Julie Kang is running for the open seat in Seattle City Council’s District 5 this year, and is the first candidate in the race to qualify for democracy vouchers. An educator and bank founder, Kang espoused a mix of centrist and progressive views in her interview with The Urbanist.
Lake City activist Nilu Jenks is the first to jump in the race for Seattle City Council’s District 5. The special election could determine control of the council next year. The first-generation Iranian-American is stressing the need to protect immigrants and the environment, as Trump attacks both.
Seattle City Councilmember Dionne Foster took office Tuesday, echoing Mayor Katie Wilson’s call for “bread and roses” to tackle the city’s affordability crisis while strengthening the social and cultural fabric.
District 3 Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth will head the Seattle City Council following a progressive wave election, and will be tasked with managing several distinct factions. Her first task was navigating committee assignments, where comity was prioritized over policymaking priorities.
The adoption of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan, nearly one year late under a state-imposed deadline, is setting up much bigger debate over where additional housing density will be allowed in the city. Those issues, set to be discussed in 2026, include adding neighborhood centers and upzones along tr
In a 6-3 vote, Seattle City Council approved a police guild contract that falls short on officer accountability and continues to hinder civilian crisis responders. A parting gift from outgoing Mayor Bruce Harrell, the contract could hamstring the incoming administration of Katie Wilson.
Seattle’s proposed police union contract once again fails to deliver even the meager reforms and accountability promised eight years ago, opines Howard Gale. With Seattle City Council set to vote on the contract this month, here’s the case for rejecting it.
Eddie Lin took office Tuesday as Seattle’s newest city councilmember, pledging action to address the city’s affordability, homelessness, and community safety crises. Lin is fresh off a dominant performance in the recent election, winning 68% of the vote in District 2.
As Seattle enters an era where fewer builders are lining up to build office towers and residential skyscrapers, the city’s permit department is scrambling to catch up. Despite last-minute concerns raised Monday around a 18% permit fee increase, that change is poised to take effect next year.
The contentious proposal, approved by a 6-3 vote in March, legalized residential uses in a small slice of SoDo. But a state board pointed out several areas where the City cut corners ahead of that vote, nullifying the change.
Focused on transit and street upgrades, budget amendments this week will be the subject of behind-the-scenes wrangling as Budget Committee Chair Dan Strauss assembles an initial balancing package for the council to debate next week.
The Seattle City Council is set to greenlight a new iteration of the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) program with higher allowed rents and rent hikes. The program trades a property tax break for setting aside a quarter of the units with lower rents, but some advocates say the new rent structure is
Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck’s newly passed “Roots to Roofs” program is a 35-project pilot that lets nonprofit organizations and the Seattle Social Housing Developer tap into additional development capacity, particularly in areas with a history of past racial covenants.
Reductions in the size of proposed growth centers and new tree retention rules that could stifle homebuilding were among the dozens of Seattle growth plan amendments approved this week. Council rejected moves to make the plan bolder in a number of areas, fretting over the risk of legal appeals.
This week, the Seattle City Council took a controversial 7-2 vote to greatly expand the Seattle Police Department’s surveillance pilot program, as proposed by Mayor Bruce Harrell. Public comment was overwhelmingly against the idea, and progressive candidates also criticized the move.
Neighborhood groups are pushing back on additional density in Wallingford, West Seattle, and Queen Anne. An amendment from Alexis Mercedes Rinck to restore eight growth centers dropped from the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan at an earlier stage is front-and-center.
Five major bike safety projects are all opening within a few months of each other, filling in critical gaps in Seattle’s network. But most of the credit for ensuring that Hot Bike Summer happened in the first place goes to previous city leaders.
On Monday, the City Council voted unanimously to send the Seattle Shield Initiative to voters this November. Sponsored by Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the proposal shifts B&O tax burden away from small businesses and toward larger ones, raising an estimated $81 million annually to shore up the City budget
The Seattle City Council will spend the next month considering the 106 different amendments, which would push the city’s growth plan toward allowing more types of housing… or scale back areas where density increases are proposed.
Juarez, who represented District 5 from 2016 to 2023, will immediately become one of the most experienced members of the council. But she pledged to defer to former Councilmember Cathy Moore when it comes to the city’s growth plan, a move that likely worries housing advocates.
Council President Sara Nelson and Councilmember Rob Saka unexpectedly skipped a housing committee meeting Wednesday, holding up 14 appointments to the shorthanded Seattle Renters Commission. Councilmember Alexis Rinck sharply criticized the “disrespectful” move, as did several nominees.
Last Tuesday, the Seattle City Council voted 7-1 to pass changes to the city’s 16-year-old nuisance property ordinance that will expand the powers of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to declare a business or residence a “chronic nuisance.” As Council ramps up criminalization and weighs funding m
Since the 2023 Seattle council elections, a new dynamic has been taking shape in which extra deference is given to policy decisions made by the seven district-based councilmembers within their own district. If that shift continues, it could have dramatic impacts on how projects and programs are prio
Former Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez is one of six finalists to fill the District 5 vacancy on Council created by Cathy Moore’s resignation. Insiders say she is the clear favorite for the appointment.
Two votes next week will align the City of Seattle with Sound Transit, opening the door to West Seattle Link Extension permit applications later this year. The move comes right on the heels of an overhaul of the city’s land use code’s light rail provisions.
Check out the key takeaways from the Seattle City Council candidate forum focused on mobility and housing issues that happened earlier this month. An urbanist consensus emerged among some, but not all issues.
Longtime small business and workers’ rights advocate Jeanie Chunn jumped into the race for Seattle City Council District 2 only a short time before the filing deadline earlier in May. The resignation of Tammy Morales from the D2 seat led to the temporary appointment of Mark Solomon, who will serve
At a mobility and housing forum Wednesday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell faced off with six challengers on a crowded primary election ballot. Here are the key takeaways.
Rather than jumping through new hoops to submit permit applications, Sound Transit will instead simply need to submit a report laying out the public outreach it conducted. The change should allow the original intent of the bill to streamline permitting to be maintained.
District 5 Councilmember Cathy Moore’s announced her resignation today, effective July 7. Moore’s departure will queue up a 16-month term for the appointee the Council selects. In November 2026, D5 voters will elect a councilmember to a one-year term.
Seattle Councilmember Cathy Moore announced Friday that she is withdrawing her proposal weakening the City’s ethics rules, pledging to fine-tune the idea and bring it back. Collin Thrower lays out why she is on the wrong track.
The idea of building affordable housing at Magnolia’s former Army base has been in the works for two decades. With a key comment deadline passing this month, it’s finally set to advance, but several major hurdles loom over the coming months.
The Urbanist will be co-hosting a Seattle candidate forum on June 4th in Beacon Hill along with allied housing and transportation organizations. It will be a fantastic chance to hear from candidates for Seattle Mayor and City Council. RSVP today!
To meet a state deadline, the Seattle City Council legalized fourplexes or sixplexes across the entire city via the adoption of an interim code Tuesday. The move is just a prelude to a bigger fight over urban density, as Council advances Mayor Bruce Harrell’s broader growth plan.
Last week, Seattle Councilmember Rob Saka hosted a packed town hall to address gun violence in High Point and other parts of his District 1. The event ended in frustrated shouting, as residents said Saka hadn’t delivered on what he’d promised.
A proposal set to drop this week at the Seattle City Council would loosen ethics standards for councilmembers with potential conflicts-of-interest. Mayoral candidate Katie Wilson breaks down why that’s a terrible idea.
With the Seattle City Council set to consider amendments to required zoning changes this week, the city’s planning commission highlighted the danger of adding on additional requirements including affordable housing mandates and changing thresholds for infrastructure upgrades.
New types of traffic cameras allowed by the state legislature have the potential to lead to big safety gains in Seattle — but a potential clash over how those cameras are deployed could be on the horizon. SDOT and transportation chair Rob Saka are not seeing eye to eye.
Phase two of the One Seattle Plan had included additional housing density around 30 existing commercial centers like Tangletown and Madrona, but now those changes won’t be discussed until after this fall’s elections, pushing key housing actions into 2026.
Seattle City Council’s District 2 race just got a little more crowded, as Protec17 union steward Jamie Fackler announced his candidacy today. Fackler brings the strongest union ties to the race, and he also is the most unabashed proponent of social housing.
In 2020, Rob Saka advocated against proposed safety infrastructure along a critical greenway in West Seattle. This week, the issue resurfaced, and Saka, now a city councilmember and chair of the transportation committee, again railed against traffic diverters.
Running to represent Southeast Seattle and the International District for a two-year city council term, Ducksworth brings a long background in community engagement around transportation projects.
A recent Change Research poll found progressive Alexis Rinck is the only Seattle municipal official with a positive approval rating. In contrast, Mayor Bruce Harrell, Council President Sara Nelson, City Attorney Ann Davison were all under water. Precinct results for the recent social housing funding
Policy expert Dionne Foster has jumped into the race to unseat Seattle Council President Sara Nelson, and the election is set to serve as a referendum on the entire council’s direction. Check out our interview with Foster.
Eddie Lin is running for Seattle City Council in District 2 and highlighting the issue of housing. Check out our interview with Lin to see what he’s all about.
At a protest Monday, Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck urged Seattle leaders to take on Trump to defend against attacks on federal workers, civil liberties, and constitutional rights. After earlier talks of collaborating with Trump, Mayor Harrell struck a more defiant tone in “State o
Housing advocates outnumbered opponents by a margin of 89 to 75 during a five-hour public hearing Wednesday on the One Seattle housing growth plan. Nevertheless, several councilmembers made it clear they sided with slow-growth advocates, rather than the majority demanding more housing options.
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.
The idea of encouraging more residential development around Seattle’s stadiums had been put on ice in 2023 with the adoption of a citywide maritime and industrial strategy. Nelson’s bill reignites that debate just as the council starts to consider the Comprehensive Plan.
A small tweak to Seattle’s land use code will allow a 182-unit tower to move forward in Belltown after years of appeal. Clearer direction around stacking height incentives like those in the sustainability-focused Living Building program could potentially allow more homes throughout downtown in the c
District 2 Councilmember Tammy Morales announced Wednesday morning that she will resign in January, saying she has been undermined and frozen out of legislating by the more conservative-leaning Seattle City Council majority. The resignation sets up another council appointment and a special election
Alexis Mercedes Rinck vowed to make Seattle a welcoming city for all and resist Trumpism in her inaugural speech as a city councilmember. It was a more defiant tone than struck by the more conciliatory Mayor Bruce Harrell.
The Sara Nelson-led Seattle City Council passed their first city budget in an 8-1 vote. It greenlit the mayor’s plan to slash investments in affordable housing and social services and trim 48 staff positions in order to boost police spending by 16% and close a large deficit without raising new taxes
Progressive challenger Alexis Mercedes Rinck’s election win could mean a 5-4 majority for a capital gains tax — or even a supermajority, if Rob “this is the right tax at the wrong time” Saka can be convinced that the time is right. Other progressive taxes are also on the table.
A budget amendment put forward by Council President Nelson asks for information on how and when the city creates priority space for buses, citing opposition to Route 40. At a meeting last week, Nelson suggested that if she had wanted to kill a controversial project she already could have done it.
A pro-Woo PAC pumped $70,000 into the race Friday as a last ditch effort to swing the election. So far, Alexis Mercedes Rinck had been able to keep pace, with help from the Progressive People Power PAC.
Tanya Woo has brandished her affordable housing credentials as owner of the Louisa Hotel in Chinatown. However, some of her tenants portray her as a ‘slumlord’ based on the practices of building management, including frequently pressuring eviction and letting issues like a broken elevator go long un
A plan to expand the number of school zone speed cameras has been in the works for nearly two years. But Councilmember Rob Saka is raising questions about the idea and funds allocated to make it happen.
Seattle Councilmember Maritza Rivera and three other councilmembers sponsored a competing measure seeking to elbow out a ballot initiative funding social housing. The two measures will go to voters in February. Only one can pass.
While the Seattle City Council has recently stifled opportunity for public participation and dissent, Seattle Public Schools is even further along, having already adopted many of the same undemocratic practices now seen at City Hall.
On Wednesday, Seattle Council’s public safety committee advanced Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposal to contract with the South Correctional Facility (SCORE) jail to house a limited number of people accused of simple misdemeanors, such as criminal trespass and shoplifting. The proposal comes with logisti
The Seattle City Council is queuing up a debate on appropriate wages for service workers at smaller employers. At the behest of restaurant owners, Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth is seeking to cancel a scheduled minimum wage increase.
The Seattle Police Department hired a cop with a record of reckless driving who went on to kill Jaahnavi Kandula while driving recklessly. However, instead of tightening hiring protocols, Seattle officials are looking to loosen them further.
Transportation and housing organizer Saunatina Sanchez is making a case that her background in community makes her the best choice for the Seattle City Council seat currently held by Tanya Woo.
After pushback, Councilmember Maritza Rivera backed off a push to pull back funding for the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) but the episode spoke volumes about the city council’s current goals.
Moves to cut the minimum wage for gig workers and squeeze Equitable Development Initiative projects for funding will have to wait for a future Seattle City Council meeting after their sponsors tabled the votes.
The zoning changes could spur construction of up to 1,000 homes, many of them affordable, as part of a new makers district along 4th Avenue S in Georgetown.
With a 24% raise and backpay, Seattle police officers are collectively earning an extra $96 million in compensation from the City in 2024. City leaders hope to spur hiring, but the contract did little to increase police accountability and blew a bigger hole in the City’s quarter-billion-dollar budge
A recent poll found Seattle would support a $1.9 billion transportation levy focused on fix-it-first and safety investments, but the City’s proposal currently sits at $1.45 billion.
Touting her working class roots and policy chops, Alexis Mercedes Rinck is mounting a challenge against Councilmember Tanya Woo. She hopes to unite labor and progressives against the business-backed appointee.
City leaders are weighing laxer hiring standards rather than improving SPD’s culture and accountability systems. But SPD’s bad reputation could be the bigger drag on hiring – not to mention safety outcomes.
After her bill failed Tuesday, Councilmember Morales said: “My Connected Communities legislation would have produced more affordable housing, commercial affordability, and anti-displacement measures right now. I’m incredibly disappointed in its failure to pass today.”
Chair Tammy Morales appeared flabbergasted as she initially failed to get a second to her motion to introduce her bill providing incentives for affordable housing.
Ray Dubicki reviews the City Council vacancy “process” as an unselected applicant.
Morales cried foul after her colleagues installed her political opponent under a cloud of megadonor pressure. Today the Seattle City Council appointed candidate Tanya Woo to be their ninth member, serving a 10-month stint filling the vacancy created by Teresa Mosqueda winning a King Council Council seat. Councilmembers Maritza Rivera,
Vivian Song is the candidate that fits the mold and the moment. Council would be wise to appoint her. On Thursday evening, eight candidates filed into city hall to make their case as to why they deserve appointment to an at-large position on the Seattle City Council. The one that
The council president’s push to slash public services instead of raise new revenue is at odds with voters. When Argentina’s new right-wing president Javier Milei was inaugurated last month, he memorably vowed to take a “chainsaw” to the country’s public services and slash public spending. When Sara
Climate change and global warming must join safety, homelessness, and housing at the top of the City’s agenda. In the first Seattle City Council meeting of 2024, City Councilmembers stated their belief that social, racial, and economic justice for the disadvantaged is a moral issue, which must be addressed
Council winnowed 72 applicants down to eight, with Tanya Woo and Vivian Song leading contenders. The Seattle City Council has a vacancy and 72 people applied for the position and were qualified as eligible by City staff. Among them are many people who just ran for Seattle City Council last
Morales is in as land use chair, “Pothole King” Saka to lead transportation, and Strauss claims budget chair. On Tuesday afternoon, the brand new Seattle City Council convened for the first time since the election of five new members last fall and voted in a new council president in Sara
Tell your councilmember to vote against the transportation impact fee. On Tuesday, amidst a deep housing affordability crisis, the outgoing Seattle City Council is setting the stage for a new fee to make building homes in Seattle even more expensive. This homebuilder fee — a “transportation impact fee” — threatens to hamper
2024 is a critical year for the City of Seattle. It’s a comprehensive plan year. It’s the year we’ll shape and pass a new transportation levy. It’s the year we’ll negotiate a new police contract, and it may — just may — be the year we finally
On Wednesday, the eight Seattle City Council candidates in open seat races faced off in a forum held at First Baptist Church. Questions were focused on housing, land use, and the once-a-decade “Major Update” to the Comprehensive Plan due in 2024. The forum was hosted by the Complete Communities Coalition
On Tuesday, Seattle City Council candidates squared off in the first forum of the general election season at the First Baptist Church in First Hill. Questions were focused on housing, land use, and the once-a-decade “Major Update” to the Comprehensive Plan is due in 2024, which weighs heavily on those
In just two months, voters will elect a new Seattle City Council, and the race is on for candidates to make their closing pitches. Urbanist-endorsed candidates had a very good showing in the August primary. Six of seven candidates endorsed by The Urbanist Elections Committee advanced, with five of them
Two forums co-hosted by The Urbanist on September 5 and 6 will include candidates in all seven districts. With the primary behind us, 14 candidates remain for the seven Seattle City Council seats that are up for election this year. A set of forums next week seeks to illuminate where
Results are coming in from the August 1 primary, and urbanists had a very good showing. In Seattle City Council races, 6 of 7 candidates endorsed by The Urbanist are now through to the general election and most are in a strong position to win. Maren Costa, Tammy Morales, Alex
Control of local city councils is up for grabs and candidates are making their closing pitches as they seek to survive the top two vote counts in the primary to earn a spot on the general election ballot. Seattle saw four sitting councilmembers retire and a fifth run for King
Moore has staked her City Council bid on frontline experience and a balanced lawyerly approach. With Seattle City Council President Debora Juarez’s retirement, the District 5 council seat is wide open for the taking. Former King County Superior Court judge Cathy Moore is one of the candidates vying for
Ron Davis is running for the Seattle City Council in District 4 on a progressive, stridently urbanist platform and he shared his positions on transportation, housing, and other issues at The Urbanist’s lunch and learn event this Thursday. Davis has pulled in an impressive set of progressive endorsements including
It’s that time of the year. Summer is practically half over and we’re plotting how to squeeze another beach getaway, hiking trip, relaxing staycation, or backyard barbecue into our itineraries. But wait! There’s an important primary election about to happen that demands our attention in-between hammock siestas
Ron Davis is running for the Seattle City Council in District 4 on a progressive urbanist platform. Hear more about Davis’s positions on transportation, housing, and other issues at The Urbanist’s lunch and learn event this Thursday, July 6th, at noon. RSVP below for the Zoom link or
On Wednesday June 14, candidates for the District 1 Seattle City Council seat faced off in a mobility-focused forum co-hosted by The Urbanist. Phil Tavel, Stephen Brown, Preston Anderson, and Jean Craciun participated in the forum. Maren Costa was ill and sent her campaign manager Kyler Parris in her stead
On Saturday, seven of the nine registered District 3 Seattle City Council candidates participated in a mobility-focused forum co-hosted by The Urbanist. As in the District 5 Mobility Forum hosted by the same coalition, D3 candidates generally had broad agreement about the need for safer streets, connected sidewalks, and transit
The Seattle City Council candidates in District 5 squared off in a mobility forum co-hosted by The Urbanist on June 5. Candidates had broad agreement about the need for safer streets and adding sidewalks where they’re lacking, a big problem in District 5, which covers the northern half of
District 5 Seattle City Council candidates will square off at 7pm tonight in the first of a series of mobility-focused forums that The Urbanist is co-hosting alongside a number of other local advocacy organizations. The D5 forum will take place at Haller Lake United Methodist Church and will also be
Nothing like a new war on drugs during an election year. Next week the Seattle City Council will vote on whether to kickstart a new local front on the war on drugs by adopting a law criminalizing simple drug possession and public drug use. Submitted by Councilmembers Sara Nelson and
Preston Anderson said he was inspired to run for Seattle City Council seeing firsthand the failure to adequately address homelessness and how it was affecting his patients, many of who are homeless veterans. “So I’m a clinical social worker,“ Anderson said during a recent interview. “Been doing clinical social
As a queer non-binary Broadway actor running as a radical Democratic socialist urbanist, Ry Armstong is mounting one of the more unique bids for Seattle City Council in District 3. One of their audacious proposals is to pedestrianize Pike Street and run a streetcar up it, creating a loop with
Elections have consequences – sometimes far greater than we would have initially imagined. Progressive urbanist Shaun Scott’s loss to Alex Pedersen in the last Seattle City Council District 4 election, for example, was disappointing – but just recently could have become a true disaster. With House Bill 1110 signed into law,