The King County Department of Community and Human Services has implemented reforms to prevent fraud and waste in the $1.8 billion in annual grant funding it administers. Meanwhile, an outside audit continues looking into flagged contracts.
Driven by a groundswell of grassroots advocacy and growing skepticism about AI, Seattle is considering a data center moratorium. The Seattle City Council has big votes scheduled in early June to decide the legislation’s fate.
Seattle’s Community Assisted Response & Engagement (CARE) department is expanding, but it’s being blocked from doing its job by the conditions laid out in the new Seattle Police Officers Guild contract. CARE is looking to circumvent these obstacles.
At a rally Monday near Seattle’s future Graham Street infill light rail station, advocates demanded Sound Transit not cut two long-planned infill stations as it rebalances ST3 plans. Speakers flagged issues with racial equity and restoring trust with voters.
State Attorney General Nick Brown is suing Tacoma’s ICE detention center operator, alleging “unsafe, unsanitary, and inhumane conditions.” Meanwhile, the Trump administration signed a new contract with GEO Group that erodes detainee protections.
Seattle could be mulling changes to its drug ordinance after new data showed a 30% drop in referrals to the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, even as drug arrests jumped 47%. As critics warned, criminalization has not led to a spike in treatment and service uptake.
The most important local elections this year might not be the ones you think, with control of the Washington State Supreme Court up for grabs and conservatives seeking to orchestrate a takeover.
The report, produced by Got Green, asserts that 95% of Seattle Housing Authority units have unmet maintenance needs. SHA refutes its findings, painting a rosier picture of Seattle's largest affordable housing provider.
Community organizer Jaelynn Scott is the leading candidate for an open state House seat in the 37th LD. In her Urbanist interview, Scott stressed the need to stand up against federal overreach and fight for residents struggling with rising costs and displacement.
Last week, Toshiko Hasegawa and Rebecca Saldaña, the two leading candidates for King County Council’s District 2 seat, each released public safety platforms. Both are focused on reforming the criminal legal system and decreasing incarceration.