Southern California Gas Co. will pay $4 million and agreed to new safety measures to settle criminal charges over a gas leak near Porter Ranch that forced thousands to flee their homes last year. The utility is still dealing with more than 100 lawsuits from residents and regulators. How much will the incident end up costing? No one knows, but gas officials say they are insured for as much as $1 billion.

One might wonder why one of the most clear-cut cases of environmental destruction and criminal corporate acts will be heard in yet another courtroom twenty-three years after the first legal

claims were ever made. The only reason is because when corporations like Chevron are committed to throwing billions of dollars at fighting justice instead of accepting responsibility, they often are able to delay (and thus deny) justice in perpetuity. For the sake of justice everywhere, this must end here and now.

This chapter in the ongoing saga of Chevron’s toxic contamination in Ecuador highlights one of the most grievous threats to the notion of justice in the face of crimes committed by corporations anywhere in the world.

Fighting it out on the ice (in Toronto)

Thanks to committed Democrats like you, we hit our August fundraising goal out of the park!  

That means our Media and Communications Team can increase our efforts at this critical time when voters are deciding who to support…or whether to vote at all.

Ballots will be mailed next month — we need to make sure that every voter in Washington understands that the stakes are too high to opt out this year.

Thanks to your support, we will be able to:

• Keep tabs on our Republican opponents so that our Democratic candidates have the campaign advantage,
• Hold Republicans accountable for statements and policies that hurt Washington families,
• And keep voters informed about our candidates, our causes, and the work being done by volunteers all over the state to elect Democrats up and down the ballot.

Carmen, you know what the stakes are: taking back the State Senate from Republican control, re-electing progressive leaders like Jay Inslee and Patty Murray, and two historic races — victory over the GOP incumbent in the Secretary of State’s Office by a proven champion of the people, Tina Podlodowski, and electing Hillary Clinton to keep our highest office blue!

Your support helps spread this message far and wide and inspire Democrats all over our state to get engaged in this election. Thank you for being a vital part of the only organization that works to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in Washington.

Many, many thanks!

– Marc Siegel & Andaya Sugayan (WA Democrats Media & Communications)

It’s hard to believe that in 2016 we have to defend access to birth control coverage. But we do. And we need your help.

This spring the Supreme Court deadlocked in Zubik v. Burwell, a major birth control case that would allow certain bosses to use their religion to make it more difficult, if not impossible, for women to get the birth control coverage they need.

Here’s where you come in. In response to the Court’s order, the Department of Health and Human Services is asking for input from the public about the importance of birth control coverage. We need you to submit your comment to make sure we’re heard loud and clear: everyone deserves access to birth control coverage, no matter where they work or go to school.