Being a parent is nonstop hard work, which makes following all the news happening in the city, state, and U.S. decision-making circles challenging. Here are highlights of Washington state political news for families from last week (Sept.1-7) and a hint at what’s up this week. I hope you will consider taking action – reaching out to those who represent you and your family in Congress and state offices – on the issues that impact families in our state.
COVID-19 booster access restored in Washington
One of these days, we just might see that flag flying over the seceded nation of Cascadia. I’m not holding my breath, but the democratic governors of Oregon, Washington, and California certainly know how to work together for the common good. For example, ensuring that citizens of all three states can get the inoculations they want to protect themselves and their kids.
Last week, the trio announced the formation of a new public health partnership — the Western Health Alliance — aimed at preserving access to vaccines. The Alliance will develop its own immunization guidelines “informed by respected national medical organizations,” according to a press release from Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences. California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk,” the joint statement said.
Their announcement comes after a week of chaos at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and after the FDA severely restricted who is eligible for the newest COVID-19 vaccine, which was released this month.
“When federal agencies abandon evidence-based recommendations in favor of ideology, we cannot continue down that same path,” said Washington Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham in the announcement. “Washington state will not compromise when it comes to our values: science drives our public health policy. Public health at its core is about prevention — preventing illness, preventing the spread of disease, and preventing early, avoidable deaths.
On Friday, Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, the Washington state health officer, signed a standing order allowing all residents of the state aged 6 months and older to get the newest updated COVID-19 vaccine from pharmacies and medical clinics without a prescription.
Senators Murray and Cantwell take on RFK Jr.
Talk about speaking truth to power. Big applause to Washington state Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Edmonds) and Patty Murray (D-Bothell) for their truth-telling.
Last week, Murray called once again for Kennedy to be ousted: “This man is burning down our public health system from the inside.”
And during a Senate committee meeting last week in which Kennedy tried to defend his continued attack on vaccine access, Sen. Cantwell called it as she saw it.
“Sir, you’re a charlatan,” Cantwell told Kennedy during the hearing. “You’re the one who conflates chronic disease with the need for vaccines. The history on vaccines is very clear.”
Kennedy has a long history of rejecting solid evidence on the efficacy of vaccines; last week he fired the recently appointed director of the CDC due to her stance on vaccines. According to news reports, he’s sown chaos in the organization. And both Democratic and Republican senators at the hearing accused Kennedy of dangerously impacting the country’s vaccine programs.
Listen: Check out “Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington talks about RFK Jr.’s Senate hearing” on KUOW.
More speed cameras added to Seattle school zones
Kids will be a little safer as they walk or bike to school this year thanks to safety updates from the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).
HINT: Just make it a blanket rule to sloooooowwww your car down within a mile of any public school zone in the city.
This fall, the department plans to activate 37 new school zone safety cameras at 19 locations near schools across Seattle. As of this month, 10 new cameras are already up and running. New cameras will be added each month through the end of the year. That means when you see yellow lights flashing in a school zone, you need to decrease your speed to 20 mph or potentially face a $237 speeding ticket.
According to SDOT, data from existing school zone safety cameras show their effectiveness:
- 71 percent fewer crashes during school arrival and dismissal hours;
- 50 percent fewer crashes at all times of day; and
- 90 percent of drivers who receive a citation never receive a second one.
Here’s the list of sites where new cameras were turned on this month:
- Rainier Valley Leadership Academy (Rainier Ave. S.)
- Hamilton Middle School (Wallingford Ave. N.)
- West Seattle High School (California Ave. SW)
- Bertschi School (10th Ave. E.),
- Bryant Elementary (35th Ave. NE)
- Greenwood Elementary (3rd Ave. NW)
- BF Day Elementary (Fremont Ave. N.)
Learn more about the school camera and safe route programs on the SDOT blog.
Why Goodwill is Seattle’s back-to-school go-to
We are BIG fans of second-hand shopping in our family, so when I call my daughter and say, “It’s time to visit The Mothership,” she knows exactly what I mean: The Seattle Goodwill megastore on S. Dearborn Street. It is, they say, the biggest Goodwill on the planet. Over the years, that one store has saved our family thousands of dollars on school clothing, household items, and school supplies. No question.
So, it wasn’t a surprise to me to read last week on the KUOW website that, given the current economic uncertainty, more local families are using Goodwill and other thrift stores for their back-to-school shopping. Traffic at The Mothership is up 9% according to the article — double what the store expected this year.
On a recent run, I was surprised by the prices at the Dearborn Goodwill, where I found the aisles packed with kids and parents, and a checkout line snaking into the aisles. Of course, I remember a time when you could find a practically new kid’s shirt for $1. But according to the KUOW report, recent price hikes have only averaged about 14 cents — 2% per item.
The Seattle trend toward thrift is a win for more than budgets. The textile industry is one of the most significant contributors to environmental pollution. And don’t get me started on plastics. Every year, there are things like the plastic folders and pencil boxes on back-to-school lists.
Bottom line: Here is the definition of a win-win, even if it comes from economic worry. Read the full story on the KUOW Economy page.
National headlines parents can’t ignore
Headlines had me, and several parents, one of whom was holding a baby boy in his arms, raging at a picnic this weekend. It’s years away, but that dad is conscious that one day his child will be required to register for the military draft. Which is why we were discussing this headline in the New York Times last Friday. It is, we all agreed, a critical warning:
“‘The Return of the ‘War Department’ Is More Than Nostalgia. It’s a Message”
The subheadline below it said it all: “President Trump and his defense secretary say they want to return to the era when America won wars. They largely ignore the greatest accomplishment of the past 80 years: avoiding superpower conflict.”
No, you’re not experiencing deja vu as you read this. I’ve brought up the issue of a Department of Defense name change in a previous column. But the Times’ analysis lays out the meaning of this move too well for us parents to ignore. Read it here.
The announcement that the Trump administration is rebranding the Pentagon was followed later in the week by another, far more sobering, headline:
“Trump Claims the Power to Summarily Kill Suspected Drug Smugglers“
Drug smugglers are bad people. None of us wants our child to find what they sell. However, a president commanding the U.S. military to kill a boatload of suspected smugglers — without going onto the boat to confirm the presence of drugs, without arrest, and without due process is a precedent beyond scary. It is illegal. Trump’s twisted logic on this one puts all of us and our children at risk. Why? Do not miss David Brooks’ op-ed on what these news items mean: “It Doesn’t Seem Wise to Let Trump Decide What War Is“
The Good Read: Healing through youth poetry
The South Seattle Emerald regularly publishes poems written by youth at the Child Study Treatment Center (CSTC) in Lakewood. The center is the only state-run psychiatric hospital for youth in Washington state.
Its Pongo Poetry Project connects kids with mentors to “engage youth in writing poetry to inspire healing and growth.” The poems that flow from the program are full of experience as well as wisdom and are well worth the read.
