Sandra Castell, the self-proclaimed leader of the Washington State Organizing for Action (OFA) Chapter, recently wrote a rather bizarre email addressed to every member of our state’s Legislature. Describing her organization as a “non-profit, non-electoral grassroots advocacy organization stated by President Barack Obama,” Castell informs lawmakers that OFA was a coalition partner with Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility (WAGR) and helped push I-594, a gun-control initiative, in 2014.
That’s when the tone of the email takes a turn for the truly bizarre. Castell writes,
“WAGR spent $10.469 million of donor funds because the WA State Legislature refused to write and pass gun violence legislation. See PDC report here. After we had collected the requisite amount of petition signatures the Legislature thought it would be a “good idea if the voters decide whether we should have a background check law” instead of adopting I-594 into Law.
“I-594 passed with 59.27% voter approval. See Secretary of State website here. This means the voters would have supported the State Legislature if they wrote and passed a bill for universal background checks, or adopt I-594 into Law. We cannot spend $10.469 million for gun violence bills year after year because the members of the State Legislature is (sic) failing to do what they were elected to do.”
Castell’s obvious problem is that she has a weak grasp on how the initiative process—or campaigns for that matter—works. Obtaining the “requisite amount” of signatures on an initiative does not compel the state Legislature to adopt it into law, as she appears to assume.
Castell’s tone also implies annoyance over the fact that pushing a controversial initiative like I-594 costs money—though that is, after all, how our state’s democratic process work. It was the WAGR’s decision to spend “$10.469 million of donor funds” and—really—it’s not like the group’s dark money donors can’t afford it.
Ironically, using Castell’s same logic, the state Legislature should just start acting on all the initiatives that Tim Eyman collects enough signatures for rather than making him obtain overwhelming voter approval for them.
The reality is that initiative backers spent the money building a database of sympathetic voters for future use, and have been bombarding those email addresses with solicitations since 2013. Obama and lefty organizations are already using gun control as the political hot button issue to help elect Democrats in 2016. This “benefit” of the initiative spending somehow slipped by the OFA’s top organizer in our state.
Castell goes on to write,
“In the 2016 legislative session, you and each and every other State Legislator must #DoSomething to reduce gun violence…
“Please review the attached letter and the King County link, and provide us your response email describing what is your #DoSomething plan for the 2016 Legislative Session to reduce gun violence.”
Usually when one emails lawmakers they write, “Please pass X, because it’s important.” Not, “Inform me when you’ve come up with a plan to accomplish X.”
And, arguably the most bizarre part of Castell’s email comes at the bottom, below her signature, which reads,
“This message is intended only for the use of the person(s) to whom it is addressed. It contains information that is not for the press or social media. It contains information that is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact me immediately and delete the original. Do not forward this message and attachments, or reproduce it without my permission.”
None of the information Castell provides is “privileged and confidential.” In fact, it’s all on public web sites, hence the many web links she provides. The irony is that a non-profit spun off what liberals claim is “the most transparent administration in history” wants to keep correspondence with public officials private.
Well, that’s not going to happen. Castell’s correspondence with lawmakers is not subject to any privacy or confidential rules. You can check out Castell’s full email below.
King County Population in 2014 was 2.079 million people. See US Census here.
To Every Member of the Washington State Legislature:
I am the Washington State Organizing for Action (OFA) Chapter Leader. OFA is a 501(c)(4) non-profit, non-electoral grassroots advocacy organization stated by President Barack Obama in January 2013. You can learn more about OFA here.
OFA is very committed nationally and at the local level to reducing gun violence. In fact, OFA was a coalition partner with Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility (WAGR) in 2014. All the WAGR coalition partners worked hard to pass the universal background check I-594 in 2014.
WAGR spent $10.469 million of donor funds because the WA State Legislature refused to write and pass gun violence legislation. See PDC report here. After we had collected the requisite amount of petition signatures the Legislature thought it would be a “good idea if the voters decide whether we should have a background check law” instead of adopting I-594 into Law.
I-594 passed with 59.27% voter approval. See Secretary of State website here. This means the voters would have supported the State Legislature if they wrote and passed a bill for universal background checks, or adopt I-594 into Law. We cannot spend $10.469 million for gun violence bills year after year because the members of the State Legislature is failing to do what they were elected to do.
In the 2016 legislative session, you and each and every other State Legislator must #DoSomething to reduce gun violence. The King County website provides the following Washington State statistics from 2009 to 2013:
- In 2013, among Washington state adults 18 years and older an estimated 36% (or 1,889,000 adults) have a gun in or around their home; of those reporting the presence of a firearm, more than half (51%) or about 971,000 report having an unlocked firearm.
- …WA State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance, System, 2013
- 1,472 residents were hospitalized for nonfatal gun injuries, including 277 children ages 19 and younger.
- …WA State Department of Health, Nonfatal Injury Data Tables, 2009-2013, October 2015
- 3,038 residents died from a gun injury, including 191 children ages 19 and younger.
- …WA State Department of Health, Fatal Injury Data Tables, 2009-2013, October 2015
- 436 residents were hospitalized for nonfatal firearm injuries, including 82 children ages 19 and younger.
- …WA State Department of Health, Nonfatal Injury Data Tables, 2009-2013, October 2015
- 642 residents died from a firearm injury, including 35 children ages 19 and younger.
- …WA State Department of Health, Fatal Injury Data Tables, 2009-2013, October 2015
The King County website is here.
No one law will reduce gun violence. We need a coordinate comprehensive plan. Recently, the WA OFA gathered several community leaders from Issaquah, Kent, Sea Tac and Bellevue. We watched a pre-release of HBO’s 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets. After the video we brainstormed the gun violence actions we need to be safe. This list of actions is not complete, but it demonstrates how much is lacking in our State’s gun violence prevention plan. Our joint letter asks the 2016 State Legislature to create and pass into Law a coordinated comprehensive gun violence prevention plan.
Please review the attached letter and the King County link, and provide us your response email describing what is your #DoSomething plan for the 2016 Legislative Session to reduce gun violence. One hundred forty-one (141) gun deaths each year just in King County is unacceptable, and you are elected to #DoSomething about reducing this type of needless deaths for the entire State.
We look forward to hearing from you. We wish you a happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones.
Yours truly,
Sandra Castell
WA State OFA Chapter Leader
@sandra_castell
This message is intended only for the use of the person(s) to whom it is addressed. It contains information that is not for the press or social media. It contains information that is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact me immediately and delete the original. Do not forward this message and attachments, or reproduce it without my permission.
