PubliCalendar: A Parks Vote, a Collection for Kids, and Fighting Crime

Vote. Vote. VOTE!
At the statehouse level, the 11th, 34th, 36th, 37th, 43rd, and 46th legislative districts have candidates on the ballot; here's a full list of candidates in those races (including socialist Jess Spear vs. Democrat Frank Chopp, D-43, who has served 10 terms, and a crowd of Democrats down in Southeast Seattle's 37th, where former OneAmerica director Pramila Jayapal is heavily favored to win).
For Tuesday
Night Out Against Crime
Thirty years have passed since Seattle first participated in national Night Out festivities, and this year the event coincides with mayor Ed Murray's recent release of his citywide public safety plan (and his appointment, in May, of new police chief Kathleen O'Toole).
Night Out's purpose is to strengthen community bonds by bringing neighbors together at events in their communities. Blocks can band together to host events, with most areas eligible to block off the road for a block party-style evening at no cost.
Check out the event map to see the nearest location to meet neighbors you didn't know you had, or register your own.
Night Out Against Crime, Tue, August 5, multiple locations, free.
Give the kids a hand on Wednesday by trekking over to the Ballard Office Max, picking out a couple of good pens, a nice stapler, and maybe a three-ring binder or two, and adding them to the growing collection inside the yellow school bus in the parking lot. Can't be in Ballard on Wednesday? The bus will reappear at the U District Office Depot on Friday.
Too busy to go shopping? Send some dollars to the organization behind this event, Communities In Schools Seattle, online any time.
Who's Your Transit Hero?
While we at PubliCola are certainly interested in the answer to this question, we're not the ones asking. The Transportation Choices Coalition's annual event is coming up on September 11, and this year they're unveiling a new award: the People's Choice Transit Hero.
Have a say in who wins by voting online, and make sure the person or organization who you believe has done the most to improve Seattle's transportation system gets proper recognition.
Send the details to Ezra Parter at [email protected]