KBTC TV and its Managing Editor Tom Layson will be recognized with the Andersen Award at WashCOG’s annual Sunshine Breakfast on March 13. Layson produces and hosts the station’s weekly Northwest Now program, and has long advocated and spotlighted open government issues.

A push for more sunshine is behind the Washington Coalition for Open Government’s 2026 legislative priorities, and the Coalition has launched its annual Olympia Watch to keep you informed — and involved — with relevant legislation.

Our January 2026 newsletter is out, with a look at the new legislative session, updates court cases and government policies, and a sampling of our social media interactions.. .

Nominations are now being accepted for two annual WashCOG awards, the 2025 Toby Nixon Award and the 2025 James Andersen Award, which will be presented this spring at the organization’s annual Sunshine Breakfast on March 13, 2026. Download nomination forms here.

Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown has named 22-year department veteran Morgan Damerow as the agency's chief transparency officer. He will lead the office’s new Public Records and Open Government Unit. 

Nominations are now open for WashCOG’s annual Kenneth F. Bunting Award for outstanding journalism in the interest of government transparency.

The Washington Court of Appeals is weighing arguments in a challenge of “legislative privilege” to withhold records from the public. See WashCOG’s analysis of the case and the hearing by attorneys and advocates.

Yakima Valley College has agreed to pay John Tappan Menard, a former history instructor at the college, $340,000 to settle a public records lawsuit filed by Menard in 2024.

WashCOG joined news media, public records officers, attorneys and others in testifying on proposed Model Public Records Act Rules. The attorney general’s office has proposed changes in managing requests balance workload and demand.

The Washington Coalition for Open Government applauds the decision announced today by the Office of Attorney General Nick Brown to create a Public Records and Open Government Unit under its direction and hire a chief transparency counsel to lead it. 

Rep. Jeremie Dufault is the ninth legislator to pledge not to use the secrecy “privilege” that runs counter to the state Public Records Act. WashCOG is honoring him with the Ballard-Thompson Award for his commitment to transparency.

State Rep. Gerry Pollet, a longtime WashCOG board member, was honored with the Freedom’s Light Award by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for his long advocacy of transparency.

Timely op/eds on ongoing access issues appeared recently in The Northern Light and The Seattle Times.

Our September 2025 newsletter is out, with updates on Olympia’s efforts at secrecy, the governor’s overdue policy on message retention and WashCOG’s renewed efforts to reach out to other advocates of access.

Gov. Bob Ferguson will “soon” announce a decision on whether state agencies can resume auto-deleting internal electronic messages, his aide told some media. But does that mean days, weeks or months? And will his decision promote transparency?

Our state Legislature’s march toward secrecy is speeding up, despite lawsuits, massive public outcry and even a ruling that was largely against them from the state Supreme Court.

The Washington Coalition for Open Government is appalled at the new state House of Representatives’ policy allowing legislators to immediately delete a growing number of emails and auto-delete many more after 30 days.

The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that state collective bargaining agreements are exempt from the Public Records Act, supporting a state agency that withheld documents using a technicality in the law.

After settling a PRA lawsuit against Western Washington University last year, three alumni have used the funds to establish a permanent endowment for student investigative journalism at the university. (Photo from their 2019 announcement of the suit.)

The Spring 2025 newsletter offers WashCOG’s take on the recently-completed legislative session, our successful Sunshine Breakfast and ongoing battle against “legislative privilege.”