Washington in Focus

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Tacoma to consider public safety sales tax to avoid 911 cuts, address budget gap Dec 10, 2025

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(The Center Square) – The Tacoma City Council will hold its first reading this week on a proposed 0.1% public safety sales tax – months later than several neighboring cities that have already adopted similar increases. The sales tax increase – authorized by the state Legislature via House Bill 2015, with generated revenue only allowed to go toward public safety needs – would raise Tacoma’s sales tax rate from 10.3% to 10.4% and generate an estimated $7 million to $7.5 million annually, according to the city.

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Weekend Edition | Democratic socialist lawmaker introduces statewide payroll tax Dec 06, 2025

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(The Center Square) – Rep. Shaun Scott, D-Seattle, on Tuesday held a press conference to announce legislation for a new payroll excise tax on high-income earners, aimed at “protecting Washington’s budget and public services from the severe impacts of H.R. 1, the federal tax package recently passed by Congressional Republicans and Donald Trump,” according to Scott’s press release. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Half of 2025 CCA spending went toward WSF fleet electrification Dec 05, 2025

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(The Center Square) – Funding for electrifying the Washington State Ferries system continues to dominate total Climate Commitment Act project spending, according to a new Department of Ecology report for fiscal year 2025. While Ecology is touting the investments as reducing 9 million metric tons of carbon over the past two fiscal years, some critics are questioning the true cost per ton for some of the projects.

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Democratic socialist lawmaker introduces statewide payroll tax Dec 04, 2025

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Seattle pushes Olympia for funding on housing, public safety and immigrant aid Dec 03, 2025

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(The Center Square) – Seattle is pushing for a state-level backstop to help fund immigrant services and other top priorities as the Trump administration escalates federal immigration enforcement nationwide. The Seattle Office of Intergovernmental Relations briefed the city council on a proposed state legislative agenda for next year’s session during a council briefing on Monday.

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Weekend Edition | Trump admin moving ahead with dismantling the U.S. Dept. of Education Nov 28, 2025

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(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump took another step toward fulfilling his promise to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Federal officials announced that “six new interagency agreements (IAAs) with four agencies to break up the federal education bureaucracy, ensure efficient delivery of funded programs, activities, and move closer to fulfilling the President’s promise to return education to the states,” in a news release from the Department of Education. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump admin moving ahead with dismantling the U.S. Dept. of Education Nov 25, 2025

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Weekend Edition | WSBA investigated then-AG Bob Ferguson in 2023 related to lawsuit Nov 22, 2025

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(The Center Square) – Washington State Bar Association investigated Gov. Bob Ferguson when he was attorney general in 2023 for his office's handling of a lawsuit that cost taxpayers $3 million, new documents obtained by The Center Square show. The confidential investigation found insufficient evidence to prove wrongdoing, but the WSBA probe has never been reported, according to the records obtained for the AGO's office through an open records request. The Center Square also obtained records showing other complaints were filed against Ferguson while he was serving as attorney general, but they were dismissed without further investigation or directed to Ferguson's private attorneys. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Washington State Bar Association investigated then-AG Bob Ferguson in 2023 Nov 21, 2025

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Auburn hikes sales tax without public vote to fund criminal justice Nov 20, 2025

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Auburn is the latest Washington state city to take advantage of a new state law allowing cities and counties to implement a 0.1% sales and use tax for criminal justice purposes without a voter-approved referendum. During a Monday night meeting, members of the Auburn City Council unanimously approved the tax hike as an additional source of funding to address public safety needs

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