​Turn off of Highway 101 in Port Angeles and head down Ennis Street. When it ends, you’ll see a chain-link fence with a gate onto the Olympic Discovery Trail. Walk down the trail to the east, and, on the right, you’ll see a large open area with a plaque on a stone that commemorates the Lower Elwha Klallam village that was on that site. On the left is a broad area of meadow, dotted with mounds, tanks, and bits of equipment. Signs on the fence warn of dangers within.

​This bucolic-appearing area is the site of the former pulp mill owned and operated by Rayonier Corporation. Hidden under the meadow and under the waves of the Straits are a variety of toxic chemicals: metals such as arsenic and mercury; dioxins/furan; TPH (petroleum hydrocarbon); PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon); and PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl). Studies have documented contamination of the soils, groundwater, and off-shore sediments. In addition, Ennis Creek, which reaches the Straits on this site, has had the habitat of its mouth trashed and fish hammered by the pollutants. The 1988 Toxic Release Inventory called this site the worst in Washington State, and the 17th worst in the nation.

The contamination of this site resulted from the pulp mill which began operation in 1930, and which Rayonier shut down in 1997. Local citizens realized the threat of Rayonier shutting down and walking away, as they had at other locations. So they petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to declare it a Superfund site. However, Rayonier and local leaders pressed for the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) to clean up the site under the State Model Toxics Control Act. Ecology, which originally estimated the cleanup to take seven years, has been leading a cleanup of the site for over 25 years.

Darlene Schanfald of the Olympic Environmental Council has been watchdogging and hounding Ecology for decades. She calls for the public to help drive Rayonier to a better cleanup: “We can’t let them walk away. They are gone, but we are here. They led Ecology along all these years. We need to get our shoreline back.”

The cleanup has reached a critical milestone, which hopefully signals the beginning of actual cleanup activities. In early May, Ecology announced the opening of a comment period on the cleanup. They are accepting comments for two months, June 12 through August 12, and have announced a local public meeting on Tuesday, July 8. They are releasing three documents for review: a legal agreement (either a Consent Decree or Enforcement Order); a Draft Interim Action Plan; and a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination and Checklist.

This is where you come in! Your comments are critically important to direct this cleanup. There are political pressures to cut costs and do less cleanup on this project from Rayonier and some elected officials. The voice of the community is vital to ensure the best cleanup possible. The more people speak out, the more likely we’ll see an outcome that secures a sustainable future for this site. The details go far beyond what this article could cover, so there are details (massive amounts!) at Ecology’s cleanup website: https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/cleanupsearch/site/2270. 

Robbie Mantooth is the leader of Friends of Ennis Creek and an advocate for a complete cleanup. “Most people living in Port Angeles or visiting our area may have no idea of the toxic materials on both sides of the popular waterfront trail or the threat to the salmon and steelhead once abundant in Ennis Creek,” she observes. “We need to prepare now to submit comments as detailed and rational as possible. We recommend reviewing the Interim Action Plan at https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/cleanupsearch/document/154537 and making notes you may want to address through written comments. You also will have opportunities to ask questions at the open house the team is planning for July 8, from 5-8 p.m. The Friends of Ennis Creek and Olympic Environmental Council (OEC) will also host a community gathering before the Aug. 12 comments deadline.”

I asked Darlene and Robbie what are the good things that the public should support. Robbie notes “the Interim Action Plan shows some outstanding work from Ecology’s team for the Rayonier cleanup under the state Model Toxics Control Act. We are grateful for their persistence and dedication.” Ecology has put out 5 options. Darlene calls for “a full clean-up – Option 5. Each one has a price tag, each one has pollution cleaned up or left behind. Rayonier can afford to clean it up.” 

Darlene notes that Ecology originally picked Option 2, which she calls “a cover-up, not a clean-up.” Because of public pressure, they are currently proposing Option 3, which leaves toxic contaminants in onsite storage areas. Darlene calls for a complete cleanup, and explains why it’s feasible: “In Port Angeles, K-Ply cleaned up the site in five years, with good fencing, good signage – a Cadillac clean-up. We have a good local example.”

Some of you may remember when the mill was operating, but most likely most of you have moved here since they shut down. It’s likely that very few of you remember what the waterfront by Ennis Creek looked like before the pulp mill was built on the site. From the early days of the Native American settlement, through the establishment of the Puget Sound Co-operative Colony along Ennis Creek in 1887, on into the industrialization of this area, the waterfront has gone through profound changes. But after over a hundred years of development, we finally have an opportunity to return natural functions to this site. 

Darlene shares her vision that “we need to get original shoreline back, need to get Ennis Creek cleaned up, need to have it left for nature.” 

Robbie spells out her priorities: “A safe environment for people using the trail, consuming seafood and experiencing adjacent waters and land the indigenous inhabitants have taken care of for millennia before mills and contaminants came. And a stream that can achieve its potential as it moves more naturally through trees that will cool it with shade, provide nutrients and protect nests where salmon and steelhead can lay and fertilize eggs, producing ongoing generations of these iconic fish.” 

Darlene would like to see this area of the harbor returned to its original wildness it once was, including restored to its original shoreline.  Once Rayonier structures are removed, connect it to the rest of the wild shoreline that extends into Jefferson County.

Past statements by the Lower Elwha Tribe indicate that they want a cleanup to residential uses, not industrial; physical and biological restoration of Ennis Creek; and a return of the site to a natural state.

A quick look at the Ecology website can be intimidating. There are hundreds of documents that go into excruciating detail. But it can be boiled down to a couple of take-away messages:

1. We need the most complete cleanup possible to restore the site and return it to a natural state, and to protect our waterfront for the indefinite future.  
2. And we need as many people as possible to comment. 

The voice of the community has power, and that power is increased by how many of us speak out.

“All the public lands granted to the state are held in trust for all the people.” 
                                                                                                 — WA State Constitution

On May 8 and May 17, folks from Clallam County and several other counties were alerted to rally and provide support for a person camped on a small platform 80 feet above the ground, just a few miles west of Port Angeles. The tree-sitter, a skilled climber, is committed to stopping the logging of an 183-acre Department of Natural Resources (DNR) legacy forest named Parched. Sadly, the first few days of this action were marked by law enforcement intentionally harassing and endangering the protester by using verbal taunts and spotlights trained on the tree-sitter throughout the night.

The term “legacy forest” denotes a mature forest, usually 75 years old or more. These forests were seeded naturally, have never been industrially cut, and soon will be considered old growth. They are lush, diverse, and dense with moss and vegetation. They hold rich, absorbent soils created by the slow breakdown of fallen logs which, in turn, create new growth. Firs and other conifers are home to insects, birds, and wildlife, including flying squirrels. The indigenous peoples of the region consider these forests sacred and have gathered food in them for centuries. Leaving mature NW forests standing has great value – likely much more than their logged price tag – because recent research has found that legacy forests are the best at holding carbon and cooling the land.

The Parched forest is one of three legacy forests targeted for cutting within the Elwha Watershed. Parched was auctioned off to Murphy Company and some of its logging roads are already scraped off. 

Since the tree-sitter began the protest, the DNR has blocked vehicle access to the area, forcing a 7-mile round trip hike for anyone who wishes to support the tree-sitter, or to observe and document any further actions by law enforcement.

By blocking access for the loggers, the tree-sitter is buying time to save this particular legacy forest from being clear cut. However, this action is not a one-off. It is part of a two-year effort by grassroots groups and volunteers to engage the public and create awareness of what is at stake. Right now, there are two ongoing lawsuits awaiting a court decision. The ultimate aim of all these efforts is to save at least 12 other legacy forests in seven Washington counties from being logged and turned into tree plantations. 

There is a worry in part of the community that saving these older forests from logging would hurt rural economies, schools, and jobs. But the facts are that: (1) unprotected legacy forests represent less than 5% of Washington’s DNR lands; 2) timber revenue represents about 25% of the school construction budget, so timber revenue from unprotected legacy forests would make up only about 1% of the school construction budget; 3) timber revenue only makes up about 10% of all funding for schools, so unprotected legacy forests represent less than 0.5% of overall school funding. Even our superintendent of schools, Chris Reykdahl, has said the state can find other ways to make up any shortfall. Although timber industry jobs declined over the last few decades, it is not due to any shortage of harvestable trees, but to the high mechanization of operations and the export of raw logs that no longer get processed in Washington.

In November of 2024, the Clallam County Democrats approved a resolution calling on the Commissioner of Public Lands and the Washington State legislature to adopt policies and legislation in 2025 and beyond to protect and restore forest lands in the Elwha Watershed, starting with the remaining legacy forests. This included cancelling legacy forest timber sales in the Tree Well and Parched parcels, along with any other legacy forest timber sales in the Elwha Watershed.

On Friday, May 23, Clallam Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Stanley held a hearing on whether the DNR is in violation of the law for failing to file the administrative record for nearly five months. The courtroom was standing-room only, packed with many legacy forest supporters as well as loggers. The Legacy Forest Defense Coalition (LFDC) and Earth Law Center (ELC) asked that a 90-day injunction be declared on logging operations in the Parched and Tree Well parcels. The court ordered the DNR to file the record by June 18, but declined to enter the requested injunction. 

The parties are now seeking another temporary injunction until the court can hear another motion set for June 6 at 1:30 p.m. before Judge Stanley. In that motion, the LFDC will argue that the DNR has failed to set aside a sufficient number of older forests and that logging activity must be stopped until there can be a full hearing on the merits based on the administration record the DNR has repeatedly failed to file.

We urge readers to stay tuned and stay engaged. For updates on this ever-evolving situation, sign up for the Elwha Legacy Forest Coalition newsletter at elwhalegacyforests.org. 

Take action today:
Call Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove and leave a message (360-902-1000 ext. 4), or email him at [email protected] asking for:

• Immediate cancellation of the Parched timber sale
• A pause on all logging in the Elwha watershed
• A permanent ban on logging on all legacy forests in western Washington 

Sources: CRF Center for Responsible Forestry; Elwha Legacy Forests; Legacy Forest Defense Coalition; End the DNR Mandate; Washington Policy Center; Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

And thanks to: Forest For the Trees #2 - Under Severed Canopies: Grief, Growth and Resistance, a pamphlet-zine that is “the collective work of seven writers, artists, and musicians inhabiting the forested and deforested lands of Western Washington.” ​(Not available online)

The rolling train wreck that is the current administration continues to play havoc with the federal workforce, nationally, and here in Clallam County. In February and March, thousands of workers were sent an email called ‘the Fork in the Road’ where they were asked to make an almost immediate decision to resign or be fired. Some 3% of workers left their jobs and then many were fired (citing false performance issues), only to be re-hired when the administration realized that some workers were critical to certain operations. The buyouts and firings trimmed about 100,000 workers. 

Also, probationary workers across agencies were fired and some were brought back only to be put on administrative leave. (The administration’s efforts to fire tens of thousands of probationary federal workers have been stymied in court, at least temporarily.) This seesaw continued through April as the administration claimed it would save money by decreasing the workforce. But, according to the New York Times, an expert on the federal workforce estimates that the speed and chaos of the cuts to the bureaucracy will cost taxpayers $135 billion this fiscal year.

The tragedy is that it didn’t have to be this way. Federal law and previous government shutdowns have a legal playbook for reducing the federal workforce. One such playbook is a reduction-in-force (RIF) plan. The RIF process provides procedures for laying off federal employees due to organizational changes, as opposed to individual performance or conduct issues. Generally, these stem from a reduction in a budget passed by Congress which forces agencies to look for ways to live within their assigned budget. Sometimes, this means reducing the workforce. 

An agency will draw up a revised organization based on the priority of agency needs. The agency will first attempt to reduce the workforce through buyouts and early retirement incentives. This helps keep their newer employees on board for future experience and staffing. In essence, those new employees are the agency’s future leaders. If that does not draw down the workforce sufficiently, then a RIF becomes the last recourse to reduce the workforce. 

To properly conduct a RIF, an agency determines the organizational units and geographical areas affected (the competitive area), and the positions subject to the RIF, (the competitive level).

The agency then develops a list of potentially affected employees based on type of employment, veteran preference, length of service, and work performance that determines the order in which they are released.

Employees who are released have certain rights to be reassigned to other positions in the agency, depending on whether there is a union contract or the employee’s past experience in the agency. Reassigning employees may displace employees in lower-tenure groups, even if their position was not subject to the initial RIF. This is called “bumping” and feels like a pinball ricocheting through the machine – watching it bing! bing! bing! around. For employees who are ‘bumped’ to another job, another place, or totally out of the agency it means moves, upheaving families and spouses who may have jobs, and stress. For the government it is anything but a cost savings, as the government pays for moves or experiences a loss of expertise. It is chaotic and it takes money and time away from carrying out the agency’s mission.
 
If all the employees are based in one building or within commuting distance, a RIF can be traumatic but easily managed. But it becomes extremely complicated if employees are spread out over long distances in the competitive unit such as the Forest Service, the Park Service, a District, etc. This is the case in Clallam County, where an employee facing a RIF may have to consider relocating to another office elsewhere. With 12-plus government agencies represented in Clallam County, the impact will be felt.
 
The slash-and-burn approach has cost taxpayers millions of dollars and led to many court filings. As we have seen locally at Olympic National Park, employees were let go, rehired, put on administrative leave, or left hanging as the courts and the administration fight it out. To bring it down locally, two different neighbors of mine are facing day-by-day whether they will lose their jobs. For some who have specialty jobs, finding another job locally is almost impossible.
 
In a recent court order, Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said, “The President has the authority to seek changes to executive branch agencies, but he must do so in lawful ways and, in the case of large-scale reorganizations, with the cooperation of the legislative branch.” Instead of following these normal processes defined by OPM (Office of Personnel Management) to conduct downsizing, the administration, through DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), chose the same lightning-speed, blunt-force methods that Elon Musk used to drastically cut Twitter’s workforce. Yet the seesaw, pinball chaos of workforce reductions will continue as unions, employees, and even the public fight the illegality of the administration’s methods. 

Update, May 26, 2025: Federal employees get a reprieve but their future remains in limbo
In two key court actions within the space of a day, a federal district judge has extended a general ban on further reductions in force and reorganizations by federal agencies, while the U.S. Supreme Court has again sided with the White House over the firing of a Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) board member. If fired or let go, employees can appeal to the MSPB; however, the current board lacks a quorum to hear appeals.

A new order from Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has indefinitely extended an earlier two-week pause against carrying out an executive order and other Trump administration policies to cut federal employment in general and to abolish or virtually abolish various individual agencies.

TAKE ACTION: If you are facing a RIF or some other process that will cause you to lose your government position, contact your Senators and Members of Congress and let them know what is happening to you and how it impacts your life. If a friend or family is facing a RIF, give them all the support you can – they may be under great stress and trauma. Encourage them to contact Congress, get union support, or get career or personal counseling. 

For more detail about how reductions in force work, read this article by Sam Berger and Jacob Leibenluft, “Trump Administration’s Mass Layoffs of Federal Workers Are Illegal” (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, May 2, 2025.)

Sources:   

“What Elon Musk Didn’t Budget For: Firing Workers Costs Money, Too” by Elizabeth Williamson (New York Times, April 24, 2025)

“Judge blocks Trump administration federal employees layoffs,” by Hassan Ali Kanu (Politico, May 9, 2025; updated May 10, 2025)
​
Ban on RIFs and Reorgs Extended; Supreme Court Again Sides with White House on MSPB Firing (by FEDweek Staff, FEDweek.com, May 26, 2025, 7:33 a.m.)

Tim Wheeler (Photo credit: Keith Ross / Keith’s Frame of Mind)

When Tim Wheeler walks in the Democrats HQ with me, he hands me two books. “I autographed them!” he says. “Did you see me in the Irrigation Festival?” I tell him I saw on Facebook that he was honored as a “pioneer”. He laughs and tells me one of the organizers is a big supporter of Clallam Democrats.  Sitting down with him, Tim’s smile and jolly demeanor may fool you into thinking he’s not serious. But at 85, he’s every bit the dedicated activist. He serves on the Clallam Democrats Executive Boards a Trustee for District 1, he shows up at just about every event, organizes sign-waving, draws custom-designed signs, writes opinion pieces, marches in parades…and on and on. Tim is a man of his word, and a man of many words. He seemed a great candidate to teach us about a life of activism.

1. Tell me a little about your past – where did you grow up, where have you lived?
​
“I was born in D.C., where my parents were federal workers. My Dad was blacklisted” (during the Joe McCarthy era) “and we left for Seattle, where most of our family lived.” Tim tells how his father looked around for a place to start a dairy farm, and bought a farm in Sequim in 1948. “My parents wanted to drop out, disappear. They had no radio or newspaper subscription. But they had 78 RPM records of Paul Robeson. I loved them!” When Robeson had a show in Seattle, Tim was nearly broke, but his Mom let Tim and his brother Steve hitchhike to Seattle to hear Robeson sing. He asked his teacher for permission to skip school for a day, and his teacher asked him why. When Tim told him he wanted
to see Paul Robeson, his teacher replied, ‘I wish I could go!’.

Tim thrived in Clallam County. “It was the basic democracy of American people. I was always welcomed in the community.” There was a strong left-wing community in Clallam then. “Port Angeles was founded by the Puget Sound Cooperative Colony. They were utopian socialists who believed in share and share alike.” Tim met organizers like Vivian Gaboury. “She mobilized the labor movement and community organizations to build what is now OMC to treat wounded
loggers, millworkers, and farmers.” He thrived in Sequim High School. “I loved it, there were many wonderful teachers.”

Inspired by his art teacher, he applied to Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he studied on and off for several years. During one break, he returned to Seattle and took classes at the University of Washington. “That’s where I met my wife Joyce. I was always drawn to activism, getting out in the streets and going to demonstrations. I helped the Student Peace Union at UW, and joined a march at the Century 21 Exposition in Seattle in 1962.”

After finishing at Amherst, he went to Portland to study to be a school teacher at Reed College. “I was thriving as a teacher, but also deeply involved in organizing. I was flunking out.” Tim got a cow-milking job, then a union job at a paper mill. “I met a CPUSA organizer, who heard I was a writer. He hired me, and I became a reporter in New York City.”  This launched a writing career that spanned four decades.
​
Tim continues with a burst of energy. “I was a go-getter as a reporter.” He provides an example. “There was an uprising in Newark, and people were killed. I went with a photographer to cover it. I walked into the police station and asked for the coroner’s report. The cop said ‘go back to New York’. As I walked out, the secretary up front whispered to me to go to the hospital to get the report. The report said that the victims were shot in the back, over and over. I interviewed a woman whose son was shot. I was always looking for the grassroots.”

He left New York to live 30 years in Baltimore, where his wife taught school and he worked from D.C. “Joyce was always the breadwinner,” he notes. He rose from a reporter to the editor of the People’s World. Finally in 2006, he and Joyce retired and moved back to Sequim. “I moved to the family farm with my sister Honeybee,” (another Clallam Dems activist) “and my brother Steve. Right away I plugged into political activities. Joyce and I worked to turn out the vote for Barack Obama, whose father Barack Obama (senior) visited our farm in 1962 when we were all students at UW. Obama carried Clallam County in both 2008 and 2012 by a handful of votes, thanks in large part to Joyce’s doorbelling.”

Tim continues to live on the family farm in Sequim. His place off Woodcock Road is easy to spot – the street is lined with political signs for Democratic candidates and causes.
​
2. What led you to the Democratic Party? 

Tim says “I’m drawn to the grassroots, both regional and local. Masses of people are the leading force to preserve and expand democracy and benefit programs like Social Security and Medicare.”
He describes with pride his work organizing street-corner sign waves. But he expresses frustration with the national Democratic Party. “I have very deep differences with them, such as with their attitude toward free-trade agreements. Clinton supported NAFTA, which wiped out union jobs.”

I asked about his involvement with the Democrats after a career with CPUSA. “The curse of the left is sectarianism,” he explains. “There are arrogant leftwingers who won’t compromise. We need a broad coalition, a united front, everyone welcome, Democrats, Republicans---in the mold of Abraham Lincoln---Independents, Socialists, Communists ready to unite in defense of democracy, race and gender equality, and world peace.”

3. What has been the highest point for you as a Democrat?

“There was an unforgettable moment,” Tim reminisces. “I was at a 2008 rally in Denver at Mile High Stadium with about 85,000 people. It was the end of the convention that nominated Obama. I looked around – ‘Look at this crowd! Such a mix of so many backgrounds.’ We still need that kind of coalition.”

4. What leadership positions have you held in the past? How did that experience prepare you for
your position with Clallam Dems?

Tim thinks for a moment. “I was editor at People’s World. I’m on the Executive Board of PSARA.” (Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action) “Now I’m a Trustee for Clallam Dems.”
“These are all important assignments” he continues. “But the important thing isn’t leadership alone.
It’s leadership plus grassroots activism. You need to be active and try to influence people.”

5. What advice would you give to a volunteer thinking of taking on more responsibility in the Democrats?

“Be consistent,” Tim responds. “If you make a commitment, keep the commitment. This is not momentary, it’s an ongoing thing. You have a responsibility to who you work with. If you take on a responsibility – be there.”

6. How do we pass the legacy of the Democratic party to future generations?

Tim answers immediately, “Recruit more young people. When young people are engaged, support them fully.” He continues, “Teach the history. That’s why I wrote my books.” He says we need to convince young people there is a future – avoid cynicism and despair. “We don’t have to accept the rule of billionaires. Young people are more radical. They care about immigrants, the cost of college, the loss of benefits. We need a program that appeals to young people.  We need a real campaign on the issues.”

[Tim Wheeler’s books include: News for the 99% (Volumes 1 and 2); News from Rain Shadow County; and No Power Greater – The Life and Times of George A. Meyers (International Publishers, https://www.intpubnyc.com/book-author/tim-wheeler/ 
and https://www.intpubnyc.com/browse/nopowergreater/)]

In April, I had the honor of representing the Port Angeles Education Association (PAEA) as a
delegate to the 2025 Washington Education Association Representative Assembly (WEA RA)
in Spokane. I was proud to carry the perspectives of educators, families, and activists from
across Clallam County in my role as both the Treasurer of the Clallam County Democrats and
Vice President of PAEA.

What I experienced at the Representative Assembly (RA) was nothing short
of extraordinary: thousands of union educators, EducationalService Professional’s (ESP’s), and
higher education faculty standing shoulder to shoulder to defend democracy, protect our
students, and demand bold, fair, and equitable investments in public education.  RA is where
WEA’s elected delegates come together to debate policy, pass new business items (NBIs), and set
our union’s direction for the coming year. We passed 30 NBIs this year, many of which directly
address the urgent threats to our schools and communities:
   
    ● Demanding stronger protections for LGBTQ+ students and staff;
    ● Calling for deeper investments in racial justice and ethnic studies curricula;
    ● Expanding ESP rights and wages;
    ● Advocating for fairer special education funding formulas;
    ● Preparing coordinated union responses to right-wing attacks on educators and school boards.

I am proud to report that my own NBI, “Protect and Expand Transition to Kindergarten Programs
to Advance Early Learning Equity,” passed overwhelmingly. It directs WEA to advocate for
protecting and expanding Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) programs, which serve some of our
most vulnerable four-year-olds. As educators in Port Angeles know, TTK has changed lives. I spoke
on the floor about our success stories, our equity goals, and our need to fight back against
legislation like SB 5769, which would limit these life-changing opportunities.

What set this RA apart, however, were the speeches and calls to action from national, state, and local leaders. Each speaker brought a message of urgency, solidarity, and resistance to authoritarianism
and austerity. Here are some of the most powerful highlights:

    ● National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle electrified the assembly with
        a fierce and fearless address,  : “Before they steal funding, or restrict our educators’ right to
        teach and our students’ right to learn, they’ll have to get through us.”
        Pringle called out the billionaire class by name — Trump, Musk, and McMahon — and
       condemned their efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and privatize public                      schools. She called on educators to use every tactic available — litigation, legislation, organizing,              and disruption — to protect students and democracy.
    
    ● WEA President Larry Delaney inspired the hall with the launch of his “35 by 30” campaign,                      setting a bold goal for every educator in Washington to earn at least $35 an hour by 2030. His key
        message: “This war will not be easy. We are fighting for wages, for our rights, for our schools,
​        and for democracy itself.”
        Delaney didn’t shy away from naming the political cowardice of leaders who claim labor support              but fail to act. His challenge to WEA members: organize, escalate, and fight smarter and harder.

    ● Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown affirmed his office’s legal efforts to defend civil
        rights, including Washington’s lead role in challenging the federal government’s attacks on                        Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. He reminded us: “The law is a tool — but justice                  comes from people organized and unwilling to back down.”
        Brown’s remarks connected legal fights to union activism, urging delegates to see their work as
        a vital part of the democratic fabric of the state.

    ● U.S. Representative Emily Randall, our own representative from Washington’s 6th Congressional
        District, shared her deep roots in education and labor. Speaking about her mother’s 25-year
        career as a paraeducator, she said: “My mom walked her students in wheelchairs around the                      perimeter of the school because the elevator was broken. That is what underfunded education                looks like — and it’s unacceptable.”
        Randall recommitted herself to fighting for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)                      funding, affordable college, and career pathways. Her message was personal, heartfelt, and a                    direct call to action for federal education justice.

     ● State Senator Deb Krishnadasen reflected on her journey from local school board leader to
         state policymaker. She celebrated the passage of her district’s first bond in 20 years — which
        funded six new or expanded schools — and said: “It all began in a classroom somewhere. And I
        want to keep helping kids find their passions, their pathways — their future.”
         Krishnadasen pledged to continue the fight for equitable, sustainable state funding that supports           every student and every educator.

At the WEA Revenue Rally, we took our message to the streets of Spokane, demanding that the
ultra-wealthy pay what they owe to fund our schools. We heard powerful speeches from WEA
Vice President Janie White, Spokane Education Association President Jeremy Shay, Clark College American Federation of Teachers in Higher Education President Susan Sutherland, NEA Executive Board member Shannon McCann, and Franklin Pierce Education Association President TJ Johnson. Each of them drove home a unified theme: “We must tax the rich.”
From special education to classified staff wages, from Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOC) to TTK and higher education, our public schools depend on progressive revenue. The people know it. The courts have upheld it. And the voters have affirmed it — including when they voted by nearly 2-to-1 in 2024 to retain the capital gains tax.
​
As we wait for Governor Ferguson to sign the budget, we must make it unmistakably clear: he must sign it with its progressive revenue sources fully intact — no delays, no vetoes, and no concessions to the ultra-wealthy. Although he has signaled reluctance to support further wealth taxes, the Washington State Supreme Court already upheld capital gains taxation in 2023, confirming that our state can — and must — tax extreme wealth to fund public services. The people have spoken. Now it’s time for our Governor to listen.

We chanted it together over and over in Spokane: “When we fight, we win.”

We need to bring that energy home to Clallam County — to our school boards, our city councils, our
communities, and yes, our Democratic Party. We are the people we’ve been waiting for. Let’s go win this thing together.
​
Follow-up: On May 20, Governor Ferguson signed the 2025–2027 state operating budget into law, keeping intact the major progressive revenue sources approved by the legislature. The final
$78 billion package includes over $1 billion in new public school funding, with specific investments in special education, NBCTstipends, and materials and supplies — key priorities we advocated for at WEA RA.
That said, the Governor also stated that some of these new tax measures may be reviewed during next year’s supplemental budget process. So, while this is a partial victory, it underscores  we were saying on the ground in Spokane: we must stay engaged and organized to prevent corporate pressurefrom rolling back these hard-won gains.

​