Protecting Your Rights: Serving Sand Lake, Spenard and Turnagain

October 14, 2021

Governor Dunleavy and Former Chief of Staff Violated United States and Alaska Constitutions

Shortly before taking the oath of office, Governor Dunleavy and his Chief of Staff Tuckerman Babcock required some 800 professional state employees to submit their resignations and sign a letter expressing their commitment to serve the new governor and support his agenda if they wanted to keep their jobs. Governor-elect Dunleavy required this pledge not just of high-level staffers of the executive branch, but also to positions such as doctors, state accountants, pharmacists, lawyers, and geologists. Last week, Judge Sedwick issued a decision that Governor Dunleavy and his former Chief of Staff violated First Amendment rights and free speech rights in the U.S. Constitution and Alaska Constitution when they sought those resignations.

Judge Sedwick's decision is significant because he found the governor personally liable for violating the long-established constitutional rights of two Alaskans – doctors who work at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute. The doctors stated that their duty as physicians is to treat their patients and did not believe that supporting the governor's political agenda was essential to their work. While governors are often sued in their official capacity – as the state's chief executive – the courts seldom find a governor personally liable for their official conduct. This decision marks a major defeat for the governor as the federal court has held him personally liable and may require that he pay financial and other penalties.

Denouncing Hate at Recent Assembly Meetings:

Resources and Support

Like many throughout our community, I am deeply troubled by recent acts and statements at Anchorage Assembly meetings and the divisiveness between the mayor and the assembly over the proposed mask ordinance. I stand with the Jewish community in their denunciation of these acts and condemn all forms of anti-Semitism and homophobia.

With challenges facing our community that ask all of us to work together and recognize our common humanity, the events at the recent Anchorage Assembly meetings are deeply troubling. If you want some perspective in making sense of these events in your household or classroom, this article by the Anti-Defamation League provides some thoughts about creating and holding space for conversation on bias and injustice. Here are resources if you feel you need support or someone to talk to:

Careline

Call anytime, toll-free: 1-877-266-4357 (HELP) or
Text 4help to 839863, 3:00 – 11:00 PM Tuesday – Saturday

The Anchorage Fire Department Mobile Crisis Team (MCT)

MCT provides a community-based emergency response to anyone in an emotionally distressing crisis. Unless the situation becomes violent, MCT will attempt to not involve the police. To receive their care for yourself or someone you know: call 911 and request the Anchorage Fire Department Mobile Crisis Team to respond. Hours are currently limited to 10 AM to 8 PM.

Report an Incident

If you would like to report an incident of anti-Semitism, the Anti-Defamation League encourages folks to report here and will contacts you with other forms of support as well. This is not a response team for emergency situations.

A Call to Action

Story Works is looking to partner with a local organization to host a Story Circle for Jewish youth to process, share, and connect. If you're interested in participating or helping plan and facilitate, please email nithya@storyworksak.org.

Redistricting Update

As noted in our previous e-newsletter, the Alaska Redistricting Board is soliciting comments on their draft maps. You may provide public testimony via email at testimony@akredistrict.org or by webform. The public comment period is open until the final map is selected on November 10, 2021. We recommend submitting comments by November 1.

Alaska’s Constitution lays out very specific criteria for drawing legislative maps, which do not include consideration of protecting incumbents, helping one political party or other, or trying to shape the make-up of future legislatures. Partisan gerrymandering is not permitted by the constitution. Here are the constitutional criteria that should guide legislative map-making:

Low population deviation: Ideally, every legislative district would have the exact same number of people. While the absence of any deviation is rarely possible, the legislative maps should minimize population deviation so that each legislator represents approximately the same number of people.
Compactness: Each legislative district should be compact, taking into account population density and geography. A district with a shorter total circumference is a more compact district.
Socioeconomic integration: Each legislative district should be consistent in the types of communities in that district. According to the Alaska Supreme Court, in practice, all areas within a borough or municipality are “integrated” for this purpose. Accordingly, there is no legal basis to object to Anchorage legislative districts crossing Community Council lines. Within boroughs and municipalities like Anchorage, compactness and low population deviation are the key metrics. The board may also consider local government boundaries and geographic features.
Contiguity: House districts must also be contiguous.
Pairings: The board pairs contiguous House to make Senate districts.

To be effective, your comments must address the Constitutional elements identified above. There are different elements of the six maps currently under consideration. Rep. Zack Fields' recent e-newsletter details some potential Constitutional issues among the maps.

Give AK a Shot

Healthy people are the foundation of a healthy economy, and our economy is suffering. The Alaska Chamber firmly believes that one of the most important tools in realizing economic recovery is vaccinating for COVD-19. It is the single easiest and safe thing that individual Alaskans can do to help get our economy back on track. Recent studies consistently show that vaccinating for COVID-19 is highly effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalizations, and death.

Now through October 30, Alaskans vaccinated for COVID-19 are eligible to enter the Alaska Chamber’s “Give AK a Shot” drawing for a chance to win $49,000. A total of 18 prize drawings split between two categories (Alaskans aged 18 and older and Alaskans aged 12-17) will be awarded.

To enter, participants are asked to provide their basic information at GiveAKaShot.com.

Community Events

Mark your calendars for this upcoming event:

Tastee Freez Vaccination Clinics

Free ice cream cones for anyone who comes to get a free vaccine! Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson will be administered to anyone over 12 years of age.

When: Friday, October 15, 22, and 29 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM

Where: Jewel Lake Tastee Freez, 3901 Raspberry Rd. #1

For more information and to RSVP, visit the Facebook event page.