Dave Upthegrove
Encyclopedia
Dave Upthegrove is an American politician
from the state of Washington. He is currently a Democratic
member of the Washington House of Representatives
, representing the 33rd legislative district. His district encompasses part of Burien
, SeaTac
as well as Normandy Park
, Des Moines
and large parts of Kent
.
.
He was first appointed to the legislature in January 2002 and was elected to a two-year term in November 2002. He was re-elected in 2004, 2006 and 2008. His current term ends in January 2011 and he is currently running unopposed for re-election to a fifth full term (ending January 2013).
Upthegrove is chair of the Parks & Ecology Committee and also serves on the Capital Budget and Transportation Committees, as well as the Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and Audit Review. He is a former chair of the Select Committee on Puget Sound
. He has been involved in education policy, sponsoring and passing legislation to improve the teaching of civics and to better meet the needs of recent immigrant students. The Washington Conservation Voters call Upthegrove "a leader on environmental issues and a rising star in the House." Upthegrove has led high-profile environmental initiatives to clean up Puget Sound and to clean up soil at schools and day cares contaminated by a local Asarco
copper smelter. Upthegrove received national attention in 2007 for his efforts to prohibit censorship of high school and college newspapers.
He is one of six openly gay legislators in Washington, alongside Representatives Jim Moeller
(D–Vancouver), Jamie Pedersen
(D–Seattle), Laurie Jinkins
(D–Tacoma) and Marko Liias
(D–Mukilteo
), as well as Senator Ed Murray (D–Seattle).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from the state of Washington. He is currently a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Washington House of Representatives
Washington House of Representatives
The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, the legislature of the U.S. State of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 districts, each of which elects two members. All members of the House are elected to a two-year term without...
, representing the 33rd legislative district. His district encompasses part of Burien
Burien, Washington
Burien is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle. As of the 2010 Census, Burien's population is 33,313, which is a 2.9% increase since incorporation. Annexation in 2011 has increased the cities population to about 45,000....
, SeaTac
SeaTac, Washington
SeaTac is an American city in southern King County, Washington, and an outlying suburb of Seattle, Washington. Incorporated in February 1990, the City of SeaTac is ten square miles in area and has a population of 26,909 according to the 2010 census...
as well as Normandy Park
Normandy Park, Washington
Normandy Park is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,335 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Normandy Park ranks 26th of 522 areas in the state of Washington.-History:...
, Des Moines
Des Moines, Washington
Des Moines is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 29,673 at the 2010 census. Property within the city has been the subject of land buyouts because of noise from aircraft landing or taking off from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport two miles to the north of...
and large parts of Kent
Kent, Washington
Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...
.
Biography
Upthegrove was born and raised in South King County. He attended Lakeside High School before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental conservation from the University of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
.
He was first appointed to the legislature in January 2002 and was elected to a two-year term in November 2002. He was re-elected in 2004, 2006 and 2008. His current term ends in January 2011 and he is currently running unopposed for re-election to a fifth full term (ending January 2013).
Upthegrove is chair of the Parks & Ecology Committee and also serves on the Capital Budget and Transportation Committees, as well as the Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and Audit Review. He is a former chair of the Select Committee on Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
. He has been involved in education policy, sponsoring and passing legislation to improve the teaching of civics and to better meet the needs of recent immigrant students. The Washington Conservation Voters call Upthegrove "a leader on environmental issues and a rising star in the House." Upthegrove has led high-profile environmental initiatives to clean up Puget Sound and to clean up soil at schools and day cares contaminated by a local Asarco
ASARCO
ASARCO LLC is a mining, smelting, and refining company based in Tucson, Arizona that mines and processes primarily copper. The company, a subsidiary of Grupo México, is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy...
copper smelter. Upthegrove received national attention in 2007 for his efforts to prohibit censorship of high school and college newspapers.
He is one of six openly gay legislators in Washington, alongside Representatives Jim Moeller
Jim Moeller
James C. "Jim" Moeller is an American politician and mental health professional from Washington State and a member of the Washington State House of Representatives representing the 49th Legislative District...
(D–Vancouver), Jamie Pedersen
Jamie Pedersen
Jamie Pedersen is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Washington who has served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives since January 2007. During the 2009–10 biennium, he chairs the House Judiciary Committee.A Democrat, he was elected to the House from the reliably...
(D–Seattle), Laurie Jinkins
Laurie Jinkins
Laurie Jinkins is a public health official from Tacoma, Washington who serves as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 27th district...
(D–Tacoma) and Marko Liias
Marko Liias
Marko Liias is an American politician from Washington. He is currently a Democratic member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 21st legislative district...
(D–Mukilteo
Mukilteo, Washington
Mukilteo , which means "good camping ground", is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 20,254 at the 2010 census. It is on the shore of the Puget Sound, and is the site of a Washington State Ferries terminal linking it to Clinton, on Whidbey Island.Mukilteo is...
), as well as Senator Ed Murray (D–Seattle).
Awards
Upthegrove was one of four recipients of the 2009 Fuse "Sizzle" Awards Mother Jones Award. The award honored the lawmakers for their leadership of a coalition of conservation and labor legislators. Mother Jones was a famous turn of the century labor and community organizer; she was denounced on the floor of the US Senate as the "grandmother of all agitators."External links
- Washington State Legislature - Rep. Dave Upthegrove official WA House website
- Re-elect Dave Upthegrove official campaign website
- Project Vote Smart - Representative Dave Upthegrove (WA) profile
- Follow the Money - Dave Upthegrove
- Dave Upthegrove's MySpace page