News nuggets:

–Washington’s jobless rate, as expected, is getting worse before it gets better. The latest report, covering the May figures,  pegs our new rate at 9.4 percent, up from the previous month’s 9 percent. Springtime jobless numbers haven’t been this dismal in 25 years.  Economists expect the situation to grow to double-digits this winter and then to begin improving. (Misery loves company: Oregon’s rate is worse than ours, 12.4 percent, but Idaho is at 7.8 and Alaska at 8. ) 

–A new revenue forecast is due out at 10 a.m. Thursday. Watch the Forecast Council’s fact-packed website, or TVW on cable or here.

–Initiative sponsors have been notified that the turn-in deadline for petitions is July 2, a day earlier than they had been counting on. Ordinarily, the deadline would be Friday,  July 3, but it turns out that state government offices, including the Elections Division, are closed that day to observe Independence Day. After checking with the attorney general’s office, officials were reminded that whenever a state/national holiday falls on a Saturday, it is observed on Friday and offices are closed. A memo to sponsors was sent out June 8 explaining this. The same memo also recommended that sponsors try to bring in at least 301,000 voter signatures. That would allow for an invalidation rate of 25 percent. 

Tim Eyman’s latest measure, I-1033, is considered the most likely to make the November ballot. It would cap the growth in state and local tax collections. The full text of this and other proposed initiatives and referenda is available online here .

FOOTNOTE: The “everything but marriage” domestic partnership Referendum 71 has a different deadline and signature requirement. Deadline is July 25; signature requirement is 120,577.

–Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, facing a spirited challenge for re-election in the Northwest’s largest city, is the new head of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. National media coverage of the conference in Providence, R.I., focused on controversy around the Obama Administration’s boycott (including Commerce Secretary Gary Locke), due to a labor dispute.

–Pay for parks? Starting September 1, motorists will be asked to pay 5 bucks to support the state parks system whenever they pay their annual car tabs.  You can opt out, but if you simply pay the bill as it comes to you, the $5 is figured in automatically. 

 

  

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