Our Legacy
We have a long history of achieving victories for low and moderate-income people in our state.
WashingtonCAN was born in the 1970s out of the Seattle/Tacoma Light Brigade, which fought against shutting off electricity for low-income families and against the taxpayer subsidization of nuclear power. During the 1980s, the Light Brigade became Washington Fair Share, joining a national network of organizations fighting for consumer justice and achieving statewide victories such as raising the minimum wage. From the early 1990s until 2006, we fought for justice under the name Washington Citizen Action, and now we are Washington Community Action Network.
1983
Washington Community Action Network began as Washington Fair Share, which sought to unite state progressives and the consumer-led Tacoma and Seattle Light Brigades. WFS was founded as a canvass-based, joint 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organization.
Among WFS’s first victories were utility shut-off bans in Seattle and Tacoma during winter months.
1984
WFS helped pass the “Community Right-To-Know” law to inform citizens about hazardous chemicals in their communities.
1988
WFS helped organize the successful coalition effort to increase Washington’s minimum wage through Initiative 518.
1990
Washington Fair Share became Washington Citizen Action. Bylaws dictate that the Board will include community, faith, and labor partners as well as dues-paying members.
1991
WCA initiates a “Tax Fairness Campaign” which helped close over $50 million in tax loopholes benefiting insurance and real estate interests.
1993
WCA becomes a founding member of a regional support organization, formerly the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations joining organizations from Idaho, Washington, Montana, and Oregon. The organization is now a national organization, the Alliance for a Just Society.
1993
WCA leads a grassroots campaign to pass the strongest Health Care Reform Act in the nation, including universal coverage and cost controls
1994
WCA worked with senior groups to pass a Long-Term Care Bill of Rights, providing protection for elderly and disabled people in long-term care facilities.
1995/1996
WCA organized the Emergency Campaign to Protect Medicare and Medicaid, mobilizing thousands of people to prevent Congress from passing huge budget cuts to fund tax cuts for the wealthy and for big business.
1998
WCA played a major role in Initiative 668, raising the minimum wage and indexed it to inflation. Washington residents still enjoy the highest minimum wage in the nation.
2000
Led the successful effort to pass one of the country’s strongest Patient’s Bill of Rights.
2002
Reduced administrative hurdles to accessing food assistance programs, including simplifying the application process
2003
Passed prescription drug legislation enabling over 1 million Washingtonians to access lower drug prices through bulk buying.
2004
Passed the Act for Hungry Families, extending food stamps to families in transition from cash assistance to work and expanding school lunch programs.
2004
Blocked Premera Blue Cross’ attempt to convert from a charitable nonprofit to a for-profit corporation.
2004
Registered more than 52,000 voters, primarily low-income people and people of color. This was the largest non-partisan voter registration project in state history.
2005
Led campaign to create the Washington Prescription Drug Program, which has helped more than 100,000 residents save millions on prescription drug costs.
2005
Defeated provisions that would have mandated prescription drug co-pays for Medicaid recipients.
2006
Washington Citizen Action becomes Washington Community Action Network, signaling an inclusion of community members who are undocumented, a focus on immigrant rights, as well as racial and economic justice.
2006
Helped expand healthcare access, including increasing enrollment for Basic Health and the Children’s Health Program.
2006
Began organizing small business owners into the Small Business for Secure Health Care Coalition.
2006
Members led a campaign to improve interpreter services and culturally competent care for immigrant patients in Snohomish County.
2007
Created the Health Insurance Partnership (HIP) to make quality health insurance coverage affordable for small businesses and their low-income employees.
2007
Assisted in a major victory to guarantee healthcare coverage for all children by 2010.
2008
Led efforts to regulate healthcare premium increases for individuals.
2008
WashingtonCAN members in Everett led a campaign to improve access to interpreters and financial assistance for immigrant patients and introduced state legislation to improve access to medical interpreters.
2008
WashingtonCAN canvassers knock on 77,000 doors, make 323,000 calls to engage with voters.
2009
Aided in the fight to restore voting rights for former felons.
2009
Won the reauthorization and expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), including removal of the five-year bar for legal permanent resident children.
2009
Organized a 5,000 person Mother’s March for Health Care Reform.
2009
WashingtonCAN releases the first Racial Justice Report Card with 30 endorsing organizations.
2010
WashingtonCAN plays a pivotal role in national healthcare reform victory.
2010
The Small Business for Secure Health Care Coalition becomes the multi-issue Main Street Alliance of Washington and grows to 2,000 members.
2010
Mobilized communities to pressure lawmakers to pass the Affordable Care Act
2011
Helped lead a direct-action coalition focused on economic justice through a racial equity and anti-corporate lens.
2014
Co-chaired on the $15 for Seattle Coalition, which won a $15 minimum wage in 2014.
2014
Led in the effort to increase workers’ wages where it first found momentum in SeaTac.
2014
Led outreach and extensive canvassing to build grassroots support for WA to adopt a commitment to universal coverage in our state
2015
Led a campaign against Swedish-Providence hospitals in 2015 when they failed to notify patients in need of their charity care programs.
2015
Passed Initiative-122, “Honest Elections Seattle” to bring democracy vouchers to Seattle voters.
2016
Served on the steering committee for Raise Up WA. The initiative raised the statewide minimum wage to $13.50 and created paid sick leave for every worker.
2016
Led the fight to pass move-in fee legislation in Seattle to curb prohibitive rental fees. The legislation capped the move-in costs landlords charge tenants and required landlords to accept payment plans for these costs.
2016/2017
Organized immigrants, churches, and community members to press local lawmakers to pass an inclusive city resolution in Auburn in 2017 to protect immigrant rights.
2017
As part of a statewide and national effort, we helped preserve the ACA with hundreds of letters and thousands of phone calls and emails to WA GOP Congress members.
2019
Helped change the “pay or vacate” period from 3 to 14 days, and forced landlords to present just cause for evictions statewide.
2019
Designed, qualified, and won the Stable Homes initiative in Federal Way that protects renters from unjust evictions.
2019
Helped advance the Pathway to Universal Health Care bill in Olympia, leading to creation of the Universal Health Care Work Group.
2019
Worked with Pramila Jayapal before the introduction of her Medicare for All bill, HR 1384; helping make Seattle the first city to endorse it by resolution.
2019
Helped organize action on drug prices at the Seattle Federal Building.
2020
Fought for criminal justice reform and led the fight to pass Senate Bill 6164 allowing resentence or release for incarcerated individuals whose original sentence was not proportionate to the seriousness of the crime committed.
2020
Won policy that prevented landlords from evicting renters for missing payment during the eviction moratorium.
2021
WashingtonCAN Leadership Council and staff deliver more than 600 handwritten letters to Sen. Patty Murray in Washington D.C. to pressure electeds to pass Medicare for All.
2021
WashingtonCAN wins in coalition with HCHR to achieve a Permanent Universal Health Care Commission and Health Care Cost Transparency Board through legislation.
2022
Supported legislation lowering healthcare costs (prescription drugs, balance billing) and budget provisos creating pathways to coverage for all adult immigrants.
2023
Passed Social Housing Initiative 135. This victory set up a public housing developer to provide housing options for low and middle income people in Seattle.
2024
In coalition with HCHR, successfully urged Legislators to balance House and Senate budgets in favor of funding immigrant healthcare.