And even better news for same sex Oregon couples:

Gay couples are still legally banned from getting married in Oregon, but, effective immediately, their marriages will be recognized in the state if they choose to get hitched elsewhere in the country.

In an interesting half-step toward marriage equality, Oregon’s chief operating officer Michael Jordan issued a memo stating that all state agencies are required to recognize the unions of gay couples who wed outside the state.

“Oregon agencies must recognize all out-of-state marriages for the purposes of administering state programs,” reads the memo. “That includes legal, same sex marriages performed in other states and countries.”

It is welcome news even as it shows that there is more work to do. I suspect that it will be good for the wedding industry in Southern Washington and Northern California as couples come here to get legally hitched back home. I welcome the economic activity and the spread of love. And those of us who voted for marriage equality in Washington will have helped couples from the other side of the Columbia get married.

Still, for people in parts of Oregon that aren’t near the border, getting access to those rights might be tough. A couple farmers in Southeastern Oregon, or some college kids in Eugene who money is tight for might not be able make the trip.

Goldy details the AG’s complaint against the Grocery Manufacturers Association for their anti-I-522 campaign financing.

According to the complaint, the GMA funded its anti-522 efforts through voluntary assessments on its members (major food companies) separate from their normal association dues. Invoices were sent to GMA members in March and August of 2013, with the goal of raising $10 million to oppose I-522. As of the No on I-522’s most recent disclosure report, the GMA had contributed $7,222,500.

Of course, the GMA and its members are free to spend as much as they want opposing I-522; the issue here is their failure to disclose the source of the money. GMA members—familiar brands like Pepsi, Kraft, Coca-Cola, General Mills, and Kellogg’s—faced a ton of bad publicity for the millions they contributed to defeat the similar Prop 37 in California last year. The complaint outlines what appears to be a deliberate effort to shield these companies from similar publicity, in direct violation of Washington’s voter-approved public disclosure laws. In addition to penalties and legal fees, the AG is seeking to force the GMA to register as a political action committee and reveal its donors.

It’s a process story rather than a policy story, and I don’t think people really vote based on that (for specific candidates they do, I’m not convinced they do for ballot initiatives). Still, perhaps this feeds the narrative more than usual. The Frankenfood industry doesn’t want you to know who is spending money in the initiative process just like it doesn’t want you to know what you’re eating. I don’t know.

– 144 Representatives, all Republicans none from WA, voted to keep the government shut down and for the US to default. That’s gross in at least two ways.

– In case you missed it during the shutdown, a Seattle resident was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Ganjgal.

– The 60 Minutes strenuously fact-free assertions about disabled people “leeching” off the system are even more pernicious in this context, since they add to the narrative that the United States bears no collective responsibility to support any of our poorest citizens, regardless of their circumstances.

– Are you ready for Seattle Startup Week?

– Seattle has had a long history of women at the head of bike organizations (see also: Barb Culp). But this is the first time, at least to my knowledge, that a woman has held every top spot.

– I’ve never played either of the Plants versus Zombies games, but the psychology behind those sorts of games is interesting.

I’m sure y’all are reading the NPI Advocate. When Andrew goes into live blogging mode or when he’s making fun of Tim Eyman it’s always solid. So as soon as I saw the title of this piece about Eyman speaking at the transit listening committee was of course going to be great.

“The people attending these meetings, including myself, are not a representative sample of the taxpayers of Washington,” Eyman said, instantly drawing another round of boos and jeers. “Normal people are at home recovering from a long day at work, but their voices deserve to be heard too,” he added.

“We’re normal people!” shouted several indignant audience members in a near simultaneous (but uncoordinated) reply. “I came here straight from work,” one young woman sitting near me said loudly.

People in the room were offended, and certainly they had every right to be.

Were I not an activist who has been watchdogging Tim Eyman and fighting his destructive initiatives for over a decade, I would have been offended too. I’d have resented Eyman’s sneering implication that I was not a “normal” person because I had chosen to give up part of my evening to share my opposition to Metro service cuts with the people charged with deciding what our laws and budget should be.

[…]

Eyman may not be normal – after all, he’s a well paid professional politician – but plenty of people who showed up at tonight’s hearing are regular Washingtonians who claim to represent nobody but themselves. They spoke as citizens and activists, not lobbyists or political operatives. Unlike Eyman, they don’t get paid big bucks to promote cynical initiatives designed to wreck government.

Just because Tim Eyman isn’t normal, he shouldn’t smear the rest of the people who show up on a Monday night to participate in the process. Usually in Olympia at hearings and committee meetings these sorts of things are overwhelmingly dominated by lobbyists and other people more like Tim Eyman who make their living taking one side or another. When they actually come to Seattle and other parts of the state, they can hear from a broader selection of people.

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler and I don’t agree on much. But at least she can see the value of not shutting down the government over a law she doesn’t like (Seattle Times link). Eventually.

In a statement released Tuesday, Herrera Beutler said she’s avoided public comment before now because she wanted to give Republican leaders leeway to craft a deal.

But she said the time has come for Republicans “to face reality” and made it clear she will not vote for “poison pills” seeking to end the Affordable Care Act, which have no chance of passing the Senate or being signed into law.

Unlike Dave Reichert, who I complained about earlier, this seems legit. As we’re on the eve of a potential default, it seems like a praiseworthy thing. Especially since it’s a pretty conservative Republican who was first elected in the Tea Party wave (and who post-redistricting might be more likely to face a primary challenge than be defeated by a Democrat). So, I doubt I’ll make a habit of praising conservative Republicans in this state, but thanks Representative Herrera Buetler for recognizing reality.

– How do you know when a Koch brothers sponsored group is lying in a press release? If it issued a press release.

– And the goddamned town full of righteous assholes who populate Maryville, Missouri joined up to recite the sacred mantra of “boys will be boys” and to condemn and harass the victims.

– Maybe not letting King County fund its own transit is a way to fund the 520 bridge since people are switching in large numbers due to the tolling.

– “As a matter of policy I always wait a few days before reading anything Alessandra Stanley writes so editors have time to issue the necessary 3-4 corrections. So I admit I’ve yet to read the piece.”

– This weekend’s weird protest against the fallout of the government shutdown they engineered is just the latest primal scream from this slowly dying breed of American.

– Three Olympia local food options that aren’t the co-op or the farmers market

– I always try to write a quick email when I’ve had good customer service (although in fairness, I’ve never been great at following through on it). Lately though, it’s been harder and harder to find a good email address. I feel like I’m being pushed to Twitter and Facebook, but those feel too public for that. Is it that putting those addresses somewhere where I can find it means that it’s also somewhere where billions of spam bots can find them too? Has anyone else had this problem, or is it just me?

– Ayn Random

Over the weekend, I was crossing the street, and a mom and her 2 or 3 year old kid were walking down the street in the opposite direction when the kid suddenly starts crying and laying down in the middle of the crosswalk. And the mother says “you can’t have your temper tantrum in the street.” Then she pulled him over to the sidewalk where he continued to throw his tantrum.

I’m not a parent, and I have no idea what the back story is, so I’m not going to criticize the mom. But I sort of think that makes a good metaphor for what the GOP is doing.

Maybe the GOP temper tantrum in the middle of the street is hoping that the rest of us will see their temper tantrums not in the middle of the street as reasonable. But their temper tantrums aren’t reasonable.

– A bill for the next session would make it easier to fire cops. On the one hand, I’m generally opposed to management being able to arbitrarily be able to fire employees, on the other hand, there are some cops out there who probably need it.

– Over at Defeating the Dragons there’s a multi-part piece on how an evangelical becomes pro-choice. In some ways since I’m not an evangelical it’s not my fight, but since there is so much spill over into public polity, it’s probably necessary. In any event it’s so far a pretty good read.

– I’m still think a special session to get a transit bill is our best hope of not losing Metro fundin, but Ben Schiendelman makes the case that it’s bad news and has a way forward.

– If you’re waving a confederate flag, you’ve lost the argument.

With Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell not up for reelection in 2014, Washingtonians might be interested in the Oregon senate race. And I suspect Blue Oregon will be a great source of information (It certainly couldn’t be worse than the Oregonian).

For a while there, we wondered if Karl Rove’s efforts to “make Oregon next” were falling short in the 2014 U.S. Senate race.

But in the space of just a few days this week, we’ve gone from wondering if anybody was really serious about running – to a possible three-way Republican primary.

Kari at Blue Oregon is happy with a primary. I’m always skeptical about that, and think it’s free publicity for the side that’s having a primary. But Jeff Merkley is a pretty strong candidate, and I think he’ll be able to survive, especially if the GOP go into full meltdown mode.

When I mentioned the grocery workers’ strike authorization, I said that I wasn’t sure what to do to support them if a strike came. I still don’t, but I’m glad to see that there is a website with options. You can get updates emailed to you, if you don’t mind that. There’s Grocery Store Alternatives for if the strike comes and you still need to shop. If you’d rather check them out on Facebook, you can here.

The site still feels like a work in progress, and presumably it will scale up if there is a strike. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but I’m glad it’s there if there is a need.

The King County Exec’s office doesn’t mince words — nor should it — in this press release about what the shutdown is doing to nutrition programs in the county.

Advance layoff notices were sent this morning to 82 King County employees who provide essential nutrition services for Women, Infants and Children, as a consequence of the continuing federal shutdown.

“This self-inflicted, manufactured crisis will interrupt essential nutrition services for

38,000 pregnant women, new mothers, and young children in King County,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “They are literally taking food from the mouths of babies.”

As a result of the shutdown, USDA funding in King County and Washington state for the Women, Infants and Children program, known as WIC, will expire on October 31st. The loss of funding will have a total economic impact of up to $30 million dollars a year, including $23 million that goes directly for food for families.

WIC is a federally-funded nutrition program that helps 38,000 women and children in King County eat well, learn about nutrition and stay healthy. The program provides vouchers for nutritious foods and infant formula, health screenings, nutrition and health education, and breastfeeding support. WIC services are provided through Public Health – Seattle & King County clinics and nine community partners, including community health centers, Swedish Medical Center, Neighborhood House and Open Arms.

I can’t even imagine that Republicans think this is OK. And yet they do. They think it’s fine and dandy to starve children because they don’t want their constituents to be able to afford health care.

These sort of cuts are going on everywhere, but since this press release is King County, let’s think of Dave Reichert. He represents some of those children, and their mothers, who won’t have enough to eat. Some of those 38,000 women and children are his constituents and his neighbors in King County.

He says he would vote for a clean CR. And good on him for that. But as far as I can see, he hasn’t done anything to push that vote to the floor. He’s still saying the Democrats are the problem instead of his GOP colleagues having a temper tantrum, so he still thinks shutting down the government is a legit tactic to get legislative concessions, hungry babies be damned. He hasn’t called for a vote, at least publicly. I don’t think he has signed on to the discharge petition that would bring the vote to the floor (I couldn’t find a list of who has). He voted against the Democrats’ parliamentary maneuver to have the vote. It’s more important to him to show some sort of unity with the people holding the government hostage than to feed his neighbors.

– No, private charity can’t handle it alone

– Well it looks like our tattered campaign finance system will probably manage to get even weaker.

– Patty Murray’s guest editorial on the government shutdown (Seattle Times link).

– Did anyone watch the mayoral debate? I probably should have as a civics nerd who is undecided in that race and who likes both of the candidates. But I had other things to do.

– In yesterday’s post, I mentioned one King County Health Care event. You can find more here, if you want to go.

– The State Senate’s transit listening tour is coming to Seattle. The Transit Riders Union is pretty cynical about it, but encourage you to show up.

– Maybe those state senators are just running away from the bear in Olympia (Daily O link).

– RIP Comet Tavern

The Washington Post has a profile of how the new health care law is working in this Washington. It turns out, so far, we’re doing well (hat tip to a few friends on Facebook, including Nick).

Washington Health Plan Finder had one of the most troubled launches of any health marketplace, even more so than the glitch-plagued federal exchange.

When HealthCare.Gov launched, shoppers could at least access the homepage. But in the Evergreen State, the entire marketplace site was down. If you tried to visit the site Oct. 1, you got internal server error messages.

This makes it all the more surprising that, six days later, Washington is now posting some of the highest enrollment numbers in the country. The state has had nearly 9,452 people sign up for coverage since Oct. 1. The enrollments have largely been in the Medicaid program, however, with 916 people buying private insurance.

There are an additional 10,497 people who have submitted applications for health coverage through the marketplace but are not actually enrolled, meaning they have yet to pay their first month’s premium. All told, that’s about 20,000 people who have taken a step toward signing up for coverage in Washington. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the 960,000 people there without insurance — but we are only seven days into a six-month open enrollment period.

The article goes on to talk about user friendliness. And it looks like that is great. You can look at your options before you log on, so you can see what’s going on. I’ll say again (and now that it’s up) that you can find it here. If you need to apply, or just want to poke around, see what you can do. It’s easy, and it might save you some money.

I’d also point out that King County (at least) is also making an effort to help people get enrolled. They’re handing out fliers and holding events like this one in Lake Forest Park. I’d be curious to see what the breakdown is by county, and to see what other counties and locals are doing to get people enrolled.

My questions in bold, Nick Licata’s after that:

1) Now that I-502 has passed, what should the purchase of marijuana look like within city limits? Will medical marijuana collective garden storefronts in Seattle have to abide by the 1000-foot rule established by I-502?

The State Liquor Control Board has allocated 21 retail licenses for recreational marijuana in Seattle, legalized by I-502, which I strongly supported. The stores will likely open during spring of 2014. More stores could open if demand is high enough.

I believe the state legislature needs to act to place medical marijuana within a clearer legal framework than its current “grey” status, a result of the partial Governor’s veto in 2011. The needs of medical patients must be met, and I’m not convinced the recreational market will meet that need. I’d like to see a medical license with clearer restrictions, and a reduced number of dispensaries. In any case, the US Attorney has stated that the current lack of regulations isn’t viable, and given the illegal status of marijuana at the US federal level, that is a caution we should heed.

I am co-sponsoring legislation that would require dispensaries or to be within commercial or industrial zones—more or less the same as retail stores for other legal products. It’s likely there will be a lot less dispensaries; the state could attempt to incorporate medical marijuana into the 502 system, though I’d prefer a separate, smaller regulated medical system.

2) With Metro’s ability to fund itself at the whim of the legislature, what should the city’s role be in public transportation? How should the City Council both make sure we get our fair share, and that the system serves the entire region well?

Ensuring our bus service is vital. The bus system is the best way to serve every neighborhood and business district; it should be our first public transportation priority. Should the state not grant King County authority to maintain funding for current service, the City may need to use its existing Transportation Benefit District authority to maintain service in Seattle via a ballot measure. Such a measure should be short-term only, for one or two years, and clearly state that once King County is able to collect funding via state authority, the City funding should stop. All neighborhoods and business district should have a good level of bus service before we consider building more streetcars. Light rail should be pursued within the regional context.

3) What should the waterfront look like after the Viaduct comes down? Will there be a streetcar or other transit?

A post-Viaduct waterfront should live up to the tag line planners currently employ, “A Waterfront for All,” in three crucial ways. First, it should provide free and easy access to Puget Sound in the form of beaches, open space and structures that directly abut the water. Second, it should offer a wide variety of free activities, such as music concerts, community festivals and other public gatherings that can attract a diverse audience of residents in addition to tourists. And last, it should contain surprises, such as artistically designed wayfinders at intersections, writers’ parks along the water that allow for reading, writing and contemplation, and integrated public art that amplifies the emotional, cultural and historic aspects of the waterfront.

I supported studying streetcars on the waterfront. The study is complete, and the estimated cost to place a streetcar on the waterfront is between $35 and $55 million. The decision to place a streetcar on the waterfront will have to take place within the overall spending plan for the waterfront.

4) What should happen in the next 4 years to make sure that police reform both satisfies the Feds, and works for Seattle citizens?

I support the City of Seattle’s policing reform objectives as follows:

• Prompt implementation of reform;
• Transparency;
• Alignment of the monitoring plan with the scope of the Settlement Agreement;
• Certainty that the monitoring plan follows the specific commitments of the Settlement Agreement; and
• Ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent to best further the speedy implementation of the Settlement Agreement.

We will best and most timely realize these objectives if we seek to uphold the spirit and the law of the Department of Justice’s Settlement Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding. They find that ongoing community input is a necessary and critical component of achieving and maintaining effective and constitutional policing.

The Community Police Commission is established to provide an independent forum for dialogue and widespread input on the reform efforts required by the Agreement/Memorandum. It is responsible to “leverage the ideas, talent, experience and expertise of the people of Seattle to support the City in ensuring that police services are delivered to the people of Seattle in a manner that:

1. Fully complies with the Constitution of the United States;
2. Effectively ensures public and officer safety; and
3. Promotes public confidence in SPD and its officers.”

The CPC should seek to strengthen the 3-legged table of our civilian policing oversight body. Each the civilian director, the civilian auditor, and the civilian oversight body have critical roles that make Seattle’s system – structurally – sound.

SPD rank and file will have to formulate new policy and cultivate a new policing culture. The City Council may have to pass new laws. The recommendations of the CPC will be a useful guide informed by their collective law enforcement expertise and community experience.

An emerging policy deliberation of significant reform potential relates to the Seattle Police Department’s proposed new Use of Force policies.

5) A recent study found Seattle is the worst of the 50 largest US metro areas in terms of pay equality for women. Why do you think that’s the case, and what is the city’s role in closing that gap?

An April report from the National Partnership for Women and Families (NWPF) ranked Seattle as having the widest gender wage gap among the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas.

On average in Seattle, a woman who holds a full-time job is paid $44,535 per year while a man who holds a full-time job is paid $60,881 per year. Women in the Seattle area are paid 73 cents for every dollar paid to men. Nationally, it’s women 77 cents for every dollar paid to men.

This means, for Seattle women, if the wage gap were eliminated for working Seattle area metro women would have enough money for approximately:

• 118 more weeks of food (2.3 years’ worth);
• Eight more months of mortgage and utilities payments; or
• 16 more months of rent.

The City of Seattle also has gender disparities in the payment of wages to its employees. Men employed by the City of Seattle make approximately 9.5% more than women on average.

I support the efforts of the Gender Equity in Pay Task Force to:

• Review City’s data to best understand opportunities and challenges, including a focus on departments with the largest differentials.
• Develop recruitment/retention strategies to increase employment of women.
• Develop strategies to increase City contracting and purchasing with WBEs.
• Develop policy that modifies existing procedures to address the bias that creates gender-based inequities.
• Develop tools and resources for individual women that help to address gender-based pay gaps.

– It looks like Ed Murray is proposing to go back to square one on the missing link (Seattle Times link). Boo.

-The people responsible for closing down the government sure don’t like that parts of the government are shut down.

– Guaranteed income seems like a solid idea.

– As you may know, the Sierra Club has been carrying on a big, and quite successful campaign all around the country opposing new coal power plants and lobbying to retire old ones – including the Colstrip plant in Montana, which supplies about 20% of the power to Puget Sound Energy Customers

– The New York Times had a piece on the government shutdown that included an in depth look at Lakewood.

– Hispanic and youth outreach? Pfft. Let’s turn the Tea Party up to eleven!!

– This is really what you think of women? That none play football in this country? That there aren’t women who recognize teams on tape and not paper? Do you live under a rock? Is it a big rock labeled “Sexist”?