Podcasts about legislative black caucus

According to the Associated Press, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore vetoed a bill to create a commission to study slavery reparations, calling it a difficult decision but saying the issue had already been thoroughly examined. The bill was a top priority for the Legislative Black Caucus — the largest such group in the nation. Moore, the state's first Black governor, said it's time to act — not study — by closing the racial wealth gap and supporting Black communities. The veto drew sharp criticism from the caucus, which called it a missed opportunity to address historical harms. The measure passed both chambers with veto-proof majorities. Lawmakers could revisit it in a future session. Moore issued 23 vetoes in total Friday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2025 Maryland General Assembly session ended on April 7. In this episode, Dayvon Love, Director of Public Policy at LBS, recaps this year's legislative session and our efforts in Annapolis.We thank the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland for their continued support, while also calling out the Democratic Party establishment for once again failing our communities.Tune in for key takeaways and what's next in the work of upending white supremacy and protecting the humanity of people of African descent.UPDATE: A very watered down version of HB 1222 was the last bill to be passed right before midnight on April 7th. It includes language to help “sensitive locations” like churches and schools decide how to respond if immigration agents show up, but does not include language from the original house bill that would have ended 287(g) agreements in Maryland which deputizes local police to act as ICE agents.Support the show"From the Streets to the Statehouse" is a podcast owned, produced and sponsored by Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS) - a grassroots think tank in Baltimore, Maryland. LBS is a Black-owned, for-profit, independent organization that is not funded by any government agency, political party, political committee or political candidate for office.

In Olympia, the Democrats' honeymoon with Gov. Bob Ferguson was short -- and it's now over, says Rep. Kristine Reeves, the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus. Ferguson has laid out his plans for closing a multi-billion dollar shortfall while still boosting spending on hiring police and largely avoiding new taxes. But plenty of his fellow Dems are not yet onboard with a plan that leads with cuts instead of new revenue. The party is also fractured on how and whether to make those investments in law enforcement. The Legislative Black Caucus, for one, wants two new dollars spent on community services for every dollar that pays for more police. Kristine Reeves represents south King County in the state House and is chair of the Legislative Black Caucus. She joins Libby Denkmann and Scott Greenstone to break down the budget talks, and spill a little tea on how the various Democratic factions are getting along in Olympia. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes. Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.Our editor is Gabriel Spitzer. Our producer this week is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Until Wednesday, it had been more than seven years since Republicans running the Wisconsin Legislature would allow passage of a clean resolution honoring Black History Month. We'll talk to two members of the Legislative Black Caucus about how something so basic finally got done in the state Assembly—even as the debate goes on about whether students in the United States should be taught a full and honest version of Black history. Also: Salina Heller brings us the story of one Wisconsin farmer facing a huge loss of income because of President Trump's scattershot slashing of the federal government. UpNorthNews with Pat Kreitlow airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-8 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and Instagram to keep up with Pat & the show! Guest: Joe Zepecki

Governor Brian Kemp is making tort reform his top legislative priority this session, aiming to curb large jury awards and lower insurance rates. On today's episode of Politically Georgia, hosts Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell speak with Kemp's top adviser, Cody Hall, about what it will take to get the measure across the finish line—and how it could shape Kemp's political future. Then, we sit down with Senator Nikki Merritt, the newly elected chair of Georgia's Legislative Black Caucus, to discuss SB1, a measure that seeks to ban transgender athletes from competing against women in high school and college sports. Merritt shares her perspective on the bill and how it could impact students across the state. Finally, there's a major leadership shake-up at the Democratic National Committee as Minnesota's Ken Martin is elected chair. Notably absent from the leadership ballot was Georgia's own Rep. Nikema Williams, who withdrew her bid for vice chair. We'll explore why Williams stepped aside and what it means for the party's future.   Have a question or comment for the show? Call the 24-hour Politically Georgia Podcast Hotline at 770-810-5297. We'll play back your question and answer it during the listener mailbag segment on next Friday's episode.   Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Quentin Anthony Anderson is a candidate for Louisiana State Senate District 14. We talk about his campaign, the Legislative Black Caucus, money in politics, and more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 32 Democratic members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, chaired by state Sen. Lamont Bagby of Henrico, has released a statement reaffirming its support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 general election. The statement comes at a time when some Democrats, including reportedly U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, are calling for Biden to give up his spot on the ticket in November's general election, following a performance generally considered subpar in a recent presidential debate. "As a Caucus whose focus is on the good of the commonwealth and nine million Virginians, our...Article LinkSupport the Show.

How long has the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus existed, and why is it the largest black legislative caucus in the country. These questions are answered on today's podcast, Being Well Informed. Delegate Jennifer Holland White takes us through the progress made in the 2024 Maryland General Assembly from fully funding the landmark education Blueprint Legislation through 2027, to the Maternal Care Act, and Access to Care legislation, which focused on providing health care to immigrants. Being Well Informed is an educational podcast on current topics of interest in the community. The podcast airs regularly on iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Apple Podcast, Podbean, and You Tube. 

The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus (PLBC) serves as a vital conduit for articulating the concerns and aspirations of the African American populace across Pennsylvania. It plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the community and the state legislature, championing policies geared towards fostering social equity, cultural enrichment, and economic advancement statewide. April Ashe, the Executive Director of the PLBC, recently shed light on the multifaceted responsibilities and initiatives undertaken by the caucus during The Spark. Ashe articulated the caucus's commitment to amplifying diverse voices and addressing a spectrum of issues affecting the African American community. One noteworthy project highlighted by Ashe is the James R. Roebuck Scholarship, a significant endeavor aimed at supporting the educational endeavors of high school seniors and college students. The scholarship not only assists students financially but also underscores the caucus's dedication to nurturing future leaders and empowering youth through education. Through strategic advocacy and collaboration, the PLBC endeavors to enact policies that foster inclusivity and opportunity for all Pennsylvanians. By engaging with legislators and stakeholders, the caucus seeks to dismantle systemic barriers and create a more equitable society. Moreover, Ashe emphasized the importance of community engagement and grassroots mobilization in driving meaningful change. The PLBC actively collaborates with local organizations and advocates to address pressing issues such as education, healthcare, criminal justice reform, and economic development. In addition to its advocacy efforts, the PLBC serves as a platform for fostering dialogue and promoting understanding across racial and cultural divides. By facilitating conversations and promoting awareness, the caucus endeavors to cultivate a more cohesive and empathetic society. April Ashe underscored the significance of representation and diversity within the caucus, highlighting its role in amplifying marginalized voices and advocating for policies that reflect the rich tapestry of Pennsylvania's population. And looking ahead, the PLBC remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing the interests of the African American community and promoting social justice across the Keystone State. Through collaborative partnerships, grassroots activism, and strategic advocacy, the caucus continues to serve as a catalyst for positive change and progress. The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, under the leadership of Executive Director April Ashe, continues to be a driving force for social, cultural, and economic advancement in Pennsylvania. Through initiatives like the James R. Roebuck Scholarship and ongoing advocacy efforts, the caucus remains dedicated to building a more inclusive and equitable future for all residents of the state.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Members of California's Legislative Black Caucus released its list of priorities following recommendations from the state's Reparations Task Force. They include 14 bills aimed at addressing inequities in education, healthcare, criminal justice and business … but no mention of cash payments.  KQED's Scott Shafer and Annelise Finney discuss the process so far with LA Times columnist Erika D. Smith, who calls the recommendations “half-baked and disorganized.”

New polling sheds light on school voucher debate. Today on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's “Politically Georgia,” education reporter Martha Dalton joins the podcast to talk about anew AJC poll finding that a majority of Georgia registered voters oppose a GOP legislative measure to establish vouchers for private or home-school education. Dalton also shares what she learned when U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona visited with AJC reporters and others Tuesday.    Then, a look at another key result from the AJC poll revealing more than two-thirds of Georgians surveyed support Medicaid, which for the first time, Republican leaders in the Legislature are considering.    Plus, state Rep. Carl Gilliard, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, joins the podcast to talk about issues it is supporting in the current session. And he drops some big news: The caucus is backing a measure to create a study committee that would be empowered to look at creating a possible path for reparations for Black Georgians.    Links to today's topics:  Georgians support Medicaid expansion  Watch AJC conversation with Miguel Cardona    Have a question for the show? Call the 24-hour "Politically Georgia" Podcast Hotline at 404-526-AJCP. That's 404-526-2527. We'll play back your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on tomorrow's episode.     Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jimmy Barrett and Shara Fryer take you through the stories that matter the most on the morning of 10/19/2023

Mark is back, and better than ever! This week he’s joined by Rep. Dora Drake of the Legislative Black Caucus to discuss democracy and more.

The 2023 MD General Assembly is in its final two weeks. Today on Midday on Politics, an update on how various bills are faring as they wind their way through the legislative session that concludes with Sine Die on April 10. We begin with Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, who represents District 20 (Montgomery County). She's a Democrat and since last year has served as the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus. Del. Wilkins joins us on Zoom. Then, Tom speaks with two reporters who have covered more than a few legislative sessions, including the current one. Matt Bush is WYPR's news director. Pamela Wood covers state politics and government for our news partner, The Baltimore Banner. Matt joins Tom in Studio A, and Pamela joins us on Zoom to discuss the status of major pieces of legislation as the General Assembly enters its final two weeks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black History Month, 2023, frames this discussion with Senator Steven Bradford, the Vice-Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, about the murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis Police, the continued work of the State Task Force on Reparations, and how leaders from conservative state are starting to erase Black history from school curriculum. Click here for a closed-captioned version of this podcast!

On January 16, 2023, Newsmakers Host Lisa Pugh sits down with Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus Chair Rep. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee) on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a holiday to commemorate the life and accomplishments of the renowned civil rights leader. Rep. Drake discusses continued disparities for Black Wisconsinites and goals of the caucus in the upcoming […]

Leaders from the Legislative Black Caucus present their policy priorities on a major deadline day.Then, the Attorney General is asking the Supreme Court not to take up a disenfranchisement case. We speak to one of the lawyers fighting to restore suffrage.Plus, a recent NFL injury is sparking interest in CPR training. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the calls grow louder to scrap the controversial justice reform package the SAFE-T Act, Illinois Democrats are on the defensive.The legislation places restrictions on police and eliminates cash bail on Jan. 1, making Illinois the first state to do so. Lawmakers approved the SAFE-T Act at the urging of the Legislative Black Caucus as part of their response to the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. 

"Jay “Sky” Walker was born in Los Angeles, California on January 24th, 1972. He was drafted out of University High School to be a pitcher for the California Angels organization's minor league team. Eventually, Jay realized that his passion was football, and was recruited to play for the Howard University Bison. ​As a quarterback, Jay led the Howard Bison to their only playoff berth in the school's history and an 11-0 season in 1994. He was named I-AA football player of the year by Sports Illustrated in '94, placed in the Howard University Athletics Hall of Fame in ‘05, and placed in the MEAC Hall of Fame in ‘17. He continued his football professionally for four seasons in the NFL: two years with the New England Patriots in '94 and two years with the Minnesota Vikings in '96 and ‘97. True to his Political Science degree from Howard University, Jay has been a member of the House of Delegates since January 10, 2007. He is a member of the Economic Matters Committee. He was the Vice-Chair of Ways and Means Committee from 2018 - 2019, Treasurer of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland from 2010-2012 and the Vice-Chair of Rules and Executive Nominations Committee from 2012 – 2018. He is also an involved member of his district, with membership on Prince George's County Central Committee from 2002-2006; Board of Directors of Prince George's Economic Development Corporation; Prince George's Black Chamber of Commerce; Tantallon North Area Civic Association; and the Coalition of Concerned Black Christian Men. He is formerly the President of Walker Financial Services, in Oxon Hill, MD. In addition, Jay is a member of Shelton D. Redden lodge 139, Prince Hall free-masons. Finally, he founded the Prince George's County, Maryland-based Sky Walker Flight School Football Camp in 1999-2013, as a free life skills camp to young men. ​ Jay has worked for BET Sports, ESPNU, NFL Network, and as the Host of the Black Family Channel's weekly Sports Desk. While the accolades have been rewarding, Jay has always remained humble in the fact that “it's always better to give than receive.” ​

On this week-in-review, Crystal is joined by Axios reporter Melissa Santos. They start off looking at the larger trends from this last week's primary, including why the predicted ‘red wave' didn't materialize. Next, they talk about Olgy Diaz's appointment to the Tacoma City council, discussing her impressive credentials and watershed status as the first Latina to serve on the Council. In Seattle City Council news, Crystal and Melissa look at the two recent abortion- and trans-related protections the council passed this week. For updates on public health, our hosts look at how Washington state is lifting most of its COVID emergency orders, where the state is at with its COVID response, and what our outlook is for MPV and its vaccine. After that, the two discuss the redistricting plans for the Seattle City Council, and different neighborhoods' responses to the proposed new district lines and close the show by looking at the state of behavioral health crisis response in our neighborhoods, discussing the county's plans for an emergency walk-in centers, the county's plans to improve its behavioral health response, and our lack of crisis response staff.  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-host, Melissa Santos, at @MelissaSantos1. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   Resources “Our blue legislature bucks GOP trend” by Melissa Santos from Axios: https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/08/12/washington-state-blue-legislature-gop-trend    “Tacoma City Council selects its newest member. She's the first Latina to serve” by Liz Moomey from The News Tribune: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article264330356.html?taid=62f470bf1a1c2c0001b63754&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter    “Seattle passes protections for abortion and gender affirming care” by KUOW Staff from KUOW: https://kuow.org/stories/seattle-passes-protections-for-abortion-and-gender-affirming-care   “MPV cases doubling nearly every week in WA, as U.S. declares public health emergency” by Elise Takahama from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/monkeypox-cases-doubling-nearly-every-week-in-wa-as-us-set-to-declare-public-health-emergency/   "US will stretch monkeypox vaccine supply with smaller doses" by Matthew Perrone from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/us-will-stretch-monkeypox-vaccine-supply-with-smaller-doses/   Washington state says goodbye to most COVID emergency orders” by Melissa Santos from Axios: https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/08/09/washington-end-most-covid-emergency-orders   "New map would redraw Seattle's City Council districts, with changes for Georgetown, Magnolia" by Daniel Beekman from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/new-map-would-redraw-seattles-city-council-districts-with-changes-for-georgetown-magnolia/   “Racial Equity Advocates Like Seattle's Newly Proposed Political Boundaries. Magnolia Residents Do Not.” by Hannah Krieg from The Stranger: https://www.thestranger.com/news/2022/08/04/77339585/racial-equity-advocates-like-seattles-newly-proposed-political-boundaries-magnolia-residents-do-not   “County Plans Emergency Walk-In Centers for Behavioral Health Crises” by Erica C. Barnett from Publicola: https://publicola.com/2022/08/11/county-plans-emergency-walk-in-centers-for-behavioral-health-crises/    "Local Leaders Announce New Coalition to Address Behavioral Health Crisis" by Will Casey from The Stranger: https://www.thestranger.com/news/2022/08/11/77680008/local-leaders-announce-new-coalition-to-address-behavioral-health-crisis   “Designated crisis responders, a ‘last resort' in mental health care, face overwhelming demand” by Esmy Jimenez from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/designated-crisis-responders-a-last-resort-in-mental-health-care-face-overwhelming-demand/   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. 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 because it helps a lot. Today, we are continuing our Friday almost-live shows where we review the news of the week with a cohost. Welcome back to the program today's cohost: Seattle Axios reporter, Melissa Santos. [00:01:00] Melissa Santos: Hello, thanks for having me. [00:01:01] Crystal Fincher: Hey, thanks for being back. We always enjoy having you. So there were a number of things that happened this week. I think we'll start off just talking about the elections real quick. We got more results this week. Things are looking more conclusive - a couple of late-straggling races have been decided, including one of the congressional - two, really of the congressional district races. It looks like in the 47th Legislative District race that Republican Bill Boyce will be facing Democratic candidate Senator - former Senator - Claudia Kauffman. And that in the 47th House seat, that Democrat Shukri Olow and Democrat Chris Stearns will both be getting through and Republicans will actually not be making it in that seat, despite that race including three different Republicans - one the pick of the GOP that raised over $200,000, Carmen Goers, who actually finished in last place. So a number of things got settled, but overall, as you look at these elections, what are your takeaways, Melissa? [00:02:16] Melissa Santos: On the legislative side, really things look mostly similar to what they looked like on primary night, in the sense that a lot of the races that Republicans had hoped to pick up, I think Democrats still look really strong in. And that's in a lot of those swing districts in the suburbs - in Island County, the Democrats have pretty strong performances in some House races that I think Republicans have been eyeing for a pickup in the 10th District. The 28th Legislative District looks pretty much like the incumbent Democrats are in really good shape there - that's around Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Lakewood, University Place. And I think that the Republicans not having someone in that 47th District open seat is maybe not what people would've predicted when talking about a red wave coming this year, and that Democrats have been saying - we're just trying to defend what we have, we're not really planning to add seats here. But they look like they're in a pretty good position to defend the seats. The only place where things look like it'll be rough for Democrats are seats up in the 47th - sorry, the 42nd Legislative District in Whatcom County, I think, have some disappointing results for Democrats when it comes to trying to get the former - the State Senate seat formerly held by Republican Doug Ericksen. That's gonna be a tough race where it looks like the State House Democratic Rep who's running for it might have a really tough race to fight in November. She wants to pick up that seat for the Democrats. But again, Democrats were trying to just defend mostly this year. So I think they look like they're in a pretty good position to do that. One thing that's a little bit interesting is a lot of the fringier types in the Republican legislative caucus in the House are actually not going to be returning to the legislature next year. And some of that's just because they ran for Congress in some cases, like Brad Klippert. [00:04:15] Crystal Fincher: And Vicki Kraft. [00:04:16] Melissa Santos: Yes, and Vicki Kraft. So I'm interested to see how that plays out. There are some races where legislative candidates who are being accused of being RINOs [Republicans In Name Only] actually have advanced through the primary. And I am wondering if some Republicans - are they more moderate or just hoping that they beat the more Trumpy Republicans essentially. So that's something I'm watching actually going forward is - while we certainly have situations across the nation where Trump-endorsed Republicans are getting through - we see this in the 3rd Congressional District race, here in our state, where Jaime Herrera Beutler who voted to impeach Trump will not be getting through to the general - that was finalized this week. But locally in legislative races, I'm not sure that the more far-right candidates will win out in all these races in November. So I'm watching that - how does our state picture, when it comes to the Republican party, compare to what we're seeing nationally. And it's always interesting to see how Washington does 'cause we're a little bit different sometimes as a state in how we vote versus the rest of the country. [00:05:25] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. And that sets up an interesting dynamic for Republicans, I think, in that it is really helpful when - just from a campaign perspective - when everyone is consistent with the message that's being delivered for the party, what priorities are in terms of values. And so there have been - legislatively - some more moderate Republicans making it through. There are certainly some real extremists. And again, "moderate" is an interesting word for Republicans 'cause - when it is gonna come to some of these caucus votes, I think moderation is gonna effectively fly out of the window. Or being afraid to speak out on certain things that challenge some of the more extreme elements in the party, which essentially in my opinion, enables that element of the party. But with Joe Kent higher on the ticket and being so visible, being a frequent guest on Hannity, Trump-endorsed, and really vocal about a number of things like opposing aid to Ukraine, about wanting Jim Jordan - who is extremely problematic and has been accused of ignoring sexual assault allegations on his watch under his responsibility - wanting him to replace Kevin McCarthy as the leader of the party, certainly moving in a much more extreme direction. A number of those things are gonna be inconsistent, I think, with what some of the other Republicans, I think legislatively under JT Wilcox certainly, Republicans are gonna wanna be talking about. So there may be just a bit of a mismatched message there and it will be interesting to see how the party navigates that, but especially coming from a place where the extremism - you look at the primaries - certainly did not land. And some of, even the criticisms just legislatively, of Republicans who were on the message that they wanted to be on, did not turn out to be very effective at all - that presents a challenge for them in the general. [00:07:40] Melissa Santos: I think that was interesting in the Federal Way area. I think everyone, including Democrats, were saying - yeah, there's a lot of voters concerned about public safety there. I think everyone thought maybe the Democrats might be a little bit more vulnerable from attacks from Republicans in that area in South King County around Federal Way, with Republicans say - Hey, Democrats passed all these bills that hamstring police, so they can't keep you safe. I think everyone thought that line of argument might work better in some of those areas in South King County than it did. And so I'm wondering if Republicans will change their approach or not, or if they're just gonna stick with hammering Democrats on public safety. I think that maybe we'll see just more talk about economy and inflation and maybe a little less of the public safety attacks - possibly - based on those results. [00:08:29] Crystal Fincher: And they certainly hit hard on both of those. It is interesting to see - particularly - so you have Jamila Taylor, who is the incumbent representative there, there's another open House seat, and then Claire Wilson in the Senate seat. Jamila Taylor, who's the head of the Legislative Black Caucus, did play a leading role in passing a lot of, number of the police accountability reforms that police, a number of police unions, and people who are saying "Back the Blue" and these were problematic. She actually has a police officer running against her in that district. And also, the mayor of Federal Way, Jim Ferrell, is running for King County Prosecutor on a hard line, lock 'em up kind of message. They've been working overtime to blame legislators, primarily Jamila Taylor, for some of the crime that they've seen. And holding community meetings - really trying to ratchet up sentiment against Jamila Taylor - helping out both her challenger and Jim Ferrell was the plan. And again, that seemed to fall flat. Jamila Taylor finished with 54% in that race and the most votes out of any Democrat. You saw Democrats across the board, both Claire Wilson and Jamila Taylor, get 54% and 55% of the vote. In a primary, that is certainly where you would want to be and that's really a hard number to beat in the general. And then in the other open seat, you had two Democratic candidates combine for, I think, 55% of the vote. So it is - where they attempted to make that argument the hardest, it seemed to fall almost the flattest. And it goes to - we talked about this on the Post-Primary Recap a little bit - I think it goes to show that the conversation publicly - certainly the political conversation about public safety - I think is too flat and does not account for where the public actually is. I think people are absolutely concerned about crime and rightfully so - we have to attack gun violence, we have to attack property crime and violent crime. We have to do better than we're doing now. But I think people are recognizing that the things that we have been doing have not been successful. And we have been trying to lock people up and people see that there's a need for behavioral health interventions, for housing, for substance use treatment and that those things are absent. And that you can send a policeman to do that, but they don't have the tools to address that even if they were the appropriate responder. And there's a lot of people saying they aren't even the appropriate response for a number of these things. So I just think regular voters - regular people - just have a more nuanced and realistic view of what needs to happen. [00:11:42] Melissa Santos: I also think that message - we could talk about those races forever, probably - but I think that message might land especially flat in communities like South King County that are predominantly people of color in many of these communities. They want to address - well, okay, I should not group everyone together, let me back up here - but I think a lot of people see the effects of crime on their communities and their family members and want support, not just a crackdown. And I don't know if that - I don't know - I'm generalizing here and I shouldn't, but I think that maybe that - [00:12:09] Crystal Fincher: I think it's across the board. I feel like - we saw polling in Seattle where, even if you break it down by Seattle City Council district, whether it's North Seattle or West Seattle which are predominantly white areas, in addition to other areas with higher percentage of people of color - they're saying near universally - when given, asked the question - where would you allocate more of your tax dollars in the realm of public safety to make a difference? They start off by saying behavioral health treatment, substance use disorder treatment, treating root causes. And then "more officers" trails those things. So it's - and even before more officers, they're saying better training for officers so they do a better job of responding when they are called. So I just think that across the board, there's - Republicans have gotten far and have done a lot by talking about the problem. And I think what the primary showed is that you're gonna have to do a better job of articulating a logical and reasonable solution to the problem. 'Cause people have heard talk about the problem for a long time, this isn't new. They're ready for someone to do something about it and they want to hear something that sounds credible, with some evidence behind it, that'll make a difference. And I don't think Republicans articulated that at all. And I think Democrats are talking about things more in line with where voters are at. But certainly, we could talk about those election results forever, but we will move on to other news. Speaking of newly elected people, we have a new appointment of a person on the Tacoma City Council - Olgy Diaz was just unanimously appointed as the first Latina member of the Tacoma City Council last Tuesday night. She was one of 43 applicants to apply, ended up making the shortlist, and then was officially appointed on Tuesday night. What did you take away from this? You previously covered - based in Tacoma, covered Tacoma previously, worked at The News Tribune. What does Olgy bring to the Council? [00:14:41] Melissa Santos: Olgy is really experienced in politics, I want to say. For way back when - I think I started talking to Olgy years and years ago - she was, definitely in her role with leading One America, she's done a lot of policy work at the state level for a long time. She worked in the Legislature, so I talked to her in that capacity. And she brings a lot of experience to the table - I think more than a lot of people who apply for vacancies on city councils, for sure. But I honestly was also just - I was blown away to read - I didn't realize the Tacoma City Council has never had a Latina member before and that really blew my mind, given the diversity of Tacoma and given that that's a community where you have people who just weren't represented for such a long time. I worked in Tacoma for eight years at the paper and I didn't - I guess I didn't realize that was the case. So Olgy - separately - brings just a ton of experience. She leads the National Women's Political Caucus of Washington now as president and I talked to her for stories in that capacity, and she's always very knowledgeable and really thoughtful. But yeah, that's just - in terms of representation, she brings a lot to the Council that apparently it hasn't had - in terms of experience and lived experience as well. I didn't watch the whole appointment process every step of the way, but it seems like that is a very solid choice, given that you have someone coming in possibly that has way more, broader political knowledge than a lot of the sitting councilmembers in some cases. And that's not a knock on the sitting councilmembers, but you just have someone really, really versed in politics and policy in Washington State coming onto that city council. [00:16:26] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and an unusual amount of experience. I think, to your point, not a knock on anyone else. Olgy just has an unusual amount of experience on both the policy and political side. She's the Government Affairs Director for Forterra, she's president of the National Women's Political Caucus as you said, on the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition and Institute for a Democratic Future board. She's previously been on the city's Human Rights Commission. She just has so many, so much experience from within, working within the legislature and elsewhere. And if - full disclosure - Olgy Diaz is not just a friend, but also worked for Olgy as her consultant and love the woman. But just completely dynamic and if you know Olgy, you know she reps South Tacoma harder than anyone else just about that you've ever met. She deeply, deeply loves the city, particularly South Tacoma, and has been an advocate for the city in every role that she's had. So just really excited to see her appointed. In other local news - this week, Seattle, the Seattle City Council stood up and passed protections for abortion and gender affirming care. What did they do? [00:17:52] Melissa Santos: They passed something that makes it a misdemeanor for someone to interfere, intimidate, or try and threaten someone who is seeking an abortion and they also have some civil rights protections that they passed. Those are especially - you might not think that's necessarily an issue in Seattle all the time, but I think that - certainly the misdemeanors for trying to interfere for someone getting treatment or getting abortion care, I think that is something that could actually be used and called upon sometime in Seattle with certain individual cases. And I do think it's - not necessarily in a bad way - but a messaging bill on both of them - in a way saying - care is protected here. Even though in Washington State we do have some state law protections for abortion - better than in most states - I think it's partly about sending a message to people that your care will not be interfered with here. And maybe even a message to people in other states - that they can come - actually that is part of it - is that you can come to Seattle and get care and you will not, we will support you. And so that's part of why they're doing it - both on a practical level, but also sending a message that we will not tolerate people trying to dissuade, to discourage people who decided to get an abortion from getting the care that they are seeking. [00:19:18] Crystal Fincher: And I know Councilmember Tammy Morales has also said that she plans to introduce further legislation to prevent crisis pregnancy centers from misrepresenting the facts, misleading people - which has happened in other situations with pregnancy crisis centers, which sometimes bill themselves as abortion care providers. A person seeking an abortion finds them, goes, and unexpectedly is - in some situations - heavily pressured not to have an abortion. And there's been situations where they have been found to have been coerced into not having an abortion. And so that would just seek to make sure that everybody correctly represents themselves, and who they are, and what they are attempting to do. Lots of people do, to your point, look at Seattle and say - okay, but this - things were safe here anyway. I do think the first one - we see a lot of counter-protestors - of people making points in Seattle, going to Seattle to protest different things, because it has a reputation for being progressive, where progressive policy is. So it attacks people who really dislike those policies and moving in that direction. I think this is helpful for that. And it serves as model legislation. There are some very red areas here in the state. There are other localities - we may have neighboring states that - the right to abortion is coming to an end. And so having legislation like this that has passed in the region, that has passed nearby, that is in place, that survives legal challenges against them makes it easier for other localities to pass the same. And so I think that it is a very positive thing for Seattle to take the lead passing model legislation. Certainly aren't the first to pass, but having it in the region is very, very helpful. So glad to see that. Also this week - some challenging news. One - monkeypox, now referred to as MPV, cases have been doubling nearly every week in Washington and has been declared a public health emergency. Where do we stand here? [00:21:37] Melissa Santos: I think that right now, we have about 220 cases - and that's what I think I saw on the CDC website just earlier today. And last week, it was 70 fewer than that, at least - we have been seeing, especially early on, every week or so the cases were doubling in our state. And we remember how COVID started in a way - it was small at first and things just can really expand quickly. This isn't spread the same way COVID is - and I'm not saying it is - but we do definitely have a vaccine shortage here for this and that's a huge concern. I asked the State Department of Health - actually, I have not put this in the story yet, but I was like - how many people do you feel like you need to treat that are at high risk? And they said it's almost 80,000. And took me a long time to get that number, but I think we only have - we only are gonna have something like 20-something thousand vaccines doses coming in, maybe 25,000, through at least early September. So there's a lot of potential for this to spread before we get vaccines to treat the people who are most at risk. That's a big concern. And so I haven't checked in our state yet - this sort of decision that we can stretch these doses further by divvying them up and doing, making each dose into maybe five doses - that could really help here. So I need to check whether in our state we're going forward with that and if that meets the need or not. But we still need a second dose for everybody, even beyond that. So it looks like the math just doesn't work and we're still gonna be short. And in that time, how far will it spread? Because it's not just - it's not a sexually transmitted disease that only is going to spread among LGBT individuals - other people are getting it and will get it. So that is - and also that community needs as much support as they can get anyway, regardless. But this is not something that just affects someone else, for instance, if you're not a member of that community. It's something that can affect everybody, and it's - everyone's afraid of another situation like we had with COVID - could it spread before we get a handle on it? And I think it's still an unknown question right now. [00:23:57] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, big unknown question. And to your point, it was - the CDC just announced that the vaccine supply can be stretched by giving one-fifth of the normal dose, so stretched five times what we thought we previously had. But that was just announced, so our local plans for that are probably in progress and process and hopefully we'll hear more about that soon. But haven't yet as that information was just announced - I want to say yesterday, if not day before. With that, to your point, it is - some people are under the mistaken impression that this is a sexually transmitted infection. It is not. It can spread by just skin-to-skin contact. If two people are wearing shorts and at a concert, or have short-sleeve shirts and are rubbing against each other, it can be spread just by touching especially infected lesions, by surfaces if there's a high enough amount on a surface. It is pretty hardy - lasts a long time on a number of surfaces or clothes or different things like that. Certainly a lot of concern with kids going back into school, kids in daycare that we may see an increase particularly among children - just because they are around each other and touching each other and playing as they do and that is how this virus can spread. So certainly getting as many people, starting with the highest risk people, vaccinated is important. We are short - there are just no two ways about that and running behind. Testing capacity has also been a challenge. So hopefully with these emergency declarations that we've seen locally and nationally that we fast forward the response to that and get prepared pretty quickly, but we will say that. Also this week, most COVID emergency orders have been ended. What happened here? [00:26:08] Melissa Santos: Some of them are still getting phased out, but the governor just very recently announced in our state that he's going to be - he's ending 12 COVID emergency orders. And so I went - wait, how many are left then, 'cause I don't think we have that many. And the governor's office - there's only 10 - once these mostly healthcare, procedure-related orders are phased out, will only be 10 COVID emergency orders left. And honestly, some of those have even been scaled back from what they were. They're - one of the orders relates to practicing some safe distancing measures or certain precautions in schools - that's really a step back from having schools be completely closed, like we had at one point. So even those 10 aren't necessarily as stringent as the orders we were seeing earlier in the pandemic. What does that really signify? I think that the governor has said - because we have good treatment options available, it doesn't mean that COVID is no longer a threat, but we have better ways of dealing with it essentially. It's not like early in the pandemic when nobody was vaccinated. We have a fairly high vaccination rate in our state compared to some others. And we have some treatment options that are better. And at least right now - well, I say this - our hospitals aren't pushed completely beyond capacity. Although, however - this week Harborview actually is over capacity, so that's still a potential problem going forward. But we just have better ways of dealing with the virus than we did. It doesn't mean it's not a threat, it doesn't mean that people aren't still getting hospitalized and even dying - because they are. But we're moving to a different stage of this pandemic where we're just not going to have as many restrictions and we're going to approach the virus in a different way. [00:27:51] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. Yeah, that pretty much covers it there. [00:27:56] Melissa Santos: The thing - I do think for public - I've asked the governor a couple times - what is your standard for lifting the underlying emergency order? 'Cause we still are in a state of emergency over COVID and that does give the governor, if something comes up, quick power to ban some activity or something. And if there's a public health risk, he could order, for instance, indoor mask wearing again if he wanted. He has not indicated he plans to, but it gives him a little more power. Republicans are still mad about that, but in effect, there aren't that many orders actually in place anymore. We're just not living under as many restrictions as we once were. [00:28:34] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. So the protections are going away - there are lots of people who are very concerned about this. This does not seem tethered to - earlier in the pandemic - in some situations when cases were spreading at a lower amount than they were in some areas then than they are today - they tied it to certain metrics and to hospital capacity and different things. So there seemed like there was an underlying data-based justification that would dictate what the appropriate health response was. This seems untethered from all of that. And I think a lot of people's criticisms of this are - the actions that are taken, or realistically the actions that are no longer being taken, the justification behind that seems to be driven by convenience or by a desire just to get back to normal or fatigue. And instead of what health precautions dictate would be wise. I think at the very minimum we would be a lot better off if - we were very late in, from the CDCs perspective, in acknowledging that this is an airborne virus. And so air quality, air purification, air turnover in indoor spaces is extremely important, especially given how helpful that is for wildfire air mitigation. We're having a higher, more low-quality air days than we have before. Focusing on indoor air purification - I wish there were more of a push for that, more awareness for that, more assistance for that. Because it just seems like - given this and monkeypox, which has evidence that it is spread also via airborne - [00:30:37] Melissa Santos: Or at least droplets in close - yeah, at least like close breathy, breathing-ey stuff. [00:30:44] Crystal Fincher: Yes - that air purification is important. And so I wish we would make a greater push because still - that's not really aggressively talked about by most of our public health entities. And there's just not an awareness because of that, by a lot of people who are not necessarily being, saying - no, I don't want to do that - but just don't understand the importance of that. And many businesses that could take steps, but just don't know that that's what they should be doing. Sometimes it's still here - well, we're sanitizing all of these surfaces, which is going to come in handy for monkeypox certainly, but is not really an effective mitigation for COVID when - hey, let's talk about air purification instead of you wiping down surfaces. Just interesting and this may ramp up again, depending on what happens with MPV infections and spread. So we'll see how that continues. [00:31:47] Melissa Santos: But this time we have a vaccine at least - there is a vaccine that exists. Remember the beginning of COVID - of course, everyone remembers - there was no vaccine. So this feels like - theoretically, we should be able to address it faster because we have a vaccine, but there's just a shortage nationwide of the vaccine. So that's, I think, an extra frustrating layer of the monkeypox problem - is that we have a tool, but we just don't have enough of it. In COVID, we just were all completely in the dark for months and months and months and months - and anyway. [00:32:17] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and unfortunately the effect on the ground of not having enough is the same as not having any. [00:32:23] Melissa Santos: Right. Yeah. [00:32:24] Crystal Fincher: And so people are left with greater exposure to the virus and to spreading the virus than there would be otherwise, because we don't have the adequate supply of it. Which they say they're working on, but of course those things - unless you are prepared beforehand and making an effort to be prepared beforehand, it takes a while to get that ramped up. I think they're saying the earliest we could anticipate additional supply would be in the September timeframe, and oftentimes that's when it starts to trickle. And so it could be October before we see a meaningful amount of additional supply or longer. Just stay on top of information, be aware out there, and we will see. Very important thing happening within the City of Seattle - is Seattle City Council district redistricting, and what's happening. There have been some good articles written recently - both in The Seattle Times, especially in The Stranger by Hannah Krieg - about racial equity advocates actually being happy about the newly proposed political boundaries for council districts. But some residents of Magnolia, the expensive and exclusive Magnolia community, who have been known to advocate against any type of growth, or development, or any change to their community, other people getting greater access to their community and the political power that comes with who they've been and their ability to have an outsized voice, realistically, in local politics. They're not that happy. What's happening here? [00:34:16] Melissa Santos: The proposal that at least is moving forward at this point would split Magnolia, right? So this is something that communities of color have argued as being - Hey, in other areas, our communities are split and that dilutes our voice. And now it's interesting that Magnolia, which is not historically an area where - that has been predominantly people of color - every district in Seattle is changing - safe to say that it's been a whiter area. They're saying - Hey, wait, whoa, whoa, whoa - wait, we're gonna get split, that's gonna dilute our voice. So it's an interesting dynamic there. And what's also interesting - and it makes sense because the same organizations have been working on city redistricting and state redistricting, to some degree - we're seeing this movement to really unite and ensure communities in South Seattle are not divided. So in this - this was something that they really were trying to do with congressional districts - is make sure that South Seattle communities of color have a coalition and aren't split. And especially having the - well, let's see, and at least in state redistricting - making sure the International District is connected in some way to other parts of South Seattle and Beacon Hill. That was a priority in one of the congressional district redistricting for some of these groups that are now working on Seattle redistricting. One of the things that it would do is put South Park and Georgetown in the same district, which is interesting because I think those two communities work together on a lot of issues that affect the Duwamish and affect - again, a lot of people of color that live in those districts - there are issues that really would affect both of them. And so putting them in the same district, I could see why that would make sense. And you also have - I want to make sure I have this right, but I think - making sure Beacon Hill and it is connected to South Seattle as well. I'm gonna check here - is it also the International District here we're talking as well? Oh, Yesler Terrace - that's right. [00:36:12] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, so CID and Yesler Terrace will be in District 2 - kept them both in District 2 - that those were some really, really important considerations. And large percentages of those communities have talked about how important that is. You just talked about Georgetown and South Park being in that district. Looking at Lake City, Northgate, and Broadview in District 5. Also keeping growing renter populations together in South Lake Union and Downtown together there has been making a difference. Both communities of color and, as we talk in the larger redistricting conversation, communities of interest - and now with more than half of the City being renters - renters have been largely overlooked in terms of redistricting and City policy until now. And really what a number of these organizations are saying is - we've been overlooked, we have not been absent, but we've been ignored in this and communities and voices from places like Magnolia have been overrepresented and have been catered to this time. And there's a saying - when you're used to privilege, equity looks like oppression. And so Magnolia is saying - we're losing our voice - and kind of collectively, interests from the rest of the City are saying - no, what you're doing is losing the ability to speak over our voices. But now that we're all at the table and all have a voice, it's time for us to also be recognized as valid and important and worthy of preservation and continuity and representation and not have it broken up in favor of predominantly wealthy homeowners who are saying - well, we're a historically important community. Well, are you historically important and the change that the rest of the City has seen hasn't come to your district because you have fought so vehemently against it. And then turn around and say - and that's why you should cater to us and keep us together because we continue to fight against any kind of change. And realistically saying - hey, other districts have changed and boundaries need to change in those other areas to accommodate that. And so this does - certainly not all that advocates have asked for, but some meaningful progress and some promising boundaries, I think, for a lot of people in the City, for a lot of people who are not wealthy, for people who are renters no matter what the income is - because of the challenges that just the rental population is facing. And to your point, neighborhoods who have worked together and who share interests, who now have the opportunity to have that represented politically within the City? I think that's very helpful and I definitely hope people stay engaged. In this redistricting process. And as the voices from some of those communities who have had greater access to an ability to participate in these redistricting and City processes, and who've had the inside track and who have been listened to to a greater degree than others, that you add your voice to the conversation to make sure that it isn't drowned out by anyone else. Looking at a recent announcement - and kind of announcement is a better word than a new policy or a plan - because it is just announced and announced the intention to take action, but we have yet to see. There was a press conference yesterday about emergency walk-in centers for behavioral health cases, addressing our regional behavioral health crisis here. What was announced and what is the deal? [00:40:32] Melissa Santos: What exactly is going to happen remains a little bit unclear to me exactly, but basically King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a plan to just expand services for people who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis. And it's going to be part of his 2023 budget proposal, which isn't coming out 'til next month. So the idea is having more short- and long-term treatment - so more walk-in treatment that's available and more places to send people who have acute mental health needs. He was talking about how the County's lost a third of its residential behavioral healthcare beds - Erica Barnett at PubliCola reported on this pretty extensively - and there's just a concern there just won't be enough. I was surprised by the stat that there's only one crisis stabilization unit in the County that's 16 beds - that's not very much, especially when we know people suffer mental health crises more frequently than that small number of beds might indicate. So what's interesting is we want to put more money in somewhere so people aren't getting treated in jails, that they have a better place to go, but we're not quite - we don't know exactly the scope of this, or how much money exactly we're talking about to put toward more beds. I guess there's some plans to do so - is what I got from the executive. [00:42:06] Crystal Fincher: Certainly from a regional perspective, we saw representation from the mayor's office for the City of Seattle, county executive certainly, county council, regional leaders in behavioral health treatment and homelessness - all saying that - Hey, we intend to take action to address this. Like you said, Dow said that he will be speaking more substantively to this in terms of details with his budget announcement and what he plans to do with that. Universal acknowledgement that this is a crisis, that they lack funding and resources in this area, and say that they intend to do better with a focus, like you said, on walk-in treatment and the ability to provide that. But we just don't know the details yet. We'll be excited to see that. And you covered this week, just the tall task ahead of them, because we've spoken about before and lots of people have talked about even in this press conference, a problem that we almost require that people - the only access that people can get to treatment sometimes is if they've been arrested, which is just a wildly inefficient way to address this, especially when it plays a role in creating some of the problems with crime and other things. But even with the newly rolled-out intervention system with an attempt to - if someone who previously would've called 911 now can call a dedicated kind of other crisis line to try and get an alternative response - but even that is severely underfunded. What's happening with that? [00:44:00] Melissa Santos: So with 988 - this is the three-digit number people can call when they have a mental health crisis and they'll be connected to a counselor who can help talk them through it. The idea is ultimately for that system to also be able to send trained crisis responders - largely instead of police in many, many cases - meet people in-person, not just talk to them on the phone. But we just don't have enough of these mobile crisis response teams. There's money in the state budget to add more over the next couple of years, especially in rural areas that just don't have the coverage right now. They just don't have enough teams to be able to get to people when they need it. That's something they want to expand so there's more of a response than - that isn't a police officer showing up at your door. So that's the ultimate vision for this new line you call - 988 - but it's not fully implemented right now. You still will get some support. And if you call, I'm not trying to say people should not call the line, but they don't necessarily have all the resources they want to be able to efficiently deploy people - I shouldn't say deploy, it sounds very military - but deploy civilian trained helpers to people who are experiencing a crisis. So that's where they want it to go and The Seattle Times had an article just about how some of those designated crisis responders right now are just stretched so thin and that's just not gonna change immediately, even with some new state money coming in to add more people to do those sorts of things. And designated crisis responders have other duties - they deal with actually to getting people to treatment - some involuntarily in certain cases. Again, it's different than a police response and right now there's just not enough of those folks. [00:45:55] Crystal Fincher: Which jeopardizes the willingness of people to continue to call. Certainly the possibility that a police response can ultimately happen from someone who was requesting a behavioral health or another type of intervention response. And that is still a possibility which some people find challenging or - hey, they expected to avoid that or have something different if they call this and that might not always be the case. But it's certainly a challenge and I think one of the things that was talked about yesterday, which kind of wraps this under a whole umbrella, is there needs to be a lot more done in terms of infrastructure and capacity from - with there being someone to call, someone appropriate to call for whatever the challenge is, an appropriate response. If that is a behavioral health trained person, a crisis intervener, someone like that - and places to take people. Someone does respond and then can connect that person to services that exist. We have problems in a number of areas saying - yeah, we offered services or services are available and they aren't, or they aren't appropriate for the crisis that's there. They don't meet the needs of the person and their situation. So certainly a lot to build out. I think it is a positive step that we're hearing acknowledgement of this and a unified plan to take action, but still need to see what actually results 'cause sometimes we hear big fanfare to start and don't get much substantive on the back end. Certainly I hope with a number of the people involved in this that we do get some substantive progress and I hope to see that, I would expect to see that - but I'm looking forward to it. With that, I think that wraps up this show today. Thank you so much for listening to Hacks & Wonks on this Friday, August 12th, 2022. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Lisl Stadler, assistant producer is Shannon Cheng with assistance from Bryce Cannatelli - we have an incredible team here at Hacks & Wonks - just want to continue to say that it is not just me, it is completely our team and not possible without this full team. Our wonderful co-host today is Seattle Axios reporter Melissa Santos. You can find Melissa on Twitter @MelissaSantos1. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on the new Twitter account @HacksWonks, you can find me on Twitter @finchfrii (spelled F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I). Now 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 deliver 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 and Election 2022 resources at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

On today's Hacks & Wonks week-in-review, Crystal is joined by Associate Editor of The Stranger, Rich Smith. They start this week discussing the heatwave currently affecting western Washington, and how despite the real risks to some of our most vulnerable neighbors, the city moved forward with a sweep of a homeless encampment. Rich points out that there's not actually adequate housing for all of those hurt by the sweep, and discusses how legal action might be the necessary catalyst to get the city to change its behavior when it comes to handling our homelessnes crisis. In specific races, Crystal and Rich discuss the Congressional race in Washington's 8th Congressional District, where three Republicans are vying for the chance to take Kim Schrier's seat. They next follow-up on the horrifying pattern of Black electeds, candidates, and campaign staff being harassed, threatened, and attacked, and the lack of resources and support from the HDCC to protect candidates of color. Next, they look at the 47th legislative district's Senate and House races, both of which have very competitive D-on-D races happening during the primary. Rich explains the Stranger's Editorial Control Board's struggle to pick who to endorse in the 34th's State Rep. position 1 race. Crystal and Rich talk about the disproportionate amount of money going to D-on-D races in districts that are safely Democrat, and what needs to be done to make sure campaign finance needs are less of a barrier for candidates. After that, they go over close-looking races between Democrats and Republicans across the state. Finally, they remind you to VOTE! Ballots are due August 2nd. Make your voice heard!  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, Rich Smith, at @richsssmith.  More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   WA Voting Resources Ballot and replacement ballot information: https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx    Ballot Box and voting center locations: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/research/drop-box-and-voting-center-locations.aspx    If you're an eligible voter with previous felony convictions, you CAN vote as long as you're no longer confined. For more information, see here: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters/felons-and-voting-rights.aspx    Resources   “Seattle removes homeless encampment in Sodo during heat wave” by Greg Kim from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/seattle-removes-homeless-encampment-in-sodo-during-heat-wave/    “A new push to combat harassment of Black candidates and staff” by Melissa Santos from Axios: https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/07/25/black-candidates-washington-harassment   “Republicans vie for swing-district shot at defeating WA Rep. Kim Schrier” by Jim Brunner from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/republicans-vie-for-swing-district-shot-at-defeating-democrat-rep-kim-schrier/   “Northeast Seattle House race features 5 Democratic candidates and big money” by David Gutman from The Seattle Times:  https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/northeast-seattle-house-race-features-5-democratic-candidates-and-big-money/   “Seattle voters have a slew of choices in Legislative races” by Joseph O'Sullivan from Crosscut: https://crosscut.com/politics/2022/07/seattle-voters-have-slew-choices-legislative-races    Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks and 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, as well as our recent forums, are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, we're continuing our Friday almost-live shows where we review the news of the week. Welcome back to the program today's co-host: Associate Editor of The Stranger and - never forget - noted poet, Rich Smith. [00:00:55] Rich Smith: Hi. [00:00:55] Crystal Fincher: Hey, so it's been a hot week. We're in the middle of another heat event, climate change is unrelenting, and we're feeling the effects of it. It's been a challenge. [00:01:09] Rich Smith: Yeah, I'm against it. I don't think it should be happening. Seattle really is dying, as is the rest of the globe, is my understanding. [00:01:19] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. We just saw Europe go through this right before we did. And I'm sure we're all going to be going through it with increasing frequency, which makes one thing that happened this week, just particularly - not just unfortunate, but really infuriating to a lot of people - and plainly harmful. It's that the City of Seattle decided to move forward with sweeps of encampments for the unhoused in the middle of this heat wave. What went on here? [00:01:50] Rich Smith: Yeah, they - Bruce Harrell has made a point to deal with visible homelessness by employing a tactic that has not worked, which is sweeping people around the City, and in the middle of a heat wave, he swept a city, or a spot a little bit south of downtown. I wasn't - I'm not quite sure on the address. I think there was about 30 people there. And first thing in the morning - sun was heating up, these people had to put all their belongings on their back, and move across town, or find a cooling shelter or - in the heat. And it was just cruel and unfortunately, not unusual. And I can't even blog in this heat, let alone move all of my earthly possessions across town, just because somebody doesn't want to see me there. So that's what happened. [00:02:53] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and it is - a lot of people understand that this really makes no sense to do - it's harmful, it's against public health guidance. We're still in a pandemic - even though people want to be done with it, it's not done with us. We have more challenges in that direction coming our way, which we might touch on a little bit later. But even with this, there were a lot of community members who reached out to the mayor's office when they heard about this and heard that it was upcoming. This is on the heels of last summer - the heat dome event being the most deadly weather event that Washington has ever experienced. We know how lethal extreme heat is. And so for people who don't have any kind of shelter to be put through this at this particular time, and as a lot of activists talked about and actually Councilmember Tammy Morales called out before, since and after - there's not enough shelter space, there's not enough housing space to get all of these people in shelter. To which Bruce Harrell and his administration replied - well, there's space at cooling centers and we can get them vouchers to go there. But those aren't 24/7 - that's a very, very temporary solution. So you know that you're throwing people out, certainly at night, and tomorrow when there's extreme heat again - 90+ degree temperatures - where do they go then? And they have even less to work with in order to do that. It's just - as you said in the very beginning - it's ineffective, this doesn't get people in housing. Some people talk about homelessness being primarily a problem of addiction or of mental health resources - that's not the case for everybody, but the one thing that everyone who is - does not have a home - has in common is not having a home. Housing is the one thing that will, that we can't do without to solve homelessness. We have to start there. And so to act as if this is doing anything different, when over and over again, we see when they sweep a location, the people who were there just move to different locations in the City. We don't get people housed, we're doing nothing but making this problem worse while wasting so much money in the process of doing so. It's just infuriating and I really hope it stops. There's not really a reason to believe so, based on the track record in this area of this administration, but it's wrong and there's really no two ways about that. [00:05:25] Rich Smith: Yeah, and just to hop on that Tammy Morales point and the reporting that The Times did on the ground, there's this - the administration thinks that they're offering everybody shelter, they say that they're offering everybody shelter. And then reporters go there and ask around and people say - nobody offered me anything. A couple people said - I'm gonna take this tent down the road, I'm not gonna get to that shelter. And so I just think that the City needs to start getting sued for this stuff. I just - if a referral system is clearly adequately not functional, and we're not supposed to - under Martin v. Boise - sweep people unless we have adequate shelter to put them in. And if we haven't created a system that gets people into adequate shelter that meets their needs, then how is it legal? is my question. And I don't think that this is gonna stop until there starts to be legal consequences for the City. [00:06:29] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and like you said, there is precedent - that's a fairly recent decision, that we seem to be acting - in Seattle and in other cities - in direct defiance of, so I hope along with you that it is challenged in court. It's a big problem that continues. We're doing nothing to solve this issue that everyone recognizes is a crisis, and it's time we start doing things that actually work to make the problem better instead of wasting money on things that just perpetuate the issues that we're having. So this week, we're - Friday, July 29th - we are just days before this August 2nd primary on Tuesday, which means if you have your ballots, you better fill them out and get them in. Have any questions - feel free to reach out to us here at officialhacksandwonks.com, us on Twitter. You can go to MyVote.wa.gov if you are having issues with your ballot - I know there're places like Ferndale in the state that're experiencing extreme post office delays and some people still haven't received their ballots up there. But any issues that you're having can probably be addressed by starting out at MyVote.wa.gov, but do not pass up this opportunity to make your voice heard. There is so much at stake. As frustrated as sometimes we can be with how things are happening federally, whether it's the Supreme Court or seeming inaction in Congress - although we may have gotten some encouraging week this past week, encouraging news this past week - it is really important to act locally. Especially with things being in disarray at the federal level, the state and local level is where we protect the rights that we count on. It's where we shape what our communities look like. And the fact that they can look as different as Forks and Sequim and Seattle and Bellevue and all the rest just is a testament to how much power communities have to shape what they look like. So get engaged, be involved and - just starting out, we've seen just a slew of activity. We'll start the conversation around the Congressional districts, the Congressional races. What is happening in the 8th Congressional District where Kim Schrier is the current incumbent? [00:08:46] Rich Smith: This is - yeah - the front of the national red wave in Washington, to the extent that it crashes down here or gets held, it'll be in the 8th, which is east King County District now. It got changed around a little bit with redistricting - picking up some pieces of Snohomish County, but also some rural areas that it didn't have before. And Schrier faces a challenge from three Republicans minimum - there's a bunch of other people who aren't viable, but the major ones are Reagan Dunn, a King County Councilmember who's also a Republican and whose mom represented the district - I think in the 90s and early '00s - so a little bit of a legacy candidate there for Dunn. He has, as a brief aside, been also awarded by me just now the trophy of using his personal or his professional press release apparatus through the County Council in the most abusive way I've ever seen. This man sends out a press release about some kind of Republican red meat he's doing on the council, literally every eight hours, and it has been for the last year. If this is what he thinks doing his job on council means, then he hasn't been doing it since before this year. But anyway, Reagan Dunn is one of them. And Matt Larkin, a failed Attorney General candidate, who's going for the red meat Trump vote more openly than the other two are at least is is also running. He's got a bunch of his own money in - I wanna say north of $500,000, but maybe it's just $300,000. And and then we've got Jesse Jensen who ran last time. He's a veteran and a tech manager and he almost - he lost to Schrier in 2020 by four points. And so the Republicans are bickering amongst themselves with Jensen spending some, or a PAC on behalf of Jensen spending some money bringing up Dunn's - his struggles with alcoholism, and his divorce, and a bunch of drama related to that. And Dunn pushing back against that and calling it cheap blows. And Matt Larkin just trying to pick up any pieces that fall from that spat and capitalize on it. Schrier will, I suspect, will get through and it'll just be - which of these icky guys is gonna challenge her. [00:11:31] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, it's really interesting to see. And the theme of our congressional primaries and many of these races is - yeah, Republicans are fighting amongst each other in some really interesting, sometimes entertaining, but also vicious ways among each other. And so in this race it's been interesting to see, I think particularly just as people who live in King County and who have seen Reagan Dunn operate for a while - for a while he used to kind of court and relish his - the impression of him being a more moderate Republican, or Republican who can be elected in King County and touted that for a while. But now the base is different than it used to be when it comes to Republicans - they are not in the mood for a - someone who's moderate enough to be elected in King County and his votes, his rhetoric, the way he operates has completely reflected that. Including voting against women's reproductive rights, against abortion rights and access - really is, as you just talked about, trying to appeal to the Trump-loving red meat base and prove that he is conservative enough to do that. And just speaking a lot differently than he did before. But I think this is just reflective of - there are no - really, there is no such thing as a Republican moderate. Because everyone who has called themselves a moderate on issues of any kind of importance - at most - is silent. They won't oppose their party on things that they know are blatantly wrong, whether it's the lie of the 2020 election and the conspiracies surrounding that or vaccine issues - all this kind of stuff. Or you've seen them go the direction of Dunn and we recently saw, in a vote against same-sex marriage in Congress with Jaime Herrera Beutler, that they're voting against those things. And it's absolutely in opposition to a majority of Washington residents by every public poll that has been done. And so it's just interesting to see how that dynamic has played out throughout that. Again, it should be Schrier and we'll see who her opponent is gonna be, but that's gonna be a race to continue to pay attention to throughout the general election. So there's - you talk about a lot dealing with the 9th CD - there's a lot of legislative districts in the 9th CD - some of them very big battleground districts. And before we get into talking just a little bit about the legislative candidates, I did want to talk about an issue that The Stranger covered, that Axios covered this past week - and it has been the escalating incidences of harassment and violence against Black candidates, some of which are in the most competitive races in the state that we've been seeing lately. There have been lots of incidences that have been reported on that we know of throughout the state of Black candidates having their signs and property defaced - that's happened to a number of them, having their staffs harassed, followed, threatened from people in the community - and we saw that happen last week, one week before last now. And then that same week a candidate in the 30th Legislative District, which is Federal Way, Algona area, was shot twice with a BB gun. And when you're getting shot by BB gun, you don't actually know necessarily that it's a BB gun - and so you just know that you're getting shot at. Very scary situation and with those, certainly, I know that candidate Pastor Carey Anderson feels like that seems like a down payment on more violence, that seems like a type of harassment and targeting that's like - we are coming after you, we're harassing you. It's just very, very scary. And so throughout this process - and again, we saw these instances in 2020, we're now in 2022 seeing them - these campaigns have had to make considerations adjust their field plans and their canvassing plans in ways that soak up more resources, soak up more money and time, and it's just worrisome to be doing this. And realistically, this has been - continues to be a systemic problem. And so as I shared before, a number of people have - the parties should have an impact in fixing this. And specifically, I don't know if you're - I know you are - but people that are listening - the campaign apparatus when it comes to a state party - there's a state party. They do the Coordinated Campaign, which is the volunteer arm for a lot of the candidates in the state, they do a lot of supportive canvassing, phone calls, especially for - from the top of the ticket in the state on down. So Patty Murray being at the top of the ticket this year to candidates, especially in battleground areas. But the entities that are most responsible for dealing with campaigns are the House Democratic Caucus and the Washington Senate Democratic Caucus - that the House caucus and the Senate caucus are actually very frequently in contact with campaigns. They exist solely to support the political campaigns of their members. And so they provide information, guidance, infrastructure for the most competitive races against the opposing party. They're actively involved in these races and they basically act like co-consultants and adjunct staff for these. So there is a very close relationship and those are the two entities - House caucus for House candidates, Senate caucus for the Senate candidates - who are already doing that work in general. And so it has not escaped a lot of people's notice that this has been, as I was quoted saying, a glaring omission in what they've talked about. And it's not the first time the party has heard about this or confronted it. There have been conversations about this before. They've not resulted in action up until now. And so that article was particularly troubling to me. And this situation is particularly troubling to me because although everybody was asleep before then, we've seen the State Party basically say - yeah, we do have a responsibility to handle this and to try and work on a solution. We've seen the Senate caucus say - yeah, we do and we're working on a solution. And we have not seen that from House caucus leadership. And it was - we don't see this often for anything in any issue, but you had three candidates, two of them members in some of the most competitive races in the state saying - Hey, this happened. April Berg - this happened to me earlier this year and I asked the House caucus for help, I didn't get any - and now we're sitting here asking again and we're waiting. And Jamila Taylor, the head of the Legislative Black Caucus, saying essentially the same thing - we're waiting for help, we're asking, we're waiting. And then Pastor Carey Anderson, candidate in the 30th, saying we asked and we haven't - and these candidates are feeling like they're left alone and being left high and dry. And their campaigns are wondering - is it safe to be out there - and to not even have the caucus back them up like that is really something. And if Black lives do matter in this state, then we gotta do a better job of showing it, starting with these candidates. And this is - attacks on these candidates are really foundational - saying, we don't think you deserve a voice in this society, in our democracy, we're gonna try and intimidate and harass you out of it. And really, no one's really doing that much to stop it, so let's keep going. And not having support going through that is a really challenging thing. Will Casey for The Stranger also did an article on it this week. So I guess as you're looking at it, what does it look like from your vantage point? [00:20:11] Rich Smith: Yeah - well, in their defense the HCCC - or whatever, I don't know what they call it - just found out about structural racism this year, so they're hopping on it. They're also just figuring out racism as well. We might give 'em a chance to catch up. No, I was - the Rep Berg, whose canvasser was one of the people who got yelled at by a white guy who slammed his bike to the ground and did the "get off my lawn" racism up in Mill Creek, I wanna say, I can't remember where it was. But anyway, she and Rep Taylor pointed out that this - if you want to expand the number of people into your party, you want to have a big umbrella, if you want to diversify your party, which has been white for a very long time - then you're gonna want to provide some protection for people. You're gonna at least want to get a phone tree - set up some kind of protocol so that the party knows when this stuff happens and can act accordingly. The fact that we didn't have one means that we didn't prioritize it. And the fact that they didn't prioritize it means that there's not enough people in high places who are thinking about this stuff. And the fact that this has to come from the candidates who are not, who are running to be part of the party, is inexcusable because we've known that this has been happening for a long time. So yeah. It hurts recruitment for that party and it's inexcusable that they haven't done anything - they haven't done anything about it until now. [00:22:05] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and even then until now - we're waiting, we're waiting. [00:22:09] Rich Smith: Yeah. [00:22:09] Crystal Fincher: We're waiting to see - [00:22:10] Rich Smith: Did the Senate put out some recommendations, but the House hasn't? [00:22:13] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. [00:22:14] Rich Smith: Okay, I see. [00:22:16] Crystal Fincher: And as well as the State Party - they've worked in conjunction. So it'll - we're waiting to see - I hope that we see more action, but it has certainly been disconcerting, worrisome. Frankly, infuriating - [00:22:31] Rich Smith: Pramila's getting yelled at. [00:22:32] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and beyond yelled at - life threatened by dude outside of her house with a gun - telling her to go back where she came from and threatening to kill her. It's - and we saw an organizer this past week with a continued campaign of harassment from someone who already has a restraining order against them for this. It's just a worrisome time and it's gonna take everybody engaging, especially white people, to get this to stop. Relying on the victims of harassment and the victims of assault and the victims of stalking to be able to engage and solve their whole problem, when a lot of their energy is spent just trying to keep themselves safe, is not realistic and not what we can count on in order for it to change. But also, in other news - so south King County has got a lot of races. There haven't been many that have been covered. The Stranger has covered them and even engaged in a recent endorsement in one of the most competitive legislative districts in the state, which is the 47th Legislative District. And so there is one incumbent in the House seat running - Debra Entenman in that seat. And then there is a competitive Senate race and a competitive House race, both of which have open seats. And interestingly, both are D vs R races, where we're in a pretty competitive D primary, not so competitive R primaries. Well-funded Republican opponents - both of those Republican opponents are also Black, against a number of Black candidates running. So you have Shukri Olow and Chris Stearns running for one seat. You have Satwinder Kaur, who's a Kent City Councilmember currently, running against a former State Senator, Claudia Kaufman, in the other seat - running against another current Kent City Councilmember, Bill Boyce, who's a Republican. And then Carmen Goers for that other seat, who's also a Republican. So how did you - just going through that race - you made endorsements and recommendations. In that, what did you come out with? [00:24:52] Rich Smith: Yeah. In those races - yeah, first of all, the 47th is huge. It's a bellwether district. Everyone's gonna be looking at it and analyzing it on election night to figure out what it means for the general election and whether or not the Democrats are gonna be able to hold their majority in the State House and - or break even in the Senate, with Mullet as the swing - lord help us. But yeah, in the race - starting from the Senate race - that's the one that is Kaur and Kauffman vs probably Boyce - or yeah, Bill Boyce - [00:25:33] Crystal Fincher: Bill Boyce - yeah. [00:25:33] Rich Smith: Kent City Councilman. Yeah, we came down on Kauffman there, mostly because Kaur had lied to us, basically, in the course of the endorsement process. She said that - we asked about whether or not she wanted to put cops in schools and Kent, they recently - Kent School District and City Council approved recently - put cops back in the school so that they could handcuff mostly kids of color when they get out of line, and or when they say they get out of line. [00:26:13] Crystal Fincher: And a long history of that happening in the district. [00:26:15] Rich Smith: Yes, and Kaur's initial response to that was - that wasn't my, our jurisdiction, that was a decision that the school made, the school district made, yada, yada. Kauffman stepped in and said - excuse me, you voted on that. And then we were like, what? And then she's like - yeah, the City Council approved the budget that put the cops back into the schools in Kent and also, you all deliberated about it. There's a meeting - you talked about this. It was not only within your jurisdiction, but you joined a unanimous vote to put cops back in the schools. And then she's like okay - yeah, that happened. I was like - well, why did you say it didn't happen? Or why did you suggest that it was out of your jurisdiction? And so you didn't have anything to say about it? So that kind of - that didn't - that wasn't cool. We didn't like that. And we also didn't like that the vote to put the cops back in schools because, and when we questioned her on that, she said she had mixed feelings about it personally, but she voted for it because this was something the community asked for. But scratch the surface a little bit, and the community also asked for the school not to put the cops back in the schools. And so it was - she was representing people in the community, some people in the community, and dismissing - or not really dismissing - but pretending as if other people in the community didn't exist. She wanted to represent the interest of those people and not those people, so that was - otherwise they were pretty, pretty close on the issues, but her handling of that situation initially and the substance of it, I think, was what pushed us toward Kaur. We recognize that it's a moderate district, or a purple district, in a lot of ways and maybe that comes back to to haunt Kauffman, but Kaufman also just had a really forthright, blunt, straightforward way of talking. She held her ground, said what she said. And we were like - that's, there we go. There was just less triangulation, it felt like, happening. And so those were the things that pushed us there. Olow and Stearns was also really tough for us - because love Stearns' work on Treatment First Washington and his history with - him foregrounding treatment and wanting to get in - we really, would be great to have a champion in there, someone to join Rep Lauren Davis on her crusade to try to squeeze something out of that body to build a treatment infrastructure in the first place and a recovery infrastructure at the state level. I'm sure Stearns would've done that. [00:29:07] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, full disclosure - I was also part of that coalition - appreciate his work on that, definitely believed in that. [00:29:14] Rich Smith: Well, and he had been elected to Auburn City Council. And so he has a constituency he can tap - he's familiar. Olow though - we endorsed her against Upthegrove when she ran for County Council and she aligned with everything that Stearns was saying, or agreed with everything that Stearns was saying, and just has a lot of expertise in youth development and education and that's something where we need as many of those champions in the Legislature as humanly possible. And she had just had a - it looked like at the time when we were making the endorsement - just a better campaign infrastructure and so probably would've done, we thought would've done the best, will do the best against the Republican challenger. [00:30:11] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, really well-funded Republican challenger. Yeah. [00:30:15] Rich Smith: So that's what went into our thinking in those races. [00:30:18] Crystal Fincher: Yeah - no, made sense. Shukri has been doing work for the Best Starts for Kids program, which is very big in the district. Got her doctorate in education after starting out as a girl in public housing in the district. Has just - she really is someone who knows the district really well - grew up there, has certainly given back a lot, and so - know them both, appreciate them both. And just know that in both of those races, it's gonna be really tough for the Democrat vs the Republican. So whichever way that goes through, I hope listeners continue to pay attention and engage in those 'cause it's going to take help from folks who don't live there to make sure that the Democrat does get across the finish line. 'Cause, man - lots of these - Republicans are trying extra hard to put a moderate face on themselves, whether it's the 5th District talking about their bipartisan support and they're moderate and they're socially progressive and fiscally responsible - is how they're trying to present it. Whether it's in Emily Randall's district, or in the 5th district against Lisa Callan in that area. And it's just - we've got a lot at stake on this ballot. And so I really - and it's not inconceivable that Democrats could lose the majority here. With hard work, hopefully not, but it is within the realm of possibility and Republicans are looking to move backwards a lot of policy and are saying some really alarming things on the campaign trail with every - and it's not rhetoric. They're intending to move forward with repealing all of the rights that are in danger at the national level, and really being in alignment with what's happening there. And so things could go the other direction really fast. [00:32:17] Rich Smith: It's scary. It's also - is it within the 9th Congressional District as well? [00:32:21] Crystal Fincher: Yep. I think it's split between the 8th and the 9th, actually. I need to double check that post-redistricting, which is another thing - when you talk about just the 47th district, everything about everything in that race is just nonstandard. We don't know how this district, as this is the first time that we're gonna be voting within these new boundaries - so how it actually performs. You've got an interesting composition of people who - some have been on ballots plenty of times there, some haven't, some have but have been unopposed so people don't really pay attention to it. You've got two Black Republicans who are leading and the standard bearers - they're trying to portray themselves as - one of them, Bill Boyce, sent out this mailer of him and Martin Luther King. And there's nothing Republicans love more than throwing out a Martin Luther King quote that he would've thrown back in their face. But anyway, talking about that - which was, I know a lot of Black people in the Kent community looked, gave a side eye to that one really hard. But it'll be really interesting to see. And then there's a chunk of races in Seattle that are these D vs D races that are not gonna be key to the composition of the caucus and the majority, but that may help define what the agenda is in the Legislature and what's able to pass, especially when we talk about issues like progressive revenue and some very basic things that people are trying to tick off - in the healthcare realm, in the climate action realm, whole transportation package, what that kind of would look like. And so just a variety of races across the City that people will be voting on. Make sure to get that ballot in by Tuesday, either in the drop box or in the mail - you don't have to use a stamp on the envelope. But I guess as you're looking there, I see a lot of people - there's been a lot of coverage of the 46th, which full disclosure - I am working with Melissa Taylor on. In the 36th, a crowded race. There's an open seat in the 34th which hasn't quite gotten as much attention, I don't think, as the other two races. What do you see in that race? [00:34:52] Rich Smith: In the 34th? Great sadness and because it was - they're both really good. If you're - you're talking about the Leah Griffin and the Emily Alvarado - [00:35:03] Crystal Fincher: Yes. [00:35:03] Rich Smith: Yeah - what are you, what am I, how - we were all, we talked about this for 45 minutes, an hour. Okay, so our choices in this are somebody who is - we're in a housing crisis and Emily Alvarado ran Office of Housing, is - clearly knows what she's talking about. That's exactly what she wants to do when she gets to the State Legislature, and exactly how to do it, and exactly the coalition she wants to build - Latina and is - voted for Bernie Sanders - and is also impressive candidate who knows her sh*t. Speaking of, Leah Griffin - tremendous - tremendously overcame personal tragedy and didn't just keep that to herself, but used it in part as a catalyst to make real change to help everybody, contacted everybody in the Legislature and Congress - even Patty Murray - and got some responses and helped push an idea that eventually became legislation that got slipped into the Violence Against Women Act that would increase access to more sexual assault kits. So this is a person who has done tremendous work from her couch in Seattle, as she'll say. And so yeah - the choice there is between somebody who is gonna be a strong - and she's up on the news about criminal justice and is in the intersection there between how do we - what's the best way to get fewer rapes - to stop people from rape. She's a really good person who knows the answer to that question and can push for that kind of change in the 34th. And yeah, the question facing voters is - do you want somebody who's an expert on housing and is gonna do all the right things on housing and lead there and join a housing coalition in the House, which we desperately need. Or do you want somebody who is going to lead on the intersection of criminal justice and protecting survivors in the House, which we also desperately need, which is also - it's an impossible decision. I don't - we came down, the group came down at the end on Emily because of the housing crisis, but that's how I feel about that. We were all - could have gone either way. [00:37:46] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, it is - it's rough. And there's a lot of rough choices actually in Seattle - these are two great candidates. It's been tougher than prior years in some, where there were more clear choices in a lot of them. In City races, there's more differentiation between, at least among all the candidates a lot of times. And there just are some really hard choices and people across the board that - even if they don't make it through, you really, really, really hope that they continue to be involved and they step up to lead in different areas and really consider continuing to seek leadership. Because both people in this race, people in a number of races - there are some really, really exciting people who are running. You can only choose one. And so we'll see what continues to go through. And we can only choose one, we're gonna run a general election - ultimately there will be one who prevails, but yeah, it, this - I could definitely see that being a hard choice. [00:38:54] Rich Smith: If anybody wants to start some GoFundMe to help move some of these candidates around, would love somebody to move up to Shoreline and challenge Salomon, Jesse Salomon, up there - be a Senator. And could - someone could have jumped into the 46th Senate race too - would've been nice. A guy, Matt Gross, did - got a housing focus, that's great. Didn't do it for us even though - just 'cause his ideas were half baked - would've been nice to have a challenge up, a serious challenger to Javier Valdez too. Valdez is a nice guy, but there's a lot of room for improvement up there. Yeah, there was a lot of races where - would've been cool to see stronger challengers, progressive challengers. And then there were a lot of other races, and then the rest of the races were - oh, look, these people are great. Four great people running for one open seat. What are we gonna do here? So yeah, that - it was tough. [00:39:57] Crystal Fincher: Yeah - and with that, obviously, there's a ton of people who live in Seattle. And so there's going to be more people competing for what wind up being fewer positions. And you see a lot more engagement and attention being paid and candidates for those open seats. And it's - we are still contending with the disparity in resources between those in kind of safe D - Democrats are going to be elected in all of these positions. And seeing a stark difference in spending and donations for other races in the state that could go either way. And it's challenging. Again, I generally don't work with candidates. I'm working with one this year and it's a high - there are three of the top fundraisers in the state. I literally think the top three on the Democratic side non-incumbents in that race - there's a lot of money there. There doesn't need to be that much money in there, but given the composition - just like with Congress, right - especially the representatives basically have to spend all of their time fundraising. And while we desperately need more campaign finance reform, it should not take that. And a system that requires that is a broken system and you're making people make a lot of tough choices. The barrier for people being able to get in these races is challenging, 'cause you have to have enough time to devote to the fundraising and to talking to voters and the other stuff. And it's really hard to do without resources. And even if you don't have the most, you still have to have a substantial amount no matter how you look at it. So I do think there is a glaring need for some really foundational statewide campaign finance reform - also at the federal level - but Democracy Vouchers, does it solve every single problem related to everything? No. But I think it does make things more accessible, forces people to talk to more residents to get the - even if it's just in search of vouchers - hey, it's putting you in contact with more people that you have to directly deal with, which I think is always a good thing for candidates. But it's a problem, it's a challenge. And so many resources are dedicated to Seattle in the political sphere when there are so many needs for lesser-known races throughout the state. How do you see that? [00:42:39] Rich Smith: I agree. I don't know if - I don't know about Democracy Vouchers as a solution, but campaign finance reform for statewide races is great. Yeah - Melissa Taylor's raised what - $200,000 or something almost in that race - like the top, some of the top - [00:42:55] Crystal Fincher: Well, and she's the number two - [00:42:56] Rich Smith: She's the number two. [00:42:58] Crystal Fincher: - behind Lelach. And then, Nancy Connolly is also - there's a lot - now, Melissa doesn't accept corporate donations or anything, but still that's a lot of work, it's a lot of time. And not everybody has the ability to do that and that should not be a requirement of running for office. [00:43:23] Rich Smith: No. Yeah, I agree. And yeah, that's - it's as much as Stephanie Gallardo has raised against - for one House seat. Yeah, than for one US House seat, but yeah - it's crazy, it's a huge high barrier to entry, and we should do something to change it. [00:43:43] Crystal Fincher: We should. So I guess if you are - lots of resources, will link all of this in the comments of the show. As we do that - for just races across the state that may not be on people's radar, the Congressional races - is there anything that you would throw out there for people to consider that's not getting much attention right now? [00:44:05] Rich Smith: Yeah. You wanna do something over the weekend? You might try knocking doors for Emily Randall up in Kitsap - in Bremerton, Gig Harbor area - she's facing off against the Legislature's biggest brat, as Will Casey called him in a piece on the 26th Legislative District there. That's another one of those important races - Randall won by 108 votes or something last time she ran. So it's gonna be a close one. It would be great to have a pro-choice Democrat rather than a Trumpian weirdo in the Senate up there. [00:44:37] Crystal Fincher: Super Trumpian - he is one of the most extreme Republicans in the state, currently a House member running for the Senate seat to challenge her. They tried to put what they felt was one of their best, most resourced people on their side against her and she needs everybody's help. That is absolutely a race for people in Seattle to adopt and do something to help emily win. [00:45:03] Rich Smith: Yeah. If you wanna - if you're closer to the South End, you might try going down to the 30th LD - helping out Jamila Taylor with her race, figuring out what to do with, or helping Claire Wilson in her race. She'll - maybe save those for the general 'cause they'll probably get through. There's some sh*t going down in the 30th as well - is that also the one where Chris Vance is taking on Phil Fortunato - [00:45:29] Crystal Fincher: That's the 31st. [00:45:30] Rich Smith: 31st - that's right. That's just outside - [00:45:32] Crystal Fincher: So like Enumclaw, just to the east. Yep. [00:45:35] Rich Smith: Yeah, just outside. Yeah - so that's gonna be funny - I don't know, it'll be interesting. Phil Fortunato is a freak and a climate arsonist and a genuine weirdo. And I don't know if we're placing him with a centrist Republican, I guess, if Chris Vance is - will be much of an improvement, but it will be interesting to see the extent to which Trump base is being activated in these races in Washington, or whether there's some kind of independent, high Republican sh*t movement going on in the suburbs that really wants to moderate the Trumpers. So that'll be one area where I'm looking looking at that and yeah, but those would be two races that I would highly - [00:46:33] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, no, that absolutely makes sense. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you everyone for listening - this is Friday, July 29th, 2022. Thanks for listening to Hacks & Wonks - the producer is Lisl Stadler and assistant producer is Shannon Cheng with assistance from Bryce Cannatelli. Our wonderful co-host today is the Associate Editor of The Stranger, Rich Smith. You can find Rich on Twitter at @richsssmith. You can find me on Twitter at @finchfrii. Now you can follow Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, wherever else you get your podcasts - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Our revamped website has access to all the shows - all of the transcripts to everything is all included, and the forums that we did in the 36th and 37th are also included there. While you're there, if you like - hop on and can leave us a review on something, please do. It helps us out. You can also just get everything and we'll include all the resources and articles we talked about today in the show notes. So thanks for talking with us today. Thanks for tuning in - we'll talk to you next time.

In this episode of the Randy Wilson Podcast, we cover everything from the former governor, to the current governor and more in this up close and personal interview with Delegate Lamont Bagby.     Delegate Lamont Bagby represents the 74th district of Virginia, which includes parts of Henrico County and the city of Richmond. He is Chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and is a former member of the Henrico County School Board.

It's a spring break special episode this week, featuring Rep. Jesse Johnson (D-30th) and Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley (D-37th), two members of our state's Legislative Black Caucus who are not seeking re-election. Why aren't they running again, especially with police accountability legislation facing some major challenges? And what does their departure mean for the future diversity of the Washington State Legislature? Host Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel asks these questions and more on this special edition of Seattle News, Views, and Brews. Please support the show on Patreon!

If you know what doulas are and the valuable services they provide, you'll enjoy this conversation with Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley. If doula is a new word for you, you just might get even more out of today's episode. Rep. Harris-Talley (D-Seattle) is sponsor of the Doulas for All Act, legislation that could transform the birthing process for countless families. To keep up with progress on the bill, visit https://bit.ly/3H1AMdb.

Join us this week as we speak with Representative Donna Bullock, a member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the 195th Legislative District, which includes parts of North and West Philadelphia. Representative Bullock is an attorney, mother, wife, and a tireless public servant, who is committed to supporting working families through legislative initiatives that fund public education, create jobs, and build healthy, sustainable communities. She is an advocate for equal pay, an increased minimum wage, clean energy and environmental justice, quality public schools and pre-k education, and sustainable community development. Learn more: Visit Rep. Bullock's House of Representatives Member page PCAR legislative priorities

Alyce Clarke was the first African American female elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives. In this episode, Clarke shares her memories of a groundbreaking career in state politics. She remembers being encouraged to run for political office by her family and friends in 1984. Clarke began her first term in the Mississippi House of Representatives on March 24, 1985. She recalls the swearing-in ceremony and a misunderstanding about her first committee assignment. As one of the Mississippi House of Representatives' longest serving members, Clarke has authored several key pieces of legislation. She discusses two of her proudest achievements. Since 1976, the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus has promoted the needs of their constituents. Clark discusses how they worked to change the rules regarding leadership positions.

The Florida Senate approved combined redistricting maps with the House. That means they are on their way to the State Supreme Court for review. Also, on today's Sunrise: — The Legislative Black Caucus says their legislative agenda can't seem to find its way to committee hearings. — You don't see a lot of legislation about it, but Florida is in a real affordable housing crisis. Sunrise talks with UF's Shimberg Center for Housing Studies. — Another “audience of one” ad taunting Donald Trump is playing in select Florida markets.

The Pennsylvania Commission for Women, the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), and the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus (PLBC) hosted a Women in Law Enforcement discussion virtually to showcase women serving in the PSP. The panelists discussed how to recruit and retain women, shared their personal experiences, and highlighted the benefits of this career. Panelists: • Lt. Col. Kristal Turner-Childs, Deputy Commissioner of Staff • Lt. Cara McCree, Advanced Regional Training Section, Bureau of Training and Education • Sgt. Dawn Carpenter, Recruitment Services Section Supervisor • Cpl. Danea Durham, Recruitment Services East Unit Supervisor • Tpr. Kelly Smith, Community Affairs Officer, Office of Community Engagement “The Pennsylvania Commission for Women is proud to host this discussion with the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. We recognize that women and people of color are underrepresented in law enforcement across the Commonwealth and throughout the country. We hosted this discussion to address this disparity,” said Commission Executive Director, Moriah Hathaway. “Women currently make up about six percent of the Pennsylvania State Police force and we want this number to increase. The goal of this discussion is to allow women and girls to see themselves reflected in law enforcement and encourage them to consider a career as a State Police Officer.” Credit: Commonwealth Media Services --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/qhubonewspodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/qhubonewspodcast/support

Many in-person celebrations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have been canceled Monday due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant in California. Despite that, his legacy lives on, particularly in the work being done by California's Legislative Black Caucus, led by State Senator Steven Bradford. Guest: Steven Bradford, State Senator, 35th District First it was new cases and hospitalizations. Now, COVID-19 deaths have jumped significantly in Los Angeles County.

Representative Jamila Taylor of the 30th Legislative District joins Crystal to highlight the legislative priorities of the growing Black Members Caucus that seeks police accountability reforms that align with community values and needs. They delve into the importance of why equitable, sustainable, and accessible resources are the key to issues ranging from public safety to pandemic response to environmental stewardship. 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 Black Members Caucus Newsletter: https://housedemocrats.wa.gov/taylor/the-black-members-caucus-newsletter/   “Kent badly underestimated outrage over assistant police chief's Nazi insignia, mayor says” by Mike Carter from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/kent-mayor-city-badly-underestimated-outrage-over-assistant-police-chief-who-embraced-nazi-rank-insignia/   “Educate, not incarcerate: The value of restorative justice” from Federal Way Mirror Letters to the Editor: https://www.federalwaymirror.com/letters/educate-not-incarcerate-the-value-of-restorative-justice-federal-way-letters/   “Crime-conscious mayors criticize King County's juvenile justice program” by Olivia Sullivan from Kent Reporter: https://www.kentreporter.com/news/crime-conscious-mayors-criticize-king-countys-juvenile-justice-program/   “The Origins of Modern Day Policing” from NAACP - History Explained: https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/origins-modern-day-policing   Q&A: The Blake Decision - ACLU of Washington: https://www.aclu-wa.org/pages/q-blake-decision   HB 1773 - Concerning assisted outpatient treatment for persons with behavioral health disorders: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1773&Year=2021   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. So today, we are thrilled to have joining us, Representative Jamila Taylor, from the 30th Legislative District. She's the chair of the Black Members Caucus, just an esteemed and long-standing leader in our community here in South King County and throughout the state, has been doing great work for years, and has now brought her talents to the legislature, leading the Black Members Caucus. Thank you so much for joining us, Representative Taylor. [00:01:05] Representative Jamila Taylor: Thank you, Crystal. I appreciate the time to spend with you today and with your listeners. [00:01:11] Crystal Fincher: I guess I just want to start talking about your capacity as the Chair of the Black Members Caucus. One, wow, this caucus has grown - a much bigger group than it used to be when it was down to one. I was working with the legislator, who at the time was the only member of the Black - it was a Black Member Caucus - but now the ranks have grown. It's a very diverse and esteemed group. What is that like right now? What's on your agenda? What's upcoming in this session that's about to start? [00:01:47] Representative Jamila Taylor: So what's fascinating about the Black Members Caucus is that we've done a lot of internal work to figure out what our true north is. We've grown from five members in the founding of the Black Members Caucus, if you will, as a formal organization to ten that we have now. So just in one elective cycle, we have doubled in size. But if you think about in terms of the entire history of Washington State, we've only had 26 Black folks serve in the legislature. And so generally that's been one or two at a time. And of course we've had historic moments with the 44th - it's the second all-Black delegation - the first was in the 37th - where you have the first Black male senator in 31 years. And of course having two Black senators at a time is incredible with that small group that is heavily influential in policy making and making sure that the interests of the Black community throughout Washington State is really heard. So if you think about it, we've got folks who are representing districts outside of King County - so half of our members are not even in King County - so we got to dispel this myth that we're all concentrated in one spot - in Seattle - and we're spread throughout the region. And of course we have in constituents, if you will, all over the state that are looking to our leadership to not only help the Black community, but lift the rising tides of all. So when we help the most marginalized members of our community, we help the whole community. [00:03:28] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. So I guess thinking about what your wins were coming out of last session, certainly a lot was accomplished, and work that needs to continue into this new session, work that is a priority - what's on the top of the agenda? [00:03:45] Representative Jamila Taylor: In terms of the Black Members Caucus, which actually we're changing our name to the Legislative Black Caucus, last year we prioritized all of the police accountability reforms. And we are the first in the nation to have this suite of bills that address police accountability. There would be some in the community who believe that it's the cause of the rise of increasing crime, but remember the pandemic has happened and folks are engaging differently in community and are under stress and under immense challenge. But what I would want to say is that these accountability reforms are necessary for community to be invested in our own public safety continuum. If we hold our law enforcement accountable for a police state, if you would say police brutality, to make sure that they are acting within policy, to make sure that innocent bystanders and those who are innocent until proven guilty are not held to a different standard in terms of, I guess if you will, the kind of brutality that is not necessary. Our policies need to be matching where we are as a community. We saw with George Floyd in the challenges that are global response - and Washington State was the first to step up on a statewide level to codify where community is. With the work with I-940, that really set the tone for us to do this work. So community-driven work is necessary for our communities to be healthy. So we believe that this work with the police accountability reforms, even with us as a diverse caucus - we've got folks who are attorneys, folks who are law enforcement, moms, dads, folks who are just members of the community who are invested in safety not only of the individuals who are stopped by law enforcement, but law enforcement themselves. We don't have to continue on the pathway of the militarization of our police force. [00:06:03] Crystal Fincher: And I want to talk a little bit more about that and about public safety overall. I love the term that you just used - like a public safety continuum. Certainly there is the accountability component and talking about communities that are overpoliced, ineffectively policed, and where the focus is on criminalization and punishment, perhaps more than actually making people safer in addressing those root causes. One question is we continue to see a lot of malfeasance. I mean, we're sitting here recording this show the day after big City Council meetings in both Kent and Federal Way - addressing challenges - like one, Nazi propaganda posted by an assistant chief in Kent. In Federal Way, hostility towards police reform overall by many and seeking to pause on some community-driven initiatives. What do you think needs to be done in order to continue the accountability work? And beyond that, what else can be done just overall to make our community safer and to help bolster some of these community-led, community-driven initiatives to address the root causes of crime and prevent it before it becomes something that happens that police feel obligated to respond to? [00:07:31] Representative Jamila Taylor: I mean, for one, we have to move away from this notion that criminality is race-based. And so, the policing policies and the way that the police departments were founded - based on slave codes - it has racist history. But do we want to eliminate public safety options in community? No. What we want to do is make sure that innocent folks are not attacked just for walking down the street. We don't want to criminalize poverty. We don't want to criminalize individuals who are experiencing substance use disorder or mental health crises that are untreated. We have alternatives to how to address community problems. And expanding resources at the end of the road - meaning in law enforcement, in jails - is costly to communities. We cannot afford to arrest our way out of these problems. We have to get to the root causes. And members of our community, Black members of our community, have been screaming for generations that we need resources. And some of these policies en masse cause more disarray in communities. When you disinvest in communities that have a concentration of poverty, or unfair policing practices, and no investment in jobs or opportunities - one of the best ways you can help make communities safe is provide opportunities for folks to get jobs and education. Why aren't we investing more in that? And where our budgets go is showing where our values are. And it's not to say that law enforcement shouldn't have tools. They should. Some of the tools could be crisis responders so that instead of escalating a situation when someone's in a mental health crisis, that we're de-escalating. So there are techniques out there that allows for the dignity of the individual to be protected as they are contacted by police. And that's not soft on crime. Give the law enforcement the opportunity to investigate crime. We don't sit here and talk about police brutality when it comes to white collar crime and how much fleecing of America that happens that is never accounted for. When we are talking about embezzlement, for example, folks want to be made whole if you stole money from them - you don't necessarily need to put them in jail. There are alternatives in other situations. So, I mean, it's a complex system - that it's hard for a lot of folks, including myself, to navigate. I mean, I'm an attorney. I work outside the criminal justice system with crime victims, and I know how people are impacted by the policies that we set at the state level and at the federal level. And I really wish that people understand that sometimes you're a victim today - you could be in a situation where you could be misconstrued as the perpetrator. And then you can be the victim in the next moment. And no one moment should define your entire future. [00:10:48] Crystal Fincher: Well, and you raise a good point. You raised several good points, and we've seen especially for people who've advanced some of these very common sense reforms that have been accepted as normal, rational for quite some time, that you passed in the legislature, and responses of, "Well, this is hindering police from being able to do their job. You don't care about victims, and what are you going to do? Does that mean that everything that is happening and people being victimized is okay?" What do you say to people who are saying those, or people who don't know what to make about those arguments when they hear them? [00:11:31] Representative Jamila Taylor: I'm a crime victim's attorney, and I represent domestic violence survivors. And most often, domestic violence survivors want the harm to stop. And so that doesn't necessarily mean putting their abuser in jail in all cases. Sometimes it means that person just needs to stop committing the domestic violence. There are individuals who need to be put in jail because they will be hell-bent on harming that individual, that survivor, or those in the path, in the pathway. So when you think about law enforcement, they are most likely to be harmed in responding to a domestic violence call than some of the other traffic stops and community stops. So when we think about how can we address community problems, how do we do that without law enforcement participation in the first place? If someone is having a mental health crisis or a substance use crisis, can we use 988? This is a new system that we're developing that allows people to call this number instead of calling law enforcement when a person is in crisis. When more than 50% of calls to 911 are around substance use and mental health, there are other ways that we can address those challenges rather than "Law enforcement, come fix it, arrest that person." How many times have you been in a home where someone has a person who's a member of the family who has a substance use problem, and they have stolen something from the house? So grandma is upset that her television is stolen, but she's not going to report it to police, even though she can. She's already chosen other methods to address her family problem. And so again, do we want to push everyone into rock bottom and in thinking that that is the only way? We have to have multiple pathways to redemption, and we need to stop stigmatizing individuals who have found themselves addressing, having challenges with substance use disorder, or having untreated mental health challenges. [00:13:39] Crystal Fincher: So how do we do more to put those resources in place? What can you do in your capacity as a legislator to - when someone does need mental health or crisis intervention, that when someone responds, there are resources to connect them with, to actually treat the root cause. Or if someone needs treatment and recovery services, that those are available for someone who wants to seek that treatment? What can we do from a legislative perspective to make sure those resources are there for people who need them - to make us all safer and healthier? [00:14:19] Representative Jamila Taylor: So one of the things that we were addressing in the legislature last year was the Blake decision, which decriminalized possession of controlled substances. And as part of our response, it wasn't simply let's add "knowingly" to the statute and go back to the status quo and keep it as a felony. We, in the legislature, with bipartisan - heavy bipartisan support - decided that no, we're going to reduce it to a misdemeanor, which doesn't satisfy everybody. But we also needed to put the down payment in restoring the services that we need in community - crisis responders, recovery navigators, treatment centers. We have - even City Council members here in my district, the 30th district - saying, "Hey, a legislative priority is to have a treatment center in the City of Federal Way." And so we are now moving away from this "Not In My BackYard" mentality. We need the resources locally, and they need to be regionalized in such a way where folks don't have to go 30 miles, a 100 miles to get a basic service like Suboxone or something. There's so many things that disrupt the person when they're trying to do the right thing. How do we reduce those barriers? And so when you're thinking about the restoration of services and rebuilding our complicated behavioral health system, we've got to make sure that we have a behavioral health system that has compensation, so people can be retained in the industry - professionals. We've got to have the physical infrastructure where people can access treatment, but then we have to have the recovery services that go along with that. So someone needs housing. They may need support with their family law needs, because if you think about it, a lot of folks actually have children and one of the challenges they face is that once they have a substance use disorder, they have difficulty getting access to their children afterwards. And we want those children to be safe, but we also want families to be intact, to be healthy. And how do we support the tools, the tools that people need to be on recovery and to stay in recovery. And so we're all about "Punish you, punish you, punish you from mistakes." Yes, we need accountability, but what is accountability when there are so many resources that are still lacking out there? When a person says, "I can't go through with treatment because there isn't anything in my entire county in Spokane." And that's just an example. I don't know what all the resources are in that particular community, but that's one reason why it needs to be community-driven, because we can't assume that what's available in Seattle or Tacoma is also available in Federal Way, Algona, Pacific. Or think that the best solutions only come from the big bureaucracies of a large city, like Seattle. There's some innovative opportunities that are happening out of Kitsap County, out of Pend Oreille County. We need to listen to all of our citizens as they are coming up with solutions that really matter for their neighbors. [00:17:32] Crystal Fincher: So is more funding on the away? Is there legislation to help ease access, or to align access more? What can be done? [00:17:45] Representative Jamila Taylor: So right now, it's around the supplemental budget and making sure that we continue to make more investments in the behavioral health system, make sure that we are on the right path around the implementation of the new laws that are out there. I'm working on a bill - assisted outpatient treatment - where if a person has been resistant to treatment, how can we get them into services when they're not making rational decisions to do it on their own? And so how does the family engage in that process? How do they petition the court to do it? And then if we do use that method of getting someone into services through a court action, making sure that it's not held against them in so many other venues, as a way to say, look, this person is a problem. No, this should be - they experienced a significant crisis. It's a disease. They're not making the same decisions that you or I would make, and we certainly don't know what it's like to be affected by some of these substance uses. At this time, at this moment, there are people who are in actual recovery serving in the legislature right now. There are people who are parents of folks who have a significant and severe substance use disorders - of all races, of all races. And so we just have to find the common ground to make that political will to invest - reinvest - because so much of it was pulled back with the great recession of 2010, 2008. And we're restoring services that were just slashed and burned and we're seeing the consequence of that. And then, and we're seeing also, how do we do this in a different framework than what we did before the pandemic? When the pandemic gave us the opportunity to say, if we put someone in stable housing, they might have the time and the wherewithal to go to their telehealth appointment. Oh, wait, we find out that they need to have a phone to do that. We find out that maybe having food in their stomach will make it that they don't have to spend so much time getting access to that need and the drugs. So the harm reduction model is something that is absolutely necessary because the hard policy on drugs for the last 60 years has led us to where we are right now, and it has disproportionate impacts on communities. We've got to do something different than what we did before. [00:20:17] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely agree with that. What we have been doing has not worked. We have to do something different. There has to be a change. I want to continue talking about health, especially as we sit here - the Omicron variant is running wild. I have never known as many people with COVID as I do right at this moment. It is hitting everyone. Fortunately, vaccines are still useful and helpful in that they reduce the incidence of hospitalization and death, but that does not mean that people still don't get sick and experience a number of complications from that. Everything from - they're experiencing their own health problems to missing work, missing income, dealing with that. People are worried and concerned because a lot of the safety net protections and supplements that had been there may not be there anymore. Eviction moratoriums are looking at ending where they haven't already ended. And so people right now are going, "Hey, we're still in a pandemic." Lots of people want to be beyond it, but it is not over itself. It is still here. We still need the same kind of help and support that we did in the beginning of this. There are more people affected by it now when we're having lots of these programs end than there were when they were all in place. And so there's a lot of people feeling abandoned, frustrated - parents trying to figure out how to navigate through do they send their kids to school? Do they not? What kind of protections are in place versus not? It's a very unsettling, frustrating, and scary time for a lot of people. How do you plan to address this in the legislature? Is there anything that you can do right now? There's people having a hard time accessing rapid tests, super long lines at testing centers, hard time getting appointments for vaccinations. Do you think there needs to be a renewed effort and a doubling down reinstatement of a lot of the protections that were in place before? What's on your plate and on your docket to get to address this? [00:22:31] Representative Jamila Taylor: I mean, I think this is a complex issue that is hitting all the domains of our daily living. When we say shut down schools, that has not only the impact on the education of the young person, but the childcare resources of the family. So that means that you might be pulling out not one, but both parents, out of the economic market. We don't have universal basic income that folks can rely on if we have to do that and they have to parent the child and educate the child and do what have you. We have folks who have inconsistent access to broadband. So it's like when you do go to a virtual school setting, can they even get the education during that temporary time? I mean, this pandemic might end up being an endemic, meaning that it's going to be with us for the long-term. So we have to come up with strategies that help us cope with the situation. That means vaccinations. While some folks may say that they're not effective, they are effective. It is reducing the hospitalizations. And just last month, FEMA set up a shop in Federal Way where they had 500 to 700 people a day coming in for their vaccinations and their boosters. I went in there for my booster. It was simple. It was easy. And folks want to come back. The only reason why it was interrupted was that snow that happened between Christmas, but I believe that it was modified operations and some people were able to get in despite the snow. If you think about it, when I was in there, there were folks across all racial backgrounds who were getting the vaccinations. And I noticed in one of the stats that the disproportionality is a problem across the state and across the nation. However, folks in communities are catching up. So for example, Joseph Seia, in the Pacific Islander community, has done incredible work to ensure that members of the Pacific Islanders are having access to vaccinations and testing and what have you. And they do it in a culturally responsive way. So having those messengers from community to ensure that they have the good information that's out there - we don't want anyone left behind. And if you choose not to get a vaccine, okay, but we also know that basic medical standards has separation and segregation. When you're getting a surgery, you're not asking to have that surgery in the middle of the meat locker. You're trying to go into an OR, where it's sanitized and people have very limited access to the space. And when you're talking about airborne illness that is hard to control and is easily transmitted, taking reasonable actions - like social distancing, masks, and other precautions - can slow down the spread of the disease. We know we're not stopping it. We would love to get to stop it, but we have to do something and we can't just put our heads in the sand and think, "Oh, I'll take that horse tranquilizer to cure my condition with COVID." As much as you trust the science on that and you don't want to trust the science on the vaccine that is globally researched - researched - I don't know what to say. How do we choose some science and not other science? [00:26:10] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And you talked about this being a highly transmissible virus. It is. I think one challenge that a lot of people are looking at and asking our leaders about is that, especially with this more easily transmissible variant, in conjunction with now we have CDC guidelines saying that the quarantine time can be shorter, lots of reports from folks in the service industry where employers are attempting to rush them back to work sick, not taking all the appropriate precautions. They don't have time to get tested and certainly can't afford to take that time off. Even time with vaccinations and experiencing side effects and maybe needing a day off and time to do that, that's not there. Does the legislature have a role to play, or is there anything that can be done to say, hey, if we are going to remain open and try and figure out how to navigate through this without shutting things down, then we have a responsibility to the essential workers who continue to be out there, continue to be exposed to this virus, and people continuing to ask more of them under increasing strain throughout this? Is there a place for mandating, within the states, certain time that people get and making sure that workers have protections? Is there anything that can be done to make sure workers aren't being forced back into work while sick, which impacts the entire community's health? What do you see as the legislature's role with that? [00:27:57] Representative Jamila Taylor: One of the difficulties that we have as a legislature that only meets once a year - for 60 days in even years, and 120 days in off years - is that we are trying to respond to something that's rapidly changing. Two weeks ago, it was 10 days for quarantine. And so the minute we start building statewide policy that responds to that, then something else is going to happen. And so I think that there are some long-term effects that we know off top. How do we address the lack of funding that some schools have, and they may go bankrupt if we can't address how many children are pulled out of the school. So we can talk about how it happens. I know that as Senator Lovick was in the House, he wanted to introduce legislation on a pandemic response, so we can kind of triage through all of this. And I think part of that can inform long-term policy. We can over-legislate and we can under-legislate. I think the complexity of this challenge and the advantage of having a Speaker in the House that has a direct public health background informs us on how we can address some of the challenges in even how we operate. We want to instill confidence in community to live their daily lives. But I know - you and I - in the pandemic post-George Floyd, we don't want to go to a new normal where we go back to old routines where we have four and five jobs. What we want to go is to new possibilities of how to live our life. And sometimes when you have new possibilities, there are new factors that we have to take into account, that what we did before wasn't always healthy. And maybe that is the wake-up call that we need. We were not on a healthy path. Maybe we need to have more healthy Nubians in charge who can help guide us through some ways of thinking about the future of work. [00:30:03] Crystal Fincher: I guess, in this few minutes that we have left, I just want to see if there's anything on the top of your agenda. You're also on the Transportation Committee, a lot more there. Is there anything that folks should keep an eye out for? And how can the public be engaged throughout this session that's happening? And what is your call to people who are just wondering what they can do? [00:30:29] Representative Jamila Taylor: Well, I would say there are four key themes that are still present in the legislature: racial equity, economic recovery, still COVID response. And so I know that there are several legislators who will probably have bills to drop there. And then of course, environmental stewardship. And so if we think about, in terms of transportation, we have this huge transportation federal package that we're waiting to get dropped into Washington State. And how do we use those federal dollars to leverage the resources that we need to put on the table locally? We know we need huge infrastructure packages throughout the state that have been long in the queue to get funded. We're still behind in passing a transportation package. And so the federal money will help us address some of those immediate needs. And - [00:31:22] Crystal Fincher: On that - real quick, just on that transportation thing. I know there's lots of conversation looking at, hey, we're in the middle of this climate crisis. A lot of our communities, especially in South King County - lower income communities, BIPOC communities - are disproportionately impacted by air pollution, other types of pollution. As we look at this new transportation package and cars and highways being a primary source of greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, are you looking for a package that doesn't expand current highways - that it might be maintenance-focused, but maybe not expansion of that and more investment in transit and facilities and infrastructure for people biking and walking who may not be able to drive? [00:32:15] Representative Jamila Taylor: Well, I mean, part of that is building out the infrastructure of where people live. So if you think about our housing policy, if we are expanding options that are transportation-oriented design. So in South King County, we have hubs coming through light rail to Federal Way in particular. So how do we increase the density around those light rail stops? How do we make sure that we have services that are available? So for example, Black Members Caucus is very much interested in having more community health centers throughout the region. So how do you access the basic services within the walking distance? And how do we use public transportation in a safe way? Because - well, the perception is it's not safe to be on public transportation or it's not convenient, and we've got to find ways to respond to the needs of community. And we're in unique times where some folks are working from home, and so how do we change what being in our communities looks like in terms of accessing resources and services in regards to transportation needs. [00:33:25] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. Much appreciated. This is our time for today, but I appreciate you taking this time - [00:33:29] Representative Jamila Taylor: Can I come back? [00:33:31] Crystal Fincher: - to talk with us. Of course, you can come back. You're welcome back any time. No shortage of things to talk about any time you're here, and appreciate the work that you continue to do. Thank you so much, Representative Taylor. [00:33:43] Representative Jamila Taylor: Thank you. Appreciate your time. [00:33:45] 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. Now you can follow Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, wherever else you get your podcast. Just type "Hacks & 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.

12.08.2021 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Daunte Wright's Mom's emotional Testimony; MD revokes Gov.'s parole power, Holiday Blues, Big Tigger Emotional testimony in Minnesota. Daunte Wright's mother tells the jury what she heard while on the phone with her son the day Kimberly Potter killed him. Journalist Georgia Fort will have a live report from Brooklyn Center. The Maryland General Assembly voted to revoke the governor's ability to reject parole board recommendations. We'll talk to the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice Chair from the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. to find out why they moved to take the governor out of the process. Plus, hundreds Marched to freedom here in D.C. for voting rights. And Congress moves forward with a plan to raise the debt ceiling with only Democratic votes. We'll explain how that was made possible. We'll tell you about a resolution to remove Representative Lauren Boebert from House committees over her anti-Muslim comments. Big Tigger will tell us how the Funny Money College Tour is helping students in need.   In our Tech Talk segment sponsored by Verizon, we'll tell you how you can donate to HBCU's with your spare change. And, we are in the middle of the holiday season, and a lot of us are dealing with the blues. Licensed Professional Counselor Robin May will give us tips on surviving those holiday blues.  #RolandMartinUnfiltered partners: Verizon | Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, now available in 50+ cities, is the fastest 5G in the world.* That means that downloads that used to take minutes now take seconds.

DMVDaily Media was LIVE at the Maryland Gubernatorial Forum, hosted by the Legislative Black Caucus of MD, asking the key question: "What is your Black Agenda" if you want the black vote next year? Found ONLY at: www.dmvdaily.news 

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Wednesday, June 16. Wednesday's weather will be sunny and cool again, but if you're expecting this not to last the whole week, you would be right. According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny with a high near 88 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area. On Wednesday night the clouds will increase and the low will be around 66 degrees. On Thursday, expect the heat to return, and maybe also some rain. A 20-year-old son shot his sister and his parents to death, authorities said Tuesday night after a day of investigating the discovery of the bodies inside a northeast Cedar Rapids home. Alexander Ken Jackson, 20, has been arrested and faces three counts of first-degree murder. A police spokesman identified the three murder people  as Jan Perry Jackson, 61; Melissa Ferne Jackson, 68; and Sabrina Hana Jackson, 19. Cedar Rapids police responded to a call at 8:23 a.m. about a possible shooting inside the house at 4414 Oak Leaf Court NE. Police did not say who placed the call. There, officers found his family members dead of gunshot wounds. They also found Alexander Jackson with a gunshot wound to the foot that police described as non-life- threatening. He was taken to UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's Hospital for treatment, and was arrested afterward and booked Tuesday night into the Linn County Jail. He does not have an adult criminal record in Iowa, according to online court records. Police did not provide a possible motive for the shooting. Tuesday was a day of Democrats announcing they are, or may be, running for things. The 2022 race for Congress in Iowa's 1st District could be a battle of former TV anchors. State Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Hiawatha, said Tuesday she is “seriously considering” a bid next year for the congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, 37, a Republican who ousted Democrat Abby Finkenauer in the 2020 election to earn her first term. At the state level, a social studies teacher announced Tuesday she's running for the Iowa Senate in 2022, a day after the longtime incumbent announced he'll step down. Democrat Breanna Oxley, 30, a teacher at Roosevelt Middle School in Cedar Rapids, announced her candidacy for District 33, the seat now held by Democratic Sen. Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids. For the governor's race,  State Rep. Ras Smith of Waterloo on Tuesday became the first Democrat to announce he's running for governor in 2022 in an attempt to unseat Republican Kim Reynolds. Smith, who represents House District 62 in the Cedar Valley, made the announcement early Tuesday. Smith, 33, was first elected to the Iowa House in 2016. He is the ranking member on the education committee, as well as serving on the agriculture, information technology and natural resources committees. He's also the founding member and current chair of Iowa's Legislative Black Caucus. Iowa's slowly, reluctantly, inching its vaccination rate upward. More than half of Iowans age 12 and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Iowa Department of Public Health. As of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1,380,842 Iowans had been fully vaccinated, an increase of 4,199 from Monday. That's 51.6 percent of Iowans age 12 and older, and 43,77 percent of the state's total population. The Iowa Ideas 2021 virtual conference will be here before you know it, and we would like you to be our guest on the house. The Gazette is providing free access to this two-day gathering with more than 50 sessions- filled with thought-provoking local, and national speakers-- all ready to engage you on a variety of important and timely Iowa-issues. Join us October 14th and 15th for this can't miss, idea-exchange experience. Learn more and register for the event at iowaideas.com  Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon... Support this podcast

In part two of Joel's conversation with Sen. George Young, we discuss the purpose and function of the caucus system in general and Sen. Young shares the accomplishments of the Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus in recent years.

On February 22, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Illinois House Bill 3653, a historic, and some would say controversial, piece of legislation that takes aim at police and criminal justice reform. This bill was written, and supported, by the Legislative Black Caucus, after the death of George Floyd. The bill has its flaws, but I believe it is a good start towards addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities in the judicial system. One of the most notable features of the bill is the elimination of cash bail by 2023. Not everyone is a fan of the elimination of cash bail, however. On the DeKalb Daily Chronicle’s public Facebook page, one woman told another woman that with no cash bail, if her daughter was raped, the alleged rapist would be home before her daughter was released from the hospital. I read the comment and experienced a range of emotions. More importantly, I was angry that the comment perpetuated the commonly used ideology of fearmongering to frame a false narrative. There was

Throughout the month of February, the members of Wisconsin’s Legislative Black Caucus have been at work, hosting and organizing commemorative events to honor African American leaders and historical events. While Black History Month is a time of recognition and celebration, it’s also a time of action. Today, Rep. Kalan Haywood II (D-Milwaukee) joins Representative Gordon Hintz, to give an overview about what the Legislative Black Caucus has been up to, but to also revisit the last 6 months and our state’s commitment to advancing racial justice.

Throughout the month of February, the members of Wisconsin’s Legislative Black Caucus have been at work, hosting and organizing commemorative events to honor African American leaders and historical events. While Black History Month is a time of recognition and celebration, it’s also a time of action. Today, Rep. Kalan Haywood II (D-Milwaukee) joins Representative Gordon Hintz, to give an overview about what the Legislative Black Caucus has been up to, but to also revisit the last 6 months and our state’s commitment to advancing racial justice.

Diana Becton is a former judge, appointed as DA in Contra Costa County and then won in her own right. With the appointment of AG Xavier Becerra by Biden to a federal post, the AG has become one of the most coveted posts with a lot of people maneuvering behind the scenes to get the appointment from Governor Newsom. Becton recently received the endorsement by the Legislative Black Caucus. She talks about her views on criminal justice reform and why a reformer is needed as California Attorney General.

On tonight’s program: Governor Ron DeSantis has included environmental protection money is his proposed state spending plan. Advocates are wondering if it’s enough, especially when it comes to fighting climate change; After months of protests against police brutality across the nation, members of Florida’s Legislative Black Caucus are calling for their bills to get a full hearing; Lawmakers say no baby should be left abandoned in unsafe places anywhere in Florida; Florida’s Hispanic residents are getting the coronavirus vaccines at lower rates than non-Hispanic whites. Experts say vaccine hesitancy is contributing to this disparity; And a prominent Florida scientist says new research suggests at least some of the mind-bending drugs that were so popular in the 1960s may not be as dangerous as once thought, as long as certain precautions are taken.

The Rose Bowl parade, how his office is working with the governor's office to communicate with the public, how the assembly will be able to function more smoothly this year because of covid-related planning and budget priorities will be focused on vaccines, and opening up both CA schools and the economy more generally. Then they turn to his work as chairman of the Utilities and Energy Committee where they recognize that wildfires are now a year-round possibility that has to be dealt with while working with energy companies to have smart and safe plans that reduce shutoff while maintaining safety. Personally, Assemblymember Holden will be working on issues around systemic racism and use of force with a focus on clear guidelines and penalties around California’s Duty to Intervene Law, diversity in the corporate boardroom and in the upper levels of the California civil service. He also discusses the importance of seeing Dr. Shirley Weber became the Secretary of State,  his focus on ensuring minority small businesses are participating in the state contracting process along with social justice, and the history and role of the Legislative Black Caucus. Finally, they talk about the current Lakers season. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

In this episode of the Virtually Limitless Podcast our host Justine Mader interviewed Mario Armstrong a TV host and motivator for the modern world. You’ve probably seen Mario on TV as a two time Emmy Award–winning talk show host and Digital Lifestyle Expert® on NBC’s TODAY Show, CNN, NPR, and more. Or you've watched him on Steve Harvey, Inside Edition, Dr. Oz, FUSE and other popular talk shows and news programs. ​ Mario is also the host of the Emmy winning Never Settle Show, a web television series that provides the advice and tools to help you hustle mindfully to pursue your passions. ​ ​ Mario focuses on positivity, motivation, and tactical advice to inspire people to take action pursuing their personal and professional goals, dreams and passions. He is an entrepreneur, brand influencer, and a public speaker listed with Daymond John’s Shark Group Speaking Division. His new daily podcast, entitled Wake Up and Level Up, kickstarts your day in under 5 minutes with a jolt of inspiration, advice and personal growth formulas. The podcast recently became a Top 200 podcast on the iTunes Self-Help charts and is in the top 10% of all podcasts around the country ​ Whew. When he’s not playing host, contributor, and expert, he’s living a balanced life, playing husband and father, devouring sushi, meditating, adding to his metal lunchbox collection, and taking his “sneaker head” status to borderline obsessive levels. (Seriously, you wouldn’t believe this guy’s closet.) ​ Mario has been recognized as: ​ Never Settle Show: Emmy® Award Winner for Best Interactivity (2018) Emmy® Award Nominee for “Best Program Host” of Mario Armstrong’s Never Settle Show (2018) Webby Award Honoree – SOCIAL: Experimental & Innovation (2018) Never Settle Show: Award Nominee for Best Use Of Facebook Live – Digiday Publishing Awards (2018) Never Settle Show: Winner: Best Live Show – International Academy of Web Television Awards (2017) Emmy® Award winner for “Best TV Show Host” (2010) Emmy® Award nominee for “Best Program Host” (2015) NABJ – Ray Taliaferro Entrepreneurial Spirit Award “Daily Record VIP List” Successful before 40 “The Root 100” recognized in the top 100 people alongside actor Nick Cannon, Pro-Athlete Lebron James, Musician and Producer Wyclef John and Singer John Legend “Top 40 under 40” Emerging Leaders – Baltimore Business Journal “Modern-Day Technology Leader” – Career Communications Group “Best Cable TV Host”- Beacon Award Winner One of Baltimore’s “Top 25 Young Rising Stars” – Baltimore Times “Service Above Self Award” – Rotary Club of Maryland “Technology Advocate of the Year” – Urban League Hope for Today, Visions for Tomorrow award – Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland ​Want to see more of Mario?

Today we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, one of America's most revered civil rights leaders. One of his favorite quotes of mine is: “The time is always right to do what is right”. 2021 marks what would have been Dr. King's 92nd birthday. With me tonight is special guest PA Legislative Black Caucus Chair State Representative Donna Johnson Bullock to discuss where we are and where we need to go as a society.

On December 2nd, the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus elected Assembly District 77 Representative Shelia Stubbs as caucus chair.  Stubbs, who represents Madison’s south side, now becomes the first chair from Dane County since the Caucus began in 1955. The post Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus Gears Up for New Session appeared first on WORT 89.9 FM.

Ratifying a new state flag topped the agenda for lawmakers at the start of the 2021 session.As the 2021 legislative session convenes, lawmakers move swiftly to ratify the “In God We Trust” flag. During a ceremony, Gov. Tate Reeves signs the flag bill into law and new flags are raised atop the Capitol in Jackson. A proposed $1,000 teacher pay raise bill is moving through the Senate. Members of the Legislative Black Caucus are outlining their priorities for the 2021 session. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join Eric and Delegate Darryl Barnes for a discussion about the Legislative Balck Caucus of Maryland, policies to work towards economic equity, and Army vs Navy.

Black lawmakers in Springfield plan to introduce four reform bills next month to promote equity and prosperity for Black residents in Illinois. Reset brings on two leaders from the Legislative Black Caucus to learn more about their plans.

Delegate Lashrecse Aird returns to our show to conclude our 2 part series on VA's 2020 Special Session. A few months ago, we spoke with Delegate Jeff Bourne about the Legislative Black Caucus' agenda for the Special Session. He outlined a lot of policies which centered around helping our low-income neighbors and criminal justice reform. Delegate Aird joins us to tell us how it all went. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thejusticereport/message

California Assembly member Dr. Shirley Weber was the featured speaker at a community forum on reparations being held virtually on Nov. 12. Dr. Weber is the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus and author of AB3121, which will create a task force to recommend appropriate slavery reparations and determine who would be eligible to receive compensation. This discussion is moderated by Luis Cruz, host of Together San Diego livestream.

Jessica Nguyen sits down with Lacy Lew Nguyen Wright of Ballot Breakers, Representative Padma Kuppa of Michigan, and Representative Patty Kim of Pennsylvania to discuss civic advocacy and American politics. We start off the episode learning about the women’s relationship with politics, a field they all originally viewed as dirty business and were reluctant to partake in. They all share how their backgrounds and life experiences have influenced the work that they do in the political space, whether that is as a state representative amplifying and advocating for their communities or the founder of a platform that highlights the younger generation of politicians and celebrates their victories. For State Representatives Patty and Padma, we hear more about their journey running for office, touching upon the causes they are passionate about and the importance of active listening. They talked about the challenges they faced as well as their proudest achievements as elected officials. Lacy shares the origin story of Ballot Breakers and the takeaways she has learned as being a voice for young, aspiring Democratic candidates. Realizing how often she would get cut off or dismissed in certain political spaces because of her identity, she realized the power of allies and communities who support and will help amplify your voice. Directly addressing what is going on in the world, they shared how they have been affected by and are responding to the COVID-19 epidemic and to the issue of police brutality in connection with systemic racism that exists in the US. We end the interview with insights about the world of politics: things they wish people knew about this space as well as advice for those considering running for office. Thinking toward the future, they share their vision of hope and change as active participants in civic advocacy. LACY LEW NGUYEN WRIGHT: Lacy Lew Nguyen Wright is the creator of Ballot Breakers, a website series interviewing young progressive candidates running for office and has featured over 50 candidates representing young people’s perspectives in government. She was previously an Editor-at-Large at Huffington Post. Her writings can also be found on Elite Daily, The Moviegoer, The Bottom Line, and HelloFlo. Lacy is based in whichever coffee shop has the best mocha. BALLOT BREAKERS: We’re seeing young people running for office in droves, seizing the opportunity to take control of their futures and give voice to the people who aren’t being represented in today’s government. These candidates are breaking tradition, transforming what it means to be a candidate. Ballot Breakers seeks to authentically showcase these energized young people, all of whom come from diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and platforms. Ballot Breakers don’t just represent their generation -- they represent their constituents, communities and progressive values throughout the country. WEBSITE: ballotbreakers.com INSTAGRAM: @ballotbreakers | @alwaysbewright TWITTER: @lacylewwright State Representative PATTY KIM, a former news anchor and reporter and Harrisburg City Councilwoman, was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 2012 and has been a leader in government reform and transparency. She returned her cost of living increase (COLA) and introduced a bill to eliminate the yearly pay increases. She is also one of the only members of the House to post all of her expenses on her legislative website for public review. Kim's priorities in the General Assembly include taking a solution-based approach to statewide issues, working in cooperation and collaboration with colleagues, and utilizing her record of service to support initiatives that stand to better the lives of the citizens she represents. Leading her caucus’s charge to provide a livable wage for all Pennsylvanians, Kim twice introduced bills to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. She continues her fight for a minimum wage increase to restore the middle class by lifting thousands of Pennsylvanians out of poverty. Kim serves on the Appropriations, Education, Local Government and Transportation committees. She is Vice Co-Chair of the Southeast Delegation. During her second term, she served as Treasurer for the Legislative Black Caucus. Prior to her work in the legislature, Kim was elected to Harrisburg's City Council where she served two terms. She was elected as council Vice President by her colleagues during her second term. A 1995 graduate of Boston College, Kim is married to John Sider and together they have two children, Brielle and Ryan. WEBSITE: www.pattykim.com PADMA KUPPA is serving in her first term as State Representative for Troy and Clawson, Michigan's 41st District. She is assistant Democratic Whip, and serves on the Energy, and Local Government and Municipal Finance Committees. She is an engineer, with automotive and technical background and is an advocate on environmental issues and reducing climate change. Her passion for all things local includes extensive community involvement, with several years on the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals and in K-12 PTAs. It shows in the way she digs into the bills that come before the Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee. Kuppa came to the U.S. from India at the age of four and grew up in America before moving to India as a teenager. After receiving her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology Warangal, Kuppa moved home to the U.S. for graduate school, and went through the immigration and naturalization process, She got married and started a family before moving to the 41st district more than 20 years ago Kuppa has a career that spans the automotive, financial, and IT industries, with rich and varied community leadership at the local, state and national level. She is co-founder of the Troy-area Interfaith Group and currently President of the Troy Historical Society and a board member of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion. As the first Indian immigrant and Hindu in the State Legislature, she brings a fresh perspective to the State House. WEBSITE: kuppa.housedems.com | electpadmakuppa.com FACEBOOK: @mirreppadmakuppa | @reelectpadma INSTAGRAM: @mireppadmakuppa TWITTER: @padmakuppami41 Summary by Joanne Nguyen

Discussion with the Executive Director of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s Policy Director Benjamin Hoyne talks with three elected officials about the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus’s priorities for the upcoming General Assembly, including criminal justice reform, tenant protections, and paid sick days. Our wonderful guests are Delegate Lamont Bagby, Chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus; Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy; and Senator Jennifer McClellan. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s Policy Director Benjamin Hoyne talks with three elected officials about the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus’s priorities for the upcoming General Assembly, including criminal justice reform, tenant protections, and paid sick days. Our wonderful guests are Delegate Lamont Bagby, Chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus; Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy; and Senator Jennifer McClellan. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Plus, James Oliver, the founder of the ParentPreneur Foundation and Pamela J. Booker, the founder and CEO of Koils by Nature, discuss a new grant that was awarded to several small business owners in Atlanta.Also, Dan Moore, a veteran filmmaker and the founder and CEO of the APEX Museum, shares what museum-goers can expect this weekend when the facility reopens to the public.

Today’s installment has a shout-out for a fundraiser called C'ville STEM: Support Schools in COVID times. UVA doctors have teamed up with schools and want your financial support for school scientific supplies for up to 2,100 children in City Schools who might not otherwise have access. They are very close to meeting their goal. *There are another 1,216 cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth as reported by the Virginia Department of Health, and another eight deaths bringing the total to 2,370. The statewide seven-day positive testing rate has dropped to 7.2 percent. Another 20 cases have been reported in the Thomas Jefferson Health District for a total to date of 2,067. No fatalities have been reported in the district in over a week, with the total at 44 since August 6.  *The Charlottesville Police Civilian Review Board (PCRB) met last night and heard from a couple members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus in advance of the General Assembly’s special session, which begins on August 18. PCRB Chair James Watson invited the elected officials to the virtual meeting to explain legislation to increase civilian oversight of police in Virginia localities. “Right now we are a pretty big state and we only got three CRBs in the entire state so that legislation will empower localities to create CRBs and avert the various challenges they may face once they are established,” Watson said. Charlottesville City Council authorized creation of a CRB in late 2017, and one formed but its members expressed concern about a lack of authorized oversight. A new board has formed and many of the same concerns are present, such as a lack of subpoena power and access to records. Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-9) is the vice chair of the Legislative Black Caucus.“We are going to be putting on both the House and the Senate side bills to give localities the authority to have civilian review boards that have much more teeth than what you have now,” McClellan said.McClellan said the special session will begin the process of “de-criminalizing poverty” and making punishments for crimes more proportionate. “We are making it so that access to justice does not depend on how good of a lawyer you have or can afford,” McClellan said. “And then if you are sentenced that the Department of Corrections process focuses on rehabilitation and reentry.” Delegate Don Scott (D-80) said he believed it is important for civilian review boards to have more oversight on what he refers to as the “criminal punishment” system. “We’re going to have a higher expectation for those who we entrust to protect and serve our community,” Scott said.The General Assembly special session begins on August 18. Last night’s meeting is available for viewing on the city’s website. (watch the meeting)*The new director of Charlottesville’s public housing authority introduced himself to his Board of Commissioners last night. John Sales has been the executive director of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority since August 3rd. “I came from the city [where] I was the housing program coordinator,” Sales said. “Before that I was at the Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority where I was the director of development and capital projects.”Sales said the CRHA is poised to move forward with redevelopment and rehabilitation of public housing.“It’s going to take off like a rocket,” Sales said. “We have a lot of stuff working on with redevelopment, working with increasing our volunteer slots, and just improving affordable housing in the community, something the community has been asking for for a very long time and I think we are at the position where we can give them that and be the leader of affordable housing in the city of Charlottesville.”The two new Commissioners also introduced themselves. A’Lelia Henry is a public housing resident who has attended many meetings on the topic over the years. “For the time that I have been involved in housing it seems to be that we have the least input into what comes out of public housing,” Henry said. “I guess I’m here to make good trouble.”The other new member of the board is Lisa Green who is ending her ten-year stint on the Planning Commission. In March, the Planning Commission approved the site plan for a phase of development at South First Street, which had been created with input from residents.“Working with the South First Street project, I got more energized and I felt more excited about projects than I have a long time in the city,” Green said. “I think sometimes the city gives away the farm so to speak instead of actually making sure we’re doing by our residents and the folks who live here now.”Later in the meeting, the CRHA Board discussed ways to encourage more property owners to rent out to people and families with federal housing vouchers. *The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (RSWA) is in the early stages of testing a new app that could keep more discarded material out of landfills. If it passes out of a beta test, the Better Bin app would allow people to scan barcodes on products and be informed about where the material could be recycled or where they could get guidance on composting. Philip McKalips is the Director of Solid Waste for the RSWA and he updated the Solid Waste Alternatives Advisory Committee on the app. “What this thing does is you go into the store, hopefully, or at least with the recycling bin after you’ve already bought a product, and you open the app, and when it accesses the camera you’ll see that it’s got this image of a barcode there,” McKalips said. “When you shine that on to the bar code of the product, it will either know it or it won’t know it and if it knows it, it will tell you how how to recycle that product and its packaging, and if it doesn’t know it, it will give you a chance to fairly easily send that information back to Better Bin in which case they are going to look for that information so that the database gets smarter.” The Wisconsin company that built the app will conduct a second round of beta testing. The SWAAC committee also discussed legislation that passed the General Assembly such as the enabling authority to levy taxes on plastic bags. The legislation authorizes that to happen as of January 1, and the Board of Supervisors was briefed on the possibility on July 15. “The revenue accruing to the county or city must be used for certain purposes including environmental cleanup and the provision of reusable bags,” wrote county attorney Greg Kamptner in his briefing for that discussion. The SWAAC members discussed a desire to move forward with the City of Charlottesville if the local officials decide to eventually levy the tax. *Thanks for listening and reading! This venture is being supported by community members through a Patreon account. I know these are tough times for so many, but if you can support this venture, it will help me hire people to help with community engagement. And pay a copy editor! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy's Policy Director Benjamin Hoyne talks with three elected officials about the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus's priorities for the upcoming General Assembly, including criminal justice reform, tenant protections, and paid sick days. Our wonderful guests are Delegate Lamont Bagby, Chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus; Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy; and Senator Jennifer McClellan. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Jeff Bourne, VA State Delegate (D-71), joins Salaam & Jam to talk about the Legislative Black Caucus' special session priorities. Also, Salaam gets tongue twisted. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thejusticereport/message

The Legislative Black Caucus puts pressure on lawmakers to hold a vote to remove the state flag.Plus, calling it a moral stand, Mississippi's Baptist Convention joins a growing number of organizations distancing themselves from the confederate emblem.Then, after a Southern Remedy Health Minute, accolades for one Jackson State student culminate with an ESPY Award.Segment 1:Mississippi's Legislative Black Caucus is pressing lawmakers to hold a vote on removing the state flag with the confederate emblem before the session ends. Gathered outside the state capital yesterday, leadership told members of the media talks are underway to bring the issue to a vote. Representative Chris Bell, a Democrat from Jackson, says bi-partisan efforts to take action on the issue began the Monday after thousands marched in the streets of the capital city demanding change.Segment 2:Leaders of Mississippi's Baptist Convention Board are calling on state legislators to change the state flag, calling it a ‘moral issue.' Dozens of board members, past and present, signed a letter asking legislators and the governor to remove the flag with its confederate emblem. Current Executive Director Shawn Parker authored and presented the letter.Segment 3:Southern Remedy Health MinuteSegment 4:Thomas Lee made a three pointer that, since March, has shot the Jackson State University student into the national spotlight. That light continued to shine Sunday night when Lee was awarded an ESPY for Favorite "Can't Stop Watching Moment". Thomas Lee joins us to discuss that memorable night and how he is taking advantage of the attention. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Legislative Black Caucus takes over 'Some Assembly Required' for a continuation of last week's conversation on racial equity and the history of Juneteenth.

The Legislative Black Caucus takes over 'Some Assembly Required' for a continuation of last week's conversation on racial equity and the history of Juneteenth.

Since the killing of George Floyd, the Delaware Legislative Black Caucus has stepped into a leading role in the General Assembly. Last week they held a press conference announcing their "Justice for All Agenda" - a start down the road of reforming police and fighting back against institutionalized racism in Delaware. We spoke to three members of the Black Caucus in surprising, illuminating and emotional interviews about this initiative, their perspectives on policing and racism, and Black leadership in Delaware.

Exclusive: Fresno’s mayor-elect: “Police defunding is not the answer, nor reality” Dyer lays out his vision for police reform for the city. Exclusive: Clovis Unified Superintendent Eimear O'Farrell responds to thousands of surveys where alumni say they experienced racism or discrimination in the district. O'Farrell also responds to Chris Milton's open letter on Facebook, saying, "all lives matter." Exclusive: California black caucus member, Kevin McCarty, says his biracial family has also faced racism and says it will be up to individual cities to begin the process of police reform.

While week-long peaceful demonstrations across California continue on, our podcast team spoke with Assemblymember Gipson, a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, and his guest Eva Tak, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and former police lieutenant, on racial inequality and the role police can play moving forward.

(WMAR) — Maryland's top lawmakers, including Governor Larry Hogan, say Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti needs to resign after using a racial slur in reference to a district in Prince George's County, which is predominantly African-American. Del. Mary Ann Lisanti (D) apologized to the leaders of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the House Democratic Caucus for her use of the n-word. Del. Lisanti released a statement Tuesday afternoon: "I deeply apologize to the citizens of my district, people of Maryland, all of my colleagues in the Maryland General Assembly and everyone reading this for my word choice several weeks ago. I am sickened that a word that is not in my vocabulary came out of my mouth. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/according-2-b-matthews/support

Businesses and restaurants across much of Virginia can partially reopen Friday. Governor Ralph Northam has begun the state’s first phase of slowly lifting restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. Virginia’s Legislative Black Caucus says the state should wait longer for the outbreak to subside before easing restrictions.

In Missouri’s history, the state has seen more than 7,000 state legislators. Fewer than 140 of those have been black. Since 1989, the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus has helped African American lawmakers work together as a minority in the state capitol. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with State Representative Steve Roberts Jr. about the priorities of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus this year.

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus are calling for an outside investigation into the officer-involved shooting that took the life of a 22-year-old FAMU student. Also, on today’s Sunrise: — Despite a landmark death penalty ruling last week by the Florida Supreme Court, leaders in the state Senate say they’re not going to change the law that requires a unanimous vote of the jury to impose a death sentence. At least, not in the current session — Florida pharmacists say they’re being driven out of business by pharmacy benefit managers. PBMs were supposed to help people get the drugs they need at the best prices, but critics say some giant health care companies have rigged the system to raise rates, increase profits and drive small pharmacies out of business — On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, pollster extraordinaire Steve Vancore talks about the presidential campaign. — Deputies in Osceola County say a Florida Man walked into a Kissimmee McDonald’s wearing an employee uniform, went behind the cash register and helped another man place an order. Once the register was open, the faux employee grabbed a handful of cash and ran. So did the guy who placed the order. Deputies say it’s the second time the guy pulled this stunt — the first was on Christmas Day.

As the legislative session kicks into gear, bills make their way out of committee.Then, one house member's mission to improve maternal and infant care.Plus, from McComb to Miami. One Mississippian's Super Bowl journey.And in today's Book Club, find out what the University Press of Mississippi has been doing for the last fifty years.Segment 1:Legislation to address the short fall in the teacher pay raise from 2019 is one step closer to being finalized. House Republican John Read of Gautier chairs the Appropriations Committee. He says that bill, along with a bill that will appropriate funds for Census advertising, has passed through the house committee. He stresses the importance of the census, and the need for appropriations to address the prison crisis. Members of Mississippi's Legislative Black Caucus are also drafting legislation focused on prison reform. House Democrat Robert Johnson of Natchez is with the state's black caucus. He tells MPB's Desare Frazier they're drafting legislation to address the factors related to the prison crisis.Segment 2:Health care and accessibility were high priorities for Mississippians according to a recent poll. House Democrat Jarvis Dortch is drafting legislation to address those issues. He tells MPB's Michael Guidry he wants to tailor programs to address Mississippi's highly needed preventive care as well as infant and maternal support.Segment 3:Growing up in McComb, Charvarius Ward dreamed of playing in the NFL. On Sunday, he will step onto football's biggest stage as a member of the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs as they take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl fifty four. He tells MPB's Michael Guidry his focus and determination are the reasons he's made it this far.Segment 4:Today's Book Club doesn't feature an author or a particular book, but a lot of books from a lot of authors that come to you from Mississippi's largest publisher and the only non-profit publisher in the state. The University Press of Mississippi is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Craig Gill is its Director … See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sen. Angela Turner Ford, D-West Point, was elected to the Senate in a 2013 special election to replace her father Bennie Turner, who died in office. Ford, an attorney,  has been re-elected twice, She will chair the Senate Public Property Committee for the next four-year term. The state's public property ranges from university buildings, to state office buildings to prisons.

The chair of the Legislative Black Caucus identifies its top priorities in the 2020 General Assembly session as education and economic justice. Delegate Darryl Barnes says the caucus will also fight to raise Maryland’s commitment to historically black colleges and universities -- HBCUs -- far above the $200 million dollars Gov. Hogan has proposed to settle a lawsuit. Then, Maryland Matters reporter Danielle Gaines fills us in on the 13 year fight over HBCU funding. Read more here: Lawmakers, Advocates Rally for End to 13-year HBCU Lawsuit Hogan Proposes $200 Million ‘Final Offer’ in HBCU Lawsuit HBCU Coalition Asks Legislators to Settle Lawsuit, With $577M Offer

Today, we remember Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, who died yesterday in Baltimore at the age of 68. From his early career as a lawyer known for his quiet diligence and generous mentoring, to his rise to the top ranks of the U.S. Congress, we reflect today on the legacy of a political giant. After 14 years as a Democratic delegate in the Maryland General Assembly, where he led the Legislative Black Caucus, the Baltimore native was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a 1996 special election to serve Maryland’s 7th district, encompassing Baltimore City and parts of Baltimore and Howard counties. When Democrats regained the majority in the House in the 2018 Congressional elections, Elijah Cummings assumed the chairmanship of the powerful Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where he was a diligent watchdog of the Trump Administration and a leader in the House Impeachment inquiry. Joining Tom to share their thoughts about Elijah Cummings' life and work are Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young, civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis (D.,Ga 5th), Representative Dutch Ruppersberger (D., Md 7th), and former Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen, as well as Mr. Cummings’ former law partner, Edward Smith, and veteran WBAL-TV reporter Jayne Miller.A wake and funeral for Elijah Cummings were announced today. The Baltimore Sun reported that they will take place next Friday, October 25, at The New Palmist Baptist Church, the same church where Mr. Cummings worshipped for nearly 40 years. The wake will begin at 8am, followed by a funeral at 10am. Bishop Walter S. Thomas, Sr., the church's pastor, will deliver the eulogy in the 4,000-seat sanctuary.

The Senate votes to limit powers of the Kentucky Secretary of State, and the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee hears fixes to last year's tax law changes. Freshmen representatives from Louisa and Bowling Green discuss their priorities. The Legislative Black Caucus celebrates Black History Month, and lawmakers convene in the Old State Capitol.

The Senate votes to limit powers of the Kentucky Secretary of State, and the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee hears fixes to last year's tax law changes. Freshmen representatives from Louisa and Bowling Green discuss their priorities. The Legislative Black Caucus celebrates Black History Month, and lawmakers convene in the Old State Capitol.

Today, a conversation about the 2019 priority agenda of Maryland’s Legislative Black Caucus. The fifty-six member organization has highlighted the issues that they believe address the concerns of Black Marylanders and will ensure greater equality and protection for their communities.Tom's guests are two members of the Legislative Black Caucus: Delegate Pamela E. Queen and Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes. Delegate Queen represents District 14, Montgomery County and is secretary of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes represents Wicomico County and parts of Dorchester County. She is also the chair of the Women Legislators of MD.

Fifty-four members strong, Maryland’s Legislative Black Caucus is preparing for the 2019 legislative session. Its chair, Del. Darryl Barnes of Prince George’s County, describes the caucus’ goals--like raising the age to buy tobacco products and re-envisioning the future of historically black colleges and universities.

Regular Midday listeners know that every couple of Mondays, we check in with The Afro-American Newspaper, the venerable news operation just down the road from WYPR. Today, The Afro’s managing editor, Kamau High, joins guest host Rob Sivak to spotlight some of the stories the paper is covering this week. They include the second of a two-part series by Morgan State U. professor and Pulitzer Prize winning columnist E.R. Shipp, looking at The Black Press and the Baltimore '68 Riots. Another retrospective on those troubled times -- and something good that came out of it, is J. K. Schmid's exclusive feature for The Afro on the city's legendary ----Goon Squad,---- an organization of a dozen-plus ministers, professors, and even a judge, that campaigned for Baltimore causes for decades. They launched a food bank during the riots that eventually morphed into the Maryland Food Bank, and some of the Goon Squad members were involved in the creation of Baltimorians United for Leadership Development, or BUILD, still one of the city's most important centers of community activism. Other stories this week look at the Civilian Review Board's conclusion that Kevin Davis, Jr. was wrongfully arrested on a murder charge by Baltimore police back in 2015. The Board is urging disciplinary action against the arresting officers.Others stories spotlighted from the current issue of The Afro : the road ahead for the newly elected chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, Darryl Barnes; and how the Maryland General Assembly's busy final days led to new opportunities for minority licenses to grow and market medical marijuana.

Elected to the Pa. State House in 2012, Rep. Jordan Harris is chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. In this conversation with Commonwealth Partners president & CEO Matt Brouillette, Jordan discusses his focus on improving the state’s education landscape, particularly in urban areas, his passion for criminal justice reform, and his little-known musical talent.

February 28, 2018 Partly cloudy with high temperatures near 60. REPORT: ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENTS IN NJ ROSE 32% IN 2017 A report released Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League says the number of anti-Semitic incidents in New Jersey increased by 32 percent in 2017, compared with the previous year, MyCentralJersey.com reports. New Jersey had the third highest number of incidents in the country, behind New York and California. Bergen County had the most incidents in New Jersey with 40, up from 28 in 2016. MURPHY CREATES JOBS AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Tuesday creating an economic advisory panel modeled on the federal government’s Council of Economic Advisers, NJ Spotlight writes. The 12-member Jobs and Economic Opportunity Council will use data to analyze economic trends and conditions to help guide Murphy’s administration in such areas as job creation and job retention. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver will be a member of the council. SUBWAY LINK BETWEEN NEW YORK AND NJ TO GET A LOOK The Port Authority, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and NJ Transit have commissioned a study to look at ways of increasing commuting capacity across the Hudson River, and an extension of the No. 7 subway is one of the options that may get a look, The New York Times reports. The Port Authority’s executive director, Rick Cotton, said the subway option was one of a number of possibilities. BLACK LAWMAKERS PUSHING BACK ON LEGALIZING MARIJUANA When he campaigned for office, Gov. Phil Murphy advocated the legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey and many residents believe it will be only a matter of time before the Legislature takes action. But the Legislative Black Caucus has taken a skeptical view of the issue, The Record writes. In a three-hour hearing in Jersey City last week only two of the 17 people who testified to the caucus favored the concept of legal marijuana. “It will devastate the African-American community," said Bishop Jethro James of Paradise Baptist Church in Newark. ASIAN TICKS FOUND ON A SHEEP IN NJ The longhorned tick, which is native to East Asia, has been found on a sheep in New Jersey, NPR reports. The tick, which multiplies quickly by essentially cloning itself, was found on a sheep last August in Hunterdon County. This is the first recorded instance of all life stages of the ticks being found on unquarantined animals in the United States, authorities say. How the ticks ended up on the sheep remains a mystery.

The MD General Assembly will convene for the 2018 Session in a little less than a month, on January 10th. By the time that sine die rolls around in April, lawmakers will have considered hundreds of bills, and will have jockeyed for position on any number of important bills that will compete for the attention of their fellow legislators, leadership and their constituents. The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland will be rolling out their priority agenda for the upcoming Maryland General Assembly session, reviewing policy and pushing for legislation that will champion issues impacting black communities in Baltimore and across the state. Today, we are joined in studio by three of 51 members of the MD Legislative Black Caucus, who represent the Baltimore area. Del. Cheryl Glenn is the chair of the caucus. She represents the 45th District, here in Baltimore City. Del. Curt Anderson serves as Chair of the Baltimore City House Delegation. Representative of the 43rd Legislative District. And Del. Benjamin Brooks, Sr. joins us as well. He represents the 10th district in Baltimore County. He was elected in 2015. He also serves as a Deputy Majority Whip, and a member of the Economic Matters Committee.

Episode 62 of Livestream Stars with Ross Brand of Livestream Universe. Subscribe to the podcast: https://rossbrandrecordings.com/ (https://rossbrandrecordings.com). On #LivestreamStars with Ross Brand, Emmy Award Winner & NBC Today Show Personality Mario Armstrong talked about his upcoming launch of the http://neversettle.tv/ (Never Settle Show), including the challenges of doing a full broadcast production with a studio audience, convincing people of the viability of informational content streamed on Facebook Live, and the opportunities that could open up for other livestreamers. You've probably seen Mario Armstrong on TV as an Emmy Award–winning talk show host and Digital Lifestyle Expert® or as a regular contributor on NBC's TODAY show, CNN, and NPR. Or maybe on Inside Edition, Dr. Oz, Steve Harvey, or Rachael Ray. Soon, you'll be seeing Mario as the host of the Never Settle Show, the world's first crowd-produced, livestreamed talk show with live participation from the in-studio & online audience. When he's not playing host, contributor, and expert, he's living a balanced life, playing husband and father, devouring sushi, meditating, adding to his metal lunchbox collection, and taking his “sneaker head” status to borderline obsessive levels. (Seriously, you wouldn't believe this guy's closet.) Mario has been recognized as: Emmy award nominee for “Best Program Host” (2015) Emmy award winner for “Best TV show Host” (2010) NABJ – Ray Taliaferro Entrepreneurial Spirit Award “Daily Record VIP List” Successful before 40 “The Root 100” recognized in the top 100 people alongside actor Nick Cannon, Pro-Athlete Lebron James, Musician and Producer Wyclef John and Singer John Legend “Top 40 under 40” Emerging Leaders – Baltimore Business Journal “Modern-Day Technology Leader” – Career Communications Group “Best Cable TV Host”- Beacon Award Winner One of Baltimore's “Top 25 Young Rising Stars” – Baltimore Times “Service Above Self Award” – Rotary Club of Maryland “Technology Advocate of the Year” – Urban League Hope for Today, Visions for Tomorrow award – Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland Find Mario on Twitter: @MarioArmstrong.

In this extended episode all about law enforcement, we spend time with a number of police leaders ready to hit the reset button and create positive, new interaction between sworn officers and the public. But with so much tension in the air lately, what can actually be changed? What can police and the greater public learn from one another to create harmony? During a recent panel discussion arranged by the North Carolina League of Municipalities at the request of the state's Legislative Black Caucus, things got frank and clear, and we'll hear plenty of it here. Later, we'll check in on another challenge -- the search for best-practices with police body-cameras. We'll also learn from an expert about psychological reactions to active shooter situations and how a little bit of forethought can go a long way. And have you ever been a little nervous about meeting a stranger to complete a transaction for goods arranged online? We hear from one police department that's implemented a pretty simple solution. Tons of takeaways and ponderings on this episode. Show notes: Video of the full panel discussion featured - https://youtu.be/Dhidnbk1tcM Southern City magazine past issues - http://www.nclm.org/programs-services/publications/southern-city/Pages/default.aspx

Dr. Lonnie Randolph, Jr. visits The Context of White Supremacy. Dr. Randolph is a practicing optometrist and the president of the South Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Dr. Randolph, the local NAACP, current students and alumni have been working to counter the economic terrorism aimed at South Carolina State University. A South Carolina House subcommittee just called for the historically black institution to be closed for two years, and the state Legislative Black Caucus has declared a lack of confidence in SCSU President Thomas Elzey. He was placed on administrative leave this week. While the university faculty and staff may have made errors, it's been reported that powerful Whites have undermined South Carlina State by withholding funds and rewarding "schools for building programs that compete with S.C. State." We'll also get Dr. Randolph's views on the South Pointe High School vandalism as well as George Stinney. #AnswersForMiriamCarey INVEST in The COWS - http://tiny.cc/ledjb CALL IN NUMBER: 760.569.7676 CODE 564943# SKYPE: FREECONFERENCECALLHD.7676 CODE 564943# The C.O.W.S. archives: http://tiny.cc/76f6p

Alabama Legislative Black Caucus v. Alabama | 11/12/14 | Docket #: 13-895

The UNC Water Institute is working to improve water management on campus. The Mount Airy Quarry is a landmark for astronauts in space. Brad Thompson talks about the work & mission of the Legislative Black Caucus.

State representative Alyce Griffin Clarke relates her experiences as the first African American female legislator in Mississippi.