If the taxes themselves weren’t upsetting enough, the tactics employed by Democrats to pass them should have every voter throwing their hands up in disgust. One new tax on banks wasn’t even introduced until two days before the end of session, and was only available to the public for a few hours before it was voted on at 4 am. That was the recipe Democrats deployed for getting their tax hikes through this clearly broken and undemocratic process. “It’s frustrating, because the Democrats spent the entire session proposing a huge variety of new taxes — and then, in the eleventh hour, they decide to rely on one they never mentioned in the first 103 days of session,” said Rep. Drew Stokesbary (R-Auburn). (Crosscut)

“We were remarkably disappointed with the direction the city council went,” Windermere Chief Economist Matthew Gardner said of Seattle’s citywide upzoning measure. Opponents are arguing that the measure did not go far enough. Gardner added that they’re seeing a lot of neighborhoods saying they support affordable housing, they just don’t want it built near them. (MyNorthwest)

The University of Washington Police Department is beginning its search for a new chief as it faces organizational issues and dissatisfaction from employees. A review of the department led to some hard words for former UW Police Chief John Vinson. “While his strengths initially helped move the UWPD organization and its mission forward, Chief Vinson has struggled on many fronts the past three or four years,” the report said. (Seattle Times)

Walla Walla’s Fire Department say they need new sources of revenue to avoid additional deficits. Today the city council will consider adding a $3.50 fee to monthly utility bills to help increase revenue for the department. The fee is estimated to bring in about $786,000 in 2020, but some council members have expressed concerns about utility rates already being too high. (Union-Bulletin)

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