Washington in Focus

(The Center Square) – More than 500 Christians gathered outside Seattle City Hall Tuesday evening to protest what they say are the anti-faith policies of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and the Seattle City Council, just days after 23 people were arrested when counter-protesters interrupted a rally Saturday focused on protecting children from transgender ideologies. All of the arrests on Saturday were among counter protesters who also injured Seattle Police. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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(The Center Square) – As Congress contemplates repealing California’s ability to impose stricter emission standards than the federal Clean Air Act, which is currently also implemented in Washington state, the trucking industry continues to receive criticism for not cooperating with its implementation. Meanwhile the trucking industry continues to reiterate its stance that the regulations are not based in the realities of existing technology. 

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(The Center Square) – More than 500 Christians gathered outside Seattle City Hall Tuesday evening to protest what they say are the anti-faith policies of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and the Seattle City Council, just days after 23 people were arrested when counter-protesters interrupted a rally Saturday focused on protecting children from transgender ideologies. All of the arrests on Saturday were among counter protesters who also injured Seattle Police. 

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Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_c172babb-f003-479d-82e2-6e269033211d.html

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(The Center Square) – Around 20 officers short, Spokane Valley needs more funding to expand its police force, but the city might have shot itself in the foot with its immigration policy. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 2015 on Monday, delivering on a day-one promise to put $100 million behind police recruiting during his first year in office. The law creates a .01% local sales tax that voters can approve in addition to two other existing public safety taxes. 

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(The Center Square) – Gov. Bob Ferguson repeatedly said he would look for budget savings and efficiencies before agreeing to raise taxes on Washingtonians, but on Tuesday – the deadline for doing so – he signed Washington state’s nearly $78 billion, two-year operating budget into law that raises taxes by more than $9 billion over the next four years. The operating budget includes several tax increases, including a new business and occupation gross tax on storage units. The budget also includes increases to the state's two primary business and occupation tax rates on gross proceeds, an increase in the tax rate for service businesses with annual taxable revenue exceeding $5 million, and a broadened capital gains tax. There’s also a tax on the sale of electric vehicle credits, dubbed the “Tesla tax.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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(The Center Square) - For years, Washington state’s public pension system has been considered one of the best funded in the nation. However, one critic of a new bill passed by the state Legislature warns that it could undermine the system’s solvency in the long term and at the expense of taxpayers. One of the key factors in actual assumptions is determining the assumed rate of return on investments that fund the system, which in turn determines how much the state Legislature must contribute. 

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(The Center Square) – Gov. Bob Ferguson repeatedly said he would look for budget savings and efficiencies before agreeing to raise taxes on Washingtonians, but on Tuesday – the deadline for doing so – he signed Washington state’s nearly $78 billion, two-year operating budget into law that raises taxes by more than $9 billion over the next four years.The operating budget includes several tax increases, including a new business and occupation gross tax on storage units. 

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Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_c04a88ac-3e34-4db7-b53a-aeb831843ba3.html

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(The Center Square) – Housing market experts say rent control is a factor in Seattle having one of the biggest cost gaps between renting and buying. According to a recent study from Bankrate, the Seattle metro area has a buy-rent gap of 119.5%, behind only San Jose (185.6%) and San Francisco (190.7%), two other tech hubs. Sean Flynn, executive director at the Rental Housing Association of Washington, says the tech sector brought more high-wage jobs into Seattle, which drives up the price of homes and mortgages. 

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(The Center Square) – A Washington state labor board is investigating a complaint filed by an employee with the city of Everett regarding dues paid to the local union after that employee attempted to opt out. While the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, representing the employee, claims the incident highlights ongoing problems with the process by which public workers can opt out of paying union dues, the local union and the city of Everett argue it was an administrative mistake that has since been resolved. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in its Janus decision that forcing public sector employees to pay dues to the union represented a violation of their First Amendment rights. In response, states such as Washington enacted new laws regarding the process by which public workers can opt out. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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(The Center Square) - Spokane County is preparing to establish a regional task force over the coming weeks to develop a tax proposal to fund a new jail after the last push fell short in 2023. The Board of County Commissioners and the Spokane Valley City Council both discussed the initiative during separate meetings on Tuesday. Commissioner Chris Jordan said the city of Spokane may bring it to a vote in the next few weeks, highlighting the regional collaboration. 

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