King County Superior Court Judge Sandra Widlan just gave Washington voters a big middle finger by striking down Initiative 2066—an overwhelmingly approved measure protecting access to natural gas. Apparently, in today’s Washington, when the people dare to pass a law that goes against the green energy agenda, the activist judges step in to “correct” them.

The ruling came after climate activist groups threw a fit, claiming the initiative violated the single-subject rule and confused voters—because, obviously, Washingtonians are just too simple-minded to understand what they voted for. Former Gov. Jay Inslee, fresh off his 12-year reign of green mandates, couldn’t resist chiming in, claiming I-2066 was a “curveball” to voters. How convenient that every initiative Democrats dislike is suddenly too complex for the electorate to grasp.

BIAW, which backed the measure, isn’t backing down and plans to take the fight to the state Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the Washington State Building Code Council continues dragging its feet on implementing the will of the voters.

So, to recap: Washingtonians voted for natural gas access, activist judges said “nope,” and climate bureaucrats keep stalling. But sure, tell us more about democracy and respecting voters. Read more at Center Square.

Faced with a massive budget shortfall (caused entirely by their own reckless spending), Washington Senate Democrats have unveiled their latest scheme to wring more cash out of taxpayers—because why cut waste when you can just take more? Their plan? Soak the “ultra-wealthy” with a new financial assets tax, jack up property taxes, and slap big employers with a Seattle-style payroll tax, all while throwing in a tiny sales tax cut as a weak attempt to soften the blow.

They claim their new taxes will generate $17 billion over four years, conveniently just enough to cover their projected $16 billion deficit. Funny how that works. But don’t worry, they assure us this is all about “fairness” and making the rich pay their “fair share” (as if the state’s billion-dollar spending problems weren’t their fault to begin with).

Meanwhile, Republicans have proposed a no-new-taxes budget that increases education funding without raiding taxpayers’ wallets. Naturally, Democrats have no interest in fiscal responsibility, opting instead for the usual tax-and-spend approach that drives up the cost of living for everyone—including renters who will bear the brunt of higher property taxes.

In short: The people of Washington get higher taxes, bloated government, and more empty promises. But hey, at least the sales tax drops by half a percent—try not to spend it all in one place. Read more at Center Square.

Seattle’s own misinformation machine, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, is at it again—this time claiming that Donald Trump and Elon Musk are “cutting Social Security.” Her evidence? A wildly misleading post on X that conveniently ignores the facts.

As KTTH’s Jason Rantz points out, the reality is that the Social Security Administration is tightening security by eliminating phone-based identity verification, but seniors can still verify their identity online or in person. As for the office closures Jayapal is wailing about? A whopping 47 out of 1,230 field offices are shutting down—small, remote sites that weren’t even being used. Washington state? Not a single closure.

But why let facts get in the way of a good fearmongering session? The left’s playbook is predictable: lie, twist, and smear Trump at every turn because they have nothing else to run on. When their radical policies fail, they double down with nonsense about Trump gutting Social Security, all while pushing their usual absurdities on gender, immigration, and taxes.

At this point, Jayapal’s routine is about as fresh as a three-day-old fish. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.

Olympia’s city leaders are at it again—this time pushing rent control policies that sound helpful but will ultimately backfire. Their latest bright idea? More regulations on landlords, including lengthy rent increase notices, new restrictions on rent-to-own agreements, and forced relocation assistance. Because nothing says “make housing affordable” like making it more expensive to own and operate rental properties.

The city has already burdened landlords with excessive red tape—mandatory inspections, cooling device allowances, and annual rental unit registrations. Now, they want to pile on even more restrictions, effectively discouraging property owners from staying in the rental market at all. The result? Fewer rental options, higher costs, and a shrinking housing supply.

And let’s not forget manufactured homes—once an affordable housing option, now under attack with new regulations that will make it harder (and less attractive) for property owners to keep them running. Add in relocation assistance requirements, and it’s only a matter of time before these communities start disappearing altogether.

If Olympia’s leaders really wanted to help renters, they’d focus on increasing housing supply instead of strangling property owners with regulations. But that would require common sense—something in short supply at City Hall. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

Washington’s Attorney General tried—and failed—to get a judge to hold the Trump administration in contempt over a hospital grant funding dispute. Apparently, canceling a grant to Seattle Children’s Hospital for gender-affirming care was just too much for the AG’s office to handle, so they ran to court demanding Trump be punished for allegedly ignoring a judge’s order.

The problem? The judge wasn’t buying it. U.S. District Court Judge Lauren King ruled that, while the Justice Department’s legal arguments were “self-serving” (as if that’s unique to Trump’s DOJ), there wasn’t enough evidence to prove the administration violated her order. In other words, the AG’s office failed to make their case—but not for lack of trying.

Even after the NIH justified its decision by saying the grant no longer aligned with agency priorities, the AG’s team insisted this was all part of some broader scheme. But instead of getting the contempt charge and attorney’s fees they wanted, they walked away with an order for more document sharing. Hardly the dramatic victory they were hoping for.

Another day, another failed attempt to weaponize the courts against Trump. Maybe next time they’ll bring actual evidence instead of just outrage. Read more at the Washington State Standard.

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