President's Message
Ready for Democracy
By Rosemary Powers
I don’t feel ready for 2025, if being ready means having a clear sense of direction that gives me confidence. I know that we deal with uncertainty every day, and recognize that our best-laid plans, as Robert Burns wrote, “gang aft agley” (go often wrong). So even believing we’re ready gives no real assurance. Death, and illness, and conflict all contribute to that sense of uncertainty, and needing to change plans, sometimes radically, to respond.
| | | On the other hand, perhaps I am more ready than I think - at least as far as League is concerned. I was poking around online to see if I might find any inspiration about facing a new year in suffrage writing. I found lots of poetry and stories about courage and radical action, and it made me smile in recognition. Not so much about facing a new year, but a great deal about new times, new days, new worlds. A goal that seemed unreachable—that women were fully capable of citizenship and deserved equal rights with men—was the north star for every year. I think often of the 72 years between the Seneca Falls convention in 1848 and the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920. Suffragists were ready every year—worn down, arrested, maligned—pursuing the goal for 72 years.
Our League mission builds on the suffrage goal. Democracy will be defended when voters insist on using the power of their vote to participate actively in the daily work of government. With commitment to that goal, I am more ready to act in these uncertain times. Like our suffragist foremothers, we have our voices and many democracy-strengthening tools. I invite you to join me in 2025, ready to bring your creative ideas to the work ahead.
| Unit Meetings
January 2025
The program for January Unit Meetings is an overview of the upcoming 2025 legislative session, which begins on January 13. Cynthia Stewart, LWVTPC member and LWVWA Lobby Team Chair, will provide information about key issues League will be engaged in and how members can support the League's work.
Meetings will be held at the dates and places listed below. | | | | Virtual Unit
Wednesday, January 8, 6:30 - 8 pm
Tacoma Unit
Thurs, January 9, 1:00-2:30 pm
Kandle Park Police Substation
Conference Room
5140 N 26th St.
Tacoma, WA 98407 | Puyallup/East Pierce Area
Sat., January 11, 10:00 am – 11:30 am
United Methodist Church Puyallup
1919 W Pioneer
Puyallup, WA 98371
Gig Harbor Area
Saturday, January 11, 1:00-2:30 pm.
Herons Key
4340 Borgen Blvd.
Gig Harbor, WA 98335 | | | Welcome, New Members!
Deborah Cazarez
Michael and Danica Humkey | Thank You, Generous Donor!
Ned Witting | | | Volunteer for the Point-in-Time Count of Unhoused People |  | What is the Point in Time Count?
And why does it matter?
By Theresa Power-Drutis
The The 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress (2024 Point-in-Time [PIT] report) indicates the highest recorded levels of homelessness in the U.S., with 771,480 individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night. Contributing factors include an affordable housing crisis, inflation, systemic racism, and the cessation of COVID-era support programs. Key findings include:
- Families and Children: Homelessness in families with children rose by 39% from 2023, with nearly 150,000 children affected.
- Chronic Homelessness: Over 152,000 individuals reported chronic patterns of homelessness, a 27% increase since 2007, with 65% living in unsheltered locations.
- Veterans: The only group showing a decline, with an 8% reduction since 2023, and a 55% drop since 2009 due to sustained funding.
- Aging Population: One in five experiencing homelessness was aged 55 or older; nearly half of these were living in unsheltered conditions.
- Racial Disparities: People who identify as Black, African American, or African accounted for 32% of homelessness, despite being 12% of the population.
- Housing Resources: Emergency shelter beds increased by 18%, while transitional housing declined. Permanent housing programs expanded modestly, reflecting targeted investments but not fully meeting demand.
The report underscores systemic challenges and limited success in addressing homelessness on a national level. County level reports reflect similar challenges. The Pierce County 2025 homeless point-in-time count will be on January 30 & 31.
“The annual PIT counts often mobilize large numbers of volunteers and serve to educate communities about homelessness. However, despite all the community effort and goodwill that goes into them, and due to no fault of the professionals and volunteers who carry them out, the counts are severely flawed.”
~ National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
Despite the flaws detailed in the National Law Center report, Don't Count on It, the Point in Time Count is a critical requirement for each county's federal funding to address homelessness. To learn more, view Pierce County's PIT results from previous years, or sign up to volunteer, go to the 2025 PIT page.
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Thinking of you and wishing you the best through the holidays and into the strange year ahead.
See the 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, December 2024. Read the full report (117 pages) here.
| Local Champions
On a Winter's Day
By Theresa Power-Drutis
Sally Perkins, of Practical Solutions, and a long-time resident of the Hilltop, where she volunteers to help unhoused people, is a steadfast advocate for the right to shelter and policy reform here in Tacoma. People "living rough" in the Hilltop know they will be treated with respect and offered hand-warmers and other small comforts during her regular, inclement weather rounds. Sally went out on Christmas with little holiday bags containing socks, toiletries, candies, tiny candy canes, and (of course) hand warmers. She reported: "It was 36 degrees overnight and while it is now 45, it is also raining and the wind is coming up…"
Sally encountered 47 people in the mid-Hilltop on Christmas day, close to the same number she counted on Dec 11. About a quarter of those she met did not even have a tarp to provide cover from the elements. "So the cruel sweeps on Dec 12 and Dec 17 did not change the number of people who are in the mid-Hilltop, don’t have shelter, and are sleeping on mud or concrete."
It is easy to be discouraged by camping bans, sweeps, and other expensive harms masquerading as solutions to homelessness. So I'll end with a hopeful reflection from Sally in response to the neighbors, friends, and strangers who stepped up to help:
" When people see a pathway to help, they do. Which is why we will beat the sweeps. Because the sweeps are not designed to help, they are designed to obliterate human beings and their belongings so that privileged people (who dial 311 at the drop of a hat) don’t have to look at what Tacoma has become…a place of hostility, not hospitality; a place of harm, not hope; a place of hauling away, not lifting up. Good will win. Even if it takes a long time. Every time they sweep, more people show up to help."
Note: Local Champions is a new series of short introductions to local people who get things done. These features will be produced periodically in the Voter. Would you like to introduce a local champion working on issues related to the Tacoma/Pierce County LWV program of work? Contact Theresa Power-Drutis at tpdrutis@nctacoma.org. | Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
January 20, 2025
Community Outreach Fair - 11 am
Celebration at 1 pm
Greater Tacoma Convention Center
1500 Commerce St. Tacoma, WA 98402
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 's adoption of nonviolent resistance to achieve equal rights for Black Americans earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He said, "...The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." | | | Climate Recap for 2024
By Chuck Jensen
No question, the past year was a tough one. Extreme weather events caused hundreds of billions of damage. Plus we again are going to see a climate denier residing in the White House. However, we have made advancements; and wanting to close the year on a positive note, here are just a few: | | |
- In Washington state, we preserved the Climate Commitment Act by defeating the 2117 initiative, plus several more.
- Globally, transportation is a major contributor to our warming planet. However, electric vehicles can help turn this around. Electric vehicle sales in Norway are now 96% of all new sales. San Francisco is now at 30%, and Los Angeles at 25%. Nationally, we are approaching 10%.
- Carbon capture, that is, pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or an industrial process, has long been regarded as impossible to do at scale. However, globally there are over 800 projects underway seeking a way to make this geoengineering technology a viable mitigation solution.
Happy New Year, everyone! | Environmental Issues Lobby Day
During the 2025 legislative session, LWVWA will partner with coalitions to organize issue-focused Lobby Days. These Lobby Days will focus on constituent conversations with their legislators.
The Environmental Issues Lobby Day is being organized by members of the Environmental Priorities Coalition (EPC), of which LWVWA is a member, and will occur on February 6. WA residents may sign up to participate and express how they would like to participate including meeting in-person in Olympia or meeting remotely via Zoom. Get more information here.
For any questions, contact Martin Gibbins, Climate Crisis and Energy Issues Chair, mgibbins@lwvwa.org. | 2025-26 Program Planning
By Rosemary Powers
In December, an all-member meeting was held in lieu of Unit Meetings for the purpose of initiating our planning for the program year 2025-26 (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026). The League uses a multi-phase approach to determining its priorities for each program year. This is laid out in detail here.
At the December meeting, a number of issues were considered for further development in preparation for submittal to the state League for its June convention and to the LWVTPC Board for consideration at our local League's Annual Meeting. For state action, members felt that emphasis should be placed on moving toward healthcare for all, safeguarding long-term care programs for eldercare, safeguarding human rights and opposing family separation for immigrants, furthering local news and its role in preserving democracy, creating more housing for low-income residents, creating a more balanced and fair tax structure, and assuring commitments to environment and biodiversity are met.
For local consideration, ideas included many of the same issues plus support for redistricting reform and including a forum for likely proposed amendments to the Tacoma City Charter.
Please read details of the process and work at the December meeting here. Proposals for consideration at the Annual Meeting must be submitted to the LWVTPC Board by March 15. | How Should We Advocate on Elder Caregiving and Immigration?
An Invitation to help determine Washington State League Positions
If you are new to League, you may wonder how we determine our positions on issues. In February and March this year, you will have special opportunities to participate in the all-member consideration of potential new positions. Your voice matters, and you will learn a great deal as well.
Over the past two years, research teams composed of League members from various Local Leagues have conducted two in-depth studies: Elder Caregiving and Welcoming Immigrants to Washington State. With State Board approval to move forward, they are now ready to engage all members of LWVWA in reviewing the studies and participating in our consensus process. (For an brief explanation of how the League uses a consensus process to reach agreement see here ).
We have been fortunate to have two of our League members participate: Terri Baker serve on the Elder Caregiving study, and Lydia Zepeda on the Welcoming New Immigrants to Washington State study. They will be resource persons for our consensus discussions, clarifying issues and answering questions.
How we prepare for and conduct our consensus discussions:
- Read the studies. Note areas of agreement/disagreement or need for clarification. Our expectation is that all who participate in the discussion will have read the studies prior to the meeting. You will find information about the process and a link to the completed study on Elder Caregiving here . There is also a virtual informational meeting on this study scheduled for Jan 7, 2025, that you can access here. We’ll provide a link to the study on Welcoming Immigrants to Washington State and associated webinar as soon as they become available.
- During the discussion we will be guided through the study with a series of consensus questions and provide our conclusions in a formal response that will be submitted to the State League and to the study committee.
- Where and when will we conduct the consensus process? Local leagues do this in multiple ways.
a. Elder Caregiving: The February Unit Meetings will be devoted to consensus discussion of the Elder Caregiving study. All units will have the same information and process and results will be combined. You may attend any of the meetings scheduled at the usual times on February 12 (virtual), Feb 13 (Tacoma), or Feb 15 ( Eastside/Puyallup) and Gig Harbor.
b. Welcoming Immigrants to Washington State. For the consensus discussion on this study, there will be one all-member meeting on Sunday, March16, 2025, 1-4 pm (to include potluck snacks). This will replace the unit meetings for March. The location remains to be determined, but please save the date. More information will be provided as it becomes available. For now here is a short statement about the study shared by study team member Lydia Zepeda: “The purpose of this study is to assess how state and local policies and programs affect immigrants after they come to our state. . . The study examines the many different types, needs, and contributions of immigrants, the many things Washington State does well for its immigrant residents, and the barriers immigrants may still face.” See more about this study in the article below. | Coming: Consensus Discussions
for the Welcoming Immigrants to Washington State Study
Timeline
- Jan 16-23 // Study and consensus questions to Local Leagues.
- First week of Feb // Study Committee hosts state-wide Zoom informational meeting. There will be a morning and evening session. Recording will be available.
- Feb/Mar // Local Leagues undertake study and consensus; Local League boards submit their League’s consensus.
Read the Study Now: Documents and Resources
| | | Observer Reports
Find out what is going on in your local city or county government. Read our most recent Observer reports. Start the new year with a new commitment to local news by helping produce observer reports of our local governments in action. If you would like to help inform our members and the public by being an Observer, contact Lydia Zepeda, zepelow@gmail.com.
| League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County
621 Tacoma Ave. S., Ste. 202
Tacoma, WA 98402
253-272-1495 lwvtpc.org | |