Opinion

Landlords have used ratio utility billing systems as a backdoor to jack up rents. It’s time to ban the practice in Washington State.

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 prioritized.

The mega wealthy are gaining even greater wealth thanks to Trump tax cuts while hundreds of thousands people are set to lose health care, food stamps, child care, and K-12 educational necessities. The Washington State Legislature should pass progressive funding to maintain and rebuild public services, John Burbank argues.

Washington State has big housing plans and ambitious planning tools, but it needs binding commitments across public, private, and social sectors to turn vision into reality. As it stands, housing isn't being built fast enough to stem the affordability crisis.

A group of high school student activists make the case we don’t need more cops in schools. We need more care, as the Seattle Student Union fought for and had been promised. The research is clear on what works.

Progressive mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary is a watershed moment for New York City, and Seattle is on the cusp of its own watershed moment with the opportunity to elect Katie Wilson, a progressive who would break a long run of timid centrist leadership.

A June 15th hit-and-run crash on Lake Washington Boulevard during a Bicycle Weekend makes the case for expanding the event and improving safety features on the boulevard. The reticence of police to investigate hit-and-run collisions may also be contributing to a culture of motorist impunity.

Reviving community court isn’t a simple fix for Seattle’s criminal legal system — pre-filing diversion programs are more effective, cost less money, and avoid the harmful consequences of prosecution. Here's one Seattle City Attorney candidate's plan.