We’re Feeling Confident After Court Hearing Today!
Tacoma for All and UFCW 367 had a great day in court against the City of Tacoma. While Judge Ashcraft made clear he won’t issue a ruling until the end of next week, we walked out of Pierce County Superior Court this morning feeling more confident than ever that the City’s deceptive Measure 2 will be removed from the November ballot.
A court victory would preserve the democratic right of the 7,200 citizens who signed petitions for a clean up-or-down vote on Initiative 1, the Tenant Bill of Rights – without deceptive interference by City Council. Yet the legal fight to defend this right has cost our campaign $15,000 that we didn’t budget for. Can you pitch in $25, $50, or $250 today to ensure this cost doesn’t come at the expense of a strong get-out-the-vote operation this fall?
Our attorney, Knoll Lowney, is possibly the most experienced lawyer in the state on ballot initiative fights, and his expertise has shown through today. He spelled out clearly and convincingly why the Tacoma Charter does not authorize the Council to place an alternative, competing measure on the ballot, and why doing so undermines the People’s right of initiative (see a summary of our case here and download the full lawsuit here).
Meanwhile, the City’s attorney did not appear confident of their own argument and failed to make a coherent case for where City Council derived the authority to put a competing, alternative measure on the ballot. At one point, Judge Ashcraft asked the city’s attorney (to paraphrase): “If the City can just do anything not specifically prohibited by state law, then what is the point of having a Charter at all?”
However, it would be a big mistake to count our chickens before they hatch. The legal system is notoriously politicized. There are endless examples of courts treating the rich and powerful with different legal standards than are meted out to working and oppressed people.
So we aren’t pumping the brakes one bit in preparation for an all-out fight in the months ahead. Whether we win or lose in court, we know the landlord lobby is building a big war chest to pummel voters with deceptive mailers and ads this fall.
We will win by standing together, and everyone contributing what they can. We know that a meaningful sacrifice for a low-wage single parent may be very different from those with good union and professional jobs – so whatever you can give is deeply appreciated.
Finally, we’re asking everyone to join us on Sunday, August 27th:
ALL-VOLUNTEER TRAINING
to Launch Our Voter Outreach Campaign
SUNDAY, August 27th, 4:00 PM
Common Good Tacoma, 621 Tacoma Ave S
RSVP here
Our campaign is only in this powerful position because of the collective efforts of the hundreds of volunteers, donors, and coalition partners who have united behind the Tenant Bill of Rights. While we are optimistic that our lawsuit will prevail, far more important is our confidence in the capacity of working people to organize, fight, and change the world.