A trio of Democrats in the Washington State Legislature have introduced a bill that appears to be designed to strip Costco of the legal right to sell liquor under voter-approved Initiative 1183 when the new state law privatizing liquor sales and distribution is fully implemented in early summer of this year. On Thursday, State Reps. Sam Hunt (D-22), Sherry Appleton

It’s not surprising that a couple of lawsuits have been filed to stop the loss of state jobs for workers employed in state liquor stores.  Two unions are suing in King County to prevent the breakup of the state liquor sales system that voters approved last month with the passage of Initiative 1183. Someone who leases space for a state

The news Tuesday that two unions representing several hundred state liquor store workers have filed suit to stop voter-approved liquor privatization Initiative 1183 from going into effect is a sad but typical development in an otherwise positive development in state politics. Let me start by making full disclosure – I worked as paid member of the Yes on 1183 campaign

The State of Washington’s online jobs portal at careers.wa.gov is a first stop for many on their way to finding public employment, but inattention to the site’s home page is inadvertently delivering a chuckle to some visitors and maybe even a one-two punch of irony to would-be jobseekers. To make the potential embarrassment worse, the faux pas is front and

It may have taken nearly 80 years but Washington’s liquor monopoly has finally been repealed by voters. By a somewhat surprising margin, voters across the state are approving I-1183 60-40%. Ending the state’s liquor monopoly has been a long time goal of the Washington Policy Center. It is exciting to see voters embrace the idea of focusing government efforts on

…[T]he Office of Financial Management has recommended that neither of the proposals received to lease the state’s liquor warehouse be accepted. According to OFM: “Based upon an extensive evaluation process, OFM has determined that neither proposal results in net positive financial benefit to the state or local government or meets the best interest of the state. The evaluation process reviewed

With proponents and opponents of I-1183 (to end the state liquor monopoly) shattering state campaign contribution records for a ballot measure, the airwaves are about to see a binge of ads for and against the proposal. Hopefully future ads will fare better in truthfulness than some of those run to date. The Seattle Times has done a good job of

The Washington Retail Association is proud to endorse a “yes” vote on Initiative 1183. By getting the state out of the liquor sales business, the initiative creates important new opportunities for retailers by allowing qualifying retail stores to sell liquor. 1183 is a responsible plan to end Washington’s outdated monopoly on liquor sales and distribution, and lets consumers buy liquor

The results of a poll released Monday on the 2011 and 2012 elections may be proof positive that Washington State is still every bit the eclectic grab bag that political junkies have come to know and expect. Though the poll conducted last week by the bipartisan political consulting firm Strategies 360 found Washington State’s skin is still a reliable shade

In November the people of Washington will vote on Initiative 1183. Initiative 1183 would end the state’s 78-year old prohibition-era monopoly on the sale of liquor in Washington. Though there are similarities to last year’s Initiative 1100, which was rejected by voters, there are also important differences. We will be releasing a full analysis discussing these differences next week. There

The Office of Financial Management has published its fiscal impact statement for the three initiatives that have qualified for the 2011 election. Here are OFM’s estimates (in-part): Fiscal Impact Statement for Initiative 1125 “No fiscal impact is assumed for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and State Route 167 toll lanes. Fiscal impacts for future toll roads and toll bridges are unknown