FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Monica Marchetti
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MAIA ESPINOZA CALLS FOR DSHS SECRETARY JILMA MENESES TO BE FIRED IN REACTION TO EXPLOSIVE SEATTLE TIMES REPORT ON DANGEROUS PREDATORS BEING DUMPED UNSUPERVISED INTO UNSUSPECTING COMMUNITIES
Lakewood, WA -- Candidate for 28th District State Senate and Director of the Center for Latino Leadership, Maia Espinoza, called for the immediate firing of Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Secretary Jilma Meneses and demanded answers following an explosive Seattle Times report detailing the reckless release of hundreds of unsupervised, sexually violent criminals into communities around the state. Espinoza is demanding accountability as public safety tops voters’ minds on a policy supported by her opponent and is further calling on Senator Nobles to join our call for Secretary Meneses’ termination.
The 28th Legislative District, currently represented by Senator T’wina Nobles, encompasses a large region of the South Sound including Western State Hospital and the Special Containment Center located on McNeil Island. Nobles voted in favor of a law in 2021 that allows the highest-risk sex offenders to be released into residential settings without supervision.
A bombshell report from the Seattle Times outlines the gross mismanagement of McNeil Island and the Department of Social and Health Services stating that “the Special Commitment Center has no regular independent audits or enforceable state or federal standards for the quality or efficacy of its care.” One in seven will go on to violently re-offend with no notification that sexual perpetrators are being released in the area and little to no oversight from DSHS.
“A scandal of this magnitude requires accountability, so while I take no pleasure in it, DSHS Secretary Meneses needs to be terminated immediately and complicit legislators who recklessly put them in danger need to explain why they’ve allowed the system to fail so egregiously,” said Espinoza. “As for my opponent, Senator Nobles, it’s just one more example of how she cannot be trusted with public safety. Between her vote on Senate Bill 5163 which enabled this abhorrent practice to her vote to outlaw police pursuits for suspected rapists and murders, innocent people have been put at risk.”
Unfortunately, this mismanagement is not new for the Democrat Majority in Olympia. A 2020 Pierce County jury found DSHS negligent in the death of two children at the hands of their father. The state recently lost an appeal of the near-$100 million settlement. Former 28th District Senator Steve O’Ban held a legislative hearing in the aftermath of the tragedy, but DSHS officials left before answering questions by the Senate panel.
“It is clear that DSHS too often shirks their responsibility and is completely unaccountable to the people who pay their salaries and depend on them to do their jobs,” said Espinoza.
“My opponent, Senator Nobles is no different. She can talk all she wants about standing up for women and children, but it rings completely hollow when the facts show she is complicit in the release of hundreds of sexually violent criminals into our communities. She can start to take accountability by calling for the termination of Secretary Meneses and request a special session,” concluded Espinoza.
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