A newly released batch of internal emails is turning up the heat on Washington’s “Millionaires’ Tax,” with Democrat AG Nick Brown addressing the controversy for the first time. The nearly 1,000 pages of records suggest this wasn’t just about raising revenue—it may have been designed to provoke a legal challenge aimed at blowing up Washington’s long-standing limits on income taxes.

Front and center is Democrat State Sen. Jamie Pedersen, the bill’s sponsor, whose emails openly discuss a strategy to “force” the Washington State Supreme Court to revisit its 1933 ruling that treats income as property—aka the legal roadblock to a graduated income tax. In other words, pass the law, get sued, and let the court do the heavy lifting.

Brown insists his office was simply offering standard legal guidance—not scheming to sidestep the Constitution. But the emails show lawmakers clearly thinking through how to challenge those constitutional constraints, even if they weren’t handed a step-by-step playbook.

Democrats, including Pedersen, argue the tax is about fairness—making high earners pay more to ease the burden on everyone else. But the rational among us hear a different message: this is less about millionaires and more about setting the stage for a broader income tax if the court overturns decades of precedent.

As for voters? They might get a say eventually. But for now, the real action looks headed straight to the courtroom—where the stakes aren’t just one tax, but the future of Washington’s entire tax system. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.

A recall effort against Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson fizzled out Friday—but not before accomplishing its mission: forcing him to finally fill long-ignored vacancies on Washington’s campaign finance watchdog.

Attorney Conner Edwards filed the recall in early April, accusing Ferguson of misfeasance for blowing past a 30-day legal deadline to appoint members to the Public Disclosure Commission. With only three of five seats filled, the commission was essentially one no-show away from being completely paralyzed—right before an election year, no less.

Funny how that got fixed quickly. Ferguson appointed two new members in the span of about a week, resolving the immediate issue and prompting Edwards to drop the recall—while noting it probably shouldn’t have taken a political fire alarm to get there.

Even as he scrambled to fill the seats, Ferguson argued the 30-day deadline is more of a “procedural guide” than an actual rule—apparently one you can ignore until it becomes politically inconvenient.

Meanwhile, Republican State Sen. Mark Schoesler raised concerns that Ferguson’s picks may tilt the commission too far toward one party, noting both appointees have histories of donating to Democrats. If not a legal violation, Schoesler suggested, it at least bends the “spirit” of the law meant to keep the watchdog balanced.

So the recall is gone, the seats are filled, and the commission can get back to work. But the bigger takeaway lingers: deadlines may be optional—until someone makes them very, very not optional. Read more at Seattle Red.

A damning audit of the King County Regional Homeless Authority is putting CEO Kelly Kinnison front and center—mostly for not being there. Investigators found she skipped most oversight meetings during the audit period, even as the agency struggled to explain where millions of dollars went. Not exactly confidence-inspiring for someone in charge of a $100+ million operation.

The audit uncovered a glaring lack of financial controls, including a missing paper trail for $13 million—of which $8 million is likely gone for good. While auditors stopped short of calling it fraud, they also couldn’t confirm the money actually funded homeless services. That’s… not a great gray area.

Things didn’t improve behind the scenes either. Auditors said the agency dragged its feet for months responding to information requests, blowing timelines and adding over $150,000 to the audit cost. Meanwhile, the organization is sitting on a $44 million shortfall, plus an additional $4 million gap tied to basic day-to-day operations.

Kinnison, who took over in 2024 as the fifth leader in five years, pointed the finger at earlier mismanagement—but the audit still includes a full year under her watch.

Now the fallout: local officials are openly questioning whether the entire operation should exist. Seattle Councilwoman Maritza Rivera and King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski are pushing to shut it down altogether, calling the agency a failed experiment.

Meanwhile, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay aren’t ready to pull the plug—but they’re also not exactly waiting around. Wilson is already moving forward with her own housing plan without the agency, speeding up projects that the authority has taken over a year to complete.

So to recap: millions missing, timelines blown, leadership absent—and now even the politicians funding it are starting to look for the exit. Read more at Center Square.

A Thurston County judge is stepping in Wednesday for an emergency hearing on SB 5974, one of the most controversial laws out of the 2026 session—and one that could reshape who gets to be sheriff in Washington.

The law, signed by Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson, sets new eligibility rules for sheriff candidates, including law enforcement experience and certification requirements. But the real fight is over what comes next: giving the state’s Criminal Justice Training Commission the power to potentially decertify—and effectively remove—an elected sheriff based on past conduct.

That’s exactly what has four Eastern Washington sheriffs up in arms, filing a lawsuit to block the law before it takes effect. Their attorney argues the measure opens the door to punishing candidates for old social media posts or personal associations—raising serious First Amendment concerns and, critics say, putting elected offices under the thumb of an unelected board.

Meanwhile, Democrat AG Nick Brown is pushing back, calling those concerns overblown and arguing the law is a reasonable step to maintain public trust in law enforcement. Translation: nothing to see here, move along.

The timing only adds to the tension. The law is set to take effect just days before the 2026 candidate filing deadline—unless the court steps in first.

So now it heads to a judge: is this a common-sense reform to clean up law enforcement, or a constitutional overreach that lets bureaucrats override voters? Either way, the courtroom—not the campaign trail—may decide who gets to wear the badge. Read more at Center Square.

A new report from the Washington Policy Center, authored by Todd Myers, takes aim at how Washington is spending its CO2 tax revenue—and the results aren’t exactly clearing the air.

Back in 2024, former Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee warned of an “asthma epidemic,” promising that carbon tax dollars would fund projects to reduce pollution. The state followed through with $8.5 million in grants—but according to Myers’ analysis, only one of the 21 funded projects is actually likely to reduce air pollution in any meaningful way.

So where did the money go? A lot of it landed in “community outreach,” advocacy efforts, advisory board stipends, and even subsidized bikes—projects that may check political boxes but don’t exactly scrub the air. One initiative aimed at replacing wood-burning stoves (a known pollution source) didn’t replace a single stove.

The lone bright spot? A Spokane project that reduced dust on an unpaved road—mainly because it actually measured pollution reduction and cost-effectiveness, two things most other projects skipped entirely. Ironically, those types of results-driven efforts are now facing funding cuts.

Adding to the contradiction, Democrat State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon helped push legislation reducing future funding for these programs—even after arguing the CO2 tax was essential for addressing health disparities.

Myers’ takeaway is straightforward: if the goal is cleaner air, the state needs real standards—measure results, fund what works, and stop paying for projects that sound good but deliver little. Until then, taxpayers foot the bill while the air stays the same. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

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