Politics and Government

The Urbanist 2022 Questionnaire Responses: Eastside, North Sound, and the Rest

The Urbanist Elections Committee invited candidates throughout the Puget Sound Region to submit a questionnaire response. This post will go through the remaining responses,...
A line of eight officials stand in front of banners that say Maintain, Enhance, and Expand.

Constantine’s King County Parks Levy Proposal Would Expand Trails, Programming

On Tuesday, King County Executive Dow Constantine unveiled his $1.5 billion proposal to renew the King County Parks Levy, which expires at year's end. The levy funds parks and regional trail expansions, educational programming at partner organizations, and operations and maintenance.

WALeg Wednesday Gets Wonky with Wealth Taxes and Rent Stabilization

The bills we have been tracking from previous weeks did not see a lot of movement. Design review reform made it out of its...

New North Precinct Building: $160 Million, 70% Parking, 88% Staffed With Suburbanites

The Seattle police are in the news again. This time for a lavish new $160 million North Precinct building that The Seattle Times' Brier...

Mayor Durkan’s Broken Promises on the Center City Connector

Yesterday's scoop published by The Urbanist showing that Mayor Jenny Durkan has refused to meet with more than 100 groups supporting the Center City...
A sign on an apartment building indicating the parking entrance

Bateman Takes Aim at Washington’s Parking Mandates

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.
Aerial photo of Downtown Kirkland waterfront as of 2011. (Photo by Jelson25 / Wikimedia Commons)

Pro-Housing Kirkland Council Candidates Discuss Affordability, Opponents Skip Forum

At an October 8th forum, urbanist-backed Kirkland City Council candidates discussed housing solutions, but none of their opponents showed, clearly ceding housing leadership in the four races. Here's a recap of the solutions candidates laid out.
Shane Esquibel answers a call coming through on his smartwatch, as Scott sits and looks in from the Governor's waiting room, adorned with official portraits of governors long past.

Op-Ed: Why Educators Staged a Sit-In in Governor Ferguson’s Office

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 permanently, Collin Reid opines.