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Industry in Motion
by RHAWA
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Sailing into the New Year
throughout the month at various locations and each meeting will take place on its own individual date. Not only will this ensure that a staff member will almost always be present at these meetings, it will also allow members who wish to attend multiple meetings throughout the month to do so. Each LINK meeting location has a unique style resulting from the culture our incredible LINK facilitators and regular attendees have built. This means that you can learn new skills and meet unique groups of people at every LINK meeting you attend. We are also considering adding an additional LINK meeting in 2023 in the direct Seattle area! In order to do this, we would need a member to volunteer as a facilitator for this meeting. If that is something you would be interested in helping come to fruition, reach out to Daniel Bannon.
I would also be remiss to forget to mention our advocacy efforts. Every year, we fight for your rights as small housing providers. This fight is ongoing, and we utilize all the resources we have to improve the legislative landscape for our members. This manifests itself in our advocacy team and lobbyists providing public testimony at city council meetings which often occur late in the evening. We also host meetings with local lawmakers where we explain the struggles of our membership and offer suggestions as to alternative policies. Further than this, during election season RHAWA will host fundraisers for candidates who are supportive and sympathetic to the needs of small housing providers. Electing moderate lawmakers to office is key to maintaining balance at the local and state level, and as a bipartisan organization, it is essential for RHAWA to promote these kinds of lawmakers.
We hope you are looking forward to 2023 and everything we have planned; we certainly are excited to have you on board with us. Thank you for taking the time to read through this article and thank you for your membership. The efforts of RHAWA would not be possible without our members and we are always grateful that you support us in the work that we do. If you have further questions regarding the association, feel free to reach out and ask questions, we love hearing from our members.
Industry in Motion
Submissions are compiled and printed, depending on space available. RHAWA does not guarantee submissions will be included.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Interested in Submitting Your Annoucement? We welcome information about industry job postings, new employee and location information, and more. If you have questions, or would like to submit an item for consideration, email publications@RHAwa.org.
WBPA SUIT AGAINST GOVERNOR’S EMERGENCY POWERS REACHES STATE SUPREME COURT
The Washington Business Properties Association (WBPA), along with the plaintiffs, Gene and Susan Gonzalez, filed suit against Gov. Inslee and Washington State. They argue that the governor lacked the authority to extend proclamations past 60 days.
“The Legislature was unable or unwilling to meaningfully address serious concerns we brought forward in our suit. We’re pleased the Court recognized that our case presents issues of significant public interest,” said Chester Baldwin, Executive Director and CEO of the Washington Business Properties Association. “The state’s COVID response was an overreach to say the least, and from our perspective, raise serious concerns about fundamental principles of justice and our democracy. We absolutely need the court to weigh in.”
In the Gonzalez case, the Washington Business Properties Association argues that emergency proclamations issued by Inslee during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic eroded basic constitutional rights. The suit’s main points are that the governor lacks the authority to issue Proclamation 20-19 through 20-19.4, and they:
• Create a ‘Delegation’ and ‘Separation of Powers’ issue; • Interfere with the power of the judiciary and rights to petition for redress of grievances; • Violate the Takings Clause of the state Constitution; and • Impairs contracts;
“What the state demanded of housing providers is unprecedented and out of step with what other industries had to deal with,” Baldwin said. “Tenants and providers entered into contracts that exchange housing for compensation, but the governor’s proclamations unduly interfered with those agreements. Grocery stores were not forced to provide food to people for free or with the vague idea that they might get paid at some point in future.”
The Washington Business Properties Association is a statewide organization that focuses on education, advocacy, legislation and litigation for its commercial, retail and residential members. To date, their suit is the only remaining challenge to pandemic-related actions by the government. The WBPA has also filed suit earlier this year in Spokane over another state policy interfering with access to the courts for housing providers.
