For the Week of August 25, 2025

🎙️Aug 25, 2025 Weekly Actions Audio – available for when you’re on the go

🔷 Check out the local “Workers Over Billionaires” Labor Day rallies (Sept 1) being held in Seattle and Bothell. On that day, people will be turning out once more in hundreds of events across the country, organized by MayDayStrong, to speak up for working people. Each time that we turn out, in events large and small, we build on the power of peaceful protest, make clear that huge numbers of voters are against the dismantling of democracy, and inspire others to speak up.

🔷 Join Indivisible Eastside at our next general meeting on Sat Sept 13, 3-4:30 pm. New member welcome starts at 2:30, then at 3 pm we will feature a presentation about what local police can and cannot do with regard to the federal regimes’ immigration crackdown and abductions, and ways you can help our local immigrant community. Please register to attend using the access code ‘indivisible.’

🔷 Encourage others to register to vote in Washington state: Oct 27 is the mail-in/online registration deadline for voting in the Nov 4 general election. In-person registration can be done during business hours through Nov 4. Every vote matters! Indivisible Eastside’s Voter Registration Team will have a registration table at the Together Center’s Community Resource Extravaganza on Sat Sept 13, 10 am – 1 pm; Together Center, 16305 NE 87th St, Redmond.

Here are your 2 Actions and Bright Spots.

✊ Action 1 – Tell the EPA not to walk away from its responsibility on climate

From Earthjustice

The last 10 years have all been the hottest on record. Dry areas are getting drier due to rising global temperatures, and places with historically heavy precipitation are more subject to extreme rainfall and flooding. These impacts have already been felt in the wildfires we experience in the Northwest, as well as in floods in places like Texas and North Carolina.

Instead of working to fight the climate crisis, the Trump administration is going against science to attack a key finding that many U.S. climate policies rest on: that greenhouse gases are air pollutants that endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change. This finding, called the Endangerment Finding, was established in the courts in 2009, and the Trump administration’s arguments against it are extremely weak. The current attack focuses on “vehicle standards,” but if it succeeds, it would be extended into other areas, such as electric power generation.

The Trump administration has put its proposal up for public comment. We need to show them that people across this country overwhelmingly support actions to reduce climate pollution. Note that even if our voices don’t immediately cause the EPA to restore its findings on climate pollution, the public record we create by submitting comments can help bolster the fight in the courts that would follow, since this change goes against legal precedent. And our comments don’t need to be technical, just clear (organizations that work in this space will provide detailed technical responses). This is a moment when we can make a real difference by speaking up.

Action: submit a comment to the Environmental Protection Agency, telling them to maintain the Endangerment Finding. The deadline is September 15. Choose from two methods:

Through an online form (easiest method): use Earthjustice’s online form.
By submitting your comment yourself (more direct method): write your own comment, using the sample below for ideas, and submit it through the comment page. You can click an option to either submit your comment anonymously or have it associated with your name.

☎ Sample Comment Text:

I strongly oppose your proposal to rescind the Endangerment Finding and to eliminate greenhouse gas standards for motor vehicles. I have seen the signs of increasing climate change [ADD SPECIFIC EXAMPLES IF YOU WANT]. I also know that the scientific evidence for the cause—human-generated greenhouse gases—is overwhelmingly clear. The pollution causing climate change is clearly your responsibility to address, and if you turn your back on it, you are turning your back on Americans facing more devastating climate-related disasters every year.

Since 2009, the Endangerment Finding has formed a strong legal backbone for some of our most important climate protections. The proposal to rescind the finding ignores decades of scientific consensus: communities across the country are being endangered by deadly heat, wildfires, floods, and storms caused by fossil fuel pollution.

Any attempt to roll back this cornerstone of climate law will delay climate action, make it harder to move toward the clean energy future we all deserve, and risk irreversible harm to our health and livelihoods. I urge you to maintain the Endangerment Finding and strengthen, not weaken, the EPA’s responsibility to protect people from dangerous climate pollution.

Thank you.

✊ Action 2 – Candidate Corner – Naren Briar for Bellevue City Council

Website | Donate | Endorsements

Action 2a: From IE Member Ruth L.

Please join me in supporting Naren Briar for Bellevue City Council Position #2.

Naren reflects the Bellevue residents of today – creative, accomplished, pragmatic, and energetic – and she has a vision to make our city inclusive, affordable, safe, and just plain more fun to hang out in. Naren’s parents were Kurdish refugees who fled Saddam Hussein’s Iraq; she grew up with the empathy and understanding that fueled her leadership on international humanitarian projects. Naren came to Bellevue to work on ethics in the technology sector and now lives in the Lake Hills neighborhood.

Incumbent Conrad Lee first took office in 1994 and has been the most conservative member of the Council ever since. When he’s not sleeping through council meetings, he’s busy denying housing near transit and blocking pedestrian and bike safety improvements. To cap it off, Lee donated $50,000 to Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration. Let’s kick out this MAGA relic.

Please support Naren Briar with your donations, your volunteering, and your votes!

Action 2b: From IE Member Louise P.

Please help hold current Bellevue councilmember Conrad Lee accountable for his MAGA behavior by commenting on his social media posts and public appearances with tough questions or factual comments such as:

Why did you give $50,000 to Trump?
Why are you dodging questions from your own constituents?
How does bankrolling Trump represent Bellevue values?

Lee thinks he can throw around serious money for Trump while avoiding any explanation to the people he claims to represent. When questioned on his Facebook Page, he has refused to answer basic questions about his political spending. This shows he knows this donation doesn’t sit well with Bellevue residents.

Don’t let him hide behind campaign talking points and door-knocking stunts. Keep pushing for answers on his posts, at his events, and everywhere he shows up. He needs to know that Bellevue voters won’t accept this kind of refusal to address his MAGA alignment.

Facebook Post where he dodges a question about the MAGA donation

Facebook Post announcing his candidacy – a great place to ask questions

⛅ Bright Spots

In his letter posted online and at a press conference last week, Washington state governor Bob Ferguson clapped back at Attorney General Pam Bondi’s threat to withhold federal funding from immigration sanctuary states like Washington. “You are hereby notified that Washington State will not be bullied or intimidated by threats and legally baseless accusations,” he wrote. He said he intends to back our state’s Keep Washington Working Act, passed in 2019 while he was state attorney general, which limits information sharing and collaboration between local police and federal immigration enforcement.
South Park continues to skewer the Trump and his administration on Comedy Central. The latest episode satirizes Trump’s federal occupation of Washington D.C (warning, not PG).
Speaking of satire, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office is fighting fire with fire by posting text and memes Trump-style (see an example at the top of this newsletter), and the result is hilarious. This effort goes hand-in-hand with his serious plan to match Texas’ Republican gerrymandering with a general election measure to redistrict (temporarily) California’s legislative seats to favor Democrats.
In support of Ukraine, hundreds of Alaskans lined multiple cities’ streets to protest Putin and Trump during their visit to the state for “peace talks” that did not include Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy.
A state judge has ordered that a state receiver take over Infowars assets to be sold, with profits going to pay the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Cash and property will be seized and founder Alex Jones will no longer control the brand. The ruling means there is greater likelihood that The Onion satirical website will be able to buy it rather than another right-wing outfit.

Calendar of Events

Protests: See Eastside and Seattle Protests 2025 for up-to-date opportunities.
Postcards – In person or Zoom:

Tuesdays, 10-11:30 am. In person Postcard writing at Crossroads Mall (near Half Price Books), Bellevue. All supplies are provided. No registration required.
Tuesdays, 10-11:30 am. Join Regina for in person Postcard writing at Mercer Island Met Market. Supplies provided. No registration required.
NEW – Thursdays, 10-11:30 am – In person Postcard writing at Town Center, Lake Forest Park (near Third Place Books). All supplies are provided. No registration required.
Sun 9/7, 9/21, 7-8 pm (every two weeks) – Postcard and Letter Writing Zoom Get Together. Register to attend.

Mon Aug 25, 2-5:30 pm – Free Sign Making Workshop Open House – Redmond Library, Room 1, 15990 NE 85th Street, Redmond. Sign up to attend!
Fri Aug 29, 9-10:30 am – New weekly event: Protest ICE Kidnappings of Our Neighbors at the Dept. of Homeland Security (ICE HQ), 12500 Tukwila International Blvd., Tukwila.
Mon Sept 1, 11 am-1 pm – Seattle Solidarity September Labor Day Rally, Cascade Playground, 333 Pontius Ave N, Seattle. (The multi-group Indivisible rally on Sept 1 (Labor Day) was canceled due to logistical obstacles.)
Mon Sept 1, 11 am – 12:30 pm – Bothell Workers over Billionaires Labor Day Rally, Hwy 522 north of the Park at Bothell Landing, 9919 NE 180th St, Bothell.
Tue Sept 2, 7 pm – Workers Town Hall with Attorney General Nick Brown, 4500 Steilacoom Boulevard Southwest, Lakewood. Space is limited; register to attend.
Thur Sept 4, 4:30-7:30 pm – Great Neighborhoods program kickoff for Factoria and Eastgate. Open House to provide input, South Bellevue Community Center, 14509 SE Newport Way. Drop-in event; come any time and stay as long as you like.
Sat Sept 13, 10 am – 1 pm – Community Resource Extravaganza, featuring resource providers, entertainment and free food! Together Center, 16305 NE 87th St, Redmond. Eastside Indivisible’s Voter Registration Team will be there to help visitors register to vote before the general election.
Sat Sept 13, 3-4:30 pm – Indivisible Eastside Group Meeting In Person – Kirkland. New member welcome starts at 2:30. Please register to attend using the access code ‘indivisible.’ Agenda and donation link in the signup.
Wed Sept 17, 7-8:30 pm – Climate and Environment Forum for Bellevue City Council Candidates. Presented by local group People for Climate Action, East Shore Unitarian Church Hall, 12700 SE 32nd St, Bellevue.

Save the Date

City council candidate forums on housing:
Redmond: Wed Oct 1, 6 pm, Together Center
Kirkland: Wed Oct 8, 6 pm, TBD
Bellevue: Mon Oct 13, 6 pm, TBD

Recorded events to check out:

Indivisible’s One Million Rising recordings – Session 1 (July 16), Session 2 (July 30). Session 3 (August 13). One Million Rising is a call to all of us to invite new people into the movement. We need to expand our reach beyond and pull in the people we are already connected to — friends, family, neighbors — who are not yet activated. Session 3 offers action items.
What’s the plan -Thursday Zoom calls with Indivisible co-founders and leaders Ezra and Leah. Watch on YouTube or register to join.
No Kings: What’s Next in the Fight? – Zoom call was held two days after the No Kings protest, with 20,000 people on the call, and others watching through livestream. Lots of inspiration and ideas!
Jimmy Kimmel Guest Host Diego Luna on Trump’s Immigration Policies and the Importance of Immigrants in the U.S. 12 min. Includes organizations linked to Public Counsel and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND).
Democracy Experts Explain the Four Ways Trump Could Break Democracy: Marc Elias from Democracy Docket.
Fight Back with Friends recording – based on a relational organizing app based tool.
The Resistance Lab – organized by Rep. Pramila Jayapal. Includes useful concepts for effective resistance, based on historical movements. You can also sign up for Future Resistance Lab sessions.
How To Beat the Broligarchs
ACLU Townhall Protect People, Not Power with Sen Chris Murphy and Joy Reid (from 3/26/25)

More Resources for Your Activism:

Indivisible.org has specific actions you can take by zip code or topic area search. Sign up to receive emails from them HERE and donate HERE.
5calls.org 5 Calls list calls to make to your congresspeople, organized by topic, including script and phone numbers, and a way to log/track your 5 Calls actions if you choose.
Rogan’s List: national action items with call/email/resist.bot options.
Chop Wood, Carry Water is a daily political activism newsletter that comes out 6 days a week. Free or paid subscriptions HERE.
Suzi and Eric LeVine are local activists. Their newsletter gives actions and insight that can inspire and keep you motivated. Subscribe to their newsletter HERE.
Okay, But WHY? Explanations to our most common questions such as, Why is ICE detaining children? Why are we defunding NOAA? From Red, Wine and Blue.
Mobilize – Actions in the Seattle area – use filters to narrow the type of activity you’re interested in.
Safety, Security and Digital Preparedness resource from Indivisible.
Donate to Indivisible Eastside through ActBlue.
Sign up for Take Action Network to organize and track your Activism.
Check out the Indivisible Eastside logo wear store at www.cafepress.com/IndivisibleEastside.
Email hello@IndivisibleEastside.com with ideas for the newsletter, questions about how to become involved, and ideas for long-term projects you’d like to be involved in.
Forward this email to a friend!
The National Immigration Law Center is tracking CECOT disappearances and personal stories.

Resources:

Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink
Indivisible: Democrats Safeguarding Democracy: A Blueprint for Blue States to Prepare for Trump 2.0
Take Action Network – learn about an easy way to interact with state legislature
Indivisible Eastside’s YouTube Channel
Washington Indivisible Network’s YouTube Channel
https://bit.ly/RunForSchoolBoardGuideWA
https://bit.ly/RunForSchoolBoardAddendum
https://bit.ly/RunForSchoolBoardGuideBlurb
Indivisible Eastside Resources
Washington State District Finder – Congressional and Legislative districts
Who Represents Me – local and county districts
US Senate Calendar, US House Of Representatives Calendar

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