Sitemap - 2025 - PubliCola

Business Tax Plan Moves Forward, Larded With New Exemptions and Spending Categories

Council Finally Seats Renters Commission, New Council Rules Allow Longer Public Comments

Initiative Would Criminalize Sleeping Outdoors in King County

Seattle Nice: Is Trump's Executive Order the End of Housing First?

Council Appoints Juarez to Serve Out Cathy Moore's Term, Accusations Fly Over Democracy Voucher Collection

This Week on PubliCola: July 27, 2025

Harrell's "Emergency Housing" Claims Don't Stand Up to Scrutiny, Council Hopefuls Quizzed on Crime, Renters Commission Appointments Will Get a Vote After All

Renters Commission Appointments Thwarted by Saka and Nelson's Last-Minute Absence from Their Own Committee

Municipal Court Judge Shadid Blasts City Attorney for Refusing to Send Cases to Judge Vaddadi

Council Broaches Using Housing Levy, Proposed "Seattle Shield" Tax Funds to Backfill General Fund Shortfall

PubliCola Questions: Mayoral Candidate Joe Mallahan

This Week on PubliCola: July 19, 2025

Seattle Nice: Is the Progressive Left Back?

Election Fizz: City Employees Back Wilson for Mayor, Harrell Slams "Wilson's Defund Movement"

As Police Roll Out Live Cameras in Purported Crime “Hot Spots,” Not Everyone Is Thrilled to Be Under Surveillance

Council Passes New Laws Against Graffiti, Expanding Police Power to Shut Down Businesses for Off-Premises Violations

Seattle Nice: Seattle Solved All the Crime, So We're Talking About Graffiti

PubliCola Questions: Ry Armstrong

This Week on PubliCola: Funding Treatment, Fining Taggers, Testing Campaign Messages, and More

PubliCola on Hacks and Wonks

Wilson Drops Out of Race He was On Track to Lose, We Heart Seattle Director Lashes Out Against Harm Reduction

Former Councilmember Juarez Applies as "Caretaker" for Vacant Council Seat, Along with 21 Other Applicants

Poll Tests Message that Katie Wilson is "Angry," "Divisive," and "Loud"; No Charges Yet for County Assessor Accused of Stalking

In First Four Months, Seattle's New Police Chief Spent Most Weekends Out of Town

Council Advances Bills Expanding Power to Prosecute and Fine Graffiti Taggers, "Nuisance" Properties

Seattle Nice: Sara Nelson Proposes Funding Treatment With New Public Safety Sales Tax

The More We Love Launches Six-Month "High Accountability" Out-of-Town Shelter for Commercially Exploited Women

This Week on PubliCola: July 5, 2025

Youth Homelessness Nonprofit YouthCare Shuts Down Services, Fires Executive Director

Mallahan Says He Voted GOP in Hopes of Hurting Trump, Sawant Proposes "Battering Ram" Free Health Care Initiative

County Assessor Wilson Jailed on Allegations of Stalking, Violating Protection Order

Local "Public Safety" Sales Tax Increase Could Include Some Treatment Funding (In Addition to Cops)

Seattle Nice: What's Behind the Proposed New Tax on Businesses?

Head of Downtown Business Group Lobbied for Digital Kiosk Company; Education Levy Will Help Backfill City's Budget Deficit

Three Fun Things for June 29, 2025

This Week on PubliCola: June 28, 2025

Council Can't Wait to Vote "Hell Yes" on Bills Cracking Down on Graffiti and "Nuisance" Bars and Clubs

Proposed Business Tax Increase Would Raise $90 Million a Year While Exempting Most Small Businesses

Proposed Business Tax Increase Would Raise $90 Million a Year While Exempting Most Small Businesses

Towering Vertical Billboards Coming Soon to a Sidewalk Near You

Seattle Nice: Is It Time to Admit the King County Regional Homelessness Authority Is a Bust?

Dozens of Digital Literacy Groups Funded Through a Statewide Grant Haven't Been Paid Since January. The State Says It Isn't to Blame.

This Week on PubliCola: June 21, 2025

Homelessness Agency Says They'll Cut 22 Jobs if City and County Don't Increase Administrative Funding

NPR Piece Criticizing South Park Development for Tree Removal Omitted Key Facts

Reagan Dunn Joins Chorus Calling for Resignation of Assessor Accused of Stalking; Advocates Appeal Ruling Upholding Burien's Sleeping Ban

Saka: People Who Support Keeping "Curby" Are Anti-Immigrant, Radical "Defund the Police" Carpetbaggers

Council Taps Brakes on RealPage Ban, Delaying One Week to Address Building Owner Concerns

Investigation Suggests Seattle Firefighters Forged Vaccine Cards to Get Out of Citywide Vaccine Mandate

Assessing the Assessor, Moore Faces the Urbanists, and Seattle Hates Nightlife

After Tumultuous Relocation, Tent City 4 Contemplates Its Next Move

This Week on PubliCola: June 14, 2025

Harrell Bill Would Make Venues Liable for Patrons' Off-Premises Behavior; Moore Bill to Ban Algorithmic Rent-Fixing Is on Fast Track

In Motion to Dismiss Restraining Order, County Assessor Calls His Ex-Partner Unstable and Vengeful

Interim Police Chief Answers Council Questions About Protests, Women at SPD, and ICE

In Unanimous Vote, King County Council Calls for Assessor John Arthur Wilson, Accused of Stalking, to Step Down

Burien Officials Excoriate Councilmembers Who Opposed New Restrictions on Church-Based Encampments

Cathy Moore: City Isn’t “Listening” to Homeowners Who Want to Keep Their Neighborhood the Same

This Week on PubliCola: June 8, 2025

Hacks and Wonks Podcast: New Info in Police Chief Investigation, Cathy Moore Says Sayonara to Council, and More

New Anti-Graffiti Bill Would Fine Violators $1,000 Per Tag

Barnes' New Hires Top $1 Million, SPD Will Pay $30,000 for Training on "Stratified Policing"

Cathy Moore's Opinions on Growth and Housing Aren't New. What's New is That Most Voters Disagree With Them.

Seattle Nice: Seattle City Council Un-Cathy Moored

New Records Shed Light On Investigation that Led to Former Police Chief Diaz' Ouster

Seattle Nice: Should Left-Wing Counterprotesters Alter Their Approach?

Cathy Moore Will Step Down After a Year and a Half On Council

This Week On PubliCola: May 31, 2025

Growing Chorus Calls for County Assessor Wilson to Resign After New Stalking, Harassment Allegations

Amid Waning Council Support, Cathy Moore Withdraws Bill to Lower Ethics Standards

New Stalking Allegations Against King County Assessor, County Executive Candidate Wilson

Pro-LGBTQ Protesters Stuck Outside Barricades As Far-Right "Rattle In Seattle" Took Over City Hall

Seattle Nice: Council Rolls Back Ethics Rules, Tent City's Temporary Reprieve, and the Debate Over Mandatory Earplug Sales

Judge Upholds Burien's Total Ban on "Camping," With Appeal Likely

Affordable Housing Providers are Losing Money and Selling Buildings. But is Eliminating Eviction Protections the Answer?

This Week on PubliCola: May 24, 2025

Council Committee Approves Bill Lowering Council Ethics Standards

SPD Hires Yet Another Recruiting Firm for New Ad Push as Part of Recent Spending Spree

David Meinert Joins Burien's Lawsuit to Kill Voter-Approved Minimum Wage

Tent City 4 To Move as Planned—For Now

Last-Minute Rug Pull Leaves Lake City's Sanctioned Encampment, Tent City 4, With Nowhere to Go

SPD Chief Appoints Allies to Newly Created Executive Positions

Council Faces Constituents Opposed to Weakening Ethics Rules

This Week on PubliCola: May 10, 2025

In Bar Complaint, Municipal Court Judge Vaddadi Accuses City Attorney of Improperly Barring Her From Hearing Cases

At Ethics Meeting, Moore Says Changing Ethics Code Will Improve Representation and "Transparency"

County Council Gives Itself a Little ($315,000) Gift; Saka's Effort to Divert Traffic Safety Funds to Sidewalks Fails

The Most Common Reason for Past City Council Recusals: Owning Rental Property

Seattle Police Guild Sues Police Department Over Public Records Delays

Minimum Wage Advocates Countersue Burien; Council Bill Says Conflict of Interest Recusals Are Bad for Democracy

Seattle Nice: New Hope for Fentanyl Users

This Week On PubliCola: May 3, 2025

Who's Out (and In) in Local Elections, and What Will Happen if the City Weakens Conflict-of-Interest Rules?

Privately Owned Trees Are Better Than Trees in Parks and Public Spaces, Councilmembers Argue

Ann Davison's New "Drug Prosecution Alternative" Is Just the Community Court She Ended Two Years Ago

SPD Is Losing Women As Fast As It's Hiring Them; State Budget Defunds Successful Encampment Program

No, the Library Did Not Tell Employees to “Capitulate to Fascism”

Campaign Fizz: Does Mallahan Think He Can? And: This District 2 Candidate's Net Worth Dwarfs the Entire City Council's

SPD Celebrates Its Hiring Spree. The Only Thing That's Missing: Women.

Could a Sales Tax Hike for Criminal Justice Programs Save the County's Budget?

Three Fun Things: Pizza and Protests

This Week On PubliCola: April 26, 2025

Turning Park-and-Rides Into Housing

New Federal Homelessness Contracts Appear Designed to Exclude Undocumented Immigrants

State Budget Cuts Could Halt Successful Encampment Resolution Program

As Cuts to Critical Programs Loom, Latest Count Shows Sharp Increase in Homelessness

Seattle Leaders Said “Stay Out” Orders Would Reduce Gun Violence and Sex Trafficking. So Far, They've Issued Five.

Seattle Nice: City Council Shakeup in South Seattle

Meeting to Consider County Executive Appointment Canceled, Leaving Shannon Braddock In Limbo at Least Two More Weeks

PubliCola Questions: City Council District 2 Candidate Adonis Ducksworth

This Week on PubliCola: April 19, 2025

Former Police Chief Inadvertently IDs New Top SPD Hire

KCRHA Holds Closed Session on "Federal Funding Impacts," Approves Loan to Address Deficit Spending

Councilmember Saka Looks for the Bright Side in Grim Local Revenue Forecast

PubliCola Questions: Seattle City Council District 2 Candidate Eddie Lin

PubliCola Questions: City Council District 2 Candidate Jamie Fackler

New Council Committee Shines a Light on Bleak Impacts of Trump Funding Cuts

This Week on PubliCola: April 13, 2025

Spending on City's New Payroll System Tops $32 Million; Saka Spouts Off About Tech Workers, COVID School Closures

Bad News for the City Budget: New Forecast Slashes $241 Million from Last Year's Projection

Seattle's CARE Department Chief Amy Barden and Her Husband, Former Assistant Police Chief Eric Barden, Have a Podcast

Grim Outlook for Local Homelessness Programs Under Trump's Slash-and-Burn Cuts

Seattle Nice: Fees for Housing, a Lightweight Condemnation of "Defund," and a Critique of Seattle's Response to Shootings

City Settles Discrimination Lawsuit by Black Police Captain Demoted by Former Police Chief Diaz

Three Fun Things: A Prescient Book, Secret Salads, and an In-Depth Examination of Housing First

This Week on PubliCola: April 6, 2025

On Hacks and Wonks, We Discussed Ferguson's Tax Aversion, Seattle's Performative Anti-"Defund" Pledge, and Cathy Moore's Funding Directive

Auditor's Gun Violence Recommendations Prompt Defensive Response from Mayor's Office

Shannon Braddock Appointed Acting County Executive; Saka Says He Opposed Traffic Diverters In His Neighborhood Because of Equity Concerns

Council Declares "Defund Is Dead," But Can They Give Up Their Favorite Talking Point?

Cathy Moore Wants to Make it More Expensive to Build Middle Housing

This Week on PubliCola: March 29, 2025

Public Defense Union Raises Concerns About Constantine's Pick for DPD Director

Burien Racks Up Big Legal Bills Defending its Homeless Ban; More Glitches in Seattle's New Workday Payroll System

Seattle Nice: Council President Sara Nelson Talks About Housing in the Stadium District, Addiction Treatment, and More

JumpStart Revenues Flatten and Council Questions Strauss Proposal to Mandate Earplug Sales at Venues

Cathy Moore Directs $1 Million for Survivor Services to The More We Love, Bypassing Competitive Bidding Process

SCORE Director Calls the Jail “Safe and Secure” Despite Recent Fatalities and Claims of Substandard Care

This Week On PubliCola: March 23, 2025

When a Top Mayoral Staffer Was Accused of Sexual Assault, These Women Decided It Was Time to Come Forward

CARE Crisis Response Team Expands into South Seattle As Council Complains It's Ineffective

"We're Gonna Throw It Away."

PubliCola Questions: City Attorney Candidate Nathan Rouse

Seattle Nice: Sound Transit’s New Leader, Katie Wilson’s Run for Mayor, and Ann Davison’s Challengers

This Week on PubliCola: March 15, 2025

To End Car Dependency, We Must Change Who Has A Seat At the Table

SPD Paid $40,000 for Two-Day Media Training Requested by Adrian Diaz Chief of Staff

PubliCola Questions: Mayoral Candidate Katie Wilson

PubliCola Questions: City Attorney Candidate Erika Evans

"This New Republic Story? It's a F*cking Sieve."

Tanya Woo Tries Again; Advocates Tell Council How they Can Help Limit "Existential" Threats from Trump

This Week on PubliCola: March 9, 2025

Seattle Nice: Council Elections Heat Up, Republican City Attorney Joins Sanctuary City Lawsuit, and the Harrell Gun Story Gets More Complicate

Sound Transit’s CEO Search Should Be About Leadership, Not Political Deals

SoDo Housing Plan Advances, Republican City Attorney Says Trump Immigration Order Violates "Local Control"; Rob Saka Says No to New Restrooms, Yes to Cars

PubliCola Questions: Seattle City Council Candidate Dionne Foster

This Week on PubliCola: March 1, 2025

Seattle Nice: IS Elon a “Smart Innovator”? And: More About that Tree Story

Speaking to Downtown Business Group, Harrell Calls Musk, Thiel, and Other Trump Tech Advisors "Some of the Smartest Innovators Around"

Shelter Referrals Are (Still) a Poor Metric for Progress on Homelessness; Burien Sues Minimum Wage Campaign

After Protesters Block Street and Occupy Building Site, Dubiously Named "Grandma Brooks' Cedar" Comes Down

Opponents of Stadium-Area Housing Say "Core Tenet" is "No Net Loss of Industrial Lands"

Activists Want to Save "Grandma Brooks' Cedar." Her Family Says They're Misrepresenting Their Mother's Wishes

This Week on PubliCola: February 22, 2025

Eleven People Have Died at this South King County Jail in the Last Two Years. Their Families Are Demanding Answers.

Seattle Nice Sits Down with Joy Hollingsworth

Seattle Should Follow State's Lead on Inclusionary Zoning—By Funding It

The City's Maritime Industrial Area is No Place for Housing

Unsheltered People Suing to Overturn Burien's Sleeping Ban Get Their Day In Court

This Week on PubliCola: February 15, 2025

Social Housing Crushes It, City Workers Sue Over Workday, Court Says Jan. 6 Cops Can't Hide Identities

New Crowd Control Law Includes Few Restrictions on Use of "Less-Lethal Weapons"

Emails Reveal Last-Minute Lobbying Efforts to Keep Social Housing off the November Ballot

Announcing “Are You Mad At Me?,” a Brand-New Podcast About Our Favorite Movie, Shattered Glass

Seattle Nice: Banishment Orders and Housing Bans

Council's Fight to Scale Back List of Neighborhood Centers is a NIMBY Canard

Four Fun Things for February 9, 2025

This Week on PubliCola: February 9, 2025

New State Bills Could Force Seattle to Reform Parking, Historical Landmarking Rules

Misleading Mailers Inaccurately Imply Social Housing Is for the Rich

Councilmembers Claim City Didn't Do "Broad Engagement" on Comprehensive Plan

The City Council Should Restore Affordable Housing to the Stadium District

Seattle Nice Interviews New City Council Appointee Mark Solomon

Social Housing Is a Homelessness Solution

Two Stranger Reporters Resign, Concluding Investigation Into Allegations of Ethical Breaches

Incoming Police Chief Shon Barnes: "Our Job Is to Prevent Crime"

Proposal to Allow Affordable Housing Near Stadiums Reignites a Familiar Debate Over Industrial Land

Seattle Nice: Did the Left Get It Wrong on Homelessness?

City of Burien Makes Unsheltered Homelessness a Crime

Third Time's the Charm for City Council Appointee Mark Solomon

This Week on PubliCola: January 25, 2025

Six Applicants Make Their Case to Become the City Council's Newest Member

Nearly 200 Firefighters Made More than $200,000 Last Year by Amassing Thousands of Hours of Overtime

Auburn Cop Convicted of Murder and Assault Is First Sentenced Under 2018 Accountability Law

Council Forum Skips Past Land Use to Focus On Seward Park Drivers, Beat Cops, and "the Threat of Sound Transit"

Seattle Nice: Our 2025 Predictions

This Week on PubliCola: January 18, 2025

Two Stranger Reporters Put on Leave for Investigation Into Possible Ethical Violations

Seattle Nice Debate: Should The City Go All-In on Social Housing?

Kevin Dave, Officer Who Struck and Killed 23-Year-Old Student in 2023, Appeals His Firing

Bill Allowing Police to Use Less-Lethal Weapons, Including Blast Balls, Moves Forward

New Police Recruits and Applicants Remain Overwhelmingly Male, Despite "30 by 30" Pledge

Three Fun Things: January 12, 2025

This Week on PubliCola: January 11, 2025

PubliCola's Seattle Predictions for 2025

Afternoon Fizz, SPD Edition: Councilmembers Test-Drive Blast Balls, SPD Sued Over Records Violations, and More

Seattle Nice: Bob Kettle Talks About Public Safety, Density, Why He Opposed the Capital Gains Tax, and More

"I'm Not Prepared to Sacrifice My Neighborhood": Councilmember Cathy Moore Takes Hard Line Against Apartments

It's Time to Appoint a New Councilmember!

SPD Fires Officer Who Struck and Killed Pedestrian Jaahnavi Kandula Two Years Ago

Anti-Housing Activists Hope for Receptive Audience as Council Takes Up Comprehensive Plan Update

This Week On PubliCola: January 4, 2025

PubliCola Questions: Seattle City Attorney Candidate Rory O'Sullivan

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