We have another example of Jay Inslee’s defective administrative team at work. Remember when Inslee promised to bring the most talented people into state government? Well, evidently, some are very talented, even “bold” —at stealing. According to a recent state auditor report, a worker at the state’s Office of Administrative Hearings improperly spent nearly $900,000 through fraudulent credit card purchases. This agency, which resolves disputes between government agencies and Washingtonians, employs over 200 people.

Auditors uncovered about $878,000 in misappropriated credit card payments at the agency over a four-year period starting in mid-2019. Most of this amount—around $860,000—went to businesses created by the employee, a management analyst. This incident marks the largest internal misappropriation of funds at a state agency since 2009 and—amazingly enough—it’s also the second six-figure loss reported by the auditor’s office this year.

The fraud was discovered during a routine audit in May 2023 when auditors flagged suspicious charges paid to a consulting business. The agency’s chief financial officer found that the business was registered under the name of the management analyst. Further investigation revealed that this analyst had created multiple business names to which the agency paid a total of $860,000 without any legitimate business activity.

And, as we’ve come to expect from Inslee’s incompetent administration, it’s down to improper accountability measures. The Office of Administrative Hearings was found to have inadequate oversight to prevent such losses. The analyst, who had sole access to the credit card account, managed to hide the fraudulent charges due to the lack of management oversight.

It’s just another example of Inslee’s failure to fulfill his promise to bring talented and trustworthy individuals into state government and, once again, it’s all on the taxpayers’ dime. Read more at the Seattle Times.

King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, effectively co-sheriffing with Executive Dow Constantine, is overstepping her bounds by refusing to enforce Burien’s anti-camping ordinance, despite the Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v. Grants Pass. As KTTH’s Jason Rantz recently reported, the KCSO is insisting that Burien’s homelessness ordinance be rewritten, which is not their prerogative. SCOTUS clearly supported similar anti-camping laws, allowing cities to impose restrictions to address issues like crime, disease, and access to public property. Burien’s ordinance bans encampments within 500 feet of vulnerable populations, like children in parks and schools, and the elderly at senior centers.

Yet, Cole-Tindall and Constantine are ignoring this directive, persisting in their refusal to comply and demanding unnecessary revisions. The KCSO claims they need more precise definitions of prohibited camping locations and conduct, though it’s plainly outlined. Of course, while Cole-Tindall and Constantine ignore the law, homeless individuals continue to die from drug overdoses who could otherwise receive treatment and the residents of Burien continue to suffer from the years-long crisis impacting their community. Read more at KTTH.

This November, voters will have an opportunity to ensure continued natural gas service in our state and repeal parts of Democrats’ attempt to ban natural gas. According to backers, Initiative 2066 have enough signatures to get it on the ballot. The initiative needs approximately 324,500 valid signatures, and supporters have submitted about 431,000. It’s another successful example of citizen-led pushback against Democrats’ government overreach. Read more at the Seattle Times.

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