Viva La Cola!

Founded in January 2009, PubliCola is a blog about Seattle written by journalists who are dedicated to non-partisan, original daily reporting that prioritizes a balanced approach to news. Started by longtime local editor and award-winning reporter Josh Feit, PubliCola is the first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol.

PubliCola was off and running. In June 2009, PubliCola hired another award-winning journalist, super-sourced Seattle city hall reporter Erica C. Barnett.

People were afraid that blogging would change journalism. Instead, we believe journalism can change blogging. Twenty-first century journalism may look and feel different, and yes Erica isn't afraid to get cranky, but we're committed to making sure online news still delivers independent, reliable, even-keeled coverage. And most of all, we're committed to making sure the coverage sparks honest civic debate.

Bringing you cola for the people, PubliCola is named after Publius Valerius PubliCola, the alias for the authors of the Federalist Papers—the original bloggers.

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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

Extra Fizz: Everett Herald Has Details on Budget Deal

Politics, This Washington   April 8, 2010 at 9:19 am Josh Feit

Everett Herald reporter Jerry Cornfield has the big scoop on the latest revenue package proposal in Olympia.

Here’s his lead, which answers some of the questions we asked in this morning’s Fizz. Thanks Jerry.

Senate Democrats today dropped their contentious proposal to raise the sales tax and House Democrats discarded their insistence for ending certain tax breaks for banks, buyers of custom software and out-of-state residents.

Those actions cleared a path to a possible agreement on an $801 million tax package dubbed the “Go Home Proposal.”

Here are some details, including an additional beer tax (a component PubliCola was first to report on last week) and a soda tax (a piece we reported on yesterday):

  • Three year B&O services tax increase to 1.8% = $245.9 million
  • Three year beer tax increase of 50 cents per gallon = $57.8 million
  • Three year pop tax increase of 2 cents per 12 oz. = $38.10 million
  • Dot foods case = $154.7 million
  • Tobacco products = $101.4 million
  • Business nexus changes = $82.4 million
  • Sales tax on bottled water = $35.3 million
  • Sales tax on candy and gum = $29 million
  • Lottery marketing = $15 million
  • Convention center = $10 million
  • DOR regulatory power increase (Tax avoidance) = $8.2 million
  • Property management B&O = $6.9 million




  • Transpo Guy

    3 year sunset on soda pop tax? And only 2cents a can? LAME! $35. hardly makes a dent in the state subsidized heathcare costs related to justthis one segment of the corn syrupy junk food industry. Chidhood obesity is an extremely costly to taxpayers. The industry should pay its own way on these impacts.