Category Archives: In The News

OLYMPIA — Hypothetical scenario: A candidate for county executive loses an election, then claims there’s been fraud in the county’s election office and announces that something needs to be done about it. “And supporters hear that and they decide, ‘Well, ...

By State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, Sam Cho, Port of Seattle Commissioner, and Rich Stolz, Executive Director of OneAmerica For Northwest Asian Weekly Our country is in the midst of a long overdue reckoning with racial injustices and systemic inequality. While ...

A bill sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldaña aims to reduce environmental and health disparities and improve the health of Washington state residents by implementing the recommendations of the environmental justice task force. The HEAL Act, SB 5141, would establish environmental ...

(This article originally appeared on PubliCola and has been reprinted under an agreement.) For the first time in Washington state history, state legislators had a floor vote on a long-proposed capital gains tax. Even more novel: They passed it. On ...

By Tom Banse Washington state senators have teed up a mileage-based tax for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles as the first step toward changing how the state pays for road maintenance and other transportation needs. Policymakers expect gas tax revenue ...

We still have time to act for climate protection. This means supporting renewable energy by all levels of government while taking personal actions too. Don’t believe anyone who tells you the battle is lost. Remember, we need both government incentives ...

by Cara Wietstock The Washington State Task Force on Social Equity in Cannabis has called for the state to prioritize race over location for equity applicants and to let funds reserved for equity applicants go to current licensees who would ...

by Jack Russillo Washington State’s 2021 legislative session kicked off on January 11 and it will go for 105 days, until April 25. Between now and then, State senators and representatives will introduce bills to the legislature, refer them to ...

by Lilly Fowler Ramón Núñez had been making ends meet by driving for Uber. Then COVID-19 cases spiked and, with his wife in treatment for endometrial cancer, the 54-year-old immigrant from Venezuela decided to do what he could to lessen ...

by Jack Russillo During the 2019 legislative session, two state senators from South King County sponsored a bill that aimed to improve environmental justice for all of Washington’s residents, but only some of the policy actually became a reality. This ...