Residents of the 18th Legislative District are invited to town hall meetings this coming Saturday, just ahead of the 2023 legislative session.

Locations and times are:

• Battle Ground: 10-11:30 a.m., City Hall, 109 SW 1st St.
• Vancouver: 12:30-2 p.m., Three Creeks Community Library, 800-C NE Tenney Road

Sen. Ann Rivers will be joined by Rep.-elect Stephanie McClintock and Rep.-elect Greg Cheney. The Jan. 7 meetings will be the first town halls held in the 18th District since new district boundaries took effect midway through 2022, shifting the 18th more toward the center of Clark County.

The boundaries for all 49 legislative districts and 10 congressional districts in Washington were redrawn by a non-partisan, voter-created commission, using results of the 2020 U.S. Census, and were adopted during the 2022 legislative session.

“Town halls are a traditional way to get acquainted and hear directly from the people,” said Rivers, R-La Center, “and now is a great time to meet, with our annual session beginning Monday. I’m especially looking forward to gathering in person again, instead of remotely.

“Public safety and the cost of living are concerns for many in our district, and parents of school-age children are also wondering how the state is going to deal with the learning loss resulting from school closures,” Rivers added. “It’ll be very helpful to listen about those issues and more just before heading to the Capitol.”