State Senator Löki Tobin (D - Anchorage): on racial identity in the capitol

East Anchorage Matters with Rep. Andrew Gray

INTERVIEW:

Alaska State Senator Löki Tobin is a life-long Alaskan who was born in Nome and is named after her dad Charles Lewis Tobin, who goes by the nickname "Lew." In our most recent statewide election, Löki won the senate race to represent downtown Anchorage. That seat had been held by former senate minority leader Tom Begich. Löki had been a staffer for Tom since 2019. Today we discuss what it was like growing up in rural Alaska as what she describes as a "hyper minority."
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE, 23 January 2023:

I had thought that after November’s election, I’d have a break from the crazy schedule of the campaign; but I was wrong. The past couple of months have been overflowing with meetings with all kinds of organizations. Also, the state offered new legislators like me over 40 hours of orientation.
The orientation sessions were in person which gave me the chance to meet some great new lawmakers from all over Alaska. I will be working with some really wonderful new representatives – many of whom I hope to have as guests on this podcast.
This past Wednesday a Republican-led House Majority was formed when Rep. Cathy Tilton from Wasilla was elected as our speaker of the house. Although I myself am in the House minority, many of my new friends are in the majority, and I’m confident that we will find plenty of space for collaboration.
We got our committee assignments late last week, and I will be serving on the house judiciary committee as well as the community and regional affairs committee. My first judiciary committee meeting will be this coming Friday and we will be discussing a couple new pieces of legislation including a proposed spending cap. Tonight, I will be attending Governor Dunleavy’s state of the state address.
As far as particular issues of importance that my office is tracking, the most alarming deals with SNAP benefits. On January 20, the State of Alaska was sued by 10 residents over unacceptable delays in providing SNAP benefits. SNAP is the former Food Stamp program and stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are from Anchorage, Wasilla, Bethel, and Nome. Over 80,000 Alaskans receive SNAP benefits, but many Alaskans are not receiving the benefits they qualify for and are potentially going hungry. The current estimate is that about 8,000 people are not getting the assistance that they absolutely need and qualify for. The reason is that the Alaska Division of Public Assistance is dealing with a backlog of recertification applications due to a staffing shortage. On January 3, the Anchorage Daily News published a story citing anonymous sources that "blame the backlog on chronic understaffing and say deep workforce cuts in 2021 sent the division into chaos." Normally, the Division has 30 days to process recertification applications. Now, according to The Anchorage Daily News, this backlog is resulting in delays of 2 to 4 months. If you or someone you know needs assistance with SNAP benefits, call the Alaska Virtual Contact Center at 1-800-478-7778.