Welch: State of the state reflects continuing challenges
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, January 21, 2026
By Todd Welch / Herald Columnist
In his State of the State address, Gov. Bob Ferguson described Washington as “strong,” pointing to flood recovery, economic scale, and planned infrastructure investments. The message emphasized resilience and optimism. But optimism alone does not measure whether a state is working for the people who live and work here.
Across Snohomish County and neighboring counties, the issues residents feel most directly are affordability, public safety and economic competitiveness, and on each, Washington is under increasing strain.
Recent flooding in communities such as Everett, Concrete and Skykomish showed the value of effective emergency response. Yet response is not the same as prevention. Washington has collected billions through the Climate Commitment Act, promoted as funding climate resilience. In practice, relatively little of that money has been directed toward physical flood-mitigation projects such as reinforcing levees, improving drainage systems, or hardening infrastructure. Instead, much has gone to administration and program expansion. The result is a cycle of recovery without sufficient risk reduction.
Regulatory complexity compounds the problem. Infrastructure projects face long permitting timelines and overlapping reviews, delaying work and increasing costs. Resilience depends not just on funding, but on the state’s ability to convert dollars into timely, measurable improvements.
Economic indicators often cited by state leaders mask growing household pressure. Washington’s operating budget has roughly doubled over the past decade, far outpacing population growth and inflation. When spending grows faster than the economy that supports it, higher taxes and fees become unavoidable. Those costs appear in fuel prices, property taxes, rents and consumer prices; driving Washington’s cost of living higher and making the state less competitive for employers.
In Everett, rising home prices and rents have made housing access increasingly difficult for working families. Businesses face similar pressures from tax and regulatory costs that affect hiring and investment decisions. Competitiveness is not defined by economic size alone, but by whether people can afford to stay and succeed here.
The governor’s support for a new tax on high earners is presented as a narrow solution. But without addressing the underlying driver — continual spending growth — new revenue sources tend to become permanent. Over time, reliance on a limited tax base creates pressure to broaden it, increasing the likelihood that income-based taxes eventually extend to lower and middle earners. Fiscal sustainability requires discipline, not simply new collections.
Public safety received little attention in the address, despite its importance to economic and social stability. Property crime, drug activity, and overdose deaths remain serious concerns in Snohomish County. Safety conditions influence where businesses are located and where families choose to live. Effective policy must combine enforcement, accountability and treatment, rather than allowing deteriorating conditions to persist.
Housing policy similarly emphasizes funding rather than reform. The primary drivers of high housing costs — restrictive zoning, slow permitting, and regulatory barriers — remain largely intact. Expanding supply at scale requires reducing obstacles to building, not only subsidizing demand.
Washington’s people are resilient. But resilience should not be confused with sustainability. High costs, complex regulations, and unresolved public safety challenges are placing growing pressure on households and businesses.
A realistic assessment of the state’s condition must focus on outcomes residents experience every day: affordability, opportunity, and security. Washington’s future strength will depend on whether policy choices reduce those pressures; or continue to manage their consequences.
Todd Welch is a Herald columnist covering local and state issues.
