Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers November 20, 2024. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

The groundbreaking ceremony for the future Scale House Market was on November 12. The event, hosted by the Spokane Conservation District, attracted a large and enthusiastic crowd. The Scale House Market is located in the city of Spokane Valley on 8th Avenue, just east of Havana.

Read the Spokesman-Review’s story on the groundbreaking here. Watch KREM-TV’s report on the event here.

Senator Padden speaks at the Scale House Market groundbreaking ceremony.

It was my honor to be among those who spoke at the groundbreaking. The Spokane area has lacked a permanent structure to house a year-round farmers market. Once it is completed, the Scale House Market and Kitchen will fill this important need.

When the Scale House Market is up and running, area farmers and food businesses will have a place to sell their produce and goods to local consumers for an extended period of time during the year. This permanent structure also will offer a fully functional commercial kitchen, which is a great idea.

A recent feasibility study showed that the Scale House Market and Kitchen, once it is open, could attract nearly 250,000 visitors a year. That is an impressive number.

Several years ago, Spokane Conservation District Executive Director Vicki Carter and her team approached me about possibly receiving support in the state capital budget for the Scale House Market project. The Scale House Market will be supportive of 14 other seasonal farmers markets in Liberty Lake, Spokane Valley, Millwood and Spokane County.

I worked with other legislators, especially Rep. Suzanne Schmidt, to include money in the capital budget for the market project. In fact, the capital budgets approved in 2023 and this year provided a total of $1,050,000 toward this project. I’m thankful the Legislature helped fund this important project, and is returning your tax dollars to you. I look forward to visiting once it is completed and open to the public next May. This project also has received very significant financial support from the private sector.

Above are two artist renderings of the Scale House Market that were provided by the Spokane Conservation District.

Thank you, as always, for the honor of representing you in Olympia!

Best Regards,

Senator Mike Padden

Many attend ESOP Commission meeting

On November 5, I attended the Employee Ownership Program commission meeting held at the Spokane Conservation District in Spokane Valley. Joey Nestegard, chief financial officer at Schweitzer Engineering, presided at the meeting, which was well attended, both in person and virtually. 

Washington’s ESOP law was created in 2023 when my Senate Bill 5096 was approved by the Legislature and signed by Governor Inslee. Since then I have been one of four legislators who serve on the commission along with representatives of the private and public sectors. After retiring from the Senate next January, I will serve on the commission as an ex-officio member.

Lorena Lowell, the director of the Office of Employee Ownership at the state Department of Commerce, recently announced that the state Department of Revenue approved and granted the first $100,000 tax credit to a new Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The tax credit is being awarded to a western Washington company that is switching to an employee ownership program.

Padden supports CV School Board action

On Monday, Senator Padden attended the Central Valley School Board’s special meeting regarding transgender athletes. During the meeting, he spoke in favor of the resolution approved by the school board Monday that opposes transgender girls’ participation in girls sports. The Spokesman-Review published a story about the meeting that can be viewed here.

From the calendar: Recent and upcoming events

• On November 7, I attended the Valley Chamber’s annual meeting. The keynote speaker was Greenstone Homes founder Jim Frank, who discussed housing affordability. Jim Frank was a strong supporter of my bill to increase the affordability of certain condominiums.
• On November 9, I was very honored to receive a resolution, marking a lifetime of service, from the Washington State Council of the Knights of Columbus.
• On November 9, the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum held its annual fundraiser. As noted in a previous e-newsletter, the museum holds artifacts, photos and maps from the Spokane Valley, as well as south Spokane County, Millwood and Liberty Lake, dating back 150 years. The museum event included a program on the history of Felts Field. The museum is in the Opportunity Township building. The Legislature, at my request, included $75,000 in the state capital budget for the museum for work on the front of the Opportunity Township building.
• On November 22, I will be in Olympia to attend the Interbranch Advisory Committee meeting in the Capitol.

DOC looking for vendors to do laser hair removal on inmates? Really?! 

There are times when state agencies do things that defy logic and make you wonder, “What in the heck are they thinking?” The latest example comes courtesy of the state Department of Corrections.

It turns out DOC is seeking vendors who can provide electrolysis and/or laser hair removal services to incarcerated individuals throughout our state. This link to DOC’s contracts page provides more information about its search, which is ultimately about accommodating inmates who want to transition from male to female.

A Seattle podcaster did a story on this disclosure; you may watch it here. Laser hair removal is expensive, and it’s probably not an expense that Washington taxpayers want to cover. Yet that isn’t stopping Corrections from dangling a contract to find a vendor to perform such procedures and be paid – with your tax dollars.

This is just another example of wasteful state spending. It should not happen.

If you are concerned about this, contact DOC Secretary Cheryl Strange at doccorrespondenceunit@doc1.wa.gov.

Which state is most popular destination for ex-Washingtonians?

The Seattle Times recently published a story that caught my eye. It noted the states where former Washingtonians were mostly like to move to and which states lost residents to The Evergreen State. The U.S. Census Bureau provided the state-to-state migration data for 2023.

• It is no surprise the answer to the first part is Idaho. Approximately 14,700 pulled up stakes here to cross the border to our east, while 7,500 Idahoans moved to Washington. For the Gem State, that meant a net gain of 7,100 residents.
• Texas ranked second in gaining ex-Washington residents, as about 20,400 Washington residents moved to the Lone Star State while 13,800 Texans moved here – a net loss to our state of 6,600 people.
• The census data ranked California as the top state adding to Washington’s population last year. About 40,900 people moved up here from the Golden State, while 32,218 Washingtonians made the move south, giving Washington a surplus of about 8,600 new residents here from California.
• Roughly 30,000 moved from Oregon to Washington, compared with 22,100 who relocated to the Beaver State – a net gain of about 7,800 people for our state.

Contact us!

If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. During the interim we are conducting business from our district office in Spokane Valley. We are here to serve you!

Phone: 509-921-2460

Email address: Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov

PLEASE NOTE: Any email or documents you provide to this office may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56. If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please contact Sen. Padden’s Olympia office at (360) 786-7606.

To request public records from Sen. Padden, please contact Randi Stratton, the designated public records officer for the Secretary of the Senate and Senate members.