Speaker of the House, Frank Chopp (D-Seattle), will pay $6,470 after campaign-finance violation rulings handed down. The total includes $1,740 in fines and around $4,370 in attorney fees and other costs. Chopp’s fine is a result of three violations: two instances of delayed donation reports and one instance of a late repayment to a donor who had overpaid.

Senators Steve O’Ban (R-University Place) and Dino Rossi (R-Redmond) are looking for “honesty” from Sound Transit. O’Ban spoke to KING 5, saying he does not want state agencies collecting the “unconstitutional and unfair tax” that ST3 has been charging people for car tabs. The duo has introduced a bill that does not allow the DOL to contract with Sound Transit while they charge car tab fees based off of inflated car values.

SSB 5837 would allow vehicles used for blood donations to drive in the HOV lanes. The bill would also allow vehicles that deliver blood, tissue or blood components to be included in the use of the HOV lanes. However, WSDOT doesn’t want to let this bill to pass without a two -year study. Mariya Frost of the Washington Policy Center says it best, “Transportation policy with an obvious public benefit, and in this case one that could save lives, should not be blocked because WSDOT officials have failed to improve traffic congestion.”

Legislators are back in committees to meet a March 29th cutoff. The deadline is the last day for bills to pass through committees in the opposite house that they were introduced in, not including budget or transportation bills.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is knowingly stomping on small businesses to raise taxes. “When you raise (the soda tax), we know revenue will go down… the initial estimates are that you might start out with $30 million, but we think we will end up with $16 million,” he said. This begs the question of why Murray is pushing so hard for a tax that will harm small businesses when he knows, and has admitted, it will be volatile revenue source for the city. The soda tax is still being considered by the Seattle City Council, but would add two cents to every ounce of sugary drinks that are sold in ready-to-drink containers – not including diet sodas.

A Seattle Renters’ Commission may be established, as a proposal for one has passed through committee and will be considered by the Seattle City Council today. If passed, the commission will be comprised of 15 people: 6 chosen by Mayor Ed Murray, 6 chosen by the Seattle City Council, two appointed by the commission itself and one chosen from a youth engagement program through the YMCA.

State of emergency declared throughout Washington as rainfalls reach new highs. The Puget Sound has received 200-400 percent of the average rainfall for the area. Hopefully the raw sewage dumping from the West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle doesn’t worsen, as Gov. Inslee has declared 28 counties in a state of emergency in response to the weather – including King, where flood warnings have been issued.

West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle is still releasing raw wastewater into the Puget Sound. Plant managers are still trying to fix the damaged center, with no solidified date for repairs to be completed and no way to determine the full extent of damages yet. Councilmember Rod Dembowski has placed blame on “decisions (that) were made in the operation of the plant, either in preparation for the storm or in response to the inflows that… led to this disaster.”

Where are Seattle’s environmental activists? There has yet to be any protest or activism in response to the sewage dump from West Point Treatment Plant. Where did the people who spent so many hours protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline and oil drilling go? Seattle has been a hotspot for protestors for years, but the masses have remained mum in response to the city’s failure to prevent hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage from dumping into Puget Sound. “It’s odd, I have to say, I haven’t heard from any of them, not at all,” said King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles.

Lorenzo Romar fired from the University of Washington Men’s Basketball program. After 15 years of coaching, Romar’s record was 298-196 with three conference championships and six NCAA tournaments trips, three of which ended in the Sweet 16. “I am proud of a lot of things we were able to accomplish in the 15 years that we were here. I want to thank all of the coaches, players and staff who played a part in that success. I will always support the University of Washington, and pull for the Huskies,” Romar said in a press release.

Spokane County leaders and first responders are asking voters to extend a sales tax to protect the area’s emergency communication system. Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and Mayor David Condon have explained the importance of the tax, saying the revenue has allowed different agencies – such as the fire department and police department – to communicate with each other during emergencies. Knezovich also added that the funding is vital to technological improvements they want to develop, such as allowing people to text emergency responders.

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