Question of the day: How will we pay?

OLYMPIA — One of the tricks to being governor, it seems, is learning how to say no without really saying no, and learning how to say yes without really saying yes.

There were few definitive nos or yeses last week when Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire allowed The Seattle Times to follow her around for a day.

During one appearance, for instance, Seattle City Councilwoman Jean Godden asked the governor if she'd support strict California-style emissions standards for cars.

"I'm favorably inclined to the bill," Gregoire responded.

After the closest and most tumultuous election in state history, Gregoire is now in her second month as governor. Republicans are still challenging her 129-vote victory in court. And the dozens of "Dino Rossi for Governor" bumper stickers still on the cars of Republican lawmakers and staff serve as a reminder that she may have to run again soon if the GOP succeeds in its quest for a revote.

Still, Gregoire is the most sought-after politician in town. Legislators, lobbyists, labor leaders, business executives and citizen advocates — just about everyone is trying to get in to see her.

Gregoire says she doesn't think most people have come to grips with the projected $2.2 billion gap between state revenue and the cost of maintaining existing services.

At first, when people asked for new money, Gregoire said, she would nod and promise to consider it. Now, she gives them a little budget lecture.

"You can't just come in here and ask for something," she said. "You've got to come in with a solution."

Last Thursday was a typical day for the new governor — four speeches, 10 meetings and a few public appearances, with several phone calls sprinkled in between. Here are some of the more telling events:

7 a.m. — Breakfast speech to the Association of Washington Cities' Legislative Action Conference at the Red Lion Hotel. More than 400 city mayors, council members and managers were in town to push the plight of strapped local governments.

Gregoire started off, as she has been doing lately, with a tale of the perils of life in the Governor's Mansion.

Recently, she and her husband thought it would be nice to try out the fireplace in the upstairs living quarters. But the chimney wasn't working properly. The room filled with smoke, alarms blared and firetrucks sped to the scene.

As she did for more than a year on the campaign trail, Gregoire spent much of her speech on the problems the state faces in three areas: the economy, health care and education.

But when she asked for questions, the topic became the state budget.

Oak Harbor City Councilman Larry Eaton got lots of chuckles when he accidentally referred to Gregoire as "mayor," and lots of nods of agreement when he complained the state is not spending enough to care for the mentally ill.

Gregoire agreed. But, she added, given the clear message from businesses and voters who oppose new taxes, "please tell me where we're going to get the money."

10 a.m. — Quick jaunt over to the United Churches hall, a block from the Capitol, where more than 200 people were gathered for Environmental Lobby Day.

Gregoire was greeted with applause when she mentioned her choice for director of the Department of Ecology — environmental attorney Jay Manning. When Gregoire headed that agency 15 years ago, she and Manning teamed up on numerous issues.

After appointing Manning, Gregoire told the crowd, she went with him to Ecology's headquarters and announced to the staff, "We're back!"

Gregoire didn't offer many specific plans but instead spoke about why economic development and protecting the environment need not be mutually exclusive.

"This is not about bashing business and industry," she said.

11 a.m. — Meeting in her conference room with leaders from the Asian Pacific Islander community.

After giving a brief speech outside the Capitol to more than 2,000 people in town for Asian Pacific American Legislative Day, Gregoire sat down with its organizers.

Diane Narasaki, chairwoman of the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of King County, handed Gregoire 14 pages of budget requests.

The list included an extra $1 million for a program that helps immigrants navigate the federal government's naturalization system, and $6 million for a program that helps immigrants learn English and find jobs.

"We really need some more money," said Lua Pritchard, with the Korean Women's Association.

The group urged Gregoire to raise taxes if necessary and promised to support her if it comes to that.

Gregoire told the group she would give it the same answer she gives legislators who ask for new taxes: "I don't want anything to jeopardize our ability to turn the economy around."

Gregoire said the most she could promise is that she will be "as compassionate as possible." There's no question "you will have some disappointments along the way," she cautioned.

12:15 p.m. — Back to her office to place a phone call to Edith Vance, the state Child Protective Services worker who was attacked on the job a day earlier by a machete-wielding father. A Ferry County sheriff's deputy shot and killed Vance's attacker.

"I am so sorry this happened," Gregoire told Vance.

After mentioning that "many moons ago" she, too, investigated child-abuse cases, Gregoire asked Vance if there was anything she could do to help.

It's not every day you get the governor on the line, and Vance made the best of it. For the next several minutes Gregoire was mostly silent and by the end of the conversation had taken nearly a page of notes.

Gregoire said afterward that Vance even put in a budget request of her own: money for satellite telephones, because there is no cellphone coverage in remote Ferry County.

2 p.m. — Meeting with leaders from the Washington State Grange.

For most of their 30-minute time slot, the Grange leaders updated Gregoire on changes to the primary-election system and made their pitch for a legislative package to help agriculture.

Then, just as Gregoire's assistant was poking her head in the door to signal their time was up, Grange President Terry Hunt told Gregoire about a rural-development program that recently lost its federal funding. Hunt asked Gregoire if she wouldn't mind putting a few hundred thousand dollars in the state budget to keep the program afloat.

Gregoire said she'd see what she could do.

3:05 p.m. — Meeting with leaders and lobbyists from the Association of Washington Cities, Washington State Association of Counties and Washington Association of County Officials.

Cities and counties are hurting. State support for local government has withered since 1999, when voters slashed state car-tab fees by approving Initiative 695.

Betty Sue Morris, Association of Counties president, told Gregoire that Ferry County will not be able to cover its payroll in March.

Morris and the other municipal leaders told Gregoire they desperately need more money for transportation, mental-health treatment programs and to help offset skyrocketing health-care costs.

They also complained about recent changes to state criminal sentences. By reducing sentences for nonviolent offenders, courts are sending more people into local jails.

Gregoire said she will continue to look at adjusting sentences, and she promised to try to help ease the burden on local jails by pushing for a new state prison.

"I just can't see us getting out of another [legislative] session without having built another prison," Gregoire told the officials.

3:30 p.m. — Meeting with leaders of the Washington State Bar Association.

"We understand you've got a big budget problem," Ron Ward, association president, told Gregoire.

But Ward said the state's trial courts have been "cut to the bone" and urged Gregoire to make them one of her highest priorities. He handed her a spreadsheet titled "Justice in Jeopardy," laying out nearly $77 million in requests. The money would be used to hire more judges and pay for criminal defense for indigents.

To help offset the costs, the group suggested getting $15 million through increased court fees. What about the rest? Gregoire asked.

Ward told Gregoire his group would be "willing to stand up with you arm in arm" to increase the state business-and-occupation tax or the sales tax.

But Gregoire said a B&O tax increase is "as dead as it can be" and reminded the group that voters last fall resoundingly rejected a sales-tax increase for education.

"So come up with some more ideas," Gregoire told the group.

As consolation, she told Ward and the others that just about everyone she encountered that day wanted something in the budget.

"My heart goes out, because everybody is right," Gregoire said. "I just don't know how you get there from here."

Ralph Thomas: 360-943-9882 or rthomas@seattletimes.com