Building a stronger, more just & transparent democracy
Building a stronger, more just & transparent democracy
He is 81 years old, a long-time Democrat and a 24-year veteran of the state Legislature. But this year is the last one in which Sen. Sam Hunt will wield a gavel. “It's time to step aside and, and let some younger folks come in,” Hunt said. “I would like to have a January morning where I could sleep in.” Hunt, who lives in Olympia, started in politics when he was just 12 years old, sticking campaign signs in yards around Yakima for former Gov. Albert Rosellini....
Washington's ferry system is in jeopardy. It is struggling to meet the demands of its routes, and officials say it may be three to four years before any new ferry can go into service. Currently, 19 ferries serve the island communities of Washington, but the state needs 26 boats to fully fill the sailing schedule. While some are blaming a switch to electric boats for the delay in getting new vessels built, the problems go back nearly 25 years. In 1999, voters approved...
An initiative prohibiting imposition of a state income tax was approved March 5 by the state Legislature. "This is a great day for everyone in Washington," said Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, Walsh. "Codifying Washington's long-standing tradition of opposing any state tax on personal income will help working families and local economies...When common-sense conservative policies lead the way, things get better for everyone." At the hearing on the initiative, every chair in the...
Washington State is recognized for its effective voting processes, but officials say too many ballots are rejected because signatures don't match. "I think we can do a lot better in Washington State," Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall said. "Updating how our offices reach out to voters is a simple step to ensuring both integrity and voter access." Signature verification is done to prove the mailed ballot was filled out by the person it was sent to, but too often, people...
On the second level of the white and gray marbled Capitol building stands the Governor's office, guarded by a State Patrol trooper stationed outside. On the interior walls are portraits and paintings showcasing past Washington Governors. In the heart of the conference room stands a grand dark wood table surrounded by twelve bulky wood and brown leather chairs, and the one at the head of the table, where Jay Inslee sits, has leather detailing of Washington's State seal at the...
Three citizen-led initiatives will receive hearings in this session of the Legislature, said Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane, and Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma. The Legislature will debate I-2113 on reasonable police pursuit, I-2081 on restoring parent’s “right to know,” and I-2111, on prohibiting a state income tax. “Washington voters will hear a lot between now and November on any initiatives that end up on the ballot,” Billig and Jinkins said in a press release. “It will be up to...
A sea of red, white and blue covered the Capitol steps as hundreds of Washingtonians proudly waved American flags and demanded hearings on six initiatives that would roll back taxes, give parents more rights and police more authority. The initiatives funded by the political action group Let's Go Washington all received the requisite number of signatures to be approved for consideration but have yet to receive a hearing from the Legislature. In all, 2.6 million citizens signed...
In the mainly white, buttoned down, business suit environment that is the Washington State Legislature, Sen. Rebecca Saldaña stands out. The Seattle Democrat swapped heels for cowboy boots, has Chicana roots, wears brightly colored traditional rebozos and recently lost her hair to chemotherapy. "It's about making sure that whatever makes you feel powerful that you want to wear without feeling that you are putting yourself in an unsafe situation," she said. Saldaña has held...
Money to expand and upgrade the state’s ferry fleet will be included in this year’s supplemental budget, but lawmakers warn funding could go away if voters choose to repeal the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). “If the CCA is repealed, it will have a devastating impact on transportation funding. About one third of our Move Ahead package was funded by CCA,” said Sen. Marko Liias, D- Everett. Move Ahead Washington is a transportation plan adopted in 2022 that invests $17 billion over 16 years in projects statewide. “If...
A proposal to make voting mandatory drew criticisms from two thousand people in a Legislative hearing Jan. 25. "We are already in a moment of extreme distrust in elections, so you should not be doing anything to further that perception," said Sharon Damoff. Lawmakers mainly dismissed the large number of people signing on to testify, as they believe one organization was responsible. "The election deniers have ramped up this year," Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, said. "Conservative...
Washingtonians may lose their cherished ultra-late-night sunsets in the summer if Washington state opts for permanent Pacific Standard Time (PST). "If Congress had acted, we would not be here with this bill," remarked Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley. The U.S. Senate, in March 2022, passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 that would have made daylight saving permanent, but it has not been approved by the House. The measure now under consideration in the Legislation would...
Low turnouts for local elections are leading some to advocate for moving those contests to even numbered years alongside national races. "Young people are part of the communities that are being left behind," said Rep. Darya Farivar, D-Seattle. She is a co-sponsor of a bill in this year's legislative session to move elections to even-numbered years. She is also the youngest legislator in Washington and said this issue is very personal to her. "This issue is about making sure...
Defending his record and pressing for more action, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee urged a joint session of the Legislature to stay on a path that protects a woman's right to choose, improves public safety, reduces pollution, and curbs homelessness. Referencing his father's days of coaching track, Inslee declared to his audience that in this last term he has no plans to let up by "running through the tape." Inslee made his remarks in his annual State of the State address at the...
Sen. John Lovick describes himself as a Black man with brown skin who wore a blue uniform for a combined 37 years as a former state trooper and Snohomish County Sheriff. "Not everybody understands that I've been on both sides of the badge. And I've been at both ends of the barrel," Lovick, a Democrat from Mill Creek, said. "And I let people know that I'm Black, I'm brown, and I'm blue." Lovick spent 31 years as a Washington State Trooper, served nine years in the House of...
Washington remains 51st in the nation for police officers per capita, and one answer to that problem might be allowing officers to work part-time. SB 5424, sponsored by Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, awaits the governor's signature. "The idea behind these flexible work schedules is...intended to increase the diversity in Washington law enforcement," Lovick said. "To increase the presence of female officers and to retain senior officers who have a lot of value to provide but...
When a student at Seattle's Ingraham High School was shot and killed two years ago, an investigation revealed the gun used in the crime was stolen. Now, advocates from that community are speaking out and asking that more be done to curb the use of stolen firearms. "It was not safely stored, and its theft was reported three weeks late by the owner," said Carol Butterfield, former Parent Teacher Association President for Ingraham High School." Butterfield said authorities...
Undocumented individuals are now a small step away from pursuing careers in nursing, dentistry, architecture, psychology, and much more under a bill now waiting for the governor's signature. Careers like these monitored by the Department of Licensing were previously denied on the basis of citizenship status. HB1889 allows undocumented individuals to apply for these licenses using their Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, in place of a Social Security Number. The bill...
The debate over how Washington reduces greenhouse gasses is headed for a showdown in November. To supporters, The Climate Commitment Act (CCA) is a "gold standard" environmental policy, because it sets carbon limits on polluters who must pay if they don't meet emission goals. To critics, the program is failing because it isn't really reducing emissions, is pushing up the cost of gasoline and much of the $1.8 billion it has generated isn't going to projects that reduce...
Washington cities could soon be required to block off zones near public transit for multifamily housing, if new regulations are approved by the state Legislature. Some regulation is necessary, backers say, if cities want to provide affordable housing and make it easy for people to get to work. "I ran for office because of the enormous challenges that people of my generation, people in their 30s and 40s, face in finding a home in this state," Rep. Julia Reed, D-Seattle, said....
On the last Monday morning of the 2024 legislative session, Washington State Sen. Lisa Wellman's office brimmed with sunlight, an early peek at spring, as she sipped tea from a white mug. Her office is full of her macro photography. As a creative outlet, Wellman likes to go to junkyards and photograph bolts and screws that have rusted. On her website she calls this: nature's revenge of rust. It is a hobby inspired by her career in technology and an embrace of creativity. "I...
The "Parent's right to know," a citizen-led initiative regarding parental authority over kids in public schools, will become law in June. While the measure won wide bipartisan support, some legislators say they are keeping a close eye on the way it is implemented. Sen. Jamie Pederson, D-Seattle, who ended up voting in favor for the initiative, said he has some concerns its passage will have on student access to things like birth control or mental health services. He said he...
By Aspen Anderson Washington State Journal As the prevalence of fentanyl rises, so too does the frequency of critical incidents related to parental substance abuse among foster children, often resulting in fatalities or near-fatalities. This alarming trend spurred foster mothers from across the state to gather and protest on the steps of the capitol. They say a recently adopted state law makes it harder to remove children from homes for the evidence of substance abuse alone,...
When she treated an out-of-state patient from Idaho with pulmonary hypertension. Dr. Jennifer Chin of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) knew her pregnant patient was at risk if she carried the pregnancy to term. She believes her patient could have died without the care she received in Washington. But increasingly, Chin said, she sees doctors becoming hesitant to give abortion care because of the threat it poses to their safety. To protect doctors,...
Washington currently has the fewest adult entertainment establishments per capita in the country. The reason? They are not allowed to serve alcohol. But if a bill in the state Legislature wins approval, Washington could soon join the rest of the country in allowing alcohol sales in strip clubs. Adult dancers say if this change is approved, workplace security should be required. "Washington State has had a war on strip clubs for a long time, and that is the reason why we have...
All counties are required to install "Albert Systems," a technology that notifies counties when there is an attempted cybersecurity attack, under a bill Secretary of State Steve Hobbs endorsed. Even though ballot counting machines are not connected to the internet, election data is oftentimes circulated on internet communication channels. Technology like the Albert System can help protect the security of county records by monitoring any attempt to manipulate, intercept, or...
As budget negotiations begin in the state Legislature, calls for action on affordable housing and rent caps from the annual Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day are expected to ring in the ears of lawmakers. Hundreds of unhoused individuals, members of non-profit organizations and advocacy groups gathered late last month to urge lawmakers to do something about the high cost of housing. Cheyonna Lewis, a single mother of three, sat on the steps of the Capitol with her...
Hundreds of organizers sporting green, red, and keffiyeh scarves gathered on the capitol steps to read poetry, sing traditional Palestinian songs and call for a cease fire in the Israel/Palestinian conflict. The Washington Coalition for Peace and Justice was the prime organizer of the event, but 37 other organizations showed support. The groups came to ask lawmakers to call for a ceasefire, an effort that has already been pushed across the world, country and state. "We know...
Facing health and safety hazards and experiencing overcrowding, in May 2023 the original Irving R. Newhouse Building on the capitol campus in Olympia was entirely demolished and construction of a new building began. Amidst rumors of a potential renaming, Rep. Bryan Sandlin, R-Zillah, representing the 15th District just like the building's namesake, introduced HCR 4405 to preserve the original name. "We can take a page out of his career, each and every one of us to be a...
Nineteenth Legislative District state Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, has prefiled legislation he says will help overhaul the state's Sunshine Committee and streamline public disclosure requests. In a news release Friday, Wilson said Senate Bill 5779 would combat the rising number of exemptions to the state's public records law, though the bill does not address longstanding questions around legislative privilege. If passed, the bill would require the Sunshine Committee to...
On a postcard-perfect Saturday morning on Lake Whatcom, program director and coach Courtney Moeller is idling the Whatcom Rowing Association's launch boat as four rowing shells - two four-seats, two eights - await her instruction. The water is flat and winds calm, boats basking in rare mid-November sunshine. Through her old-school megaphone, Moeller calls out the next set, a 60-second effort. Twenty-four rowers, oar blades flat on water to balance the precariously slim...
LEAVENWORTH - Visitors from around the globe converge upon Leavenworth each year to take the sights, sounds, taste and smells that the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm offers, including the unique experience of being able to get up close and personal with a herd of friendly reindeer. The farm features Belgian draft horses, chickens, turkeys, ponies and pigs as well as a gift shop in a barn built in 1907. The concession stand serves hot cocoa and cider as well as Alaskan reindeer...
Using locally sourced materials, multimedia artist Connie Ford combines traditional and unusual fibers to weave unique artworks in her Battle Ground studio. Ford seeks to stretch the boundaries of fiber weaving by collaborating with other local artists and combining their artistic mediums. Ford was inspired to pursue basket weaving while viewing a Native American art exhibit showcased at Elma Elementary, where she was the principal. The beautiful woven baskets on display...
