The three initiatives passed this year by the Legislature took effect June 6.

Initiative 2081 creates a parental bill of rights for K-12 education. It will be great for parents who want to be more involved in and informed about their children’s education.

I-2111 bans income taxes at any level of government in our state. It gives Washington taxpayers a level of protection they have never had.

Then there’s I-2113. Pound for pound it’s the standout of the three, because it completely removes the handcuffs Democrats had put on law-enforcement officers who wanted to pursue suspected criminals.

Fully restoring the ability of officers to engage in vehicular pursuits should help deter a variety of crimes — like auto theft, which soared after the Democrats’ criminal-friendly decision took effect in the summer of 2021.

The Washington State Patrol recently acknowledged that between July 26, 2021 — when the “no-chase” policy began — and March 31 of this year, nearly 8,000 drivers fled from troopers. In the meantime, our state ended up being among the worst in the nation for auto thefts.

While we absolutely should celebrate I-2113’s restoration of the pre-2021 pursuit policy, no one should forget Republicans tried to get our state back to this point long before now – and how Democrats in the legislative and executive branches repeatedly resisted, even though it was clear their approach was producing an untold number of victims.

We came close to reversing the unreasonable pursuit restrictions on the final day of the 2022 session. Unfortunately, far-left Democrats in the Senate ran out the clock and derailed our efforts to force a deciding vote.

In 2023 we again made fixing the pursuit law a priority and turned up the heat on Democrats. They dragged their feet initially but eventually worked with us to loosen some of their restrictions — just not enough to get at the epidemic of car thefts and other property crimes.

We were gearing up for another fight this year when many of you — and more than 823,000 individual voters in all — signed the six Let’s Go Washington initiatives that included I-2113.

Having been backed into a corner by Initiative petitions containing 2.6 million voter signatures, and Republican pressure to act on the people's legislation, Democrat leaders eventually relented.

Finally, the Senate and House were allowed to vote on a complete repeal of the disastrous police-pursuit rules. I-2113 passed easily, as did I-2111 and I-2081.

Still, we have yet to hear the Democrats admit they made a mistake in 2021 by engaging in identity politics — and acting as though they knew better than law-enforcement officers who are trained how and when to engage in pursuits.

The decision to finally drop their resistance also doesn’t absolve the Democrats of the harm done to countless Washington families by their soft-on-crime stance.

It doesn’t bring back the three children whose deaths — one in Pierce County, two in Yakima County — are tied to people who remained free to drive because of the Democrats’ dangerous restrictions.

It doesn’t bring back the Clark County sheriff’s sergeant fatally ambushed by someone who was being followed by police earlier that same day but couldn’t be pursued.

Nor does it reimburse car-theft victims for the expense and time and disruption they suffered.

It’s bad enough that so many Democrats, from Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson on down, have shown themselves to be incapable of making a dent in the shootings and other violent crime in our communities, and the epidemic of drugs that also make our communities less safe.

Then they make it worse by acting like the wants of criminals should come ahead of the rights of victims.

Inslee’s been doing it since at least 2014, when he took the death-penalty option away from prosecutors.

That was followed by the scandal at his Department of Corrections that let felons out prematurely, and weak responses to assorted acts of lawlessness – from the vandalism, thefts and violence during the summer of 2020 to the recent illegal blockades of important roads and freeways.

Ferguson’s record in the law-and-order category is worse.

In his world it's OK to repeatedly go after law-abiding firearm owners, sellers and manufacturers, while brushing off property crimes like theft and shoplifting.

Instead of backing Republican efforts to deter firearm thefts and punish adults who endanger children through fentanyl exposure, Ferguson distributed “chicken checks” with his name prominently printed on them to poor people he claimed were harmed by the price of chicken.

In his haste to get these checks into the hands of as many voters as possible before his name appeared on the ballot as a candidate for governor, Ferguson also had checks sent to rich people, dead people and vegetarians who never had purchased chicken.

This led to an ethics complaint being filed against Ferguson, which described his scheme as violating state law and “absolutely, undeniably, attempting to buy people’s votes.” No matter how the Executive Ethics Board ends up ruling, that’s hardly the law and order our state deserves.

Then there are the bills from Democratic lawmakers that would go easier on criminals in a variety of ways, like reduced sentences and less community supervision.

As the Senate Democrats’ deputy leader once put it – and this is someone running to succeed Ferguson as attorney general, who had also argued against loosening the 2021 pursuit limits – people should not be judged by their “worst day.”

Tell that to the single mom whose life was turned upside down because her primary mode of transportation was stolen by someone who had no fear of being pursued.

Now that the ability of police to pursue has been restored, it shouldn’t take too long for criminals to realize the good times enabled by Democrats are over.

Still, there is much more work to be done to reestablish public safety. Ferguson and Democrats in the Legislature can't be trusted to get it done.

Voters tired of living in an unsafe Washington need to put Republicans back in charge of the lawmaking in our state.

At the same time, they should finish what all those voter signatures and petitions started, by approving every one of the money-saving measures on the November ballot.

That's how we make Washington better.

By Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia

From 2013 through 2017, Republicans led our state Senate and Democrats had the majority in the House. While it lasted, that break in one-party control of Olympia was good for the people of our state.

Together we passed budgets balanced without general tax increases, the landmark overhaul of the state’s K-12 funding system and what is probably the most equitable package of transportation projects in state history.

The fact that Republicans shared control of the legislative branch also delayed Governor Inslee from imposing a capital-gains income tax and his extremist climate policy. (While Democratic legislators ultimately gave Inslee his wish, the unnecessary income tax and the costly “cap-and-tax” policy can and should be repealed by the people of Washington later this year; they just need to pass Initiative 2109 and Initiative 2117.)

As a member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, I also witnessed the start of what has now been a decade-long run of strong bipartisan cooperation within the Legislature on responding to behavioral health needs. One of the benefits of that cooperation recently opened in Seattle: the Center for Behavioral Health and Learning. The bill authorizing it was introduced by a former speaker of the House, and won unanimous support from the Senate and House in 2019.

While this $224 million facility will offer bedspace for up to 150 patients — and our state certainly needs the added capacity — it’s even more important from a workforce standpoint. Several years ago we authorized Washington State University to open the state’s second medical school. It came from a desire to respond to the shortage of healthcare providers, especially in rural parts of Washington. The same concept applies here. The demand for behavioral health services across our state is already exceeding the supply, and we need this new training facility to start turning that around. I’m proud the Legislature’s progress on behavioral health has been so bipartisan, and said as much at the May 15 ribbon-cutting for the UW center — citing three key reasons. First, government exists in part to deliver the services people can’t provide for themselves. We can debate whether those with behavioral-health issues put themselves in the position to need help, but either way, let’s act with compassion. It’s the moral thing to do. And I believe most folks would choose to overcome their behavior health issues, given the choice. Second, there is obviously a strong tie between behavioral-health issues and public safety — just follow news reports. People can’t walk down the block or ride transit without fearing for their physical wellbeing. That’s not right.

Finally, as a fiscal conservative and someone who knows how the state budget is constructed, I can tell you it is more cost-effective to deliver treatment to someone over a period of months than to incarcerate that same person for years.

Besides helping people in our communities to have a chance at leading a productive, crime-free life, getting them on a better track sooner through treatment can save money that can be devoted to other services people need. Unfortunately, the Legislature only has so much control over addressing behavioral health. We create the policy and provide the funding, but the execution belongs to the executive branch. That’s where Governor Inslee — and Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who desperately wants to succeed Inslee — have failed to hold up their end.

In 2018, for example, the governor’s mismanagement cost Western State Hospital, one of the two state-run psychiatric hospitals, its accreditation and $53 million in annual federal support. That same year, Governor Inslee publicly vowed to “transform the state’s mental-health system” by 2023. It didn’t happen, perhaps because the governor got distracted by his crusades to impose an income tax and extremist climate-related agenda. Then again, no one runs for president or gets invited to give speeches in faraway places because of their work on behavioral health. He made a choice, and it wasn’t to stand with those who need access to treatment.

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, the governor and the attorney general — who is the state’s chief law-enforcement officer — allowed drug havens disguised as homeless encampments to proliferate, adding to the behavioral-health crisis.

In 2021 they both backed the disastrous Democratic social experiment which essentially decriminalized hard drugs in our state. Neither Inslee nor Ferguson would publicly recognize something that seemed obvious to Republicans and others with a lick of common sense: people with addictions often won’t seek treatment unless threatened with the loss of their freedom.

Unfortunately, the policies of the governor, attorney general and their political allies were completely counterproductive. They caused the need for treatment to grow faster than legislators or anyone else could respond. Regardless of the demand, it takes years to build out behavioral health resources, whether at the community level or the state level. Despite the urgency, the UW center couldn’t be constructed in less than five years; in my legislative district, efforts to build a behavioral health treatment facility were delayed significantly by another failure of Inslee’s administration. The governor’s office promised the project wouldn’t get caught up in Inslee’s effort to ban the use of natural gas to heat buildings. That turned out to be false.

Legislators have built a strong bipartisan record of supporting access to behavioral health. Republicans have distinguished themselves by also opposing actions that would add to the demand for treatment. I am especially proud that the new UW center will help create a behavioral health workforce capable of serving all of our state. But we can’t and won’t stop there. Not only must legislators do better; our state also needs a governor and attorney general who will row in the same direction as our branch of government. Inslee and Ferguson have shown themselves to be more concerned about going off in their own self-serving directions.

There are enough conflicts already when it comes to making progress on behavioral health; we could use some partners in the executive branch who will help move the ball forward.

It would be great if Washington voters made behavioral health a factor in choosing among the candidates for governor and attorney general.

By Lauren Girgis

May 15, 2024 at 4:28 pm Updated May 15, 2024 at 5:42 pm

Graffiti near a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Washington in Seattle on Wednesday. (Ivy Ceballo / The Seattle Times)

University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce called for a cease-fire in the war in Gaza in a public statement Wednesday while also criticizing the encampment protest at the school, saying the language used by some has been “vile and antisemitic.”

Tensions have risen recently between protesters at the encampment, which was set up about two weeks ago, and other university affiliates and outside demonstrators, including attendees of a right-wing activist’s talk and pro-Israel demonstrators led by a Christian church organization. Protesters have clashed, sometimes physically, with counterprotesters.

Cauce wrote the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is “heartbreaking” and reiterated, as she initially wrote Friday night, that the university’s response to calls for change won’t be based on an encampment and urged the members to dismantle.

While Cauce has been open about her reluctance to sweep the encampment as other university presidents have done, her statement Wednesday marked her strongest condemnation yet of the encampment.

She did not indicate whether she is seriously considering bringing police in to forcibly remove encampment protesters and tents. On Monday, the student-run newspaper The Daily reported Cauce said she does “not want [sweeps] on this campus … but I can’t take anything off the table.”

Several main campus buildings were vandalized with graffiti overnight into Wednesday, which an administrator referred to as a “major escalation” in an internal email obtained by The Daily.

Cauce said in her statement the graffiti, some of which she said was “clearly both antisemitic and violent,” created an unwelcome environment for Jewish people on campus. According to Cauce, representatives said “the new graffiti is an intentional escalation to compel the University to agree to their demands.”

A UW spokesperson would not clarify Wednesday which messages Cauce was referring to as antisemitic.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle said in a statement Wednesday it is “outraged” by what is happening at UW. The statement called on UW to clear the encampment, “ensure antisemitism is added to the robust DEI offerings at UW” and not stop associating with Boeing or Israel.

Sen. John Braun, the Republican minority leader of the Washington state Senate, also on Wednesday called on UW to end the encampment “immediately” due to its “illegal and destructive actions.”

In her statement, Cauce said the protesters at the encampment represent a “small fraction” of the student population and includes nonstudents. More than 150 tents have been erected on the Quad since the demonstration began. The encampment, called the UW Liberated Zone or Popular University for Gaza, has three core demands: that the university cut ties with Boeing, end repression of pro-Palestinian students and faculty, and divest materially from Israel.

The United Front for Palestinian Liberation at UW, one of the groups that organized the encampment, posted Wednesday afternoon on Instagram that Cauce’s refusal to cut ties with Boeing amounts to a “relationship with a company that commits genocide.” Protesters have repeatedly pointed to Boeing’s longstanding relationship with Israel and arms sales to the Israeli government.

“While Cauce lies, Palestinians die,” the group posted.

The United Front also wrote in a statement that Cauce and another administrator canceled plans to meet with the encampment protesters because of the vandalism.

“Apparently they would rather cancel on our meeting to address people feeling ‘unsafe’ than address the actual harms and genocide in Palestine facilitated by our University,” the statement said. “They would rather protect buildings than lives, but we remain steadfastly committed to achieving our demands and seeing a liberated Palestine.”

Protesters at the encampment held a rally Wednesday to mark Nakba Day, which commemorates the mass displacement of Palestinian people after Israel’s establishment. Nakba is Arabic for “catastrophe,” and refers to when an estimated 700,000 people were displaced from what is now Israel.

Encampment leaders and administration members have met several times as the encampment remains up, and Cauce said their conversations have been “cordial” and the two sides have “engaged sincerely and openly.”

UW has reiterated it does not plan to cut all ties with Boeing. Nor does UW plan to academically boycott Israel, Cauce wrote, saying doing so would run counter to academic freedom.

The protesters’ demands have increased, according to Cauce, now including: creating a new department to implement an “anti-Zionist” litmus test for faculty hiring; granting a student group oversight of awarding new, religion-based scholarships; and blanket amnesty for all violations of the law and student code, including not solely camping, Cauce said in her statement. “Many of these demands, especially the most recent, are contrary to academic freedom and/or to state or federal law.”

“There are many ways for voices to be heard that don’t require tents, violent rhetoric and vandalism,” Cauce wrote.

May 15, 2024 - Last night or this morning, there was a major escalation to the protest encampments at the University of Washington.

According to reports, “Virtually every major building on the main campus was spray painted with pro-Palestinian and antisemitic slogans.”

Sen. John Braun, Senate Republican leader in the Washington state Senate had the following comments regarding these incidents.

“It is time for the encampments at the University of Washington to end. They are illegal. And now they have led to thousands of dollars in damage to state University facilities.

“More than that, from the beginning, these protests have intimidated many of our Jewish students.

“Even if I disagree with them, I can support their right to free speech.

“However, repeating Hamas’ call for the elimination of the Jewish nation by using their chant, “From the River to the Sea,” is reprehensible.

“The protesting students need to know that the silent majority of their fellow citizens - while supportive of their free speech rights - see them as being manipulated by foes who want to see the destruction of the Jewish and American states.

“I certainly think the voluntary end of the encampments would’ve been preferable, but with the additional illegal and destructive actions last night, it is time for the university to work with law enforcement to end the illegal encampments at the University of Washington.

“I also call on the leadership of Western Washington to immediately end the illegal encampments there. “

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 17, 2024

Ironworkers Support Senator Curtis King

Yakima and the 14th legislative district – The Ironworkers District Council of the Pacific Northwest proudly announces its endorsement of Senator Curtis King for reelection in the 14th or 15th legislative district. Senator King has demonstrated unwavering dedication to enhancing the state’s transportation infrastructure, benefiting both the citizens and businesses of our state. Despite challenges posed by recent redistricting, which affected his eligibility in his home district and that of several other eastside legislators, Senator King’s commitment remains steadfast.

As the chair and ranking member of the Senate Transportation Committee, Senator King has effectively negotiated significant investments in our state’s transportation infrastructure. Given that our state currently ranks 7th nationwide in terms of critical transportation investment and improvement needs, Senator King’s focused vision is pivotal for ensuring our state remains a leader in facilitating citizen mobility and efficient goods transportation, bolstering our economy.

In his role on the Labor committee, Senator King has demonstrated a commitment to bipartisan cooperation and a willingness to consider diverse perspectives on labor policy issues. While agreement may not always be reached with either party, Senator King approaches each issue with conscientiousness rather than strict partisanship. This balanced approach is deeply appreciated, and we respect his dedication to thorough deliberation in reaching decisions.

The Ironworkers District Council of the Pacific Northwest respectfully urges everyone to support Senator King in continuing to serve the citizens of our great state.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Billy Wallace Tel: (425) 280-9858 or bwallace@nwlaborers.org

Tukwila, Wash. (April 16, 2024)- Multiple labor unions have joined together in solidarity to show support for the re-election of Senator Curtis King. Among these labor unions are the Washington and Northern Idaho District Council of Laborers, (WANIDC), an affiliate of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA); and the International Union of Operating Engineers. Senator King is seeking re-election

in the 14th Legislative District. King has a tenure track record participating in issues impacting the transportation and labor communities. We are proud to endorse Senator King in his re-election endeavors. His dedication to providing an unwavering commitment not only across the political aisle, but to his legislative district, and all Washingtonians is commendable. The impact from his involvement and leadership on legislative issues that impact our members and their families is one of the many reasons we support this endorsement.”

Stacy Martin, Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer, Washington and Northern Idaho

District Council of Laborers

His most recent initiatives can be seen in the passing of SB 5272 that will provide automated speed enforcement cameras in work zones. He has also played a pivotal role as a former chair and now ranking member of the senate transportation committee. In this role, King has championed various labor-friendly bills including the most recent HB 2266, providing sanitary conditions for women in the construction industry. He understands the nterconnectedness of various industries, particularly the construction industry, and regularly engages with us to ensure that legislation meets our needs.

“Senator King has been stalwart and is always willing to listen to all opinions and positions on any given labor policy issue. While we may not always agree, true with either party on any given issue, Senator King takes a conscientious and not a strict partisan position on all issues. Senator King is an absolute supporter of the construction demand of this state to address the emergent needs for our citizens.”

Daren Konopaski, International Vice President and Business Manager, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 16, 2024

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Supports Senator Curtis King

Yakima and 14th legislative district – The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades

(IUPAT) proudly announces its endorsement of Senator Curtis King for reelection in the 14th legislative district. Senator King has demonstrated unwavering dedication to enhancing the state’s transportation infrastructure, benefiting both the citizens and businesses of our state.

Despite challenges posed by recent redistricting, which affected his eligibility in his home district and that of several other eastside legislators, Senator King’s commitment remains steadfast.

As the chair and ranking member of the Senate Transportation Committee, Senator King has

effectively negotiated significant investments in our state’s transportation infrastructure. Given

that our state currently ranks 7th nationwide in terms of critical transportation investment and improvement needs, Senator King’s focused vision is pivotal for ensuring our state remains a leader in facilitating citizen mobility and efficient goods transportation, bolstering our economy.

In his role on the Labor committee, Senator King has demonstrated a commitment to bipartisan

cooperation and a willingness to consider diverse perspectives on labor policy issues. While we may not always agree, with either party on any given issue, Senator King takes a conscientious rather than a strict partisan position on all issues. For this, we truly appreciate and respect the fact that he will always do his due diligence in coming to a decision.

“It is with great pleasure that the IUPAT endorses Senator King for his continued leadership in our state’s Legislature,” said Chad Smith, IUPAT DC 5, Government Affairs Director “I would also respectfully urge everyone to support Senator King in continuing to serve the citizens of our great state.”