Cascadia today: Will Dems blink on millionaires' tax? Oly passes protections for poly people + BC inland rainforest at risk

Are Dems wavering on WA millionaires' tax?

Washington legislative Democrats in the state house are up to their usual risk-averse behavior – yesterday they failed to move forward a proposed 9.9% tax on incomes over $1 million, Washington State Standard reports. It could be a negotiating tactic for more conservative members of the caucus to secure sales tax relief out in the bill – something governor Bob Ferguson is also pushing for. Time in the session is running out, so if you support taxing the wealthy (60% of Washington residents agree) and building a strong bioregion in the face of federal cuts, please call your legislators TODAY at 800-562-6000 in support of SB 6346.

Olympia passes protections for polyamorous people

The Chronicle reports that the Olympia city council voted to extend protections against discrimination in employment and housing to people who are polyamorous, non-monogamous, or in alternative family structures. Late last month, the Portland city council moved forward a bill that would offer similar protections to people who have multiple partners or non-traditional family structures. Read more on the movement to increase protections for polyamorous people in Cascadia at Casadia Journal:

Polyamory rights bills on the horizon in Olympia, Portland & Seattle💘

Cascadia has always been at the forefront of protecting the rights of individuals to live their sexuality authentically. Seattle was one of the first cities in the US to expand protections for employment discrimination to sexual orientation in 1973 and for housing discrimination in 1975. Washington state was one of

Cascadia JournalAndrew Engelson

Newport ICE facility in cold storage

The feds appear to have given up for now on a plan build an ICE detention center in the coastal city of Newport, Oregon, OPB reports. After the plans became public, a furious local campaign erupted to block a new immigration jail in the small fishing town. In other ICE-related news, the Washington legislature is poised to pass a bill banning law enforcement officers from obscuring their faces. A similar bill is moving forward in the Oregon legislature.

When we fight, we win.

Vancouver mayor spread rumors about council member

The Tyee has an update on the ongoing fracas over Vancouver mayor Ken Sim spreading a false rumor that council member Sean Orr was selling illegal drugs. The scandal began when another council member, Lenny Zhou, made accusations in local Mandarin-speaking media and then Sim amplified the story. Orr, who is a member of the progressive COPE coalition, is considering filing an ethics complaint and perhaps taking legal action for defamation.

Rare BC inland temperate rainforest at risk

The Narwhal has a fantastic, detailed story about efforts to protect rare inland rainforest old growth in the Rainbow, Frisby, and Jordan valleys of southeast British Columbia. Two timber companies hold logging permits in the valleys, where rare lichens are threatened and endangered mountain caribou take refuge. To find out more about efforts to protect these forests, visit Valhalla Wilderness Society.

Play cycle explores Asian stereotypes

The South Seattle Emerald reviews Instant Noodles 2, a series of short plays at Seattle's Theater Off Jackson exploring contemporary life for people of Asian descent – including damaging stereotypes such as the "model minority."

"What's so special about 'Instant Noodles' is that for the audience, which is primarily Asian, it's one of the few opportunities to see themselves on stage in stories about them: Asians only get 5% of the roles on Seattle stages, despite being 20% of the population." --Roger Tang

Thanks for reading! Keep loving and keep fighting! --Andrew