A new report from the Downtown Seattle Association delivers a troubling verdict on Seattle’s much-celebrated JumpStart payroll tax: while City Hall collected hundreds of millions in new revenue, downtown Seattle lost roughly 30,000 jobs and saw office building values plunge 48% over the last five years. Just across Lake Washington, Bellevue—without a comparable payroll tax—added jobs and saw commercial property values rise 7%, creating an increasingly difficult comparison for tax-happy Seattle leaders to explain away.

The report argues that Seattle’s growing stack of business taxes, including the JumpStart payroll tax, the city’s B&O tax, and the new social housing payroll tax, have made the city a far more expensive place to grow a business. The burden falls heavily on a small handful of major employers, with about 70% of JumpStart revenue coming from just 10 companies. That creates a risky dependency, especially when those same companies have plenty of options for where to expand next.

Amazon provides perhaps the clearest example. After Seattle flirted with the disastrous head tax in 2018 and later adopted JumpStart, Amazon continued building out what is now a 15,000-employee regional headquarters in Bellevue. While Seattle politicians celebrated taxing large employers, those employers increasingly found reasons to invest elsewhere.

Leftists, including Mayor Katie Wilson, point to the hundreds of millions of dollars JumpStart has generated for housing, climate programs, and other city priorities. But the DSA report argues those short-term revenue gains may be coming at the expense of long-term economic health, with fewer jobs, soaring office vacancies, and collapsing commercial property values shrinking the very tax base Seattle depends on.

The findings reinforce a familiar pattern in Seattle politics: when businesses warn that higher taxes will drive investment elsewhere, city leaders dismiss the concerns—then act surprised when the cranes, jobs, and workers show up in Bellevue instead. Read more at Seattle Red.

A member of Washington’s Human Rights Commission is facing mounting criticism after making dismissive remarks about antisemitism and then refusing to say whether Hamas is a terrorist organization. Luc fils Jasmin, appointed to the commission in 2023, sparked outrage when video surfaced of him suggesting Jewish people are “always crying” about antisemitism during a commission discussion on an antisemitism resolution. Rather than focusing on the substance of his comments, Jasmin appeared more concerned that the public had seen them at all—even though the commission itself posted the meeting online.

In subsequent interviews, Jasmin repeatedly apologized for his remarks but undermined those apologies by claiming he lacked enough information to determine whether Hamas qualifies as a terrorist organization, despite the group’s longstanding designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. government. He also admitted he had not closely followed issues involving antisemitism in Washington, an eyebrow-raising admission for someone serving on the state’s Human Rights Commission during a period of heightened concern about anti-Jewish incidents.

The controversy has put Gov. Bob Ferguson in an uncomfortable position. Despite the public backlash and calls for accountability, Ferguson’s office has declined to comment and has taken no apparent action against Jasmin, whose term runs through 2028. Critics argue that if a commissioner made similarly dismissive comments about virtually any other protected group, demands for resignation would have come swiftly and loudly from state leaders.

The episode is becoming another example of Olympia’s selective outrage problem: politicians who frequently champion diversity, equity, and inclusion suddenly become remarkably quiet when offensive comments come from someone aligned with their own side of the political spectrum. Read more at Seattle Red.

Washington drivers are about to get hit with another automatic gas tax increase, even as global energy markets show signs of easing pressure. Starting July 1, the state’s gasoline tax will rise by 2% under an inflation-indexing system that now permanently ties fuel costs to the rate of inflation—meaning it will increase every year without another vote from lawmakers.

The timing is especially painful. While geopolitical developments, including a potential diplomatic breakthrough involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, could ease global crude prices, Washington motorists will still be stuck paying a state premium that already ranks among the highest in the nation. At roughly $1.45 per gallon above the national average, Washington trails only California and Hawaii in fuel costs, according to industry data cited by GasBuddy.

Analysts point to a familiar mix of state policies driving the gap: high gas taxes, carbon pricing under the cap-and-invest program, and a steadily growing list of transportation funding obligations. The new 2% hike is intended to keep revenue flowing for what state officials describe as infrastructure needs, including road maintenance and ferry system debt. Critics, however, argue much of the money is being recycled into existing obligations rather than new improvements.

Democrats have blamed federal policy and international conflicts for price spikes, while industry analysts like GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan say Washington’s structural costs are the bigger long-term issue. Even when global prices fall, he notes, state-level taxes ensure Washington’s baseline remains permanently elevated compared to much of the country.

The result is a widening and increasingly predictable divide: Gulf Coast and Southern states benefit from lower taxes and closer refining infrastructure, while West Coast states—including Washington—remain locked into some of the highest fuel prices in America, with little relief in sight.

An exclusive report from the Center Square reveals that the Washington State Auditor’s Office was alerted by at least two whistleblowers last year about alleged theft and misuse of taxpayer resources at Echo Glen Children’s Center, yet the agency recently claimed it had not received information regarding a loss of public funds from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The revelations raise fresh questions about who knew what—and when—regarding allegations that have been simmering inside the state-run juvenile detention facility for months.

One whistleblower reported that Echo Glen’s food service budget exceeded spending limits by roughly $57,000 in just three months, alleging questionable purchases that included kombucha, specialty beverages, coffee, and more than 23 pounds of yeast—an item specifically flagged because it can be used by inmates to make homemade alcohol. The complaint described what appeared to be a pattern of procedural violations and potential misuse of taxpayer-funded resources. A second whistleblower separately contacted the Auditor’s Office about concerns at the facility and later met directly with DCYF Secretary Tana Senn.

The records are particularly awkward because they contradict the impression left by the Auditor’s Office when it recently stated it had not received information about the alleged loss of public funds. While that statement technically referenced information received from DCYF, the office omitted the fact that whistleblowers had independently brought concerns directly to auditors months earlier. It’s still unclear whether any meaningful investigation followed those tips or whether the allegations were simply filed away.

The story adds another chapter to the growing controversy surrounding Echo Glen, where allegations of theft, coverups, and management failures continue to surface. As more information emerges, taxpayers may reasonably wonder why whistleblowers appeared more interested in protecting public resources than some of the agencies charged with overseeing them. Read more at the Center Square.

Please consider making a contribution to ensure Shift continues to provide daily updates on the shenanigans of the liberal establishment. If you’d rather mail a check, you can send it to: Shift WA | PO Box 956 | Cle Elum, WA 98922

Forward this to a friend.  It helps us grow our community and serve you better.

You can also follow SHIFTWA on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at [email protected].