Morning Fizz
"Yay! Metro is Saved" (By Killing the Ride-Free Area?)
1. King County Executive Dow Constantine is holding a press conference today announcing a deal on Metro funding and the vehicle license fee. [pullquote]The rumor is that Metro is going to get rid of the ride free area in downtown Seattle.[/pullquote]
Fizz couldn't get many more details than that. The rumor is that Metro is going to get rid of the ride free area in downtown Seattle—a change that reeled in enough Republican votes to pass the $20 license fee. A press release this morning simply said:
However, Constantine spokesman Frank Abe confirmed that the announcement is about the license fee. And an ebullient text we got last night from an inside source said "Yay! Metro is saved."
2. One thing I-1183, this year's liquor initiative, has going for it over last year's failed measure, is the requirement that only stores with 10,000 square feet or more can sell booze. This new requirement addresses the concern voters had last year about mini-marts and corner stores turning into liquor stores—and potentially turning every neighborhood in the state into a skid row.
However, opponents of the measure are pointing to a loophole in the initiative that weakens that safeguard. There's language in the measure that says the liquor control board can issue liquor licenses to private stores if it determines, "There is no retail spirits license holder in the trade area that the applicant proposes to serve."
This loophole explains the state Office of Financial Management's recent analysis of I-1183 that predicted an increase from 328 stores to 1428 stores selling hard liquor.
3. Yesterday , when we reported the latest fundraising numbers from Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna (the 2012 gubernatorial candidates are about even overall at $1 million raised so far, with Democrat Inslee taking in nearly $600,000 last month to Republican McKenna's $340,000), we also noted any noteworthy donations we could find (Tim Eyman sugar-daddy Mike Dunmire showed up on McKenna's list of big contributors.)
One we left off—we didn't think it was newsworthy because it seemed like an obvious donation to us—was this: $200,000 from the Washington State Central Democratic Committee. (Donation limits allow state political parties to far exceed the $3200 donation limit on political committees and individuals.)
The Republicans chided us for leaving the hefty donation out of our report, pointing out that without the big give from the party, Inslee wouldn't have hit the $1 million mark like McKenna.
While we're updating our who's who list of Inslee and McKenna donors—some others who kicked in big donations in July were: Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln ($750) and Logos Research Systems CEO Robert Pritchett ($1,000), both to McKenna, and Costco VP Joel Benoliel ($3200) to Inslee.
Logos Research Systems makes bible study software.
Fizz couldn't get many more details than that. The rumor is that Metro is going to get rid of the ride free area in downtown Seattle—a change that reeled in enough Republican votes to pass the $20 license fee. A press release this morning simply said:
"King County Executive Dow Constantine will be joined by members of the Metropolitan King County Council to announce a major development related to funding for public transportation."
However, Constantine spokesman Frank Abe confirmed that the announcement is about the license fee. And an ebullient text we got last night from an inside source said "Yay! Metro is saved."
2. One thing I-1183, this year's liquor initiative, has going for it over last year's failed measure, is the requirement that only stores with 10,000 square feet or more can sell booze. This new requirement addresses the concern voters had last year about mini-marts and corner stores turning into liquor stores—and potentially turning every neighborhood in the state into a skid row.
However, opponents of the measure are pointing to a loophole in the initiative that weakens that safeguard. There's language in the measure that says the liquor control board can issue liquor licenses to private stores if it determines, "There is no retail spirits license holder in the trade area that the applicant proposes to serve."
This loophole explains the state Office of Financial Management's recent analysis of I-1183 that predicted an increase from 328 stores to 1428 stores selling hard liquor.
3. Yesterday , when we reported the latest fundraising numbers from Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna (the 2012 gubernatorial candidates are about even overall at $1 million raised so far, with Democrat Inslee taking in nearly $600,000 last month to Republican McKenna's $340,000), we also noted any noteworthy donations we could find (Tim Eyman sugar-daddy Mike Dunmire showed up on McKenna's list of big contributors.)
One we left off—we didn't think it was newsworthy because it seemed like an obvious donation to us—was this: $200,000 from the Washington State Central Democratic Committee. (Donation limits allow state political parties to far exceed the $3200 donation limit on political committees and individuals.)
The Republicans chided us for leaving the hefty donation out of our report, pointing out that without the big give from the party, Inslee wouldn't have hit the $1 million mark like McKenna.
While we're updating our who's who list of Inslee and McKenna donors—some others who kicked in big donations in July were: Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln ($750) and Logos Research Systems CEO Robert Pritchett ($1,000), both to McKenna, and Costco VP Joel Benoliel ($3200) to Inslee.
Logos Research Systems makes bible study software.
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