Lawmakers seek your views at town halls

OLYMPIA — Residents in Snohomish and Island counties get a chance Saturday to tell state lawmakers what they think of efforts to hike the gas tax, boost the minimum wage, revamp marijuana laws and toughen rules against using a cellphone while driving.

And they won’t have to travel to Olympia to do so.

Democratic and Republicans lawmakers from the two counties are hosting town halls Saturday to gauge the public’s opinion of what’s been done and what’s left to do in this year’s legislative session. Public meetings are planned in Everett, Lynnwood, Bothell, Coupeville and Shoreline.

No two meetings are exactly alike in terms of turnout or the topics.

“People are going to want an update on where we are on the big issues like education and the budget,” said Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton.

She hopes to talk about the “good bipartisan work going on here” to protect people’s privacy and personal information from online snoops and nefarious drones.

But whatever is in the headlines this week could dominate the conversation, she acknowledged.

“That’s usually the case, and we’ve got a few days of headlines,” she said Monday.

This year’s 105-day session is scheduled to end April 26. That means lawmakers are past the halfway point.

Among the highlights thus far is Senate passage of a $15 billion transportation package that includes an 11.7-cent increase in the gas tax and higher car-license fees. Also, the House passed a bill to increase the minimum wage to $12 an hour in four years.

On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill to outlaw most activities on a cellphone by drivers while a car is moving. It would mean no emailing, no Facebook and not even use of a map app on a smartphone.

As those issues advance, the Legislature also must act on a new state budget and possibly new or higher taxes to help fund the public education system.

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, said school funding could be a big topic because area teacher unions are trying to get people to show up.

The Washington State Labor Council, the state’s largest coalition of unions, on Tuesday called on union members statewide to attend a town hall in their community to “urge their lawmakers to support pro-working family legislation,” such as raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour and providing paid sick leave.

Sen. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, anticipates questions about trains carrying coal and oil and work to protect the public in the event of an accident. A recent spate of derailments around the country could fuel interest on the subject, he said.

Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, expects to talk about education and transportation.

She’d like to explain why she thinks the Senate should follow the lead of the House and pass the Washington Voting Rights Act to ensure fair and equitable elections. Rep. Luis Moscoso, D-Mountlake Terrace, wrote that bill.

But she expects there might be a lot of talk at her district’s town hall about preserving the front nine holes and clubhouse of the Wayne Golf Course in Bothell. McAuliffe said she, Moscoso and Rep. Derek Stanford, D-Bothell, are working to secure up to $3 million in the next state capital budget to help acquire the land.

“You never know what (subject) will be big,” she said.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com and on Twitter at @dospueblos.

Town halls

All events are Saturday.

1st Legislative District

Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell; Rep. Luis Moscoso, D-Mountlake Terrace; and Rep. Derek Stanford, D-Bothell: 10 a.m.-noon, Northshore Senior Center, 10212 E. Riverside Drive, Bothell.

10th Legislative District

Sen. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor; Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton; and Rep. Dave Hayes, R-Camano Island: 10-11:30 a.m., Coupeville Recreation Hall, 901 NW Alexander St., Coupeville.

21st Legislative District

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood; Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds; and Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo: 10:30 a.m.-noon, Meadowdale High School’s Great Hall, 6002 168th St. SW, Lynnwood.

32nd Legislative District

Sen. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, and Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline: 2-3:30 p.m., Shoreline Fire Department, 17525 Aurora Ave. N, Shoreline.

38th Legislative District

Sen. John McCoy, D-Tulalip; Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett; and Rep. June Robinson, D-Everett: 10-11 a.m., Everett School District headquarters, 3900 Broadway, Everett.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Everett
11 months later, Lake Stevens man charged in fatal Casino Road shooting

Malik Fulson is accused of shooting Joseph Haderlie to death in the parking lot at the Crystal Springs Apartments last April.

T.J. Peters testifies during the murder trial of Alan Dean at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Bothell cold case trial now in jury’s hands

In court this week, the ex-boyfriend of Melissa Lee denied any role in her death. The defendant, Alan Dean, didn’t testify.

A speed camera facing west along 220th Street Southwest on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Washington law will allow traffic cams on more city, county roads

The move, led by a Snohomish County Democrat, comes as roadway deaths in the state have hit historic highs.

Mrs. Hildenbrand runs through a spelling exercise with her first grade class on the classroom’s Boxlight interactive display board funded by a pervious tech levy on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lakewood School District’s new levy pitch: This time, it won’t raise taxes

After two levies failed, the district went back to the drawing board, with one levy that would increase taxes and another that would not.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.