State Snub for Tacoma
Legislators in Olympia move horticultural headquarters to Kennewick, leaving Tacoma behind.
A conference committee in Olympia receded from the House amendment to the horticultural bill that would have kept state headquarters in Tacoma. Led by eastern representatives and joined by Seattle, the legislature moved the headquarters to Kennewick. The move is widely seen as a victory for real estate speculators and a direct slight against Tacoma by its neighbors.
“Seattle has once more put the knife into Tacoma.”
Inter-city rivalry and the shifting of political or economic headquarters remain hallmarks of Washington state politics. Tacoma's history is frequently marked by these types of civic losses, which often shape the city's independent, blue-collar identity.
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