Because Seattle hasn’t had enough of crime, homelessness, and soaring taxes under socialist rule, a fresh batch of progressive politicos is back for more. A group has launched the “Progressive People Power PAC” to boost Alexis Mercedes Rinck’s bid for City Council Position 8, ensuring socialist ideology has a home on the Seattle City Council.

The PAC, led by failed city council candidates and progressive activists, claims it’s needed to counter the influence of business PACs supporting more conservative-leaning candidates. This is despite the fact that last year, business and real estate interests poured over a million dollars into council races to back candidates promising to fix public safety issues and rein in taxes. The socialist dream team is determined to bring back their disastrous policies, with Rinck at the forefront, running against Councilmember Tanya Woo, who’s had significant business PAC backing herself.

Now, with both candidates neck and neck in fundraising, Seattle voters will once again decide whether they want more of the same or if they’ll hit the brakes on the city’s decline. Read more at Cascade PBS.

The 2024 Washington legislative session may be over, but the worst of what lawmakers could cook up isn’t gone for good. A number of awful ideas were left on the table, mainly because it’s an election year and legislators didn’t want to face the wrath of voters. But, as the Washington Policy Center recently pointed out, you expect these failed bills to rear their ugly heads again in 2025, when politicians hope voters will forget.

Among the rejected gems was SB 5770, a push to repeal a voter-approved limit on property tax increases. Democrats made this one of their top priorities, but public outrage quickly shelved it. Then there was HB 2114, a proposal for statewide rent control, which squeaked by the House but died in the Senate due to its well-documented economic disasters in other states.

Not to be outdone, HB 2030 aimed to let prisoners vote, because why not complicate the growing election integrity concerns? And SJM 8006, a repeat offender, sought to ban private health insurance in favor of socialist “universal” healthcare. Thankfully, that too was nipped in the bud.

While these terrible ideas may be back soon, we here at Shift WA will be here to let you know about it – and, hopefully, ensure that public scrutiny prevents them from ever becoming a reality. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

In the latest in the saga of Spokane County’s budgetary woes, it appears that the 2025 preliminary general fund budget is $18.6 million leaner than last year, but still far from a smooth ride. After previously slashing vacant positions to save $10 million, the county is now adding them back, leaving department heads to figure out the cuts themselves. Even with a projected $10 million cushion, the county is still short $14.6 million in needed cuts to balance the books.

The biggest drain? Salaries and wages, which are up 8% from last year, while employee benefits are also climbing. If cuts aren’t found, the county faces a $5 million deficit with no room for capital projects. With roundtable discussions coming up, it’s clear they’re still scrambling for solutions as their fiscal woes continue. Read more at Center Square.

In their latest laughable attempt to label Republicans as extremists, the Washington Democrats recently attempted to fundraise off the Washington GOP’s recent post on X. The post in question:

According to Democrats, “The certification of the primary recount for Lands Commissioner was too close for comfort. We came within a razor-thin margin of being locked out, and now the WAGOP, led by Jim Walsh, is emboldened with dangerous rhetoric and spouting Q Anon conspiracy theories.”

Evidently, using the letter Q as a shorthand for “questions” means you are spouting QAnon conspiracy theories… go figure. You can read Democrats’ entire email here.

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