August 26, 2026 10:06 am

The premier news source for Snohomish County

Ferguson signs new income tax bill, lawsuit and referendum challenges begin

income tax

OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 6346 into law March 30, enacting a 9.9% income tax on annual income above $1 million as the Citizen Action Defense Fund announced a legal challenge and Let’s Go Washington also announcing it is launching a referendum to repeal the measure. The bill passed the full Senate […]

As Washington gets an income tax, the fight to overturn it begins

income tax

[OLYMPIA | JERRY CORNFIELD]—Come Monday, Washington is expected to have a state income tax on the books for the first time in nearly a century. Then what? A legal challenge certainly, maybe two. A ballot battle as well, its timing less certain. Opponents of the much-debated 9.9% tax on households with incomes above $1 million a […]

Bill critics dubbed the ‘initiative killer’ appears dead for 2026 session

Brian Heywood

OLYMPIA [The Center Square] — The initiative killer bill appears to be dead in Olympia, at least for this session. SB 5973 – sponsored by Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, cleared out of the Senate State Government Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee last month, but on Tuesday, Sen. Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, said the bill was not expected to […]

Republicans are in panic mode as initiative deadline approaches

initiatives

The deadline to turn in three statewide initiatives is January 2, 2026, has left Republican organizers and officials scrambling to get the word out to residents to turn in signature sheets “NOW! Don’t wait! Get them in ASAP!” Let’s Go Washington, the primary sponsor for initiatives’ IL26-001, aimed at strengthening communication between parents and schools, […]

Signature gatherers for two new initiatives facing harassment and violence

Signature gatherers

Signature collection efforts by Let’s Go Washington (LGW) are being met by reports of resistance in the forms of alleged verbal harassment, physical violence, and tampering—and they are only into their first week! LGW is collecting signatures for two initiatives: IL26-001 – Strengthening communication between parents and schools; and IL26-638 – Protecting fairness in girls’ […]

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