Since signature gathering for state referendums is not considered “essential” under the state’s new stay-at-home directives, many parents are wondering if the state can be flexible on methods and deadlines for gathering signatures for the Parents for Safe Schools’ Referendum 90.  The most pressing deadline for proponents of the measure to repeal the Democrats’ new mandatory sex education laws is June 10^th,  when the campaign must hand in the required 130,000 valid signatures.  Many of the state laws regarding referendum efforts are in the state constitution and cannot be altered by executive action by either the governor or secretary of state. (Parents for Safe Schools and Ballotpedia)

As Shift predicted last week, Senator Marco Liias has stated he will join fellow Snohomish County Democrat Senator Steve Hobbs as a candidate for Washington State Lt. Governor. This could be an interesting fight on the Democrat side, with Senator Hobbs having more centrist credentials (he was the major roadblock in Governor Inslee’s failed attempt to pass the expensive Low Carbon Fuel Standard in the legislature this year) and Senator Liias being more aligned with the extreme partisan politics of Seattle progressives during his controversial career in Olympia.  Currently there are two Republicans in the race, Ann Davison Sattler and Joseph Brumbles. (Everett Herald and Shift)

Some school districts, which have not been instructing their students due to “equity concerns”, are now being forced to rethink their plans.  A new state directive mandates that all schools implement some form of instruction by March 30^th.  The mandate from Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal provided very few details or guidance for local school administrators and parents on what exactly that “instruction” should like. (Seattle Times)

Currently only government-related construction projects are considered essential and thus are exempt from the state’s stay-at-home directive.  Many advocates are encouraging Governor Inslee to also add home construction workers to the exempt list, due to the state’s housing supply crisis that was the region’s top problem prior to COVID-19. (Washington Policy Center)

Apparently the State of Washington believes that a worldwide pandemic is not the time for state citizens to kick a marijuana habit.  Among the extensive list of essential services exempted from the state’s stay-at-home directive are “Workers supporting cannabis retail and dietary supplement retail.” (Washington State Coronavirus Response)

Boeing’s CEO says the company will not accept having the federal government take an equity stake in the company as a requirement for a $60 billion dollar loan.  Dave Calhoun said that if the government maintains it needs to have a future stake in the company then “we just look at all the other options and we’ve got plenty of them.” (MSN)

Sound Transit is suing Microsoft over parcels of land needed to build the Redmond light rail link.  The two entities have been negotiating over portions of land Microsoft owns on its corporate campus along Highway 520.  Currently Sound Transit is offering the company $10 million for the parcels, while Microsoft is demanding $27.6 million.  Sound Transit officials are already blaming the tech giant for causing this rail link to miss its August 2024 construction deadline – because Sound Transit can’t be held responsible for failing to meet deadlines, right?  (Seattle Times)

Many consumers are using food delivery services to have restaurant meals delivered to their homes during the stay at home directive.  While grocery stores have received a steady stream of customers during the past few weeks, local restaurants have had to choose from temporarily closing or providing delivery options to keep their employees working.  (MyNorthwest)

KUOW Radio host Kim Malcom proclaimed the station was no longer carrying President Trump’s briefings on the coronavirus crisis by tweeting “we are no longer carrying his non fact-checked, horseshit marathon daily ‘briefing’ spin live on air.” If what Malcom says is accurate, then we can look forward to the taxpayer-funded station fact-checking all of its future interviews and no longer carrying “spin” from any of the liberal politicians regularly featured on its shows. (Twitter)

Mayor of Spokane Nadine Woodward received quick support from the city council to ban any evictions or foreclosures through April.  Many property owners in Spokane argued that if the city banned evictions it should also prohibit foreclosures during the COVID-19 crisis.  (Spokesman-Review)

Boeing’s two-week shutdown of manufacturing operations in Renton and Everett due to the coronavirus is also causing the temporary suspension of work at the company’s Moses Lake facility.  The shutdown follows the death of one Everett-based Boeing worker.  The Moses Lake Airport is also housing about one dozen airplanes that Delta Airlines has taken out of service due to a 40% drop in air travel. (iFIBER One)

In a somewhat strange email blast, King County Executive Dow Constantine thought he would use the current coronavirus crisis to self-brag that he “was proud to stand with healthcare workers when they were forced to strike” earlier this year.  First, since Constantine was not on the picket lines, nor did he forfeit his pay during the short strike, it is not clear how he “stood with” healthcare workers.  Second, no one “forced” the workers to go on strike – the union bosses chose to take that action.  Finally, it appears the Constantine team was in a rush to make this bizarre brag public, for the campaign embarrassingly failed to take the time to edit out an obvious exact duplicate paragraph in a short five-paragraph email. (Constantine Campaign email)

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