Tacoma for All and UFCW 367 to File Lawsuit
To Remove City of Tacoma’s Competing Measure 2 from the November Ballot
A press conference to announce a lawsuit will be held on Wednesday, August 2, at 4:30 PM
At the offices of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 367 6403 Lakewood Dr W, Tacoma
The 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. This is the central argument of a lawsuit to be filed this week by Tacoma for All and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 367 (UFCW 367).
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. The lawsuit asserts 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.
“I’m very disappointed by the recent actions of our Mayor and key City Council members to confuse voters with a competing ballot initiative,” said Michael Hines, president of UFCW 367. “While they refer to their decision as offering the public a choice, it’s clear the purpose is to defeat the Tenant Bill of Rights. This would strike a blow to essential grocery workers and others in our community. Those who are most vulnerable could also be most affected by these actions.” UFCW 367 represents over 8,000 grocery workers across the region, including 1,800 in Tacoma.
“The Tacoma City Charter is very clear: citizens' initiatives are entitled to a clean up-or-down vote,” explained Knoll Lowney, the attorney representing Tacoma for All and UFCW 367. “The Council may not force voters into false either/or choice on these two ballot measures.”
Lowney is among the most experienced ballot initiative attorneys in the state. “I’ve knocked a lot of improper measures from the ballot, and I believe that’s what will happen here,” he said. “Adding insult to injury, the Council’s so-called alternative is existing law so its passage would not expand tenants rights at all.”
The lawsuit also includes a challenge to the ballot title assigned to the illegal alternative. “The ballot title is the only description of Measure 2 many voters will ever see, yet it falsely implies that passing Measure 2 will create new tenant protections,” said Ty Moore, Tacoma for All Campaign Manager. “The truth is, City Council already passed all the policies in Measure 2, and those policies will remain on the books whether or not Measure 2 passes. The reason city leaders put Measure 2 on the ballot is to muddy the debate and hand the landlords a powerful tool to deceive voters. Fortunately for voters, that is not legal and we intend to hold them accountable.”