A broad coalition of Washington State organizations has come out against Initiative 1053 which is on the November 2, 2010 ballot. Initiative 1053 was put on the ballot by Tim Eyman, BP, and other oil and banking interests in an attempt to give a minority of 1/3 of the Legislators in either house of the Legislature veto power over the state budget and raising revenue or repealing special interest tax breaks.
I-1053 is unconstitutional because it is trying to amend the Washington State Constitution. You can not amend the Constitution by an initiative in Washington State. That requires a constitutional amendment.I-1053 is trying to amend the language in Article II, Section 22 of the State Constitution which says the Legislature shall act by a majority vote in passing legislation. By I-1053 trying to require a 2/3 vote to pass revenue bills it is basically saying that only 1/3 of the Legislators in either House can overrule the vote of the majority.That is why it is unconstitutional.
Major statewide groups opposing I-1053 include:
League of Women Voters of Washington
Washington Association of Churches
Washington State Labor Council
Washington Conservation Voters
Washington Education Association
Washington State Democrats
Sierra Club – Cascade Chapter
Here is the complete list opposing I-1053 done alphabetically. More groups are joining every day.
•Adams County Democrats
•AFT Seattle Community Colleges, Local 1789
•Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1015
•Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1384
•Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1765
•Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587
•Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757
•Amalgamated Transit Union Local 843
•Amalgamated Transit Union Local 883
•American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
•American Federation of Teachers – AFT Washington
•Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA)
•Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of King County
•Center for Social Justice
•Central WA Progress
•Childhaven
•Children’s Alliance
•Church Council of Greater Seattle
•Community Workers of America (CWA) State Council
•Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Labor Council
•Eastern Washington Voters
•Economic Opportunity Institute
•Entre Hermanos
•Equal Rights Washington
•Friends Committee on Washington State Public Policy (Quakers)
•Fuse Washington
•Futurewise
•Greater Seattle Business Association
•Health Point
•IBEW Local 46
•IBEW Local 77
•IFPTE Local 17
•Inland Empire Residential Resources
•Inter*Im Community Development Association
•International Community Health Services
•Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Seattle Chapter
•King County Democrats
•King County Labor Council
•Kitsap County Labor Council
•Laborers Local 1239
•League of Women Voters of Washington
•Lewiston-Clarkston County Labor Council
•Lincoln County Democrats
•Latino PAC of Washington
•Lutheran Community Services Northwest
•Lutheran Public Policy Office
•Minority Executive Directors Coalition
•NARAL Pro-Choice Washington
•National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) Seattle Chapter
•National Council of Jewish Women – Seattle Section
•New Futures
•North Central Washington CLC
•North Urban Human Services Alliance
•Northwest Progressive Institute
•Northwest Washington CLC
•Olympic Labor Council
•One America
•One America Votes
•Operators (IUOE) 302
•Organizing for Seattle
•Pacific County Democrats
•Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane
•Pierce County Democrats
•Pierce County Labor Council
•Planned Parenthood Pub Pol Network of WA
•Public School Employees of WA/SEIU Local 1948
•Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans
•Raising Our APA Representation
•Retired Public Employees of Washington
•Sahngnoksoo
•SEA MAR Community Health Clinic
•Seattle Human Services Coalition
•SEIU 925
•SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW
•SEIU Healthcare 775 NW
•SEIU WA State Council
•Sheet Metal Workers Local 66
•Sierra Club Cascade Chapter
•Sightline
•Snohomish County Democratic Central Committee
•Snohomish County Labor Council
•Snohomish County Young Democrats
•Southeast Washington CLC
•Southwest Washington Central Labor Council (Formerly Clark, Skamania, and West Klickitat CLC)
•Spokane Regional Labor Council
•Statewide Poverty Action Network
•Teamsters Joint Council 28
•Thurston, Lewis, Mason Counties Labor Council
•Twin Harbors Labor Council
•UA Local 32 Plumbers and Pipefitters
•UFCW 141
•UFCW 365/WPEA
•UFCW 21
•UNITE Here Local 8
•United Faculty of Washington State
•Washington Association of Churches
•Washington Association of Community and Migrant Health Centers
•Washington Bus Education Fund
•Washington Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics
•Washington Community Action Network
•Washington Conservation Voters
•Washington Education Association
•Washington Federation of State Employees
•Washington State Council of Fire Fighters
•Washington State Democrats
•Washington State Labor Council
•Whatcom County Democrats21
•Yakima South Central Counties Labor Council
•Yakima County Democrats
•2nd Legislative District Democrats
•5th legislative District Democrats
•28th Legislative District Democrat
•30th Legislative District Democrats
•32nd Legislative District Democrats
•33rd Legislative District Democrats
34th Legislative District Democrats
•36th Legislative District Democrats
•38th Legislative District Democrats
•41st Legislative District Democrats
•43rd Legislative District Democrats
•44th Legislative District Democrats
•45th Legislative District Democrats
•46th Legislative District Democrats
•47th Legislative District Democrats
•48th Legislative District Democrats
