Today's headlines:
- An initiative to repeal Washington’s new millionaire’s tax is now officially headed to the November ballot.
- A new wildfire has broken out near Grand Coulee just as Washington state officials issue a burn ban for state lands east of the Cascades.
- Federal wildland firefighters will be allowed to use respirators to protect themselves from smoke.
- We start to look at the candidates running for a state House seat in the Fourth Legislative District, representing Spokane Valley and northeast Spokane County. Today we talk with former Central Valley school board member Debra Long.
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Washington voters will decide whether to keep or kill the state’s first income tax, also known as the millionaires tax. State Government reporter Sarah Mizes-Tan has more.
An initiative to repeal the tax will appear on November’s ballot.
The Secretary of State’s office gave the repeal effort its stamp of approval on Wednesday.
The tax was passed in March and kicks in in a couple years. It would take nearly 10 percent of incomes over a million dollars a year. Democrats call it a millionaires tax.
Wealthy hedge fund founder Brian Heywood and his group Let’s Go Washington are leading the charge to overturn the measure at the ballot box. They say the tax will drive rich people out of the state.
Governor Bob Ferguson supports the law and is urging voters to keep it. He says it will prop up essential state services like education along with sales tax breaks and tax breaks for low income families.
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Washington is directing firefighting crews to a new fire burning near Grand Coulee. The Plum Point fire began late yesterday afternoon in cheatgrass and sagebrush. It’s threatening homes and power lines, but there are no evacuation warnings yet. As of yesterday evening, the flames had burned about 150 acres.
There are several other smaller fires burning in eastern Washington and north Idaho. Officials worry thunderstorms expected this afternoon and evening could spark more.
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State lands officials will impose a burn ban tomorrow on land in eastern Washington that’s operated by the Department of Natural Resources. The ban applies to outdoor burns, campfires and the burning of charcoal briquets. Still legal are stoves powered by propane and pressurized liquid gas that have shut-off valves. State officials say they’ll enforce the ban as long as the fire danger remains high.
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For the first time, the Forest Service has authorized the use of N-95 respirators for federal wildland firefighters. Rachel Sun from Northwest Public Broadcasting reports.
For years, scientists have known that wildfire smoke is especially bad in the high doses that wildland firefighters are exposed to.
Heather Heward is a fire ecology instructor at the University of Idaho. She says new protective equipment can take a minute to gain traction in the field.
1HEWARD: “On the fire line, there are people that wear N95 masks when they are exposed to smoke. I would say it's definitely the exception more than it is the rule.”
Part of that is because respirators can be uncomfortable. It’s also because of workforce norms.
Heward says when workers age up, they often re-evaluate those decisions.
2HEWARD: “As they get 10, 15, especially 20 years in, they're having friends die of — of long-term illnesses. And it's — it’s terrifying.”
She says more research is needed to implement practices that can improve health outcomes for wildland fire personnel.
I’m Rachel Sun, reporting.
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Idaho Governor Brad Little say he’s happy the federal government proposes to allow states to lead the management of grizzly bear populations. The grizzly is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Little and federal officials say that would not change under an announcement made yesterday. But they say the states, not the federal government, will have more authority to carry out policies they deem to be effective. The announcement starts a 30-day public comment window.
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Nearly a third of Washington’s schools do not limit student cell phone use.
A survey done by the state school superintendent’s office found 44-percent of districts allow individual schools to adopt their own policies. Of those that do impose limits, nearly 60-percent report fewer disruptions in class. Half say students are more engaged.
Superintendent Chris Reykdal says he will ask legislators next year to require all districts to adopt “away for the day” policies. These would require cell phones to be stored or left at home during the school day, with a few exceptions.
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Landlords in Washington will be allowed to raise rents by 10% next year, but no more. The Department of Commerce announced yesterday that a state rent cap will take effect the first of the year. The authorization comes from a law approved in 2025. The goal is to improve housing stability, especially for low income renters.
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Washington’s Fourth Legislative District, which covers Spokane Valley and northeast Spokane County, is getting a new voice in Olympia. Two-term Republican Representative Suzanne Schmidt is vacating her seat to become a county commissioner. Four candidates – all Republicans -- are applying to replace her.
Today, the first of our conversations with the candidates. Debra Long served 20 years on the Central Valley school board.
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Debra Long: I'm running on the premise that I'm tired of the gas taxes. I'm honest. I go to Idaho at the Merrimack right there and I save a dollar a gallon. I'm not alone. East Valley went there during the whole month of May and it was about a buck and a quarter and they saved over a hundred grand.
We have to do what we can. I'm not making minimum wage, but I still care about the almighty dollar and I've got kids that work for us at Rockwood, where I've been for 30 years. They're watching every penny. They're with me. They're going to cross the line to get the gas. As Senator Christian would say they've lost like over two million dollars in fuel taxes. They're way down, not what they thought and I thought wake up. Look at the revenue. You are losing by all of us going across the line. So I'm running on the gas tax.
I'm running on that wonderful income tax, because when all the millionaires leave where are they gonna get the money and it's gonna come from you and I. There's no end cap. Where they gonna go? So I'm okay if they want to put an income tax, well, not really, but it's there. But put an end cap on it so it doesn't hurt each and every citizen in Washington state.
DN: Are you worried that, yes, it's a tax for millionaires now, but it's gonna be a tax for everybody in the future? You believe that?
DL: I believe that wholeheartedly. When our governor says, when you elect me, there will be no new taxes and this is the first one out of the boat. You're thinking what the heck. You promised no new taxes and then we have more gas taxes and it went up again. It was only a penny on July 1st, but still, if you're watching your pennies, every penny counts and that's horrible.
And I want accountability. I'm an accountant at Rockwood Retirement community and I do. I'm fiscally responsible had to be fiscally responsible for our children when I was a school board director and I'm fiscally responsible to my residents who live at Rockwood.
I'm an accountant. I'm a bean counter and I watch every penny that we spend and make sure it does the right thing. When I was in school, is it for the kids? Is it gonna enhance their lives? Is it gonna make a difference at Rockwood? Is it gonna help my residents because we're a nonprofit. We don't kick them out. They stay with me forever.
So I'm like you. We fundraise every year for the resident assistance fund so that I can take care of you when you run out of money.
DN: As a school board member, how did you view the your district's relationship with the state? Did you feel like the state did a good job of making sure that districts like yours were well cared for? Were well funded?
DL: No, they didn't.
I was also the Washington state president. I ran for that office and became the Washington state president of the school board. It's called WSSDA.
It is the paramount duty. It's in our Washington state constitution. It is a paramount duty to educate our children. If you don't want to educate and don't want to give me money, take that baby out. But it's there…so do the right thing.
I can remember when the lottery was passed. It's gonna fund education. Where's that money go now? It goes to the general fund. It doesn't go to education. How about the marijuana? Yeah, it's supposed to rehab and help. It's still going to the general fund.
So what are they gonna do with the income tax? Is that going to the
general fund or is that gonna help you and I?
Debra Long is one of four Republican candidates for a soon-to-be vacant seat in the Fourth Legislative District. Tomorrow, we’ll meet Trent Maier.
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SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting was contributed by Sarah Mizes-Tan, Rachel Sun, Kyrsten Weber and Doug Nadvornick, the host and producer of the program.
