Paul Queary, a veteran AP reporter and editor, is founder of The Washington Observer, an independent newsletter on politics, government and the influence thereof in Washington State.
There have been plans to knock down the press houses for at least 20 years. One of the reasons it didn’t happen in the 2000s was the opposition of David Postman,⁵ who then presided over a three-person statehouse bureau for The Seattle Times in the Blue House’s best space, with a view of the capitol and the fountain.
For opponents, the bill represented the thin end of the wedge of “real” rent control, something that could usher in decades of stagnant rents, tenants who never leave, depressed property values, and a system that would scare away investors in new housing projects.
Because we’re fans of both transparency and of getting to the bottom of things, we were happy to see this pop up at the Public Disclosure Commission a few days after the story ran, in which Clean Fuel Washington reveals that it is neither particularly Washington nor particularly clean.
Maverick Gaming, the largest non-tribal gambling operator in Washington State, quietly dropped an additional $1 million into its political action committee recently, likely in preparation for a signature drive to put a sports gambling initiative on the ballot in November.
A relative handful of whales, some of whom you’ve heard of, will likely pay the lion’s share. For those high rollers, SB 5096 could carry a seven-figure price tag.
Understanding Democrats who voted against a stricter clean fuels standard, and an alternative to Carlyle’s cap-and-trade plan gets a hearing in his committee
Opponents of the bill had the usual allies, but they also had opponents in the Democratic camp, fearful of crossing unions. Another factor was Covid, which slowed negotiations, so opponents were able to run out the clock.
Proponents of ranked-choice voting argue that it drives greater voter turnout and better enfranchises traditionally marginalized groups. It also theoretically encourages a more congenial style of campaigning, because candidates would want their opponents’ supporters to like them well enough to rank them next.
A tech-savvy progressive firebrand, Nguyen, 37, came from basically nowhere to beat Constantine’s chosen candidate in the 2018 race for Constantine's old seat in the state Senate.
Cracks have started appearing in Inslee's ambitious proposals. To bond or not to bond? Fuels tax or cap-and-trade? Old bargains or the new imperative of environmental justice?