Thirty-five participants in the March 20 all-members meeting heard longtime League leader and lobby team member Cynthia Stewart speak about Washington state’s revenue and financial systems. Cynthia has had lengthy experience as a policy analyst and manager and her extensive and thorough knowledge of the state’s financial position provided an excellent insight into the subject.
Cynthia explained that the state is facing a significant budget shortfall, estimated at between $10-12 billion, due to lower revenue forecasts and increased costs. The state's tax structure, which relies heavily on sales and property taxes, is the second most regressive in the country and is not keeping up with local needs. Recent revenue forecasts show slight improvements but still indicate a substantial gap. The Senate is expected to release a budget proposal soon, potentially including progressive revenue recommendations. The state Senate Democratic majority released the budget proposal that afternoon, which can be found
here. The
League of Women Voters has successfully advocated for more time between budget release and public hearings to allow for better public engagement.
Cynthia also provided an update on the current state budget situation. She explained that there is uncertainty stemming largely from the lack of information on agency budget requests. The information delay is affected by the new Trump administration’s plans and policies thus far, so the legislative staff cannot publish meaningful budget analyses or projections as early in the session compared to when the administration has been in office for a longer time. Cynthia further noted that even though public hearings are closed, people can still contact their legislators to express their opinions about the state’s fiscal policies, which is always true!
To learn more about Cynthia Stewart’s presentation, you can
view a recording on the same subject that she gave in the December 2024 Action Workshop.
You can also see her slides from our March 20th meeting
here.
Duncan Clauson of the Snohomish County Elections Office discussed the upcoming April election in Brier and Edmonds, the annual Disability Advisory Committee review held on March 25, and the Candidate Workshops planned for April, in which our League takes part. Duncan’s discussion also brought up the County Charter Commission. We’ll hear more about this in the April all-member meeting.
We divided the participants into breakout rooms where lively discussions were held regarding their feelings about political activism, and the sources of information that inform and may inspire them to take action. The LWVWA Town Hall on “Resisting Threats to Democracy” was being held that evening, and all were encouraged to attend. The LWVUS has published an important guide to activism that is supported and encouraged by the League, detailing actions that we can take that do not violate our nonpartisan policy – some of which may surprise you! You can read about the League's “Grassroots Activism”
here.
The next all-member meeting will be held on
April 17 at 10:00 A.M. in the Canvassing Board Room (Room 320) on the third floor of the Admin West building, Snohomish County Campus. We hope to see you there!