By Cynthia Stewart as reviewed and approved by Councilmember Morell

The League of Women Voters has advocated for several years for Pierce County to adopt the 1/10 of one percent local option sales tax for behavioral health.  At the end of December, the County did just that. However, one of the provisions of the ordinance is this requirement:

The Finance Director shall certify that the state Health Care Authority or other relevant state entity has provided the County with: 

This seemed to be an unusual requirement, so to understand it better, I requested a conversation with Councilmember Dave Morell, prime sponsor of the ordinance.  Here is what he explained in a conversation on January 5, 2021.

Integration of behavioral health with physical health has been mandated for several years and has intensified as part of the expanded Medicaid system allowed under the federal Affordable Care Act.  However, in general, the Council has a perception that provision of behavioral health care remains siloed and fragmented in Pierce County.

Councilmember Morell’s key points about the current system and this proposal:  Continued, here.

Our Observer Corps volunteers attend meetings of elected officials and appointed Boards and Commissions and report on what they are doing.  Find out what is going on in local governments within the county by reading our Observer reports.  These reports have been published since the last Voter.  These and prior reports are found here.

There is a lot going on in each of our municipalities and in Pierce County.  Our Observer Corps is more important than ever, since we have so little local journalism.  In some jurisdictions, the League Observers have been called the "conscience" of the Council.  If you would like to contribute to the community by serving as an Observer, only a brief training is required.  Please contact Cynthia Stewart, stewdahl@comcast.net.

Here are our recent observer's notes, with thanks to Liz Knox.

that drew attention to me as a possible candidate for the position.  (Indeed it is not the first time opening my mouth has gotten me in trouble).  This time, however, it’s brought “good trouble”!
   

I moved to Tacoma in 1997 to work with the Frank Russell Company.  My two children were grown and out of the home pursuing their lives in New York City and Mesa, Arizona.  We’d been the “three musketeers” since my divorce in their early grade school years, so I began considering changes in my career and a move from the home they’d always known, not only to aid my adaptation to this new stage of life, but also to reassure them that “mom” would be fine. 
 

Though my BA was in History and Economics, my first job after graduating was as a social worker in Topeka, KS working with families receiving ADC (Aid to Dependent Children).  I worked in that role for the county for two years, then moved to the state level to be a Quality Control Investigator where I worked until my daughter, whom we’d adopted at the age of 6 days, reached 2, and was so cute I could not stand to have the babysitter telling me of her “firsts”….so  I quit.

Continued; read more of Nan's fascinating story here.

labor, religious, racial, ethnic, disabled, and women's groups in the city. The Commission studies, investigates and mediates community issues that may result from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, familial status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or disability.
 
To create an equitable and anti-racist community and reflect the city' diverse community, they are especially seeking Black and Indigenous community members, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, individuals with disabilities, seniors, immigrants, and refugees applicants.     
 
Additional information on the Human Rights Commission is available here. Applications must be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office by Sunday, January 31, 2021. To apply, please visit cityoftacoma.org/cbcapplication. For questions about the application process, to request the application in an alternate format, or to submit additional documents please contact  Michelle Emery in the City Clerk’s Office at servetacoma@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 591-5505.

prevent crime instead reinforces systemic inequalities and racism, and how Tacoma is planning to avoid this.
 

The panel will be held as a free virtual event on January 22, 2021 from noon – 1:00 p.m. and will feature panelists Nick Bayard (Tacoma’s Office of Equity and Human Rights), Lauren Flemister (Community Planning Manager for the City of Seattle), Krystal Monteros (Vice Chair of the Commission on Disabilities) and moderator Tanisha Jumper (City of Tacoma Media and Communications Director).

Register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. You can also view the event on Facebook live. Listen to a recording of the forum and hear a follow-up discussion on Channel 253’s Crossing Division podcast.
Save the date for future Friday Forum discussions on February 26 and March 26 focused on Racism in Transportation Policy.

The Downtown On the Go’s annual Friday Forum series is an opportunity to learn about transportation issues and opportunities in Tacoma, to discuss real challenges facing downtown commuters and residents, and to hear about new ideas in the transportation world.

Continuing our LWVTPC Action program related to affordable housing and homelessness, LWVTPC President Cynthia Stewart sent a letter to the Pierce county Council on January 5, the first regular meeting of the new Council.  She and many others contributed to a petition sponsored by St. Leo's Church, which was also presented.  The ask is that the Pierce County Council adopt the 1/10 of one percent local option sales tax for affordable housing.  Read the letter here.

Getting Housing Growth Right for Tacoma
Friday, January 29, 2021, noon

This is the third discussion in this series.  It continues the conversation about how the city can get housing growth right.  The conversation will explore ideas about what can be changed to increase affordability and supply. Learn more and find the recordings of the first two conversations here. RSVP to the event on facebook or join here.  The discussion will be translated live into Spanish.

Joan Berry

This fall, Tacoma Refugee Choir has been working on a project in partnership with Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department to create culturally-grounded public health messaging. They commissioned three original songs to be written and recorded and then created music videos with members of the Latinx, Pacific Islander, and African immigrant communities. These songs express important messages in a hopeful and upbeat way and we are proud of how each song speaks to the culture and specific concerns of these three communities.

These songs have led to powerful conversations in the community about health inequity and how we can keep our loved ones safe and healthy during this pandemic. In addition to creating the three videos, TRC distributed over 400 masks, held several special community events online and more.

Read more here.  Watch the video of "Ufimata/Put it On" here.