Past LWVS-KC Forums and Events
Past Events
If you missed attending a forum, click on the links to watch online. Past LWV forums are sometimes archived at King County TV, Seattle Channel, and TVW.
If you missed attending a forum, click on the links to watch online. Past LWV forums are sometimes archived at King County TV, Seattle Channel, and TVW.
- January 2020 forum and February Centennial event were not video taped.
- December 5, 2019: Homelessness in Seattle/King County
At our December Forum, we heard why King County is struggling to end homelessness: Housing affordability, mental health and addiction, the cost of healthcare, zoning and tax laws. We heard from the experts: -Jennifer Alderman, Behavioral Health Sciences Supervisor with Snohomish County - King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles - Colleen Echohawk, Executive Director of Chief Seattle Club -Tess Colby, Senior Advisor on Homelessness for the City of Seattle -Susan Segall, Executive Director of New Beginnings; -Annamaria Gueco, Supportive Housing, Homeless Outreach & Outpatient Services Supervisor with SOUND - Zachary DeWolf, Seattle School Board Director for District 5 - Anitra Freeman with the Board of Directors for Real Change.
Available for viewing courtesy of King County Television. A Homelessness study was published in April 2020; click here to read. - November 7, 2019: Climate Change
At our November Forum, we heard how Climate Change can be overwhelming. But local governments are working on solutions. See what's happening in King County.
Available for viewing courtesy of King County Television. - October 3, 2019: Juvenile Justice
At our October Forum, we heard from government officials and activists on stopping the school to prison pipeline, alternatives to incarceration, and how organizations around the county are advocating for at-risk youth. Panelists included Derrick Wheeler-Smith from King County Zero Youth Detention, Jason Clark from Northwest Credible Messengers, Nick Straley from Columbia Legal Services, and Sean Goode from Choose 180. Our moderator was Kimberly Ambrose from the University of Washington School of Law. She's the director of Tools for Social Change: Race and Justice Clinic and a Senior Law Lecturer with an expertise in Juvenile Law.
Available for viewing courtesy of King County Television. - September 5, 2019: Latest Election and Voting Laws
At our September Forum, we heard from Kendall LeVan Hodson, Chief of Staff for King County Elections, will be here to tell you all about them and answer your questions! We’ll talk about everything from the new Vote Centers, same day registration, and prepaid postage, to the Native American Voting Rights Act, to the changes to Washington State’s Presidental Primary.
Available for viewing courtesy of King County Television. - Events and candidate forums April thru August were not video taped.
- March 7, 2019: Latest Election and Voting Laws
At our March Forum, we celebrated International Women’s Day with a panel of power women to talk about their experiences as women and how they respond to sexism. With King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, Monica Guzman of The Evergrey, Aneelah Afzali (ED of MAPS AMEN), Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, and Melissa Santos of Crosscut. Moderated by our president Alyssa Weed.
Available for viewing on Facebook. - February 7, 2019: Exploring Racism in the Women's Suffrage Movement
With the upcoming anniversary of the 19th Amendment, we held a public forum on February 7th to explore the fact that not all women were able to vote after it was passed and that the white women working on its passage were both actively and passively racist through the process. Our speakers discussed the various laws on the books that prevented many non-white women from voting, as well as the continued voter suppression in the states through 1957 and now the renewed voter suppression, such as in North Dakota this year. LWV Vice President, Christy Wood, moderated a discussion with Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez, Jamila Taylor, Attorney and Founding Board Member of BlackPast.org and La Rond Baker, Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Unit of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.
Resources for further reading on the topic.
View online courtesy of Seattle Channel, also at http://seattlechannel.org/videos?videoid=x102181. - October 4, 2018: General Election Ballot Measures
This November police accountability, the environment, grocery tax policy, gun control, and education will be vying for your vote. Join us for a forum with pro and con campaigns from I-940, I-1631, I-1634, and I-1639 at the Collective in South Lake Union. We’ll also hear from education insiders about Seattle’s Families, Education, and Preschool Promise Levy.
View online courtesy of TVW. - April 5, 2018: Get Smart About Taxes
Do you know how local taxes will impact your family budget? Dwight Dively, Director of Performance, Strategy, and Budget for King County will break down upcoming trends at the city, county, and state level and what they mean for your bottom line. We’ll focus on property taxes, impacts of declining federal revenue to our region, challenges to our infrastructure and at-risk programs like public health, impacts of privatization, and impacts of our regressive tax system.
View online courtesy of Seattle Channel. - February 1, 2018: Budgets as Moral Documents
Our Social Justice Committee assembled a panel of speakers to discuss varying ways of interpreting budgets as moral documents at the city, county, and state levels. Kirsten Harris-Talley, Jackie Vaughn and Sheila Capestany were the speakers and Rev. Harriet Walden was the moderator. Available for viewing courtesy of King County Television. - November 2, 2017: Internet Privacy
Why does Internet Privacy matter? With the internet so vital to our personal, business, health care and essential aspects of our lives, we are often unaware of what data is collected, how it is retained, and how it is shared. How much do we value privacy? And what personal information should be considered private. Panelists included Jim Loter, Director of Digital Engagement for the City of Seattle, Sue Peters, Seattle School Board Director, Julie Wise, King County Director of Elections, and Ann Nagel, Associate Vice Provost for Privacy at the UW. Available for viewing courtesy of King County Television. - April 6, 2017: How Do We Get to Zero Youth Detention in King County?
King County’s plans to build a new juvenile justice center with 112 detention cells have drawn opposition from community members. This forum features perspectives from all sides. Panelists include: Terri Stewart (Moderator), Director of the Youth Chaplaincy Coalition, Dominique Davis, co-founder and CEO of Community Passageways, and King County Superior Court Judges Laura Inveen and Wesley Saint Clair. Available for viewing courtesy of King County Television. - March 2, 2017: You Marched - Now Run!
Why more women need to run for office, and why you should, too. Please join the League of Women Voters for a special Women’s History Month forum. Panelists included Claudia Balducci, King County Councilmember and Lisa Herbold, Seattle City Councilmember. Emily Wicks of the National Women's Political Caucus moderated. Available for viewing courtesy of King County Television. - February 2, 2017: Issues and Answers for an Aging Population
A discussion of critical issues for a growing senior population, including effective financial planning, options for access to health care and long-term care, and end of life planning. Speakers included: Cathy Knight, Director of the WAshingotn Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Ellen Berg, a professor in the Telos Program, and John Friedman, the Area Vice-President of Kindred Health Care. Available for viewing courtesy of King County Television.
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- March 3, 2016: Short Changed - Addressing the Gender Pay Gap
Watch online. Speakers included Janet Chung from Legal Voice, Marilyn Watkins from the Economic Opportunity Institute, and Barbara Reskin, former professor at Harvard University. This report was referenced during the Q&A portion of the program. - February 4, 2016: Death Knell for Death Penalty?
Watch online. Speakers included King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, Attorney Mark Larranaga, and Danielle Fulfs of the Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. - November 5, 2015: Amending the Constitution
Watch online. Speakers included Paul Lawrence of the Pacifica Law Group and Alice Woldt of WAmend and Fix Democracy First. - October 1, 2015: Money in Politics
This forum was not videotaped but the resources presented at the forum along with other materials from the LWVUS national study can be found on this page.
- September 10, 2015: Ballot Issues Forum
Watch online Pro and Con speakers presented arguments on the following ballot measures:- King County Best Starts For Kids Levy
- Move Seattle Transportation Levy
- Initiative 122 - Honest Elections Seattle
- June 29, 2015: Port Commissioner Candidates Forum
Watch online The Seattle Port Commission holds significant power over the direction of our city's working waterfront. In this non-partisan candidate forum, hear directly from Port of Seattle Commissioner candidates about how they will address pressing environmental and economic issues facing the Port including:- Their vision for a working waterfront in the face of climate change impacts
- Plans to ensure the Port of Seattle remains competitive with other west coast ports
- Transparent government process
- Duwamish river and superfund cleanup
- Competitive, living wage jobs
- Air pollution and traffic congestion
- April 2, 2015: The Columbia River Treaty in an Era of Climate Change
Watch online Panelists Scott Simms, Secretary to the U.S. Entity, Columbia River Treaty; Paul Lumley, Executive Director, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission; and Rachael Paschal Osborn, public interest water lawyer, Center for Environmental Law & Policy, discuss the review process, the key interests in the U.S. and Canada and new and emerging issues of climate change, endangered species and the Regional Recommendations. The decisions made in the Columbia River treaty negotiations will impact our region for generations to come. - March 5, 2015: Human Trafficking - GLOBAL AND RIGHT HERE
Watch the video.
A discussion on the scope of the problem, what is being done and what still needs to be done. If you think it does not happen in your neighborhood and that it does not happen to our children, you are wrong. Speakers were Leslie Briner, MSW, Commercial Sexual Exploitation Training and Policy Coordinator for YouthCare in Seattle, Valiant Richey, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County, and Rose Gundersen, co-founder and Director of Washington Engage which works with community coalitions to deal with human trafficking.
Co-sponsors: BEST (Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking), Federal Way Coalition Against Trafficking, Soroptimist International, Seattle Metropolitan Club, Seattle Against Slavery, Washington Engage, and Youth Care - The Bridge Program - February 5, 2015: Hospital Mergers - How Will They Affect Your Care?
Health care service delivery is changing rapidly with hospital mergers and affiliations. When religiously affiliated hospitals merge with secular hospitals, the values of the religious organization can determine what services patients receive. Citizen activism helps to assure that patients are not denied family planning services and end-of-life support when religiously affiliated hospitals are the only options available. Panelists Professor Jamie Shirley(UW School of Nursing), Theresa Connor (Compassion & Choices), and Leah Rutman (American Civil Liberties Union) discuss the topic. Watch the video. - January 6, 2015: Paramount Duty: Why Are Our Schools Underfunded?
Tom Ahearne, the trial lawyer from the McCleary case, discussed the impact of Washington State failing to meet its "Paramount Duty" to fully fund education. Andrew Nichols, of the WA State Budget and Policy Center, spoke on the challenges of funding basic education and how reforms to the revenue system can make it possible. Watch the video. - November 8, 2014: Elections, Money and the Media post-Citizens United
An entertaining post-election conversation with Alan Durning of Sightline and Dave Ross of KIRO Radio. Watch it online. - October 2, 2014: Selected Ballot Issues
Our October 2nd forum covered one of the statewide ballot measures, Initiative 1351 related to class size and school support staff, and the four Seattle measures on preschool funding, Metro bus funding and a new monorail proposal. Pro and Con speakers presented both sides of the issues and answered questions from the audience. If you missed it, you can watch it online. - September 4, 2014: Let's Talk Preschool
This forum was not televised but we do have links to the slides the speakers used in their presentations. Click on the names to open the document. Sam Whiting, Thrive to Five What is the vision for publicly supported pre-k State of Washington. What is the future? How do we get there? Luba Bezborodnikova, Puget Sound Educational Service District What is the current state of publicly funded pre-k in King County and the region? What is funded? How are programs funded? Dr. Thomas Halverson, professor, University of Washington Becoming a more Sophisticated Consumer of (Educational) Policies?
In addition, see the September edition of The Voter and the 2008 Washington State League study for valuable background information. - April 3, 2014: Minimum Wage - Living Wage
Also broadcast on Channel 22. Speakers discuss Mayor Murray's proposal to establish a citywide minimum wage as well as the Self Sufficiency Standard, the income required for a family to live independently without public or private assistance. Speakers: Diana Pearce, Senior Lecturer and Director, Center for Women's Welfare, School of Social Work, UW; David Rolf, President of Service Employees International Union 775NW and Co-chair of the Seattle Mayor's Income Inequality Advisory Committee; Howard S. Wright III, founder and CEO of Seattle Hospitality Group and Co-chair of the Seattle Mayor's Income Inequality Advisory Committee. View slideshow on Poverty Lines and the Self Suffiency Standard: How They Inform the Minimum/Living Wage Debate. Download the Budget Worksheet Exercise for the Self Sufficiency Standard. - March 22, 2014 - Future of King County Transportation: Why Your Vote Matters
Four panelists discuss the upcoming ballot measure and our transportation needs for the region's future.
Moderator: Marilyn Strickland, Mayor of Tacoma. Panelists: Rod Dembowski, King County Council Chair of Transportation; Mia Gregerson, SeaTac Mayor and State Representative; Rebecca Saldaña, Puget Sound Sage; Katie Wilson, Transit Riders Union. Co-Sponsored with Town Hall Seattle, Transportation Choices Coalition, Puget Sound Sage, Transit Riders Union, Forterra, Futurewise, and Move King County Now. - March 6, 2014 - Is THAT Safe to Eat?
Three experts on food safety address a broad spectrum of issues including foodborne illness outbreaks, industrial farming and food processing, government regulation, food labeling, and nanotechnology.
Speakers: Trudy Bialic (Director of Public Affairs, PCC Natural Markets), Chris Skilton (Health & Environmental Investigator, King Co. Dept. of Public Health) and Siri Erickson Brown (co-owner of Local Roots farm
Check out Chris doing restaurant inspections in this short video clip. - February 6, 2014 - Gun Safety: A Public Health Challenge
Pete Holmes, Seattle City Attorney, Amnon Shoenfeld, Director of King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse & Dependency Services Division, and Karen Milman, MD, MPH, Director of King County Public Health Office of Prevention address the current legal environment concerning gun access, suicide, mental health issues and domestic violence, and what a public health approach involves.
View slides from Dr. Milman's presentation. - November 9, 2013 Fall Fundraiser - The Other Side of Carbon Emissions: Acidification and the Salish Sea
Speaker: Dr. Terrie Klinger, Barer Professor of Sustainability Science, UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and Co-Director of the UW Center on Ocean Acidification
What are the effects of ocean acidification? What action can we take in response? How we can reduce harmful effects on Washington’s shellfish and other marine resources and adapt to the impacts of acidified waters?
Listen to the talk.
Fact Sheet on Ocean Acidification
- October 3, 2013 - Statewide and King County Ballot Measures
Speakers making pro and con presentations for:
We also had speakers making presentations on:
- Initiative 517 - re: initiative and referendum procedures
- Initiative 522 - re: labeling of GMO foods
We also had speakers making presentations on:
- King County Charter Amendment - re: the department of public defense
- King County Prop 1 - re: EMS (Medic One)levy
- September 30, 2013 - Seattle Mayoral Candidate Forum at Seattle Center - Incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn and challenger Senator Ed Murray share their visions of how to improve quality of life for all Seattlites, with an emphasis on arts and culture. Topics: historic preservation, public art, arts education, urban design and the design of the Seattle Waterfront. Moderator: Jim Kelly, Executive Director of 4Culture.
- September 5, 2013 - How to Be an Informed Voter/Seattle Ballot Measures
Speakers: Julie Anne Kempf, Voter Services Chair/various
- April 4, 2013 - Campaign Finance Reform
Speakers: Alice Woldt of Washington Public Campaigns and Nick Licata, Seattle City Councilmember - Feb. 7, 2013 - Reproductive Rights
- Nov. 10, 2102 Fundraiser: Digging Out from 2008 – WHAT’S NEXT?
Listen to Ted Young's talk on Financial Reform.
View Ted Young's slide presentation. - Sept. 6, 2012 - Drug Policy Reform: Marijuana Legalization First?
The effectiveness of the current drug policy, which places its emphasis on deterring drug use through punishment, has been widely questioned as a costly and ineffective approach. Proponents of drug policy reform have called for a public health approach to drug abuse, stressing a shift of resources to research, education, prevention, treatment and drug courts, as an alternative to the continued use of criminal sanctions. Former U.S. Attorney John McKay, Kim Marie Thorburn, M.D, and Commander Pat Slack of the Snohomish County Regional Drug and Gang Task Force discuss the topic, with Seattle Times reporter Jonathan Martin as moderator. Co-sponsored by the King County Bar Association. No longer available on the TVW site. - April 5, 2012 - Making Plans for the Seattle Central Waterfront
What is the seawall and why is it important? How will the space be used once the viaduct comes down? What other projects are in the works?
Bob Donegan, CEO Ivar's Acres of Clams, Central Waterfront Committee
Nathan Torgelson, Policy and Development Manager, Seattle Parks & Recreation
Jennifer Wieland, Project Manager, Elliott Bay Seawall
Gael Tarleton, President, Seattle Port Commission
- Feb. 2, 2012 - Privatization of Government Services, Assets and Functions
- Sept. 8, 2011 - 2010 Census Update: Our Changing Population
View "New Data on Seattle's Demographics," a slideshow prepared by Diana Canzoneri (Seattle Planning Commission)
View "King County's Changing Demographics," a slideshow prepared by Chandler Felt (King County) - August 4, 2011: Primary Election Forum
- May 5, 2011: Smart Transportation Choices and How to Fund Them - Click here for video at King County TV, scroll down to find by date.
- April 7, 2011: Budget Shortfalls - Click here for video at King County TV, scroll down to find by date.
- Feb. 3, 2011: Reclaimed Water - Click here for video at King County TV, scroll down to find by date.
- Jan. 6, 2011: Program Planning
Great information in this document provided by one of our speakers, Dr. Sarah Weinberg, on the federal healthcare legislation and what it could mean to us: Status of Health Care - September 9, 2010: Celebrating 100 Years of Voting Rights for Washington Women
- April 1, 2010: Making Democracy Work - Click here for video at King County TV, scroll down to find by date.