Tech Billionaire Vinod Khosla to Buy Seattle Seahawks in Alleged Record $9.612 Billion NFL Sale
SEATTLE — The estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul G Allen has entered into a formal agreement to sell the Seattle Seahawks to an ownership group led by the Khosla family, with Vinod Khosla positioned to become the team’s controlling owner. The announcement released Saturday, July 11, states that the Khosla family will take control of […]
OFM sounds alarm on 2027-29 budget shortfalls, Ferguson says no new taxes, and how we got here
OLYMPIA — The Office of Financial Management has warned state agencies that Washington faces “significant budget shortfalls” in the 2027-29 biennium, calling it likely the most “most challenging budget any of us has yet faced” and directing a sharp break from routine spending practices. “A ‘business as usual’ approach will not meet the need of […]
Speaker Berg? The brewing battle to be WA’s next House speaker
OLYMPIA [Jerry Cornfield]—The leader of the powerful Washington state House committee that oversees tax policy is mounting a challenge to Speaker Laurie Jinkins for leadership of the majority Democratic caucus. Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek, told Jinkins in a conversation last month that she intends to seek the post when Democratic lawmakers choose caucus leaders […]
Let’s Go Washington launches signature drive to repeal new state income tax
REDMOND—Let’s Go Washington launched a signature-gathering campaign Tuesday, May 12, for initiative IP26-645 to repeal Washington’s newly enacted 9.9% tax on household income above $1 million and place the issue before voters on the November 2026 ballot. The political committee, led by founder Brian Heywood, announced the drive at a press conference as the conservative […]
WA Supreme Court rules “Necessity Clause” shields new income tax law from voter referendum
OLYMPIA [JERRY CORNFIELD & JAKE GOLDSTEN-STREET]—Washington’s Supreme Court on Monday, May 4, denied Let’s Go Washington’s, a conservative political committee, request to pursue an attempt to repeal the state’s new income tax law with a referendum this fall. The opposition can still move forward with an initiative to overturn the tax on millionaire earners. But […]
‘Legal Dream Team’ file lawsuit challenging Washington state income tax
OLYMPIA—The Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF), former Attorney General Rob McKenna, and former Supreme Court Justice and State Senator Phil Talmadge officially filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington, the Department of Revenue and Acting Director John Ryser challenging the newly enacted income tax on Thursday, April 9. The suit filed in Klickitat County […]
Former Democratic Supreme Court Justice Phil Talmadge joins legal fight against new income tax
[The Center Square]—Former Washington State Supreme Court Justice Phil Talmadge, a prominent Democrat, has joined a legal team preparing to challenge the newly-enacted income tax on households making $1 million or more, the Citizens Action Defense Fund (CADF) has announced. Also retained by CADF’s legal team is former State Attorney General Rob McKenna, who was […]
WA Supreme Court fast-tracks Let’s Go Washington referendum fight against new income tax law
OLYMPIA—The Washington State Supreme Court has agreed to review an emergency petition brought by Let’s Go Washington after the political action group was denied a referendum to repeal SB-6346, the income tax bill signed into law by Governor Bob Ferguson on March 30. “At the direction of the Court Commissioner, the emergency motion for accelerated […]
Ferguson signs new income tax bill, lawsuit and referendum challenges begin
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
[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 […]
