Finding Light at Solstice

Dear Friend,

We hope you're staying dry and warm through the winter weather over the past couple of weeks. We're grateful for the utility crews who have helped restore electricity and phone/internet service to our neighborhoods.

For information about flooding in Skagit and Whatcom Counties, including where to find food, shelter, and resources, as well as how to help, visit Community Action of Skagit County and Whatcom Long Term Recovery Group. Skagit County and Whatcom County also maintain helpful websites.

Here on Whidbey Island, call 911 for any life, environment, or property emergencies. Visit Puget Sound Energy's site to report outages and view an outage map. Visit the Island County Department of Emergency Management website here.

We will be taking a couple of weeks off from compiling and sending this email. We wish you a joyful holiday season, however you celebrate. We'll be back in your inbox in 2026, ready to continue the effort to protect our democracy and communities!

National Action
The president continues to amass warships in the Caribbean and bomb small vessels. The administration has declared fentanyl a "weapon of mass destruction." It's not clear whether this is to justify increased use of force. However, Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves. 

We've seen this before, and it didn't go well. Over nearly a decade, nearly 4,500 American service members died in Iraq. More than 32,000 were wounded. Approximately 200,000 civilians died. The US spent more than $2 trillion, all on the false premise of WMDs in Iraq. We cannot allow this morally bankrupt administration to lead us down the same path.

We expect the House to vote this week, and the Senate shortly after, on legislation to block the use of US forces in Venezuela. Use the email tool at this link to tell our Members of Congress to vote yes.

Governor Ferguson Meeting Recap
Indivisible Representatives from Northwest Washington recently met with three members of Governor Ferguson's staff. The governor, understandably, could not attend due to the ongoing flood response. The meeting included the following topics:

Department of Justice Lawsuits
While the Washington Secretary of State works independently of the governor's authority in administering our elections, the governor's representatives reassured us that the State of Washington will aggressively resist attempted federal interference.
Our Attorney General (AG) is working closely with his peers from other states and is proactively filing amicus briefs in cases where Washington lacks standing.

Protecting Immigrants
The governor's staff works on this issue every day. Although the Department of Licensing (DOL) had information-sharing agreements with federal agencies, those agreements specified that those agencies could not use the data for immigration enforcement. When the federal agencies' violation of the agreement became apparent, Washington ceased sharing some information. The state also increased the data-sharing agreement stipulations. The governor signed an executive order directing state agencies to review data-handling and creating an immigration subcommission. Washington's robust public records laws, however, require a careful approach so that correspondence cannot be misused.

Redistricting
Our state's constitution does not allow for redistricting like California will undertake. 
The governor's representatives appreciated some of the suggestions and agreed to share them with our Congressional delegation. 

Federal Accountability for Unlawful Conduct
This is a complex issue requiring close consultation with the AG.
Nevertheless, the governor's representatives encouraged witnesses to document events, as long as they stayed safe.

Litigation
The AG has brought 46 lawsuits, including one against a Washington county. His office maintains an online tracker. The state is trying to use its public health authority to inspect detention centers, but the suit is still pending. Many bills will emerge in the coming days for the upcoming session, including one that limits law enforcement's use of masks (which the governor supports). 

What We Can Do
We can advocate for bills. After a bill's introduction, citizens can sign up to testify. Overwhelming support is very meaningful. Indivisible Whidbey is hoping to lead at least one trip to Olympia to support important work. Continue to share concerns at all levels of government; one staff member emphasized the importance of local (city/county) government. Continue to organize in the community. Reach out to family and neighbors.

We are grateful to the governor’s staff for their time and attention!

Building Community, Taking Action
Our community socials are a great way to interact with like-minded neighbors. At our next few socials, we will also help people get up and running on the Take Action Network (TAN), which makes it easy to advocate for or against legislation. Bring a laptop if you have one and would like help! We will also share plans for 2026, with an eye toward how you can get involved and have an impact. 

Coupeville Community Social (4th Tuesday of every month, 6-7:30 pm). Next meeting: December 23rd.

Oak Harbor Community Social (1st Monday of every month, 6:00-7:30 pm). Next Meeting: January 5th. Skagit Valley College Whidbey Campus,  Oak Hall,  Classroom A306 (third floor, there is an elevator). This is the building beside the library and shares the same parking lot.

Our first South Whidbey Community Social drew a great crowd. We will gather again on January 22nd, 6-7:30 pm. We plan to hold these on the third Thursday of each month. Mark your calendar and look for details on the location shortly! 

Our next  All-island Membership Meeting is on Saturday, January 24th, 2026, at the Clinton Community Hall at 1:30 pm. These meetings are an important opportunity for us to come together as an island. At the January meeting, we will share our work on the 2026 Washington Legislative Session and plans for the midterms on Whidbey Island, in the State, and in the Nation. We have ways for everyone to be involved and have an impact, so please come!

Check out the civic calendar at the end of this email for ways to have your eyes and ears on local issues and leadership.

As we move through the longest nights of the year, we look forward to lighter, brighter days ahead and a year full of resistance, good trouble and a growing community.

Happy New Year!
Indivisible Whidbey Steering Committee

Civic Calendar Events
Dec 18, 2025 11:00 am: Whidbey Island Public Hospital District Board Meeting
Dec 23, 2025 01:00 pm: Port of Coupeville – Board Meeting
Service Opportunities
The City of Langley is looking for a new member of their Civil Service Commission. The Town of Coupeville is looking for a volunteer for their Historic Preservation Commission.