Complete email communications missing from the public view —

*the redacted line above is something I was unable to obtain for dissemination on my campaign page because it is attorney-client privilege with the Washington State House of Representatives owning the privilege in this particular instance. It is insignificant and irrelevant as I was just reiterated to my colleagues that I checked with House Ethics counsel and affirmed my understanding of the ethical rules.

*I made the decision to redact the name and contact information of the original author who is a formerly incarcerated community leader in Washington State.

One of my priorities in Olympia is to support programs and efforts that seek to address harms
caused to our communities, especially those most vulnerable. One example of this work is 
collaboration with my colleagues to pursue the successful implementation of the 2021 Blake
Decision, which found that a state law adopted in 1971 led to thousands of unconstitutional
convictions and monetary penalties.

I am often asked about the status of this work because it is important. As a formerly incarcerated individual who had a Blake conviction, I think that my experience and policy expertise is also of value when I
collaborate with my fellow lawmakers in Olympia on this important work.

My experience in this work and the collaboration of so many of my colleagues has been especially called upon as our state legislature navigated a multi-billion dollar deficit in the 2025 Session while still fighting to protect funding for basic services such as health care, food and housing. I recommended we scrutinize nearly ten areas of the budget because even with the cuts made – and the taxes raised – the legislature was no longer able to cover dental care for adults on Medicaid, for example. Formerly incarcerated people are in particular need of dental care due to lack of access inside our jails and prisons, poverty and/or substance use disorder.

We will have to make more painful choices in the 2026 Session where we must reduce funding for important work so that we can protect funding for critical work. It has meant many long days and
late nights filled with painful deliberations about how to set effective priorities in our state
budget that responsibly steward limited taxpayer resources while protecting as many services
as possible that so many people rely on.

During the past 2025 Legislative Session, one of those painful decisions included my scrutiny of
community outreach regarding implementation of the Blake Decision. In my communications with my colleagues during budget deliberations, prompted by an email from a constituent advocating for these funds to be directed away from my former organization with specific allegations of harm to its own clients, I wrote that “in a time where we are in a budget shortfall and making decisions about cutting services to our most vulnerable people in WA, I do not believe community outreach to try and find [Blake] class members four years after the case is a priority.” The external email I was responding to copied me on an outreach to members and staff of the budget committees in both the House and Senate. I wanted to steer that conversation away from the specific organization and to a collaborative assessment of the community outreach portion of the funding itself given the progress that has been made in the last four years to set up government systems for individuals to access Blake relief. I also wanted to disclose a potential conflict of interest and add House Ethics Counsel to the thread to ensure I was being ethical in light of my prior public lawsuit against my former organization for retaliation, wrongful termination and discrimination. I had already received one settlement for past harms, and was unfortunately in the position of having to fight for my own rights through a civil lawsuit. I needed more eyes on my position to ensure it wasn’t grounded in emotion because I am a human who values transparency and integrity. Since I am not on a budget committee or part of budget negotiations; I have no voting ability until the final budget is released but do my best to help the budget writers identify potential redundancies to preserve critical services.

After four years of outreach and education, the state and many local partners in jurisdictions across Washington have integrated Blake into their systems. Not only is awareness much higher for how affected individuals can clear their record of an unconstitutional conviction but local infrastructure for assisting them in that work exists today that did not four years ago. In addition, the state now has a centralized refund bureau for individuals to access a return of their fines.

Community outreach helped with a great deal of that work, but today we must acknowledge the additional supports now in place and prioritize funding for the actual vacates and refunds. I am grateful that even during a budget crisis my colleagues in the legislature joined me to ensure continued funding to the Office of Public Defense, which helps counties proactively working through their Blake cases; and the Administrative Office of the Courts, which provides refunds to those who paid a financial penalty associated with an unconstitutional conviction. A great deal of progress has been made already to support the individuals harmed, but there is still more work to be done so that the Blake Decision can be fully implemented. Anybody who says the vacates are “done” or that all of the cases left are people who are “dead or moved away” is simply being untruthful.

Our state continues to face extremely difficult budget decisions, just like families and individuals across Washington. During those deliberations, I will continue to uphold transparency so that the public we serve can have a clear window into the prioritization
process. This means that I will not exercise legislative privilege to block review of my communications conducted as a member of the House of Representatives. I have always trusted that when I share my work on behalf of the public that anybody resharing that would not redact those communications. We serve the public and the public has a right to observe that service so they may engage effectively in our shared democratic process. If anybody would like to see my unredacted communications I welcome you to contact my office for complete versions so context is also considered. 

Lastly, as a part-time citizen legislature we will often run into perceived or actual conflicts of interests and other ethical issues. Most of us must maintain outside employment. This is why whenever I am presented with potential ethical issues, I disclose those and reach out to House Ethics Counsel for guidance. In addition, I am often reaching out for feedback to trusted colleagues who know me well so I can ensure my decisions are grounded in the purest of intentions.

It is my honor to serve my neighbors in the 23rd Legislative District and to bring a voice for the most marginalized communities to the state house. After surviving poverty, violence, substance use disorder and incarceration – and now becoming a lawyer and legislator – I have been able to add important context to discussions that was missing before my service. The 2025 session was was the hardest to date and with an on-going budget deficit I will continue to do my part to prioritize basic human needs. I look forward to continuing the hard work of uplifting my community’s needs even when it requires making tough decisions. I appreciate your support because it is the only way I am able to continue this values-driven work.

If you or a loved one needs help vacating an unconstitutional drug conviction or obtaining a refund for your financial penalties, the following are great resources:

In Kitsap County, you can apply here:

https://www.kitsap.gov/pubdef/Pages/UPCS-Conviction.aspx

In other counties, you can find the forms and information here:

https://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/index.cfm?fa=newsinfo.blakerefundbureau

ALSO… Huge thanks to Chad Enright, Kitsap County Prosecutor for sharing this Op-Ed!