Big money from the left in Spokane jail fight

Plus a player exits the lobby, court rejects transportation tax challenge, and the lands commissioner race gets even more crowded

One of the best-heeled players on Washington State’s political left has pushed a big stack of chips onto the table in the fight over whether to build a new Spokane County jail.

The Inatai Foundation pledged $240,500 to Justice Not Jails, the local committee opposing Spokane County Measure No. 1. The measure placed on the ballot by the county commission would bump the local sales tax to pay for a new jail and a variety of other spending on criminal justice, public safety, and behavioral health projects. The jail is the controversial part. Opponents argue it would continue an unjust cycle of incarceration that falls most heavily on people of color, who get jailed at far higher rates in Spokane County than whites.

Here’s why you should care about this: That kind of money is enough to seriously move the needle in an election like this. Thus far there’s no organized campaign in support of the measure registered with the Public Disclosure Commission, although it has the weight of the county council behind it.

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