Christine Gregoire

YouTube Debate - Chris & Dino Spar

WA Gov Race Top Priority

Al Gore Here Tomorrow for Gregoire

New Poll Shows Gregoire, I-100, Prop 1, and (of course) Obama Leading in Washington

Big Win for Christine

The Guv in Iraq

She wasn't in D.C. waiting to be named Barack Obama's Commerce Secretary, nor was she conferring with Dems on replacing Sen. Patty Murray or Rep. Jay Inslee after their moves to the Obama administration. All dead-end rumors. Instead, Gov. Christine Gregoire's office just announced, her mysterious di ... More >>

Cost-cutting Prisons Say It's Back to Uniforms

The economic crisis has prompted just about every government agency to cut costs both big and small. There's so much going on that we obviously don't know the half of it, and the process is just beginning as Gov. Christine Gregoire presents her stark budget to the Legislature. State Department of C ... More >>

The Times Gregoire

The Seattle Times endorsed Dino Rossi for governor last year, but the paper seems now to be madly in love with the re-elected Christine Gregoire. In an April 30 editorial, the state's largest daily called the governor "nothing if not tenacious" in her battle for a climate-change bill. It only lightl ... More >>

What Did You Think Would Happen?

Over the years, I've attended several parties that featured confessional booths with video cameras. In the footage at the end of one such party, my friend Nick showed up and sat drunkenly in front of the camera, casually smoking a cigarette. He then took his beer and poured it on his head. After a l ... More >>

Washington's Movin' on up

 If "movin' on up" means joining the ranks of Oregon, Wyoming (whose population is smaller than Seattle's), and ten states whose infant mortality rates rank between Croatia's and Latvia's.The beige states in the picture above have no general assistance-unemployable programs--i.e. programs that ... More >>

Gregoire Avoids Jury Selection

It's no surprise that Christine Gregoire wasn't selected for the jury when she was called in for jury duty yesterday. Lawyers (or recovering lawyers, as she cleverly puts it) rarely are. The AP speculates that she wasn't selected because she used to supervise the defense lawyer, and that sounds rea ... More >>

Economists to Olympia: Enough Already with the "No New Taxes"

With a budget forecast due later today (the deficit's expected to be in the $8.5 billion range), twenty Washington economists and policy experts say it's time to consider raising taxes. They've sent a letter (.pdf) to Governor Christine Gregoire, House Speaker Frank Chopp, and Senate Majority Lead ... More >>

When It Comes to Paying for Stuff, What a Tangled Web We Weave

Christine Gregoire says it's cool for state universities and community colleges to raise tuition, which the universities and colleges say is necessary because the legislature is going to cut their funding, which the legislature is doing because we don't have enough revenue, one of the reasons for wh ... More >>

Our Failing Economy’s a Boon to Drug-Law Reformers

Gregoire’s crafting a bill, as part of her sweeping cost-cutting plan, that would further reduce drug sentences.

Should We Tax Our Way Out of Recession?

A small, vocal chorus thinks we should.

Gregoire’s Red Scare

Why is an incumbent Democratic governor in a dark-blue state having such a tough time in her quest for re-election?

The Endless Oly Session

It's been a tough year for state legislators. Facing a nearly $9 billion shortfall, cuts had to be made and I doubt anyone will be returning home to a ticker-tape parade. ("The budget contains plenty of pain and sacrifice for Washingtonians," Gov. Christine Gregoire said in a press release last Frid ... More >>

$20,000 a Day to Be Special, and Maybe Score Seattle $30 Million

The legislative session is officially over, but unfinished business has state Dems considering a special session, which would cost roughly $20k a day. Christine Gregoire, who has to sign off on a special session, wants to limit it to state budget-related bills--one to deport undocumented immigrants ... More >>

The $4 Billion Stroke of a Pen

[Updated Below] If you don't have anything going on at 2 PM today, you can head down to the Seattle Aquarium's Great Hall to watch Christine Gregoire sign the bill approving a deep-bore tunnel to replace the viaduct. The tunnel tunnel package (see update below), of course, will cost about $4 billi ... More >>

Christine Gregoire, "Newspaper Savior"

That newspaper tax-break bill that Christine Gregoire pushed for and signed has made her a hero to the newspaper industry, reports the Daily Beast in this laudatory article: There are no ink stains on Chris Gregoire's power suits, but maybe she deserves a Pulitzer Prize for excellence in journalism ... More >>

Trains in the Tunnel, Money in Metro Couch Cushions, and No Love From the Governor

Today, light rail will begin regular test runs with buses in the tunnel; there's less than two months to go before you can ride them through instead of just watching. Yesterday, we learned that Metro found $105 million in its couch cushions, which should help it avoid some of the service cuts that w ... More >>

Governor Gregoire, State Treasurer Play Whack-A-Mole on I-1033

​While every day should be Talk Smack About I-1033 Day, it seems like Washington's leaders may have held a secret meeting to decide that today, October 8th, was the best time to denounce Tim Eyman's budget-freezing initiative. State Treasurer James McIntire had the first turn with the whackin ... More >>

Christine Gregoire's Budget Will Propose Cuts, No New Taxes

State law has painted Gregoire into a 'no new taxes' corner.​Tim Eyman's getting an early Christmas present this year. After weeks of talking new taxes, Governor Christine Gregoire will release her proposed budget adjustments to get us through the second half of the two-year cycle tomorrow. An ... More >>

Christine Gregoire Goes With Budget Negotiation Via Hostage Situation Strategy

Pass new taxes or Gregoire will shoot this dog, whose name is "health care for kids".​Governor Christine Gregoire is holding a gun to the heads of 16,000 kids (or their health care plans anyway) and threatening to pull the trigger if law-makers in Olympia don't raise taxes during the next legi ... More >>

Seattle Times Investigation Reveals That Christine Gregoire Really Wants That Tunnel

E-mails show Christine Gregoire conspired to get the tunnel elected mayor of Seattle.​The Seattle Times took 1,500 words in a front-page, above-the-fold story to tell us that Christine Gregoire didn't violate state election laws, but her office really, really did not want the Seattle mayoral e ... More >>

Too Bad We Can't Do What Oregon Did On Taxes

As always, Washington is very impressed with Oregon.​Governor Chris Gregoire and a coalition of health care providers, educators, and others dependent on the state general fund were quick to praise Oregon voters for passing higher income taxes on people making more than $250,000 and corporatio ... More >>

Think New Government Subsidies Will Help Get You a Job? Better Own a Hard Hat

Software geeks: this is your model.​Last year, more than 5,000 Microsofties lost their jobs, according to a Seattle Times database. So did 3,400 employees of the bank formerly known as Washington Mutual along with 697 Macy's workers. It's all contributed to our state's ever-increasing unemplo ... More >>

Will Rob McKenna Represent Chris Gregoire In Opposing His Lawsuit?

The governor's attorney​Democrat Gov. Chris Gregoire hasn't yet decided what her next move will be to oppose the health-care lawsuit being pursued by Attorney General Rob McKenna and a dozen other Republican AGs. So far, she has issued a statement and joined in a letter signed by three other g ... More >>

State Supreme Court to Home Health Care Workers: Why Should You Get a Raise If Nobody Else Is Getting One?

Happier days: The SEIU endorses Gregoire before clashing with the union over raises.​The state Supreme Court today essentially told 25,000 home health care workers to suck it up. In a 5-4 decision, the court rejected a plea by the workers union, SEIU Healthcare 775NW, to make the governor pa ... More >>

King Tut is Coming to Seattle!

As historic announcements go, this ain't half bad.​As 11:30 approached, Governor Chris Gregoire, Larry Phillips, Richard Conlin and members of the Pacific Science Center's board of trustees took their seats on a stage in the Pacific Science Center planetarium. The lights went down. Ethereal mu ... More >>

Gov. Christine Gregoire Can't Drink a Four Loko, And Now Neither Can You

​This just in: Gov. Christine Gregoire is a cheap date. At a press conference this morning to announce an emergency ban on alcoholic energy drinks, Gregoire marveled at the potency of Four Loko, a.k.a. "blackout in a can," which contains the equivalent of five beers and four Cokes in just 23, ... More >>

Gov. Gregoire Urges Draconian Cuts to State Programs Benefiting Poor and Sick

​Gov. Chris Gregoire has some big ideas for helping the state to balance its budget. Unfortunately, those ideas include axing a shit ton of services that mostly benefit the poor and the sick.

Camel's New Seattle Cigarette Pack Promotes Tourism Better Than Gregoire's Own Agency

​It's understandable that Gov. Chris Gregoire would be taking a vocal stand against the new Camel marketing campaign--called "Break Free Adventure"--which features a Seattle-themed cigarette pack. Gregoire, after all, built her career warring against the tobacco companies as state attorney gen ... More >>

Billion Dollar Shortfall Prompts Gregoire's Call For Special Session

​It turns out that Washington state will be another billion dollars in the red if action isn't taken fast. Governor Christine Gregoire is ordering Olympia lawmakers to schedule a one day special session this Thursday to come up with ways to shore up the budget. This particular shortfall is bla ... More >>

Pot Advocates to Rally Today Against Gov. Gregoire's Dispensary Law Veto Torpedo

​Determined to call Gov. Chris Gregoire's bluff, medical-marijuana advocates today will be in Olympia rallying against her threat to veto the massive medical-marijuana legislation that's now cleared both houses of the State Legislature.

Gregoire Vetoes Most of Medical Marijuana Bill; Dispensaries and Patient Registry Among Cuts

​As anticipated, Gov. Christine Gregoire signed SB 5073 into law today, but used her line-item veto powers to axe some key portions of the bill.

Dan Satterberg, King County Prosecutor, Bemoans Medical Marijuana Bill Left Standing after Governor's Gutting and Calls for Local Control

​Like all impassioned activists, those in the medical marijuana camp sometimes engage in hyperbole. So it's been hard to know whether to believe those who claim that patients are now worse off than they were before a bill intending to help them was introduced in the legislature. It's not just ... More >>

Medical-Marijuana Reform Bill Re-Emerges in Washington, to the Great Applause of No One

​When the Washington State Legislature passed the medical-marijuana reform bill SB 5073, pot advocates weren't exactly flooding the streets to cheer. It had several issues that no one liked--chief among them, a patient registry list that would require anyone who wanted to enjoy the patient pro ... More >>

Jeanne Kohl-Welles: Failed Medical Pot Bill "The Greatest Disappointment of My Legislative Career"

​State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, the driving force behind the push to overhaul Washington's murky medical pot policies, announced this morning that she has "decided not to pursue further attempts this year to strengthen our state's voter-approved medical marijuana law."

Gov. Gregoire Bows Out, Won't Seek a Third Term, Likely Pitting Insley Against McKenna

No 3rd term​Updated, 10:20 a.m. Chris Gregoire, who lost her first election tally as governor - then won in a double recount - won't seek a third term, she announced today. "It's time for me to go on and do something else," she said at a press conference on the gubernatorial mansion steps in O ... More >>

What Washington Wants: Legal Dispensaries and Political Backbone

It's not unusual for a politician to make a cowardly decision. For a perfect example, see Washington Governor Chris Gregoire's recent gutting of SB 5073, which would have formally legalized medical-marijuana dispensaries in Washington.

Christine Gregoire, Raving About $45-a-Pound Cherries, Gets Glowing Press in China

​Christine Gregoire may be a lame-duck governor forced into making horrendous budget cuts, but she's receiving some flashy positive press--from the Chinese.

Gov. Chris Gregoire Asks Feds to Declassify Marijuana, Legitimize its Use as Medicine

​Gov. Chris Gregoire today discovered that using marijuana as medicine is in fact a pretty popular idea among her state's residents. She responded in the most classic way possible: With a purely symbolic move designed to try and convince Washingtonians that she does not in fact hate pot.

Should We Reschedule Marijuana? Second-Guessing Governor Chris Gregoire

The debate has been so skewed for so long that it's seen as a "bold move" to ask the feds to make marijuana officially and legally equal to methamphetamine and cocaine. Those drugs are already on Schedule II--are we supposed to view it as a "victory" for cannabis to join them?

Lame Duck Governor Chris Gregoire Now Backs Gay Marriage

​In a move unlikely to earn her a mention in Profiles in Courage, Gov. Chris Gregoire now wants to legalize gay marriage in Washington. "I can't sit here any longer and say it's OK to discriminate," Gregoire said at a news conference in Olympia today. "My church, all the churches, can exercise ... More >>

Sen. Jim Kastama Backs Gay Marriage; Legislature One Vote Shy

​Washington is a single vote away of becoming the seventh state in the nation to recognize same-sex marriages. Yesterday, Sen. Jim Kastama threw his support behind the controversial measure, and with that, the Puyallup Democrat is the 24th state senator to announce he's in favor of the legal r ... More >>

Gov. Gregoire on Her Gay-Marriage Support: Sorry I Took Seven Years; Now...Mr. Obama?

Gregoire​"I wished I could have come to the point that I am today six years ago, seven years ago, five years ago," Gov. Chris Gregoire says, hoping to explain why - now as a lame duck politican - she finally joined the growing ranks of gay-marriage supporters. "But it took me a journey and for ... More >>

Comment of the Day: Gutless Gregoire

​Gov. Chris Gregoire continues to dole out painful explanations as to why she waited until the final year of her final term to board the gay-marriage bandwagon. As Seattle Weekly's Rick Anderson reported, the governor says she's sorry it took so long and that it was about her Catholic faith th ... More >>

Like to Stay Home, Get Full Salary, be Fired Only if You Work? Then Olympia Wants You!

Gregoire​We now know the cost of paying state workers to stay home and do no work - $17.2 million in salaries and benefits over the past five years. Thank you, taxpayers. Your bill includes $247,000 paid to a prison psychiatrist to sit idly by his home phone for 14 months in case the state ca ... More >>