As a seemingly nonstop flurry of federal rule changes are proposed by the Trump administration, we are thankful for small successes and call for continued action to protect our neighbors. We were excited to hear last week that in a multi-state battle against Public Charge, a federal judge in Spokane issued a nation-wide injunction to block this policy from taking effect on October 15 while the cases continue. Thank you to all who commented on and spread the word about this unjust policy that targets the well-being of immigrant families. Other rule changes are still accepting comments - take action today to stop these policies from becoming law:

• Fair Housing Act (Comments due October 18) The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has proposed a rule change that would weaken the disparate impact protection of the Fair Housing Act. This rule was created to prevent segregation in housing by requiring communities and local governments receiving federal funding to submit fair housing assessments to ensure that they were actively working against discriminatory policies. For more information, see this article by NPR. Comments must be submitted by Friday, October 18 - you may do so through regulations.gov or by using these templates from Catholic Community Services. Don't forget that each comment must be unique, so edit the templates to suit your own words.
• SNAP and utility allowances (Comments due December 2) This is the third time the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has faced rule changes to limit enrollment. This proposed change will set a federal standard for utility deductions allowed in the calculation of SNAP benefits. This means that local costs of living will not be taken into consideration in awarding SNAP benefits, and an estimated 19% of households will see a reduction in their SNAP benefits. See this article in The New Food Economy for more information. Find tools for commenting here, and submit your comment by December 2 at regulations.gov.

November ballots are arriving soon! Initiative 1000 was passed in the 2019 state legislative session as a way to return affirmative action measures to Washington State, bringing equity to employment, contracting, and education for women, veterans, small businesses, and people of color. Now the vote has been brought to the people, and we are asking folks to look for Referendum 88 and APPROVE I-1000. The language around Referendum 88 and I-1000 has been confusing over the past year, so we wanted to show you an example of the language in the ballot (as posted in "The Stand") so you can familiarize yourself with what it is asking:

As it states in the second sentence, I-1000 helps "remedy discrimination...without the use of quotas or preferential treatment." It asks whether I-1000 should be approved or rejected. We hope you will stand for equity in our state by filling in "APPROVED" this November! Please contact us if you need further clarification on the language of the ballot or what I-1000 and affirmative action would mean for the marginalized in our state. For more information, see the WA Fairness website or Facebook page.

Make sure you download our Food Week of Action flyer for resources, inspiration and action the whole year through!

FAN-Sponsored Events:

Snohomish County Sheriff Candidate Forum: A Conversation on Police Accountability October 18, 6:30 PM Snohomish County Administration (East)/Robert J. Drewel Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave, Everett

Kitsap Co/Olympic Peninsula Cluster Gathering October 19, 12-2 PM Olympic Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1033 N Barr Rd, Port Angeles

Seattle/King County Candidate Forum October 19, 10 AM - 2 PM Asian Counseling and Referral Services, 3639 MLK Jr. Way S, Seattle

Federal Way General Election Forum October 23, 6-9 PM Calvary Lutheran Church, 2415 S 320th St, Federal Way

Bellevue City Council Candidates Forum October 23, 7-9 PM East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 SE 32nd St, Bellevue

Redmond City Council and Mayoral Candidates Forum October 24, 6-8 PM Muslim Association of Puget Sound, 17550 NE 67th Ct, Redmond

Yakima Cluster Gathering October 27, 2-4 PM Unitarian Universalist Church of Yakima, 225 N 2nd St, Yakima

Downtown Seattle/Central District Cluster Gathering October 28, 6:30-8:30 PM First United Methodist Church, 180 Denny Way, Seattle

North King County Cluster Gathering October 29, 7-9 PM Journey Christian Church, 1933 NE 125th St, Seattle

Other Community Events:

Film: The Devil We Know October 20, 12-2 PM First United Methodist Church, 180 Denny Way, Seattle AND October 25, 7-9 PM St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, 1700 Edmonds Ave NE, Renton

Spread a Sukkah of Peace at the NW Detention Center October 20, 12:30-2:30 PM Northwest Detention Center, 1623 E J St, Tacoma

Depolarizing Difficult Conversations October 20, 6-8 PM Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, Kirkland

Silent March for Patient Safety at Swedish October 23, 5-7 PM Swedish Cherry Hill, NW corner of 18th Ave and E Jefferson St, Seattle

Camas Candidate Forum October 23, 5:30-7:30 PM Camas Public Library, 625 NE 4th Ave, Camas

Panel Discussion: "Yakima's Role in the Detention and Deportation Pipeline" October 23, 6-8 PM Yakima Valley College, Parker Room Building 8, W Nob Hill Blvd & S 16th Ave, Yakima

Author Event: Fethullah Gülen - A Life of Hizmet October 23, 6-8 PM Barnes & Noble, 600 Pine St, Seattle

Seattle City and King County Council Candidates Forum October 23, 7-9 PM St. Edward Church, 4205 S Orcas St, Seattle

Juvenile Justice Community Conversations October 24, 5:30-7 PM Federal Way Community Center, 876 S 333rd St, Federal Way

Vancouver Advocacy Day October 26, 10 AM - 3 PM Water Resources Education Center, 4600 SE Columbia Way, Vancouver

From Active Hope to Embodied Hope: Earth Ministry Reads Joanna Macy October 26, 1-3:30 PM Mercer Island Congregational Church, 4545 Island Crest Way, Mercer Island

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Through Zero Waste Living October 27, 2-3 PM Spokane Public Library South Hill, 3324 S Perry St, Spokane

Eastside Community Forum on Homelessness and Poverty October 28, 6:45-9 PM St. Jude Catholic Church, 10526 166th Ave NE, Redmond

Eating Tomorrow: The Battle for the Future of Food in Africa October 30, 6-9 PM $5 Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave