NEWS GLEAMS | Gov. Inslee Delivers State of the State Address; Mount Calvary to Make Way for Mixed-Income Housing

On Tuesday morning, Gov. Jay Inslee delivered his last State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate. With it, he closed out his term and prepared to transfer gubernatorial duties to Washington State's new governor, former Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

The change ends a three-term run from Gov. Inslee, which made him the second-longest-serving governor in the United States. He was first elected in 2012 and, according to his blog post on Medium, ran on a platform of job creation, clean energy, education funding, access to early learning, and "instilling Lean management principles throughout state government."

Inslee cited progress that his administration has made, which includes increases on the statewide minimum wage, a generous paid-leave program, and the first public option health insurance plan in the States. He also cited a number of initiatives around the environment and attempts to reduce homelessness, including investments in programs that help individuals transitioning out of homelessness as well as success in reducing the number of homeless youth.

Despite the successes touted, Inslee was forthcoming about the budget challenges facing the incoming administration and years ahead. Yet he stressed that moving forward on the same trajectory was the correct answer, rather than pulling back on the progress that had been made. Specifically, he said the government should not rely on budget cuts.

"We have a strong economy, so why would we consider cuts to programs like housing or mental and behavioral health services at a time like this? Not when we're finally seeing progress. Not when the number of people needing these services is increasing. Not when these programs are saving lives and making our communities safer and healthier," he stated. "In 12 years, we have built a strong engine of increasing justice and increasing health for our residents. We can't knock it off the tracks just as we've started rolling forward."

Yet incoming Gov. Bob Ferguson will likely take a different approach to his tenure. He has already cited that he will be looking at cuts to close the budget shortfall and endeavors to increase bipartisan decision-making — goals that have not been a focal point of Inslee's — while continuing the environmental and climate change work Inslee has made a focus of his tenure.

"I released today my budget priorities for the upcoming session, and it includes $4 billion in cuts," Ferguson told Cascade PBS. "That's across-the-board cuts for state agencies, about 6%, because we've got a big shortfall. At the same time, though, we need to make the right kind of investments. One of those investments that I'm proposing is additional resources to hire more police officers."

He continued, "In the budget priorities I put out there, that expectation is each agency needs to propose these cuts across the board. It won't be 6% for each agency. Some might be more, some might be a little bit less. We need to make sure we're preserving core services for the people of the state of Washington. But from a budget standpoint, there's no sacred cows from my standpoint."

Ferguson was first elected to King County Council in 2004, then as Attorney General in 2013, before he was elected governor in November 2024.

The Central District's historic Mount Calvary Christian Center (MCCC) is slated for demolition in early February to make space for a new eight-story mixed-income housing unit. The church went on sale nearly four years ago and was purchased for $3.75 million in June 2021 by GardnerGlobal. It will partner with two investment firms, Heartland and Laird Norton, on the new development.

Jaebadiah Gardner, GardnerGlobal's CEO and a local Black architect, commented to Converge Media on the need to publicize the demolition process, stating, "It's important for me to make sure that as a business, we keep our folks in the loop. … Just because you don't see things happening doesn't mean things are not happening."

The mixed-income building, located at 23rd Avenue and East Union Street, will be named after Gardner's grandmother, Sarah Queen. She was a church-going woman based in Spokane, Washington, and Gardner hopes to use the opportunity to pay tribute to her grandmother while honoring the legacy of Black women and entrepreneurship.

The completed building will likely host 125 to 130 units, with a mixture of studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units. The project is estimated to be completed by the end of 2027, with a price tag of about $10 million. Gardner stresses that many of the units will be affordable.

While the Sarah Queen building will be mixed-income, GardnerGlobal will also develop a 100% affordable housing unit across the street. That property, recently a teen center, was purchased from a private owner for $4.3 million. Both buildings will be located in a notable Central District corridor adjacent to a branch of PCC Market, Uncle Ike's, and Communion Restaurant and Bar.

MCCC continues to host multiple events a week, including a Sunday morning service that is both in-person and online as well as a Wednesday night Bible study. It is currently running its events out of the Emerald City Community Seventh-Day Adventist Church as it awaits the creation of a new site.

In June 2024, Washington State launched its first comprehensive statewide survey for LGBTQ+ and two-spirit individuals living in the state. This year, it hopes to reach 10,000 responses by the end of January 2025 to help LGBTQ+ residents advocate for their needs. The survey is completely anonymous and will guide future government policies, legislation, and decision-making. 

"This landmark survey is designed for us by us," said Traci Gillig, an assistant professor at Washington State University's (WSU) Murrow College of Communication, via press release for the survey. "This opportunity to make our voices heard and influence change is more vital than ever with the recent election results. While WA state is generally considered a welcoming and LGBTQ+-supportive place, we must not take our rights for granted."

Since the survey was launched, over 4,000 individuals ages 11 to 98 from every county in the state have participated, but researchers note that responses are especially needed from Latino, Asian, Southeast Asian, and Asian American communities.

An LGBTQ+ survey team is leading the process, including individuals from WSU's Murrow College of Communication, Prevention at the Intersections, and an LGBTQ+-owned equitable research and evaluation firm called data2insight.

The survey is available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese, and can be completed at WALGBTQSurvey.com. It is open through Jan. 31, 2025. For accommodations or assistance in participating in the survey, email Contact@LGBTQ.WA.gov.

While the survey is anonymous, those interested in potential compensation can volunteer their email on a separate form to be entered into a raffle drawing for a $50 gift card.

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