1. The American Beverage Association, which has already gotten attention for bankrolling I-1107, the initiative that would repeal the temporary tax increases on soda, candy, and bottled water, contributed another $2.3 million on Friday.
That brings the Washington D.C.-based ABA’s total contribution to over $16.7 million. There are 11 other small contributions (between $10 and $100), but the ABA is essentially funding the entire 1107 initiative campaign.
As we reported yesterday afternoon, a new Elway Poll shows 1107 gaining ground, going from 47 percent “definitely” or “probably” favoring the measure in September, to 54 percent “definitely” or “probably” supporting it now.
2. The Seattle city council, unsurprisingly, unanimously supports Referendum 52, which would preserve the temporary sales tax on bottled water and fund energy retrofits in public schools across the state.
Surprisingly, though, the council, which despite their internal differences on city politics are all Democrats, has simultaneously declined to take positions on three other hotly contested initiatives where the D party line is clear—Initiative 1098, the high-earners’ income tax, and Initiatives 1100 and 1105, the liquor-privatization initiatives. (Democrats are for 1098 and against the liquor initiatives—mostly because of how they impact the state budget; 1098 brings in money for education and health care, while the liquor initiatives would siphon money away from the state, according to the state Office of Financial Management. )
According to council sources, most council members (but evidently not all) support 1098, which would impose a five-percent income tax on individuals making more than $200,000 a year and couples making more than $400,000.
And only a scarce majority, perhaps as few as five, said they would definitely support a resolution opposing liquor privatization, prompting proponents of such a resolution to back off from proposing it.
(Most council resolutions on state and federal elections pass unanimously).
Who’s on the fence? From what the Fizz hears, Bruce Harrell and Sally Bagshaw expressed doubts about opposing the liquor privatization measures.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This item has been corrected. We originally reported that the council took a position on the King County Prop. 1, the sales tax for public safety. They did not. Also, Tim Burgess says he’s against the liquor privatization initiatives.
3. Speaking of initiatives, Gov. Chris Gregoire was on KCTS last night taking questions from viewers and host Enrique Cerna. She was asked about all the initiatives. She’s a yes on 1098, the high-earners income tax; a no on 1100 and 1105, the two liquor privatization initiatives; a no on 1082, the measure to let private insurers into the state’s workers’ comp market; a no on 1107, the soda, candy, and bottled water tax repeal; and a no on Tim Eyman’s 1053 which reinstates the two-thirds rule on the legislature for tax increases.
None of these are surprises. But she was most forceful on 1053: “Who are his funders?” she said, referring to Eyman, the state’s premiere mountebank. “It’s big oil. Big business. Big banks. That’s not the people of Washington. I say no to him.”
BP has contributed $50,000, Conoco Phillips has contributed $75,000, and Tesoro has contributed $80,000. It’s no wonder: The legislature is thinking about raising the hazardous substance tax on oil companies.
The PI.com and PubliCola were the official tweeters for last night’s KCTS Gregoire interview. Here’s our thread.
4. The city’s firefighters union, the International Association of Firefighters Local 27, made the unusual move of endorsing city council member Tim Burgess—for 2010. Although some at the council assumed, understandably, that the Burgess endorsement (the only “2010 endorsement” in the union’s latest newsletter for a race that isn’t actually happening this year) was a mistake, union president Kenny Stuart says it was entirely intentional.
Stuart says the firefighters’ union makes a point of singling out elected officials who are “willing to listen” to their views and, in the case of especially supportive elected like Burgess, giving them effective “endorsements for life,” meaning that no matter who runs against Burgess in 2011, when he’s actually up for reelection, he’ll enjoy the support of the firefighters’ union.
5. The appearance of more than half of the city council at Mayor Mike McGinn’s press conference yesterday was, at best, a temporary rapprochement in the ongoing debate over what new revenue sources are appropriate in filling next year’s $67 million budget shortfall—particularly, whether it’s the time to raise the commercial parking tax and on-street parking-meter fees.
Council members are reportedly unlikely to support the entire slate of parking fee increases McGinn has proposed, which would increase the commercial parking tax by five percent and hike downtown parking-meter rates to $4 an hour (and extend hours to 8 pm on weekends and all day on Sunday).
Instead, they seem likely to support some combination of longer hours and higher rates combined with cuts to programs and services, combined with the $8 million a year Nick Licata has negotiated as a temporary deal with the Museum of History and Industry.
Of course, every council member has their own ideas about how that money should be spend (restoring cuts? offsetting revenues lost by not implementing McGinn’s parking-meter increases?), all of which will be hashed out in the six weeks before the council adopts next year’s budget.
