Tim Gruver

Olympia Report: Private Equity Homebuyers, Flavored Cigarettes

How many homes does private equity own in Washington today? Hard numbers are hard to come by for our neck of the woods, but there’s a wealth of data on the matter at the national level.

Olympia Update: Taxing Airbnb Rentals, School Truancy, Lot-Splitting

Senate Bill 5576 would impose a 6% excise tax on short-term rentals statewide starting in 2026 to pay for local affordable housing programs.

MAGA Makes Strides in Legislature; Gov. Ferguson Imports Staff

The Washington Legislature’s Democratic caucuses may have tilted further left this fall, but the House GOP minority added members from the party’s rightmost edge. This happened despite caucus leaders spending heavily to prevent it.

State Politics Update: Adding Up the “Little” Money

Attorney General Bob Ferguson has the distinction of sitting on both the biggest war chest in the race—which stands at $7.2 million—and the biggest small-dollar haul.

Greens vs. Greens in the 6th Congressional District

The race for the 6th CD is drawing tons of cash and every green thumbs-up could decide who the 6th sends to the other Washington.

Olympia Report: Endorsements, Money, Meetings and Food

Environmentalists are knocking on wood that Upthegrove clears the field on the left before an expensive head-to-head with former Republican U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler this November.

Olympia Charges into the Housing Thicket

It normally takes weeks, not minutes for a bill to blast out of its home chamber, but that’s exactly what happened on Monday when the curtain rose in Olympia. Before...

Ferguson’s Fish Story; Following the Money for Unspent Gift Cards

In yet another example of why the attorney general’s office is a great place to be if you’re running for governor, Ferguson used fishy visual aids this past week to announce that money is on its way to 402,200 low-income Washington households whom the AG’s office determined paid the most for the sins of Big Tuna and Big Chicken.

Olympia Report: AI and Decarbonizing our Ferries

The common theme among those speaking to the committee on Tuesday was that AI is here to stay, stressed by Bob Battles with the Association of Washington Business.

Throwing Shade on the State Sunshine Committee?

Recently, the Sunshine committee came to the somber conclusion that its quarterly meetings were more trouble than they’re worth. The nine members present wrestled with the idea of voting to disband the advisory body.

Latest