Soneya Lund | $2 Million of Blackmail & Bribery in Yakima
The blackmail messages unearthed by the Rain Shadow Report are quite possibly the Rosetta Stone of corruption in Yakima. The messages are between Travis Deccio (Mayor Janice Deccio's husband) and a current city councilwoman up for election, Soneya Lund.
The messages not only revealed the hand of the Deccios in blackmailing former Republican Mayor Patricia Byers, but also a massive money trail connecting Soneya Lund to state funding for LGBTQ youth shelters and the enactment of SB 5599 in Yakima.
Soneya Lund's Side of the Blackmail Messages
In the blackmail messages, Lund makes several claims, including that she specifically needs a woman named Lisa Wallace to win in District 6.
Wallace and Lund go back a ways, both having worked for a nonprofit called Rod's House. Wallace claims to have a long history with the organization, even serving as their interim executive director from October 2020 to February 2021. In that timeframe, Lund was the executive board's vice-president and president.
Wallace and Lund are also part of the City of Yakima Planning Commission, which focuses on land management and development. They are an ideal duo for pushing projects through the City.
Lisa Wallace has a long history with Rod's House, serving as their interim executive director from October 2020 to February 2021. Soneya Lund also served as the vice-president (June 2019-20) and president of Rod's House (June 2020-21). Lund and Wallace both serve on the City of Yakima Planning Commission. Matt Brown and Patricia Byers are both key leaders of the Yakima Foursquare Church.
At the time of the blackmail messages, Wallace was running against Matt Brown (current councilman of District 6 and chair of the local Republican Party).
Brown is a prominent pastor of the Yakima Foursquare Church, alongside Patricia Byers (the former Republican Mayor for whom the blackmail was intended). A large part of Brown's campaign was centered on holding the City fiscally accountable, particularly over the amount of money being spent on homelessness with rather fruitless results.
Money Drives Motive | Some More Evidence
Lund's blackmail could be dismissed as hearsay if there wasn't a money trail worth a couple million dollars behind it.
The Deccio-Lund messages happened in February 2021 and were entered into public record in March. That summer in July, former councilman Jason White posted a recorded phone call between himself and Lund.
Recording from Jason White's Facebook page of a phone call between him and councilwoman Soneya Lund in April of 2020.
At the time of the call, Jason White had just been censured by the City Council for calling the leader of Yakima Pride "an idiot" on Facebook. The censure had been spearheaded by Lund and another councilwoman, Holly Cousens.
The original Facebook post of Jason White calling Cristina Ortega, President of Yakima Pride, an "idiot." The subsequent Yakima City Council minutes showing Soneya Lund & Holly Cousens spearheading the censure of Jason White.
Lund confesses in the call that she voted to censure Jason White in order to protect $2.5 million worth of funding for youth homelessness.
"I did support [the censure], you know why? Because I got a phone call from A Way Home Washington who was about to write the City a check for $2.5 million for youth and young adult homelessness, and they were wanting to pull it!"
-Soneya Lund, City Councilwoman District 5
White alleged in his post that the funds were going towards a local nonprofit that Soneya Lund was connected to – which would have been Rod's House.
One Crackima did a little research to investigate White's claim, and to see if there was actually a couple million dollars invested in this situation.
What is Rod's House?
Rod's House is a nonprofit drop-in shelter for homeless youth, serving ages 13-24. It only operates from 12-4 p.m. on weekdays. They provide meals, resources, and a network of temporary host homes.
Rod's House is heavily aligned with the LGBTQ agenda – the rainbow flag is out front all year round, and they have a regular presence at Yakima Pride events.
Interestingly, there are no official shelters for unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 in Yakima, so Rod's House has been working to create a permanent shelter for this need. That's where the money comes in.
Rod's House & A Way Home Washington
Lund's phone call mentions $2.5 million from A Way Home Washington, which she was worried would get pulled because of Jason White's anti-LGBTQ remarks.
A Way Home Washington is considered a public-private intermediary; they're a nonprofit that works to funnel money down from state level departments like the Office of Homeless Youth directly to local Anchor Communities like Rod's House.
Interestingly, Catholic Charities Serving Central Washington is also on the Anchor Communities list, and Janice Deccio has worked there for almost 9 years – providing yet another motive for Lund wanting her in office.
A Way Home Washington's "about" page and one of their Facebook posts - both help describe the flow of money. A list of Yakima organizations in the Anchor Communities Initiative (part of A Way Home Washington) that receive funding from the state Office of Homeless Youth. Janice Deccio's LinkedIn page showing she works for Catholic Charities Serving Central Washington.
A Way Home Washington focuses primarily on LGBTQ and racial minority youth experiencing homelessness, a demographic they admit is considered high-risk for human trafficking.
It's very important to realize that A Way Home Washington is co-chaired by Trudi Inslee (Governor Inslee's wife). Similarly, Rod's House has been visited by Gov. Inslee and Trudi, and upcoming state figures like Doug White.
Rod's House is an Inslee Administration foothold in Yakima.
A Way Home Washington talking about Trudi Inslee as their co-chair. An Instagram post of Gov. Inslee and Trudi visiting Rod's House in July 2022. A Facebook post showing Doug White also visited Rod's House in June 2022 - Soneya Lund commented on his visit. Rod's House reposted an article from A Way Home Washington discussing that homeless youth are more vulnerable to trafficking.
Rod's House Actually Received Millions of State Dollars
In February 2020, Lund and a group from Rod's House went to Olympia and spoke with legislators. In March 2020 – the month before Jason White was censured – Rep. Jeremie Dufault (R) with House Speaker Frank Chopp (D) ACTUALLY secured about $2 million in the state budget for Rod's House.
The goal of the $2 million? A permanent youth shelter.
Soneya Lund and a group from Rod's House met with representatives in Olympia, February 2020. Shortly after, both Jeremie Dufault and local news reported that $2 million was being allotted from the state budget for Rod's House, contingent on city approval. Dufault mentions working with Frank Chopp, one of A Way Home Washington's key Democratic leaders. A clip from Rod's House about their new shelter requesting that questions be directed to the City Planning Commission. Soneya Lund's Facebook post on ground-breaking event for the new permanent shelter.
The funding was contingent on approval by the Yakima City Council, and would necessitate help from the Yakima City Planning Commission – boards Lund and Wallace are both on.
It took over three years of City clearance and planning, but Soneya Lund finally posted a picture of the ground-breaking ceremony for the new permanent shelter, which will be at 1017 East Chestnut Ave.
Why is a Youth Shelter a Problem?
It's not. One Crackima is totally fine with the formation of a permanent youth shelter. In fact, we think homelessness is a burden the Church should be continuing to remove from the state.
SB 5599 | State-Sanctioned Kidnapping via Rod's House
Senate Bill 5599 passed in Washington state this year. This was in the context of "protected health services" which includes abortion and gender-affirming care.
If a youth is homeless, runs away, or is perhaps diverted by a "concerned counsellor," parental notification is no longer required by law.
If there are compelling reasons to not notify the parents, the shelter or organization is to contact the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) instead. Compelling reasons include, but are not limited to circumstances that indicate notifying the parent or legal guardian will subject the minor to abuse or neglect.
– SB 5599 Final Bill Report
"Abuse or neglect" now includes not supporting your child's decision to get an abortion, or not supporting your child's engagement in gender-affirming care (aka genital mutilation and hormonal poisoning).
But enacting SB 5599 on a tangible level would require willing "host homes" and "youth shelters" that are aligned with the LGBTQ agenda. Rod's House already has a network of host homes, and Soneya Lund has seen to it that a permanent youth shelter is built.
Don't Vote for Soneya Lund!
Soneya Lund is entrenched in the homelessness and LGBTQ agendas in Yakima. At the very least, Lund conspired to blackmail former Mayor Byers (she may have actually done it). She confessed to bribery and helped publicly destroy the reputation of city councilman Jason White. She protected millions of dollars that built an institution that can now be used to kidnap children.
