Politics and Government

Rep. Julia Reed's House Bill 1839 would bring in over $200 million a year for higher education in by closing a tax loophole benefiting Amazon and Microsoft. The money is sorely needed to curb tuition and raise enrollment.

On Tuesday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell praised conservative billionaires as "smart innovators," but pledged to push back on federal overreach and advance cybersecurity, telling business leaders: "I will fight for you."

Nathan Rouse wants to deliver public safety via holistic fixes and criminal justice reform. He's challenging incumbent Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison, who he argues has focused on scoring cheap political points rather than results.

Dow Constantine pointed to past Sound Transit board members who have unsuccessfully tried to become the agency's CEO, and defended the process that has taken place so far to get to five finalists, including himself.

The Urbanist Elections Committee is seeking new members to join the committee to expand our geographic scope for the 2025 election cycle. If you live in an Eastside suburb, Tacoma, South Seattle, Shoreline, or Lynnwood and are interested in urbanism and politics, apply by March 8 to be considered. 

Praised for delivering Seattle's massive waterfront revamp, the Office of the Waterfront has faced criticism for being shadowy and unaccountable. Now it will become a one-stop-shop for Sound Transit permitting.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell teased a few urbanist-minded initiatives as he delivered his annual state of the city speech on Tuesday, putting support behind a push to pedestrianize Pike Place and launched a new "Northern Lights" vision to remake Aurora Avenue. Exactly when either change would occur remains unclear.

Though it was amended to exclude cities with less than 20,000 residents, Senate Bill 5184 still represents one of the most robust statewide parking reform packages to move forward in any state. It now must pass the House.