Articles tagged with: Eagle River
One Anchorage Open House this Saturday at new campaign office
The One Anchorage Campaign is the campaign for an April election ballot measure to offer the same legal protections to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people already offered to all other Anchorage residents. Now One Anchorage has opened its new campaign office, and invites you to celebrate at an Open House on Saturday, December 3.
News from the campaign is that its got just a few more days to gather signatures. KTUU Channel 2 News reported on November 17 that the campaign already has more than the 5,800 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot — but the more signatures the campaign has, the more support will be visible, and the more momentum the campaign will have as it moves forward.
There’s several things happening this weekend to assist with this final signature push:
Sign the petition. If you haven’t already signed the petition, here’s two ways on Saturday to find one to sign —
- Curb service in Anchorage: On Saturday, December 3, drive thru at 1057 W. Fireweed (Four As/ACLU Bldg), between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM. A One Anchorage volunteer will bring a petition and pen to your car window and present you with an official One Anchorage sticker for your car!
- Coffee and petitions in Eagle River: One Anchorage will have petitions for you to sign at the Sleepy Dog Coffee Company in Eagle River from 9:00 AM to noon. Look for the table with the purple table cloth and support the cause for equality.
Volunteer opportunities. Want to help out?
- Gather signatures. Pick up petitions from the ACLU office (1057 W Fireweed, Suite 207) Monday through Friday 10 AM to 5:00 PM, or from the new campaign office (207 E. Northern Lights, Suite 225) on Saturday 12/3 or Sun 12/4 from noon to 4:00 PM. The campaign will give you petitions, training, and a location to go to.
- On Saturday, December 3, stop in at the new campaign office to volunteer!
Noon-4:00 PM: Signature gathering
2:00-4:00 PM: Fundraising phone bank
2:00-4:00 PM: Volunteer recruitment phone bank
4:00-6:00 PM: OPEN HOUSE!!! Refreshments and fun will be served
Open House. The new campaign office is located in the Northern Lights Professional Building at 207 E. Northern Lights, Suite 225. The office is across the street from Blockbuster Video, on Northern Lights between Cordova and A. St.
- Date/time: Saturday, December 3, 4:00 to 6:00 PM
- Location: One Anchorage Campaign Office, Northern Lights Professional Building, 207 E. Northern Lights, Suite 225, Anchorage, AK (see map)
- Further info: Contact Johnathan Jones at jjones@oneanchorage.com
Motion filed in Schmidt v. Alaska
A lawsuit by three same-sex couples against Alaska’s biased property tax rules progressed to the next step on Wednesday.
The national ACLU and the ACLU of Alaska filed a motion for summary judgment in Schmidt v. Alaska, a lawsuit challenging the state’s tax-assessment rules. The tax rules discriminate against same-sex couples by denying them equal access to a property tax exemption for senior citizens and disabled veterans.
Those who qualify and who live with same-sex partners are only permitted, at most, half of the exemption available to opposite-sex married couples because they are treated as roommates rather than as families.
Each of the three couples are denied full access to a $150,000 property tax exemption available to opposite-sex married couples. The couples are asking that the Alaska Superior Court declare this discriminatory law to be unconstitutional.
“Denying gay seniors and disabled veterans the tax protection for their family homes afforded to heterosexuals serves no purpose other than to treat same-sex couples like second-class citizens,” said Tom Stenson, Legal Director of the ACLU of Alaska. “People should not have to pay a higher tax simply for being lesbian or gay.”
The three couples challenging the unfair gay tax are described HERE, in Bent’s first post on the Schmidt v. Alaska lawsuit that was filed last year.
