Making sense of Washington state’s multi-billion-dollar budget hole
OLYMPIA (The Washington Standard)—Washington state’s budget is, to put it nicely, in a world of hurt. There’s a big gap between what the state is collecting in taxes and what it needs to pay for its commitments in education, human services, health care, corrections and other day-to-day government operations. On paper, the chasm is billions […]
Here are the pros and cons for each statewide initiative
Ballots for the November 5 General Election have already hit mailboxes throughout Snohomish County and the polls are now open for early voting in Washington. Those who have started the early voting process may have noticed a set of ballot initiatives in their Voters’ Pamphlet. The Lynnwood Times broke down the pro and con arguments […]
WSDOT awards Port of Everett a $4.3 million CCA grant to electrify South Terminal
EVERETT—The Port of Everett was one of 11 recipients awarded a capital grant, funded with Climate Commitment Act (CCA) funds, by the Washington Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) Port Electrification Program. The Port of Everett was awarded the $4.3 million competitive grant in August to be used to help fund a $5.8 million project to construct […]
Voters will see budget effects of initiatives on Washington ballots
OLYMPIA—Legal wrangling ended in the state’s high court August 9 over the four initiatives that Washington voters will decide this November. Washington’s Supreme Court ruled that information about how three of them could affect the state budget will appear alongside the measures on the ballot. In a two-page ruling, justices affirmed a lower court’s decision […]
WA Democratic Party pushing to keep Robert Kennedy Jr off ballot
The state Democratic Party wants presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr) kept off the ballot in Washington this November. It contends the 4,181 signatures submitted by We the People in support of Kennedy’s nomination were not collected at a party convention as required by state law, making him ineligible to be one of voters’ choices. Kennedy’s […]
Something is rotten in the State of Denmark/Washington
THE SETUP – Undisclosed Hearings to invalidate the Initiatives Friday afternoon I received an urgent phone call informing me that, “The Washington State Supreme Court is deciding a case in two hours on the Let’s Go Washington initiatives.” The case has been in motion since January 2024. We have received not one word nor one […]
State Supreme Court rejects latest attempt to throw out initiatives
OLYMPIA—Washington State Supreme Court justices unanimously rejected two cases on Friday, August 9, by progressive groups—Defend Washington and Washington Conservation Action Education Fund—against Secretary of State Steve Hobbs that aimed to invalidate all seven citizen-initiated initiatives of which three were passed by the legislature into law earlier this year in March, and four to be […]
Hundreds of thousands of households eligible for $200 credit on electric bills
OLYMPIA—State officials rolled out a program on Monday, July 29, providing a one-time $200 credit on electric bills for up to 675,000 low- and moderate-income households in Washington. Funded with proceeds from the state’s auction of pollution credits, it’s the most visible investment yet from the Climate Commitment Act, a 2021 law that critics say is driving […]
Complaints by progressive groups against Let’s Go Washington won’t be sent to AG’s office
OLYMPIA—The state Public Disclosure Commission decided Thursday, July 25, to retain jurisdiction on a complaint alleging Let’s Go Washington and its founder Brian Heywood violated campaign finance laws in the course of gathering signatures for six initiatives last year. An alliance of progressive groups, which filed the complaint a year ago and is now opposing three of […]
State Supreme Court rules school funding is shared responsibility of state and local jurisdictions
OLYMPIA, Wash., September 9, 2023—The Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday, September 7, the state is not required to fully cover school construction costs, dealing a blow to districts unable to raise the local tax dollars they need for new buildings and other facility upgrades. In its unanimous decision, the court said Washington’s constitutional mandate for […]
