A bill to privatize liquor sales died in committee this year. But PubliCola hears the retail and grocery industry is going to run an initiative to make it happen anyway. We have call into the NW Grocery Association.

The Democrats in the legislature and Governor Chris Gregoire are dead against the idea—as is labor—and argued all session that data says privatizing liquor sales wouldn’t have raised much revenue in the short term (which is when the state needed money) and the long term payback was debatable.

The governor also opposed it because, she argued, only big companies like Rite Aid would have been able to win out in the auction for licenses—which wouldn’t have created any new jobs, and moreover, low wage, inexperienced sales clerks wouldn’t be as likely to safeguard against underage sales.

A coalition of public health, public safety, religious organizations and children's groups is reportedly queuing up to fight the pending initiative.