#TeresaTuesdays – 4 in 4, Advancing Energy Conservation, Domestic Worker Bill of Rights Update, and more!


Thanks to your support, we passed (and the Mayor has signed!) four big pieces of legislation in just four months that will positively impact our community, workers and the environment.
  • We put a moratorium on rent-bidding sites, like e-Bay for rental housing, because we want to make sure these platforms conform with our city laws around fair housing.
  • We made sure that all workers are treated fairly and banned the use of sub-minimum wages for workers with disAbilities, because all work has dignity and all workers deserve respect.
  • We helped to ensure greater energy efficiency in Seattle buildings. By allowing contracts of up to seven years for energy rebates associated with energy conservation efforts, we continue to move toward 100% clean energy usage for City Light customers.
  • By utilizing Energy Efficiency as a Service and Metered Energy Efficiency Transactions (currently in use at the Bullitt Center), we’re incentivizing more green buildings, built with good labor standards. As part of the 2030 Challenge, this will help ensure that new buildings and existing buildings meet carbon-neutral goals to protect our environment for generations to come.
#TeamTeresa has been hard at work to get these bills passed – and we’re just getting started.  Our legislation comes from collaboration with advocates and community members – people like you! Keep your policy ideas coming and we’ll continue to work on them!

Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights Listening Sessions Kickoff!

 Listening to workers at the first Domestic Workers Bill of Rights listening session in Delridge, West Seattle
On Saturday, April 7th, our team, joined by Council Central Staff, staff from the Mayor’s Office and the Offices of Councilmember Herbold and Councilmember González, held our first of four community listening sessions on what you would like to see as part of the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights.  We heard from nannies, house-cleaners, employers and advocates about workplace harassment, discrimination, subminimum wages, lack of training, healthcare, retirement and more.  Thank you to all who attended.  Next up, we’ll be meeting this Saturday, April 21st at 1pm at Seattle Central College – we want to hear your voice.  Click here to RSVP!

We’ll be taking your input and drafting a bill for vote this summer – join us as part of the legislative process.

May Day:
International Labor Solidarity Week!

We hope you will join us May Day week to learn about labor history, discuss labor conditions and actions today, and talk about ways our city is investing in workers! We’ll be rolling out more details in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

In Solidarity,

Teresa Mosqueda
Seattle City Council Councilmember, Position 8
teresa.mosqueda@seattle.gov
206-684-8806

Voter registration + turnout = historic midterm election


We don’t get a lot of sleep these days (thanks to the guy in the White House)… but here are some numbers keeping us up at night right now:

One in five. 40 percent. 435 and 35.

  • One in five eligible voters in the US isn’t registered to vote. (Are you? If not, what are you waiting for?!)
  • 40 percent of eligible voters sat out the 2016 election.
  • 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are up for grabs (not to mention school boards, city councils, district attorney and judgeships, state houses, and governorships across the country).

All signs point to a historic midterm election with massive civic participation, but it won’t happen unless we do. the. work.

Just like we demystified Congress last year, we’re now demystifying voter registration and elections. Here’s our plan to help Indivisible groups register tens of thousands of new voters:

  1. Trainings (both virtual and in-person) and in-depth resources and toolkits on how to host voter registration events, register voters, and keep newly registered voters engaged all the way to election day.
  2. Ongoing support from our organizing staff from now until election day. They’ll give tips, tricks, and best practices of voter registration to group leaders. We’re doubling our organizing team in the next few weeks to make sure we can provide more hands-on support for the thousands of Indivisible groups across the country.
  3. Groups will soon be able to request a snazzy, customized TurboVote page, where they can register voters on a phone, tablet, or computer! And best of all? TurboVote is like a personal assistant for voting… which means the folks they register will get voting primary and general election reminders for elections in their area.
Now, here’s where you come in: we’ve secured a (real, live) matching donor (pinky swear) who’s really excited about registering more voters. They’re willing to match donations for this program, one-for-one. That means if you contribute $37 to fund our voter registration efforts from now until Election Day, your impact will be doubled!


Why are we investing in voter registration?

We know. You might not think of us as the go-to organization for voter registration. But just like our policy wonks demystified congress and gave our movement the tools to #resist on TrumpCare and the Tax Scam, our political team is ready to demystify elections and give Indivisibles the tools they need to build a massive civic engagement program from coast to coast.

One of those first (of many!) tools: everything Indivisibles need to register their communities to vote. And we have a strategy that aligns with our movement’s values:

➜ Growing civic participation in our communities: Voter registration will grow the electorate, strengthen our groups’ membership, and build this movement to last. Oh, and newly registered voters are waaaaaaaaaaymore likely to vote than the average voter.

➜ Reaching communities traditionally left behind: We’ll focus on registering voters who’ve been traditionally underrepresented in the political process — communities of color, students, and rural communities. Registering voters, and informing them of their rights, is crucial to fighting discriminatory laws like voter ID and shortened voting periods.

➜ Bucking conventional political wisdom: Voter registration in presidential elections is typically higher. But, as we’ve seen in special elections in Virginia, Alabama, and Pennsylvania, people are energized. We believe know that November’s elections could be defined by unusually high-engagement… especially if we register more voters.

One of our greatest strengths as a movement is our reach — Indivisibles are e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. And that’s why, if we invest in voter registration that aligns with our movement’s values, we know we’ll have a HUGE impact on this election.

We’re excited about this plan, and we’re ready to get to work. So, if you’re excited too, consider chipping in $37 (our average donation) to help fund our work to register tens of thousands of voters. And your donation will be matched one-for-one!

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

What’s happening at NMAAHC in April!


Thank you so much for your support of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. December is another exciting month at the Museum!  Here are a few things happening now!

Overton WWII Smith

Oldest Living WWII Veteran Tours NMAAHC

Richard Overton, the oldest-living WWII Veteran, made a spontaneous visit to the Museum from his home in Austin, TX, thanks to NMAAHC founding donor,Robert Smith.

Read More


Photo: Robert Smith and Richard Overton in Austin, TX on April 8, 2018. Photo courtesy of Laurel Strategies.
Walk-Up Wednesday

Walk-Up Wednesdays in April

There are two more Walk-Up Wednesdays left! Individuals who walk up without timed entry passes may enter the Museum on a first come, first served basis on April 18th and 25th. For more information on timed passes and Walk-Up Wednesdays, visit our Walk-Up Wednesdays web page.

Read More

Photo: Museum visitors lined up at the NMAAHC on the first Walk-Up Wednesday, April 4, 2018.
Nike Equality

Leading by Example: The LBJ15 Equality Drawing Results

Last month, two NMAAHC founding donors, LeBron James and Nike, raffled 400 pairs of limited-edition Nike LeBron 15 “Equality” shoes to benefit the Museum.

The results are in! Over 600,000 people entered the raffle, raising over $450,000 to help us further explore, document, and showcase the African American story. Thank you for your generous support!

Read More

Photo: Courtesy of Nike 
Webby Awards

VOTE FOR NMAAHC

This year, the Museum’s#HiddenHerstory social media campaign, which spotlights prominent African American women in history, was nominated for a People’s Voice Webby Award.

Cast your vote today and help us win!

Voting closes Thursday, April 19th.

Stop the Trump Administration from Putting Polluters Over People


Union of Concerned Scientists: Science for a healthy planet and safer world

Don’t allow the weakening of crucial regulations on methane pollution.

Tell the Trump administration that you will not stay silent while they allow oil and gas companies to recklessly emit global warming pollution on our public and tribal lands.

ACTION ALERT
Stop the Trump Administration from Putting Polluters Over People

Dear Friend,

The Trump administration is on the precipice of undoing another one of our global warming wins in favor of a huge handout to the oil and gas industry.

Methane is an extremely potent global warming emission, and the largest source of these emissions is the oil and gas industry. Last year, some legislators in Congress attempted to nullify crucial rules put in place by the Obama administration that limit the amount of methane pollution that the oil and gas industry is allowed to vent, leak, and simply burn off (in a process called “flaring”) on America’s public and tribal lands.

Thanks to supporters like you calling your senators in protest of this dangerous move, we were able to convince senators on the fence to side with people over polluters and preserve the rules that hold oil and gas companies accountable.

But it seems like this public outrage and hard-fought win in the Senate weren’t enough to convince the Trump administration and the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Shortly after we protected the standards from congressional attacks, the Trump administration announced it would review them. Now, BLM has released a new proposal that significantly weakens current protections around methane emissions.

We can’t let them take this global warming victory away. Tell the Trump administration that you oppose any attempts at weakening crucial methane pollution standards!

If the Trump administration successfully weakens this rule, it would hinder our ability to hold the fossil fuels industry accountable, slow down our efforts to address climate change, cost taxpayers money, and put the health of communities at risk every day.

Sincerely,
Anisha Mehta
Anisha Mehta
Outreach Coordinator
Clean Vehicles Program
Union of Concerned Scientists

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