State governments, agencies sue to stop $30 car tab measure
SEATTLE -- Several state governments and transit agencies have filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop a $30 car tab initiative recently passed by Washington voters.The lawsuit, filed by eight agencies including King County, the City of Seattle and the Washington State Transit Association, calls Initiative 976 a "poorly drafted hodge-podge" that misleads voters about its impact and violates the state constitution.Read the lawsuit The Tim Eyman-sponsored measure repeals car tab taxes and fees, leaving governments without planned funding for road paving and other projects.
Sawant takes the lead over Orion in race for Seattle City Council District 3
SEATTLE -- Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant increased her lead over challenger Egan Orion on Friday evening in the closely watched race for District 3.Sawant had a 1,515-vote lead after the latest ballot count was released Friday evening.
Sawant closes in on Orion in tightening race for Seattle City Council District 3
The race for Seattle City Council District 3 just got much closer.Newcomer Egan Orion had taken a 9-point lead in early voting results, but incumbent Kshama Sawant has narrowed the gap to 2.5 percent.Just 739 votes separate the two candidates as of Thursday afternoon.
I-976: Seattle, King County will sue to block $30 car tab measure
SEATTLE -- Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan says the city will file a lawsuit to block the $30 car tab initiative passed by Washington voters in Tuesday's general election.Durkan said Thursday that if fully implemented, Initiative 976 would force the city to cut more than 100,000 bus hours and would hamper her program to provide free bus access for students and low-income residents.She also emphasized that voters in King County, which is home to Seattle, voted against the measure sponsored by Tim Eyman.City Attorney Pete Holmes says the initiative has "fairly obvious legal problems" and says the city will file a joint complaint with King County and ask that the initiative be put on hold.Eyman says Seattle and King County are defying the will of the voters."We don't trust you, and so you better regain our trust, and regaining our trust probably starts with, maybe you shouldn't sue the voters that just said yes to the initiative," Eyman said Tuesday after the first round of vote tallies showed likely passage of I-976. "Maybe you should accept the policy prescription that the voters just voted for."The measure repeals car tab taxes and fees, leaving governments without planned funding for road paving and other projects.Just a day earlier, King County Executive Dow Constantine said he asked the Prosecuting Attorney's Office to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of I-976.“The passage of I-976 underscores the ongoing need for comprehensive state tax reform, but in the short term we must clean up another mess that Tim Eyman has created for our state, our region, and our economy.
King County to file lawsuit over passage of $30 car tabs initiative
SEATTLE -- King County Executive Dow Constantine has asked the Prosecuting Attorney's Office to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of I-976, the $30 car tabs initiative that has passed after gaining a decisive lead in Wednesday afternoon returns.“The passage of I-976 underscores the ongoing need for comprehensive state tax reform, but in the short term we must clean up another mess that Tim Eyman has created for our state, our region, and our economy.
Orion holds substantial lead over Sawant while only 20 votes separate District 7
Socialist Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant still trailed challenger Egan Orion by nearly 9 percent as of Wednesday afternoon.
Amazon's spending in Seattle Council races doesn't deliver
Amazon poured $1.5 million into an effort to overhaul Seattle's City Council this year. It didn't deliver.
$30 car tab measure passes in Washington, billions to be cut
Washington state voters have approved a measure cutting car tabs to $30, heartily endorsing an idea that has been around for decades in a move that will cut billions of dollars from transportation budgets and leave governments scrambling for a way to pay for road paving, light rail and other projects.
Affirmative action referendum losing in Washington state
More than two decades after Washington voters banned affirmative action in the state, a ballot measure seeking to amend that law was losing in early returns.
I-976: $30 car tab measure passing in early returns
A Washington state initiative that would slash car tabs to $30 and leave the state and local governments scrambling to pay for road paving and other transportation projects was passing in early returns Tuesday.
Snohomish County sheriff concedes as challenger takes commanding lead in early results
SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. -- The Snohomish County Sheriff has conceded after early returns showed him trailing a sergeant from his department who ran against him.Sheriff Ty Trenary trailed Adam Fortney by more than 10 points in early results Tuesday night.A key difference between the candidates in this race is how they believed the office handled jail bookings for misdemeanor crimes.
Referendum 88: Washington state voters narrowly rejecting affirmative action
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A measure that reinstates the use of affirmative action in state employment, contracting and admission to public colleges and universities was narrowly losing Tuesday night in early returns.Referendum 88 asked people whether they wanted to approve or reject Initiative 1000, which was passed by the Legislature in April.
Constitutional amendment on emergency powers takes lead
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington voters were supporting an update to a constitutional amendment on emergency government powers in early returns.Resolution 8200 was passing with more than 65 percent of the vote initial returns Tuesday night.
Egan Orion leads Kshama Sawant in contentious Seattle City Council District 3 race
SEATTLE -- Socialist Kshama Sawant trails challenger Egan Orion in early returns in the contentious race for Seattle City Council District 3.As of 8:15 p.m., Orion had 53.99 percent of the vote with Sawant trailing with 45.61 percent of the vote.In District 1, incumbent Lisa Herbold had a slim lead over Phil Tavel 51.29 to 48.32 percent.In District 5, incumbent Debora Juarez had a commanding lead over Ann Davison Sattler 57.24 to Ann Davison Sattler.In District 6, Dan Strauss leads Heidi Wills 52.27% to 47.14%.The next ballot count will be at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Schrier defeats Rossi as Democrats flip 8th District for first time
Kim Schrier is the first Democrat to win the sprawling 8th Congressional District that stretches from Seattle's eastern suburbs to central Washington farm country.
I-940 passes: Police deadly force measure projected to be approved
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Voters in Washington state resoundingly passed a measure that will make it easier to prosecute police officers involved in shootings.Initiative 940, which also requires police training to de-escalate volatile situations and avoid the use of deadly force, is leading 59 percent to 41 percent.
GOP's Jamie Herrera Beutler wins re-election to House in WA-3
Republican incumbent U.S. Rep.
Gun owners blast I-1639, worry initiative punishes responsible users
BELLEVUE, Wash. – Initiative 1639, a measure on gun control, passed overwhelmingly with 60 percent of voters saying yes.Under 1639, the legal age to buy a semiautomatic rifle is raised from 18 to 21, and buyers of those weapons will be subjected to enhanced background checks and have a 10-day waiting period before they get their guns.Q13 News traveled to an East King County gun store to ask firearms fans what they think of the possible changes.The owner at LowPriceGuns.com did not want to share an interview on camera but he does expect sales to grow between now and when the law goes into effect.
Democrats eye potential flip in 8th Congressional District
Democrats' hopes to topple the highest ranking GOP woman in the U.S. House were dashed Tuesday as Republican incumbent Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers was re-elected to her eighth term in Congress, but a Democratic lead in a long-held Republican seat gave them hope to increase the party's margin in its newfound control of the chamber.
I-1639: Measure tightening gun regulations wins
SEATTLE -- Washington state voters have passed measures tightening gun regulations and making it easier to prosecute police for negligent shootings passed.But an initiative that would charge the nation's first tax on carbon emissions to tackle climate change trailed in early returns Tuesday in the state's costliest initiative campaign.The fight over whether to make polluters pay for their carbon emissions was closely watched nationwide.