It’s crunch time in Olympia, and Washington lawmakers are racing to close a multi-billion-dollar budget gap before the 60-day session ends. Jeff digs into a Democratic proposal to tap the surplus in the closed Law Enforcement Officers’ and Firefighters’ Pension Plan 1—not for immediate relief, but as a longer-term strategy to ease pressure on future budgets. House Democratic leader Joe Fitzgibbon explains why lawmakers say the money is legally available, why it would not arrive until 2029, and why painful cuts to child care, higher education, and other services are still on the table now.
PLUS: Fitzgibbon addresses the controversy surrounding his appearance during a late-night committee meeting, admitting he made “a bad choice” by drinking before the legislature had finished its work. The fallout prompts a public statement from House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, who says lawmakers are expected to remain professional and fully focused on the work before them.
AND: Longtime Republican lawmaker Michelle Caldier (now Valdez) says she’s done with Olympia after 12 years in office. In a wide-ranging conversation, she argues Republicans are increasingly shut out in a Democratic supermajority legislature, says voters are being misled about the consequences of state policy, and warns that Washington’s political direction may get worse before it gets better.
Also this week: a federal judge in Oregon orders limited operational changes at Columbia and Snake River dams to protect endangered salmon, a newly released 911 call captures a disturbing threat from an ICE agent during a confrontation in Portland, and Jeff rounds up the bills that died in Olympia—from a proposed state shark to lowering the legal blood alcohol limit—plus a few oddball measures that are still alive.
The Northwest Politicast with Jeff Pohjola: From this Washington to that one, Jeff Pohjola explores the politics and issues of the week. Frequent guests and top analysts break down the news to get to the heart of what matters most.
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