Economics

Third Avenue near Madison Avenue with office towers, some of the historic, in the background.

Seattle Hopes to Spur Office-to-Housing Conversions with Regulatory Incentives

Facing waning demand for office spaces, landlords are weighing housing conversions, with Mayor Harrell and the Seattle City Council aiming to nudge them in that direction with a recently passed package of regulatory incentives. Financial incentives could be next, but hurdles remain.
Youth climate activists organized the first Fridays for the Future rally on March 22, 2019. District 4 City Council candidate Shaun Scott attended and gave a brief talk encouraging activists. (Photo by author)

It’s Well Past Time We Ditch Fossil Fuels

Yesterday, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced executive action ending the use of fracked gas infrastructure in City buildings. It represents a small step toward decoupling...

Trump-Proof Seattle Seeks City Income Tax

Seattle is now on the path toward an high-income earner tax. Boosters of the Trump-Proof Seattle movement are asking that the City of Seattle...

The Price of Market Freedom

I’ve found that many people conflate supply and demand, or price-based resource allocation, with the pseudo-ideal of a libertarian “free market”. Supply and demand is...
a report cover for a south king county guaranteed basic income pilot evaluation and policy analysis

South King County Pilot Shows Promise of Guaranteed Basic Income

In 2020, King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay initiated the King County Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot program, which was funded by community service operating grant...
Mayor Durkan flanked by the American flag and Washington state flag.

Durkan Vetoes $86 Million in Covid Relief Citing Fiscal Restraint

After Mayor Jenny Durkan vetoed a Covid relief package saying it depleted the City's rainy day fund, Budget Chair Teresa Mosqueda fired back that...

Sunday Video: How Highways Make Traffic Worse

https://youtu.be/2z7o3sRxA5g Vox examines how building more highways just leads to more congestion rather than solving any particular transportation problem.

Sunday Video: How Fracking Became America’s Money Pit

https://youtu.be/jFWHxZpF9rc It turns out that fracking is not as lucrative as it was once thought, Bloomberg Quicktake explains.