Morning Fizz
A Shaky Proposition
Caffeinated news & gossip. Your daily Morning Fizz
1. Cities around the state are discussing how to mitigate the impact of the state budget crisis on local governments. Because state funds that go to cities have been cut less drastically than state spending overall, legislators are expected to target those funds when they attempt to close a $1.5 billion shortfall. (Gov. Chris Gregoire, for example, has already proposed ending an agreement in which the state shares liquor profits with cities to offset the local impacts of alcohol abuse---a proposal that would cost Seattle alone $7 million a year).
To mitigate the cuts, legislators reportedly may give cities the ability to raise more revenues to pay for programs the state will no longer fund.
The catch, PubliCola hears, is that those new revenues would have to be voter-approved---a shaky proposition, given that even tax-friendly Seattle failed to pass a tax on car tabs to pay for transportation in November.
Another possibility: Legislators could decide to let cities unilaterally impose taxes or fees for a portion of the revenue (as they did with the first $20 of the car-tab tax) but require a vote for the rest. Ultimately, of course, none of this will be decided until the legislature actually gets around to passing a budget---which might not happen until next year.
2. Indeed, speaking of the legislature and the pending budget, state Sen. Ed Murray (D-43, Seattle), the senate budget chair, laid into critics who are accusing lawmakers of dilly dallying during the special session. "The disappointing thing," Murray says, "is people thinking the legislature is just supposed to rubber stamp what the executive has proposed." Last month, Gregoire sent the legislature $2 billion in proposed cuts and a proposal to raise the sales tax a half-a-penny—.5 percent—to fund $500 million in "buy backs."[pullquote]"The disappointing thing," Murray says, "is people thinking the legislature is just supposed to rubber stamp what the executive has proposed."[/pullquote]
"I believe in transparency," Murray says, "we have to have hearings, get the votes, and reach an agreement between both chambers and both parties. It's not possible to write a budget in the special session."
Murray says the silver lining is that the legislature, which he thinks will curtail the special session as the holidays begin, is getting a head start on next year's session and predicts they will "pass a budget and hopefully a revenue package in record time" during the regular session.
3. Erica will be on KUOW's Week in Review this morning at 10 AM to recap the week's top stories with host Steve Scher. Tune in 94.9 FM.
4. A watered-down rental housing inspection law that would only require "drive-by" (external) inspections and would allow landlords to "self-certify" that they're following all city housing rules by signing a piece of paper also represents a serious downgrade from legislation the city council adopted last year.
That legislation, which the council adopted to beat a state deadline (after which a less stringent statewide standard would have become city law by default), was supposed to be a "placeholder" to give the council time to adopt more stringent rules. However, it actually went further than the legislation the council is currently considering, requiring interior inspections of all rental units in the city before a license could be issued; requiring all units to meet the city's housing and building code; and mandating a quicker phase-in of rental licensing and inspection.
Tenant advocates have opposed the latest version of the licensing proposal, saying it fails to address the most egregious code violations and continues to make tenants responsible for reporting bad landlords to the city.[pullquote]McKenna's 23-year-old daughter Madeleine, who established a reputation as a Democrat as UW student body president, is heading up his Seattle campaign effort.[/pullquote]
5. Rob McKenna's campaign is convinced they have a better shot at picking up votes in Seattle than previous Republican candidates (which they believe will put them over the top against Jay Inslee in the 2012 governor's race). And McKenna's 23-year-old daughter Madeleine, the former UW student body president, who established a reputation as a Democrat, is heading up the effort.
Fizz hears she's drafted Republican precinct committee officers and former conservative Seattle city council candidate Robert Rosencrantz to help. Rosencrantz seems like an odd choice, though, given his track record of (not) getting votes in Seattle; Rosencrantz has lost three citywide elections, once in 2003, again in 2005, and again in 2009—losing to council members to Jean Godden, Richard McIver, and Mike O'Brien respectively.
6. Women Helping Other Women (WHOW) is hosting a screening of "Missrepresentation," a documentary (which Erica reviewed for PubliCola last week ) about the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and their often demeaning portrayal by the media at the Big Picture (2505 First Ave.) at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, December 13.
Space is limited; RSVP for tickets ($25, cash only) here, and check out the trailer here.
1. Cities around the state are discussing how to mitigate the impact of the state budget crisis on local governments. Because state funds that go to cities have been cut less drastically than state spending overall, legislators are expected to target those funds when they attempt to close a $1.5 billion shortfall. (Gov. Chris Gregoire, for example, has already proposed ending an agreement in which the state shares liquor profits with cities to offset the local impacts of alcohol abuse---a proposal that would cost Seattle alone $7 million a year).
To mitigate the cuts, legislators reportedly may give cities the ability to raise more revenues to pay for programs the state will no longer fund.
The catch, PubliCola hears, is that those new revenues would have to be voter-approved---a shaky proposition, given that even tax-friendly Seattle failed to pass a tax on car tabs to pay for transportation in November.
Another possibility: Legislators could decide to let cities unilaterally impose taxes or fees for a portion of the revenue (as they did with the first $20 of the car-tab tax) but require a vote for the rest. Ultimately, of course, none of this will be decided until the legislature actually gets around to passing a budget---which might not happen until next year.
2. Indeed, speaking of the legislature and the pending budget, state Sen. Ed Murray (D-43, Seattle), the senate budget chair, laid into critics who are accusing lawmakers of dilly dallying during the special session. "The disappointing thing," Murray says, "is people thinking the legislature is just supposed to rubber stamp what the executive has proposed." Last month, Gregoire sent the legislature $2 billion in proposed cuts and a proposal to raise the sales tax a half-a-penny—.5 percent—to fund $500 million in "buy backs."[pullquote]"The disappointing thing," Murray says, "is people thinking the legislature is just supposed to rubber stamp what the executive has proposed."[/pullquote]
"I believe in transparency," Murray says, "we have to have hearings, get the votes, and reach an agreement between both chambers and both parties. It's not possible to write a budget in the special session."
Murray says the silver lining is that the legislature, which he thinks will curtail the special session as the holidays begin, is getting a head start on next year's session and predicts they will "pass a budget and hopefully a revenue package in record time" during the regular session.
3. Erica will be on KUOW's Week in Review this morning at 10 AM to recap the week's top stories with host Steve Scher. Tune in 94.9 FM.
4. A watered-down rental housing inspection law that would only require "drive-by" (external) inspections and would allow landlords to "self-certify" that they're following all city housing rules by signing a piece of paper also represents a serious downgrade from legislation the city council adopted last year.
That legislation, which the council adopted to beat a state deadline (after which a less stringent statewide standard would have become city law by default), was supposed to be a "placeholder" to give the council time to adopt more stringent rules. However, it actually went further than the legislation the council is currently considering, requiring interior inspections of all rental units in the city before a license could be issued; requiring all units to meet the city's housing and building code; and mandating a quicker phase-in of rental licensing and inspection.
Tenant advocates have opposed the latest version of the licensing proposal, saying it fails to address the most egregious code violations and continues to make tenants responsible for reporting bad landlords to the city.[pullquote]McKenna's 23-year-old daughter Madeleine, who established a reputation as a Democrat as UW student body president, is heading up his Seattle campaign effort.[/pullquote]
5. Rob McKenna's campaign is convinced they have a better shot at picking up votes in Seattle than previous Republican candidates (which they believe will put them over the top against Jay Inslee in the 2012 governor's race). And McKenna's 23-year-old daughter Madeleine, the former UW student body president, who established a reputation as a Democrat, is heading up the effort.
Fizz hears she's drafted Republican precinct committee officers and former conservative Seattle city council candidate Robert Rosencrantz to help. Rosencrantz seems like an odd choice, though, given his track record of (not) getting votes in Seattle; Rosencrantz has lost three citywide elections, once in 2003, again in 2005, and again in 2009—losing to council members to Jean Godden, Richard McIver, and Mike O'Brien respectively.
6. Women Helping Other Women (WHOW) is hosting a screening of "Missrepresentation," a documentary (which Erica reviewed for PubliCola last week ) about the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and their often demeaning portrayal by the media at the Big Picture (2505 First Ave.) at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, December 13.
Space is limited; RSVP for tickets ($25, cash only) here, and check out the trailer here.
