By Miki Mullor
Editor
The Washington Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling that the City of Sammamish did not violate the state’s Public Records Act (PRA) in handling requests from former Deputy Mayor and City Council member Ramiro Valderrama. The decision, issued on December 16, 2024, comes after a contentious legal battle that included accusations of bad faith and a $10 million settlement demand from Valderrama.
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Gov. Jay Inslee did the right thing in vetoing SB6617, which exempts the Legislature from
Jay Inslee. Photo via Google images.
the Public Records Act.
But, as it turns out, he doesn’t deserve all the accolades he’s receiving. In fact, he was complicit.
In his own press statement issued last night announcing the veto was this sentence:
“Though I expressed concerns about the outline of the bill, I did tell legislators I would let the bill become law if they delivered it with enough votes to override a veto.” (Emphasis added.)
So much for the principal that Legislators should be open and transparent about public records.
Gov. Inslee today vetoed SB6617, the legislation that exempts legislators from the Public Records Act.
Inslee’s press release may be found here
Gov. Jay Inslee just appeared on teh Chris Haywes Show on MSNBC and, in response to Hayes’ question, said he “can’t” veto the bill exempting legislators from the state’s Public Records Act.
Gov. Jay Inslee stood up to President Trump today. He needs to stand up to the Legislature and veto the bill exempting the legislators from the Public Records Act. Photo via Seattle Times.
Why? because, he says, the bill was passed with a veto-proof margin.
State Rep. Paul Graves was the only Samammish legislator to vote against SB6617, which exempts legislators from the Public Records Act.
Sammamish’s representatives, except for one, displayed utter and complete contempt for their constituents last week.
State Rep. Paul Grave (R-5th), who represents the greater Klahanie area of Sammamish, was the only one of nine legislators to vote against the measure exempting legislators from the laws of the Public Records Act requiring governments to turn over documents when citizens request them. Continue reading
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