Morning Fizz
McKenna Leads Inslee in New Poll
Caffeinated news and gossip. Your daily Morning Fizz.
1. The Washington State Democrats voted this weekend to endorse I-502, the marijuana legalization initiative . The initiative puts the Washington State Liquor Control Board in charge of regulating pot sales and puts a 25 percent excise tax at every level of the pot market—producer, processor, and retailer—along with the regular sales tax added on at the retail level. The money, about $300 million per biennium, would be earmarked for health care, drug abuse programs, and the state general fund.
The measure, being backed by the ACLU, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes, and state Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36, Seattle), has until December to get 241,000 signatures. Its first stop will be the 2012 legislative session in Olympia, where the legislature can simply pass it. If the legislature doesn’t pass the measure, it goes to a vote of the people.
2. Speaking of legalizing pot: Voters are split 46 to 46 on the idea, according to a new statewide poll of 500 likely voters. The new poll, conducted by local consulting firm Strategies 360, also shows Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna ahead of US Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA, 1) in the 2012 race for governor, 46-39. (Despite favoring the Republican, the poll also shows President Obama beating both Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney pretty comfortably in Washington State, 51-37 and 49-40, respectively.)[pullquote]The new poll shows Rob McKenna ahead of Jay Inslee, 46-39.[/pullquote]
The Seattle Times has a story on the poll, which, Times writer Jim Brunner reports also found:
3. The Seattle City Council is holding a hearing tonight at Roosevelt High School to consider zoning changes to make room for more density around the planned Roosevelt light rail station.
Mayor Mike McGinn and Council Member Tim Burgess want to increase heights for development around the station by as much as 20 feet to as high as 85 feet.
1. The Washington State Democrats voted this weekend to endorse I-502, the marijuana legalization initiative . The initiative puts the Washington State Liquor Control Board in charge of regulating pot sales and puts a 25 percent excise tax at every level of the pot market—producer, processor, and retailer—along with the regular sales tax added on at the retail level. The money, about $300 million per biennium, would be earmarked for health care, drug abuse programs, and the state general fund.
The measure, being backed by the ACLU, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes, and state Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36, Seattle), has until December to get 241,000 signatures. Its first stop will be the 2012 legislative session in Olympia, where the legislature can simply pass it. If the legislature doesn’t pass the measure, it goes to a vote of the people.
2. Speaking of legalizing pot: Voters are split 46 to 46 on the idea, according to a new statewide poll of 500 likely voters. The new poll, conducted by local consulting firm Strategies 360, also shows Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna ahead of US Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA, 1) in the 2012 race for governor, 46-39. (Despite favoring the Republican, the poll also shows President Obama beating both Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney pretty comfortably in Washington State, 51-37 and 49-40, respectively.)[pullquote]The new poll shows Rob McKenna ahead of Jay Inslee, 46-39.[/pullquote]
The Seattle Times has a story on the poll, which, Times writer Jim Brunner reports also found:
• When it comes to closing the state's latest $1.4 billion budget gap, the poll showed support for a balanced approach, with 44 percent saying the gap should be closed "equally with spending cuts and tax increases." But 40 percent said it should be done mostly or all with spending cuts, compared with 11 percent who favored mostly or all tax increases.
• A majority express support for gay marriage, with 54 percent saying it should be legalized and 35 percent opposed (12 percent were undecided or declined to answer). Democrats in the Legislature are considering a push in the next session to legalize gay marriage.
• Two initiatives headed to the November ballot have early leads. A Tim Eyman-sponsored measure that would restrict the use of transportation tolls leads 50-31 percent. A Costco-backed plan to privatize liquor sales is up 51-44 percent. (Because fewer of those in the poll said they were likely to vote in the 2011 election, the numbers for those initiatives have a slightly higher margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.)
3. The Seattle City Council is holding a hearing tonight at Roosevelt High School to consider zoning changes to make room for more density around the planned Roosevelt light rail station.
Mayor Mike McGinn and Council Member Tim Burgess want to increase heights for development around the station by as much as 20 feet to as high as 85 feet.
