politics
Washington state's new capital gains tax: a primer
A look at who pays — and why people are challenging it in court.
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 WA long-term care tax delayed so Legislature can fix it
State officials said they want to make tweaks to the state’s new long-term care insurance program, after a flood of people sought to opt out.
politics
Watchdogs sue WA redistricting panel over secret deal-making
If the lawsuit succeeds, a judge could throw out the state's new congressional and legislative district maps for violating the state's Open Public Meetings Act.
politics
How a rollback of Roe v. Wade would affect abortion rights in WA
Whatever the U.S. Supreme Court decides in its latest abortion case, Washington state has its own protections on the books.
politics
WA Supreme Court decides not to get involved in redistricting
After reviewing documents from the state Redistricting Commission, the court accepted its work, even though parts of it weren't finished on time.