Rents are out of control, that's true. Rent control will make things worse in Tacoma
Affordability is a crisis, but the rent cap bill in Olympia is the wrong answer. Washington is already behind by 150,000 homes, yet this legislation would force developers to cancel thousands of planned rental units before they're even built. Housing providers will be stuck with rising costs while being forced to cap rent increases, making it impossible to maintain buildings or keep up with repairs. In reality, policies like these have backfired in cities nationwide, discouraging construction, worsening housing conditions and leading to even higher costs in the long run. If lawmakers truly want to help renters, they should expand supply, streamline permitting and incentivize homebuilding — not pass policies that shrink the housing market.
Sheri Druckman, Puyallup
I recently learned that Roxanne is retiring from Metropolitan Market, effective April 1. For those who don't know, Miss Roxanne has been a shining light at that location since the mid-1990s. For nearly 30 years, she has greeted community members with care, enthusiasm and grace. She went out of her way to say hello and brighten others' day. Sadly, we must now go about our shopping without her trademark, 'Hey, baby!' and infectious smile.
I think I speak for the majority of Tacomans in wishing Roxanne a joyous and relaxing retirement. She is truly a local legend whose legacy will be one of profound kindness.
Mike Malaier, Tacoma
President Donald Trump is on a rampage to eliminate Diversity, Equity,and Inclusion programs. He wants employers to base hiring decisions exclusively on merit, not 'race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion, or national origin.'
Former County Executive Bruce Dammeier did exactly that when he took office in 2017. No DEI department; no preferential treatment.
He did, however, improve hiring practices. He imposed a competitive process on all hiring, including seasonal and part-time jobs. He discarded needlessly restrictive employment standards. Outsiders with a vested interest in hiring decisions were excluded from the process. He also recruited prospective employees with diverse attributes who might be unaware of job opportunities, that, or deterred by a perceived lack of fair consideration. Just as important, Dammeier offered County employees opportunities to learn about the cultures of the people they work with and the taxpayers they work for. Call it what you want, Dammeier embraced the true meaning of DEI: hiring the best-qualified employees; reaching out to those with diverse backgrounds; and treating everyone with fairness, civility, and respect. It's a prudent management practice the County should maintain and President Trump should emulate.
Dan Grimm, Puyallup
Hello, I tried to make my voice heard at the meeting Saturday. the meeting was at Stadium High school; and in order to attend I would have had to park a half a mile away and then walk back in the pouring rain. Being disabled it was untenable. Not to mention the extremely heavy traffic. Why is this even an issue?
A hearing about who I can rent my house to? Why? Why can I decide myself? So someone else is going to decide (someone who is more qualified than me) though I have owned the house for nearly 50 years now and I have made a good living renting houses out for years. And when I had a series of strokes some years ago and I struggled with disability; where were they? They weren't around helping me. I did the remodeling of the house to get it ready and rented. Though it was incredibly difficult.
And when I first had about 20 strokes and was starving; where was the help I needed to get it done so I could keep my house? Nowhere to be found!
And I was able to get it done, with no help from the hotels.
Sterling B. Wirth, Tacoma
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Judge blocks administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders in grant funding requirements that LGBTQ+ organizations say are unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar said Monday that the federal government cannot force recipients to halt programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion or acknowledge the existence of transgender people in order to receive grant funding. The order will remain in effect while the legal case continues, although government lawyers will likely appeal. The funding provisions 'reflect an effort to censor constitutionally protected speech and services promoting DEI and recognizing the existence of transgender individuals,' Tigar wrote. He went on to say that the executive branch must still be bound by the Constitution in shaping its agenda and that even in the context of federal subsidies, 'it cannot weaponize Congressionally appropriated funds to single out protected communities for disfavored treatment or suppress ideas that it does not like or has deemed dangerous.' The plaintiffs include health centers, LGBTQ+ services groups and the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society. All receive federal funding and say they cannot complete their missions by following the president's executive orders. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation, one of the plaintiffs, said in 2023 it received a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand and enhance sexual health services, including the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. The $1.3 million project specifically targets communities disproportionately affected by sexual health disparities. But in April, the CDC informed the nonprofit that it must 'immediately terminate all programs, personnel, activities, or contracts' that promote DEI or gender ideology. President Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders since taking office in January, including ones to roll back transgender protections and stop DEI programs. Lawyers for the government say that the president is permitted to 'align government funding and enforcement strategies' with his policies. Plaintiffs say that Congress — and not the president — has the power to condition how federal funds are used, and that the executive orders restrict free speech rights. Har writes for the Associated Press.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
LA Riots, Deportations, N-Word Karens and Other Distractions That Have Black Folks Sleepwalking
In an era marked by rising hate and division, the Black community faces a new kind of attack — and it isn't always glaringly obvious. As chaos unfolds on screens and in headlines, the real threats slip by unnoticed, quietly reshaping our future. This is the cautionary tale about how distraction has become a weapon, and why staying truly woke means seeing beyond the noise to protect what's ours. Now, we love the phrase 'Stay woke' — thanks, Donald Glover — but it feels like we're sleepwalking through some of the biggest moves against us without fully grasping the severity of the situation on our hands. Whether people are picking up the pieces to failed immigration policies — sparking protests like the ICE L.A. riots — or we're sucked into reality TV, we must face these issues head-on. Let's take a deep dive into some of the major players in this advanced game of distraction, and how the tactics are used against us. Shocking immigration riots took place on June 8 in Los Angeles, where thousands took to the streets after ICE launched sweeping raids. Protesters were outraged over mass detentions, family separations, and the sudden deployment of National Guard troops while facing troops, tear gas, rubber bullets, and site-wide curfews. While Black and immigrant communities fight for their voice and future, chaos is staged at the hand of the Trump administration — once again — to keep everyone on edge and off their game. Frankly, the visible and physical tactic of slapping down unity is a slap in the face…and protesters weren't afraid to turn up in the faces of the California National Guard. At least 56 were arrested over the weekend, per NBC News. Don't come for us when we say this, but entertainment is slowly but surely becoming a form of mind control. Every scandal, every rabbit hole, every bombshell media trial (we're looking at you, Diddy) — it's all keeping us locked in and tuned out. Using celebs to push agendas? We're over it. It's Rome all over again, a reminder of how entertainment was used as a tool to minimize the potential for civil unrest, while enhancing their popularity and image. Works every time — but we're on to it. Many Black folks feel some decisions made by the Trump administration are slowly chipping away at the potential for Black progress. Community programs that offer support to education and health are being cut and stripped of their funding, such as proposed cuts to Title I funding. By the time we look up, they're already out the back door with a program — such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — that was set in place to encourage Black success. Needless to say, politics can be a masterclass in misdirection. During the era of our civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, activism was rooted in real sacrifice. Today, social justice is somewhat of a trendy accessory: changing your Facebook photo to stand with victims and adding the black square to your Instagram profile. During the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, people, young and elderly, opted out of the bus system due to harsh treatment for a staggering 381 days—from Dec. 5, 1955 to Dec. 20, 1956. Compare that to now, where many won't log off for three minutes — let alone stand ten toes down for over a year. We can easily call this digital programming. Every person's feed is created especially for them, fueling their triggers, addictions, and messiest obsessions for monetary gain. No matter the social app, the goal is to keep us doom-scrolling until we're late for work, short on sleep, or deep into a chaotic rabbit hole. All the trash gets pushed to the top while real-world updates are suppressed, rendering many uninformed. Election disputes causing voter suppression may not be the intention, but it can delay access or hinder full participation. Allegations of voter fraud, battles over ballot access and unexpected changes to voting rules disproportionately affect Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities. Claims of fraud become justifications for reduced early voting periods, restrictions on mail-in ballots, and stricter voter ID laws — all of which directly impact Black folks. It's bad enough some don't see the need to vote at all, and this surely doesn't help. At this point, just stop selling the microphones. Since the rise of YouTube podcasts, everybody's a scholar, everybody's got 'sources,' and everybody's reporting something — facts optional. It's a mess. And while the misinformation marathon continues, the truth doesn't even get a head start and opinions are seemingly as good as facts. Thanks to the late Kevin Samuels and many others, Black men and women turned what should be a wholesome discussion into a full-blown battlefield — and social media's eating it up. Known as 'Red Pill' content, some podcasts are built on dragging each other down, 'high value' nonsense and endless 'who brings what to the table' debates. Unifying the Black family has to be central to maintain success. While we're busy fighting each other, the real ops stay winning and we're watching it happen in 4K. They're not even hiding it anymore. Right under our noses, Black studies are being slashed from school curriculums, and key parts of our history are vanishing from textbooks. Since 2021, 44 schools have proposed bills in favor of restricting what's called critical race theory (CRT), per EdTrust. This prevents teachers from giving lessons on important topics, including systemic racism. From Florida to Texas, the erasure is real — and strategic. Whether it's 'talk proper' or 'dress like you want the job,' respectability politics whispers lies about what it takes to be accepted or protected here. We're taught to shrink, conform, and dilute our Blackness to make others comfortable — even though it hasn't stopped injustices. It's a distraction that places blame on individuals instead of the system designed to undermine, no matter how polished we appear. Covert anti-Blackness — whether it's subtle or in-your-face systemic discrimination — chips away at a system that talks big about freedom, equality, and representation. Under Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to wipe the names of civil rights legends like Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg off naval ships. This kind of quiet erasure isn't loud, but it's no accident — it's polished and intentional. It seems Trump's administration has mastered the art of political theatre — one minute commuting the federal sentence of Chicago gang founder Larry Hoover, the next stripping the names of beloved civil rights leaders from U.S. Navy ships. While our attention was diverted to controversy, chaos, and entertainment, critical programs were defunded, protections dismantled, and inequalities deepened. This isn't just politics — it's a performance meant to mislead and confuse. With so many distractions in play before us, becoming more vigilant and spotting foul play is key. The time has come to cut the noise, and focus on moving forward together as a people in power.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Judge blocks administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders in grant funding requirements that LGBTQ+ organizations say are unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar said Monday that the federal government cannot force recipients to halt programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion or acknowledge the existence of transgender people in order to receive grant funding. The order will remain in effect while the legal case continues, although government lawyers will likely appeal. The funding provisions 'reflect an effort to censor constitutionally protected speech and services promoting DEI and recognizing the existence of transgender individuals,' Tigar wrote. He went on to say that the executive branch must still be bound by the Constitution in shaping its agenda and that even in the context of federal subsidies, 'it cannot weaponize Congressionally appropriated funds to single out protected communities for disfavored treatment or suppress ideas that it does not like or has deemed dangerous.' The plaintiffs include health centers, LGBTQ+ services groups and the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society. All receive federal funding and say they cannot complete their missions by following the president's executive orders. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation, one of the plaintiffs, said in 2023 it received a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand and enhance sexual health services, including the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. The $1.3 million project specifically targets communities disproportionately affected by sexual health disparities. But in April, the CDC informed the nonprofit that it must 'immediately terminate all programs, personnel, activities, or contracts' that promote DEI or gender ideology. President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders since taking office in January, including ones to roll back transgender protections and stop DEI programs. Lawyers for the government say that the president is permitted to 'align government funding and enforcement strategies' with his policies. Plaintiffs say that Congress — and not the president — has the power to condition how federal funds are used, and that the executive orders restrict free speech rights. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
