Letters for March 30

Rent control will disincentivize development

I read the opinion piece published in The Spokesman-Review (“Washington’s housing crisis demands real solutions, not rent caps,” March 22) by two unlikely political allies: former HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, a member of Joe Biden’s administration, and Republican Congressman Steve Stivers. Though they come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, they agree on one thing: Washington state’s leadership is failing on housing.

Spokane, like the rest of Washington, is in the grip of a severe housing crisis. The state needs a million new homes over the next two decades, yet lawmakers in Olympia are focused on rent control–a policy that will discourage housing development rather than accelerate it.

Research from EcoNorthwest shows that if rent caps are enacted, Spokane alone could lose hundreds of new housing units. That means fewer homes for working families, young people and seniors already struggling to find affordable options.

We’ve seen this play out before. Cities like San Francisco, New York, and Portland tried rent control, only to experience reduced housing supply, disinvestment and rising rents. Spokane shouldn’t follow that failed path.

The message to builders and investors is clear: If rent control passes, take your dollars – and your housing projects – elsewhere. At a time when Spokane desperately needs more housing of every kind, this legislation could bring new development to a standstill.

Spokane’s future depends on smart leadership. We need policies that increase housing supply, not ones that make the crisis worse.

Mack Mayo

Spokane

Rent stabilization protects renters

I was dismayed to see The Spokesman-Review publish a column by two out of state lobbyists for the real estate and developer industry weighing in to oppose a bill that would protect Washington renters from predatory, excessively large rent increases.

It’s important to understand where this opposition is coming from. Developers and property investors with a vested interest in protecting their ability to raise our rent by as much as they want whenever they want are opposing rent stabilization and completely ignoring the facts. Washington state (and Spokane) have and are doing much to reform zoning and invest in new housing supply. But the only policy that will provide immediate relief and long-term predictability and stability for the 40% of Washingtonians who are renter households is a limit on rent increases.

I trust our state legislators will not be misled by their false narrative. They will listen instead to the thousands of us who are being threatened with displacement and even homelessness because of unrelenting rent hikes.

Duaa-Rahemaah Hunter

Spokane

Contact your local government

Washington taxpayers, if you are not following what the Washington State Democrats are planning, be prepared to pay even more in property taxes as well as other taxes on businesses and personal income. See House Bill 2049.

You can choose to do nothing and be taxed out of your home. Complaining on Facebook does nothing; write or call your state representative, senator and our governor opposing raising taxes on the residents of Washington state or be prepared to pay yearly increases in property tax.

Mike Cloke

Clarkston, Washington

Jewels Helping Hands came through

I am writing to share an experience I had with Jewels Helping Hands. As the board chair for Spear Ministries, I was concerned when I discovered that an RV had moved onto Spear’s vacant property. I informed the police and Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium, since we are in the process of donating the property to them. They suggested calling Julie Garcia from Jewels to see if she could help. Police agreed to be “backup” if that didn’t work.

Julie responded immediately; we agreed to meet the following day. I expected Julie to partner with me to tell the RV owner to get off the property. She did so much more than that.

The RV on Spear’s property was vacant when we arrived, so Julie and another person from Jewels sprang into action. They disconnected a sewer line, a water hose and climbed a fence to disconnect a generator. They were calling a towing company when the owner arrived. They told him he had to be totally off Spear’s property by 5:00 p.m. They also told me they would come back and clean up any trash left behind! The following morning everything was cleaned up!

As churches experience declining enrollment and therefore have fewer volunteers to help support vulnerable people, we all need to look around and support people doing good Works. Jewels Helping Hands is an organization worth supporting.

Pat Manz

Spokane

ECEAP programs need funding

My name is Kira and I am 17 years old. The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) has made a difference for my family, and it is so important right now for families across Washington. The program provides a support system to so many children who need it, and to their families.

My sister was born premature, and we were told there was not much hope for her to develop normally alongside her peers. But through the support of the ECEAP program, she has been able to grow and develop like a normal kid. She now runs when the doctors told us she wouldn’t be able to walk. She sings and screams at the top of her lungs even though they told us she wouldn’t even be able to whisper.

Me and my family have been impacted so much by this program, and I know it can help more people in the future. Right now, state lawmakers are considering significant cuts to ECEAP and Early ECEAP programs because of the state budget shortfall. With all that is going on in the world, ECEAP is one of the most important programs for families in Washington state right now. I am asking state lawmakers to fund ECEAP for families like mine.

Kira Blake

Spokane Valley

Destroying Social Security is a red line

At his Spokane town hall on March 17, Rep. Michael Baumgartner dismissed audience concerns that the Trump administration aims to destroy Social Security, the nation’s program of earned benefits for 70 million Americans.

Baumgartner didn’t want to talk about Social Security but said it should not be cut – intimating that the concerns were exaggerated.

Not so fast.

On March 18, Lee Dudek, Trump’s acting head of Social Security, announced changes in the phone system and the closing of agency offices that could slow the ability of elderly and disabled people to access the system.

Then, angered by a federal judge’s temporary restraining order restricting Elon Musk’s DOGE access to the program’s sensitive data, he threatened a Social Security shutdown.

Then came more warning signs. Trump’s new Commerce Secretary, billionaire Howard Lutnick, said dismissively in a televised interview that “only fraudsters” would complain if Social Security checks failed to arrive in time – which has never happened in the program’s history.

So much for Baumgartner’s reassurances. The Trump regime appears poised to wreck Social Security in order to rob it of its $2.54 trillion trust fund while continuing tax breaks for billionaires like Musk.

I’ve been paying into Social Security since 1961 with earnings from my first job as a Stanford freshman. I paid into the program for 48 years until I retired in 2009.

Message to Baumgartner: This is a red line in American politics. If Social Security is destroyed, he will most certainly become a one-term congressman.

Karen Dorn Steele

Spokane

Good trouble

Regarding “Town Hall Lacked Class” (March 20), here is another perspective. Many people have waited patiently to hear Rep. Michael Baumgartner respond to concerning issues. Tickets became available for anyone who wished to listen to him speak at Whitworth.

Nobody recruited me to go. Nobody paid me to go. I could only get two tickets, so to suggest someone blocked out tickets to give to radical thinkers is just another “conspiracy” theory. I will say, the people displayed anger and lacked civility in their reaction to his answers. However, if you listened closely to what he said, it is easy to understand why people became frustrated. When asked about refugees in Spokane, being detained by ICE without a warrant, or ones whose status is threatened, his answer was: We need a safe southern border. When asked by a Whitworth student about free speech and the ability to protest on college campuses, he thought those protests shouldn’t disrupt anything. When the student pointed out many social changes of the 1960s took place due to disruptive protests, he didn’t seem to understand. When asked what could be done to help federal workers who were fired, his answer: we need government efficiency … and so it goes.

He honestly did not attempt to understand the frustration and anxiety of the people right in front of him. He sidestepped every question or tried to blame it on previous administrations. If his supporters wanted to go, they could have been there. Where were they?

Debra Robeson

Spokane

The Stadium Rebate Bill

Now is a good time to let our professional sports teams help us out by collecting Washington state sales taxes from foreign corporations.

T-Mobile is actually a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.

As you may know, we currently face a budget deficit of about $15 billion dollars.

The Stadium Rebate Tax Bill taxes Major League Professional Sports clubs that sell or rent naming rights (T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field) and then returns the tax revenue to municipal and state governments.

A little extra in sales tax revenue from foreign corporations would be helpful to Washington state residents.

I encourage you to review the Stadium Rebate Bill and contact your state representative soon.

John E. Martin