Hearing Set for Tuesday on Our Lawsuit Against the City’s Competing Ballot Measure
Court to Rule on Complaint Filed by Tacoma for All and UFCW 367 to Remove City Council’s Competing Measure 2 from November Ballot. Download the lawsuit below.
A pivotal moment is approaching for our Tacoma for All campaign. This coming Tuesday, Judge Timothy Ashcroft will assess our lawsuit challenging the City of Tacoma's Measure 2 and whether to remove it from the November ballot.
The details for Tuesday's hearing are as follows:
WHEN: Tuesday, 10:30 AM, August 15th (it will likely be under an hour)
WHERE: Pierce County Superior Court Dept. 2, at 930 Tacoma Ave South, Suite 334, Tacoma, WA.
If we win Tuesday, voters will get a clean up-or-down vote on our Initiative 1, the Tenant Bill of Rights, rather than being forced into a confusing either/or choice against the City’s watered-down Measure 2.
Read our Press Advisory below for more details about Tuesday’s hearing. Then scroll down further to read the full lawsuit we filed against the City of Tacoma.
PRESS ADVISORY, 8/11/23
Hearing Set for Tuesday on Lawsuit
Tacoma for All v. City of Tacoma
Court to Rule on Complaint Filed by Tacoma for All and UFCW 367 to Remove City Council’s Competing Measure 2 from November Ballot
A press conference to respond to the results of the court’s ruling will be held outside the
Pierce County Superior Courthouse first floor (Tacoma Ave S) entrance on
Tuesday, August 15, immediately following the 10:30 AM hearing
Tacoma for All and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 367 (UFCW 367) will hold a press conference following a hearing on their lawsuit against the City of Tacoma on Tuesday, August 15 at 10:30 am. The press conference will address the ruling of the court as well as outline next steps for the Tenant Bill of Rights campaign.
The lawsuit asserts that Tacoma City Council is illegally denying the democratic right of voters to get a clean up-or-down vote on Citizens Initiative 1, the Tenant Bill of Rights/Landlord Fairness Code. Over 7,000 Tacoma voters signed petitions to put Initiative 1 on the November ballot, exercising a democratic right outlined in the Tacoma City Charter. Then on July 11th, the Tacoma City Council voted to place an already-passed ordinance on the ballot to compete head-to-head with the Initiative. Plaintiffs declare this is illegal because the Tacoma Charter does not authorize the Council to place an alternative on the ballot and doing so undermines the People’s right of initiative, as well as attempts to deceive Tacoma voters by representing the competing measure would enact new tenant protections when it would not.
“If we win in part or whole, it will mean a victory for the citizen’s initiative process and democracy,” said Ty Moore, Tacoma for All Campaign Manager. “There is incredible support among tenants and working families for the Tenant Bill of Rights. The landlord lobby understands the only way to defeat this measure is to deceive voters, and City’s Measure 2 is key to their deceptive strategy. The City Council majority have falsely told voters that Measure 2 gives Tacomans a choice, but in reality all the tenant protections in Measure 2 are already law, and they will remain on the books whether or not voters pass Measure 2. The only purpose of Measure 2 is to deceive voters into opposing Initiative 1, our Tenant Bill of Rights.”
The hearing being held on Tuesday, August 15 at 10:30 am takes place before Judge Timothy Ashcraft in Department 2 of the Pierce County Superior Court. Judge Ashcraft is expected to issue a ruling that morning, although he has the option to issue a written ruling later instead. The legal proceeding is a summary proceeding, which moves more quickly than a typical civil suit and results in a swift decision.
The Tenant Bill of Rights is a citizen’s initiative put forward by Tacoma for All , a coalition of labor and faith leaders and community activists, and slated to appear on the November ballot for Tacoma voters. For more information: www.tacoma4all.org.
