Cascadia today: Pete Fry elected first Green party mayor of Vancouver + how to vote in BC, WA & OR elections + biggest threats to the Snake river

Good morning! Hope you all had a good weekend! I took a long weekend to participate in Larch Madness, camping in the in North Cascades and going to see subalpine larches in all their golden splendor on the Blue Lake trail. However, according to the Seattle Times, these trees are under threat from warmer temperatures and lower snowfall due to climate change. In upcoming Cascadia elections, please vote for candidates who prioritize addressing the climate crisis.

If you appreciate this newsletter, please consider getting a paid subscription of $5 or $10 per month during my fall membership drive. --Thanks!

Pete Fry elected first Green party mayor of Vancouver

In a stunning turnaround, progressives took power in Vancouver municipal elections this weekend, with Pete Fry winning decisively as the city's first Green Party mayor. In addition, the Tyee reports that former mayor Ken Sims' center-right ABC majority has been replaced with a left-leaning majority on the city council including four progressive members of the socialist-leaning COPE, four Green party candidates, one from OneCity, and just one holdover from ABC. "We’re not going to let you down. We love the city, and we’re here to work for the city, to fight for the city," Fry said in his victory speech. The Tyee has results from other muni elections, including Surrey replacing its current mayor.

Meanwhile, British Columbia provincial elections are this coming weekend, and the Tyee reports that the Vancouver suburbs of Surrey and Richmond will be the key battleground between the centrist NDP and the BC Conservatives. CBC reports that NDP premier David Eby is begging BC Green voters to switch to the NDP. Maybe he should have thought of that before approving climate-killing LNG terminals and threatening to reduce consultation with First Nations. Pressure the NDP to do better by voting BC Green.

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In OR & WA vote early, and use ballot boxes

Ballots are in the mail for midterm elections in WA and OR. For voting recommendations in Seattle, I recommend Lefty Cheat Sheet, which aggregates various left-leaning election endorsements, and you can customize it! For the greater Seattle area, the Urbanist election guide is fantastic. In statewide races, vote NO on all of Brian Heywood's right-wing ballot measures, including repeal of the millionaires' tax and his creepy initiative requiring genital inspections for all girls wanting to play school sports. Wondering about those Washington state supreme court races? Cascadia Journal has you covered, with endorsements in each race:

Our guide to the WA supreme court election

Good afternoon! Washington's mid-term elections are just around the corner (ballots will be mailed out mid-October and are due in a ballot box by 8 pm Nov 3). While there are plenty of high-profile races on the ballot, one that often requires a little assistance are

Cascadia JournalAndrew Engelson

For Portland and most Oregon races, I recommend the Portland Mercury's guide, with one exception: in the city council district 4 race, make sure to rank your vote high for Jeremy Beausoleil Smith, a progressive socialist who supports more autonomy for Cascadia:

Jeremy Beausoleil Smith runs for Portland city council supporting the idea of Cascadia

Smith spoke with Cascadia Journal about his campaign as a democratic socialist who's open to the idea of soft secession – and potentially, a Cascadia independence referendum.

Cascadia JournalAndrew Engelson

In Oregon, despite her mixed record on progressive revenue and education reform, I recommend a vote for Tina Kotek over Republican Christine Drazan.

In Cascadia, there are two elections I don't give a flying fuck about: the race for the third Congressional district seat in Southwest Washington between the incumbent, GOP ally, transphobe, and so-called Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Trump-endorsed Republican John Braun. Likewise in the 46th legislative district in Seattle, which pits incumbent NIMBY Democrat Gerry Pollet against former prosecutor Will Dreher, who once clerked for US supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh and spoke in favor of Kavanaugh's nomination. You're on your own in those atrocious races.

With the US postal service gutted by the Trump regime, use ballot boxes and drop your completed ballot in one before 8 pm on Tues. November 3. Find your nearest ballot box in Washington or Oregon.

Three children, one teacher dead in Bend school shooting

OPB reports that three children and one teacher were killed in a shooting at the Silver Rail elementary school in Bend, OR. The sixteen-year-old shooter was shot and killed by a community member. Thank the Trump regime for slashing more than $1 billion in grants for school mental health counselors nationwide. Oregon has struggled for years with a high student-to-counselor ratio.

Homelessness agency has $17 million budget hole

PubliCola reports that the troubled King County Regional Homeless Authority has a $17 million budget gap, according to a new city and county-sponsored investigation. In other housing news, the Stranger reports that the Seattle Social Housing Developer announced its first new construction project, a five-story affordable housing complex in the central district. Meanwhile, OPB reports that a program waiving developer fees in Portland doesn't seem to be helping with sluggish apartment construction.

3 big threats to the Snake River + one more

An article at Columbia Insight looks at three big threats to 1,078-mile-long Snake River: agricultural runoff, invasive quagga mussels, and toxic blue-green algae. But the article somehow misses the greatest threat to the river and its once-robust salmon runs: four federal dams on the lower Snake river. These dams will likely lead to the extinction of the river's chinook salmon unless they're removed.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to vote, and keep loving and fighting. Oh, and please contribute to my fall membership drive if you have the means! --Andy