The Morning Briefing – April 25, 2019

Should Republicans want Bob Ferguson to run for governor?

Happening in Olympia

The thousands of untested rape kits that have been sitting on evidence shelves for years will soon be tested, clearing the backlog. Sexual assault survivor, Leah Griffen said, “and now, we know that the state says, ‘this is important, what happened to you matters, your pain is valid, and we’re going to do a complete and thorough investigation.’” The rape kit backlog of ten thousand untested kits was discovered back in 2014. (MyNorthwest)

The Washington Policy Center’s Todd Myers brilliantly takes down the “green” Left’s environmental, self-righteous message. “That gap between the Left’s loud talk and their unwillingness to make personal sacrifices is not an accident,” he writes. “Only the sacrifices made by others will make a difference.” You see, liberal environmentalists just can’t be bothered with changes, that will supposedly save our planet, unless they first force everyone else to do the same. (National Review)

Republican strategist Chad Minnick says his colleagues on the right hope Bob Ferguson runs for governor. “Other than Kshama Sawant, Republicans can’t think of anyone who might scare conservative voters more than you, Bob,” Minnick wrote. In a recent poll, Ferguson lead other potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates by 25%. (Washington State Wire)

Western Washington

The King County Council voted to expand the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill yesterday, extending the trash-dumping life of the landfill to 2040. The vote approved up to $270 million in modifications to the landfill, including building a new dumping ground. As for what happens once the landfill fills up, that’s less clear. “To account for technological advances, this plan does not specify the next disposal method after ultimate closure of Cedar Hills,” reads the plan. (KING 5)

Socialist Kshama Sawant’s large fundraising haul could trigger an interesting loophole in the democracy voucher rules.  The rules states that if a candidate not using vouchers gets over $75,000 in donations, a voucher candidate can petition the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission to remove their own contribution cap. That’s exactly what other candidates in District 3 plan to do with Sawant having eclipsed the $75K threshold. If she truly cared about socialism, she would understand that the value of each hour she spent fundraising is no different than the value of each hour spent by other candidates. So, in the name of fairness, there should be a redistribution of her funds until each candidate receives the exact same per hour fundraising total. (MyNorthwest)

In a letter yesterday, City Attorney Pete Holmes and Department of Public Defense Director Anita Khandelwal asked Seattle Municipal Court Presiding Judge Ed McKenna to step down. They accuse the judge of improper conduct. “I take issue with the assertions made by Ms. Khandelwal and Mr. Holmes,” McKenna said in a statement. “The letter was released to the media before I received it. Having just received the letter, I need time to consider it and I will be issuing a formal response in the near future.” (Seattle Times)

Eastern Washington

Mullen Technologies said it will create 863 jobs within seven years when it brings its new high-end electric sports car factory to Spokane. “This is exciting news because when you are talking about auto manufacturing, you are talking about good paying jobs coming to the West Plains,” said Spokane County Commissioner Al French. (Spokesman-Review)

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