>>>
>>> LATE
>>> LATE LAST MONTH WASHINGTON HOUSE DEMOCRATS ELECTED OUR
FIRST EVER FEMALE SPEAKER OF
THE HOUSE.
THE HOUSE. LORI JENKINS IS QUITE A
TRAILBLAZER.
TRAILBLAZER. SHE JOINS US NOW.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE A TRAILBLAZER?
>> I GUESS.
>> DO YOU EMBRACE THAT OR IS IT
LIKE IT'S ABOUT TIME?
>> I THINK I REALLY EMBRACE IT.
IT HAS BEEN EXCITING.
I DO NOT THINK I QUITE
ANTICIPATED HOW MUCH OF A
CEILING BREAKING THING THAT WAS
FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
>> SO WHAT EXACTLY DOES THE
SPEAKER DO.
SPEAKER DO. >> I AM LEARNING.
MY JOB WILL BE TO LEAVE THE
MAJORITY PARTY WHICH IS THE
HOUSE DEMOCRATS AND THAT MEANS
WE GET TO DECIDE THE BIG POLICY
AREAS THAT WE TAKE ACTION ON.
I ALSO AM KIND OF THE CEO SO
MANAGEMENT STAFF AND THINGS
LIKE THAT.
LIKE THAT. A LOT OF IT IS ABOUT MERGING
POLICY AND POLITICS.
AND MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN DO
GREAT THINGS FOR THE PEOPLE IN
THE STATE.
THE STATE. GETTING THEM TO STOP FIGHTING
>> IT'S FUNNY WE DON'T FIGHT AS
MUCH AS PEOPLE THINK WE DO.
ABOUT 90% OF THE BILLS THAT WE
MOVE OFF THE HOUSE FLOOR ARE
BIPARTISAN.
BIPARTISAN. ABOUT 10% THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT
OF CONTACT.
OF CONTACT. >> NOBODY LIKES WHEN PEOPLE GET
ALONG.
ALONG.
ALONG. IT
ALONG. IT IS BORING.
>> HE REPRESENT THE 27th
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT IN PIERCE
COUNTY.
COUNTY.
COUNTY. TOLD US ABOUT LIFE AND TACOMA.
>> I WORK AT THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT.
DEPARTMENT. I HAVE BEEN TO ALL OF THE
MUSEUMS AND A LOT OF THEM ARE
BUILT PARTLY WITH STATE MONEY.
WE ARE A VERY VIBRANT AND
DIVERSE COMMUNITY VERY
ECONOMICALLY DIVERSE FROM HIGH-
END TO LOW-END WITH LOTS OF
ETHNIC DIVERSITY IN THE
DISTRICT AND WHEN I MOVED TO
TACOMA IN 1987 IT WAS A PRETTY
ROUGH SPOT.
ROUGH SPOT. I GUESS ONE OF THE THINGS I
LOVE ABOUT IT IS THAT WE
CONTINUE TO TRY TO REMAKE
OURSELVES.
OURSELVES. >> I WORK FOR EVENING MAGAZINE
AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING OUR
SHOWDOWN THERE A LOT.
>> PROBABLY BECAUSE HE KNOWS A
LOT OF COOL THINGS IN THE
DISTRICT.
DISTRICT.
DISTRICT. >> SO YOU ALSO WORKING MEDICAL?
>> I WORK AT THE TACOMA PIERCE
COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
SO I STARTED OFF AS THE DEPUTY
DIRECTOR AND WHEN I GOT ELECTED
I WAS LIKE THAT IS NOT
REASONABLE.
REASONABLE. SO I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN WORKING
ON A LOT OF DIFFERENT SPECIAL
PROJECTS.
PROJECTS.
PROJECTS. I JUST FINISHED WORKING ON AN
INTERNAL PROJECT IN WHICH WE
REALLY LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE
DOING TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF
CHILDREN IN PIERCE COUNTY AND
TRYING TO ORGANIZE OURSELVES IN
A BETTER WAY TO DO IT.
>> ACCORDING TO THE VICTORY
INSTITUTE YOU ARE ONE OF ONLY
THREE LGBTQ LAWMAKERS IN THE
NATION SERVING AS LEADER OF THE
STATE LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER.
HOW DO YOU THINK THAT INSPIRES
OTHERS?
OTHERS?
OTHERS? >> I THINK ANYTIME THAT WE GET
SOMEBODY WHO REPRESENT SOME
SORT OF DIVERSITY OR DIFFERENCE
IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE IT HELPS
PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SEE
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. IT IS NOT JUST LGBTQ PEOPLE OF
PEOPLE OF COLOR, WOMEN, WHO
HAVE NEVER BEEN IN THESE WALLS
BEFORE CAN SEE THAT THEY CAN BE
IN THAT ROLE AND I'M REALLY
INSPIRED BY KIDS WHO SAY THAT
TO ME.
TO ME.
TO ME. IT
TO ME. IT IS PRETTY EXCITING.
THE THREE THAT YOU MENTION ARE
IN WASHINGTON, OREGON, AND
CALIFORNIA.
CALIFORNIA. IT IS A WEST COAST THING.
>> THAT WAS TAKEN 30 YEARS AGO
OF MY WIFE AND I. I THINK WE
LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME TODAY BUT
OTHER PEOPLE TELL ME WE DO NOT
QUITE.
QUITE.
QUITE. THIS WAS WITH MEGAN RAPINOE.
WE WERE JUST HANGING OUT A
LITTLE BIT AND I GOT A SELFIE.
>> ARE YOU CONSIDERING MAY BE
DOING YOUR HAIR PURPLE?
>> WHY NOT?
ALTHOUGH HERE IS NOT MY BEST
THING.
THING.
THING. >>
THING. >> AS A GUY LOSING HIS HAIR I
NOTICED THAT YOU HAVE GREAT
HER.
HER.
HER. >>
HER. >> SO I HAVE A HASHTAG THAT I
STARTED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.
IT WAS MOSTLY JUST TO HAVE SOME
LEVITY.
LEVITY.
LEVITY. WE WORK IN A PRETTY SERIOUS
PLACE AND TO HAVE A COUPLE
MINUTES OF LEVITY EVERYDAY IT'S
LIKE MOST I DON'T TELL ANYBODY
WHO'S SOCKS THEY ARE.
IT MEANS THAT REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS AND LOBBYISTS ALL
PARTICIPATE AND IT IS FUN.
>> SO THAT IS REPRESENTATIVE
EILEEN CODY AND I WITH A PAIR
OF SOCKS THAT WERE GIVEN TO US.
LAST YEAR WE WERE MISTAKEN FROM
EACH OTHER.
EACH OTHER. I JUST WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR
WITH EVERYONE SHE IS 11 YEARS
OLDER THAN ME.
THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE SHOULD
EVER MISTAKE US.
SHE IS SLIGHTLY CALL TALLER AND
I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT.
THE FACT THAT I HAVE BEEN
GIVING HER A HARD TIME.
>> IT IS SO TRUE WHEN YOU HAVE
AN OUTFIT AND IN YOUR WORLD YOU
HAVE TO DO IS CONSERVATIVE.
YOU CAN GO A LITTLE BIT OUT
THERE WITH THE SOX.
>> DO YOU LIKE THE SOX?
>> THEY ARE HARD TO SEE.
>>
>>
>> >>
>> >> MINOR GIRL SCOUT ZOMBIES.
THEY WERE PLANNING FOR THE
ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE.
ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. THEY WERE DOING EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS SO THEY GAVE THESE
TO ME SO THEY ARE KIND OF ON
THE SAME THING TODAY.
>> IT WAS MOSTLY BECAUSE
SENATOR RUBEN CARLISLE USED TO
SIT ON THE FLOOR NEXT TO ME AND
HE WOULD WEAR INTERESTING
SOCKS.
SOCKS.
SOCKS. EVERY DAY HE WOULD COME IN AND
SHOW ME HIS SOCKS AND HE WOULD
BE LIKE WHAT YOU HAVE?
AND I WOULD ALSO BLACK COTTON
SOCKS ON AND THAT WAS IT.
I STARTED THINKING THAT MAYBE I
SHOULD EXPRESS MYSELF A LITTLE
BIT SO I STARTED DOING THAT AND
THEN I STARTED DOING THE
PICTURES.
PICTURES.
PICTURES. PEOPLE COME UP TO ME ALL THE
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. MY
TIME. MY WIFE LAUGHS ABOUT IT BECAUSE
PEOPLE COME UP TO ME AND THEY
WILL PULL THE PANT LEG UP AND I
WILL TAKE A PICTURE AND THEY
WILL WALK ON AND I WILL WALK ON
AND WE WILL NEVER SAY A WORD TO
EACH OTHER.
EACH OTHER. >> IT IS ALL ABOUT THE SOX NOT