Page 3 - Pam Roach News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Housing group occupies Fife motel Tacoma housing group occupies motel A motel in Fife is housing dozens of people experiencing homelessness. A housing group is fighting to keep them there. FIFE, Wash. - More than 40 homeless people are staying at the Travelodge in Fife as advocates call on Pierce County to pick up the cost of housing them there during the cold winter months. The group moved in on Christmas Eve. Tacoma Homeless Now, the advocacy group behind the occupation, paid for that night but haven’t paid since. Advocates say they are doing this to save lives, claiming five people ha...

Josephine Peterson: Pierce council to consider tax increase to fund behavioral health services, revamp Medicaid News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash. 12/22/2020 Josephine Peterson, The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) Dec. 22—A Pierce County Council vote Tuesday to increase taxes could bring funding to behavioral health services and change the entire local Medicaid system. Vice Chair Dave Morell (R-Lake Tapps) has co-sponsored a bill with Democratic council members Connie Ladenburg of Tacoma and Derek Young of Gig Harbor to increase sales tax by one-tenth of 1 percent to provide behavio...

Proposal to disband Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department fails after stunning split vote Pierce Co Counsel does not pass ordinance to disband health department PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - Tuesday night's Pierce County Council meeting came to a shocking conclusion after a tense and emotional seven hours primarily discussing the council's move to disband the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.  The ordinance did not pass after a split 3-3 vote. The councilmember who tipped that way was none other than the ordinance sponsor herself, Pam Roach.  Her "no" vote was clearly shocking to other coun...

UpdatedWed, Dec 16, 2020 at 6:43 am PT Reply Both the health department and the City of Tacoma have issued statements opposing the dissolution. (Shutterstock) PIERCE COUNTY, WA — The battle over the future of the Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department has ended with the department intact after a surprise turn of events late Tuesday evening. Over the past few weeks, the Pierce County Council has been mulling over a proposal to sever the county's agreement with the City of Tacoma and dissolve the Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department, which would then be replaced by a new health depart...

Submitted by Pam Roach. I first signed on to 2020-136 (Making the Pierce County Council the county board of health), because the measure would provide “one-man-one-vote” representation to the people of Pierce County in matters of their healthcare. In signing onto 2020-136 as a sponsor, I had wanted to follow the one-man-one-vote spirit and legal decision of  Cunningham v Metro (1991) in King County.  There are higher orders of constitutional government, however. I believe the need for an informed and involved citizenry trumps one-man-one-vote. Without having given the citizens time to ...