The failed King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) is hiring Kelly Kinnison, a Washington, D.C.-based consultant, as the new CEO. KCRHA’s governing authority voted to hire Kinnison in a nearly unanimous vote. To be clear, Kinnison has no experience working in King County and – therefore – cannot possibly be familiar with the extensive problems that have plagued the county, but less the failing agency she will head on salary paid for by taxpayers. It’s just the latest example of KCRHA’s many, many costly failures.

As Shift WA previously reported, King County is experiencing record-high homelessness numbers despite KCRHA spending a record amount to solve homelessness. Year after year, homelessness has risen exponentially, with the 2024 figures showing a 23 percent increase from 2022. Unsheltered homelessness increased by over 27 percent, from 7,685 people in 2022 to 9,810 in 2024, while sheltered homelessness rose by more than 15 percent.

In perhaps the most embarrassing failure, KCRHA’s “Partnership for Zero” program collapsed in 2023 after spending $10 million in taxpayer dollars. The program claimed it would reduce the number of homeless people in downtown Seattle to 30 people in a single year. One year later, the program had only permanently housed 115 people at a price tag of $26,000 per person.

In a rational world, KCRHA would be completely dismantled for its many failures. As King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn told Shift WA last year, the county would adopt a tougher, less permissive approach to homelessness and reject the current strategy of providing free needles, fentanyl pipes, and housing that enables continued drug use and addiction. Elected leaders would champion a comprehensive approach to combating homelessness, including cracking down on drug dealers, reducing red tape for housing, aiding job training, cleaning public spaces, and hiring more social workers. Additionally, they would fund and support drug treatment centers and create drug-free shelters for those committed to recovery.

But alas, King County leaders insist on the irrational. They appear committed to continue throwing hard-earned taxpayer dollars at a failed bureaucratic agency. And unfortunately, thousands continue to suffer as a result. Read more about the hiring process at The Seattle Times.

Jay Inslee may be out of office in less than one year, but that doesn’t mean he is ready to relinquish any of his failed “green” fever dreams. Despite gubernatorial candidates – like AG Bob Ferguson, former Congressman Dave Reichert, and State Sen. Mark Mullet – expressing openness to using diesel vessels to address immediate ferry system issues, Inslee is relentlessly sticking to his plan to build new electric ferries. At a recent news conference, Inslee criticized diesel technology and dismissed proposals to solve the immediate ferry crisis with diesel boats as counterproductive, leading to more delays. Never mind the series of delays that have already been incurred due to Inslee and his insistence on electric ferries despite a rapidly aging fleet.

As for the gubernatorial candidates, thus far, Ferguson has indicated he would request proposals for new ferries, including diesel options, if they provide a faster solution. Reichert has proposed fast-tracking contracts for up to five new clean-diesel ferries, which could later be converted to hybrid electric. Mullet supports considering all options and suggests pausing the electric conversion until the fleet is stabilized.

Given that Inslee is on his way out – and his plan is bound to incur more delays – it remains to be seen how, exactly, the ferry crisis will be solved years after it began. Read more at the Seattle Times.

UW meteorologist Cliff Mass took issue with The Seattle Times’ recent reports on drought conditions in Washington leading to water shutoffs for farmers in a recent interview with KTTH’s Jason Rantz. The Times reported that the dry conditions brought on by poor snowpack over the winter impacted water supply for the growing season. As a result, the state declared a drought emergency in April and the Roza Irrigation District shut off water in May to conserve for summer. And, as could be expected, the paper attributed it all to climate change.

But, according to Mass, the dry conditions are a result of low snowpack due to El Nino rather than climate change. And he argued the water shutoff was due to recent cool, wet weather, not drought. Mass noted that water was conserved as it wasn’t needed immediately, contradicting the Times’ narrative. Mass went on to debunk the narrative of the severity of the dry conditions, noting favorable crop conditions and clarifying that ‘drought’ isn’t always linked to severe water shortages. Read more at KTTH.

Yet again, Bob Ferguson is caught in a lie…

Surprise, surprise… a law that handcuffed police officers allowed suspected criminals to get away.

Ladies and gentlemen, the consequences of no consequences…

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