Since her election to the state House in 2018, Rep. Lisa Callan has been a stalwart advocate for vulnerable children in Washington. Whether it’s finding a placement for kids in crises caught in hospital ERs or working toward adequate funding for special education in the K-12 system, Callan has developed expertise in an area of policy that few other lawmakers possess.
Callan deserves another term representing the 5th District, comprising Issaquah to Enumclaw and areas east toward the Cascades.
A former Boeing engineer and Issaquah School Board member, Callan championed a bill that created a system of care for children accessing behavioral health services. She makes a compelling case that there are both moral and fiscal arguments for rerouting children suffering psychiatric crises who become mired in ERs.
“If we don’t do the earliest intervention, those early services, that crisis care, that child that’s been stuck for 30 days in the hospital is going to cost the state a heck of a lot more money,” she told the editorial board.
As vice-chair of the state’s capital budget, Callan has been working on a jobs bill aimed at stimulating clean energy development. She acknowledged that the building of more renewable energy sources and transmission infrastructure has been anemic and pledged to push the state to pick up the pace.
Her opponent, Republican Patrick Peacock, rightly criticized the state’s high energy prices. But he cast doubt on the state’s ability to reduce carbon emissions through expanding solar energy production and electric vehicle adoption. The board disagrees.
Callan voted for the state’s income tax on millionaires but told the board she believes other new taxes should be avoided in the next session that begins in January. And she was skeptical of several provisions of the tax, including Gov. Bob Ferguson’s call for universal free school meals. She’d prefer to see funds go to the greatest needs, not guaranteeing funding for families who can afford lunch.
Callan’s advocacy for the state’s most vulnerable residents and her push for clean energy adoption make her the right candidate for the 5th District.
