| Supreme Court Unanimously Clarifies Important Growth Management Act (GMA) Issues |
| August 21, 2008 - Growth Board Lacks Authority to Impose "Bright Line" Standards for Local Plans. Counties Have Broad Discretion in Designating UGAs and Specifying Rural Densities. Presumption of Validity of Local Plans is Reaffirmed. Board Authority to Review Preexisting Local Plans When They Are Updated, Is Limited to Provisions That Are Directly Affected by New GMA Requirements. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court has provided important new guidance on local compliance with GMA requirements. ... |
| Public Records Act Case Law Update Summer 2008 |
| August 12, 2008 - In the last few months, the Washington Courts have issued five Public Records Act (PRA) opinions on several key issues: Whether to disclose accusations of employee misconduct Whether to disclose attorney bills Whether prisons can screen out public records requested by inmates When to retain and disclose metadata Court hearing procedures for PRA claims When the deliberative process exemption stops applying to negotiation records Cases Reviewed: Bellevue John Does v. Bellevue School Dist. ... |
| Washington State Supreme Court Affirms Local Government Ability to Protect Shoreline ... |
| August 1, 2008 - There has been an ongoing dispute whether the Shoreline Management Act (SMA) or the Growth Management Act (GMA) applies to amendments to shoreline critical area regulations. In a victory for local jurisdictions, the Washington State Supreme Court has confirmed that SMA applies, and that it is not necessary to update an entire Shoreline Master Program to protect critical areas located in shorelines – amending a Program segment is sufficient. Futurewise v. W. Wash. Growth Mgmt. Hearings Bd., Supreme Court ... |
| Supreme Court Rules to Protect Employee Privacy in a Landmark Public Records Act Opinion |
| July 31, 2008 - The Washington State Supreme Court’s ruling today in Bellevue John Does 1-11 v. Bellevue School District, Supreme Ct. No. 786093-8 (July 31, 2008) is a major victory for all public employees and serves to simplify and clarify the rules regarding employee privacy for public employers. In the opinion, the Supreme Court holds that employees have a legitimate expectation of privacy in documents that reveal their identity in connection with unsubstantiated accusations of sexual misconduct made against them. ... |
| Susan Drummond Named to Seattle’s Green Building Task Force |
| Seattle, WA – July 31, 2008 – Susan Drummond, Co-Chair of Foster Pepper’s Sustainable Development/Green Building industry group, has been appointed by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels to the City’s newly formed “Green Building Task Force.” Susan is the only attorney on the 50-member Task Force, which also includes representatives from Seattle’s real estate, building operations, environmental, business, affordable housing, and labor communities. It will serve as an advisory panel to provide recommendations on strategies to ... |