Thinking of Future Generations on Fantastic Friday!
Dear Friends,
Serving as your voice in Olympia these past four years has truly been the honor of my lifetime, and I am proud to wake up each day and go to work on your behalf. Together we have accomplished so much, and there is no place I would rather be than by your side, working to help the 40th LD that we all call home.
It is with that in mind that I am thrilled to announce I have officially filed to run for re-election this year to continue on as your Representative in the People’s House!
Click the image above to hear Rep. Lekanoff’s message on her re-election campaign!
We have many wonderful things planned for our campaign this year, and I look forward to getting back out there to hear directly from you. Be on the lookout for more information on upcoming events!
Finally, I’m honored to have so many incredible people behind my campaign, and I’m proud to announce that this re-election is starting with endorsements from my good friends and close colleagues Skagit County Commissioner Lisa Janicki, Mount Vernon Mayor Jill Boudreau, San Juan County Councilmember Cindy Wolf, and Whatcom County Councilmember Kaylee Galloway!
Representative Lekanoff with Councilmember Kaylee Gallway (left) and Councilmember Cindy Wolf (right)
“As elected officials, citizens, mothers and grandmothers, we are honored to work together to serve our communities at all levels of government to provide a safe, healthy, and prosperous home for today and generations to come.” — Representative Debra Lekanoff, Skagit County Commissioner Lisa Janicki, Mount Vernon Mayor Jill Boudreau, San Juan County Councilmember Cindy Wolf, and Whatcom County Councilmember Kaylee Galloway.
Skagit County Commissioner Lisa Janicki and Mount Vernon Mayor Jill Boudreau
Keep reading for more on this Fantastic Friday.
“Stay Safe, Stay Healthy”
Rep. Debra Lekanoff
Supporting Key Races
As we’ve discussed, a draft of an upcoming decision from the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade leaked to Politico, and while this is not the final decision or the official decision of the court, it is a scary and heartbreaking development for our country.
For nearly fifty years Roe v. Wade has protected a woman’s right to choose at a federal level, and what this draft decision would do is delegate that authority to the states instead – where we have already seen a concerted attack on reproductive rights and many states are poised to act the moment Roe is overturned.
Now, as we come up on an incredibly important election, it’s more important than ever that we support candidates that are ready to fight for reproductive rights. I want to take a moment and highlight a few of the key races coming up in our elections this November – races that need your support to maintain our majority in Olympia.
If you are able, please consider donating to these campaigns and lending them your support – I’m proud to stand by them, and will always defend the reproductive rights of all Washingtonians.
Emily Randall for State Senate in the 26th LD
Sharon Shewmake for State Senate in the 42nd LD
Dave Paul for the State Legislature in the 10th LD
Alicia Rule for the State Legislature in the 42nd LD
Brandy Donaghy for the State Legislature in the 44th LD
Police Accountability Legislation Update
Friends, as we’ve discussed in the past, we have taken your calls to increase accountability of our law enforcement. Recently, there has been some confusion around several bills designed with community advocates, local governments, and law enforcement representatives at the table.
I want to be perfectly clear and transparent with all of you: nothing in this legislation changes what calls officers are allowed to show up for, nor do they require officers to leave the area if a crime is not being committed.
The People’s House has listened to the voters and set clear expectations for officers’ behavior, set a baseline for acceptable use of force, tactics, and equipment, and ensured accountability and transparency. Last year, police killings of Washington residents were down 60 percent, the largest improvement in the country.
Some law enforcement departments have strictly interpreted the laws and believe they do not have the necessary tools to do their job. Democrats have passed legislation clarifying how officers can act when investigating crime, striking the right balance to keep communities safe without jeopardizing the voter-approved reforms to de-escalate and reduce the use of force.
We believe these bills strike the right balance to keep everyone in our community as safe as possible. It was important that we act to help rebuild that trust between law enforcement and communities, and we will always work with your best interests at heart. Please reach out if you have any additional concerns or questions!
Heritage University Commencement Speech
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending and speaking at Heritage University’s 2022 Commencement Ceremony!
This year’s graduates are living examples of why it is so important to invest in education. The celebration and their amazing accomplishment – earning their degree – serves as a great reminder of why I fight to improve access to education and training opportunities. Why my colleagues and I work to remove barriers for students from rural and farmworker communities, for students of color, and nontraditional students.
It was wonderful seeing Drs. Miguel Juarez and Yesenia Hunter, whose stories of success here at Heritage University were recently shared with me. They are outstanding examples of what we can get when we invest in the success of diverse students. Beginning as undergraduates at Heritage, they each have come full circle as faculty, and can now use not only all the skills learned, but also their own personal experiences through their academic journeys to impart their wisdom and uplift students in whom they can see their past selves.
This year, the Legislature passed bills and made budget investments to ensure more students receive the full Washington College Grant, to help low-income students afford life expenses like gas, groceries, childcare and rent costs that can often put post-secondary education just out of reach. We also established a self-sustaining student loan program capped at 1 percent interest for low-income undergraduates and high-demand graduate degrees, just to name a few.
We will continue to invest in higher education, workforce development, and making pathways for graduates from every corner of the state. Because all students deserve a fair opportunity to learn, grow, and develop into Washington’s next generation of leaders.
Congratulations to all those who received their degree! It was wonderful seeing you all, and I cannot wait to see all the great things I know you will accomplish.
Supporting Our Salmon
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and our North Puget Sound Region have long worked tirelessly to support and promote our native salmon population, and those of you who keep up with my work and newsletters know that this is an issue near and dear to my heart.
I’m pleased to share with you a new 6-minute film highlighting habitat restoration efforts at Leque Island near Stanwood. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife shared the following message with me, and I’d like to pass it along to you:
“From 2013 through 2019, a collaborative project led by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Ducks Unlimited with support from partners restored 250 acres of tidal marsh habitat at Leque Island near Stanwood. The Leque Island Restoration Project is supporting Chinook salmon recovery and benefits shorebirds, waterfowl, and a variety of other fish and wildlife, and includes public access sites.
Now, scientists are finding salmon and other species using the restored marsh. Learn more in a new short film, To the Tides: Restoration at Leque Island: https://youtu.be/meHaSksf1ok”
Each of us must consider our place and role in the health of our environment and native salmon populations. I would encourage each of you to take a few minutes to watch the short film linked above.
Together we can ensure that our salmon live and thrive for seven generations to come. I’ll always walk with salmon eggs in one hand and seeds in the other, ensuring that our work balances the needs of Washingtonians with the needs of the natural world, understanding that when one thrives, the other will follow.
More information on restoration at Leque Island to benefit Chinook salmon and other species, as well as how to visit, is available here.
Fighting For Our Youth
Each day, as we roll up our sleeves and do the difficult work, we must keep a clear intention in our mind – and that intention should always be to leave a better world for our children, and their children to come.
It’s with that in mind that I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Representative Lauren Davis from the 32nd LD to address behavioral health and drug abuse in Washington’s children and youth.
According to a recent report from the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group, in March 2021, Governor Jay Inslee declared a youth mental health emergency. While most students are back in classrooms, the number of children, youth, and families (prenatal through age 25) experiencing significant mental health and substance use struggles remains at crisis levels, with limited resources to serve them.
There is nothing more important than protecting and supporting our youth. It saddens my hear stories of our youth who lack the necessary support to grow in to the incredible adults I know they can all be.
Together, alongside other dedicated individuals like Representative Davis, we will create a Washington that provides the defensive tools such as education and prevention, mental health services, and individual support to all who need it.
Salmon Orca Summit III – Life After the Dams
Friends, after decades and decades of failed efforts and federal plans, the Snake River salmon is at the edge of extinction. The Snake River basin is an incredible ecosystem that is absolutely capable of supporting substantial populations of our precious salmon, yet they are unable to grow and thrive as they deserve.
This is a result of four federal dams along the Snake River – dams that restrict our salmon’s ability to move up and down the river as they have since time immemorable while they live their lives and reproduce.
One of the four Snake River dams
Today, it was my pleasure to attend the Life After the Dams: A Vision for the Columbia Basin and Lower Snake River Summit in Spokane, hearing from incredible individuals who understand the importance of removing these dams and doing what we can to support or native salmon populations that call this place home.
Thank you to everyone who mad ethis incredible summit possible! It was a pleasure sitting down and speaking with so many great people who share my passion on this issue. Together we will accomplish great things, setting up Washington for the next seven generations to come.
Thank you to all the great speakers!
This will not be an immediate process, no overnight fix is possible. It will take a lot of difficult, coordinated work across all levels of government, ensuring that as these dams are removed we are able to replace the services they provided and set ourselves up for the future.
Thank you to everyone who has worked for so long and so hard on this project – it’s an honor to stand beside you as we work to restore our Snake River salmon!
Endorsing My Re-election Campaign!
Friends, representing you in Olympia these past four years has been such an incredible honor. I have loved getting to know each and every one of you, and it is always my goal to listen to each of you as we continue working to create a place our grandchildren’s grandchildren will be proud to call home.
It’s with that in mind that I ask you to stand with my campaign – I would love to include your name on my list of endorsements as I run for re-election this year. If you’d like to endorse my campaign, click here – it will only take a minute!
Excited to run to continue as your voice in Olympia!
The 40th LD is an incredible place, and I am proud to have you behind me as I run for re-election to continue as your voice in Olympia.
