Safe Eastside, a group with a long track record of attacking facilities for people exiting homelessness, is turning its attention to major pieces of state housing reform approved in 2025. They have until July 26 to collect more than 150,000 signatures to get a repeal referendum on the ballot in Wash
A newly signed Washington State law aims to āimprove safety for young driversā by expanding access to driverās education and raising the minimum age at which new drivers can get a license without completing a formal driverās education course.
Governor Bob Ferguson blocked efforts to tax the rich, pushing Democrats to implement austerity cuts that included raising the cost of child care and cutting early learning. A weakened social safety net makes the state less prepared to weather further Trump chaos.
Following a productive legislative session on the issue of housing, with around a dozen bills signed into law, Washington state lawmakers are already looking ahead to the next set of challenges to tackle.
Cities in Washington will have the legal authority to create shared streets, which feature much lower speed limits and put pedestrians first, under Senate Bill 5595. Governor Bob Ferguson signed the bill into law Saturday. It will go into effect on July 27.
One bill to make it out of the Washington State Legislature this session was House Bill 1837, which sets targets to boost Amtrak Cascades frequencies, reliability, and speed. Meanwhile, Amtrakās soon-to-be upgraded SoDo rail yard will host new and improved Amtrak Airo trains to one day accommodate t
Senate Bill 5148, signed into law Tuesday, sets up a brand new framework of accountability around state housing law. The bill includes a so-called ābuilderās remedyā that is intended to force local governments to stay in compliance or see their zoning laws overridden.
The two bills represent two major pillars among a variety of housing measures approved during the 2025 legislative session, with a focus on both housing supply and stability for existing tenants.
The final state budget approved by the legislature left many lawmakers disappointed, and eager to start to work on ways to restore painful cuts and reform the stateās broken tax code.
Last Wednesday, Rep. Shaun Scott and a group of educators sought a meeting with Ferguson to voice concerns about social service cuts, but were rebuffed by an out-of-office governor more focused on appeasing the rich. Perhaps the state would be better off if the governor vacated the office permanentl
More than one-third of WSDOTās two-year budget is set to go toward highway widenings and extensions, in the face of a significant maintenance backlog impacting Washingtonās state and local roads.
The Washington State Legislature approved a 7% to 10% cap on rent hikes Sunday, after the proposal faced a rollercoaster of obstacles over the course of the 105-day session.
Rent increases would be capped between 7% and 10% under the compromise measure approved by a conference committee Thursday night. It still needs to advance back through both chambers by Sunday night to reach the Governorās desk.
King County Council members are sounding the alarm after Governor Bob Fergusonās opposition to lifting the property tax cap threw their future budget into chaos. Fergusonās opposition to new revenue options is also jeopardizing the state budget and could force deep service cuts and potentially a spe
The Washington House and Senate arenāt in alignment on whether funding for extra passenger ferry trips should continue. Dozens of weekly trips across the King County Water Taxi and Kitsap Fast Ferry would be slashed if the state Senateās version of the transportation budget prevails.
Governor Bob Ferguson should sign HB 1232 into law and immediately make use of the enforcement mechanisms it contains to stop unconstitutional detentions at ICEās Tacoma Processing Center. The State should also impose fines on the for-profit corporate jailer to discourage the violations.
Three years in the making, HB 1491 would require Washington cities to zone for apartment buildings near rail stations and rapid bus stops. A compromise around housing affordability mandates finally paved the way for the billās passage in both chambers.
On Thursday, the Washington State Senate took the leap and approved a rent stabilization bill, but first senators gutted it with provisions that quickly earned the ire of tenant advocates. An original 7% cap on annual rent increases could instead rise to 20% or more.
Wealthy landlords are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to mislead Washingtonians and to try to block a moderate, but protective rent stabilization bill that will finally provide renters with predictability and stability over their housing costs.
Boeing has taken in billions in tax breaks from Washington State, but still lays off workers all the same. Nonetheless, state lawmakers are pushing to include a loophole to a new tax to shield Boeing yet again.
Governor Bob Fergusonās reticence to approve new taxes represents a major obstacle to closing a big budget hole without deep cuts to social services. In fact, Ferguson announced Tuesday he would veto any budget that included a wealth tax, which could tie state lawmakersā hands.
Despite considerable momentum behind SB 5156 coming from the state Senate, the idea of reforming Washingtonās strict elevator codes met resistance from firefighter groups and the powerful elevator constructorās union.
While the Washington State Senate budget includes additional taxes on e-bikes and fees for public transit, the House budget includes cuts to transit and climate work. Both budgets are in agreement on the need to double down on a number of highway megaprojects.
Issaquah Rep. Victoria Hunt added long implementation timelines and additional exemptions to Washingtonās parking reform bill as it passed out of Local Government Committee on Friday. Bill sponsors still tout the policyās significant potential to reduce costs for homebuilding.
The rent stabilization bill that the Washington State House approved this week scaled back other protections for renters, including a cap on move-in fees and late fees. The bill now heads to the Senate.
House Bill 1923, approved by an 87-8 vote by the Washington House of Representatives, would allow more local governments to set up passenger ferry districts to serve riders. It heads to the state Senate.
In choosing how to fill a $1 billion budget hole over the next two years, Washington State lawmakers are being forced to take a hard look at deferring or even cancelling some long-planned highway capacity projects.
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.
In Seattle, any person can nominate just about any building for historic landmark status ā even without the consent of the building owner ā which can delay or upend housing projects. The Washington State Legislature is advancing legislation that would place guardrails on historic landmark programs.
Seattle is seeking a fix at the state legislature to grow its civilian crisis response program following resistance from the Seattle Police Officers Guild that has blocked expansion. To stay alive, Rep. Shaun Scottās HB 1816 will need to pass out of committee before a February 21 deadline.
With an eye toward adding new passenger ferry service by 2026, HB 1923 would expand the number of transit agencies able to operate foot ferries, and also set up a new state grant to fund them.
Senate Bill 5184 would put a cap on out-of-control parking mandates. It passed out of the Washington State Senateās Housing Committee on Wednesday, clearing its first hurdle.
Despite Governor Fergusonās hemming and hawing, state lawmakers are advancing a wealth tax that could raise $3 billion annually to fully fund public schools and avert a budget crisis. Passing it would ensure Washington State Democrats are living their values amidst Trumpās assault on public services
State lawmakers are signaling intent to improve Amtrak Cascades service with legislation setting a goal of cutting the trip time from Seattle to Portland to 2.5 hours and boosting service to 14 daily trips with 88% on-time performance by 2035. If lawmakers pass the bill, the goal for trip time servi
The Urbanist unveils top advocacy priorities for 2025 and offers some ways to get involved.
The Washington State Legislature is considering a large array of public safety bills, from subsidizing police officer pay to tighter gun control to addressing the stateās public defense crisis. Hereās a look at those bills.
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.
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.
With the baton passing from Jay Inslee to Bob Ferguson, Washingtonās governor has placed more emphasis on fiscal austerity to solve the stateās looming budget deficit. But some lawmakers are intent on raising new revenue to avoid deep cuts to social programs.
Democratic leaders are saying this is the year that the Washington State Legislature will finally pass rent stabilization, with momentum building behind Rep. Emily Alvaradoās bill.
A new bill introduced at the state legislature by longtime housing advocate Jessica Bateman would represent a sea change, limiting the ability of cities and counties to mandate high amounts of parking.
A popular bill from 2024 that would legalize neighborhood cafes in residential areas across Washington is back in 2025. It will likely continue to face headwinds from local governments.