The Supreme Court will hear a disagreement between State Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark and State Attorney General Rob McKenna — in November.

The short background: An Okanogan County utility wants to condemn some state forest land to put a power line through it. A district court judge ruled that the utility could do so, but the state — specifically, lands commissioner Goldmark, wanted to appeal. McKenna refused, and Goldmark took it to the Supreme Court (which meant getting another lawyer in the process).

On Nov. 18, oral arguments in the case will be heard in Olympia.

Goldmark said in a statement that he’s pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to take up his case. “It is a critical constitutional question of whether or not the Attorney General has the discretion to make policy for issues under the purview of another statewide elected official.”

Tags: Attorney General, Goldmark, McKenna, public lands, supreme court

Washington’s Attorney General, Rob McKenna, has been elected by the National Association of Attorneys General as their vice president. This means he’ll serve as president in 2011.

In a news release, McKenna said: “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in a role that will elevate the national awareness of issues crucial to the state of Washington, from protecting the environment, to combating gang violence and reducing the deadly impact of prescription drug abuse. This is the most active and effective national association for statewide elected officials. I’m honored that my fellow attorneys general nationwide have selected me for this position.”

Read all about it here.

Tags: Attorney General

The state will get about $2.6 million from Aventis, a pharmaceutical company, after the company overcharged Medicaid, the taxpayer-funded health care program.

Washington is part of a $95.5 million settlement with the U.S. Health Department, all 50 states and D.C.

“The settlement once again demonstrates that we aggressively pursue those who attempt to siphon tax dollars away from a fund that provides health care for children, seniors and those with disabilities,” said Attorney General Rob McKenna in a release.

Background, from the release: “Under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Statute, Aventis was required to report the lowest or “best” price that it charged commercial customers – and pay quarterly rebates to Medicaid based on those reported prices. Washington’s settlement resolves allegations that between 1995 and 2000, Aventis and its corporate predecessors knowingly misreported the information in order to make more money on the nasal sprays.”

Tags: Attorney General, pharmaceutical, settlement

Attorney General Rob McKenna’s office just sent out an announcement that Randy Pepple, a former congressional chief of staff and private sector CEO, will be joining his office on June 1, replacing current chief of staff Mike Bigelow. Bigelow will retire on June 30.

Pepple previously worked as chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Rick White. He also has worked for Hill & Knowlton, a communication consultant, and recently managed his own “strategic communications consulting firm,” according to the press release.

From the release: “Randy’s combination of management, strategic planning, public policy and communications expertise is ideal as we work to advance the public policy priorities of the Attorney General’s Office: community safety, consumer protection and government integrity,” McKenna said.

And Pepple said in the release: “The chance to lead the fine administrative, policy and communications team he’s assembled — and to help advance his policy goals not just in our state, but across the country — is a great professional challenge.”

Tags: Attorney General

Attorney General Rob McKenna, who earlier worked on a settlement with Craigslist to combat illegal erotic service ads, just sent out a release applauding the listing web site for removing all “erotic service” ads.

Craigslist — a mostly free, worldwide online listing service — has hosted an “erotic service” section on its site that has long drawn the ire of attorneys general, who say it is mainly used for prostitution. More than 40 of those AGs negotiated a deal with Craigslist last year that required a valid phone number and credit card for each listing, allowing law enforcement officers to track down those who were breaking the law more easily.

But the section of the site has gotten attention in recent weeks after some high-profile killings in which the victim was found through Craigslist’s erotic services section.

Now, the site has scrapped the section altogether. Instead, they’ll have an “adult services” section, and each post will be reviewed by a Craigslist employee.

From the release: “This change should significantly reduce the blatant misuse of Craigslist’s online classified ad service to promote prostitution,” McKenna said. “It will only be successful if Craigslist follows through on its promise to actively monitor its site for illicit images and messages. If Craigslist does follow through, it will help state attorneys general and our law enforcement partners as we fight sexual exploitation to make our communities safer.”

Tags: Attorney General, craigslist, prostitution

I just got confirmation from Governor Chris Gregoire’s office that Jeff Goltz is the choice to head the Utilities and Transportation Commission.

Goltz, a deputy attorney general in the AG’s office, is the son of Barney Goltz, the late state senator.

In a press release from the AG’s office about Goltz receiving the 2006 “Outstanding Leader” award, he was called “a key member of the leadership contributing to impact decisions on technology, safety and security and performance management.”

Update: Here is the announcement, in which Gregoire says Goltz “has the leadership and strong ethical background” required for the post.

For those unsure: The UTC “regulates companies responsible for roughly 10 percent of the state’s economy in terms of total business revenue. Approximately 8,000 utilities and carriers, many with annual revenues totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars, must operate under the commission’s umbrella.”

Gregoire’s release also says that the appointment comes at a critical time because “utilities regulation must strike a balance between ensuring affordable rates and adequate supplies.”

Tags: Attorney General