Government
SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. December 18, 2023 – San Juan County Auditor, Natasha Warmenhoven, is seeking people interested in writing arguments against the San Juan Island School District No. 149 and Orcas Island School District No. 137 ballot measures for the voters’ guide.
Legislation comes as Washington state is quickly becoming a global leader in the race for fusion energy
Senator Murray: “Our legislation will provide the regulatory certainty needed to speed fusion development and deployment, boosting the fusion sector in Washington state and ultimately bringing down energy costs for families.”
By Tom DeWeese at americanpolicy.org
President Trump is surging at full speed to expose and stop the deep state’s drive to destroy the American culture of free enterprise, private property, and limited government. For over three decades climate change and environmental protection have led the lies to trick Americans into voluntarily surrendering their liberties. American farmland has been, and continues to be, one of the leading targets in the agenda as more and more land is being subjected to eminent domain takings by private developers.
However, there are self-appointed heroes rushing to the farmer’s rescue. Private non-governmental land trusts are pouncing on farmers to assure their land can be saved and protected – to be farmland forever! Their tool of choice? Conservation Easements! Say proponents, “A conservation easement is a voluntary perpetual agreement that restricts non-agricultural uses such as mining and large scale residential and commercial development.” They boldly promote the easements by promising that “the landowner continues to own, live on, and use the land.” They even promise that the land can be passed down to heirs, along with generous tax credits. What’s not to like? Desperate farmers are flocking to the pitchman’s wagon to buy his life-saving potion.
The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank is seeking public input on its recently completed Draft Strategic Plan. The purpose of the strategic plan is to guide the Land Bank in conservation efforts, stewardship priorities, and community engagement for the next six years and to assist the Land Bank in meeting its mandate: To preserve in perpetuity areas in the county that have environmental, agricultural, aesthetic, cultural, scientific, historic, scenic or low-intensity recreational value and to protect existing and future sources of potable water.
You can download a copy of the Draft Strategic Plan from the Land Bank’s website by following this link: https://sjclandbank.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WEB_SJCCLB-2024-2030-Strategic-Plan.pdf
Public Comment Period: April 24 – May 8, 2024
The public is invited to submit comments:
- Via email to Tanja Williamson at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Via mail: 350 Court Street, No. 6, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Please submit your comments by May 8, 2024.
After the comment period closes, Land Bank staff and commissioners will review comments. An overview of comments will be provided at the May 17, 2024, commission meeting.
Questions? Email
Contact: Tanja Williamson, Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator,
About San Juan County’s Land Bank
San Juan County’s Land Bank, funded by a 1% real estate excise tax paid by purchasers of property at closing, acquires and preserves areas in the county that have environmental, agricultural, aesthetic, cultural, scientific, historic, scenic, or low-intensity recreational value. The department offices are located at 328 Caines Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. For more information about San Juan County’s Land Bank, visit www.sjclandbank.org.
The county government starts out the new year with an informative meeting on January 4 at 9AM. They will be meeting with the Marine Advisory Committees; the MRC, the CAG, and the LIO.
They will discuss what they currently do and what they plan on doing with our taxes to improve the marine environment. Click here to see their agenda: Marine Resources Committee • San Juan County, WA - Agendas & Minutes • CivicClerk where Kari Koski, Lovel Pratt, Sam Whitridge, Adam Parrot, Beth Tate, Katie Johnson, Karin Roemers-Klevens will make their presentations to the county council.
The meeting included an in-depth discussion of local transportation alternatives, possible short-term solutions, and next steps for the 2025 legislative session.
On Saturday, August 24, representatives from San Juan County met with Governor Jay Inslee in Friday Harbor to share data, review ferry service challenges, and discuss possible next steps. The Governor initiated the productive, 30-minute meeting that included Council Chair Jane Fuller, Health & Community Services Transportation Voucher Program Coordinator Richard Uri, County Manager Jessica Hudson, and Ferry Advisory Committee Vice Chair Ken Burtness. Town Councilmember Richard Gefffen and staff from Inslee’s Office were also in attendance.
Dear Editor and Community,
We recently received in the mail Mr. Ron Whalen’s request to have us sign a petition to eliminate the Land Bank by December 2020. The request was loaded with falsehoods and outrageously attempted to dupe our community into thinking that a yes or no answer meant something other than to put the petition on the fall ballot. Please note that whether you mark yes or no on the petition, it qualifies as a vote to put the measure on the ballot.
By TJ Martinell / The Center Square
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs' Office has, through agency rulemaking, officially removed a residency requirement for registering to vote enshrined in the state’s original 1889 Constitution.
The rulemaking occurred after both Hobbs and state Attorney General Bob Ferguson agreed to a consent decree earlier this year to settle a 2023 lawsuit arguing that the constitutional provision violated federal law due to a 2018 state law.
Georgia and Utah could become the next Republican-led states to leave the leftist-linked voter roll maintenance group known as ERIC if bills mandating their respective withdrawals are passed into law.
On Tuesday, Republicans on a Georgia House elections subcommittee passed legislation in a party-line vote that seeks to prohibit the Georgia secretary of state and state entities from “joining or participating in any multistate voter list maintenance organization” that fits specific criteria outlined in the bill. Under HB 215, Georgia would be required to pull out of a nongovernmental voter list maintenance group that mandates “or encourages the contacting of individuals who are not currently registered to vote with the intent to register them to vote” or “[s]hares voter data outside of the explicit purpose of removing deceased, duplicate, or otherwise ineligible voters from the list of electors.”
Here are the cases trying to derail Trump’s efforts to rein in federal spending.
n Monday, The Federalist ran its first in-depth article covering the lawfare against President Trump’s efforts to implement his American-first agenda. “In Your Guide To The Lawsuits Challenging A President’s Power To Fire Executive Officials,” The Federalist provided a detailed analysis of the litigation launched against the Trump Administration challenging the president’s firing of executive branch officials.
Today’s article provides a deep dive for a second category of lawsuits likely to soon reach the Supreme Court, namely challenges to the Trump Administration’s funding freezes and terminations, and the federal government’s failure to pay for past work performed under grants and contracts.
Brig. Gen. Gent Welsh has been appointed adjutant general of Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee announced today.
Welsh will command all Washington Army and Air National Guard forces and serve as the director of the Washington Military Department, which along with the Washington National Guard, includes the state’s Emergency Management Division and the Washington Youth Challenge Academy. The position also serves as homeland security advisor to the governor and as administrator for all Homeland Security grants awarded to Washington’s state, local, Tribal and non-profit entities.
Governor Ferguson announces plan to restore Washington State Ferries to full service by this summer
Delay is part of plan to fully restore domestic ferry service by this summer
SEATTLE – Governor Bob Ferguson announced today he will delay hybrid-electric conversion for two of the state’s largest ferries, putting Washington on the path to restoring full domestic ferry service by this summer. As a result of this plan, Washington State Ferries will have 18 operating vessels in the water for the first time since 2019.
Full domestic service is considered 21 vessels with 18 in the water at any time.
Ferguson is delaying the ferry conversion until after World Cup 2026, which is scheduled from June 26 through July 6. Converting the ferries removes them from service for an extended period of time. For example, the Wenatchee, the first Washington State Ferries vessel to undergo hybrid-electric conversion, will have been out of service at least 22 months by the time the conversion is completed this summer.
By: M.D. Kittle @ The Federalist
They’re not particularly brave, but they’re about as politically courageous as a modern-day Democrat can get.
The four lonely liberals who voted for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, aka the Save Act, are at least smart enough to know that their constituents — constituents everywhere — believe only U.S. citizens should vote in U.S. elections. That knowledge just might save the bacon of the more politically vulnerable of this gang of four in next year’s election.
Not all heroes wear capes.
Their fellow Democrats, however, did not get the memo. They doubled down on some of the most ludicrous talking points the Democratic Party has yet to proffer, and that’s saying something for a club taken over by certifiably crazy people.
$1,000,000.00 from tax payers. $1,000,000.00 handed out for a job never done.
Early in 2023 San Juan County contracted with an off-island construction company to fabricate a 100-foot-long fish passage on Orcas Island for one million dollars. Few of us know about the project.
Senator Murray Secures Confirmation of Rebecca Pennell as U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Washington—Filling Nearly All of WA’s Federal Bench with Biden-Harris Judges
With Pennell’s confirmation, Senator Murray has recommended and successfully secured the votes to confirm ten federal judges from Washington state to lifetime appointments under the Biden-Harris administration—including a Judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, seven District Court Judges in the Western District of Washington, and two in the Eastern District of Washington
By Moe K. Clark and Farah Eltohamy / Cascade PBS @ InvestigateWest
President Donald Trump has identified state and local law enforcement agencies as being pivotal in his plans to deport millions of undocumented people from the U.S. But the extent of how his undertaking will play out on the ground remains unclear, especially in Washington and other “sanctuary states” that have local laws prohibiting such collaborations.
Washington’s “sanctuary law,” formally called the Keep Washington Working Act, restricts the extent to which local law enforcement agencies may participate in federal immigration enforcement actions. The law prohibits the use of county jails for immigrant detention and does not allow local law enforcement to interview or detain those suspected of being an undocumented immigrant.
San Juan County has been notified by the Office of the Secretary of State that a recount of votes in the race for Commissioner of Public Lands needs to be completed. The final election results of the 2024 Primary revealed that the difference in votes between the second and third candidates in the race for Commissioner of Public Lands was less than 0.0258%. This thin margin is prompting a recount across the state.
WAGOP Chairman and State Representative (LD 19) Jim Walsh issued the following statement after being gaveled by Democrat Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins on Friday evening, Jan. 24, 2025, during the final voice vote on the rules package, which includes harsh new restrictions on House Floor debates. The new restrictions aim to quash free speech and debate by the minority party.
Washington Dems to Small Biz: Pay Up, Shut Up, or Get Out
As the Washington Policy Center writes, the 2025 legislative session in Olympia might go down as the year Washington Democrats officially declared war on small businesses. Facing a $16 billion budget crater of their own making, lawmakers responded with their favorite tool: more taxes, more regulations, and even less accountability.
HB 2081 jacks up Washington’s already-punishing B&O tax, a system so backwards it taxes revenue whether a business is profitable or not. And while Democrats claim the bill targets Big Tech, it also slaps a fat surcharge on large firms while quietly dragging down small and mid-sized businesses with them. If you’re barely breaking even? Too bad—pay up.
On Tuesday June 25, the San Juan County Council is scheduled to deliberate on a decision to purchase approximately 16 acres along 1427 Neck Point Road to support Public Works operations on Shaw Island. This Council meeting follows a community meeting with Council Chair Jane Fuller that was announced on May 23, held on June 3, and recapped in a press release issued on June 7. Council and staff have received and incorporated feedback from this meeting into ongoing exploration of this potential purchase.
The January 10th issue of the Journal included an excellent letter of opinion submitted by Mark Fishaut, titled Moving forward with the Land Bank (LB). Mark noted the Town to Zylstra Lake Trail (TZLT) fiasco as reason for review of the entire LB operation. The January 24th issue of the Journal included three rebuttals. Jim Skoog wrote “the mysterious Zylstra Lake Trails fiasco has absolutely nothing to do with the Land Bank”. Cynthia Brast wrote “The mysterious Zylstra Lake Trail was NOT a Land Bank project” and “The Land Bank is completely transparent with their purchases and finances”. Amanda Azous wrote “The Conservation Land Bank did not promote or pursue the Zylstra Lake Trail project”
Now look at pages 3, and 24-27 of San Juan County Parks, Trails, and Natural Areas Plan 2023-2028;
SJCP_Plan_Design_PublicReviewDraft-101022
Seven members of the LB Commission are listed on Page 3. LB Director Lincoln Bormann is listed as a member of the Planning Team.
Page 24 lists 5 trail projects with Lincoln Bormann as the Key Contact for 4 of them. The LB is listed as a funding source. The 2nd listed project prescribes “increase long-distance trails and trail connections on all islands via cooperative agreements with landowners, with a target of 10 miles. Does this sound a lot like the TZLT project? It does to me and it doesn’t square with the statements of Jim Skoog, Cynthia Brast, and Amanda Azous or their assertions of transparency. Lincon Bormann is the Key Contact for four more projects on pages 25-27. Maybe the LB didn’t initiate the effort for federal funds for the TZLT but to say the LB had nothing to do with it, was not a LB project, and did not promote or pursue the project is disingenuous at best. LB fingerprints are all over trail development. After island residents and County Council soundly reject the TZLT the LB attempts to distance themselves from being a part of the TZLT. That’s the opposite of transparency. It’s a smoke screen that all can see through. And…It’s gonna resonate this November!!
Ron Whalen
San Juan Island
By Cindy Carter
I was called last night by Rep. Rick Larson for a town hall. Doubtless, Rep. Larson will claim he held a town hall to hear constituents concerns. What he did was cut anyone off who started questioning anything not related to the US VA, even if it did relate to the Veteran's healthcare, such as military aid to Israel, and even if it was from a Veteran.
During the hour of calls, we heard from persons who were afraid their veteran would die before getting "rated" which comes prior to getting funding or healthcare. Another who complained they needed to get "rated" every time they had some issue, which took forever. So the veteran's healthcare was not that great apparently and Rep. Larson would not even discuss any other issue. Yet we can be sure he will be touting this as how he "listens" to people from the NW, even while he does not live here any longer. Why does this person keep getting elected to represent the people of the 2nd Congressional District? Who actually votes for this person? Definitely time for a change.
San Juan County Council appointed Dr. Herbie Duber as the County’s new acting Health Officer. Dr. Duber is the Washington State Department of Health Regional Medical Officer for Northwest Washington. In this role, he supports the development of healthcare policy and programs across the state and serves as a key liaison between local public health in Northwest WA and the Department of Health.
“Dr. Duber’s CV speaks for itself,” said Councilmember Cindy Wolf in reference to his extensive medical experience. “Having watched him at the Board of Health, I’m very comfortable appointing him.”
Responsible for maintaining the health and wellness of the community, the County’s Health Officer works with local organizations such as schools and medical centers, to ensure the health and safety of county residents. The Health Officer conducts outreach programs and provides counseling and education on various health topics.
Dr. Duber will serve as the acting Health Officer as the County recruits a permanent replacement.
“I feel we are very fortunate to have him in this interim position,” said Council Chair Jane Fuller before approving the motion to appoint Dr. Duber.
Dr. Frank James, the outgoing Health Officer, announced his resignation after 31 years of service at the March Board of Health meeting. Dr. James’s last day as Health Officer will be Apr. 20, 2024 and his years of service will be recognized at a future date.
Contact: Kyra Jahanfar, Program Coordinator – Emergency Preparedness & Communications,
About San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services
San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services is responsible for community and environmental health, mental health and substance abuse programs, senior services, affordable housing projects, and more. The department has staff and offices on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services, visit www.sanjuancountywa.gov/1777/Health-Community-Services.
With a tentative start date of July 15, Jessica Hudson will be responsible for serving as a staff liaison to Council, overseeing County department operations, managing the budget, and more.
San Juan County Council is pleased to announce the hiring of a new County Manager – Jessica Hudson. Hudson is currently the Director at Fairfax County Public Library in Fairfax, Virginia where she oversees a system of 23 public facilities, a budget of $35 million, and 550 staff. In this role, she has developed and administered strategic plans, initiated public service operation expansions, uplifted underrepresented communities through programs and services, and supported a capital renovation budget of more than $90 million.
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