28] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. Our next question will be an audience-submitted question. Pat in Greenwood wants to know what actions can the Legislature do to protect reproductive care with the Dobbs decision coming down from the Supreme Court, but our right already codified in state law here - but a constitutional amendment seems unlikely given the makeup of the chambers. So what actions can happen to protect reproductive care? And we are going to start with Julia. [00:36:04] Julia Reed: Yeah, I think that I want to just push back a little bit against the concept that a constitutional amendment is unlikely. I think that it'll be challenging - maybe we can do income tax and reproductive rights in the same push. But I think that we have to start thinking about a constitutional amendment. Our rights are legally protected, but that law is only as good as long as we have Democratic majorities in the Legislature and a Democratic governor. And that could change and I don't feel comfortable leaving our rights up to that kind of risk, especially not in this day and age. I also think another thing we can do is - in Washington State, we have legally protected access to abortion. But in many parts of the state, there are no accessible abortion clinics and hospital systems have merged with Catholic hospital systems that restrict access and information about abortion. So there are people in Washington State who have legal access to abortion, but they lack actual access to abortion. I think it's really critical that we ensure that we're regulating state hospital mergers and Catholic hospital mergers to ensure that everyone's access continues to be protected in our state. And I also think helping to support and create funding for people who may be coming here from other states - I want to applaud the governor's work limiting the State Patrol's ability to be pulled into investigations of people coming to seek abortion care in our state. [00:37:37] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Nicole. [00:37:40] Nicole Gomez: Yeah, so since the start of the campaign, I've been talking about the Keep Our Care Act, which is something that I worked on last session and I'm looking forward to continuing the work on it in the upcoming session. And that's similar - it's the bill that would ensure those health entity mergers, acquisitions, and contracting affiliations to improve rather than harm access to that affordable, quality care within the community. And it would, like Julia mentioned, put that prohibition on those consolidations that diminish that access to affordable quality care, including our reproductive rights. That is one very small thing that we can do right now. As Executive Director of Institute for a Democratic Future, one of the things that I heard a lot about when visiting the areas along neighboring states like Idaho was that we're going to need additional funding for those health providers that are right along the border there in order to appropriately have that intake of new, potentially new patients coming into the state to seek care. And so that's something I look forward to continuing to work on in the future. [00:39:10] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - and Jeff. [00:39:12] Jeff Manson: Yeah - again I agree with what both Julia and Nicole have said. I do agree that we need to push for a constitutional amendment. We, at the federal level - I think a lot of people thought that Roe was settled law, Roe v. Wade was settled law and we had a constitutional right to abortion access. And it took the right wing 50 years, but unfortunately they were successful and I don't think we can take anything for granted here. I feel rather confident that our current legislature is in the right spot, our current Supreme Court's in the right spot, but you never know what's gonna happen 5, 10, 20, 50 years from now - so we should push for a constitutional amendment for an explicit right to abortion access. In terms of what we can do, this last legislative session the Legislature did pass a bill to expand the types of providers who can perform services, anticipating that Roe may fall, which is great. That helps expand access, but I really think funding is gonna be a major issue. We need to make sure that we are fully funding our clinics and other providers 'cause people are already - even before Roe - people from Texas were already coming here for services as they were being further restricted across the country. And we should be a safe haven for people, we should be a place that people can come and feel safe, no questions asked and have access to services. And if that means also funding for their stay or transportation, I'm open to that as well. And I also agree that we need to - [00:40:48] Crystal Fincher: Oh, thank you - and now Tyler. [00:40:55] Tyler Crone: I've served on the board of Cedar Rivers, which is an independent feminist abortion provider in our state and one of the best in the country. I've also been on the frontlines of advancing safe, legal abortion around the world. This is an urgent moment, it is an all-hands-on-deck moment and is one of the key reasons why I'm running. One, we have to codify Roe - we have to do it. Two, we have to invest in the infrastructure of care - the services, the providers, the clinics. We have a desperate shortage in eastern Washington and in the 36th legislative district, you cannot get abortion care at a hospital because of the mergers. Just so you know, it is here at home that you cannot get the care you need. I also am deeply invested in increasing and expanding the funding that has already been initiated by Dow Constantine, by the governor, by our mayor to overcome barriers and to ensure access to care for everyone who is seeking abortion care in our state. We also have to think about upstream - let's ensure that we're scaling up our access to reversible, long-acting contraception such as IUDs - that will take the burden off of our limited clinic and service facilities. We need to invest in training - all of these rollback of Roe means that all those states where abortion is not legal, you cannot train to provide that care. And I guess I would like to say one last point - this is just the beginning. I hope you look to commentaries by my law school classmate, Melissa Murray - [00:42:30] Crystal Fincher: Appreciate that. And for the next question - the pandemic exposed our healthcare system's limited capacity - which has grown even worse, continues to grow worse and more limited - and our state's unequal access to health services. What action do you propose to increase our state's capacity to respond to a health crisis, including behavioral health crises, and what will you do to make sure that our response supports our most vulnerable communities? And we are going to start this with Nicole. [00:43:03] Nicole Gomez: Oh, Crystal - can you please repeat the question one more time? [00:43:06] Crystal Fincher: Sure. [00:43:07] Nicole Gomez: Thank you. [00:43:08] Crystal Fincher: The pandemic exposed our healthcare system's limited capacity and our state's unequal access to health services. What action do you propose to increase our state's capacity to respond to a health crisis, including behavioral health crises, and what will you do to make sure that our response supports our most vulnerable communities? [00:43:28] Nicole Gomez: Okay, thank you. One of the - I work on healthcare policy quite a bit at the state level, that's what I do. And one of the things that we have done to help increase access to medical care has been, like this last session, we got additional funding to help cover our undocumented population and we're seeking additional funding for that. So that was something that that was done during the pandemic because we saw the huge inequities in the way medical coverage and care is provided. I've been working on the Universal Healthcare Commission - I was appointed by Governor Inslee there - and so we are in the current talks of trying to figure out what the nuts and bolts of a comprehensive healthcare plan for Washington State would look like. [Noise of object hitting ground] And I just dropped my little thing. At any rate, we are currently in the process of doing that right now - to ready the state for a potentially single-payer program. And that's something that my nonprofit has been working strenuously on, and I'm hoping that by being there as an elected official, I'd be able to continue that work in a different capacity. [00:44:56] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Jeff. [00:45:00] Jeff Manson: Yeah. I support universal healthcare, universal coverage, health insurance coverage. Ideally the federal government would take the lead on this, but we can't and shouldn't wait for the federal government to get its act together and need to do it here in Washington. I supported the creation of the Universal Healthcare Commission and I want to give a shout out to Nicole for all of her great work on this issue. If elected, I'll be relying on her on healthcare access issues. We need to take the lead here and if federal government maybe could follow our example in how we set things up here. But we don't just need health insurance coverage. I do Medicaid hearings as an administrative law judge. These are people who are covered by Medicaid, which was expanded under Obamacare, which is great. But often there are not sufficient providers for a lot of different types of services, including behavioral health services. And often, I think they would say the reimbursement rates aren't high enough to be able to cover people. So we need to not just provide universal coverage, we need to be providing the funding so that the actual services are available for those with insurance coverage. So it's attacking it from all angles and really it comes back to - are we gonna raise progressive revenue through progressive revenue sources in order to fund the services that people need and deserve. [00:46:28] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Tyler. [00:46:34] Tyler Crone: First, I want to start with where you started - the pandemic exposed - the pandemic is not over. We need to be learning from where we fell short, what we did right, what we do better next time - that is the first pillar of continuing to navigate and recover from COVID-19. Too many of us are sick, too many of us have had our lives disrupted. A key piece of this, for me, is bringing that pandemic expertise coupled with investment and fortification of our public health systems, our public health leadership, and our public health infrastructure. A next piece of this for me, that is top-of-mind, is about how are we taking care of those who keep us healthy? We have an incredible nursing staffing shortage in our state, our healthcare workers are exhausted and overstretched, and we need to keep that top-of-mind if we're thinking about how we're navigating a crisis and who takes care of us. Likewise, we have frontline responders who are overstretched, such as our firefighters. I'd like to make sure those stay top-of-mind as well. I think the piece that I will close with here is how I would legislate and how I lead. I lead from behind centering those who are most impacted. A key question you asked is about how would those who are most vulnerable not be excluded - they would be partners in the solutions. Thank you. [00:47:59] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much - Julia. [00:48:03] Julia Reed: I'm really proud to just recently have been endorsed by SEIU 1199 Northwest, which represents thousands of nurses and behavioral healthcare workers all across the state. It's an honor after all of the work that they've put in to keep us safe, that they've put in to keep us safe every day to have their support in this race. And one of the - we talked about two things in the endorsement process. One is the essential need for safe staffing. Too many of our hospitals in healthcare settings are being run at staff-to-patient ratios that are unsafe - that put the medical staff at risk, that put patients at risk, that put care at risk, that put our whole system at risk when there are stresses like pandemic. The other thing we talked about is the really important need to grow our healthcare workforce pipeline. I'm one of the only candidates in this race who has worked on and built workforce development programs and that includes having done work with the Somali Health Board to try to advocate for greater access for immigrant and refugee doctors. We have a lot of excellent medical, trained medical personnel in our state who, because of government regulations, aren't able to do the work that they're trained to do. And I want to work with SEIU 1199 Northwest Multi-Employer Training Fund to help grow our next generation of healthcare workers, especially women and people of color. Because to ensure they aren't excluded, we have to have, you have to have providers available who come from your community, who look like you. [00:49:40] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. According to a recent Crosscut/Elway poll, Seattle voters were asked what they think are major factors in the crime rates. The top three answers were: at 85% lack of mental health and addiction services, at 67% homelessness, and at 63% economic conditions. And when asked specifically if they could direct where their tax dollars were spent, the top three responses were: at 92% addiction and mental health services, 81% said training police officers to deescalate situations, and 80% said programs to address the root causes of crime. Given that the Legislature has already voted to increase public safety funding, largely devoted to policing and prisons, do you feel that we should increase funding for behavioral health resources, non-police intervention services, and rehabilitation services before passing further increases for police spending? And we will start with Jeff. [00:50:45] Jeff Manson: Yes, I do. I think in terms of where we have underinvested in recent years, mental health and behavioral health services and interventions is where we are the farthest behind, where we need to invest the most. The Legislature did increase some funding this past year, but I think it's just a start, it's just a drop in the bucket. And I was trying to type up the numbers and I'll have to look it up later - and I think I generally agree with the respondents to the poll. I think mental health and addiction is a major contributor to criminal activity, and we need to make sure that we have these services available and that we are directing people who enter the criminal justice system into services, when they're properly identified to need those services. Drug Court is a huge success, other alternatives to incarceration for those with addiction issues and other mental health issues have been a real success story. But there are stories of Drug Court telling prosecutors not to - don't send as many referrals, we don't have enough providers to provide services for as many people who are wanting to come over to Drug Court. So we need to make sure that we're providing that funding so that the services are available. I do think that is the - one of the main causes of criminal activity and the cheapest way to reduce it. [00:52:12] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Tyler. [00:52:18] Tyler Crone: Investing in the criminal legal system does not work. It does not help us solve the problems of today. I'd like to put forward and agree with many in Seattle who do feel concern, grave concern, about our public safety situation at present and push you back, Crystal, a little bit and say it has to be nuanced. We are currently facing a public health and public safety crisis. And so I am not going to pit two things against each other of saying - absolutely, we need to be investing in mental health, we need to be investing in behavioral health. And those are some of my key priorities - bringing forward a public health and a harm reduction approach to both. But you said - would you say you would do this rather than - I'm not sure we're at a moment where we can say rather than. As much as I'd love to put forward public safety as public health, I recognize we have Starbucks closing down, I recognize that my child who worked at Majestic Bay had to shoo out a person using drugs from the entrance who lurched at them and they had to call out a manager. And my daughter last night had someone break a bottle on her car. So just to say we are facing a moment that is complex and nuanced and is going to take a lot of integrity, thought, and care to center human dignity and put the services that we need to prevent these types of scenarios. So thank you so much. [00:53:49] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. And just clarifying the question - it's would you fund those things before passing other ones, not necessarily instead of. With that, we will go to Julia. [00:54:05] Julia Reed: I think safety, public safety, is the issue we hear about on the doors - all of us - the most every day. I think everyone deserves to be safe, but I think we can see that doubling down on our current system, which is broken, is leading to the results we're having in our streets. As someone who's worked in government my whole career, I really try to be led by data in making decision making. And I think the data shows us that we have solutions that work here in our City. I'm proud to be endorsed by Dominique Davis, the CEO and founder of Community Passageways, which is one of the leading examples of community-based, evidence-backed, non-incarceral, non-police-related solutions to public safety that create lasting safety in our City. I've also been a longtime board member for the YMCA Social Impact Center which sponsors the Alive and Free program, which similarly is a community-based program, community-based response to crime that has shown real measurable results. I want to see us investing in the solutions that work. I want to see us investing in things like Community Passageways, Alive and Free, greater access to advocates for victims of violence, of sexual assault, and addressing the scarcity and poverty that drives a lot of low-level crime, including the lack of mental and behavioral healthcare. [00:55:33] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Nicole. [00:55:37] Nicole Gomez: Yeah, so on the topic of behavioral health, I actually will - first, to answer the question - yes. But on the topic of behavioral health specifically, the Legislature just recently put in a really large package of behavioral healthcare funding because it is a top issue - top-of-mind not just here in the Seattle area, but across the entire state and nation, quite frankly. And there still needs to be additional investments. This past session - something that I'm proud to have helped pass was this budget proviso that one of my, one of the local nonprofits came to me and said, Hey, can you help with this? And we ended up passing a proviso for a pilot program that - mental health providers were coming to them and saying, Hey, I would love to volunteer my time, but there's no way that we can figure out how to pair patients with providers. There needs to be a screening process that's easy for us to manage. And so we helped pass that through, so it's a pilot in King, Snohomish and Pierce. And with innovative ideas like that, if it works - let's see if we can continue to do it, especially now that we have telehealth, that could potentially help get providers across the state specifically in the areas where there's a lack. There's a huge lack of mental health providers statewide. [00:57:15] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. And with that, it's 7:30, it is a hot evening, there's a lot going on. We are going to take a quick two-minute break just to give people the chance to grab some ice, refill water, do whatever you need to do. So we will start that two-minute countdown now, which goes by pretty quick. So we will start that break and then be back shortly. Excellent. So it looks like we are back - I'm waiting for, there we go - we're all back. So this next question is a combination of two - a combination of a preexisting question and one sent in from a viewer. Starting off - Washington's facing housing affordability crisis - lots of conversation about ending exclusionary zoning, making further investments in the Housing Trust Fund, but also balancing concerns of different constituents. One in particular writes in asking, citing a King 5 story where Seattle has lost 11,500 rental property units in the past year, mostly smaller locally-owned properties, according to this and suggested by the King 5 article. They're wondering if you're gonna pursue similar regulations at the state level, which they feel greatly disfavor and disincentivize mom-and-pop landlords. So that's question one. And question two - in addition to what you plan to do for landlords or not, what needs to happen to address this housing affordability crisis beyond expanding zoning and investing in the Housing Trust Fund? And we are going to start with Tyler. [00:59:07] Tyler Crone: Thank you. So I think that the first question piece was about these smaller landlords and what are we doing to find strategies that work? I think that we are at a extraordinarily difficult moment because one, we're facing a homelessness crisis that will only be exacerbated when we lift an eviction moratorium. This eviction moratorium is placing a disproportionate burden on some of these small landlords who are an important part of the solution. And so what I would look to do would be to one, bring these stakeholders around the table to see where have our actions had unintended consequences, or that article, Crystal - I just saw it on Twitter before we hopped on - where we're losing critical space where people are selling their units and it is impacting our housing availability. So one, that partnership with landlords looking for practical solutions, exempting small landlords from some of these onerous regulations. To that piece of affordability, we have to be finding smart ways forward around density, around building with that urban village model, increasing density along our secondary arterials and seeing it as a strategy for inclusive, safe, healthy neighborhoods. [01:00:38] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Julia. [01:00:41] Julia Reed: Yeah, it's hard for me to speak to that specific article without having read it and dug into the data a little bit more. I, like I said, I like to be driven by the data and I know sometimes television news can can create packages for clicks as opposed to things that are more nuanced. I am very concerned about the loss of rental property in our City and the lack of affordable rental property. The University of Washington researchers just put out a book that I've been deeply reading for this process called Homelessness is a Housing Problem - the thesis is in the title of the book. And one of the things that they identify is that the lack of affordable rental property is the number one most determinative factor in the rates of homelessness in a particular area. So it's a huge concern. I'm really focused on this rising trend around LLCs and corporations buying up homes as investment properties to increase corporate profits. I want to explore what that looks like in our state and see if we can regulate that to ensure that our market can remain something that individuals can buy into for their own ownership. And that's really gonna be, I think, a big focus of mine in the Legislature. [01:02:04] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Nicole. [01:02:07] Nicole Gomez: Sure. So like others, I have not had an opportunity to read the article that was posted, but what I would say is that this is exactly the reason why we need different options for housing. Aside from being able to lift the ban on rent control or something of that nature, we would also need to look at limiting predatory fees. There's other ways in which we can work through making sure that we have more affordable housing. I was thinking about an article that I read - I think it was regarding Amsterdam and there's a 40-40-20 rule that they use there. And so essentially what that is - is you have 40% of regulated rent, and then you have another 40% of medium-term rental, and then 20% would be an expensive rent option. And looking at other countries who are tackling this problem and are doing it in a successful manner could be helpful in helping guide the work that we do. We're in a - oh, there's time. Thank you. [01:03:34] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - and Jeff. [01:03:36] Jeff Manson: Yeah, our housing affordability crisis, I think, is related to a lot of the issues we all hear at the door and I think we're all experiencing ourselves. I think in terms of the role the state can play in that - there's twofold - one is direct state investment at the lower end of the market. This would be the Housing Trust Fund, other direct investments. The other is we need more density. We need - we're tens of thousands of housing units behind where we need to be. People are moving here faster than we're building new units and that's causing the - one of the main reasons that prices are rising. Seattle has taken steps in recent years to increase density - it could do more - but other cities in the region haven't done nearly as much. I think another thing is people who are wanting to build more housing units are having a lot of trouble with just basic things like permitting. I hear, of course, at the doors about Seattle's process and we need to make sure that our municipalities have the resources, are able to raise the resources they need to process permanent applications expeditiously. In terms of small landlords, I also haven't read the article. I would say my overall approach is that we need to respect tenant's rights, but also need to make sure that we aren't disincentivizing providing rental units so much that we don't have any housing for everybody. So I do think it's a balance and it's complicated. But those are the two things I would be looking at in any of this legislation. [01:05:07] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. Now we go to a audience-submitted question. What would make Washington's tax code more fair for the poor and working families? And how much funding would you look to raise for needed services in Washington? And we're gonna start with Julia. [01:05:28] Julia Reed: That's a great question. One of the things that makes our tax codes so regressive is that poor and working families who purchase more of their goods and consumables are paying a lot of money in sales tax. Tons of money in sales tax. Also, we talked about the gas tax earlier in the lightning round. People who have older cars, less fuel-efficient cars are paying more in gas tax than people who are buying - well, people who are buying Teslas in general aren't paying gas tax. So it's just another example of how working families are carrying the load for our parks, our roads, our schools, our infrastructure - and wealthy folks are getting a free pass. I think what we need to do in our state is - I'd like to see us create a statewide income tax. While we are working towards that, dealing with constitutional issues, I really support the wealth tax that Noel Frame who held this seat before has proposed - which she proposed a 1% tax on wealth over a billion dollars. I think you could even bring that threshold down a little bit. I also would like to see us increase the estate tax on large estates and use that as an opportunity to lower the estate tax on smaller estates so that families of color can afford to create generational wealth and that all working families can try to bring some generational wealth to the next generation. [01:07:01] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Nicole. [01:07:04] Nicole Gomez: This is the billion dollar question. So I've been working with the Balance Our Tax Code coalition over the past few years. And we've been working in detail on this very issue. There's a lot of different ideas that are floating out there. We did pass the capital gains tax, so that was one effort. I do think we need to tax excessive wealth - that is something that we've been working on and will continue to work on it. That 1% tax on the value of stocks, bonds, and the other financial intangible assets over $1 billion, which again, I do also think that should be lowered. And I believe that they're working on a number that might be a little - a different number perhaps, or a different way of looking at it - but that only affects like a hundred people in Washington State. It's time that the wealthy do pay their fair share. There's also other ideas like a guaranteed basic income program I've seen out there. Baby bonds has also been floated where you're giving funds to - I think the bill was like $3,200 to give funds to people, to kids who are on the state's Medicare Apple Health program. And then that money grows over time and they get it when they're an adult, which is a good way to eliminate or to address the wealth gap. And I have so many more - I could talk about this topic for hours. So thanks. [01:08:36] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Jeff. [01:08:39] Jeff Manson: Yes - as I'm sure this is a very informed audience and everyone's aware that we have the most regressive tax structure in the whole country. It is by far the worst, and we're really feeling it right now with inflation and the affordability crisis - the sales and property taxes that are so regressive. That's one thing I hear at the doors all the time. So I support capital gains tax and am cautiously optimistic our State Supreme Court will find it constitutional. Same with higher earners income tax and a wealth tax. We need to be pursuing all of these progressive revenue sources. And once we raise enough money to fund the services that we say that we need, then we could provide some relief from the more regressive taxes. The second part of the question was how much more revenue do we need? I don't know if I can put a number on it, but it's definitely in the billions - like billions and billions. Think about all the things that we've all been talking about, we mostly agree on that we need - we've been talking about healthcare, we've been talking about behavioral health and mental health, we've been talking - we haven't talked about childcare, but that's really expensive and requires direct state subsidies. We're talking about low-income housing and Housing Trust Fund and permanent supportive housing - and fully funding education. All of these things cost money besides the basic government services that we already have - often, which are not acting at full capacity. So we have not enough revenue and the revenue that we have is being collected too aggressively. So we need more - [01:10:20] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - now Tyler. [01:10:24] Tyler Crone: Thank you. My approach to this question, which is a critical question, is that we need to be closing corporate loopholes. We need to put our weight behind a move to an income tax. And I would like to see that income tax ultimately reduce our sales tax or move us away from sales tax, which I think Julia made a really good case of how that disproportionately impacts working people and people with less income. I am also very concerned about how our property taxes are affecting our seniors, our single moms - it's a concern that's raised to me, time and again, at the doors of how do we manage this and provide the supports we need with such an upside-down tax structure. A question that has been raised to me when I've asked it to colleagues is about a wealth tax. Will people move out of state? Is that something that we need federal leadership around or is it something that Washington can lead on? That's an outstanding question for me, but I just want to underscore the critical, critical need to fully fund our schools, to increase our investments in making high-quality childcare, and a strong start in life available - that we have and we see, as we've talked about throughout this call, a need to lift kids out of poverty and a need to really reinforce our behavioral and mental health systems and services. Thank you. [01:11:49] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. You just talked about childcare a bit, Tyler and Jeff. You were a little bit prescient in saying we haven't talked about childcare yet, but this question is about childcare. We are experiencing a childcare crisis. It was already out of reach for many Seattle families - exceeding $1,600-1,800 a month in the City of Seattle per child for many families and only got worse during the pandemic, with many counties in this state reporting a 40% loss of childcare providers since the start of the pandemic - causing costs to rise even further and access to lower and become even harder. What can be done specifically to make childcare more affordable and more accessible to all parents in Washington? And we are starting with Nicole. [01:12:41] Nicole Gomez: Yeah, so I recall this - even pre-pandemic - my nine years, wait how old is my son now? Oh my gosh - he's 12 - 12 years ago. When we first started looking for a daycare

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Julia Reed, Candidate for 36th LD State Representative

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2022 40:49

On this midweek show, Crystal chats with Julia Reed about her campaign for State Representative in the 36th Legislative District - why she decided to run, how the last legislative session went and her thoughts on addressing issues such as housing affordability and zoning, homelessness, public safety, drug decriminalization, climate change, and COVID response and recovery. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Julia at @juliagrantreed. Resources Campaign Website - Julia Reed: https://www.votejuliareed.com Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, I am thrilled to be welcoming Julia Reed, who is a candidate for State House in the 36th legislative district. Welcome, Julia. [00:00:46] Julia Reed: Thanks for having me - it's great to be here. [00:00:49] Crystal Fincher: Great to have you. So what made you decide to run? [00:00:52] Julia Reed: It's a number of things - I grew up in Seattle, I'm a teacher's kid. My parents both worked in public schools here. My dad was a long time educator in Seattle Public Schools and my mom works in Edmonds and Shoreline Schools in special ed. And so I think a lot of my initial interest in public service really comes from them and seeing how they serve their communities, were active in their communities, and also the things that they struggled with - the lack of funding, the state bureaucracy, families that just weren't getting the supports that they really needed. And I absorbed a lot of that as a child and it inspired me to really want to pursue public service as a career. And I worked on the East Coast in the other Washington in the Obama administration, and then I came back to my hometown and worked in public policy here locally. And I've just seen a lot of changes in that time - from when I was growing up here and my parents, as an educators' family, could afford to buy a house and offer us a community that supported us and uplifted us. And now I think if my parents were moving to Seattle today, that same kind of lifestyle wouldn't be possible. And there are lots of people who are struggling, and as we are transitioning from the first depths of COVID into whatever is going to come after COVID - I think this is a really transitional time for our state and this is the time when we have to make choices about affordable housing and climate change and community safety and workers. And I want to be a part of that work, and I've been really involved in politics and community work here ever since I moved back as an adult. And I want to try to bring the voices of people like me - younger people, people in their thirties, who are trying to build lives here to the State House. So that's sort of what's inspiring me to run right now. I think this is a really transitional time and we need big thinkers to meet it. [00:03:00] Crystal Fincher: It does seem to be, and I definitely agree we need big thinkers to address it. We just came out of a legislative session where there were definitely some great things that happened and a number of other things that left a number of people disappointed. What was your evaluation of this past session? [00:03:21] Julia Reed: Yeah, I think you're right - some really great wins and some really tough losses. I think not being able to pass the missing middle housing bill, despite the governor's support was really hard - I see this as someone who's in her mid-thirties, I have a lot of friends who are trying to buy homes and make a life here, and they - because we have the fewest number of housing units per household of any state in the country, so we're 50 out of 54 housing units compared to number of households. The lack of supply is just choking them and they're starting to leave and go other places. And so I think we really needed that bill to try to address exclusionary zoning - what is keeping younger people from building lives and being able to settle down here. I think that - [00:04:15] Crystal Fincher: Well, that's a huge issue. Do you support increasing density in single-family neighborhoods? [00:04:21] Julia Reed: I do. I support - I think of it as inclusionary zoning, because I think it's important to remember that single-family zoning is fundamentally exclusionary. It's saying that a lot of people, a lot of families, a lot of people of color, a lot of younger people don't get to live here and it's - if we - I definitely think that our priority when it comes to upzoning and building denser housing should be urban villages and commercial centers. But the truth of the matter is we have a huge housing crisis and we just don't have enough arterials and urban villages to absorb all of that. And many of our urban villages are already upzoned and are already kind of starting to build. And I think what we need in some of these areas that have been exclusively zoned is to have more inclusionary zoning - to allow modest home choices, like duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes - to incentivize ADUs and mother-in-law apartments. I really think this is about are kids going to be able to live in the same neighborhood as their parents, in the same neighborhood where they grew up. Are they going to be able to move - are adults who want to move their elder parents to be closer to them - are they going to be able to live near them? Are we going to have communities that are walkable and climate-friendly or are we going to have a never-ending urban sprawl? Because growth is continuing and if we don't have housing to keep up with it, it's just becoming impossible. And I see that in so many people my age, who are - and many of them whom are relatively economically privileged - the majority of people in Seattle, households in Seattle, now earn over a hundred thousand dollars a year. But even for people who are economically privileged, the lack of availability of housing really makes the afford - it really is a huge challenge. And then so much more so for people who can't afford these high prices - and it's not just a Seattle problem, it's an everywhere-in-the-state problem. Spokane was supposed to be the next great affordable city and it's already unaffordable. It's an everywhere-in-the-state problem and it's going to become something that really chokes our economy and our ability to grow. And so I really think that we have to think of inclusionary zoning if we want to have climate-friendly neighborhoods and communities where families and kids and older people can continue to live. [00:06:58] Crystal Fincher: Well, and one thing that I wanted to talk about was a related issue - I think you raise excellent points on inclusionary zoning and the need to do it just to secure a livable future for those currently here and those who will remain here after we're gone. Related to the affordability issue is homelessness, and it's on a lot of people's minds and wanting to figure out what can be done. A lot of homeless policy is determined at the local level, frankly. And so a lot of people are like, okay, well in your capacity as a state legislator, what can you do? 'Cause affordability is also - the lack of affordability is driving people onto the streets. So what can you do in your capacity as a state legislator to reduce the amount of people living without homes? [00:07:47] Julia Reed: Yeah, well I think it's really important - I really believe and I think the research shows that homelessness is a housing problem. And there is some great - there's a great new book by some UW researchers specifically looking at it through that lens. And I think as a legislator, I'd love to see us, as a state, think about how are we making massive investments in permanent supportive housing and affordable housing. Along the same lines of - when we're talking about building light rail or highways, we talk about that in the billions of dollars. But when we talk about housing for human beings, we talk about that in the thousands, maybe the millions - even though this is the number one issue. Certainly there are people who are unhoused who are also suffering from mental health issues or addiction issues. There are housed people who also suffer from mental health and addiction issues. But those are more often than not, conditions that develop after they get onto the street and from the trauma to cope with kind of the trauma of living outdoors. And until we can bring them indoors, make them feel safe, give them a door that they can shut and lock - it's very hard for a person to start to think about how to commit to mental health treatment or substance use disorder treatment, or to think about finding a more stable job, or education or family reunification or therapy. If they need housing and there's not the housing - just like there is a lack of availability for people who can afford market rate housing, there's really a lack of availability for people who need permanently affordable housing, permanently supportive housing. I'm also really interested in some of these new ideas, like this social housing concept that is going to be on the ballot, which the idea to create a public development authority that would purchase and develop affordable housing on behalf of the - I believe it's the City in this case - on behalf of public entities. I was involved in the creation of the Cultural Space Authority at the City of Seattle, which is a public development authority that can purchase and hold and develop cultural spaces. So for theater and art and dance and music and other kinds of community-specific cultural spaces. [00:10:10] Crystal Fincher: All extremely valuable. [00:10:12] Julia Reed: Super valuable - it's really hard to be a working creative in - the creativity of our communities is why people want to live here and why employers have a lot of good workers here. But it's hard to - the lack of rehearsal space, performance space, culturally-specific spaces - so you think about Wa Na Wari, the Black cultural center in central Seattle - trying to preserve spaces like that. So the Cultural Space PDA launched and is doing its job and it seems to be doing really well. And I'm really interested in learning more about how that model can apply to housing. It's something that is new to me, but I definitely want to learn more. So I think as a legislator, the things that we can do is really try to address scarcity in the state because we control the state budget. Excuse me, we use the power of the purse to control the budget. And I think that when it comes - that's the place where we can start to make big investments in housing and where we can start to think about also mental health care and healthcare in general. But I definitely think that when it comes to addressing homelessness - homelessness is a housing problem. And I think that that is something that everybody needs to understand, because we can't just keep shuffling people along. I understand why people want encampments to be cleaned up and especially when they're unsanitary or unsafe or kind of getting out of control - but we've all seen encampments get cleaned up and then folks tend to just move down the street, down the block, they come back the next week because we're just cycling people through the same system and we can't just keep doing that and expecting to get different results. So I think we need to really start addressing housing and it's expensive and it's longterm and people like quick cheap solutions and that's what politicians are supposed to bring forward. But I think of myself, not so much as just a politician, but someone who is a public policy expert and a public servant. And I think it's incumbent on us to start looking at the systemic solutions to homelessness. [00:12:22] Crystal Fincher: Really important - another issue, kind of similar, or another area pretty similar when - yes, people love the really simple you-can-encapsulate-it-in-a-slogan solutions to public safety. What will actually make us safer? What will reduce crime? What will keep people from being victimized? And again, when it comes to - certainly the policing element of public safety and often the incarceration element of it - lots of that is determined at the local level on how they're going to approach that. So again, another huge issue that's on people's minds. Lot of data out there - a lot of decisions don't seem to be tied to the data that shows what works. But what do you think again, in your capacity as a state legislator, should you be doing to help make people safer? [00:13:20] Julia Reed: Yeah - I mean, it's a really good question. Every city in the country has seen an increase in crime in the wake of COVID-19 and that includes an increase in hate crimes targeting the Asian community. And that's a real concern and business owners who have struggled to keep their restaurants open or their storefronts open during COVID-19 - they don't deserve to come to work and see their door smashed in and to see their windows smashed. And they're just trying to keep their doors open, keep our communities going. And I think that that is a - it's a real, it's a serious concern. It's one that I hear about a lot from people as I'm out walking around and I would go back to this concept that one of the things the legislature can have an impact on is scarcity. And I think a lot of this low-level crime is tied to scarcity and tied to poverty. So a lack of jobs, a lack of education, a lack of housing, of healthcare, of community-based healing, and a lack of sort of community and spiritual support for folks. So I think that as a legislator, we can be using the revenue in our state to invest in our communities and invest in some of these solutions to crime that are actually going to have an impact because - just like shuffling the encampment down the road is not a real answer to homelessness, cycling people for misdemeanor crimes through the system - constantly putting them in and then cycling them out, waiting months for a court date, pulling detectives off of cases like murders and rapes and other cases in order for them to do kind of street patrol. Like, that's not a real community safety solution. Investing money in our communities, addressing poverty, fully funding education, funding community-based safety initiatives - like in Seattle, we have some really great models. We have Community Passageways, we have Choose 180, which is an amazing program that works on diversion. I'm very involved in the YMCA's Social Impact Center, which is a branch of the Y that serves young adults all across King County and even in Pierce County - who are transitioning out of foster care, but also criminal justice involvement, gang involvement and incarceration. They have an amazing program called Alive & Free that works with young people who have been incarcerated or been in gang involvement who are looking to change their lives. So we have these community models and I think we have to have the courage to really invest in them and prioritize them and say, this is work that is actually creating real safety and this is what the community is asking us for. And I think that is really what this is about is listening and then having courage - I think that speaking to your question about kind of police reform, I think one of the - in the legislature this year, I think one of the disappointments that I had was kind of the rollback of some of these reform measures that the state had invested in last year. And I think when the community has asked for something like this, we should listen to them and once we've passed the legislation, we should stand up for it, even if it's politically inconvenient. And I would like to bring that level of kind of courage and accountability to the legislature and stand with other legislators who I know, feel the same way. Police reform is a hugely complex issue - I speak to this as a Black woman, I think about my father, my brother, my boyfriend who are all Black. When they walk out the door, I worry about them. I worry about myself. And that is the lens through which I often see these issues. I also have family members who are police officers, and I know that so much gets made about the individual hearts and minds of specific police officers. And in some cases, I think that is appropriate, but this is not about individual people, it's about a whole system that we have to change. And the state has a lot of power - yes, a lot of the policing issues are decided on the local level, but the state has a lot of funding power, we also have a state prison system that legislators have power and accountability over. And I think that we need to be listening to communities, we need to have the courage to stand beside them not just when the focus and the energy is on the issue, but all the time even when it gets a little bit politically inconvenient the next year. And then I think when it comes to police reform, we really have to, again, it's about community solutions. It's about systemic solutions and it's about understanding that people are telling us what they need to be safe, and what makes them feel safe and what doesn't. And I think we need to listen to them. [00:18:25] Crystal Fincher: Well, and speaking of a legislative action - on the heels of our State Supreme Court's Blake decision, which basically made possession of small amounts of drugs - decriminalized that. The legislature went back and essentially recriminalized in some different ways and added some diversion opportunities to that. Do you think we should be treating substance use disorder and kind of low-level possession as crimes? Or should we be taking a public health approach to that? [00:19:00] Julia Reed: I definitely think we should be taking a public health approach. I don't think that it serves anyone who has low-level possession to be put in jail. I don't think it - it keeps them from it and to have kind of their opportunities for education and employment and their lives curtailed for those reasons. And I think if you look at the types of possession that get criminalized, I think there is certainly a pattern there of focusing on Black and Brown communities. And so I definitely think it is a public health problem. And I think one of the things that will be really interesting in our state is as we transition into - we're still very much in the midst of COVID, but as we kind of transition into living with COVID or whatever this next phase is - thinking about what else our public health departments were working on before the pandemic and what they want to kind of get back to. And how can we be more invested in those spaces. But I definitely think - when someone has substance use disorder, they need treatment, they don't need jail. And unfortunately, in many cases, their only way to get treatment is to go to jail and that's not right. Like that is not how it should be. People are sick and they need help and we should be helping them to be treated and to get back on their feet and to address their addiction. And I think that it is a public health problem, and it's one that we should be treating in that way. [00:20:42] Crystal Fincher: That makes sense to me. Another big systemic problem - we're talking a lot about big systemic problems. We've kind of allowed our problems to become bigger and bigger and bigger. Hopefully the things that we're talking about today and that you and other candidates are talking about are able to come to pass, but certainly when it does come to our climate and addressing climate change, mitigating the impacts that we're currently feeling - we have extreme heat and cold events and wildfires and smoke advisories, droughts and floods, just kind of everything here. What will you prioritize to make substantive, tangible change on not only the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, but on mitigating the impacts that we're currently feeling in our communities today? [00:21:36] Julia Reed: Yeah, absolutely. Climate change is an existential crisis for all of us. And I think it's something that all legislators should be really focused on. And it's one of the reasons why I want to run for legislature because, as a millennial, as someone who's in their mid-thirties, this is an issue of serious concern for me. And I don't always feel like the people that represent me are focused on it with the same amount of urgency. I'm really - I come from a background of working in public policy, so I am all about the kind of pragmatic solutions, like what can we do today? And one of the things I'm really focused on in the climate change fight is on community resiliency, which is basically kind of a big phrase that is like how are communities gonna cope with the impacts of climate change? Because while we fight to have a zero carbon future and to decarbonize and lower our carbon emissions, there are impacts that people are feeling today and especially low-income communities and communities of color are feeling today the most. But everyone is really impacted by it, and you mentioned those extreme weather events. So that's going to be a big focus for me in the legislature. It's something I worked on at the City of Seattle. I helped organize the first ever Smoke Ready Communities Day. That was an event across four counties, we had 12 cities participating, the State Department of Natural Resources. And it was a really great event, but one of the things that occurred to me as I was organizing it was - why am I random City of Seattle staff person leading this? Where is the statewide, or statewide push, for events like these, because this is something that is affecting all communities that really kind of felt like cities were sort of on their own to sort of figure out how to deal with this. There was no playbook, or real guidance for us on what we should be doing. And so I'd really like to see the state invest more in supporting cities in developing responses for extreme weather events related to climate change. I'd love to see a grant program for cities that want to install smoke filtration systems, for example, in community buildings like libraries or community centers or places where people can go during these events to be safe. It often is not really expensive to install or upgrade that filtration, but it makes a huge difference for people to know that they have some kind of safe haven in their community. I'd also love to see funding for landlords to upgrade, to install heat pump systems that allow air conditioning, or to upgrade air filtration in apartment buildings, which is another big challenge. I live in a condo building - we don't have an air conditioning system in this building, so when it's smoky and it's August and I'm on the top floor and it's 85, 90 degrees outside, I got to close all my windows and just sweat it out until things get better. And I think about all of the people around me who live in senior - there's a lot of subsidized, senior citizen apartments near me - and other just kind of rental apartments that are older buildings that really also don't have that kind of filtration and support. So I'd really like to see the state make some investments in communities that are trying to cope with these smoke impacts and extreme heat, extreme cold impacts so that we can - as we're trying to move towards our zero carbon future, we're still taking care of people today. [00:25:11] Crystal Fincher: Well, and towards that zero carbon future - right now, over 40% of Washington's emissions are coming from our transportation system. Lots of conversation following this past legislative session - after passing a transportation package that did make some excellent investments and bigger than we've seen to-date in alternatives to driving - people taking different modes of transportation, investments in transit, which are crucial and necessary. But we also saw highway expansion projects and things that actually support the increase of greenhouse gas emissions. As a legislator, will you be voting - will you vote in favor of a transportation package that expands highways, given how responsible they are for these greenhouse gas emissions? [00:26:03] Julia Reed: Yeah, it was obviously - the highway extension stuff is really disappointing. I think you had Mayor McGinn on your podcast earlier talking about - cars will expand to fill the space that's provided. I was really excited about some of the other investments in the package and some of the investments we've made in things like electrifying ferries or on shore power for ports - so that ships are not idling on diesel, pumping that into the atmosphere - investments in transit. I think it's hard to say without - I don't want to say, yes, I'll vote for this, no, I'll vote for that on hypothetical bills. I am someone who believes that if you can move the ball 40 yards down the field, that is better than moving zero yards and waiting for the perfect touchdown - that's politics - you have to sometimes make imperfect choices and compromises. But my going-in position is going to be - how are we moving toward that zero carbon future and starting to prioritize non-car travel. And this is where I think that - or alternatives to car travel - this is where I think, again, having voices from people in the legislature who travel that way - my prime - I do own a car, but my primary mode of transportation is my electric bike. I think electric bikes are incredible mobility solutions and they're really expensive. So we spend - we're willing to consider state subsidies for electric car buyers that have no means testing. I think we should be willing to consider state subsidies for electric bike buyers who are potentially - who potentially will be able to reach a lot more people, will change a lot more transit habits. And are a lot less expensive for the state to fund. And so I'd like to see more investment in those spaces, but I am looking for any and all allies to move us towards our zero carbon future. And I want to get us there. We can get a hundred yard - we can get all the way to the end zone in my first session, that would be amazing. But I think that I've been around politics long enough to know you have to be willing to kind of work it year after year after year. But it also is about the priorities you bring into the space. And my priorities are going to be our zero carbon future because that is the future that I want. And if I have children someday, that's the future that I hope that they will have. [00:28:28] Crystal Fincher: Well, and this is a particularly interesting issue to have this conversation about because we continue, and actually just last week, received an IPCC report that that is basically saying, Hey, now is our last best chance to stave off some of the most severe and harmful consequences of climate change. We have not taken the appropriate action in time to keep from feeling some consequences, but wow, so much worse is coming if we don't rapidly, majorly systemically change the direction that we're headed. And so this conversation about climate change has a tension in it that I think some others don't in that some of that, whether you want to call it incremental or some progress can be made, but if we aren't making big progress, then we are inviting so much worse in the future. And there actually is a timer on the amount of time that we have to do this. So the year after year after year solutions, which has been the approach that we have been taking, which hasn't resulted in a reduction in emissions yet, is what a lot of people are looking at and saying - so what we have been doing has not been working and the situation that we're leaving our kids is dire and I think some of the - lots of discussion around where support is in terms of candidates and where people are leaning and how young people are feeling and voting - them more than anyone, taking a look at their future and saying, it's now or never for us. And we're actually the ones who are going to have to live with this long after the rest of you are gone and you're kind of legislating like it. We're trying to fight for our future. So in that vein, do you really feel like we have year after year after year, or we don't need to increase the urgency and draw some red lines where maybe we haven't drawn them before? [00:30:42] Julia Reed: Yeah. I should clarify - I do think that there is extreme urgency and I think that you have to act on it with urgency. So it's not sort of like, oh, we'll do a little bit of this, we'll do a little of that. And eventually it'll all add up. I definitely feel that urgency. And I think like you said, it is about a future that I'm going to live in - I'm 35. I hope to have a long life and who knows what the planet is going to - well, scientists know and are trying to tell us what the planet is gonna look like 30 years from now if we don't take more action. So I absolutely think that we have to act with really strong urgency on this issue. And I think that we have to, we need to address things also like transportation pollution and the technology around airplanes and cargo ships. There are many sources of that kind of industrial pollution in our spaces, so I absolutely think that that is something we should be addressing. [00:31:43] Crystal Fincher: Right now, we're also in, as you've said, in the midst - we're still in a pandemic - and despite a number of recent abandonments of COVID protections and case rates going up in some areas now, hospitalizations have also started to go up. Wastewater indications are certainly that COVID is surging in many areas in the country. What should we be doing and really in your capacity as a state legislator, should the state be doing more? Should you be taking more action to help address and mitigate the impacts of COVID? 'Cause there certainly are some people who are celebrating - there was just new polling that came out this morning showing that three quarters of Americans either are in favor of, or are not opposed, to masking in most areas. Less than 30% of Americans, fewer than 30%, are actually opposed to masking on public transportation and in public shared spaces. What should you be doing? What action would you want to take as a state legislator to help address this - to protect people who - we still have people who can't be vaccinated yet, people who are immunocompromised, people who are disabled or who have autoimmune disorders - [00:33:12] Julia Reed: People who are under five. [00:33:14] Crystal Fincher: Exactly. Who are saying, I am concerned about my ability to fully participate in society, and if I do choose to do that, what that means in terms of my health and the risks that we're taking. What actions should you be taking as a state legislator to address that? [00:33:35] Julia Reed: Yeah, it's an extremely challenging time. And I feel really grateful to have weathered the pandemic in this area where a lot of people are vaccinated and a lot of people do wear masks. But, and I feel like I keep citing my age, 'cause you know I'm 35 - I'm 35 - and I have a lot of friends who have had children in the last three to four years. So I have a lot of friends who have children under five, and they're just so concerned. And as we - people like me who don't have children, or people who are vaccinated and really only around other vaccinated adults are starting to venture out to bars, or sports games, or travel - that is not part of their lives. And they're really worried. And they, and I think also, as you said - people who are disabled, people who are immunocompromised - they deserve to be a part of our society and have full lives as well. And I think that masking is a very small thing that you can do. I don't always love wearing a mask either, but I do wear it in public places and in indoor spaces. Because I do think it is important to respect people's needs and their risks. And I was really disturbed to read these stories as the mask mandate was lifted - of people on airplanes, pilots announcing mid-flight, oh, you can take off your mask and people just tearing off their masks and cheering, and families that were traveling under the assumption that people were going to be masked trapped on these planes for the next several hours. And I think that - I think that this, pandemic - I hope that it has shown us the importance of working together collectively. And I kind of shake my head at the administration's decision not to appeal this federal judge ruling, because it just seems like this is not a safe decision and not something we should be doing. And, I think that we should be wearing masks on public transportation, I think we should be wearing masks at airports and on planes, I think we should be wearing them on ferries. I think that for those small periods of time that you spend in those business spaces, I think that people should be - I think it's reasonable to ask people to wear masks. And I think the fact that people are not doing that is really troubling and could potentially mean we're in this pandemic for even longer. COVID is not over just 'cause we're all tired of it - I wish it was - I wish it worked that way. But it is definitely super concerning for me. And I think as a legislator, I think that one of the things we can do is just try as much as possible to invest in public health. I think that was one of the things that really helped us in King County, as kind of the ground zero of COVID for the nation, is we have a fairly strong public health department here. And I think they could certainly use more investment and more supports, but they did a pretty good job getting things up and running. And I think a lot of places in the country where public health has been uninvested or under-invested, you see the effects on people. And the other thing I'm really worried about is, as federal funding, as funding for uninsured people to get tested goes away, that's a big concern as well. So right now, when you go and get tested - or previously - even if you didn't have insurance - if you had insurance, the state would bill your insurance, your insurance company would pay. And if you didn't have insurance, state would cover it - you'd get - the federal funding would sort of make up the gap. But now that funding to cover insurance for testing for the uninsured is going away - and I don't think here in Washington - 'cause I think the legislature has some temporary funding. But in other states, certainly, you're hearing about people trying to go in and get tested and then being told, well, if you don't have insurance, then you're going to be billed directly for this. And then them walking out and not getting tested. And so if we're taking away masks, we're reducing the number of people who can afford to get tested, we're just opening up everything and not having any kinds of restrictions - I don't see how we don't have another significantly harmful viral wave. And that worries me. [00:38:25] Crystal Fincher: It also worries me. Well, is there anything else, as we close today, that you would want listeners to know about you and why you would want them to support you? [00:38:39] Julia Reed: Yeah, as I said, I'm running because this is a really transitional time for our state and our city. And Seattle's had a lot of tough times, it's changed a lot. There's a lot of challenges around affordability, transit access, but Seattle is also my home and I'm going to fight for it. My family's been here - my great-grandmother actually lived in the 36th district on Taylor Avenue in Queen Anne Hill at the turn of the century, the turn of the 20th century - she immigrated here from Ireland just the day before the great Seattle fire. So my family's been in this district and this area a really long time. And I really believe that this is a special place and I want to fight to make it a place where everyone can thrive. And I think I have the professional experience to know how to move legislation not just on the stump, but actually in the legislature, and how to write legislation that can actually be implemented by state government. I think I have lived experience as a lifelong Seattleite, as a Black woman, as a teacher's kid, as a public policy professional to really bring a lens of urgency and focus and equity and justice to the legislature. And I hope that the voters will see that, and I look forward to meeting everyone out on the campaign trail. [00:40:04] Crystal Fincher: I thank you all for listening to Hacks & Wonks on KVRU 105.7 FM. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Lisl Stadler with assistance from Shannon Cheng. You can find me on Twitter @finchfrii, spelled F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe, to get our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - we'll talk to you next time.

Week In Review: March 18, 2022

Seattle's Morning News with Dave Ross

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2022 51:27

On this Hacks & Wonks week-in-review, Crystal's co-host is criminal defense attorney, abolitionist and activist Nicole Thomas-Kennedy. They discuss how a powerful lobbying group used a focus on local control to sink statewide housing reform, and how to overcome that in the next session, a rundown of candidates running for open seats, the disconnect of prioritizing the wants of downtown stakeholders over real solutions to homelessness, the Seattle City Attorney's repackaging of a failed initiative, and mixed results on the plan for some concrete workers to return to work while concrete companies continue to drag their feet on negotiating a fair contract. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Nicole Thomas-Kennedy, at @NTKallday. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Resources “Here's What Happened in Olympia” by Rich Smith from The Stranger: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2022/03/15/68343035/the-strangers-rundown-of-2022s-huge-confused-legislative-session “What Will It Take to Get Statewide Housing Reform?” by Matt Baume from The Stranger: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2022/03/16/68207458/what-will-it-take-to-get-statewide-housing-reform “Surprise Sweep Displaces Fourth Avenue Encampment, Scattering Unsheltered People” by Erica C. Barnett from PubliCola: https://publicola.com/2022/03/09/surprise-sweep-displaces-fourth-avenue-encampment-scattering-unsheltered-people-throughout-downtown/ “Downtown Sweep Highlights Urgency of Resolving Seattle's Other “Top-Priority Encampment,” Woodland Park” by Erica C. Barnett from PubliCola: https://publicola.com/2022/03/16/downtown-sweep-highlights-urgency-of-resolving-seattles-other-top-priority-encampment-woodland-park/ “City Attorney's Office Introduces Latest Initiative to Target “High Utilizers” of the Criminal Justice System” by Paul Kiefer from PubliCola: https://publicola.com/2022/03/15/city-attorneys-office-introduces-latest-initiative-to-target-so-called-high-utilizers-of-the-criminal-justice-system/ “Harrell postpones Seattle police plan to crack down on ‘disorderly conduct' at Third Avenue bus stops” by David Kroman from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/harrell-postpones-seattle-police-plan-to-crack-down-on-disorderly-conduct-at-third-avenue-bus-stops/ “Cigarettes and Fentanyl: All Aboard” by Nathan Vass from NathanVass.com: http://www.nathanvass.com/blog/cigarettes-and-fentanyl-all-aboard “Some Seattle-area concrete drivers return to work, others await go-ahead from employer” by Nick Bowman from MyNorthwest: https://mynorthwest.com/3398180/seattle-concrete-drivers-return-others-await-employer/ “Concrete strike continues in King County as union workers who offered to return didn't show” by KING 5 Staff & Adel Toay from KING 5: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/concrete-strike-king-county-union-workers-no-show/281-f14d167c-c88c-44db-91c8-591171124209 Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington State through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. For transcripts and resources referenced in this show, you can visit officialhacksandwonks.com and reference our episode notes. Today we're continuing our Friday almost-live shows where we review the news of the week with a co-host. Welcome to the program for the first time, today's co-host: criminal defense attorney, abolitionist, and activist Nicole Thomas-Kennedy. Hey. [00:00:55] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: Hello. Thanks for having me - and this is the second time I've been on - must have been so memorable that first time. [00:01:01] Crystal Fincher: No, this is your first time as a co-host on the Week In Review. Yes, we did an interview last time, which was very good and incredible. And a number of people were like, well, we see who you want to win. And it's just like, look, if she happens to be making great and salient points, it's not my fault. But yes, just really, really excited to have you here on the Week In Review. [00:01:28] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: I'm excited to be here. Thank you. [00:01:30] Crystal Fincher: Well, and so the first thing that we have coming out of the gate was one thing I wanted to talk about - coming out of the end of the legislative session - we talked last week and broke down a number of bills. The Stranger this week had a great article that we'll put in our episode notes that also further broke down what was great about the legislative session, what was disappointing, and how we can move forward. And then Matt Baume also had another article talking about the failure of bills that would have mandated more density, specifically near transit, that would've helped address the affordability crisis that we have here in the state. And I thought it was very good - it was focused on, hey, what needs to happen moving forward to actually succeed in passing bills that require more density statewide? In that, he talked about the AWC, Association of Washington Cities, being a vocal opponent. They are a powerful lobby in the State of Washington. Their purpose, they say, is to represent the over 200 cities in the state. And their position largely was - it's really important to have local control in these and the one-size-fits-all solution that would come from the state just may not be right for our communities, so therefore we need to do nothing. The challenge in that is that most cities have not moved forward on doing anything. As you look at this issue, Nicole, what do you see as being the barriers and, I guess, the opportunities for moving forward successfully? [00:03:16] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: I think that when I look at this, first I think it's funny that there is a coalition of all these cities that are all saying the same thing - we want local control - that seems to be the only thing that they agree on. But I think that on a state level, there needs to be a floor created for affordable housing and density, and that's really all we were talking about for the most part with these bills. It wasn't any incredibly specific directions that each city has to take on a certain timeline on a certain budget - anything like that. It was about just creating a floor of affordable, dense housing that is needed in pretty much every community. And I think that what I heard a lot in the last year was that - the reverse of there needs to be local control - which was now we have municipalities competing against each other for who can do the least. Seattle is - Sara Nelson and other people are calling out other cities for not doing their part and spending their money on addressing the crisis. And it seems to be like a race to the bottom in terms of who can spend the least. And because the idea, I think, is that if you build services, if you build affordable housing, people will move into them. And why do that when you can concentrate a lot of the unsheltered population in one place that provides the minimum to keep people alive? And that's what I see going on. [00:04:59] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and definitely a resistance to people who are defined as others and outsiders from even being able to buy into communities. It was really interesting in this article - there were representatives from cities across the state, from Port Orchard to Tacoma to University Place, and a number of them were leaders within AWC and talked about - we need local control, we are all very different. But one very consistent thread in these is that the median home price in most of these areas has doubled. This housing crisis is not just a crisis in major municipalities. It is a crisis across the board in areas that were affordable - that people used to consider being affordable and that people could buy into and still work in a major area where jobs are concentrated. And still live, even with a commute unfortunately - that it was possible to buy a home there with a median income. It is no longer the case in many of these places. And sometimes, like one of these examples in Port Orchard, they touted - well, we built new homes. Well, yeah, those are half million dollar plus homes adjacent to a golf course. If we're concentrating on making sure cities are accessible to people across the board and that you don't have to be rich and that we aren't displacing people outside of cities and just gentrifying them, then we have to have a solution across the board. Also, interestingly, the National League of Cities, which the Association of Washington Cities is a member of, had a 2019 report that said, "While local control is often at the heart of policies that accelerate progress, there are examples, particularly in the affordable housing policy arena in which state policy is needed." To your point, there has to be a floor. We have to establish a minimum boundary. Cities can determine the right way that they're all going to get there, but what we can't do - what is not sustainable, we're already paying the price for - is continued inaction while just spouting excuses like, well, it's not local control, therefore it's nothing. I would love to see leaders within the legislature say, "Well, you say you want local control? This wasn't successful this session. You now have this coming year to address this within your own cities. If you do, we can find a way to create legislation that respects what you've done." And more than likely if you're taking meaningful action, the floor is going to be below where you set it. But it's not going to be an option to continue to not take action next session and further on in the future. I would love to hear that from legislative leadership and leaders across the state - it just should not be an option. We have to make cities and housing affordable and accessible for people to live in, or else we're going to make our homelessness problem worse, we're going to make our displacement problem worse, we're not going to have people available to fill jobs that are necessary within cities. This is a critical economic development issue just in addition to a housing and social issue. So I hope we address that. Go ahead. [00:08:31] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: Oh, I was just going to say too that I really like how you talked about these are communities that used to be affordable. When we talk about Port Orchard - my in-laws live in Port Orchard, and so when they bought their home, it was very affordable and the amount of money it appreciated to was pretty astronomical. And so when we're resisting building affordable housing - and affordable really is - we're talking about homes that are less than half a million dollars, which is just a wild concept that that's where we are with the average home prices in an area. It wasn't always like that. So the idea that these - the people that are already there should be able to stay with this huge, expensive appreciation that they have in their home value, but then not let anybody else in that is going to be coming in at the same level that they came in at. And unfortunately they're not going to be able to afford - they're going to have to have less in terms of space and in terms of all of those things. And so it's interesting to me to want to keep out the same people that are essentially already there, I guess. [00:09:52] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it absolutely is that issue. And then as I look at this, it's like the people who are in housing whose housing has appreciated and who are resistant to any kind of acceptance of other people in their communities - we're talking about their kids, we're talking about their employees, we're talking about their students. And again, people talk about, well, I can't find anyone to fill this position in my company. We can't find people. No one wants to work. But is it that no one wants to work? Or is it that you're now forcing people who can't live and work in the same community, and maybe the compensation doesn't work for someone who has to commute 45 minutes each way and drop off their kids beforehand and pick them up after? It just isn't tenable for so many reasons. I feel like we leave housing and affordability out of economic discussions and it's just so critical and a big part of those two. So I hope that we see significant action, and that candidates are talking about this on the campaign trail, and our leadership is making it clear in both the House and the Senate - that this is something that needs to be acted on and will be acted on next session, and that cities are on notice that they need to move in the right direction. [00:11:19] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: Yes, I agree. Yes. That needs to happen. And I think there needs to be some - maybe more clear calling out of what is actually happening. If municipalities are saying, oh, we want to sit down, we want to sit down, we want to talk, we want to talk - but then they're not asking for any more talks and they're not proposing anything of their own. I think it's maybe time to call a spade a spade and say, are you really interested in solving this problem, or are you really just kicking the can down the road? [00:11:47] Crystal Fincher: Exactly. Well, the legislative session did recently conclude, and that means that now we have a number of legislators who are kicking off their re-election campaigns and starting in earnest. One thing I don't know if everyone who listens is aware of is that - while our legislators are in office, they can't actually raise money, so they can't do a major element of campaigning. There is a prohibition against doing that, also for certain employees of the state. So once session concludes, they're all trying to catch up to people who have already been running and doing that. And so a lot of them are - people are receiving a lot more emails from their representatives and appeals for donations - that's happening now. And I just wanted to do a quick little rundown of where there are open seats. There are a number of representatives who are retiring or moving onto different positions, some in the House are running for Senate seats - but that is leaving some positions open that are now contested by several different people. The 22nd Legislative District in Thurston County - having Beth Doglio and Laurie Dolan who are Democrats, and Loretta Byrnes running for those - that's Position 1 there. 30th Legislative District in Federal Way, where Jesse Johnson has decided not to run for re-election - we have Kristine Reeves, who's filed to run, Leandra Craft, Lynn French, Ryan Odell and Ashli Raye Tagoai, I think it is, and Janis Clark. And then in the 36 District in Seattle, where Reuven Carlyle decided not to run and then Noel Frame decided to run for Reuven Carlyle Senate seat, leaving that House seat vacant - there's Julia Reed, Jeffrey Manson, Elizabeth Tyler Crone, Nicole Gomez, and Waylon Robert. And in the 46th District - and just a reminder, I am working with Melissa Taylor - there is Melissa Taylor, Lelach Rave, Nancy Connolly, Darya Farivar, and Nina Martinez who have filed for that seat. That's in north Seattle, northeast Seattle. 47th Legislative District, which is eastern Kent, Covington, Maple Valley area, where Pat Sullivan is no longer running, he's not going to be running for re-election - there's Carmen Goers, Kyle Lyebyedyev, Jessie Ramsey, and Satwinder Kaur, who is a Kent City Councilmember. And then King County Prosecuting Attorney is an open seat because Dan Satterberg is not running for re-election - and so there's Stephan Thomas, Leesa Manion, and Jim Ferrell who are running for that seat. So there is a lot to come - we're certainly going to be having conversations with several of these candidates, but running these campaigns are getting off in earnest now - and you'll be hearing lots and seeing lots, and the end of the legislative session is a big turning point in campaign season with another big milestone coming up. There are lots of people who can file to run and you can start your campaign committee in May - in mid-May is where people officially declare that they're running for a specific seat - and that will determine who actually appears on your ballot. And so that'll be the final say on who is running for what, so people in the interim can potentially switch positions they're running for, choose not to run - lots of choices and paths that this can go down. As you're looking at this crew, does anything just come to mind for you? Or you've run a campaign - a big campaign citywide before - what do see just ahead for these candidates and for voters who are evaluating them? [00:15:59] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: I mean, I see some candidates that I think are exciting - I also love Melissa Taylor. I used to work on the other side of Leandra Craft - I think she's smart and knows what's going on. So I think I'm seeing some good candidates. Campaigning at that level is different because there just has to be so much fundraising done, whereas in the City, we're so lucky that we don't have to spend all of our time doing that. I just - I wish everyone the best because - oh yeah, oh, Nicole Gomez too. There's some people to be really excited about, I think, and so that's great. I just wish everyone the best. I hope everyone's taking good care of themselves - that's what I think when I see this list. [00:16:45] Crystal Fincher: Running for office is a very, very tough thing. It's not fun - you're putting yourself out there to be scrutinized - people do not always consider the human when they are communicating with or about candidates. And they are humans - even when we disagree with them, they're humans. I do think, as candidates are kicking off their campaigns, certainly fundraising is a big deal in the City of Seattle - with City races, there are Democracy Vouchers where every resident gets money from the City that they can donate to the candidate of their choice. That is not the case in these campaigns this year - they have to raise all the money they need. And campaigns do take money because unfortunately there is not broad media coverage, and getting your message out to most voters requires communicating directly with them. And so whether it's knocking on their door, giving them a call - which still takes resources - and usually also involves communicating with them via mail or online or on TV - just a lot of different mediums there. And then people are also focusing on endorsements - especially early on, people are trying to figure out - what do these candidates stand for, what have they been involved with, and how have they worked before in the past, what is their history? And sometimes endorsements can be revealing and highlight what that candidate prioritizes, who is in their corner, what kind of issues they'll be strong on and a leading a advocate for - not simply a vote. So lots of that happening right now, and certainly just hope for the best and hope they are successful in getting their messages out. It is an interesting time and campaigns are kicking off once again. I did want to pivot to a number of news items in the City of Seattle surrounding public safety - first being the issue of sweeps of a number of encampments. And so we had a 4th Avenue encampment sweep, which scattered a bunch of unsheltered folks. There's probably other sweeps to come soon, and the issue of another encampment that has been viewed as a top priority at Woodland Park. As you look at what's going on with these sweeps, what do you see as far as what's happening? [00:19:33] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: What I see is the huge amount of disconnect between what the public thinks is happening and what is actually happening - and that's just such a huge disservice to everyone. I know that there's a narrative out there that people are refusing services and they're refusing shelter. And I guess the idea is that some people are camping out in the cold and rain, because that's preferable somehow to be sheltered. And that's not what the case is - we don't have enough places for people to live that they can afford to live in. We don't have the services that are needed to stop this from continuing to happen. Also, the thing is - it really just moves the problem around. There's nothing really - it will clear one area of sidewalk for a certain period of time, but all it does is move things around. And the more people are destabilized, who are already barely, are clinging to stability and security in the most tenuous way possible - are then pushed around and have all the belongings they need to survive thrown away - because that's what we saw in the downtown sweep is - it was different than some of the other sweeps in that they didn't really offer services, they didn't offer anything. There's different timelines that they went by because they called the tents downtown an obstruction, a sidewalk obstruction, which means that they're - all of the things that they're supposed to do during the sweep, they didn't have to do any of that. And they didn't. And so we just see people's belongings being thrown away, tents thrown away. And I think what's also missing from the narrative around these sweeps is just how much stress that puts on service providers. I talk to a lot of people and they say, well, the Navigation Center is just up the street and I'm like, how much do you think that they can handle? Because as a public defender, something that I saw often was people being displaced by going to jail. That means when they get out, they have to get a new ID, a new EBT card, they have to go to DESC and see if they can get a tent and a sleeping bag - because there's things that people need in order to survive. And people don't just evaporate after a sweep, they are still existing. And also my partner has an office in Pioneer Square and he watched the 4th Avenue sweep, and he's seen a lot of sweeps around . That area. And he says, it's just really hard to watch people who are barely hanging on become so dysregulated by the horror of what is actually happening to them. And he said he would see people huddled together in alleyways trying to get away from the police - it's just a really horrifying scene that doesn't - it really truly does not solve any problem other than that one piece of sidewalk for a little bit of time. And so we're spending millions and millions of dollars to essentially make this problem worse. We move it around and make it worse. And so, I get that people don't want to see this anymore, but if that's what they want, then we're going to have to take some steps towards solutions and sweeps just aren't it at all. [00:23:04] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. You raised so many good points - it's absolutely correct. The bottom line is the actions that we're taking are not moving people into shelter and permanent housing. It is not an ideal solution to have people on sidewalks and have people living on streets. But when people don't have a home to go to and they don't have anywhere else to go, that is the option. That is the option. Unless we just expect people to die, we can't jail our way out of the problem. There certainly is a contingent of people who are just like, well, they shouldn't be on the sidewalk and that should be illegal and that's an obstruction and it's bad, and they should be arrested and they're probably criminals anyway and they're causing problems and creating crime. When the reality is people who are unsheltered are actually many times more likely to be victims of crime. They're a very vulnerable population and that's all just factless propaganda that we're hearing otherwise. But our services are not set up to meet the needs that actually exist, and time after time - when we listen and we hear things like they were offered shelter and they refused, we really do have to dig a little bit deeper and think about what were they offered? So many times what they were offered does not actually accommodate the needs that they have - if they have a partner, if they have a dog - those people that they have relied on that again, because they're in such a vulnerable position and because they are so exposed to the likelihood of having crime committed against them, having people that they can count on who help to look out for you, that help to protect your belongings - is essential to survival. And a lot of times we're asking them to give that up for a night in a shelter, for a week in a shelter. It's not even like they have the opportunity to transition in a permanent way and okay, maybe it's going to be okay. That stay in the shelter could be absolutely destabilizing for them and could tear apart the only thing that is keeping them safe and warm and alive. And so we just have to get really serious about this. I think Marc Dones has talked a lot about this issue and that we have to get real about - when we see such high "refusal rates", which can just be a service didn't fit. And when we see high rates of people being referred to services and then not showing up or following through, there's a reason for that. And if we want to get to the root cause of this issue and if we want to get people off of our sidewalks, which I think everybody wants, then we have to actually address the issues there and meet the needs that exist, not the ones that - they have to be solutions that meet the needs that they're identifying that they have, not what we think they should have, not what we think they deserve, not what we think is right or good or moral or all of that stuff. If we aren't addressing the things that they say will, hey, yes, that is something that I could do to move forward to get off the streets, then we're just moving people around to different areas. And again, a sweep is just moving people off of a block - the City and the County will acknowledge, have acknowledged - that no, it's not solving the issue of homelessness, it's moving them off of a block. I think another missing part of this conversation is that we seem to be prioritizing the needs and wants of downtown moneyed interests and not those of the rest of the community. We're perfectly fine spending tons of money - allocating tons of time and officer resources, City resources - to clear a block here and there at the behest of the Downtown Seattle Association, or the Chamber, or a business owner who's been loud and vocal, but we're actually not doing the same thing in other neighborhoods where just regular people are living. In fact, we're displacing the problems that existed in the downtown area to other communities - freely admitting it and saying, hey, we just spent the money that we could have spent to house people - which is the biggest problem of homelessness is people lacking houses - and we're treating this like a criminal solution and basically putting the problem into your lap now. And doing a victory lap because this one block downtown is clear for now. It just does not make much sense to me. And I just feel like so many people are just like, well, you don't care and you want all the sidewalks to be like this. No, no one does. We just want to actually not keep kicking the can down the road and waste the money that we could be using to actually solve this problem. [00:28:33] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: Absolutely - and I also think that there's - I don't really understand why there is so much comfort in subsidizing downtown businesses using all the resources there to make sure that they can have what they want, but everybody else has to deal with the fallout and they just have to take it on. But like downtown - their sidewalks, everything - the City as a whole pays to subsidize clearing those blocks for them and for their businesses. And I don't understand why anyone is okay with that idea, especially because yes, we're not talking about solutions. And I think that if you're not talking about getting people housed, then you are just talking about moving the problem around. And there's a lot of reasons why - you were talking about people might refuse services, but there's also - and they're very real. Like you said, there's a community aspect that is the only thing that's keeping a lot of people truly alive, truly safe, truly alive - the modicum of safety and life that they have. And that's not considered. And I think that it's a very convenient - to say, well, they refused services - but it's just like, well, did you give them a three-night hotel voucher where they can't take any of their belongings? And so therefore they know if I do this, then I'm going to be out again in three days and I'm not going to have any of the things that I need to survive. There's a lot more that goes into decisions about what services to accept and not, rather than just personal preference. And I think that's how it gets sold - is like, oh, well, you maybe don't like this, but that's what there is. And it's just - first of all, I think people should have choices. But second, we're talking about the difference between life and death. And so the idea that, and this is what I would see in court all the time too, especially around issues like addiction or not having shelter is - well, if we just punish you harder, then you won't be like this anymore. I'm - this person lives under a bridge and is fighting for their life. I don't know how much lower we can take this - there's no point in making people who are suffering suffer more. I think there's this idea that they'll just suffer more and then they'll just stop - suffer more and then they'll magically have money to move into an apartment that costs twice as much as it did five years ago? That's this weird, magical thinking that is really, I guess, hypnotic on some level, but it's really pervasive. And we can see that it hasn't worked, so I don't really understand clinging to those notions. But yeah, that's where we are. And it's incredibly - I saw a picture the other day of some bike officers at a sweep and there was 12 of them just in the picture - and if you think about median income for a sworn police officer for SPD, I think it's $163,000. So even just looking - if we just rounded to $150k - 12 officers at $150k in this picture - that's almost $2,000 an hour. And I'm sure that was only a small number of the officers that were there. So in addition to parks, in addition to all of the other services that may or may not be provided - we're spending gigantic amounts of money to make the problem worse. And that just doesn't make any sense. If you want people off the sidewalk - I do too, this is horrible. Yeah, and I think there is this idea that if you say you don't like sweeps, then you must love people living in the street. And I think it's the complete opposite - you can be in favor of the sweeps, but you are not in favor of getting people off the street. You are in favor of getting people off your street temporarily. So it really - but I think it's really hard for people when the narrative is, oh, they're refusing services - as if people are being offered an apartment and they're saying, you know what - I really like it outside in the cold and rain. Yeah, it's hard, it's hard, there's - the media around this issue is really hard, making it really difficult for a lot of people. [00:33:30] Crystal Fincher: I agree with that. Another thing that we saw this week was the City Attorney Office pivoting back to a strategy - another strategy that we've seen unveiled many times before - an initiative to target "high utilizers" of the criminal justice system. And so Ann Davison has identified - I think it was 118 individuals who they say are responsible, 118 "high utilizers" who "create a disproportionate impact on public safety in Seattle." And so there have been similar initiatives launched in 2012 and 2019. And you may have heard other terms like high-impact offenders, prolific offenders - but this is the same strategy that they're using there. These clearly were not successful programs in the past, but we are returning to them. And certainly this is something that has been championed by more conservative folks, by the "law and order crowd". And we have varying opinions with this - there's a PubliCola article that goes over this - but King County Department of Public Defense Director, Anita Khandelwal, views the initiative as just repetition of a failed strategy, saying, "Over the last decade, the city has repeatedly announced similarly named initiatives that would focus more law enforcement resources on those already most policed as a strategy for addressing public safety. This is a tired strategy of arresting, prosecuting and jailing. It's expensive and clearly ineffective." Lisa Daugaard, the co-executive director of the Public Defender Association and co-founder of the LEAD diversion program, who we've talked about before - most recently supportive of the failed Compassion Seattle initiative - sees potential for success, saying the initiative is built on a solid foundation - addressing the needs of "high utilizers" on a case-by-case basis. She believes Davison could avoid the errors of past crackdowns by pushing her counterparts in city and county governments to expand programs like LEAD to accommodate a new surge in clients. Also, Lisa admits that if LEAD took on all 118 of those people's clients, they would not have any more capacity for additional clients in the future. And again, it's important to note that it does not appear that Ann Davison has expressed at all that she has any interest in diverting these programs to LEAD, or any other diversion program that is focused on treating more root causes to prevent this recidivism and reoffense that has been a hallmark of just arresting and jailing people. We have to do different things in order to get a different result. What do you think about this? [00:36:47] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: I think it's funny - the repackaging every year - Ann really sold herself as this - someone so opposite of what Pete Holmes did, but now she's - this is the same exact thing. And it really is just window dressing in my opinion. And the idea that we can spend more on law enforcement and it's going to help is so ridiculous. The one thing that the 118 people that were identified have in common is none of them have shelter. [00:37:28] Crystal Fincher: Literally none? [00:37:30] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: Right. Yeah. No, none of them do. They're all unsheltered. And so instead of spending this astronomical amount of money on more law enforcement, why don't we put money into housing? Because also when you look at the breakdown of the repeat crimes, it's usually low-level shoplifts and trespassing, which is just sleeping under an awning. And so how much of that could we just remove by getting people sheltered? And that seems to be the last solution. It's just - try everything else, except for providing shelter and services to people, which are so - it's so much less expensive to house someone and give them wraparound services - wraparound services like onsite case management, medication management, things like that - is so much less expensive than putting them in jail. And it's stable, right? Because no matter how much you hate that someone sleeps under an awning or steals a sandwich, no matter how much you dislike that, the criminal justice system will always fail to provide a solution because it's a temporary thing. The maximum sentence on almost every misdemeanor is - well, the maximum sentence is either 90 days or 364 days. And with the way jail time works, everyone's going to be back out on the street in 9 months - that's the max. We cannot just think of jail as this permanent housing solution and permanent incapacitation solution for low-level misdemeanors that could be so - I don't want to say easily, because it's not easy - it's not getting people into affordable housing, we don't have any first of all. And it's not an easy solution, but it's the only one that actually makes any sense. And I think that when we talk about LEAD or any of these other things, we're just putting more money where it doesn't belong. I don't think lawyers and cops should not be dealing with these situations. That's not where the money should go. The money should go to service providers, to housing, to professionals that deal with addiction or mental health issues - that's where the money needs to go and those are prioritized the least, and it's all about arrests and incarceration. And again, it's just like the sweeps - you're kicking the can - there's nothing about that that's going to solve the problem. And so no matter how many times someone gets arrested for these things, they're going to get out of jail. If it doesn't escalate into a felony and we're talking about the people that are these "high utilizers", or a couple years ago repeat offenders or prolific offenders, we're talking about a lot of misdemeanors. We're not talking about people with a bunch of murders or something like that. [00:40:24] Crystal Fincher: Committing violent crime, assaults - that type of thing. [00:40:27] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: Yeah, so if we're talking about this low-level stuff, there's - it's a completely inadequate response that sucks up all of the resources needed to actually combat the problem. [00:40:39] Crystal Fincher: It does, and it is a real challenge. We have done this before, it has not worked. We keep spending resources on what has been proven to not work, while simultaneously demanding data that proves that doing anything else will completely solve this issue, and create a nirvana and just be the end-all and be-all, when that is actually not the standard that we're applying with our humongous expenditure of resources. And just another reminder that jail is really expensive. It costs a whole lot of money. The criminal, just our entire criminal legal system is a really, really costly system. So we do have a lot of resources available - we continue to make choices to spend them on lawyers, on jailing people, on all of the people and buildings and apparatus to support that. And when we actually have tons of data that that does not fix this problem - in fact, it is likely to make it worse. And so if we are focused on data-driven approaches, that is what is clearly being indicated - what we have a long track record locally that we can draw on that proves that, but certainly also looking nationally - so much data to back that up. We will have to see. The last thing I wanted to talk about was a story that came out this week - David Kroman wrote about it in the Times - with Harrell postponing Seattle Police Department's plan to crack down on disorderly conduct at Third Avenue bus stops. The police department was looking at using the City's criminal code regulating disorderly conduct on buses - things like smoking, playing loud music, littering, drinking alcohol, "loud raucous and harassing behavior" and other conduct that is inconsistent with the intended use and purpose of the transit facility, transit station or transit vehicle. These have often not been cited. We will put it in the episode notes - there's actually an article I need to track down by a bus driver that I thought was really thoughtful. And it does seem like it is a fact that there is more disruptive activity happening on buses than there was before. This bus driver was thoughtful and like, yeah, this is happening - and also there are lots of reasons why it's happening, and there are lots of reasons why taking a criminalizing approach may not be helpful, why taking a different kind of the law and order thing or just kicking people off buses may not be helpful. It's a complicated thing to solve. We do need to acknowledge that driver safety is important, that rider safety is important, but also have the lens that if we want to address this problem - again, like the conversation we just had - simply arresting and jailing someone actually doesn't fix and solve the problem. A lot of times this is a result and a symptom of failures in so many other places of people not having access to mental health treatment that they need, of substance use disorder treatment that they need, public health problems that we actually don't have those facilities for. What is your view on this, and on Mayor Harrell's decision to actually step in and postpone it? [00:44:34] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: I think it's interesting because again, like as we already talked about, it's not a solution. There's lots of reasons for why these things are happening and it's not because there's lax enforcement. First of all, there is enforcement on buses - I've had many bus cases myself and there is some degree of enforcement. Is that something that's going to - or has that been working? Is it going to continue to work? Is the scope of the problem in a lack of enforcement? And it doesn't really seem to be. Like you said, there's lots of reasons that these things are happening. And when we're talking about mental health, addiction, housing - all of these things - addressing these things are going to help with those issues, but that's not what we put money towards. We just keep throwing it at this system that is not working. It's interesting to me that it was walked back - they're putting that on pause. And I wonder is that because they realize - oh, that's actually not going to make that much of a difference - but there's also the fact that buses and bus shelters are not under the City's jurisdiction. Those are county issues, so maybe that was not known - I don't know - beforehand. But when the City talks about cracking down on things going on on the buses, they don't have the jurisdiction to do that. So that could be one reason why it got walked back as well. [00:46:10] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. That's really interesting because - very clearly talking about enforcing things on buses - which yes, there is a jurisdiction issue there - but it also looks like they were planning to take action within 25 feet of transit stops. Is that defined as - technically the stop facility - or is there, I guess that's a really technical and wonky question, but I could totally imagine, to your point, that there are jurisdictional questions. [00:46:49] Nicole Thomas-Kennedy: Yeah, I don't know what that - I have not looked that up. No, I think that's under City jurisdiction - that would be under City jurisdiction. Yeah. Just not anything on a bus - I don't think would be. But yeah, I would have to look that up, but I do think that would be the City still. It just depends - there's different parts of the City, like when - I won't go into jurisdictional issues, because no one wants to talk about those things for long periods of time - but they don't have as much control. Let me just say - they don't have as much control over things going on on a bus as they think they do. If someone's committing a felony on the bus, then SPD could potentially get involved, but it's still - it's going to be prosecuted by the county. And if it's misdemeanors, the misdemeanors on a bus are also going to be prosecuted by the county, because of county - see, I could go on, it could be a really long time. [00:47:47] Crystal Fincher: Well, I just learned something because I did not know that misdemeanors committed on a bus would be prosecuted by the county and not city. Very interesting - these discussions are very interesting. But I think overall we'll just keep our eyes peeled on it and continue to update on it. Just another quick update in terms of the concrete workers strike - there was talk this week about some of them potentially returning to some job sites as a show of good faith and an attempt to lessen the impact on the greater community. That seems to have had mixed results and a mixed outcome where some talked about returning, others didn't. One particular company looked like workers were willing to return and the company was unwilling to let them work again. But again, we've seen city and county leaders say that they want a quick resolution and that this is impacting various projects around the county, but also workers need fair conditions. And the workers are saying, hey, they're asking us - when you consider inflation - to take a hit to our salary, to healthcare benefits, and to our pension - it's across the board. And companies saying, but we're technically offering more money than we did before and so it should all be good. And still not doing much to come to the table and participating in this activity - hoping that public pressure just forces the workers back and they can just ride out the storm and do nothing, and hope that public pressure does some negotiating on their behalf. So we will continue to follow it - the county, we had talked about before, had tried to issue an RFP to other companies to try and work around this and have greater protections for unionization and worker conditions. And that - no one responded to that RFP actually, so we seem to just be in this position - and unless there is some specific call or pressure, it seems like - on the companies to negotiate in better faith and to move closer to the workers, it looks like we're going to be stuck in this position for quite some time. So we will continue to see how that unfolds. And again, I thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks on today, Friday, March 18th, 2022. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Lisl Stadler, assistant producer Shannon Cheng, with assistance from Emma Mudd. And our wonderful co-host today is criminal defense attorney, abolitionist and activist, Nicole Thomas-Kennedy. You can find Nicole on Twitter @ntkallday, and you should be following Nicole. You can find me on Twitter @finchfrii. Now you can follow Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcast - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave us a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced on the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the episode notes. Thanks for tuning in. Talk to you next time.

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Calls for More U.S. Aid to Ukraine

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2022 33:26

Feliks Banel, All Over the Map -- why is "WA" the abbreviation? // Annabel Streets, author of 52 Ways to Walk // Margaret Brennan on calls for more U.S. aid to Ukraine/ China's relationship with Russia // Dose of Kindness -- lemonade for Ukraine // Gee Scott on Dave Ross hitting the gym // Julia Reed, running for the WA House in the 36th District See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Do What You Love, Love What You Do: The Story of Julia Reed

Real Mississippi

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2022 6:19

Julia Evans Reed was an author, journalist, and humorist from Greenville, Mississippi. She often wrote about things that she enjoyed, such as cooking and entertaining, and had a gift for explaining what she knew in ways that nobody else would have considered. Her life teaches two important lessons: you do not always have to have a boring career to be successful, and you can often make a living out of the things you love. Written by Sophie Hines and produced by Andrew Liu.

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Deep South Dining | Spooky Treats

Deep South Dining

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2021 49:18

On this edition of Deep South Dining Malcolm White's skillet buddy, carol Puckett is back from her international travels. With more than one story to tell, Carol shares the details of her trips and the international delights she was able to bring back to Mississippi. Also, the pair talk about several fig-related dishes and reflect on their love of a delicious condiment. Later in the show bring the scary talking about haunted restaurants in Mississippi. Let's eat yall!Fig Relish RecipeAdapted by Julia Reed from "Jeremiah Tower's New American Classics"Ingredients: 1 medium red onion, finely chopped ( 1/2 cup)8 large fresh ripe Mission figs, finely chopped (or about 20 Celestes)1 to 2 fresh Serrano chilies, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped½ cup fresh mint leaves¼ cup fresh lime juice1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepperPreparation:Soak the onion in ice water for 10 minutes, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the onion and figs and half the chilies in a bowl.Blanch mint leaves in boiling water for 1 minute. Cool in ice water, drain, squeeze dry and finely chop. Add to the fig mixture. Add lime juice, salt and pepper. Stir well and taste. Add as much of the remaining chili as desired. Let sit for 1 hour so flavors can develop. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Deep South Dining | Feta Feta

Deep South Dining

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2021 47:39

#FetaPasta has tracked millions of views on Tik Tok and has made feta hard to find. Malcolm and Carol talk about the feta phenomenon and welcome back to the show the official silent partner of Deep South Dining, LeAnne Doss Gault. A delightful home cook she almost makes a stir with her post on the Cooking & Coping Facebook page. Also, Deep South Dining opens women's history month by remembering the remarkable Julia Reed. TikTok-Inspired Baked Feta Pasta(recipe courtesy of Food Network)Yield: 4 to 6 servingsActive Time: 20 minutesTotal Time: 45 minutesLevel: EasyINGREDIENTS2 pints (20 ounces) cherry tomatoes1/2 cup extra virgin olive oilKosher salt and freshly ground black pepperOne 8-ounce block feta cheese, drained10 ounces mezze rigatoni1 garlic clove, finely grated1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly slicedFlaky sea salt, for servingDIRECTIONSPreheat the oven to 400 degrees F.Toss the cherry tomatoes and olive oil with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and several grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl until combined. Pour into a 2 1/2 to 3-quart baking dish. Place the feta in the center of the tomatoes, then season with a pinch of black pepper. Bake until the tomatoes have burst and the feta has softened, about 30 minutes. Increase the heat to 450 degrees F, then continue to cook until the tomatoes and feta are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 13 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water, then drain well.Right as the tomatoes and feta come out of the oven, stir in the garlic. Use the back of a spoon to smash the tomatoes and feta into a smooth and creamy sauce (it’s OK if some of the oil isn’t fully integrated and combined). Toss in the pasta and half of the basil until evenly coated. Add some pasta water, a couple tablespoons at a time, if the sauce becomes too thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining basil and a pinch of flaky sea salt for serving.(Recipe Link: How to Make Your TikTok Baked Feta Pasta Just Right, According to a Recipe Developer) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Remembering K-Paul's and Julia Reed

It's New Orleans: Louisiana Eats

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2020

2020 has been a tumultuous year filled with loss – and the toll on our hospitality industry continues with many restaurants having to shutter their doors after decades in business. One of New Orleans' most significant losses came in July when K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen closed permanently. Chef Paul Prudhomme and his wife Kay opened the restaurant in 1979, making it into one of the most popular eating places in the city and among the most influential in the United States.

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Remembering K-Paul's and Julia Reed

Tamsen and Dan Read the Paper

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2020

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KGAF Bonus Episode: The Election

Kate Garman & Friends

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2020 33:41

Jumping out of hibernation, KGAF is back to talk about the 2020 election. In this episode, you'll hear from politico friends working in the states of Washington, Nevada, and Iowa respectively. Julia Reed, Quentin Savwoir, and Matt Sinovic join to talk about what issues are resonating in the states they live in, and the long term impacts from the politics of today.

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Episode 107: Julia Reed and Cook/Food Books to Read

Cookbook Love Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2020 26:24

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. First, a sad note to recognize the death of cookbook author and writer Julia Reed. Julia died from cancer at the end of August in Newport, Rhode Island. She was 59. Her books and articles were a joy to read. Which brings me to the topic of this show - cookbooks and food books I love to read. See the links below and listen in as I discuss some of my favorite cookbooks and food books to read. And thanks to all the cookbook readers who are faithful to this podcast. Things We Mention In This Episode: Julia Reed Obituary - Garden and Gun Magazine A Collection of Julia's work in Garden and Gun Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties by Julia Reed Big Bad Breakfast by John Currence Chocolate and Zucchini by Clotilde Dusoulier Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain The Kitchen Dairies by Nigel Slater Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich Pot on the Fire by John Thorne and Matt Lewis Thorne Outlaw Cook by John Thorne and Matt Lewis Thorne Download a copy of the Cookbook Publishing Roadmap Please join our Confident Cookbook Writer Facebook Group

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Episode 188: Tom Terrific

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2020 60:11

Remembering Tom Seaver. Senior Super Stars: Pitmaster and Gamemaster. Land of Hope and Glory! AKA Pomp and Circumstance. The Power of the Pool. Julia Reed, food writer (read this) and John Thompson. Nice to be King. And have a Royal Consort, again. In Thailand. Credits: Talent: Tamsen Granger and Dan Abuhoff Special Guest: Zeke Abuhoff Engineer: Ellie Suttmeier Art: Zeke Abuhoff

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Ep. 64 - Wrapping Up Summer

Design Salvation

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2020 22:20

Dixie and Annie dish about the end of the summer rituals as the seasons begin to change. A tribute to Julia Reed and another house naming discussion cap off the episode. For Show Notes, head over to: https://designsalvation.com/shownotes To become a Supporting Listener (Become an "Elite Salvationite!"), head over to: https://designsalvation.com/support Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com

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9/3/20 - Critical Days Ahead | Commission Selects Flag | Book Club: Julia Reed

Mississippi Edition

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2020 23:54

With the seven-day average of COVID-19 cases trending down, the Governor calls the coming days critical.Then, the Magnolia State is one step closer to having a flag featuring the celebrated flower.Plus, in today's Book Club: we re-visit a conversation with Mississippi delta native and renowned writer, Julia Reed, who died last week.Segment 1:State officials are warning Mississippians to continue to wear masks and avoid large gatherings ahead of the Labor Day Holiday. The summer holidays of Memorial Day and Independence Day led to spikes in COVID-19 cases. Governor Tate Reeves says the state is seeing a reduction in the number of coronavirus cases - citing the state's current seven day average as a slight improvement over last week. He is urging Mississippians to stay diligent ahead of the Labor Day holiday.State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs says maintaining good mitigation practices is even more critical as more schools are scheduled to open in the coming week. Dobbs says there are more than 500 teachers and 3,700 students quarantined statewide. He also wants residents to understand the role quarantining plays in slowing the spread of the virus. Segment 2:A final state flag design has been chosen and Mississippians will soon vote on its adoption. After weeks of debate, the commission to design the new flag voted 8 to 1 for a design featuring a magnolia. It was one of over three thousand designs the commission considered, and beat out The Great River Flag for the chance to go on the ballot in November. Lawmakers voted in June to retire the 1894 flag with the Confederate battle emblem - a symbol condemned by many as racist. We hear from commission chairman Judge Reuben Anderson and commission member Mayor Robin Tannehill.Segment 3:She was born and raised in the Mississippi delta and grew up to be a writer. She wrote about the food and culture of the south; about entertaining and her observations of the people around her. Julia Reed was 59 when she passed away last week. In today's Book Club: a conversation from 2018 with the spirited writer on her final book, “South Toward Home.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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The Big Boo Cast, Episode 200

The Big Boo Cast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2020 62:00

Well, it only took us thirteen years, but here we are at episode 200. Won't He do it? On average we have cranked out 15.38 episodes a year since 2007, and if you're thinking that doesn't seem like a lot, you're exactly right. This might be a good time to point you in the direction of 2010 and 2012, when we managed to record one whole episode each year. Bless it. Anyway, our 200th episode is pretty much just like all the other episodes (this feels right, doesn't it?). We talk about Melanie's weekend in College Station and my thoughts about The Heir Affair (I finally finished reading it) and five things Melanie has really enjoyed this past week. We also discuss my search for a new pair of sneakers and how Melanie's guidance on this particular issue has been invaluable (that is to say: I HAVE FOUND A WINNER). Finally, keep your eyes on our Instagram accounts this week - because we have a couple of fun giveaways planned to celebrate the big 200. We can't thank you enough for being such loyal listeners. You have supported and encouraged us (lo, even in 2010 and 2012), and we are deeply grateful that you make time to listen every week. Enjoy, everybody! Become a Patron! Show Notes: - Our very first podcast episode on August 25, 2007 (what tickles me the most is how slow we talked and how quiet we were - clearly the mothers of some pre-schoolers who were sleeping) - Sophie's Instagram - Melanie's Instagram (Be on the lookout for some exciting 200th episode giveaways!) - The Heir Affair - The Royal We - Our Patreon episode with Gulley - Converse Chuck Taylor All Star platform sneaker - Steve Madden Gill Platform slip on sneaker - Vans Old Skool Platform sneaker - Dr. Scholl's look out platform sneaker - Adidas Nizza platform sneaker - Sofft Bellview high top sneaker - Paul Green Candice slip-on platform sneaker (these are the ones I got - and my goodness they are comfortable) - The Blazer from Nike - Nike Air Force Ones - Nike Air Max 270 - Nike Air Max 90 - Nike CruzrOne (I ordered these because they're wider than the average Nike shoe - and I can confirm that they are suuuuper comfortable) - My long black dress from Amazon - which is very cute with my new sneakers (regular and plus sizes) - Chrystal Hurst's new book - Julia Reed's gorgeous obituary by Jon Meacham in Garden & Gun - NEEDTOBREATHE's new album, Out of Body - PJ Morton's new album, Gospel According to PJ - Gregory Porter's new album, All Rise - Pickwick Leather, Tobacco, & Woods candle - Weimann leather conditioning wipes - Stainless steel mixing bowl set of 6 - Homegating styrofoam cups from Two Funny Girls - Amazon joggers for $14.99 Sponsors: - NoteCube (20% off with promo code BIGBOO) - Best Fiends (download in the Apple App Store or on Google Play)

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Deep South Dining | Forever Julia

Deep South Dining

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2020 49:48

On this edition of Deep South Dining Malcolm and Carol remember and highlight one of the great writers and cultural ambassadors of the South, Julia Reed. On Friday, August 28 she died at the age of 59. A tireless spokesperson for the South and especially her hometown of Greenville, Julia was the embodiment of Deep South Dining.From Garden & Gun MagazineIn Memoriam: Julia Evans Reed, 1960–2020 by John Meacham See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Venture Philanthropy: Empowering Possibility

Giving With Impact

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2020 24:44

Moderator: Michael Gordon Voss, publisher of Stanford Social Innovation ReviewGuests:Jim Bildner, CEO, Draper Richards Kaplan FoundationJulia Reed, Managing Director, Relationship Management, Schwab Charitable After you listenWith almost two million 501(c)(3) charities registered in the United States, you may be looking for help in identifying highly effective charities that can have the greatest impact on the causes you support. Find guidance here: https://www.schwabcharitable.org/public/charitable/features/where_to_give/finding_charities.Interested in learning more about designing your philanthropic approach to maximize your impact? Spend six minutes with Fred Kaynor, Vice President Schwab Charitable and Jeff Raikes, Co-Founder of Raikes Foundation at https://www.schwabcharitable.org/public/charitable/maximize_your_impact/one_charitable_minute_videos.Curious about how a donor-advised fund might help you make more of a philanthropic impact over time? Watch our video and find out if this is the right solution for you at https://www.schwabcharitable.org/public/charitable/donor_advised_fund. Given the amount of capital available to Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, they are really trying to push the ball on complex societal issues including access to food and water, homelessness, access to education, healthcare, the critical issues that face society globally. Find out more about how DRK Foundation is looking for solutions to these very complicated societal issues, and how they are typically finding those in early stage entrepreneurs, in the three articles below:Learn more about DRK Foundation’s belief in early-stage investments in social entrepreneurs and how this practice is essential for creating profound and lasting change to society’s most challenging problems in "The Urgency to Fund Early-stage Social Entrepreneurs" published by Stanford Social Innovation Review.Funders who care about systems change should look from the outside in, and shouldn’t discount the potential and influence of early-stage organizations. Today, disruptive innovation is bubbling up, rather than trickling down, Read more in this article published by Stanford Social Innovation Review "To Change the System Look Outside the System."Read about how the need to bridge the digital divide between those with and those without adequate connection to the internet took more than technology. It required a system’s change. "Why Social Ventures Need Systems Thinking" in Harvard Business Review. Subscribe to Giving with Impact for free on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.Giving with Impact is an original podcast from Schwab Charitable and Stanford Social Innovation Review.If you enjoy the show, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts.

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Filtering Wildfire Smoke

Think Out Loud

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2019 6:13

Seattle is retrofitting some downtown buildings’ HVAC systems to filter wildfire smoke. We talk to senior policy advisor Julia Reed about the city’s plans to protect its citizens from the effects of wildfire smoke.

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Partying With The Pros - Louisiana Eats - It's New Orleans

In A Mississippi Minute with Steve Azar

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2019 50:00

Spring festival season is upon us, so on this week's Louisiana Eats we're going to get you ready to be the host-or hostess-with the mostess! No one knows how to entertain quite like like Julia Reed. In her book, But Mama Always Put Vodka in Her Sangria! she offers a number of stories from a lifetime of rollicking culinary escapades. Julia lets us in on some tips for hosting a cocktail party for the ages.

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25/03/2018 - How important is location in music? Moby gets Calm, more Article 13, Vinyl outselling YouTube?

The Harley And Josh Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2019 53:24

HELLOOOOOO our main stories: -Article 13 AGAIN -Moby's Meditation Music -Vinyl is better paid than YouTube? Plus music from East Town Pirates Impilo Hot Tramp Tune in for the choons, stay for the chat.

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Write On, Mississippi! Chapter 2: Jon Meacham & Julia Reed

Write On, Mississippi!

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2019 34:00

Jon Meacham is a renowned presidential historian, contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review, contributing editor at TIME, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.Julia Reed is a contributing editor at Vogue and Newsweek, where she writes the magazine's Food and Drink column. She is author of Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena and The House on First Street, My New Orleans Story. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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In A Mississippi Minute Guest Julia Reed

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2019 41:20

Today, Azar talk to Greenville native Julia Reed who's written five books and served as editor and writer for the likes of Newsweek, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, Elle Decor, and Garden & Gun.

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The Mississippi Arts Hour | Hank Burdine

Mississippi Arts Hour

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2018

Malcolm White interviews Hank Burdine, Mississippi Delta writer and bon vivant. He is the author the new book Dust in the Road: Recollections of a Delta Boy, a collection of his stories from Delta Magazine. The book features a forward by 2019 Governor’s Arts Award recipient Julia Reed and an epilogue by Richard Grant. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Thursday, August 2nd, 2018

Mississippi Edition

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2018

On today's show: Find out what some of Mississippi's elected officials are saying about the state and each other at one of the state's largest gatherings. Then, we'll hear from advocates concerned with the state's animal abuse laws after a dog was found with its mouth rubber banded shut. And in our Book Club, meet Mississippi author Julia Reed. Neshoba County Fair Speakers: Jim Hood - Attorney General - Democrat Tate Reeves - Lieutenant Governor - Republican Dick Hall - Transportation Commissioner - Republican Rep. Gregg Harper - U.S. House of Representatives - Republican Rep. Michael Ted Evans - State House member - Candidate for U.S. House - Democrat Other Guests Include: Doll Stanley - In Defense of Animals Julia Reed - Author, "South Toward Home"

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Season 2 Ep 4: On the Road with Jessica Lange and Julia Reed

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2017 34:12

Jessica Lange is one of the most accomplished actresses of the past four decades, earning acclaim and industry-wide respect for iconic roles in films like Frances and Tootsie, and on Broadway in A Streetcar Named Desire. But Lange is a talent behind the camera, too. Her photography is featured in the latest issue of Garden & Gun, in which Lange joins author and G&G contributor Julia Reed on a road trip through the Mississippi Delta. Go beyond the feature in the latest episode of the Whole Hog, where host John Huey is joined by Lange and Reed to talk about the trip.

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Delta Hot Tamales - Louisiana Eats - It's New Orleans

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2017 50:00

On this week s show, we travel to Greenville, Mississippi for their annual Delta Hot Tamale Festival. We begin by speaking with author Julia Reed, who participates as the festival s official Pizzazz Consultant. Julia s writing has graced the pages of Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Magazine and Garden and Gun. She shares memories of the very first Hot Tamale Festival and the significance of the hot tamale in the Mississippi Delta. Leading off the festival, Julia facilitates a conversation for the Literary Culinary Mash Up, featuring some of our favorite chefs and writers. Roy Blount, Jr., Calvin Trillin, and Chef Allison Vines Rushing discuss stories about and around the Southern table. We also meet several vendors involved in the hot tamale cook off, including Larry Harmon, who welcomes us to his award winning, family run Hot Tamale Heaven. After spending an afternoon sampling the many varieties of tamales, we meet one of the festival s founders a hot tamamma named Anne Martin, whose book offers a historical record of the distinctive culinary treat. For more cultural context, we turn to John T. Edge, Director of the Southern Foodways Alliance. John T. shares his point of view on tamales and the South. Hot tamales and they re red hot...on this week s Louisiana Eats For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Louisiana Eats: Delta Hot Tamales - Louisiana Eats - It's New Orleans

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2017 50:00

Season 1 Ep 7: Wet Your Whistle

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2017 41:49

From whistling in the Oval Office to eating supper under the stars, in this episode you'll meet four-time national and international whistling champion Chris Ullman, have dinner with James Beard Award-winning chef Steven Satterfield, and enjoy the stories behind Julia Reed's favorite Southern songs.

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Season 1 Ep. 2: Steel Magnolias, Master Distiller Marianne Barnes, and a Delta Road Trip

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2017 38:40

We continue our conversation about the real story of Steel Magnolias with Julia Reed and Robert Harling, meet Kentucky’s first female master bourbon taster, head out on a father-and-son road trip in the Mississippi Delta, and hear from some of country music’s newest outlaws.

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Season 1 Ep. 1: Steel Magnolias, Bourbon Punch, and Roy Blount, Jr.

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2017 44:10

In our debut podcast episode, we’re celebrating ten years of Garden & Gun magazine with special guests Roy Blount, Jr., editor in chief David DiBenedetto, a potent bourbon party punch, and a part one of a conversation with Julia Reed and Robert Harling on 30 years of ‘Steel Magnolias.’

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1/23/17: Julia Reed

Nashville Rotary Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2017 36:00

Author

julia reed

Episode 98 || The Pros & Cons of Life in the South (ft. Julia Reed)

From the Front Porch

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2016 24:54

"Grape nuts or sex? It's a no brainer." Food writer and editor Julia Reed popped by the podcast to chat about Southern food culture, holiday entertaining, and mixing politics with pleasure. (You'll hear lots of laughter this episode; Julia's one-liners will have you in stitches.) + You can find Julia's piece about Bill and Melinda Gates in the Wall Street Journal Magazine. + More about Julia Reed and her books can be found here. + Julia was in town for Thomasville's Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival + William Christenberry photography + Garden and Gun magazine + The Bitter Southerner Julia mentions: + William Trevor short stories + Walker Percy + Night School by Lee Child + The Jealous Kind by James Lee Burke Don't forget to leave us a voicemail for our 100th episode here!

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Louisiana Eats: HolidayEntertaining - Louisiana Eats - It's New Orleans

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2016 50:00

The holiday season is upon us and we re throwing the ultimate cocktail party. No one knows how to entertain quite like like Julia Reed. In her book, But Mama Always Put Vodka in Her Sangria she offers a number of stories from a lifetime of rollicking culinary escapades. Julia lets us in on some tips for hosting a cocktail party for the ages. Then, we turn to the topic of wine with master sommelier Rob Bigelow of Sainte Michelle Wine Estates. Rob specializes in creating festive cocktails that incorporate fine wines and unexpected flourishes. After that, we re joined by Sonoko Sakai, author of Rice Craft, who gives us a lesson in how to create onigiri, a Japanese dish similar to sushi. Finally, Lesley Jacobs Solmonson and David Solmonson, authors of The 12 Bottle Bar, provide advice on holiday entertaining and wise ways to imbibe. We re making spirits bright on this week s Louisiana Eats

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Bonus Episode || Southern Hospitality with James Farmer

From the Front Porch

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2016 32:17

Southern hosts and hostesses, unite! On this special bonus episode, Annie chats with Southern lifestyle guru James Farmer. James is the author of A Time to Celebrate, A Time to Cook, Dinner on the Grounds, and several other beautiful coffee table books all about Southern hospitality. He's in Thomasville this week for the city's annual Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival, and -- if you're local! -- you can find James at the following events: + Cocktails and Conversations on Thursday, November 17, at 5:30 p.m. Tickets available here. Join James, Julia Reed, and the Mashburns as they chat about Southern hospitality inspired by the fall season! + Book signing at downtown Thomasville's store Relish on Friday, November 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. James will be signing copies of his beautiful books during this free event. You can find James online on Instagram and his website. James is reading: + The Flower Hunter and the People by Matthew Jennings + Liberating Paris by Linda Bloodsworth Thompson

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Been There, Done That w/ HOST Cindy Smith "From The Streets To The Pulpit"

NHISG Entertainment

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2015 58:00

Been There, Done That with HOST Cindy Smith. "From the Streets To The Pulpit.

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Episode 21 || Word of South

From the Front Porch

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2015 22:08

Annie and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra CEO Amanda Stringer chat Tallahassee's first-ever Word of South festival (Ann Patchett, Tony Hale, Julia Reed, J.K. Simmons, and more!), the beauty of Cascades Park, and why Tallahassee might be a new Southern travel destination.

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Come Celebrate Women's History Month With Innovators In Food - Louisiana Eats - It's New Orleans