(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson’s senior staff includes figures from nonprofits and advocacy groups who have played influential roles in shaping city policy, meaning she and her team are navigating potential conflicts with city ethics laws. “This is a team that’s ready to get to work,” said Wilson in announcing her senior staff team earlier this month. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) - Members of the Department of Children Youth and Families Oversight Board met Wednesday to discuss proposed changes to legislation that critics say has led to an alarming increase in the numbers of children who have died in the Washington state welfare system in recent years. The board also discussed and ultimately rejected adding the secretary of DCYF or executive staff to the board as a nonvoting member.

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(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson’s senior staff includes figures from nonprofits and advocacy groups who have played influential roles in shaping city policy, meaning she and her team are navigating potential conflicts with city ethics laws. “This is a team that’s ready to get to work,” said Wilson in announcing her senior staff team earlier this month.

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Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_de820ec2-f88c-4b75-bfc0-20907b922a8d.html

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(The Center Square) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, under fire for failing to prevent a massive welfare fraud scheme in his state, was in Seattle on Tuesday as the special guest at Gov. Bob Ferguson’s fundraising luncheon, telling those in attendance Somalis were being "demonized" and vowing to bring more into his state. “These folks better not ever mistake our kindness for our weakness because we are going to defend our neighbors. These guys bring out the worst in me. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – The Washington State Attorney General’s Office billed more than 11,000 hours of attorney and staff work on lawsuits against the federal government in an eight-month period following the November 2024 election, according to records obtained by The Center Square. More than a third of those hours were spent working on a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s executive order regarding federal funding for medical providers who perform gender-affirming procedures on children.

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(The Center Square) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, under fire for failing to prevent a massive welfare fraud scheme in his state, was in Seattle on Tuesday as the special guest at Gov. Bob Ferguson’s fundraising luncheon, telling those in attendance Somalis were being "demonized" and vowing to bring more into his state. “These folks better not ever mistake our kindness for our weakness because we are going to defend our neighbors. These guys bring out the worst in me.

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Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_9cccffda-f6cf-4bac-9093-caf1ac57d27a.html

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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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(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.

(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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(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.

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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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