Politics and Government

The Seattle City Council has selected SPD crime prevention coordinator Mark Solomon to fill the District 2 vacancy created by the resignation of Tammy Morales earlier this month. He'll serve through November.

Emery previously served as the head of SDOT's traffic operations division, spearheading work on the Transportation Equity Framework and leading on the installation of adaptive signal technology on Mercer Street.

On top of recommending a focus on building homes near transit, the new report also supports a number of proposals in front of the legislature to reduce housing costs, including parking reform and rent stabilization.

The release of the city's final environmental review of the One Seattle growth plan is likely to be followed by an appeal, in an attempt to stop neighborhood-level zoning changes. But while an appeal may add time, it's likely to ultimately fail.

House Bill 1491 would require cities to increase development capacity around train stations and bus rapid transit stops. But a contentious affordability requirement for that new development could be a sticking point.

The idea of closing schools is currently off the table as Seattle Public Schools considers how to close a significant budget deficit. This year's legislative session and school board elections will be pivotal in determining whether that conversation will resurface.

As other states start to reassess their prioritization of expanding highway capacity in the face of ambitious climate goals and other transportation needs, Washington is still in denial mode.

A Seattle Council committee voted to move forward with Mayor Bruce Harrell's new less lethal weapons bill on Tuesday. Scheduled for a final vote on February 4, this bill is one of the last steps in Seattle exiting the consent decree, but critics are concerned it could impact Seattleites' constitutional rights of free speech and assembly.