Editor-former daycare licensor: OP-ED: Still a Ghost Town a month later at DCYF licensing in Vancouver, WA - What is the Washington State Attorney General's role in what looks to be "Time Theft Fraud" going on?

 

Who is holding DCYF government employees to account at home? A month later after numerous phone calls, visits to the Vancouver DCYF building, the last time on February 5, 2026, staying three hours calling, with no one answering; not the Regional Manager, there was no phone number for the supervisor and the unit clerk not picking up; and none returning phone calls or responding to my letters; this former licensor having worked closely with the regional Attorney General's office on Main Street in downtown Vancouver, I made a visit to unravel what feels like a Twilight Zone Episode. 

I was only able via the search browsers and GROK to find information that there are 12 assistant attorneys general (AAGs), but not their names, thus I composed a letter, (with enclosures of the two letters I left at DCYF for the supervisor on December 30, 2025 and the other on February 5, 2026), to all twelve AAGs and made my visit. I talked with Rebecca S.T. Khalil, AAG, in person and the clerk of that office.

It was a pleasant conversation as I have good memories from working with this AG's office for thirteen years. I told them about AAG Michael Shinn's Perry Mason moment at an administrative hearing where I represented the department. They gave me the names of the 12 AAGs in this office with the Section Chief being William P. Richardson. 

I explained much of my letter verbally to Rebecca emphasizing it was this office who trained me, including on processing public records requests. As an AAG, Rebecca does know how simple it is to pull up a Famlink case notes narrative on the computer; as well as a monthly report summary on each licensor's caseload. I advised, my first request got waylaid up in Olympia where I was told the three or four pages I requested would take until May, 2026 to find as though they had to go on some massive scavenger hunt. I advised Rebecca that licensing gets few records requests; and when I was a public records disclosure coordinator I usually had any requests done and out in the mail in one day.  

As a licensor/investigator for thirteen years, it was the Vancouver AG's office who trained me, and any questions about law, it was this office I could call and they would pick up the phone, immediately, to help me. AAGs are to counsel DCYF on the law. In my February 5th letter to supervisor Emilie I asked her to consult with her AAG about my records request. So, why did AAG Rebecca suggest I file a complaint with the Ombudsman's office in Olympia? 

I shared as well how stunned, shocked, flabbergasted I was to return to my old agency after all these years to find no one was in the office building working. From my first visit and calls to the clerk Selena, it took her almost two weeks to pick up. Regional Manager, Maggie O'Conner picked up once early on. On February 5th, for three hours I tried calling, leaving messages, letting them know I was in the building in the waiting room sitting with a nice, professional security guard (former Air Force Military Policeman). Or if they didn't make it down on Thursday to text me with a time to meet with me on Friday, February 6th. Crickets.

When I worked in DSHS licensing for thirteen years there were issues of my co-workers not working. I was three times more productive than my co-workers. There were workers who played Solitaire quite a bit, one of my co-workers had plenty of time for that as her case narratives on her home inspection licensing visits were one paragraph long. Some "Time Theft Fraud" was going on back then. Now? With a 50% drop in the four licensors' caseload from my time in licensing, but with still four licensors, my take is there is "Time Theft Fraud" going on. It appears so "normalized" it is as though not even a thought has been considered to at least try pretending work is being done. I've requested both Washington State and Oregon legislatures to investigate for "Time Theft Fraud". I'm truly flabbergasted; and from my brief conversations with the Regional Manager, the clerk and now an AAG, this being at home is normalized. The AAG evinced no concern about the situation. I asked clerk Selena what her 8-hour-day entailed, what did she do for 8 hours a day as she was not answering her work phone? Selena would not tell me. 

These legislative work sessions where unelected managers report how the agency operates, I see, from this news report is even more dense, complicated and mind-numbing for legislators to even know the sleight of hand that is going on. I remember years ago at a senate committee hearing on CPS where Senator Phil Talmadge let loose and yelled at CPS for "lying" to the legislature. That was back in the 90s, and I thought as I listened to his booming voice, "He's right." My CPS boss was going into the computer systems to our case files and changing data to make it look like CPS was doing what the legislature told CPS to do. When I noticed my CPS boss had done that to three of my cases, I told him to knock it off.

 

https://www.federalwaymirror.com/news/heres-how-child-care-oversight-works-in-wa/ 

The annual "monitor visits" requirement started in 2005 as a ploy to stop random monitor visits, thus providers would have a heads up to tidy up. I was directed by my supervisor to not go out on a problem provider who was doing 24 hour care.

Going to "non-expiring" licenses in 2011 further reduced the work that a licensor had to accomplish. Thus, from 2006 with about 100 providers on a licensor's caseload, it is now in 2026 only 50 providers on each of the four licensors caseloads. Further concern then to see documentation as to what those licensors are doing at their homes. 

I was three times more productive than my co-workers back in 2006, thus if a legislative committee this year will get those public records, I'd be happy to review them, provide an analysis. 

I can provide testimony and documentation why the Washington State Auditor cannot conduct a proper inspection to produce an objective, accurate and compelling report on childcare licensing in DCYF. Of concern as well, why aren't AAGs counseling government employees on Washington State law, including the Public Records Act?

State senators like Annette Cleveland, former state senator Steve Hobbs, and parents can vouch that my priorities as a state government employee focused on being a civil servant to the citizens of Washington State over unelected failed managers within DSHS. 

Like parents in Washington State even legislators themselves are between a rock and a hard place when they attempt to hold the bureaucratic structure accountable to the laws the legislature properly passed starting in 1995. 

Even some governors were between a rock and a hard place, like Gary Locke and Booth Gardner, who had higher intentions that state government was to manifest character, competence, efficiency, effectiveness and economy as to our duties in government; even they hit a brick wall due to the bureaucratic fiefdoms within state government.  

When I got put on a statewide DSHS Customer Service Committee I had a first person, eye witness view and interactions with the very upper top unelected managers of DSHS. It was revelatory, shocking, yet provided me with the understanding of why DSHS has always been a mess, and arguably the most hated government agency in Washington State. So hated that in the child death case of Gabriel Tobin vs DSHS, DSHS asked the judge to direct me to not use the name "DSHS" when I testified to the jury. The judge denied their request.  

If I can help out, I'd be honored to do so. 

February 8, 2026