Making Voices Heard On Fantastic Friday
Dear Friends,
The “Stay Safe, Stay Healthy” plan here in Washington has guided us as we continue to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am so proud of all the hard work and sacrifices so many of you have made in order to help protect our neighbors, and our communities.
It is still incredibly important that we maintain social distancing practices, we wear our masks, and we go and get tested for COVID-19 as soon as we begin to show symptoms.
In Skagit County, beginning on August 31, the drive-thru testing site will be restricted to those who live or work in the county.
Testing in Whatcom County is limited but available, and you can find a testing site in Whatcom here.
In San Juan County, you can visit a number of local hospitals in order to be tested for COVID-19, including the Island Hospital, Anacortes Family Medicine, and PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center.
Testing is the most important tool in our toolbox to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and I will continue to work on your behalf to ensure that testing is available to all who call this place home.
Keep reading for more on this Fantastic Friday.
“Stay Safe, Stay Healthy”
Rep. Debra Lekanoff
Trivia!
When is the last day to register to vote in Washington State?
Supporting Our Food Workers
Our food producers and farmworkers do so much to ensure that our grocery stores stay stocked and our stomachs stay full, as they are out there on the front lines, working every day to keep our communities running.
In recent months, I have worked with my colleagues across the aisle, in the governor’s office, and in the private sector to do whatever I can to help provide the necessary equipment and resources to our food and agriculture workers.
It’s been my pleasure working with the Washington State Farm Bureau to bring more than 23,000 gallons of hand sanitizer and 25,000 masks to over 107,000 farmworkers. On top of that, Washington State Farm Bureau is working to distribute another 500,000 masks to farmworkers throughout the state along with an additional 27,000 gallons of hand sanitizer.
The Washington State Farm Bureau teamed up to publish an opinion piece with the Spokesman-Review outlining the need to put aside partisanship and get our food and farm workers the help and resources they need and deserve.
Read our full piece here.
Governor Inslee’s Agriculture Proclamation
On Wednesday, Governor Inslee issued an update to a proclamation he made back in May, expanding necessary protections for the health and safety of Washington’s agricultural workers.
Employees are farms and food-packing facilities often work, travel, and live together in close contact. The updated proclamation further strengthens the requirements on food and agriculture employers to provide the proper personal protective equipment (PPE), safe working conditions, and more to ensure workers safety. Read the full proclamation here.
The Secretary of Health John Wiesman also directed an order to Gebbers Farms following a COVID-19 outbreak among their workers, and the deaths of three of their workers in Okanoga. The order will require all Gebbers employees to be tested within the coming weeks, and the effort will be led by the Department of Health’s epidemiology team.
The Governor continues to lead on this issue, doing the hard and important work that is necessary to keep our essential workers safe. It is so important that we protect the health and wellbeing of those who grow, harvest, and transport our food. I will continue doing my part to provide for our food and agriculture workers as we move forward into the future.
The Democratic National Convention
This week, so many of us have tuned in to watch the first ever virtual Democratic National Convention. I know I wasn’t the only one who was blown away by the speakers, and absolutely inspired for our future as we continue to work and fight to win big this November.
On Monday, before the official convention began, I was honored to take part in the Winning with Native American Partners virtual event alongside Representatives Sharice David (KS), Deb Haaland (NM), and so many others.
It was a wonderful evening, and I left feeling uplifted and excited. We talked about engaging an listening to Native leaders, working with Native communities, and how we can all move forward together to create a better tomorrow. If you missed the event, don’t worry! You can still watch the whole thing here.
It was also my pleasure to serve as a delegate to the DNC as well, and it has been such a pleasure throughout the entire process. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to pull off this fantastic event, and to all our great candidates on the ballot this year – I’m (virtually) spreading my arms wide and ready to do whatever I can to help.
Make Sure You Are Heard
Each of us holds a tremendous amount of power to influence our communities, our government, and our country as a whole. It has never been more important for us to exercise our rights to fill out the 2020 Census, and to vote this coming November.
If you haven’t already you can head over to the Census 2020 website and make sure you and your family are counted. The Census isn’t just about getting an accurate count of the people in our country – that number goes on to inform how many Congressional Representatives each state gets, how funding is distributed across the country, and so much more.
Voting is the most direct way that we can each help shape our society and our communities. We’re nearing an incredibly important election this November, and each election an unfortunate number of people do not cast a vote. There is still plenty of time to get registered and make sure that your voice is heard – click here to check your voter registration status.
Endorsement Shoutouts!
NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is an incredible organization that stands for women’s rights across Washington state. I am so grateful for their hard work and dedication on this important issue, and for endorsing my re-election campaign!
Thank you to Quatz’tenaut Candice Wilson, Robert Glorioso, and Lindsey Grad for endorsing my campaign! Individual endorsements are an incredibly important part of my campaign. You can put your name next to mine and support my re-election by heading over to my website and filling out this form.
These endorsements mean so much to me – they show that this is a campaign focused on people, and I would be honored to have your name added along with mine.
Trivia Answer!
You can register and vote on election day! Don’t put it off though, check your registration status here.
