The City of Tacoma, on October 20, 2025, filed pleadings with the Washington State Court of Appeals regarding the recent Superior Court Order concerning Initiative 2.
The motion filed seeks a stay of the Superior Court Order pending the outcome of the appeal. In the alternative, the City of Tacoma seeks an order accelerating review of the case and requests a ruling on the underlying issues on appeal by no later than December 15, 2025.
The City of Tacoma’s appeal is based on the following four assignments of error:
- The trial court erred as a matter of law in ordering the Pierce County Auditor’s Office to place Initiative 2 on the February 2026 ballot under the Uniform Declaratory Judgment Act (UDJA).
- The trial court erred as a matter of law in ruling, under the UDJA, that the City Council was arbitrary and capricious in requesting the Pierce County Auditor’s Office to place Initiative 2 on the November 2025 ballot.
- The trial court erred as a matter of law in ruling, under the UDJA, that the City Council violated due process.
- The court erred in denying the City’s motion for reconsideration.
Additional Background
- City of Tacoma’s Initial Response to the Initiative 2 Ballot Petition (July 30, 2025)
- Statement From Mayor Victoria Woodards on Initiative 2 (August 8, 2025)
- City of Tacoma Requests Dismissal of Initiative 2 Lawsuit (August 22, 2025)
- Notice of Appeal in the Lawsuit Over Proposed Initiative 2 (September 26, 2025)
- A Statement From Mayor Victoria Woodards on the City of Tacoma’s Decision to Appeal Recent Court Ruling (September 26, 2025)