New Seattle Police Contract Punts on Accountability, Delivers Big 23% Raise
Mayor Harrell's contract would make Seattle police the highest paid in the region, but no more accountable.
The long-awaited new proposed contract between the City...
What to Look for in Seattle’s Next Transportation Levy
With a transportation levy going to ballot this fall, advocates want at least 50% of investments to be dedicated toward pedestrian, bike, and transit upgrades. They also want the City to go big, with a levy of at least $1.7 billion, but the Mayor appears set to go smaller.
Seattle Street Ends: South Ship Canal
Eleven "Street Ends" along the south shore of Salmon Bay and the Fremont Cut offer great recreational opportunities. SDOT and volunteers from Friends of Street Ends work to maintain and expand these mini parks.
Aurora Avenue Is Seattle’s Pass/Fail Test on Vision Zero
The current attempt to reshape how Aurora Avenue operates represents a phenomenal test for the City of Seattle. Is its pledge to end traffic deaths real or just for show?
SPD Kettled Protesters in 2020, Escalated Violence, and Promoted the Commander
New footage shows how police kettled protesters, trapping them in a corridor of violence in the early days of 2020 protests. Despite the historic magnitude of financial costs to the city across multiple legal settlements, in the three-plus years since the summer of 2020, the department internally has rarely found any of its conduct to be worthy of punishment beyond a handful of oral and written reprimands.
Seattle City Attorney Disqualifies Judge Vaddadi, Threatening Municipal Court Independence
Seattle's Republican City Attorney is disqualifying a progressive Municipal Court judge in a deeply undemocratic move, given that judges are elected and meant to be a check on executive power.
The Case Against RapidRide and For Funding Massive Transit Service Expansion Now
RapidRide projects soak up resources and take many years to come together. Instead of focusing on a trickle of RapidRide lines, Metro should ramp up bus service and route improvements systemwide with a network approach.
More than Zoning Reform: Home in Tacoma and the Prospect of Real Change
Zoning has created urban forms that are expensive, exclusionary, and unsafe — Tacoma’s attempt to reform zoning stands to create more livable and complete neighborhoods by tackling the many secondary effects of zoning.