Listen: Hacks and Wonks with Crystal Fincher

We talk about Seattle's growth plan, right-wing initiatives, and SPD's silence on a potential ax murderer targeting homeless people.

I went on Crystal Nicole Fincher’s Hacks and Wonks podcast to talk about this week’s news, including a set of three initiatives backed by Republican hedge-fund manager Brian Heywood that Democrats in the Legislature decided to pass instead of letting them go on the November ballot. While the three that will now become law are arguably less consequential than the three that voters will decide later this year, they aren’t harmless. One would allow police to engage in dangerous high-speed chases on mere suspicion that a person has violated any law; another would allow parents to inspect previously confidential school counseling records, potentially outing trans and other LGBTQ+ kids and revealing information that their children didn’t feel comfortable sharing with them.

Also on this episode: Seattle’s timid growth plan update, City Attorney Ann Davison’s decision to disqualify a city judge from hearing criminal cases, and a decision by Seattle police not to inform residents about a potential serial murderer targeted unsheltered people.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.