Melissa Santos

Political reporter, Crosscut

Seattle, Washington

While writing for two of the Northwest’s largest daily newspapers, I exposed politicians violating open meetings laws, misspending public funds and saying things that simply weren't true. Now, working for an online nonprofit news organization , I dig into angles of stories that aren't being covered elsewhere, doing in-depth reporting on Washington politics and the state Capitol.

Melissa Santos

Political reporter, Crosscut

Seattle, Washington

Despite credibility issues, WA cops find police jobs elsewhere
They are among at least 22 officers in Washington state whose behavior landed them on a list of cops with credibility issues, yet who moved to other departments and continue to work in law enforcement. This group of officers who moved between departments doesn’t include all cops who found new jobs after committing misconduct, resigning under pressure or being fired.
Nearly 200 cops with credibility issues still working in WA
A Crosscut investigation found at least 183 police officers flagged for issues such as dishonesty, bias and excessive force remain in law enforcement.
Crosscut
Federal money to SpaceX may hurt public broadband
Critics say money went to untested and unproven technology. Meanwhile, public agencies say it now will be harder for them to access broadband funding.
Crosscut
Washington state donors gave big in Georgia Senate races
Per capita, Washington residents gave more to Ossoff and Warnock’s campaigns than people from almost every other U.S. state.
Crosscut
Companies often want consultants' help with diversity — for free
Consultants of color who specialize in remaking corporate cultures say their work is routinely undervalued, even as demand for it grows.
Crosscut
QAnon conspiracy theories have seeped into NW politics
The mayor of the 7,500-person town on Washington's Olympic Peninsula recently promoted QAnon during a public radio interview, telling listeners to go watch a well-known QAnon conspiracy video. A recording of that interview was posted on Sequim’s official website and boosted by the city’s Twitter account.
Crosscut
Jay Inslee's about-face on Boeing's big tax break
Six years later, the Democratic governor is running for president of the United States, and painting a very different picture of how the $8.7-billion Boeing deal went down. During an interview this week, Inslee told The Daily Show host Trevor Noah that he “was not happy with the Boeing situation,” and compared it to being robbed at gunpoint.
Crosscut
How a WA lawmaker used a fake kidnapping to sway a vote
“With that Hispanic surname and the public disclosure information that was obtained, an incarcerated individual not in this state passed on that information to some individuals in Mexico,” said Sheldon, who caucuses with Republicans. “And when she was on a visit to her family down there, she was actually kidnapped.
Crosscut
A WA lawmaker quit to lobby for Amazon. Most states ban that.
Palumbo, who was elected in 2016, started Tuesday as Amazon’s statewide director of public policy. In most states, having a so-called “cooling off” period between legislating and lobbying is viewed as a way to reduce the potential for conflicts of interest. At least 25 states ban lawmakers from sliding into lobbyist jobs for one year after they leave state service; at least nine states make the prohibition last two years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Crosscut
Washington No.1 for jailing noncriminal kids, due to 1995 law
More than two decades after the beaten body of a Tacoma runaway was found along the Spokane River, a photo of her hangs prominently on the wall in a King County juvenile courtroom. It’s the same photo Rebecca Hedman’s parents took to Olympia 20 years ago to push lawmakers to pass the Becca Bill, which gave parents more authority to seek help for their runaway children.
The News Tribune
Babies behind bars: How some inmates raise their infants in prison
Aceyn and Ezra will soon turn 1 year old inside the women's prison, where they’ve lived since birth. They're part of a program that lets pregnant mothers keep their babies.
The News Tribune
Here's what actually happened to crime after WA legalized pot
DOJ attempts to link pot use to violent crime don't reflect what's happened in Washington state.
The News Tribune
Progressive or fauxgressive? A look at WA Dems' tax plans
To help generate more money for schools, House Democrats want to raise the current limits on how much school districts can collect in local property taxes. By lifting those levy caps, the House’s plan could cause property owners across the state to pay as much as $1 billion more in taxes per year.
Crosscut
State bills people who start wildfires, but rarely gets paid
Andy Knutson didn’t see the red-hot piece of metal fly away from him that day. Knutson, a teacher who lives in Okanogan County, said he frantically tried to put out the fire, which started about 15 feet from where he was working on a summer remodeling project. He succeeded at singeing the hair on his arms and melting his shoes, but couldn’t put out the blaze, which went on to scorch nearly 2,000 acres over three days.
The News Tribune
Fake Founding Fathers quotes make their way into gun-rights bill
A gun-rights bill introduced at the Capitol on Friday includes six quotes from America’s Founding Fathers about the importance of guns to democracy. The measure, sponsored by state Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley, would create penalties for public officials who block people from owning or buying guns.
The News Tribune
Boeing, big companies would get tax cuts under schools plan
While Democrats propose hiking business taxes to pay for schools, a Republican plan would give many of Washington’s largest corporations a sizable property tax cut.
The News Tribune

About

Melissa Santos

Data analysis

Accountability reporting

Covering political campaigns

Writing for the web

Social media

narrative writing

Storytelling

I am a hard-nosed accountability journalist who asks tough questions of government officials and keeps digging for answers when they don't come easy.

As part of my job, I expose untruths in campaign ads, reveal how government agencies spend taxpayer money and explore ways state agencies can do their jobs better.

I also engage regularly with readers on social media and am proficient at shooting video. Once I started a video series where I met politicians at bars to talk policy over tater tots.

Previously, I managed a mobile politics app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. I also covered several city governments, uncovering questionable police practices, politicians disregarding public meetings laws and the drunken driving arrest of a statewide elected official.