Elected officials, beacons, and blind spots / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic to access the Facebook event for the January 14, 2019 Monday Dignity Vigil at Bellingham City Hall

January 10, 2019 Dena Jensen

When I received a response email from Bellingham City Council Member Michael Lilliquist today, I had to think hard about whether or not I should publicly remark on it. It’s not like it was, in many ways, remarkable in comparison to the few other email responses I have received from him. In fact, some Bellingham City Council Members do not respond to me – ever – regarding my emails asking them to reach out and develop relationships with frontline and marginalized community members. Most of the time, I don’t even expect them to email me back. I just want them to take action.

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Whatcom County Council committee considering repealing and replacing Whatcom County Code 1.28, Standards for Correctional Facilities / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic to access the proposed ordinance to repeal and replace WCC 1.28 that includes a copy of Exhibit A

January 10, 2019 Dena Jensen

This week, now that the Whatcom County Council agenda for next week has been released, I have more questions about jail matters that I am uneducated on!

On the agenda for the Whatcom County Council Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee is a “Proposed Ordinance for Action January 15, 2019.” This proposal was introduced, (according to a reference on the copy of the proposed ordinance) by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office on December 4, 2018. I don’t know to what body or how that ordinance was introduced. There’s also a memo written by Sheriff Elfo explaining reasons for “repealing and replacing Whatcom County Code 1.28, Standards for Correctional Facilities.” 

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Whatcom County’s new online Legislative Information Center / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic to access the Legislative Information Center on the Whatcom County Website

January 10, 2019 Dena Jensen

Are folks familiar yet with the Whatcom County Council’s new Legislative Information Center? This is an online access point on the Whatcom County website, which provides a new format not only for viewing past and present County Council regular and committee meetings, agendas, and minutes, but also provides access to an assortment of key types of local legislative information. 

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Outgoing 42nd LD Rep. Vincent Buys rings out the old year with H-2A malarky

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Click the image to access audio of the December 29, 2018 KGMI Saturday Morning Live radio show featuring outgoing WA 42nd LD Representative Vincent Buys

January 6, 2018 Dena Jensen

On December 29, 2018 KGMI Saturday Morning Live show radio host, former Whatcom Tea Party board member, and current Common Threads Northwest board member Kris Halterman interviewed outgoing Washington state 42nd LD Representative Vincent Buys. Democratic candidate Sharon Shewmake defeated Rep. Buys in the November 2018 election. Ms. Halterman had him on the show to talk about plans he has made for his future after leaving his elected office and what community issues he thinks will continue to be important here in Whatcom County in the year ahead.

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December 4th Special Committee of the Whole: Cherry Point Industries got to have their say; other Cherry Point stakeholders did not / Noisy Waters Northwest

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December 6, 2018  Dena Jensen

Remember the discussion a few months back (I have one post on my blog from around May where this was discussed in a County Council committee meeting, and I think there have been others since) when there was a lot of pressure, especially from County Council Member Tyler Byrd, to let Cherry Point Industries give additional input over and above all the comments and letters they have presented to Council over the last couple years? Continue reading →

Less threats to the Salish Sea, Xwe’chi’eXen, and our community: the 2018 proposed Whatcom County Cherry Point Amendments / Noisy Waters Northwest

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council letter to Cherry Point Industries Screen Shot 2018-11-30 at 12.01.46 PM

November 30, 2018  Dena Jensen

Public comment, most consistently from union members and refinery employees, has continued to trickle in, a few per meeting, on an ongoing basis for the last few months, regarding the Whatcom County Council’s work on amending the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan related to Cherry Point.  It’s time to freshly-inform ourselves on the County Council’s process in this regard to make sure they have support for what they have done well, and have our calls to action for what we want them to do better. Continue reading →

‘I just wanna make sure it’s people who are legal’ – 3 minutes of the Whatcom County Council 11/07/18 Public Works and Health Committee meeting / Noisy Waters Northwest

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November 8, 2018  Dena Jensen

[Correction, November 10, 2018: There is a corrected sentence in the second to the last paragraph of this blog post with a footnote to describe the correction to the information that was made.]

It unfortunately became true that my heart actually could be heavier than from hearing the news that it’s very likely we will be stuck with Senator Doug Ericksen again for awhile longer (until he predictably does something that will be worthy of a successful recall.) Continue reading →

There’s no home in leadership for David McEachran or Doug Ericksen / Noisy Waters Northwest

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ericksen and mceachran

Left, rendition of a photo of Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney David McEachran from the Whatcom County Website. Right, rendition of a photo of Senator Doug Ericksen from a recent campaign mailer.

October 18, 2018  Dena Jensen

In regards to homeless issues, it is lucky that we will be replacing County Prosecuting Attorney David McEachran this election season because he seems to be spreading a perspective about statistics regarding crimes involving “transients” in our community that is biased towards assuming the criminal intent of people who are traveling through Whatcom County.  Continue reading →

Fire Doug #33 / Noisy Waters Northwest

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vote smart HB 3003 Screen Shot 2018-10-30 at 8.35.17 AM

Click the graphic to access Vote Smart’s information on Doug Ericksen’s vote on HB 3003

September 27, 2018  Dena Jensen

Day #33 of Doug’s Got to Go posts intends to initiate a series of days that focus on some of Senator Ericksen’s unpallatable votes in our Washington State Legislature. I’ll start with a more recent one today and go backwards as we get closer to the election. We may have interruptions to the series now and then for some other appalling thing Republican State Senator Doug Ericksen does between now and the November Election. Oh, and up-close to election day, I will try to do some recaps of all the reasons amassed of why it will be so wonderful to fire Doug by the deadline of the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Continue reading →