Get a boost
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cleared the way for all adults to get a coronavirus booster shot Nov. 19.
Previously, the federal government had approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine booster for many older adults and those with disabilities and medical conditions.
The latest authorization allows anyone aged 18 years or older to get a booster of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines six months after completing the original two-shot series.
People who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can get the booster two months after receiving the original shot.
PAC-ing in the cash
Anew political action committee (PAC) called A Better Seattle petitioned the Washington Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) to ax contribution limits in advance of the Dec. 7 recall of Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.
The state’s campaign finance laws prohibit individuals from donating more than $1,000 to PACs that spend money to recall a city official.
However, attorneys from the Perkins Coie law firm argued to the PDC that a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision found that restriction unconstitutional.
The PDC did not enforce the contribution limit in the recall election of Mark Lindquist, the former Pierce County prosecuting attorney, although the PAC agreed to specific conditions. The attorneys argued that the A Better Seattle PAC should move forward under similar rules, specifically that it would not coordinate with another candidate for relevant office, that it would not coordinate with councilmembers who could appoint Sawant’s successor if the recall effort is successful and that it would not “solicit or accept contributions from such a candidate or his or her campaign committee” and would not “solicit any donations in support of or opposition to such a candidate.”
The effort to recall Sawant began in 2020 with charges that she inappropriately used city resources in a campaign, opened City Hall to protesters during the coronavirus pandemic and led a protest to the home of Mayor Jenny Durkan. Durkan’s home address is protected because of her previous history as a federal prosecutor.
King County Elections mailed ballots to District 3 residents on Nov. 17, just weeks after Washington voters last went to the polls to choose two other councilmembers and the new mayor, among other contests.
Sawant represents District 3, which includes Capitol Hill and the Central District. She has won the seat three times, making her the longest-serving sitting councilmember.
— Ashley Archibald
Ashley Archibald was the editor of Real Change through July 14, 2023, after working as a staff reporter for the newspaper for several years. She left to become a communication specialist for Purpose. Dignity. Action., previously known as Seattle’s Public Defender Association. Real Change is proud to know this talented person.
Read more of the Nov. 24-30, 2021 issue.