What a contrast – leading Democrats’ reaction to the passage of I-976 was to punish the voters and file lawsuits, while Republicans have developed a plan to uphold the voters’ demand of $30 car tabs and find transportation revenue sources that do not raise taxes.  House Republicans unveiled a series of bills that implement the lower car tabs fee, designate the sales tax revenue from vehicle purchases for transportation, and requires the Department of Transportation to reduce bureaucracy and prioritize projects.  Representative Jesse Young said, “Regardless of what some elected officials might think, we are not chosen to be kings. We are elected as public servants. It’s our job to listen and then work hard to find solutions. The voters have clearly spoken on this issue, and the Legislature should honor the will of the people.” (Nisqually Valley News)

A quick reminder of how the Democrats reacted to the passage of I-976, is this tweet from Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal.  In the election night tweet (which Reykdal deleted after his office was inundated with citizen complaints), the elected SPI clearly stated his belief that certain Washington voters should be punished for not bowing to the needs of government.  We should give Reykdal credit for honestly stating the liberal belief that the government is not here to serve the needs of the people, but the people are here to serve the needs of the government. (Twitter)

In a 5-4 ruling, the Washington State Supreme Court determined that the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) had exceeding its legal authority by imposing clean-air regulations on “indirect emitters.”  This greatly impacts the DOE’s 2016 set of regulations which were the result of Governor Jay Inslee’s 2015 executive order aimed at bypassing the legislature to impose his extreme views on environmental policies. (Seattle Times)

Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman has proposed legislation to improve security of our state’s election system.  In HB 2647, Wyman is seeking $1.8 million (to go along with $8.6 million from the feds) to improve security, making it a felony to destroy a ballot, and removing some forms of electronic voting which expose the system to hackers.  Democrats response to Wyman’s security proposals was self-serving and demonstrated how they intend to make the Secretary of State’s election responsibilities very partisan if they can take control of the office. (News Tribune and WA Legislature Bill Summary)

A bill (HB 2529) that would allow initiatives to be placed on the ballot ONLY in even numbered years, has been sponsored by 11 House Democrats.  This is a blatant attempt by the Democrats to have measures on the ballot only when more liberals can be bothered to participate in the election process.  Instead of working to get their supporters to vote, the Democrats are seeking to change state election laws.  It is very revealing that one of the sponsors, Rep. Gail Tarleton, is the state Democrats preferred candidate for Secretary of State.  Tarleton’s co-sponsorship of this bill clearly demonstrates her belief that state election laws should be used to promote partisan politics, instead of ensuring a fair and honest election process. (WA Legislature Bill Summary)

Glen Morgan details his “hobby” of filing Public Disclosure Commission complaints against liberal candidates and groups which fail to comply with state election laws.  Morgan has filed 580 PDC complaints which have resulted in 60 campaigns and political organizations paying fines totaling $585,000. (We the Governed)

King County escalated its disagreement with a few Lake Sammamish homeowners by filing a federal lawsuit and stating it will bulldoze any personal property standing on a disputed rail corridor.  The county is seeking to pave a 3.6-mile gravel path to complete the 44-mile Burke Gilman Trail that connects Ballard to Issaquah.  Over the decades, many homeowners have built walkways, garages, docks, and fences along the contested property. (Seattle Times)

Port of South Whidbey officials are encouraged by recent developments for overnight parking on the Mukilteo side of the Clinton ferry run. This has been a long-time goal for some at the port.  A new retail development near the Mukilteo terminal has agreed to reserve some spots for overnight parking (Everett Herald/South Whidbey Record)

A Seattle based group, OneAmerica, has filed a lawsuit against Yakima County, stating its countywide system for electing commissioners disenfranchises Latino voters.  A similar lawsuit was filed against the City of Yakima in 2012 and a federal court ruled that the city had to switch to a district-based system to elect its councilmembers. (Yakima Herald)

The Tri-City Airport had its busiest year in 2019, breaking its previous record by 11%.  More than 870,000 people travelled through its terminals last year and all four airlines which use the airport (Delta, Alaska, United, and Allegiant) carried more passengers.  More direct flights out of the airport are expected later this year. (YakTriNews)

Tina Podlodowski and the Washington State Democrat Party continue to resort to extreme scare tactics while attempting to raise money.  In the Democrats latest fundraising email, Podlodowski states Washington Republicans want to enact policies that “lock kids in cages.” We guess she had to resort to this extreme political rhetoric when she is representing an organization that has a history of accepting large contributions from individuals who made hate-filled public statements against Hispanic, Catholic, and gay individuals (only giving away the racist’s contribution once the media catches them).  (Washington State Democrat Party email and KUOW/NPR)

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