September 18th, 2025
In this issue:
- New Mexico Will Be The First State To Make Child Care Free
- Seattle’s Racial Income Gap Among The Widest, New Census Data Shows
- Bellevue Heads Back To School Amid Major Budget Concerns And Cuts
- Counties Warn Of Risks From Medicaid, Nutrition cuts
While parents across America navigate a childcare crisis, New Mexico is working on a solution: They’re making childcare free.
New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham wrote, “By investing in universal childcare, we are giving families financial relief, supporting our economy, and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow and thrive.”
Governor Grisham is right. Investing properly in young people doesn’t just help parents today, it lays the building blocks for strong communities tomorrow.
So how did New Mexico do this? They made their tax code more progressive! In 2024, New Mexico won the accolade of “Most Improved” tax code, and they now have the ninth most progressive tax code in the nation. The truth is, there’s enough money to pay for the programs that families in our state need, we just have to make the rich pay what they owe.
Want to help here in Washington? Well stay tuned, because we’re about to send out a survey to all our activists so we can hear which progressive revenue ideas you care most about – and how you want to help make them reality.
Thank you,
-Treasure
NEW MEXICO WILL BE THE FIRST STATE TO MAKE CHILD CARE FREE
“Child care is essential to family stability, workforce participation and New Mexico’s future prosperity,” Lujan Grisham said in her announcement. “By investing in universal child care, we are giving families financial relief, supporting our economy, and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow and thrive.”
In the absence of a federal universal child care system, some states have worked to build their own systems, and New Mexico has been a leader in that effort over the past several years.
More – Chabeli Carrazana, The 19th
SEATTLE’S RACIAL INCOME WEALTH GAP AMONG THE WIDEST, NEW CENSUS DATA SHOWS
The gap in income between Seattle’s highest and lowest earning racial/ethnic groups was among the largest in the nation last year, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
In 2024, households headed by an Asian person had the highest median income in Seattle, estimated at around $141,300. Households headed by a Black person had the lowest median income last year, estimated at around $63,600.
That pencils out to a $77,700 difference between the highest and lowest earning households. Expressed another way, Asian households had a median income 2.2 times greater than Black households in Seattle.
More – Gene Balk, The Seattle Times
BELLEVUE HEADS BACK TO SCHOOL AMID MAJOR BUDGET CONCERNS AND CUTS
Bellevue School District Superintendent Dr. Kelly Aramaki says these first few weeks of school are critical to the district’s budget concerns. In a blog post on the district’s website, the superintendent says students in elementary school could see schedule changes, staff may also see shifts, and attendance will play a huge role in how the district secures funding.
Sarah Rankins is a parent of a student at Bennett Elementary School in Bellevue and was preparing a display in front of the school building early Tuesday morning to welcome students back to Bennett.
“Very excited, it’s mixed emotions,” she said about the day.
Rankins and several other parents made sure the students of Bennett had a warm welcome back to school. She and many parents involved in the PTA are willing to support their schools, even when budget concerns are pretty big.
COUNTIES WARN OF RISKS FROM MEDICAID, NUTRITION CUTS
On July 14, 2025, NACo passed a bi-partisan unanimous Resolution to the American Counties Platform expressing concerns for the impacts of cuts to Medicaid and nutrition programs that would have devastating impacts on those who depend on these programs for healthcare, mental health treatment, disability services, senior care, and residential care for those with disabilities. Whatcom County Councilmember Barry Buchanan brought forward the Resolution warning that, “Cuts to all Medicaid programs would increase costs to individuals and healthcare systems.”
We were not the first bipartisan effort to oppose cuts to Medicaid. In December 2024, the American Hospital Association sent a letter signed by 182 members of congress opposing cuts to Medicaid, following up in May 2025 with a detailed letter describing the devastating impacts to 72 million Americans “including children and babies” if the threatened cuts were enacted.
More – Local Elected Officials From Across Washington, Tacoma Weekly
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