If they are banned from giving donations, it's still there. They are not objective robots. Only, we don't get to see which way they lean.

I do believe that facts can be objective facts, but the idea one can not have a leaning one way or another after making a whole career writing about politics is a myth.

Duh.

Maybe they should be banned from actually investing in political outcomes, e.g. betting on presidential races. That would be analogous to business writers not being invested in the stocks they are reporting on. Not sure if this type of investing common practice, but I've read tell of it...

don't worry, when you stop chickening out and actually run for office, I'll give you $50 too.

The TCC Board does not take an official position on the joint ST2-RTID ballot measure until Monday July 9. TCC staff has been working hard to improve RTID, but they began in a big hole. We do not know how the board will vote.

Examples of improvements that TCC staff supported include the following.

Transit service as mitigation during and after construction of highway projects. In the original RTID enabling legislation, transit service was not eligible for RTID funds. The legislative amendment was reportedly written by TCC staff.

There is better policy language in support of tolling.

They supported the struggle of Pierce County activists over SR-704, the crossbase highway.

They supported the good allocation of the $800 million shifted from the AWV project (e.g., South Park bridge, Industrial Way center access, Aurora Avenue North BAT lanes, South Lander Street overcrossing, and South Spokane Street viaduct).

Of course, some may argue that the $800 of acceptable projects is just the bicycle on a rack on the back of a global warming SUV.