Announced today by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle:

Sen. McDermott, Rep. Pedersen to Receive the Tikkun Olam Legislative Tribute from
the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle

SEATTLE – On June 25, Senator Joe McDermott and Representative Jamie Pedersen will
be receiving the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle’s 2009 Tikkun Olam Legislative
Tribute at our annual meeting.

This award recognizes legislators who embody the concept of tikkun olam, “repairing
the world.” This year, we are recognizing these two legislators for their work to
expand civil rights in Washington State by shaping and passing two pieces of
legislation: comprehensive hate crimes legislation and expansion of legal
protections for gay and lesbian couples.

“The Jewish community is proud to have Senator McDermott and Representative Pedersen
as partners in the important work of promoting equal rights for all,” commented Ron
Leibsohn, Chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

Senator Joe McDermott entered the Washington House of Representatives in 2001.
Along with then Rep. Ed Murray, he has worked year after year to pass legislation
protecting gay and lesbian people from discrimination. The legislation passed both
chambers and was signed by Governor Gregoire in 2006. During his time in the House
and now as a Senator, McDermott has worked to expand voting rights, protect
Holocaust education and expand Washington’s malicious harassment, or hate crimes,
statute.

Representative Jamie Pedersen came to the Washington State House of Representatives
in 2007 after winning a competitive 43rd district primary. In the legislature,
Pedersen has pushed for the rights of same sex couples and the civil rights of
everyone regardless of their skin color, ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual
orientation.

In 2007, because of Pedersen’s leadership, Washington passed a domestic partnership
statute which was expanded each session after that, and as of this session includes
hundreds of rights for same sex couples. Pedersen also helped pass legislation that
will allow a Jewish hospice to open in Washington State. This session, Pedersen also
helped guide a critical piece of legislation out of the Judiciary Committee
prohibiting people who have been involuntarily committed from buying a gun. Because
of the Jewish Federation’s experience with gun violence, we are very grateful for
his work on this issue.

Past recipients of this award include Reps. Eric Pettigrew, Sharon Tomiko Santos and
Sherry Appleton, Secretary of State Sam Reed and Sen. Jeanne Kohl Welles.

Here’s the official announcement of what promises to be a fun time:

Come out and dance in West Seattle on Saturday, July 11th from 7:30 – 11:00 PM at Puget Ridge Cohousing, 7020 18th Ave, SW (Bus #125). Pre-dance lesson in Swing from 7:30- 8:15 with The Carey’s, Highland Park’s teaching team, and with mini-dance lessons throughout the evening in Waltz, Blues, and Foxtrot.

Please bring snacks and beverages to share (alcohol okay with responsible drinking).

There’s an official flyer, too; see it here.

Announced by West Seattle-based General Biodiesel:

SEATTLE, WA (June 24, 2009) –General Biodiesel Seattle, LLC announces today that it has completed the acquisition of the former Seattle Biodiesel facility, a Seattle-based commercial
biodiesel refinery, from Imperium Renewables, Inc. General Biodiesel is converting the facility
to produce biodiesel from waste oils such as recycled cooking oil and animal fat, which the
Company collects from restaurants and grocery stores around the region.

Yale Wong, CEO and founder of General Biodiesel, commented that “the mission of General
Biodiesel is to produce high-quality biodiesel fuel from locally generated waste at a competitive
price. The acquisition of this plant enables General Biodiesel to deliver a locally produced
renewable fuel source that will measurably reduce total carbon emissions in the State of
Washington, reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and build a stronger regional economy by
creating green jobs in the community.”

John Plaza, who founded Seattle Biodiesel (now Imperium Renewables) and built the plant, said
“It’s great to see our site being put to continued good use as a biodiesel production facility. We
are happy to have General Biodiesel as the new owners of our original facility. They are a great
example of innovation and leadership in renewable and clean energy in our state.”

Simultaneously with the plant acquisition, General Biodiesel closed on an equity financing
arranged by Swiftsure Securities, LLC, a Seattle-based merchant bank. “Swiftsure has looked at
the biofuels sector for several years now and General Biodiesel represents one of strongest
business models we’ve seen. General Biodiesel’s vertically integrated model of collecting local
waste, producing biodiesel locally and selling to local fleets is the future of the biofuels
industry. The fundamentals of the business are sound, and General Biodiesel is well-positioned
to be a leader in the category,” added Gordon Gardiner of Swiftsure, who will join General
Biodiesel Seattle’s Board of Directors.

Julie Enevoldsen from Friends of Southwest Branch Library sends word that:

Southwest Branch’s manager, Theresa Mayer, has a new position as Outreach Services Manager at the Central Library … Mark Guzman, Assistant Manager, will continue with Southwest. After July 8th, our new manager (shared, as before, with the South Park branch) will be Jane Appling.

Julie says that her group hopes to schedule a meet-and-greet reception for the new manager, but there’s no firm plan/date yet.