October 14: Senate "Listening Tour" comes to Seattle

Seattle “Listening Tour” Stop

Monday, October 14, 6:00pm – 9:00 pm
King County Courthouse, Room 1001
10th Floor, 516 3rd Avenue, Seattle
* Transit Riders & Allies Rally outside at 5 pm *

Our Senators have been making their way around the state (starting with the Bellevue forum on September 17 where we gave Rodney Tom a piece of our mind! — see below) and at every stop so far they’ve heard the same message: pass a transportation package with transit funding already! In other words, people around the state are telling them to do exactly what they refused to do during the 2013 legislative session and the two agonizing special sessions this spring.

What are these Senators up to? Let’s be honest – it’s not really about listening to the people. The “Majority” Coalition Caucus (MCC) has an agenda, and it’s an unimaginative right-wing agenda at that: they want to “streamline” (i.e. gut) environmental reviews, privatize of our public services and resources, cut hard-working construction workers’ wages, and de-fund any mode of transportation other than driving cars.

This “listening tour” is designed to fabricate public support for a transportation package that aligns with their right-wing agenda – and then they plan to use our desperation for public transit funding to secure the support of the more progressive King County legislators.

All in all, it’s a dog-and-pony show – but nonetheless, we need to be there to speak out for public transit and to call out the MCC on their “reforms”. The Transit Riders Union and allies will be rallying outside the courthouse at 5pm, and if you want to sign up for public comment you may want to arrive even earlier. In fact, please RSVP if you plan to be there and want to give public comment, so we can keep you informed.

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We are proud to announce the publication of Issue #2 of the Transit Reader Newsletter. You can read the PDF version here, or come to our next Membership Meeting on Monday, October 7, 6:30 at the Labor Temple, to pick up a paper copy. Want to distribute the Transit Reader on your bus, or leave some at your neighborhood cafe or library? We’ll be happy to give you a stack — just get in touch.