Cascadia Report

Seattle can learn from Portland on viaduct

Seattle should follow the example Portland set by replacing a riverfront highway and proposed new freeway with transit, writes Floyd McKay, who covered the city in the 1970s:

The challenge for Seattle is to take a giant leap of faith — as Portland did when it reversed those two huge highway projects — and commit to a future that is not asphalt-driven.

He correctly notes that spending billions of dollars to boost car capacity along Seattle's waterfront makes little sense because the true challenge is moving more people and freight. Meanwhile the region's larger bottleneck is the 520 freeway bridge.

Sound Transit readies package -- flaws and all

Sound Transit begins a series of open houses this week designed to convince voters to pay for a series of rail and road projects.

It's critical that voters approve the roughly $11 billion in funding, which would extend the light rail starter system that's currently under construction. That's why problems with the proposal are so painful to discuss. Here are three examples:

-- The light rail line suffers from dimished expectations. For example, the Eastside line won't open for almost 20 years (!) and the route already has been shortened, thanks to a dispute developing over how to route the future line through downtown Bellevue. It appears the line would end near Microsoft rather than in downtown Redmond.

-- Sound Transit appears to have taken the most expedient route -- not the best route -- for commuter rail south of Tacoma, where the project may interfere with redevelopment of the neighborhood. Dan Voelpel correctly notes that the agency wants to avoid any further delays that could hinder this fall's vote.

-- Both costs and ridership are low-balled. The agency wants to keep the total bill down in order to avoid sticker shock. Meanwhile ridership figures appear based on current land-use patterns and don't take into consideration future congestion or factors like tolls or more costly gasoline. It's likely that density will increase around train stations, boosting ridership, and the region will need to spend more on the system once construction starts and people realize how much they really want it.

These are serious issues but shouldn't derail the overall projects. I plan to be skeptical at the open houses, vote for funding this fall and then demand the projects be built as efficiently as possible.

Seattle road wars may be nothing new

The debate over replacing the Seattle viaduct and other transportation projects seems to have higher stakes than ever before, but the vehemence isn't much different from earlier planning battles.

Walt Crowley points out that there was a fight between Seattle and the state over building a highway through Woodland Park in the 1930s. Here's one lesson of that history:

In transportation policy, there is rarely an obvious "right answer" because issues like the viaduct replacement involve foremost competing visions and priorities for urban design, economic development and regional cohesion, and least of all the best way to get from point A to point B.

Sonics want more money than the arts

If libraries, the opera hall, symphony hall and sculpture garden can all be built with mostly private money, why not a new stadium for the Sonics, asks Danny Westneat. "Maybe it's because the business of basketball is simply broken. It can't survive without being a ward of the state."

Surely the Sonics' opening request for $300 million in state-authorized taxes last week was too much. Yet the economic benefit from a new stadium makes some public investment worthwhile. As the column above suggests, the real question is what's the appropriate portion? Maybe 30 percent of the total cost?

How would Seattle handle a real emergency

The political crisis over the viaduct, coming just weeks after a crippling snowfall, is cause to wonder how the Seattle area would handle a true emergency. Do we have what it would take to rebuild the city better?

The mayor, the city council, the county executive, legislators and the governor have all weighed in on the viaduct. The city is holding a non-binding election on the issues at a cost of $1 million. Yet there's still no sign of a decision (which is why a surface/transit compromise seems likely).

The fact that we can't find a plan to fix a major transportation corridor that may collapse in the next earthquake shows what we're up against.

Consider that even resourceful residents are fleeing New Orleans, according to a New York Times article Friday: "Their reasons include high crime, high rents, soaring insurance premiums and what many call a lack of leadership, competence, money and progress." Comparing Seattle and New Orleans may seem a stretch, but considering the mess we've made here, can we assume things would be any better if we had a disaster?

In New Orleans, the dedication of residents to make the city better has been a key theme. The article quotes novelist Poppy Z. Brite on the peoples' devotion to the city at all costs: “If a place takes you in and you take it into yourself, you don’t desert it just because it can kill you. There are some things more valuable than life.” At a time when so many people in the Seattle area are clamoring for the cheapest transportation fixes and seem unwilling to think more creatively, I wonder if the same claim can be made here.

Stalemate helps Seattle waterfront's chances

The political stalemate over how to replace Seattle's viaduct freeway increases the chances of a comprehensive package of transit and street improvements because there is huge opposition to a new viaduct and the state apparently won't agree to a tunnel.

This is a very long-term issue, which is why the state's insistence on replacing existing car capacity along the waterfront is so odd. The question ought to be how to move people and freight around the city and region -- not vehicles.

It's also fascinating that Gov. Chris Gregoire is willing to alienate much of Seattle's electorate by pushing for a new, more obstructive elevated freeway along the waterfront. She's trying to salvage momentum in the current legislative session and must assume there will be no challenge from the left to her reelection in 2008.

Imports may squeeze regional timber industry

As if the region's timber industry weren't under enough pressure, with slumping demand from housing dragging wood prices lower, some home builders are eyeing new supply from Europe and Russia.

Looking for new suppliers is a consequence of the recently signed U.S.-Canada lumber agreement, which imposes fees and quotas on softwood exports to the U.S. when prices fall below a certain point. Builders are showing opposition to the agreement by making business ties elsewhere, according to a rare A2 story on the industry in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required):

Jerry Howard, chief executive of the National Association of Home Builders, says the agreement will unfairly raise prices and add volatility to supply, and it is forcing his industry to look for new sources of lumber.

'If I don't get the price of milk at one store that I want, I go to another store," says Mr. Howard, who traveled to Sweden and Russia last fall to begin courting lumber suppliers there.

The group's initiative is the latest salvo in a decades-long dispute. In past years, the trade group had pushed for an end to U.S. import duties on Canadian wood and urged Canada to continue fighting those duties.

After the U.S. and Canada signed their lumber accord last year, Mr. Howard says, the builders "were upset that the Canadians caved in. We supported them the best we could. We continue to tell them we prefer to do business with our neighbors to the north. But we also want to put our members in the best possible business climate."

When the dispute flared up in the past, Mr. Howard said, the group responded by encouraging members to use alternative framing materials, such as steel. The latest strategy is to try to diversify their sources of lumber.

If California splits, is Cascadia next?

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing health care, economic and environmental policies independently of the federal government -- precisely because the state is big enough to go it alone. Should Cascadia band together to do similar?

A New York Times piece argues the U.S. is too big and needs to be decentralized:

Scale also determines who has privileged access to the country’s news media and who can shape its political discourse. In very large nations, television and other forms of political communication are extremely costly. President Bush alone spent $345 million in his 2004 election campaign. This gives added leverage to elites, who have better corporate connections and greater resources than non-elites. The priorities of those elites often differ from state and regional priorities.

When the U.S. was founded, the most populous colony was several times larger than the smallest. Now California has something like 70 times the population of Wyoming, yet the smaller state has influence far beyond its size. Gov. Chris Gregoire already is fond of referring to Washington as "like a small nation" when discussing trade issues, and has made steps to coordinate policy more closely with British Columbia and Oregon. It's time to extend this effort to all policies that transcend the political boundaries of Cascadia.

Gates HQ project starts, traffic to worsen

The Gates Foundation broke ground on its massive new headquarters north of downtown Seattle last week. The predictable reaction: Oh no, traffic is going to get worse.

The foundation is kicking in some money for transportation fixes, but that's ultimately the city's job. To prevent gridlock, the city needs a formal plan -- with time milestones -- so development can grow around the future infrastructure. Mayor Greg Nickels wants to reconnect city streets across Aurora Avenue (when? with what funding?) and to extend the short city streetcar line currently under construction (when? it doesn't appear to be in the public plan).

Land-use law faces challenges but isn't dead

Oregon's Measure 37, the law allowing free-for-all development of property, faces major opposition. But it's too soon to gloat over the demise of the law or a resurgence of something similar elsewhere in the region.

A court ruled that the voter-approved measure doesn't apply to the scenic Columbia Gorge because that area is protected by federal law. Gov. Ted Kulongoski has proposed changes to the law, and a new survey says most Oregonians wouldn't vote for the measure if they had the choice today. Sightline Institute published a report on the law's impact.

Similar measures to roll-back land-use planning were defeated at the polls around the region last November. But there's evidence that people still aren't satisfied with property rules, which seem arbitrary to many yet still can't focus growth and coordinate services. The debate is far from over.

Frustrated with Seattle? Throw a party

One measure of the frustration with Seattle's political process: put together a party with the explicit purpose of speeding things up and plenty of people will come. The trick, of course, is focusing the energy after the party ends.

It was no different Tuesday night at the launch party for Friends of Seattle, a year-old group that promotes development policies in the city. True, there was plenty of energy from a crowd of maybe 300 business and political types, but I left wondering if the group can keep the momentum.

The highlight was a speech by Councilman Peter Steinbrueck, focusing on adding transit and removing the waterfront viaduct freeway to help cut pollution. He started asking how many people walked or took the bus to the party. Many hands went up. How many lived nearby? Almost none. He noted the obvious: "Seattle is the most car-dependant city on the West Coast." But beyond removing the viaduct freeway, there were few concrete policy proposals.

Yet others were less convinced, which was surprising at a party for a group that has made preventing a viaduct rebuild its first issue. Several people said they came to the party because they received an evite but weren't sure about what Friends of Seattle stands for. One woman said she couldn't see how Seattle could possibly survive without the viaduct.

Movements can start with platitudes, only to fizzle when it comes to finding a way to pay for big ideas or convince people to change their way of life. The party showed that frustration with the city's status quo; the group that can focus that energy has its work cut out for it.

Passenger ferry fans eye alternatives after defeat

A tax increase to pay for passenger ferries across Puget Sound was defeated by voters -- again -- in Kitsap County on Tuesday.

After the second such defeat in four years, most reports say the idea of passenger ferries is dead. But another group says it's just the idea of county-wide taxes for ferries that should be dropped: "The problem is not the voters. The problem is not the idea of foot ferries." Instead local governments and nonprofits should have the authority to start such operations.

UPDATE:

I somehow missed this op-ed outlining five reasons to vote against the measure that was on the ballot. Two are convincing. Raising sales taxes is the knee-jerk mechanism to fund public needs in this state because of the stunted tax system. So why not goose demand (and generate revenue) by adding modest usage fees on arterials? The other is that Kitsap County shouldn't bear the entire burden for a transit system that also benefits the Olympic Peninsula.

Any ferry user knows that more capacity is needed. Who is solving the basic problem that keep tripping up passenger service?

Measure calls for tax on real estate developer

Legislation in Montana would tax the income earned in the state by real estate investment trusts like Plum Creek Timber, potentially upending the model that has made such companies successful developers.

The article wraps up a multi-day series in The Missoulian about the changing timber business, especially that of Seattle's Plum Creek. Articles document how the timber company's focus has changed over the years from tree harvesting to real estate development. One notes the rising public costs of developing housing subdivisions in rural areas.

B.C. opposition proposes alternative energy fund

British Columbia would set aside C$50 million from oil and gas royalties to fund research in alternative energy, under a plan by the opposition party.

The NDP proposal also faults the government's support of a massive roadway project in the Vancouver area, saying that it downplayed the environmental effects by including Washington's more-rural Whatcom County in its projections.

Congressman publishing book on alternative energy

Rep. Jay Inslee, a staunch backer of the alternative energy industry, is about to publish a book promoting companies that may help counter climate change. The Democratic congressman (WA, 1st) co-authored the book with a fellow from the Center for American Progress:

The book highlights companies and individuals, many of them in Washington state, that are working to make a difference. The authors said they wanted to include citizens in the process, not just policymakers.

Two striking points from latest viaduct coverage

Two things stand out about the latest The Seattle Times coverage of the political maneuvering on how to replace Seattle's viaduct freeway:

Most surprising, you can almost sense the voice of the reporters in the story. Maybe it's the influence of David Postman's blog at the paper, but the tone allowed the reporters to explain some of the motivations at work without citing a source for each. I'd argue allowing the reporters' expertise to come through the story is exactly what could keep people reading the state's largest paper.

The other striking detail is the presumption of City Council President Nick Licata (who insists on a new elevated freeway) that he represents "grumpy Seattle," which he claims forms a silent majority. If grumpy is defined as opposition to investment in long-term causes, that's not true (see recent voter approval for higher property taxes). It seems that most of the city's newcomers and people under the age of 40 are here because of the future. People want a more liveable city -- made possible through improvements like an accessible waterfront -- not to turn the clock back to the freeway-happy 1960s.

Timber company gets gift of public forest

British Columbia is giving a troubled timber company a huge swath of forest on Vancouver Island, essentially allowing logging on public property in exchange for the economic benefit of helping keep the company in business.

Western Forest Products gets 69,000 acres -- roughly 75 times the size of Stanley Park -- that the company ceded to the government decades ago in exchange for access to other land. The move is expected to allow logging that will provide thousands of jobs along the province's coast, though the jobs aren't likely to outlast the trees.

Ferries hit by bias toward roads

The price for a car and two passengers to go by ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island -- less than three miles -- yesterday: $10.50. The cost for the 165-mile return trip on highways? Nothing.

Some Washington lawmakers say this bias toward highways should change. They argue that ferry users are already paying their share, so the state should kick in more to support the ferry network. Surely the gap that makes roads seem essentially free should be narrowed.

Fares reportedly accounted for about 74 percent of the ferry system's operating budget last year (up from 60 petcent a few years ago) and plans call for another increase in fares. By comparison, bus fares cover 20 to 25 percent of King County Metro's costs. Fares continue to rise across Cascadia. Meanwhile, except for a few cents a gallon in gas tax, the cost of maintaining highways isn't reflected at all.

Who should pay for a better waterfront

If replacing Seattle's viaduct freeway with a tunnel will create a more valuable waterfront, why are taxpayers being asked to foot the bill at all?

The state has offered to pay most of the $2.8 billion to build a new elevated freeway. It's tempting to think that tolls and a charge on nearby property would cover the extra $1 billion or so for a tunnel. Unfortunately, several reports suggest that's unlikely.

Property assessments wouldn't work because too few building sites are directly affected, according to this analysis in the Seattle P-I:

With many parcels already built out -- and protections afforded by the Pioneer Square Historic District -- fewer than two dozen sites adjacent to the route appear likely candidates for redevelopment today, according to the city's rough guess of what property owners might do.

A new viaduct would be a disaster for the region that would last for a century, yet there's no sign of regional support for more funding. Concern that the city could live without the car capacity and that the money could be better spent helps the case for a package of transit and street improvements.

This hasn't kept Mayor Greg Nickels from counting on a grab-bag of funding, including an assessment on land near the viaduct that supposedly would generate about $250 million -- the limit without drastically eliminating future open space along the waterfront.

Still, removing the viaduct would have economic benefits, likely spread across the region. At least two reports found benefits totaling several billion dollars. Opponents say the figures are inflated and don't recognize that anything but a rebuild is a luxury the city can't afford. So far there's almost no support outside the city for having the region pay for a tunnel, even though the region would benefit.

A reminder of the need for transport fixes

It took two hours and five minutes to go the 12 miles from Redmond to Seattle on 520 Wednesday evening. Apparently a single stalled car was the culprit, making me 45 minutes late for a 6:30 appointment and providing another reminder why the region needs comprehensive transportation fixes.

I was angry at everyone. At the drivers who weave between lanes trying to save a car length. At the guy in front of me who repeatedly let cars cut. At the cop who stopped a full lane of traffic around the stalled pickup. And at myself for entertaining the thought that maybe running out of gas or having a car that stalls should be punishable with heavy fine or death.

Of course, I'm at fault for putting myself in that position, for choosing to live in Seattle and work in Redmond. You could argue that people like me should live near work. Perhaps this area should devolve into a medieval state where we rarely travel more than a few miles.

Incentives to shape behavior should be part of the answer. Yet our city would fragment if traffic meant people in one corner hardly mixed with those in another, a la Jakarta or Delhi. That's why we need a combination of steps to keep the area moving and make a more sustainable community: zoning for density, congestion pricing to smooth demand, and a series of transit that provides an alternative to gridlock.

New push for alternative energy in Oregon

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski called for a cap on carbon dioxide emissions and creation of a trading system designed to reduce the state's output. He said the proposals would stimulate business in the state:

"You know we've turned a corner when Wall Street banks are telling you that investments in renewable energy and other technologies to combat global warming are among the largest economic opportunities now and in the coming decades," he said.

Electricity production reportedly accounts for 42 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions. Kulongoski would have a task force propose details of a cap-and-trade system while he advances bills to promote biofuels and require a quarter of Oregon's energy to come from renewable sources by 2025.

Ports oppose plan to tax shipping

Washington state ports are opposing an influential legislator's plan to tax containers to pay for transportation projects that would help move freight. The ports should offer an alternative way to pay for the improvements.

An extra per-container charge would steer more traffic to rivals in Vancouver or California, which are already competing effectively because of superior transportation links to larger markets. Yet, with rising construction costs making the regional to-do list more daunting, it's not enough to expect voters to pay entirely through up-front taxes. Why not advocate congestion pricing across the region, which would alleviate crowding on roads and provide incentives to use alternate transportation.

With Dems now in charge, compromise no virtue

President Bush likely will continue his with-us-or-against-us approach tonight in the State of the Union speech. So why do media reports suddenly suggest that compromise is a virture?

Now that Democrats control Congress and statewide government in Washington state, media seem fixated on the need to find common ground. One example: NPR's series on how the parties work together.

It's local too. KPLU reports that Republicans have named three of their strongest to the Senate Education Committee in order to thwart spending on Gov. Chris Gregoire's top legislative priority. But they're not obstructionists standing in the way of better schools; they're portrayed as loyal opposition to spendthrift Democrats.

Democrats need accomplishments in order to hold their lead, so it's worrisome when "compromise" is touted as the new goal. Voters want concrete action and elections should stand for something. One Republican got it right in an NPR report about California's politics: "Voters didn't elect me to compromise. They elected me to stand for something."

Portland wants more flexible growth rules

The Portland-area's regional government is asking the state for more flexibility in growth rules in order to cope with the continuing increase in population. It's tempting to think that more flexibility sooner may have helped prevent the backlash against growth-management rules.

Here's what Metro wants:

More time to choose the next batch of communities. New ways to raise money for roads, sewers, schools and other essentials. And the ability to line up land for future development while permanently protecting the best farming areas.

Urge to speak shows the politics of Cascadia

It's speech-giving season -- Cascadia's city politicians included. The way they handle themselves shows differences in the region's politics.

President Bush gives his State of the Union next week and Canada has its throne speeches. Now Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, capitalizing on a centralized local government, has adopted the tradition by giving the first such speech by the city's mayor that anyone can remember.

Portland Mayor Tom Potter used his address to outline a long-term vision for the city. The speech was well received so Willamette Week added a small bit of controversy by asking popular former mayor Vera Katz what she would say. The result? A call for more specifics and support for charter revisions that would streamline city government and make planning decisions easier.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels hasn't scheduled his speech yet. But it's already been upstaged by members of the city council, who are elected citywide and consider themselves mini-mayors -- a structure that hamstrings decision making. This year they even decided to make mini "State of the City" speeches highlighting their goals for 2007.

B.C. fish-farming industry hits controversy

It's been a rough week for British Columbia molluscks.

The province okayed a 63-acre geoduck farm with an eye to supplying the Chinese seafood market. The plan was criticized by environmentalists and the opposition party for overlooking ecological impacts. Then another proposal for a 925-acre scallop farm ran into increasing opposition from fishing and community groups. A retired federal fisheries official said:

"If we wanted to put a Wal-Mart in Qualicum Beach, how many council meetings and public meetings would there be? This is like putting 100 Wal-Marts in Georgia Strait and the implications biologically, for the fish and the birds, are far more significant than a Wal-Mart in Qualicum Beach," he said

Options narrow for replacing Seattle viaduct

The idea of a tunnel to replace Seattle's waterfront freeway appears dead after the governor and key legislators rejected the latest proposal. So now what?

The state says it demands action because the existing viaduct -- a state highway -- could collapse. If that's true, then it should immediately begin working on ways to handle the existing traffic and begin closing the road.

Unfortunately the only apparent action is more debate. Why not invest existing funds in improved roads and transit? Don't waste time and money on advisory votes or a protracted fight between Seattle and the state over a new viaduct.

Amtrak matching funds could boost regional trains

Passenger rail service could be expanded under legislation to make federal matching funds available to states that invest in Amtrak service.

Washington and Oregon should continue to invest, with incremental infrastructure improvements to make trains an alternative to driving or flying. A similar bill was bottled up in Congress last fall but apparently has a better chance with Democrats in control.

Several trains daily between Portland and Vancouver are currently funded by the states, a subsidy that works out to less than for buses and other forms of transit, according to The Columbian. The matching funds could be used for infrastructure, while leveling the transportation playing field by charging more for use of airports and highways.

Dispute over proposed B.C. mine widens

A proposal for a new coal mine north of Glacier National Park is becoming the latest transborder dispute over Cascadia water.

Montana officials are worried that a new mine in British Columbia would pollute the headwaters of the Flathead River, which is key to the state's recreation-based industry. B.C. would get the economic benefit of the mine.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer reportedly wants to publicize the potential environmental impacts in Vancouver and get Washington, D.C., involved. Sen. Max Baucus plans to ask the U.S. General Accountability Office to investigate whether B.C.'s government has been following its own environmental laws. He's also looking into a lawsuit under NAFTA and threatened to take the issue to the mine operator's investors in Germany and Japan. "There's a lot of ways to skin a cat," he told the Missoulian.

What traffic could become

People who won't go to dinner more than two miles from home or who give up on vast swaths of the city for long stretches of every week. Those are among the traffic horror stories in Steve Lopez's latest Los Angeles Times columns.

The cause is a disconnect between urban development and transportation infrastructure. Jobs are downtown or on the Westside and workers who can't afford to live there are forced to jam the highways. Unless Cascadia cities build housing where people work they're likely bound to the same fate. For the latest example, consider that Vancouver-area police officers can't afford to live in the city they serve.

Sculpture garden should be prelude to viaduct fix

Seattle's new Olympic Sculpture Garden, which is getting rave reviews, is a home run for the city. The art park turns old industrial land into an anchor for the fast-changing neighborhood around it and provides a bridge to the waterfront.

As I toured the garden during a preview event Saturday, I couldn't help but wonder: Why not pull off the same transformation a little further south, where the viaduct freeway now stands?

Reviews of the garden so far praise the way the architects connected the pieces of the site, which is bisected by a highway and a busy railroad. Of course the garden doesn't take away any downtown traffic capacity, but no one seems to mind that it doesn't add any either. It simply shows what the city could do along the waterfront with some creativity.

A chief proponent of building a new viaduct, state House Speaker Frank Chopp, apparently finally sees the value of an extensive package of transit and surface street improvements instead. Other representatives should visit the sculpture garden to see what's possible along the central waterfront before pushing for new blight.

Portland's mayor puts focus on long-term city plan

Portland's popular mayor, Tom Potter, appears to be betting his term on a project to create a 20-year strategic plan for the city. Creating this kind of long-term plan for the future is exactly what top leaders should do.

Some residents question whether the vision is as important as fixing immediate problems like potholes, according to The Oregonian:

"It's almost like we're concentrating on the people who are moving here more than the people who are here now," said Bonny McKnight, an East Portland neighborhood activist.

The obvious alternative is city planning by the most vocal current residents, who often have more stake in preserving the status quo. If top leaders don't plan for future residents, who will?

Democrats wisely pick Denver for 2008

Democrats decided to hold their 2008 national convention in Denver, a choice that could help position the party to make gains with Hispanic and Western voters who are critical to the party's future.

It's a surprisingly astute move. Remember that in 2004 Republicans held their convention in New York City in order to drape the party in the memory of Sept. 11. Democrats went to uber-Democratic Boston.

This time Denver won out over New York, which is home to Sen. Hilary Clinton. New York's benefits include media exposure and plenty of experience holding massive events. But potentially disastrous downsides include its overwhelmingly Democratic politics and deference to often-outmoded organized labor. Holding the event in New York would have gained Democrats nothing.

By contrast, Denver is the booming heart of the Rocky Mountains, where Democrats have made gains by addressing economic issues and new residents. National political conventions may be less important every four years, but the event is guaranteed to generate attention in the West and expose Democrats from around the country to some new issues. The region is already clearly in the sights of Republicans, who are holding their convention in Minneapolis.

Dems must be bold with Washington budget

Democrats who control the legislature in Washington stand to lose their advantage if they don't make bold moves during this year's session.

The session kicked off this week with Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposals to boost spending on education and other programs. It was met with a preemptive strike in The Seattle Times, claiming the spending is ill-timed and unsustainable.

Josh Feit at The Stranger outlines some of the flaws in the argument. Joel Connelly rightly points out examples of how failing to enact policy solutions that make lives better is a good way for a party to lose power. Gregoire has already whiffed once (on the viaduct) and gets scarce credit for her successes. With the 2008 elections on the horizon, voters will need to see action.

Seattle area needs single transit agency

The Seattle area needs a single transit agency to prioritize projects and recommend funding and land use policies, according to a new state study.

The recommendation, expected after a preliminary report last fall, would make the area's transit and development planning apparatus more similar to those in Vancouver and Portland -- where transit projects are more than plans. The Seattle area has six major transit agencies and 128 governments involved in transit planning, the study found.

State legislatures face tall tasks

Legislatures across the region go into session today with long to-do lists.

The Oregonian says this year's session will answer the question "Is Oregon governable?"

Lawmakers have spent record amounts of time accomplishing less and less. They have made no progress on the state's most vexing issues: an especially volatile tax system, chronically underfunded schools and universities, a health care crisis and a steadily shrinking state police patrol. All the while, the Capitol has degenerated into a meaner, more partisan, more ethically challenged and more secretive place.

Washington's legislature faces a series of issues, starting with a two-year budget. Democrats have a strong majority so the outcome will set the stage for next year's campaigns for governor and other offices statewide.

Compromise in the works for Seattle's viaduct

A compromise appears to be in the works to replace Seattle's dangerous viaduct without asking voters to decide between a tunnel or new elevated freeway.

Yesterday Gov. Chris Gregoire stepped up pressure to force a solution by threatening to rebuild the viaduct unless the city takes action by spring. She previously punted instead of deciding the fate of the state highway.

Politicians are paid to reach compromises like this rather than pass the tough decisions to voters. A ballot on replacing the freeway would mean a sound bite-filled campaign and inconclusive result (monorail, anyone?) because all the options and financial conditions couldn't possibly be presented. Instead of a lengthy debate, the city should move ahead with the fastest, least-costly option to replace the aging viaduct: a package of transit and street improvements.

Health care tops business agenda in Oregon

Improving health care coverage was the surprising theme of a major business conference in Oregon yesterday.

The issue was part of a larger push to make the state's economy more competitive despite the ups and downs of business cycles. One encouraging sign: the governor appointed a high-profile tech CEO as his top economic advisor.

Study: Shortfall threatens Washington ferries

Washington's ferry system faces a major funding shortfall despite a 62 percent increase in fares since 2001, according to a new study.

Released just as the state legislature returns to session, the study says operations eat up most of the system's budget, leaving little for infrastructure improvements like a new terminal on Bainbridge Island. Fares would need to rise 5 to 6 percent a year just to stay even -- more than some earlier projections.

The system needs to do a better job forecasting passenger demand and should charge more during peak times to encourage travel during less-busy periods, the study says.

Canadian truckers want a tax write-off too

Canadian truckers are organizing for a tax break that they say would put them on par with their U.S. rivals. Apparently drivers in the U.S. can deduct most of the cost of their meals. According to a Teamsters lobbyist:

"When a U.S. and Canadian truck driver sit down side-by-side in the same truck stop, eating the same breakfast, it's very hard to stomach the fact that one of them is getting an 80 percent write-off while the other gets only 50 percent; its not fair or reasonable."

The story doesn't mention the other subsidies truckers receive that give them a leg up on other forms of transport.

Maybe Seattle doesn't need to move so many cars

Maybe Seattle doesn't need a freeway along its downtown waterfront. Gov. Chris Gregoire punted on the decision of whether to rebuild the viaduct or replace it with a tunnel. She could've questioned the need for that much car-moving capacity:

It's hardly an unreasonable order. Legislators don't rush in with cash when health departments, human service agencies or educators complain that demand for service is overtaxing facilities. First they ask if problems can be contained through innovation and better use of resources.

Her lack of a decision is ironic because she truly seems to realize the challenge is transporting more people and freight, not more cars and trucks. And do it soon. She explains her vision in this conversation here.

Seattle's port isn't a monopoly

The Port of Seattle may have a blank check locally but it isn't a monopoly to shippers or airlines, notes Bill Virgin in today's Seattle P-I.

Taxpayers have a chance this year to vote out Bob Edwards, one of the five commissioners responsible for the port's poor performance. (Commissioner Alec Fisken is also up, but at least he's been consistently agitating for better management.)

Lumber deal will be just temporary fix

Last year may be remembered for a deal between Canada and the U.S. that finally halted the long-running fight over the trade of lumber.

The agreement had a major impact on industry by ending legal proceedings and freeing up funds that Canadian exporters had paid in duties to the U.S. But the deal itself will be remembered for what it didn't address.

Most important, it simply replaced one form of trade barrier (a duty) with another (an export tax). It didn't bring regulation any closer in line with the market by addressing the ownership of forestland or the other factors that influence the price of materials. That means that when the market for wood recovers the trade spat is sure to rekindle.

Reports: Chances better for Sonics, worse for NASCAR

Prospects to keep pro basketball in Seattle appear to be improving, while a proposed NASCAR track faces more hurdles.

The News Tribune reported that the owner of the Sonics is leaning toward building a new stadium in Renton. The site, which the city would give to the team at a steep discount, is close to Eastside corporate customers and near several highways. The team is expected to ask the state legislature for a subsidy of about $300 million.

The request likely further complicates plans for a 83,500-seat NASCAR track on the Kitsap Pensinsula. According to the newspaper, no legislator in the area supports a public subsidy for the project, which supposedly would bring a development boon to the region. Yet State Sen. Derek Kilmer of Gig Harbor, who holds an economic development PhD from Oxford, says financing the project should at least be considered.

B.C. report predicts bonanza from Asia trade

A British Columbia government report says Canada could see a bonanza of another C$230 billion a year in trade and as many as 500,000 new jobs by 2020 -- if the country gets behind plans for massive new port and transportation projects.

The report, leaked to the Vancouver Sun, is likely to stoke the upcoming federal election campaign and encourage examination of B.C.'s ties to Asia. Completing the projects on the government's wish list could eclipse the planned trade-related development in Washington and Oregon.

The report assumes constant growth in Asia and no disruption in trans-Pacific trade. B.C. would gain 55,000 direct jobs by 2020, with the rest indirect or in other provinces. According to the report, B.C. would see about $76 billion of the additional trade in goods and services, the equivalent of 50 percent of B.C.'s current trade activity.

"Husband of the Year" represents King County

King County Executive Ron Sims was named "husband of the year" by Seattle Magazine and apparently is proud enough of the distinction to post it on his official Web site. The Seattle area's top elected official drew attention by skipping a dinner with the president of China at Bill Gates' home:

Was his absence caused by some sort of county-wide emergency or pressing issue? Well, if you consider "date night" a pressing isue, as Sims does, yes. Instead of eating halibut with the richest man in the universe and the president of the most populated country on earth, the King County executve enjoyed the evening with his wife of 19 years, Cayan.

The approach is a contrast to Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, who reportedly has made hospitality toward official Chinese visitors a priority. The city appointed a person to handle protocol because such niceties can influence the direction of any future business relationship.

B.C.'s sports projects may be on chopping block

Federal pork in the form of sports facilities in British Columbia may be cut as Canada's ruling party tries to roll back some political favors.

The C$70 million cuts threaten at least four major sports complexes now planned or under construction, plus several smaller ones, that were kicked off by Premier Gordon Campbell's 2005 election pledges to ensure a legacy after the 2010 Olympics, according to the Vancouver Sun. The projects received funding but are under scrutiny after a change in ruling party earlier this year.

Projects include a speed-skating track in Fort St. John, an indoor-outdoor track and field complex in Prince George and projects at universities in Vancouver and Victoria. Defenders say the projects will help enrollment at the schools and boost sports-related visits to the region.

More on why Gov's viaduct punt was wrong

Seattle Times Columnist Danny Westneat gets it right in Sunday's paper: Gov. Chris Gregoire copped out by punting a decision on the viaduct back to voters.

He nails Gregoire for simply proposing a vote between a rebuild, which isn't popular, and an expensive tunnel supported by Mayor Greg Nickels. Instead of asking for yet another vote, elected leaders should lead.

We barely have a representative democracy anymore. The representative part has checked out. The democracy part may look like it's in full swing — there's certainly a lot of voting going on — but it isn't leading anywhere.

Why aren't other options -- such as a surface alternative -- on the table? What will one more advisory public vote on transportation solve?

Governor decides to punt on plan for road fixes

Gov. Chris Gregoire's lack of a decision on what to do about Seattle's critical state-funded road projects will be remembered as a major lack of leadership.

After months of saying she would decide how the state should spend its money to fix Seattle's waterfront viaduct freeway, in a press release today she punted the decision to city voters. She said both a new overhead freeway and a tunnel would be obstructed by opponents. She called for "a path forward" to break the stalemate but unfortunately didn't deliver.

On replacing the 520 floating bridge, she seemed to endorse the six-lane transit-friendly replacement option, but noted that the financing plan isn't sufficient. Yet she didn't suggest a better alternative.

With a difficult 2008 election ahead, she no doubt wants to avoid appearing to favor pricey Seattle projects at the expense of suburban and rural voters. Considering that options to rebuild the viaduct depend on shaky finances and will take years, she should have recommended a package of improved streets and transit, worked to build consensus with warring local politicians and then explained why the fixes matter to the whole state. This is a case where failing to take a stand is worse than making the wrong call.

County collecting get-well notes for its leader

King County Executive Ron Sims, the top elected official in the Seattle area, was recuperating from gallbladder surgery Monday. His office said he will recover at home for a week with a "light work schedule" and thoughtfully sent the following note:

Dear King County Employee,

Below is a copy of a press release that is being sent out today. Please know that Executive Sims' surgery went well and he is resting at home. If you would like to send the Executive good wishes, please direct e-mails to [email protected] or simply click reply to this e-mail. All messages will be compiled for him. We ask that you please do not direct such e-mails to his personal e-mail as he may not be able to get messages for some time.

Thank you.

Office of the King County Executive