According to a Jason Rantz exclusive report, Krista Rose Perez, the Democrat who finished ahead of incumbent Rep. Melanie Morgan in the Aug. 4 primary for the 29th Legislative District’s Position 1 seat, was arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of DUI after police say she struck a parked car, triggering a chain reaction that damaged five vehicles.

Perez was booked into Pierce County Jail at 7:33 a.m. Aug. 11 and later posted $1,000 bail. No one was injured, and Perez has not been convicted of a crime. So, of course, she remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Still, as Rantz points out, the timing is hard to miss. Perez’s arrest came exactly one week after she won the Democratic primary and secured her spot on the November ballot.

Perez spent the campaign running to Morgan’s left, including attacking her over Washington’s new 9.9% income tax on household income above $1 million. On primary night, she touted voters’ support for her message of “decency and progressive values.”

So much for the victory lap.

Rantz reports that Perez has not responded to multiple requests for comment, including questions about whether she intends to stay in the race.

The irony doesn’t stop there. DUI is a gross misdemeanor in Tacoma, and if elected, Perez would have a vote on the very laws governing impaired driving and transportation policy.

Voters will ultimately decide whether this alleged incident affects their support. But for a candidate who campaigned on “decency and progressive values,” getting arrested on suspicion of DUI one week after winning the nomination is one heck of a way to start the general election. Read more at Seattle Red.

Washington drivers are getting another painful reminder of what years of Democrat energy policies look like at the pump. The average price of regular gas has jumped more than 18 cents in just one month, reaching $5.162 per gallon as of Aug. 13—more than $1 above the national average.

That makes our state the third-most-expensive state for gas, with drivers paying nearly 27% more than the rest of the country. In the Seattle area, it’s even worse: regular gas averages $5.35 per gallon, more than 31% above the national average.

And this isn’t some temporary blip. Washington’s average hit a record $5.79 per gallon in May. While California and Hawaii have since overtaken us, that’s hardly something for Democrats to celebrate.

Washington families are being squeezed by high taxes, costly regulations and energy policies that make it harder and more expensive to produce and use affordable fuel. Meanwhile, Democrats continue pushing policies that drive up energy costs and then act surprised when Washingtonians notice the price on the pump.

For drivers in places like San Juan County, where gas is averaging nearly $6 per gallon, the Democrat energy agenda isn’t an abstract policy debate. It’s a bill they pay every time they fill up.

And apparently, Democrats still think the solution is more of the same. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.

Seattle Democrats have spent years touting Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, or LEAD, as a successful alternative to arrests and incarceration. But a new Washington Policy Center analysis found the research used to promote the program was repeatedly misrepresented.

LEAD supporters claimed the program cut recidivism by 58%, reduced felony charges by 39% and increased employment odds by 46%. The underlying research doesn’t back those numbers.

The employment claim is especially glaring: just 3 of 163 unemployed participants gained employment, while 91% remained unemployed during the 18-month follow-up.

Yet Seattle and governments across the country used these claims to justify a softer approach to drug-related crime.

After 11 years of bad numbers, perhaps Seattle Democrats should try something radical: checking the math before rewriting the criminal justice system. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is facing a recall petition after just eight months in office, with allegations that she has failed in her duty to protect public safety and enforce the city’s laws.

The petition, filed with King County Elections, points to Wilson’s decision to force out Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes shortly after the deadly Bite of Seattle shooting, worsening concerns about police leadership and morale.

It also accuses Wilson’s administration of ignoring residents in North Aurora who warned of human trafficking, gun battles and bullets flying into homes, while removing crime-fighting cameras in the Stadium District and Little Saigon despite pleas from residents and businesses to keep them active.

Meanwhile, Seattle continues struggling with open drug use, crime, staffing shortages and deteriorating safety in neighborhoods including Belltown and Little Saigon.

Wilson’s response? She touted school meals, libraries, transit and banning rental junk fees while dismissing the recall petition as lacking merit.

The recall still faces a lengthy legal process before voters could have a say, including court approval and nearly 70,000 valid signatures. But for a mayor barely eight months into the job, facing a recall over public safety is quite an achievement. Read more at The Center Square.

Washington revenue officials now claim the state’s new 9.9% income tax on household income above $1 million could bring in more revenue than originally projected. The timing could hardly be more convenient.

With Initiative 645 giving voters a chance to repeal the tax, Democrats have every reason to make the new levy look like a massive revenue generator. But the forecast ignores the most basic reality of taxation: people respond to incentives.

Wealthy Washington residents aren’t trapped here. They can move, change residency, restructure their finances or relocate businesses and investments. Many already have, as Washington has watched high-income residents leave for states without income taxes.

So claiming the state will simply collect even more money from these taxpayers assumes they will sit still and happily hand over 9.9% of their income rather than change their behavior.

The timing makes the new rosy forecast even harder to take seriously. Just as voters are being asked whether to repeal the tax, state officials unveil a report suggesting the tax is an even bigger cash cow than Democrats originally promised.

Call it a forecast. Call it spin. But when the report arrives at exactly the moment Democrats need voters to believe their tax is a financial jackpot, it sure looks like coordinated deception. Read more at the Washington State Standard.

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