Cascadia today: Ferguson says millionaires' tax can wait + a literal fake news site in BC + fixing stuff in Seattle

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WA governor says millionaires' tax can wait

According to Washington State Standard, Washington governor Bob Ferguson told supporters in an email that if Democrats don't pass a bill that fits his vision, then it may have to wait until next year. Ferguson wants the majority of the tax on incomes over $1 million to go to reducing sales and business taxes.

This is a huge mistake. We can't wait until 2030 for new revenue. Our region is under threat from massive federal cuts to health care, education, childcare, and food assistance. We need to be building resiliency and autonomy here in Cascadia. Ferguson needs to take some risks and spend political capital to make Washington stronger. Send a message to governor Ferguson supporting passage of the millionaire's tax.

Meanwhile in other legislative news, a bill that would have created state oversight of local jails has died in committee. Washington is one of only 12 states that doesn't have oversight over its jails.

Portland protester sues ICE for excessive force

OPB reports that a veteran who was tackled by an ICE goon as he was peacefully protesting at the Portland ICE facility is suing the feds for excessive use of force. Meanwhile another group of protesters are suing the feds with the help of the ACLU, claiming ICE and DHS used tear gas excessively near the Portland ICE facility. The city of Portland has found more than 25 violations of an agreement that allows the ICE facility to operate. In related news, the King county council passed a resolution that bans new detention centers in the county for one year, and Seattle is considering similar legislation. Tell all Seattle city council members you support the ban by emailing council@seattle.gov.

Taming off-ramps near Seattle light rail

The Urbanist reports that the Washington state department of transportation is looking at ways to reduce speeding traffic near a new light rail station in Seattle scheduled to open March 28. The Judkins park station is located under near a pretzel of freeways and WSDOT is considering closing an off-ramp to protect pedestrians. Meanwhile, pedestrian activist Ann Zivarts writes for the Urbanist that Nobody Wants to Live Near a Freeway, and explores ways to increase transit oriented development away from polluted streets and reduce car travel in Seattle.

Literal fake news at AI-generated news site in Surrey

The Tyee has a bonkers story about an AI-generated loacl news site, Surrey Speak, covering the Vancouver suburb of Surrey. The news site is full of completely fake stories, including one about mayoral candidate William Azaroff resigning from leading a nonprofit over scandalous Tweets he once wrote. The firing and Tweets never happened. If you appreciate actual news and updates written by a human being, please help support Cascadia Journal, or other actual news sites.

People mend stuff at a Seattle tool library

Pushing back against consumption capitalism, a group of "fixers" meets regularly at the Capitol Hill tool library in Seattle to mend stuff, the Stranger reports. Whether it's sewing a patch on some pants or mending some socks, the group is dedicated to extending the life of stuff.

“I always feel like I get worn down [by the world]. Then I come to mending circle. On a large scale, things are stressful. On a small scale, I remember, ‘I can fix this.’” -mending circle member Saralyn

--Thanks for reading! --Andrew