News
How $1 billion in pot taxes gets spent in Washington state
Money from legal cannabis sales amounts to about 2% of the state operating budget.
Melissa Santos
Melissa Santos is formerly a Crosscut staff reporter who covered state politics and the Legislature. She came to Crosscut from The Seattle Times editorial board, where she wrote columns and opinion pi
Latest work
Politics
New laws aim to keep people from losing their homes in Washington
Help for renters and homeowners is on the way as the state’s eviction moratorium is set to expire June 30.
Politics
Two bills aim to expand public broadband in WA, but there’s a hitch
‘It’s such drama, I’m telling you. I’ve never been in this situation before,’ one lawmaker says.
Equity
Insurers in WA must cover transgender health care under new bill
The state’s push to protect access to health care for transgender people contrasts with recent actions in other state legislatures.
Politics
Why new taxes are likely even as Washington is flush with cash
Democratic lawmakers say now is the moment to fix the state’s regressive tax code, which they say unfairly burdens low-income people.