"Sadly, the court majority just opened the door to much more of this in the future," Reykdal said in a statement Thursday. If we get responses we’ll share them here. Submitted by Friends of Maia Espinoza. The voters guide has been in homes for at least two weeks now. Ybarra said his role is advisory and he has never reviewed the organization’s paperwork or approved its budget. Reykdal has supported the bill, which calls for age-appropriate sexual health education to be taught multiple times during a child's education. Sounds like “the dog ate my homework.”. Incumbent Chris Reykdal faces five foes who argue he’s pushing too many state policies on school districts. (c)2020 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.), Visit The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) at www.spokesman.com. Or make a donation to sustain our essential research and advocacy journalism. Age: 47. This is the basis for Maia. Representative Ybarra: please take an afternoon to read the IRS’ guidance on exempt organizations. The majority found no evidence that Reykdal met his "threshold burden" of proving Espinoza's statement false. Sun and clouds mixed. While the handout is not part of the curriculum, she continues, it does not "break the logical chain of Espinoza's statement.". You may receive up to three or four notifications per day, usually less. In her official voter guide statement, Espinoza claimed Reykdal championed a policy that taught sex positions to fourth graders. CP at 20. He initially confirmed the organization was a 501(c)(3), but an hour later when informed of the discrepancy said he doesn’t know about its tax status and deferred to Espinoza. Three of the five challengers running against incumbent Chris Reykdal in the race to become Washington state’s next schools chief questioned the decision to … The line in question refers to supplemental reading recommended in a handout from one of a list of curricula reviewed by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to be acceptable under the new comprehensive sex education bill that passed last session. NPI was founded in August 2003 and is based in Redmond, Washington. Reykdal and Espinoza would undoubtedly both benefit from being able to run as candidates who can state a party preference on the ballot, though Reykdal would likely benefit more due to the state’s Democratic tilt. Washington voters will choose between incumbent Chris Reykdal and challenger Maia Espinoza this general election for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Top (L-R): Chris Reykdal, Maia Espinoza, David Spring. The Thurston County Superior Court ruled in favor of Reykdal, saying the statement was false and ordering the Secretary of State's office to remove it from voter guides ahead of the primary. "Whether Espinoza's critique is fair — and whether Reykdal's policy is sound — is for the voters to decide," Stephens wrote. OLYMPIA — The Supreme Court of Washington has ruled against state schools chief Chris Reykdal, who sued his reelection opponent, Maia Espinoza, for defamation. Lewis County: Imposter Posing as Animal Shelter Employee, ‘All 28 Sheriffs Are Watching Us’: Lewis County Plans Next Moves on Drug Ordinance, Costco Hits Pause on Logistics Center Work at Port of Chehalis, The number of Washington long-term care facilities with at least one active case of COVID-19 has surpassed 300 — a record number that's likely to increase as the virus spreads in communities across …, 321 N. Pearl St. Centralia, WA 98531 Submitted by Friends of Maia Espinoza. Reykdal garnered 40.24% of the vote in the August Top Two election, while Espinoza was in second place with 25.28%. Meet Maia. Chris Reykdal is the Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction.He assumed office on January 11, 2017. Reykdal has participated in some of Governor Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 press conferences, but it seems that he is not as well known to the electorate as other incumbents seeking reelection to downballot offices in the state. From the Stranger — Democrats convene to call BS on Maia Espinoza’s BS, and to rally around Chris Reykdal — Gov. “I’m more a political sounding board for her.”. On September 17th at 7pm the candidates participated in a debate. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Espinoza’s nonprofit, the “Center for Latino Leadership”, has also falsely claimed on its website to be operating as a federally recognized 501(c)(3) charity, when in fact it was not — a fact brought to light by The Associated Press. They are both parents — with divergent views. Your contribution will allow us to continue bringing you features like Last Week In Congress, live coverage of events like Netroots Nation or the Democratic National Convention, and reviews of books and documentary films. Espinoza declined to provide an equivalent tax filing for her organization and said she has never claimed donations are tax deductible in her fundraising efforts. Don’t ever do that again. The Washington State Wire did some digging into Espinoza’s background last month and found that she has not completed the master’s degree from Western Governors University that she lists in her voter’s pamphlet statement. This year, voters will be choosing between incumbent Chris Reykdal — who narrowly won the job four years ago in a spirited contest with NPI guest contributor Erin Jones — and Maia Espinoza, a right wing candidate who holds extreme views, opposes comprehensive sexual health education, and has falsely accused Reykdal of wanting to teach sexual positions to fourth graders. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Reaching voters statewide is difficult and expensive, and the challenge is magnified in a low profile downballot race. The standard of proof for defamation is higher in cases involving a public official. With revenue declining and costs increasing, Sound Transit lobbies for state and federal aid, Must-read Seattle Times story details how Eyman initiatives sabotaged public health :: NPI's Cascadia Advocate, Twenty years after the Nisqually earthquake, seismic upgrades still needed across Cascadia, U.S. House passes sweeping wilderness protection bill that includes PNW’s Olympics, Murray and Cantwell take up gavels in the Senate as heirs to Scoop and Maggie’s legacy, Tim Eyman concedes that judge's sentence won't keep him out of Washington politics :: NPI's Cascadia Advocate, Inside Tim Eyman’s profit machine: A cartoon guide to his many moneymaking schemes. If the organization can’t even file its annual report in a timely manner, then there’s no reason to believe Espinoza is being truthful when she says her nonprofit has been “diligent in operating as a C3.”. Washington State Democratic leaders have an event planned for tomorrow at noon aimed at raising Reykdal’s profile and sounding the alarm over the false and dangerous things that Espinoza has been saying. "It is unlikely but truthful that the policy could result in unintentionally exposing fourth-graders to depictions of, and thus 'teaching' them, different sexual positions," Stephens wrote. Reykdal has long argued the taxpayer-funded voters' guide should not be a place for candidates to say whatever they want. The poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling for the Northwest Progressive Institute, and has a margin of error of +/- 4.0% at the 95% confidence level. Maia served on the Race and Ethnicity Student Data task force at OSPI as part of the Opportunity Gap Oversight Committee and was Legislative Liaison to the Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs. Ran into issues with its accounting firm? Although Espinoza is enthusiastically backed by the same people who qualified Referendum 90, only 23% of respondents to our survey expressed support for her candidacy, whereas Donald Trump and candidates able to identify as Republicans on the ballot consistently received support of at least thirty percent or more. No incumbent in our survey polled as low as Reykdal did. Gonzalez wrote he disagreed with the idea that Reykdal did not meet a statutory burden, arguing the allegations were so improbable that they established actual malice. With Bipartisan Support in Congress for Permanent Daylight Saving Time, Could This Weekend's Time Change Be the Last? Maia Espinoza has announced that she is running against the divisive Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and is this week’s Newsmaker Interview. Reykdal got just 40% of the vote in the primary in August, while Espinoza got 25% and the third-place finisher got 20% — meaning far more people voted against the incumbent than for him. The court, which voted 6-3 against Reykdal, ruled challenger Maia Espinoza's statement that Reykdal championed a policy that teaches "sexual … Top (L-R): Chris Reykdal, Maia Espinoza, David Spring. © 2021 The Northwest Progressive Institute. Considering how many respondents to our survey said right before the voting began that they’re not sure who they’re going to vote for, that’s a very smart move on their part. But lying to voters about one’s academic credentials is an extremely serious matter, and Republicans have made it an issue in other races in the past. "There is nothing in the record to suggest that Espinoza made her statement knowing it was false or with a 'reckless disregard' of its veracity," Stephens wrote. Also, saying you’re on the board of a nonprofit when you’re actually not is making a false representation. Two days after the AP inquired about the Center’s status, its annual report was belatedly filed. Espinoza, meanwhile, has been robocalling voters with false claims about Reykdal. Incumbent Chris Reykdal said, in a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters, that the new sex-ed curriculum at issue in R-90 is about protecting kids. Undoubtedly, that’s in part due to the fact that this is a “nonpartisan” race with no party labels next to the candidates’ names. It is included in a set of materials that is listed with nine other curricula on the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction's site, he wrote. Voters likely to sustain state’s new sex ed law by approving Referendum 90, NPI poll finds, has falsely accused Reykdal of wanting to teach sexual positions to fourth graders, Espinoza, meanwhile, has been robocalling voters with false claims about Reykdal, The Washington State Wire did some digging into Espinoza’s background last month, a fact brought to light by The Associated Press, NPI's 2020 October elections survey provides a rich political portrait of Washington State - NPI's Cascadia Advocate, NPI's 2020 polling correctly foreshadowed the result in every Washington statewide race - NPI's Cascadia Advocate, Amtrak restores daily service on long distance routes thanks to the American Rescue Plan, Relief on the way: U.S. House sends American Rescue Plan to President Joe Biden’s desk, Mike McQuaid pulls the plug on challenge to Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda. Earlier this month, NPI commissioned a statewide survey of Washingtonians in which we asked likely voters who they were supporting for OSPI. Incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal sued to have the Thurston County Superior Court order the removal of one allegedly defamatory line in the voters’ guide pamphlet from challenger Maia Espinoza’s candidate statement. Espinoza shares her thoughts on the controversial Sex Education bill that passed the legislature this year (and the subsequent Referendum 90 campaign), the “embarrassment” of our state’s lack of preparedness to use technology to educate our students during COVID-19 , and the … We are down to 2 candidates: Maia Espinoza and Chris Reykdal. Bottom (L-R): Stan Lippman, Dennis Wick, Ron Higgins. Maia Espinoza; who is running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, after being galvanized by legislation championed by Chris Reykdal … It turns out that in addition to lying about Reykdal, Espinoza is also fabricating details about herself in an attempt to look like a more credible candidate. Espinoza is challenging incumbent state superintendent Chris Reykdal, right, shown in an AP photo taken Oct. 2, 2020, in Olympia, Wash., in the upcoming November election. Founded in March of 2004, The Cascadia Advocate has been helping people throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond make sense of current events with rigorous analysis and thought-provoking commentary for more than fifteen years. Maia is an entrepreneur, school music teacher, youth soccer coach, community liaison, wife, and mother of two children. ... Chris Reykdal, incumbent. Maia Espinoza is challenging incumbent state superintendent Chris Reykdal in the November election. It’s truly embarrassing that you’re so ignorant that you told a reporter you don’t know what 501(c)(3) tax status is. Wednesday, October 21, 2020 10:33am; Local News Northwest Election 2020 Video Stephens wrote that Espinoza's statement is "inflammatory" but not enough to defame Reykdal under the standard. In June, Reykdal sued Espinoza over a sentence in her voters' pamphlet statement claiming the incumbent championed "a policy that teaches sexual … High 63F. The same is true about his … Sex ed, local control at heart of race for WA state schools chief And there’s no reason to believe her advisors are capable of properly advising her given that they don’t seem to understand nonprofit law at all: Alex Ybarra, a Republican legislator representing eastern Washington in the state House of Representatives, said he’s been on the board of the center since its inception. 360-736-3311, Please log in to comment by clicking here, Use of Deadly Force Inquiry Omits Lewis County’s Region Because Agencies Didn’t Fill Out Survey, Mineral Man Charged for Allegedly Molesting, Sending Sexual Texts to 11-Year-Old, Human Remains Found on Timber Property Near Winlock, Active COVID-19 Cases Found in Record Number of Long-Term Care Facilities in Washington State, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. In an interview after the summary ruling in August, Espinoza said a weight was lifted off her campaign. We don’t run ads or publish content in exchange for money. Sex ed, local control at heart of race for WA state schools chief. She said the approach to and curriculum for online learning was completely disorganized. Our survey of six hundred and ten likely 2020 Washington State voters was in the field from Wednesday, October 14th through Thursday, October 15th. Washington AG Bob Ferguson Wants an Additional $2.8 Million in Legal Fees From Tim Eyman, Washington Man Arrested Three Times in Four Days on Suspicion of DUI. The court, which voted 6-3 against Reykdal, ruled that challenger Maia Espinoza’s statement that Reykdal championed a policy that teaches “sexual positions to 4th graders” was not defamatory. Maia Espinoza, 31, is challenging incumbent Chris Reykdal, 48. Reykdal sued Espinoza in June over the statement. Reykdal argued the material Espinoza referred to is a third-party source that parents can use in addition to what is being taught in school. A voter guide statement by the opponent of Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal about his support for comprehensive sexual health education can stay, the state Supreme Court wrote in an opinion released Thursday. Spokane, WA (99201) Today. After championing a policy that teaches sexual positions to 4th graders by supporting SB 5395; Career politician Chris Reykdal… The Cascadia Advocate loaded in 0.507 seconds. Maia Espinoza, a top contender to face Reykdal in the November election, said schools were “ill-prepared” to handle distance learning. Washington state law allows for a candidate to sue another candidate over false statements in the voter guide, but in order for the statement to be removed, it must be proven to be defamatory. In comparing credentials of the candidates for state superintendent of public instruction, incumbent Chris Reykdal stands out. Bottom (L-R): Stan Lippman, Dennis Wick, Ron Higgins. Here are the numbers again and the exact question we asked: QUESTION: The 2020 candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction are Chris Reykdal and Maia Espinoza. Espinoza then appealed to the state Supreme Court. The court, which voted 6-3 against Reykdal, ruled challenger Maia Espinoza's statement that Reykdal championed a policy that teaches "sexual positions to 4th graders" was not defamatory. The majority also found Reykdal did not have a substantial likelihood of prevailing in a defamation action as Espinoza did not show "actual malice" — the standard set in the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan that requires a "reckless disregard" for the truth in a defamatory case. Even Republican State Treasurer Duane Davidson, who is perhaps the most endangered incumbent running this cycle (he was bested by Democratic challenger Mike Pellicciotti in the Top Two) outpolled Reykdal. Though the race is officially “nonpartisan”, in practice it is anything but: Reykdal has strong and firm Democratic support; the Republican Party is backing Espinoza. Reykdal’s campaign has put together a mailer that emphasizes that he is a Democrat, through and through, with service to the people of Washington State as a Democratic legislator. The race for Washington state’s superintendent of public instruction continues to ramp up, highlighted by a virtual debate between the two candidates Thursday evening, hosted by Washington … Four other candidates were eliminated, one of whom is a perennially unsuccessful candidate. Offering commentary and analysis from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics. But Reykdal’s lack of visibility is also probably a factor. Thank you for reading The Cascadia Advocate, the Northwest Progressive Institute’s journal of world, national, and local politics. Become an NPI member Make a one-time donation, […] the Washington State Democratic Party and the state’s progressive movement with its finding that incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal w…, and leading Maia Espinoza, who would govern as our own local version of Betsy DeVos, by […], […] Superintendent of Public Instruction […]. Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal had claimed his challenger, Maia Espinoza, defamed him. Enter your email address to receive automated notifications of new posts published here by email. I don’t know what a 501(c)(3) tax status is,” Ybarra said. Because the voters guide is a limited public forum, he continues, the government can establish a reasonable restriction, such as ensuring candidates do not make any statements that are false or misleading. She is frustrated with current distance learning options in some schools and the disruption it causes to families. Maia Espinoza, who is running against Reykdal for superintendent of public instruction, referenced the lesson plan in her campaign materials, further fueling opposition to SB 5395. CP at 43. # Written by Andrew Villeneuve :: 2:28 PM. Reykdal got just 40% of the vote in the primary in August, while Espinoza got 25% and the third-place finisher got 20% -- meaning far more people voted against the incumbent than for him. You need to know what federal tax exempt status is. The Cascadia Advocate is funded by readers like you and trusted sponsors. April 17, 2020 / Newsmaker Interview. Author: Associated Press Published: 12:35 PM PDT October 14, 2020 It utilizes a blended methodology, with automated phone calls to landlines and text message answers from cell phone only respondents. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor. 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