News Briefs
WA State: Landlords in Washington put a big issue in the “win” column with a ruling from the State Supreme Court. During the COVID 19 pandemic, the CARES Act passed providing tenants extensive protection against eviction. During the pandemic, tenants were allowed to remain in rental units if they could not pay rent.
Still recovering from the impacts of the COVID rules, landlords have worked to improve their ability to protect their property. Landlords have been required to provide a 30-day notice for eviction, even in cases of criminal behavior. The new ruling allows for a three-day eviction notice. The 30-day rule remains only as it relates to nonpayment of rent, but other violations can result in a very quick eviction.
OR State: A new report indicates that Oregon needs more money to reach goals for student success, Oregon Live reports. The report determined that schools can’t be successful without more money The state legislature has been told they need to spend far more money per pupil in Oregon public schools. The research came from a national research institute hired by … the state legislature.
Spokane, WA: The Spokane Board of County Commissioners has officially authorized the County Sherriff’s office to remove homeless camps in the city, The Center Square reports. Law enforcement will be allowed to remove homeless encampments regardless of the capacity at local shelters.
The state Supreme Court ruled that it is lawful for the city to remove homeless camps after a lower court blocked the enforcement of non-camping rules in the city.
Many residents have supported the camping ban to provide safety to the community and to discontinue traffic disruptions caused by the homeless. Those opposed prefer to find shelters and services rather than criminalizing the homeless.
Yakima, WA: In recent years, Yakima has seen a significant growth of gang activity, The Bull reports. Most recently the open southern border encouraged drug cartels and gangs to operate in the United States. The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels now monopolize the drug trafficking in the Yakima Valley.
According to Federal authorities, 4 cities in the Yakima Valley have Mexican drug cartels in operation. There are also reports that MS-13 gang members are in Yakima. Local Yakima authorities estimate approximately 600 gang members are now working in the area.
Photo by Martin Podsiad on Unsplash
Washington Legislature Attempts to Increase Minimum Wage Again
WA State: The Senate proposed raising the minimum wage to $25 per hour state wide by 2032, MyNorthwest reports. SB 5578 establishing a schedule for regular increases starting in 2026 when the minimum wage would go to $17.50.
In neighboring Idaho, the minimum wage is $7.25. Oregon starts their minimum wage at $13.70 with an increase in Portland to $15.95.
In Seattle the minimum wage is already $20.76 per hour. When Seattle raised the minimum wage in 2024, impacts were felt immediately particularly for those at the lower end of the employment spectrum, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
As expenses go up for employers, the cost gets passed along to consumers. The delivery driver business, for example, saw a drop in demand for deliveries. Those continuing to use the service quit paying a tip given the added expense of the labor costs. Restaurants also saw a drop in business once the labor rate was increased.
Minimum wage increases tend to have the opposite effect of what is intended, Heartland Daily News has reported.
Increased labor costs are passed on to the consumer resulting in higher prices for goods and services. In some communities, the impact is significant. Families struggle with paying for a simple fast-food meal.
Employers look for automation to replace workers when the cost of staff becomes unsustainable. Employees lose jobs, customers lose services, and some companies simply go out of business.
Rather than lifting people out of poverty, increasing the minimum wage tends to push people further into poverty as those entry level and low skilled employees are priced out of the market. Small businesses leave or close resulting in additional lost labor market opportunities.
“Failed businesses don’t pay property taxes, income taxes, sales and use taxes, and the dozens of other licensing and regulatory fees that governments rely on for revenue,” writes Samantha Fillmore for HDN.
“Government price fixing like minimum wage laws hurt the young and the poor, the very people these laws are supposed to help,” writes John Stossel in HDN.
A committee vote on SB 5578 has not been scheduled.
Photo by: Brooke Cagle for Unsplash
Superintendent Reykdal Releases Video on Federal Actions
Chris Reykdal, Washington State Superintendent, issued directions for schools dealing with conflicting guidance from the federal and state levels. A summary of some of his comments from the video are listed below.
On Immigration Policy
“We got an Executive Order from the President around undocumented youth,” Reykdal says. “There was clearly an effort here to use his immigration enforcement processes to do something that we have not seen in decades which is to potentially use our schools, our churches, and our hospitals, previously safe havens, to enforce immigration.”
“In this state in particular, our constitution guarantees every child who resides here a basic ed. They have a civil right to basic education regardless of their documentation status. That’s our law, that’s what we are going to follow and that is what we have told our districts.”
On Title IV
“We got another order on trans youth,” Reykdal says. “Again, this is Title IV and this perhaps is the most controversial and so I don’t mean to demean, diminish, or disrespect anyone’s personal views on this. What I will says is we have a civil rights framework in this state and it includes trans youth.”
“This is a biological question,” Reykdal continues. “It is quite simply inaccurate to say that biologically that there are only boys and there are only girls. There is a continuum. There is a science to this. There are children who are born intersex. There are children whose chromosomes and their hormones aren’t consistent with their sex at birth.”
“Our state laws make clear that students get to identify and participate in activities based on the gender in which they identify.”
On Diversity Equity and Inclusion
“I don’t know how these three powerful words that have long been the history of our teaching, our education system, our civil laws, the way we conduct ourselves,” Reykdal says. “Most of us if you really into the mirror would say diversity is a good thing. Equity is an important way we live our lives to create more opportunity and inclusion is where it starts.”
“You’ve got to give people an opportunity to be at the table,” Reykdal says. “So our laws in this state both federal law, state law, as well as some of the interpretation of that law through the courts make it really clear that both public and private sector organizations can lean into DEI.”
“DEI is not a harmful thing,” Reykdal says. “It is a good thing. We cannot allow the federal government to take money away from the state of WA on a right that is clearly in the states and clearly in our local governments and in our communities.”
“This office is going to do everything we can to challenge our lawmakers to lean into their jobs while we also work very hard to protect ourselves from a federal government that wants to step on our civil rights, step on our local control, and ultimately potentially take away our federal dollars,” Reykdal says.
Criminals Get Comfortable in Washington State
By Eileen Griffin-Ray
The Washington Senate passed a bill in February that will allow convicted criminals to be released early, My Northwest reports.
Democrats supporting the bill refer to it as prison reform and they claim it will help incarcerated people “transition back into society” with greater ease. SB 5219 was requested by the Office of the Governor.
The bill is designed to release criminals before their sentence has been completed, or to allow partial confinement for the remainder of their incarceration.
Incarcerated individuals would be allowed to petition for a reduced sentence if the original sentence is deemed inconsistent with “interests of justice” as determined by a judge, KIRO reports. Currently, there is no clear definition of what “interest of justice” leaving judges with a great deal of discretion.
“The legislature finds that aligning participation timelines for programs will allow incarcerated individuals to engage in the program best suited for their individual circumstances,” the bill reads.
There are various programs or options that the convicted criminal would be able to choose should this become law.
To read the full article click here.
Organizations We Like
Trail Life is an alternative to Scouting America that continues the tradition of “boy-focused mentoring and discipleship” using bible-based teaching while introducing boys to outdoor adventure.
The vision of the organization states that they focus on character development to “produce godly and responsible husbands, fathers, and citizens. The mission is to, “guide generations of courageous young men to honor God, lead with integrity, serve others, and experience outdoor adventure.”
And an encouraging parting thought…
A Statement by Dr. Alveda King
“I implore people of faith to take a moment, breathe deeply, pray out loud, and believe the power of God's word. The great abolitionist of the 19th century, the former slave Frederick Douglass, once wrote: ‘I prayed for freedom for twenty years, but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.’ Pray on your knees, get direction from God, then get to work. Get ready to vote in all elections. We have a God to serve and a nation that needs Jesus!”
Thank you for providing this clear summary on issues that are of interest. I particularly appreciate ending with the encouraging note.