This is a special edition of The Impact taped on-location at the Washington Digital Government Summit in Tacoma, organized by GovTech magazine. The episode features a panel discussion with state, city, and county-level technology leaders answering questions about the use of artificial intelligence in government decision making, workforce displacement, and oversight. The panel also explored the privacy implications of smart infrastructure— such as vehicle-tracking sensors— and efforts to promote digital equity in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Panelists: 

• Jake Hammock, Seattle Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
• Bill Kehoe, WaTech Director and Washington State Chief Information Officer (CIO)
• Stephen Heard, interim Chief Information Officer for King County Information Technology

From wolf conflicts to owl culls — inside Washington’s toughest wildlife decisions. Guest: Julia Smith, WDFW's endangered species recovery manager

Political writers wade into early returns from the fall election, and what that says for the direction of the legislature next year.   "We had a record package of tax increases in the legislature this year. The majority Democrats paid no price at the ballot box," said Paul Queary,  Washington Observer. 
"I would look for this session for folks who have been hiding things in their back pocket that they didn't use to try to balance the budget last time,” said Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard.We also cover the automatic voter registration system error discovered in two counties.Then, we look at why Instagram and Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is in a showdown with the state  over Washington’s campaign ad laws.

A new study points to major PNW earthquakes potentially triggering California earthquakes and vice-versa. DNR earthquakes expert Alex Steely breaks down the potential link between the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the San Andreas fault.Later, we cover "sonic boom" earthquakes, the Seattle fault nightmare scenario, and why so many Washington buildings are vulnerable to shaking.  

•  Guest: Alex Steely, Assistant Director of Geologic Hazards and Mapping at the Washington Department of Natural Resources

Other topics:

• A constitutional amendment on the ballot would allow the state's long-term care program funding to be invested in stocks.
• Good news and bad news about traffic after a spate of big truck bridge collisions.

Exploring political violence and the decline of civil discourse. Q&A with Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck about his work on developing strategies to promote healthy debate in society.

Historic surface water restrictions hit the Yakima Basin as a monumental water rights lawsuit gets underway in Whatcom County. Department of Ecology Water Resources Program lead, Ria Berns talks through the rationale and what to expect. Then hear what local stakeholders, are saying about the adjudication.

Is your town ready for a ransomware attack? State Auditor Pat McCarthy and SAO cybersecurity lead Scott Ford weigh in on the job of promoting government accountability with IT safeguards and spotting mismanaged tax dollars.

For island residents, commuters, and students — there's a lot riding on reliable ferry service. Deputy Secretary Steve Nevey addresses current problems, the timeline for new vessels, and fall schedule changes that may restructure service on your route.

Electric vehicle subsidies end this month. Will the policy shift in Washington D.C. derail WA state's electrification plans? One of the architects of Washington's clean transportation strategy joins us for an extended 1-on-1 discussion.  Guest: Steven Hershkowitz, Managing Director of the Clean Transportation Unit at the Washington State Department of Commerce.

The second half of an education discussion with Marguerite Roza (Georgetown Univ. Edunomics Lab) and Larry Delaney (Washington Education Association) covers special education funding changes and the new federal tax-credit scholarship program which could boost private school enrollment.