Headlines & History since 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2026
Vol. 147 No. 11
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Sheriffs urge partial veto of new bill Jake Goldstein-Street Washington State Standard Washington sheriffs are pushing Gov. Bob Ferguson to veto parts of a controversial bill that would set new standards for them and could lead to removal from office. In a letter this week, four sheriffs pointed to sections of Senate Bill 5974 they want excised when the Democratic governor takes action. They say the legislation threatens to override the will of the voters. Ferguson said he plans to meet with sheriffs to discuss
their concerns. The bill would require county sheriffs and police chiefs to meet heightened eligibility standards. The criteria include having five years of full-time law enforcement experience, not having any felony or gross misdemeanor convictions, being at least 25 years old and not having done anything that would get state certification as a peace officer revoked. Within nine months of taking office, the bill says sheriffs need to get their certification if they don’t already have it. Current law gives them a year.
Contributed
NEEDS HELP: Richard Browing, a volunteer firefighter in Klickitat County Fire District 12, is in dire need of heart surgery. A fellow firefighter started a fund to help raise the required money.
Firefighter works to help volunteer Matthew Leffler, Fire Chief for Wahkiacus Fire District 15 in Klickitat County, is asking the community to help Richard Browning, a volunteer firefighter at Klickitat County Fire District 12. According to Chief Leffler, Browning needs heart surgery to correct a medical issue that caused him to lose his full-time job. “He has selflessly served his community for over 15 years, answering the call when others
needed him most—now it’s our turn to give back to him,” Leffler wrote on GoFundMe. “Any amount you can give will help him get the care he needs and ease the financial burden on his family.” The GoFundMe goal amount is $24,000. As of yesterday, $1,775 had been raised. The fundraiser link is: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ support-a-volunteer-firefighters-heart-surgery.
Jail finds food solution Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel
Money was on the minds of Klickitat County Commissioners at their March 10 board meeting. In looking at all money-raising possibilities, they considered raising certain event fees but ultimately postponed the decision to have a larger policy discussion about whether the county should be fully recouping its costs for utilities and cleaning at facilities such as the community center. County Administrator Robb Van Cleave did have some good news. “You may know,” he told commissioners, “but I want to make sure the public knows. Starting May 7, the Department of Corrections food service will be provided by the State Department of Corrections, and Aramark has given a termination of the contract for May 8. Timing is everything, and, as Bill has reported in the past, that will be a significant savings. Bill’s worked pretty hard on that, and I appreciate that.” Van Cleave was referring to Jail Administrator Bill Frantz, who’s been working on that change since he came on board. He’s also been adept at obtaining grants, which has proved a boon to the county. Adult Probation received approval to hire a qualified internal candidate for a case manager position at a higher pay step than advertised, with the board agree-
ing that the county would absorb the additional cost to avoid altering financial agreements already in progress with Bingen, White Salmon, and Goldendale. Senior Services Director Sharon Carter reported the department faced significant challenges with recruiting transportation drivers due to strict state and federal requirements. “We’ve got safety sensitive drug testing,” she said. “There’s pre-employment as well as random testing. There are people who that eliminates right off the bat. And the driving records are not just related to your work driving record; it’s your driving record, period.” She said another problem was the cost of replacement vehicles for their fleet, which has more than doubled, complicating grant-funded purchases. And on top of that, she said demand for Senior Services grew substantially, with notable increases in transportation ridership, meals served, and volunteer hours, which rose by over 2,000 hours in the past year. The county also retained outside counsel to provide an expert review of a solar ordinance and to help with future land use matters, with the Prosecuting Attorney emphasizing that all communication would be centralized through her office to control costs. Under the consent agenda, com-
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Until now, sheriffs haven’t had to meet the same eligibility requirements as police chiefs. Sheriffs are elected, while police chiefs are appointed. Sheriffs could be removed from office if they don’t meet the new standards, though lawmakers revised the bill during the legislative process to clarify that the five years of experience provision doesn’t apply to current sheriffs. That piece would’ve disqualified the Pacific County sheriff, a Navy veteran who won office without prior law enforcement experience.
Critics worry the policy gives the state Criminal Justice Training Commission, which decides on officer certification, too much power to decide the fate of sheriffs. Supporters have said the legislation is about holding police leaders accountable to the same standards as rank-and-file officers. The eligibility standards and the new path to removal from office are the aspects of the bill sheriffs want to see the governor veto, calling it a “fundamental change in the balance between administrative oversight and
democratic governance.” “Together, these provisions use a professional certification process—used to regulate a profession—to override and displace voter choice,” the sheriffs wrote in their letter to Ferguson. The letter from the Washington State Sheriffs’ Association is signed by Mark Crider of Walla Walla County, Brad Manke of Stevens County, Ryan Spurling of Mason County, and Clay Myers of Kittitas County. The sheriffs pointed to another measure they preferred that
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City considers new 5G cell ordinances Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel The Goldendale City Council was introduced to a new form of consultant services at their March 16 meeting. Michael Flores of Spectrum Cellular Management told councilors that 5G services are being rolled out nationwide, and this is more than an incremental step. “5G on the 3.7 gigahertz band,” he said, “is now capable of radiated output power 35 times more powerful
than 4G.” That increased bandwidth allows providers more channels to sell profitable data streams. “The big push for 5G and cellular providers is to become the data and the television provider,” he said, “to take the cable television business, to take the satellite business, and ultimately to control unmanned vehicles.” And as wireless replaces wired, cities lose the franchise fees paid by wired cable companies to attach their cable to ex-
isting poles. But cellular providers will have to upgrade elements in existing cell towers and add new towers, which involve permit applications and the chance to recoup some of those lost fees. That can’t happen if cities haven’t enacted 5G ordinances before they receive applications. That’s where his firm comes in. For a fee, they can provide the language for ordinances to keep the city in control and get-
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Takeaways from legislative session Bill Lucia and Jerry Cornfield Washington State Standard The curtain fell Thursday night on the Washington Legislature’s 60-day session. A lot happened before it did. Passage of Democrats’ income tax on millionaire earners was the big storyline. It followed House debate on the bill that was one of the longest in the state’s legislative history. Here are some highlights, plus who came out ahead and behind. Progressive breakthroughs and walkbacks Passage of the income tax is an indisputable win for Democrats eager to see Washington’s tax code rebalanced to tap wealthy residents for more cash, while relieving some of the burden for lower-income households. The question now is whether it holds up in court and on the ballot. But while there was glee over approval of the “millionaires’ tax,” lawmakers also moved this year to roll back major tax hikes they approved in the last session — including added sales taxes on a range of services and increases in the estate tax. These walkbacks were a tacit acknowledgment that they overreached with policies to tax businesses and the rich last year. Progressive voices led by Democratic Socialist Rep. Shaun Scott of Seattle prevailed in a notable skirmish within the income tax bill, when a Senate-backed provision calling for the early sunset of a tax surcharge on large corporations was stripped out in the House. Winners:
• Gov. Bob Ferguson, who gave the income tax his full-throated endorsement early on. • Sen. Noel Frame, AKA the “Revenue Queen,” a champion of progressive tax policy. • Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon, and Speaker Laurie Jinkins, who shepherded the income tax bill. • Service Employees International Union, Washington State Labor Council and other statewide unions that pushed for the income tax. • Dead people passing on more than $1 million, whose estates will owe less in taxes. • Lawyers for whom a court battle on the income tax will make for a hefty payday. Losers: • Millionaires who don’t want to pay the income tax. • Tech industry entrepreneurs who fought the income tax. • Republican lawmakers, who detest the income tax, with some opposing it on the House floor during a debate that ran nearly 25 hours straight. • The Wall Street Journal, which editorialized against the income tax before and after its passage. Ferguson gets his footing What a difference a year makes. In his first session, Ferguson came off as a frenemy of Democrat and Republican lawmakers alike. Sine Die couldn’t come fast enough for many lawmakers who didn’t know when he was on their side, when he was against them and whether he would support the budget and taxes his party sent him to sign.
This time around, Ferguson and Democratic leaders found themselves on the same page most of the time. There were still some touch-and-go moments, like when lawmakers got bristly about the governor negotiating over the income tax from a press conference podium. Where lawmakers could find few compliments to throw the governor’s way in Year One, they were almost effusive with praise in Year Two. “It feels like we’re hitting a good stride,” Pedersen said Thursday night. Ferguson called it a “great session.” Republicans know the governor much better as well after two years of watching him sign new and higher taxes. Winners: • Progressive House Democrats, who chafed at Ferguson’s centrist-sounding inaugural address last year, but are now feeling more heard and seen by the governor. • Tribal leaders who secured an executive order giving them greater voice, and representation in state government. Losers: • Senate Minority Leader John Braun, who was cozier with Ferguson last year when the governor had more tensions with his own party. Mixed bag for big business Debate on data centers forced lobbyists from some of the world’s biggest firms and the state’s larger labor unions to camp out in Olympia. They teamed up to put a dagger in Rep. Beth Doglio’s bill to impose a suite of new regulations on data
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