As of tonight, the King County Elections vote count is close to caught up – it’s counted almost 32 percent of voters’ ballots, only two points behind the 34 percent it’s received. And the latest count has further widened the leads for challengers in three Seattle citywide races.
SEATTLE MAYOR:Katie Wilson now has 50.15%, more than eight points ahead of incumbent Bruce Harrell‘s 41.70%.
SEATTLE COUNCIL CITYWIDE POSITION 9:Dionne Foster is up to 57.89%, 22 points ahead of incumbent Sara Nelson‘s 35.77%.
SEATTLE CITY ATTORNEY:Erika Evans is now at 55.33%, more than nine points ahead of incumbent Ann Davison‘s 35.83%.
Complete results are here; the archived results reports from Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are linked here. Next vote count is expected Monday afternoon. Top two will go to voters for a final decision on November
King County Elections has just released the third round of results from Tuesday’s primary. No major changes in the five races we’re watching – here’s the latest
SEATTLE MAYOR: Katie Wilson‘s lead over Bruce Harrell* has decreased by one point; she’s now four points up after his share increased a bit, 48% to 44%.
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL CITYWIDE POSITION 9Dionne Foster‘s 18-point lead over Sara Nelson* has decreased one point to 17 points, 55% to 38%.
SEATTLE CITY ATTORNEY: Erika Evans‘s initial 14-point lead over Ann Davison* remains 17 points, 53% to 36%.
In other races:
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL CITYWIDE POSITION 8: Alexis Mercedes Rinck* remains at 77%, with the nearest challenger, Rachael Savage, at 14%.
KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE: County Council President Girmay Zahilay retains a 12-point lead over County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, 42% to 30%.
These counts represent just under 27 percent of county voters’ ballots; so far the county reports receiving just under 34 percent of voters’ ballots (which at this point is likely close to what the final turnout will be). Breaking that out further, the current count includes ballots from 30 percent of Seattle city voters, while 39 percent of city voters’ ballots have been received.
King County Elections has released the second round of results from Tuesday’s primary. The major news: The challengers in three of the four Seattle city races with incumbents have widened their leads. In those three races:
SEATTLE MAYOR: Katie Wilson‘s one-point initial lead over Bruce Harrell* has grown to five points, 48% to 43%.
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL CITYWIDE POSITION 9Dionne Foster‘s 15-point initial lead over Sara Nelson* has grown to 18 points, 56% to 38%
SEATTLE CITY ATTORNEY: Erika Evans‘s initial 14-point lead over Ann Davison* has grown to 17 points, 53% to 36%
In other races:
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL CITYWIDE POSITION 8: Alexis Mercedes Rinck* has increased her share of the vote to 77%.
KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE: County Council President Girmay Zahilay has increased his lead over County Councilmember Claudia Balducci by two points, 42% to 30%.
These represent just under 22 percent of county voters’ ballots, three percent more than the first round; so far the county has received 28 percent of voters’ ballots. (5:28 pm update: Now up to 33% received.) Next round of results, Thursday afternoon.
The voting’s over, the vote-counting has begun. King County Elections has released the first round of results. First, the races in which the top two will appear on your November ballot, with all but one incumbent in second place so far, and no one in third place anywhere close to the top two:
SEATTLE MAYOR: Top two are Katie Wilson 46%, Bruce Harrell* 45%
full results
Katie Wilson 44,457 46.21%
Bruce Harrell 43,160 44.86%
Joe Mallahan 4,640 4.82%
Clinton Bliss 1,275 1.33%
Ry Armstrong 996 1.04%
Isaiah Willoughby 473 0.49%
Thaddeus Whelan 424 0.44%
Joe Molloy 402 0.42%
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL CITYWIDE POSITION 8Alexis Mercedes Rinck* 75%, Rachael Savage 15%
full results
Alexis Mercedes Rinck 68,078 75.24%
Rachael Savage 13,503 14.92%
Ray A. Rogers 4,328 4.78%
Jesse A. James 2,534 2.80%
Cooper Hall 1,333 1.47%
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL CITYWIDE POSITION 9Dionne Foster 54%, Sara Nelson* 39%
full results
Dionne Foster 50,521 53.69%
Sara Nelson 36,786 39.10%
Mia Jacobson 3,366 3.58%
Connor Nash 3,135 3.33%
SEATTLE CITY ATTORNEY: Erika Evans 51%, Ann Davison* 37%
KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE: No incumbent in this race. Top two are County Council President Girmay Zahilay with 40%, County Councilmember Claudia Balducci with 30%
full results
Girmay Zahilay 103,471 40.39%
Claudia Balducci 77,590 30.28%
Derek Chartrand 32,085 12.52%
(John Wilson 23,897 9.33% – “suspended” campaign too late to be removed from ballot)
Rebecca Williamson 6,072 2.37%
Amiya Ingram 4,707 1.84%
Bill Hirt 4,701 1.83%
Don L Rivers 2,674 1.04%
And the two ballot measures being decided in this election:
SEATTLE CITY DEMOCRACY VOUCHERS LEVY RENEWAL: Passing with 56% approval
KING COUNTY PARKS LEVY RENEWAL: Passing with 70% approval
These represent just under 19 percent of county voters’ ballots; so far the county has received 24 percent of voters’ ballots. Next round of results, Wednesday afternoon.
(WSB photo: One of West Seattle’s four ballot dropboxes, at South Seattle College)
One more reminder before Election Day arrives – you now have less than 24 hours to vote! King County Elections dropboxes close at exactly 8 pm tomorrow (Tuesday, August 5), and if you’re going to chance that USPS will postmark your not-yet-sent ballot in time, the sooner you get it to a Post Office, the better! (Forgive us for not having at least a mayoral-candidates forum this primary season … it’s still a bit of a transition time for us, but we plan to beef it up for the general election.) You have to decide now, though, who you want to see on the ballot for that election – and you have to settle the fate of two levy measures. Here one more time is what voters in our area are considering:
nCANDIDATES (all are listed/infolinked here) Seattle Mayor (8 candidates) Seattle citywide Council Position 8 (5 candidates) Seattle citywide Council Position 9 (4 candidates) Seattle City Attorney (4 candidates) King County Executive (7 candidates, no incumbent)
Top two candidates in those races will face off in the November general election. Meantime, the two below, as is always the case with ballot measures, will be final decisions:
Still only 18 percent of ballots have been received so far. … Tomorrow night’s first and only round of results should be released around 8:15 pm, and as usual, we’ll have the highlights.
The sun’s out, the Blue Angels are here, summer break is only half over … Might be difficult to think about an election too, but that ballot you (probably) haven’t filled out yet asks you to make some important decisions: Two levies to be decided, and five major races in which the candidate lineups need to be narrowed to two finalists.
King County ballot-return stats show only 12 percent of voters have turned theirs in so far. You have until Tuesday (August 5) at 8 pm to get your ballot into a King County Elections dropbox (West Seattle has four, and nearby White Center and South Park have one each); if you want to use USPS mail, don’t wait until Tuesday, because there’s no guarantee of same-day postmark.
The decisions you’re asked to make:
CANDIDATES (all are listed/infolinked here) Seattle Mayor (8 candidates) Seattle citywide Council Position 8 (5 candidates) Seattle citywide Council Position 9 (4 candidates) Seattle City Attorney (4 candidates) King County Executive (7 candidates, no incumbent)
As always, once the voting ends at 8 pm Tuesday, we’ll get the initial results by about 8:15 pm, and then one update a day until everything’s counted.
P.S. If you still haven’t received your ballot, report it ASAP to 206-296-VOTE. (Mail hiccups in our area meant our ballots didn’t arrive until this week – in the same delivery as the replacements we’d requested when the originals hadn’t shown up by early last week!)
(City of Seattle photo: Councilmember Debora Juarez’s swearing-in today)
The City Council has chosen a replacement for Cathy Moore, who resigned as councilmember for North Seattle’s District 5 early this month (we noted her resignation announcement in June). Moore’s successor was also her predecessor: Debora Juarez. The council chose her today [video] from among six finalists; the only councilmember who didn’t vote for her was citywide Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, who voted for Nilu Jenks. Juarez’s appointment is until fall 2026, when District 5 voters will choose someone for the final year of Moore’s term, and then elect someone for a full four-year term in 2027, when all seven of the district seats will be on the ballot. Juarez becomes one of two appointees on the current council, with Mark Solomon, chosen to succeed Tammy Morales, who quit the seat for South Seattle’s District 2.
During the session just past, the State Legislature gave local jurisdictions (via HB 2015) the option of raising their sales taxes one-tenth of one percent if the money was used for public-safety services. Today, the King County Council voted to do just that, after County Executive Shannon Braddock sent them the proposal, saying the revenue is needed to prevent cuts in such services – not just the King County Sheriff’s Office, which provides police services in unincorporated areas like White Center and Vashon Island, but also departments that serve people around the county whether or not they’re in cities, such as the jail, Superior Court, and Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The council’s announcement notes that the tax increase will amount to 10 cents on a $100 purchase and promises “all revenue generated will be dedicated exclusively to maintaining and strengthening King County’s criminal justice, behavioral health, and public safety systems.” The announcement concludes:
The tax will take effect on October 1, 2025, with revenue collection beginning in January 2026. The County Executive will publish an annual public report detailing how the funds are allocated to strengthen safety and justice for all King County residents.
Cities also have the option of implementing the same sales-tax increase without sending it to voters; there’s no formal proposal in Seattle yet, but the City Council has been working on a resolution spelling out how it could be spent if it is proposed and passed, and will take that up again at a committee meeting on Thursday.
Today’s the day that King County Elections plans to start mailing ballots for the primary election, with voting ending and vote-counting beginning on Tuesday, August 5 (aka Election Day). Here’s what you’ll be asked to decide (we’re not listing uncontested positions):
CANDIDATES (all are listed/infolinked here) Seattle Mayor (8 candidates) Seattle citywide Council Position 8 (5 candidates) Seattle citywide Council Position 9 (4 candidates) Seattle City Attorney (4 candidates) King County Executive (7 candidates, no incumbent)
Top two candidates in those races advance to the November general election. But these two, as is always the case with ballot measures, will be final decisions:
You can vote as soon as your ballot arrives; get it into the mail with a postmark no later than August 5, or into a KC Elections drop box no later than 8 pm August 5. Other lesser-used options too – they’re listed here.
Steps away from the sun-splashed grounds of West Seattle Summer Fest, more than 60 people devoted the heart of their Sunday afternoon to a topic that was anything but festive.
They were invited by West Seattle Indivisible to the Center for Active Living‘s upstairs hall for what was billed as a half-hour with Mayor Bruce Harrell answering questions about the city’s response to the federal operation aimed at deporting thousands of immigrants. He instead spent more than an hour and a quarter talking with the group, mostly in Q&A, though he said he was unable to answer some questions because he didn’t expect a large crowd and hadn’t brought an entourage of assistants/cabinet members/etc..
The 66-year-old mayor – who is running for a second term – opened by acknowledging most of those in the crowd appeared to be close to his age, calling them “seasoned” and declaring, “We are unapologetically patriots.” Then he proclaimed, “What we are seeing now is one of the most offensive gestures against human rights that we’ve ever witnessed.”
He said multiple times during his appearance that at both local and national levels. discussions continue regarding “what SHOULD we do?” as well as what is possible. He mentioned a pamphlet that “talks about our values (as) a human-rights city … the 14th Amendment says, due process for all persons, not just for all citizens.”
He veered into personal territory, with the story of his Japanese-American mother’s internment resulting in him growing up “in a household where my mom said, ‘don’t trust the government’.” Then he went back to the aforementioned pamphlet, which he said contained advice such as the right not to open your door, the right to stay silent, the right not to sign anything.
The city government is dealing with federal demands too, Harrell said. observing that “the judicial body is keeping us afloat right now.”
He also had advice for those who choose to participate in protests: “We have to be loud, we need to be organized,” but also, protesters, Harrell said, should be aware they too are being watched, and that they may be infiltrated by “disruptors” whose sole intent is to cause trouble and who “are not dressed like you … but carry signs with what we believe in.” He mused that “there has to be a reason for” the federal administration’s attack on human rights, including LGBTQ people’s rights; he suggested the attacks are rooted in “a vision for this country that’s not healthy and not right.”
Q&A began shortly thereafter. “Are we safe to protest on sidewalks?” Harrell said he wasn’t certain, but audience members quickly answered, “You can protest but you can’t obstruct!” The mayor then suggested maybe the city could print a list of protest do’s and don’ts.
Will Seattle Police collaborate with ICE and federal troops in any way? “No,” Harrell replied, to both. (One attendee later claimed SPD had “cooperate(d) with ICE” at a Federal Building event and that SPD let agents “drive away with kidnap victims in the back of a van”; Harrell said the incident in question is “being investigation” and he’s so far getting “mixed information.” It was also suggested that SPD officers are getting conflicting directives from the police union and Harrell said that is currently the subject of “active discussions.”)
What can police use against demonstrators? The mayor referred to the recent filing seeking to end the federal consent decree, and said he is “confident I have the right people,” including newly confirmed Police Chief Shon Barnes, making decisions.
“What are you and SPD doing to keep people from being taken by masked agents?” This led to a somewhat contentious exchange. The mayor said he’s on record as opposed to agents being masked, “but we are not allowed to interfere” and they don’t get advanced intel on “how they are going to raid, who they are going to raid. We can’t stop an officer when we don’t know what they are going to do.”
“What about when you’re not sure who they are?” That was a reference to operations in multiple states – including one recently in White Center – in which the agents wore masks and vests simply marked POLICE, and traveled in unmarked vehicles. Questioners wanted to know how known authorities – like SPD – could even know for sure that these are authorized federal agents. “To impersonate an officer is a crime,” Harrell noted, and then suggested people call 911 if they suspect impersonation is happening. One person then asked bluntly, “Will you investigate before or after a person is taken?”
Harrell got a bit defensive as this line of questioning went on, saying he had a directive “to protect people from these illegal unauthorized ICE raids” but also acknowledging they may not know who’s “authorized” and who’s not: “Our officers are not going to get into fisticuffs with a federal agent” but suggesting that “police will come between (unverified agents and prospective detainees) to make sure a crime is not being committed.”
How can police verify that agents really are ICE? Harrell said there’s no policy/procedure on that yet because these operations involving masked, generically dressed people are a recent phenomenon. He added that “no mayor in the entire country has this figured out, this is uncharted territory” but says his administration is working on it, as are other mayors (noting that he had spoken to the mayors of Nashville and Portland the day before).
Asked about Lewis County in southwestern Washington expressly declaring itself “not a sanctuary county,” Harrell observed that “we are a welcoming state so I don’t think that’s consistent with state policy” but went on to caution that he has “84 square miles in the city to protect” and doesn’t “have the bandwidth to go out to Lewis County.”
The remainder of the questioning focused largely on what concerned people can and/or should do to help with the immigration situation. (Take “rapid response” training, one attendee suggested; WSI is offering that July 31.) The mayor said he’ll meet with deputy mayor Greg Wong “to develop an answer,” adding that he was inspired by “the energy in this room” but insisted that he’s been “focusing on the people (who’ve been) getting arrested, not the politics.” To that end, he noted, “this isn’t the only thing I have to worry about” from the federal administration – the “big bill,” cybersecurity, “lack of regulations in the AI space…I apologize if I don’t know every answer to every question but …it’s not a great time to be a mayor of a blue city, trust me, we are a big target for them.”
In conclusion, he noted again that he had shown up without an entourage – “I came here a little vulnerable, frankly” – but promised that he would fulfill the “marching orders” presented to him during the Q&A: “The biggest is to come back and strategize what we can do together.”
That photo is from West Seattle Indivisible, taken last Sunday morning, when about 80 people showed up to commiserate and strategize in the wake of the “big bill” that was just passed by Congress and signed by the president. This Sunday, WSI gathers again, this time with a guest appearance by a local leader – here’s the announcement we received tonight:
At our gathering on Alki last Sunday, high interest was expressed in learning more about what we all can do to prepare for increased ICE presence in our city and our neighborhoods. Mayor Harrell was able to arrange his schedule to share the city’s stance and strategies with our group; he will be with us from 3:30-4 pm.
Remember that this weekend is West Seattle Summer Fest and parking in the Junction area will be challenging. Doors will open at 3 pm to allow ample time to get settled in order to start promptly at 3:30 pm.
(Added: Seattle Channel video of afternoon announcement event) 11:40 AM: Another tax measure might be on the way to your November ballot, and this time it’s not a property-tax levy – it involves business taxes.
This afternoon, it’ll be announced by Mayor Harrell and citywide City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, who call it the “Seattle Shield.” Excerpted from their advance announcement:
Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck (Position 8, Citywide) announced a new proposal to lower city taxes for approximately 90% of Seattle businesses that currently pay the Business & Occupation (B&O) tax and raise needed new progressive revenue to protect funding to essential services and programs threatened by the Trump administration. …
The City of Seattle currently faces a $251 million deficit across all fund balances, with further financial risk stemming from Trump administration threats to federal funding and economic uncertainty. This proposal would temporarily raise B&O rates to bring in $90 million in net revenues for the City annually with funding dedicated to backfilling essential human services threatened by the Trump administration and maintaining effective ongoing City programs. These include investments in housing vouchers and shelter, food and nutrition access, services for survivors of gender-based violence, and more. With current financial forecasts, this revenue would also allow the City to protect and maintain needed investments in affordable housing. …
How the proposal works:
In 2026, the B&O tax exemption would be increased from $100,000 to $2,000,000, exempting approximately 16,500 small and medium-sized businesses (76% of current taxpayers) from the B&O tax. The City would also create the new B&O deduction, allowing all businesses to only pay B&O taxes on gross receipts above $2 million.
To offset the reduced B&O tax revenues caused by the exemption and deduction, and to address the deficit and Trump administration threats, the B&O tax rate will increase in 2026 from 22 cents per $100 of taxable receipts to 34 cents per $100 for retail, wholesale, and manufacturing companies and from 43 cents per $100 to 65 cents per $100 for service companies.
For the median taxpayer business that has $5 million in gross receipts, they would only pay the B&O tax on $3 million in gross receipts after the $2 million B&O deduction. In this example, their City B&O obligation would go from $15,200 in 2025 to $13,972 in 2026, a decrease of over $1,200.
For a business with $12 million in gross receipts – in the highest quartile of taxpayers – their B&O obligation would go from $31,920 in 2025 to $39,587 in 2026, an increase of $7,667. Approximately 90% of small and medium-sized businesses would see their tax obligation reduced or would be exempted altogether from the tax.
These changes would be effective for four years, from 2026 though 2029, with a councilmanic option to renew them for four additional years from 2030 through 2033.
This would require City Council and voter approval. We’ve asked for the full text of the proposal and will add that when we get it, along with any additional information emerging from the 1 pm event at which this will be officially announced.
5:38 PM: Adding the video from that event atop this story. The full text of the proposal isn’t available yet, so that might have to wait for a followup story. Here’s the entire news release, meantime.
Mayor Harrell visited the Georgetown satellite campus of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) today to sign the bill sending the expansion/renewal Families, Education, Preschool, Promise Levy to the November ballot. This is a 6-year, $1.3 billion levy; as we reported when the mayor proposed it back in April, it’s projected to cost the median-assessed-value Seattle homeowner $654 a year, while the 2018 version of the levy – which is expiring – was described as costing the median-value homeowner $249 a year. Among the speakers today was SSC president Dr. Monica Brown:
The “Promise” in the levy’s name is its big tie to SSC, as it will fund the Seattle Promise program offering free tuition at SSC and its two sibling Seattle Colleges. The city’s news release about today’s signing event has more on what the levy will go toward, as does this fact sheet.
This afternoon, the City Council passed legislation allowing the Downtown Seattle Association to “install and operate interactive media kiosks in neighborhood business districts around Seattle.” According to documents from today’s council agenda, the kiosks could look like this – 8 feet tall and 3 feet wide:
The West Seattle Junction is one of the business districts specified in the bill as a potential recipient of the kiosks. But that doesn’t guarantee you’ll see one or more here. The bill says vendor Smart City will install 30 downtown before the World Cup, then 50 more, including 20 “among Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) in Ballard, U District, SODO, and West Seattle Junction.” So we asked West Seattle Junction Association executive director Chris Mackay about the local plan, and she said there’s nothing definite – the WSJA board first wants to see how they look downtown, before deciding on whether to exercise what Mackay calls “the option to get one.”
The Downtown Seattle Association says benefits of the kiosks would include “free wi-fi” and “multilingual wayfinding.” As for whether they’d be a revenue generator, the council-staff analysis says in part:
DSA estimates that Kiosks will generate $1.1 million in advertising revenue for the initial 30-kiosk deployment, collected by the DSA, with use limited to public purposes, governed by MOU between the City and DSA. The MOU also provides that revenue generated above the $1.1 million estimate from the initial 30 kiosk deployment and from the optional 30 Kiosk expansionlocated in the MID would be collected by the City, and the optional 20 kiosk expansion in BIAlocations would generate revenue for BIAs. Revenue projections for the City and the 20 BIA expansion kiosks are not known. Revenues generated to the City will be deposited in the City’s General Fund to support general government services, which could include public safety, community investments and maintenance activities in and around the right-of-way.
The council vote was 6-2; those voting no were Councilmembers Alexis Mercedes Rinck and Cathy Moore, while Councilmember Dan Strauss was absent.
The city’s rezoning/Comprehensive Plan Update process continues, outlining plans for future growth, and tomorrow brings the Seattle City Council‘s next all-day public hearing. The morning session is focused on remote testimony, the afternoon session on in-person, everybody allotted up to one minute. The agenda has all the documents, including a package of simple maps showing the newest proposed boundaries for what the city calls Neighborhood Centers and Urban Centers. Seven of the maps show the newest boundaries under consideration for the proposed Neighborhood Centers in West Seattle – pages 1-6 are Endolyne, Upper Fauntleroy, Holden, Fairmount, Brandon Junction, and Delridge, page 25 is High Point – and then there are four Urban Centers mapped for WS, Admiral (page 40), Morgan Junction (page 52), West Seattle Junction (page 61), Westwood-Highland Park (page 62). For an explanation of the different types of “centers,” you can check out page 24 of this document, and then scroll ahead to more detailed descriptionsi. The Neighborhood Center concept in particular was introduced when the city unveiled the first version of its rezoning proposal eight months ago. Not all the center boundaries have changed since then; this package of maps compares the original and revised boundaries for those that have changed, including the Endolyne Neighborhood Center and the Admiral and Morgan Junction Urban Centers.
If you’re interested in commenting to the council during Monday’s public hearing, which starts at 9:30 am, here’s how to sign up, as outlined on the second page of the agenda:
11:39 AM: Also happening right now, the “No Kings” rallies coast-to-coast. While Seattle’s biggest gathering is planned for Cal Anderson Park, as we’ve reported, at least five West Seattle gatherings have been announced, and the first is happening right now on the corners at Admiral/California. WSB’s Hayden Yu Andersen counted at least 70 people between the corners and sent these photos:
Earlier, some West Seattleites met up to take Metro east from The Junction, including this woman who was handing out small flags:
A gathering at The Junction has just begun – updates on that shortly.
11:54 AM: Hayden estimates more than 260 people in The Junction “and more filtering in.”
12:42 PM: We heard honking near our booth at the Morgan Junction Community Festival, so went out to the street to look and found a few demonstrators gathered, unannounced, on the corners at California/Fauntleroy too:
The man with the upside-down flag – a symbol of distress – told us his flag dates back to at least the ’60s, passed down by his grandfather. … Meantime, we just checked out the demonstration in The Junction via live traffic cam – here’s a screengrab:
1:22 PM: The downtown march is headed west from Cal Anderson – be aware of traffic effects if you are headed across the bay in the next few hours. Here in WS, we have a photographer checking out the South Delridge gathering and will add that later.
2:57 PM: Nathan sent this photo from a gathering on the South Park Bridge:
ADDED SATURDAY EVENING: The next four photos are from the Junction rally, by photojournalist Oliver Hamlin for WSB:
This one was sent by Arlene Rubin:
And this video is from Clay Eals, who recorded several passes at Walk-All-Ways:
Wednesday night, our area’s largest political organization meets online to decide who to endorse in this year’s elections.
This past Saturday night, the 34th District Democrats gathered in person to raise money, snack, sip, and hear many candidates’ pitches.
The fundraiser’s theme was Forward Together, meant as a rallying cry as Democrats here and elsewhere work to find a unified breakthrough in an age of Republican control. As the organization’s first vice chair Rachel Glass said toward the start of the program, the point was “to uplift the work we’re doing to save our democracy.” Chair Jordan Crawley added, “The defense of democracy starts right here. … The moment we’re in (is) an invitation to lead.” But even local, regional, and state Democrats haven’t been marching in lockstep, as evidenced in two recent appearances of the 34th District legislative trio, at which they said working with newly elected Gov. Bob Ferguson had been a challenge.
The disagreements weren’t in evidence Saturday night, though, as the party filled the Washington State Black Legacy Institute in Admiral. Elected officials in attendance included 34th District State Sen. Emily Alvarado, State House Majority Leader Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, County Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda, Claudia Balducci, and Girmay Zahilay, Seattle School Board President Gina Topp, County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion, and Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck (the only one of the nine councilmembers to attend). Former elected officials too – including ex-King County Executive, now Sound Transit CEO, Dow Constantine and ex-State Senator, now state Commerce Director, Joe Nguyen.
With Crawley declaring “Elections matter,” he and Glass made way for a parade of candidates. State Sen. Alvarado – running unopposed for a full term in the seat to which she recently was appointed – gave the first and arguably most fiery speech: “We can’t just sit idly by while they try to take our democracy away.” County Councilmembers Zahilay and Balducci, main rivals for the open job of County Executive, gave more standard pitches mostly focusing on local issues and their respective selling points, although Zahilay had an extra point to hit: He arrived in the U.S. at age 3 as a refugee from Sudan – a country now on the federal “travel ban” list. “I’m running today because (a story like mine) is no longer possible.”
The Seattle city race with the most candidates speaking was City Attorney; incumbent Ann Davison, who has run for office in the past as a Republican, was not on hand, but her three challengers Erika Evans, Rory O’Sullivan, and Nathan Rouse made their cases. The two citywide Seattle City Council positions are both on the ballot; Position 8 incumbent Mercedes Rinck cleaved to the spirit of the evening by declaring “Seattle must stand as a beacon of hope and resilience (and) fight against the politics of fascism.” (She has four challengers, none of whom were there.) Position 9 incumbent Sara Nelson wasn’t there but one of her three challengers, Dionne Foster, spoke, proclaiming, “I know our city can do better.”
Burien is part of the 34th, too, so they heard from a few of the candidates in that city’s races, before the event wrapped with a round of “raise-the-paddle” fundraising.
Next up, the group meets online at 6 pm Wednesday (June 11) for endorsements. Here’s the agenda – one block endorsement, followed by a long list of individual ones for contested races. Even if you’re not a member eligible to vote, you can watch the meeting – here’s the registration link; they usually publish the recording to YouTube afterward, too.
King County Executive Shannon Braddock is proposing a sales-tax increase that she says could keep the county from having to cut criminal-justice services, though the exact plan for how the money would be spent is yet to come. Here’s the announcement:
Today, King County Executive Shannon Braddock sent a proposal to the King County Council that would establish a new revenue measure to support public safety and criminal justice work.
The new proposal, if approved by the Council, would enact a 0.1% sales and use tax, authorized by state legislators and signed into law by Governor Bob Ferguson last month. The sales tax is forecasted to generate $95 million a year. Since nearly 75% of the General Fund is dedicated to public safety and the criminal legal system, the measure would generate sufficient funding to offset the County’s previously projected $150 million biennial General Fund deficit, avoiding deep cuts to essential services and programs.
“This new revenue tool will allow King County to continue to advance community health and public safety. I hope that the legislature continues the conversation on how we can make our tax system less regressive and better support our local governments that deliver so many of the important services our communities rely on,” said Executive Braddock. “With approval of this proposal, we can craft a responsible budget that invests in people while preventing deep cuts, and I would like to thank Councilmembers Zahilay and Dembowski for their commitment to working together and quickly charting a path forward for this critical measure.”
“Without urgent action to stabilize our general fund, real people will suffer. In unincorporated King County, police service will be reduced or delayed during the moments people need help the most. More people in crisis will remain on the streets or end up in jail without access to the mental health and addiction care they need. Victims of crime will wait even longer for their day in court. Public defenders will face even more crushing caseloads,” said King County Council Chair Girmay Zahilay. “A sales tax isn’t what I’d choose to fix these issues in an ideal world—it’s a regressive tool. But it’s the only option we have to avoid devastating cuts to our public safety services. That’s why I’ll support this proposal and work with communities across King County to shape it and protect the services we all rely on to survive.”
“King County’s public safety, public health and other general fund programs are in very serious trouble. Without new revenue, we face at least $150 million in cuts over the next two years,” said King County Council Budget Chair Rod Dembowski. “That is why Council Chair Zahilay and I advocated for and now fully support Executive Braddock’s proposal to implement the authority provided to us by the state legislature to prevent these cuts. For the cost of ten cents on a $100 taxable purchase, we can and will keep our sheriff’s office, prosecutor’s office, our courts, victim advocacy services, and prevention and diversion programs adequately resourced. This program will also give needed support to our public health and human services programs. We will move this proposal forward without delay.”
As part of her 200-Day plan, Executive Braddock will convene a public safety roundtable at the end of July, bringing together elected representatives from King County, community perspectives, law enforcement, and other partners in the criminal legal system.
The roundtable discussion, alongside community engagement, will ensure a collaborative process to help inform strategic investment opportunities to address public safety and legal system issues the County is facing. This could also include recommendations to expand or adjust diversion and reentry programs, programs to reduce the number of people interacting with the criminal legal system, community outreach and assistance programs, alternative mental health crisis response programs, or initiatives addressing gun violence.
The allocation of the funding will be proposed in Executive Braddock’s 2026-2027 budget, which will be sent to the Council for consideration in September.
Just announced via news release: District 5 (North Seattle) City Councilmember Cathy Moore is resigning. Most recently, she sponsored a controversial proposal to change city law to allow councilmembers to vote on matters in which they had a financial interest; last Friday, she withdrew it. Moore, a former King County Superior Court judge first elected in 2023, says she’s leaving “due to health and personal reasons.” Her last day will be July 7. This will be the third seat the council has had to fill by appointment in less than two years, after Teresa Mosqueda left Citywide Position 8 to run for King County Council and after Tammy Moralesleft the District 2 position.
On the warmest, sunniest evening so far this year, our area’s three state legislators – and about a dozen or so spectators – spent almost two hours in a mostly windowless venue talking politics.
The timing may have been unfortunate, but the information and opinions were even livelier and more pointed than what the legislators had to say at another local forum less than a week earlier (WSB coverage, also with video, here).
First, if you can spare the time and are interested in what transpired in Olympia this year and why, here’s our video of the entire Wednesday (May 28) forum in the Fauntleroy Church Fellowship Hall, organized by the 34th District Democrats and moderated by the group’s chair, Jordan Crawley:
We of course took notes as our camera rolled, but they’re nowhere near as detailed as watching the recording (in which, realizing it would likely be seen by more people than were present in person, they addressed the expected WSB viewers from time to time).
34th District State Sen. Emily Alvarado, State House Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (who is House Majority Leader), and State House Rep. Brianna Thomas all began with self-introductions,
Alvarado noted that her appointment to the Senate (to replace Joe Nguyễn after his appointment as state Commerce Department Director) came about two weeks into the session. She launched “a bill to stop rent gouging” while in the House and saw it “across the finish line” in the Senate.
Fitzgibbon said one of the things of which he was proudest year was a bill that “ramps up the targets” for the clean-fuel standards, as well as recycling reform “many years in the making … the companies that make hard-to-recycle products have to change their packaging to be more recyclable, or pay for (the recycling).”
Thomas (appointed to the House seat Alvarado vacated for the Senate move) remarked on how many people from the district came to Olympia to meet with her – “The 34th travels! We did 57 meetings in 62 days … you guys are really engaged.”
She said she introduced seven bills, and two became law, including the one increasing the allowable compensation for Sound Transit-initiated relocation (“someday somehow some way a train is coming to West Seattle”). She also remarked on being part of a “robust class of newcomers” that lowered the average age by seven years.
They answered both pre-submitted questions and “live” questions. Among the latter, one of the final ones was, what can. people do to “fight back” if they are dismayed by the way things are going with the federal government?
Alvarado said it’s vital “to talk about what’s happening – as soon as we stop paying attention they go on to the next egregious thing – we have to be loud, we have to share stories, we have to continue to be vocal.”
Fitzgibbon said he had nothing to add. But Thomas did: “We’re getting bullied – I come from a military family” and so she’s determined to fight back. Document what’s happening, and “leverage the privileges we have,” she advised, saying that’s “what WILL make America great again.” An attendee then said he would “leave the room a lot more optimistic and inspired.” Alvarado observed that “one of the best things we can do is feel optimistic … (their) strategy is to divide and to make us feel helpless.”
Crawley added that “defense of our values as a party” is crucial, and vocalizing how those values relate to people’s everyday lives.”
Now back to other issues discussed:
Asked about “rent stabilization,” Alvarado said that was a tough issue, with the first House hearing on the first day of the session and a bill finally passed on the last day. “What we introduced was rent stabilization, what passed was anti-rent gouging – a 10 percent cap.” She acknowledged that “people expect us to make housing more affordable.”
Regarding “a more equitable tax system,” Thomas said it was unfortunate that the “wealth-gap bill” didn’t get far and said she didn’t buy the argument that the tax would lead coompanies to take their money elsewhere: “Most other states have an income tax. I don’t think we have a resource problem in Washington, I think we have a capture problem.”
Fitzgibbon said that when Gov. Bob Ferguson took a property-tax proposal off the table, “we were left with business tax and sales tax” as the only options to work with. “We need a state income tax … we are now the 49th most regressive state (in taxing)” – he said Tennessee is the only state with a more “regressive” tax system.
Alvarado said the business and sales taxes won’t be able to cover the cost of fully funding public schools. “We can’t sales-tax our way to a great education for our children” or to full operation of behavioral-health facilities, or to child-care subsidies, though “we knew if we funded child care, education, we’d have smarter healthier people around …I hope the public knows we can make investments but we don’t have the tools” and they need Gov. Ferguson’s cooperation to get some of them through.
And, Thomas noted, potential federal cuts mean even more of a crisis is looming; if “rural” clinics have to close, for example, that doesn’t just mean in the mountains somewhere, that means, for example, Vashon Island. “an 18-minute ferry ride.”
Fitzgibbon echoed Thomas on federal accountability: “What Congress is considering right now is SO unconscionable I don’t know how these people sleep – the Medicaid cuts are going to be devastating”; he said they’re also proposing to cut the Medicaid match “only for states like (ours) that use their own health care dollars to provide care for undocumented folks” – so the state is left with a choice, either accepting “billions of dollars in lost money” or “repeal(ing) health care for undocumented people (and lead to sicker people) … The federal government is terrible.”
Alvarado added, “Some think it’s OK to stop defending humans because they’re undocumented,” but she disagrees, and notes that State Attorney General Nick Brown (a West Seattleite) “has been taking on cases.” Meantime, “there are people getting rounded up at their workplaces by people in masks – it’s time for those of us with privilege and power to stand up and not let it be so easy … it’s just gonna get harder over the next few years.”
“We are a wildly diverse and beautiful district,” added Thomas, expressing regret that the “domestic worker bill of rights” died.
Fitzgibbon said that since immigration is largely in the feds’ purview, there’s not much the state can do to protect people except “one thing we’re getting better at – regulate the detention facilities in our state that ICE uses – ICE has a lot of detention facilities all around – the Ferguson administration is identifying where they are to be sure local governments are inspecting them.”
Other pre-submitted questions addressed local employment-related regulations and clean energy. The first “live” questioner had three questions, including regarding the seeming inaccessibility of information and a complaint about the format of the “telephone town hall” the three legislators offered during the session.
Thomas acknowledged “government is opaque” but said the “part-time legislators” are trying to make it less so. Regarding the telephone town hall, Alvarado said it’s an experimental format but the fact it went “to every phone in the district” meant the event at least began “with thousands of people on the line.”
The questioner also asked about school funding and Alvarado agreed, “You’d think it would be simple to raise the taxes to fund our schools, so we have to keep fighting, we have to keep getting creative.” She blamed the governor and “the corporations” for killing the main tax ideas. But she also noted, “We DID put $1.6 billion in schools over four years. That’s nowhere near enough but it’s $1.6 billion more than we had.” She also had warm words for the constituent engagement on schools this year, including the “billion-dollar bake sale” crew.
Fitzgibbon added that “Republicans were on fire against (potentially) allowing Seattle voters to tax themselves more for their schools.”
Other points of discussion included religious organizations’ takeover of hospitals, solar power, and debt. On the latter, Alvarado said a law was passed “limiting the use of medical debt on credit reports” and a bill allowing you to keep $2,000 if debt collectors are after you, rather than allowing them to seize every last cent you have.
Another question: Can “church parking lots” be taxed? Alvarado said that might relate to a “conversation across the nation (about) land-value tax,” whether there’s a better way to tax property.
A ferry-riding student asked about the Mosquito Fleet bill that died; the legislators agreed the idea of putting “more boats on the water” had promise. They also expressed hope for money to fund weekend Water Taxi service to Vashon Island.
Another young attendee expressed dismay at the possibility of “resource officers” at schools, asking, “is there anything we can do to stop it?” Thomas replied “no,” noting that “what looks like safety, feels like safety, is different from school to school to school.” Alvarado said talking about how to make buildings safer could take the focus away from increasing police presence.
Again, watch the video for the entirety of the discussion.
Last Thursday, the trio were guests at the West Seattle Democratic Women‘s dinner meeting. Here’s our hour-plus unedited video:
They remarked on very long hours and the work it took to balance the budget – $7 billion in cuts, $9 billion in new taxes, “none were easy.”
Nor, they said, was their working relationship with new Gov. Bob Ferguson, even though he, like all three of them and the majority of their fellow legislators, is a Democrat.
The Seattle City Council‘s Public Safety Committee just got an update on Seattle Police hiring and staffing. The summary from analyst Greg Doss: “Huge increase in hiring, but that takes a while to translate to cops on the street.”
Currently, Doss told the councilmembers, they’re hiring 14 officers a month, which he described as an “unprecedented” pace, “even in good years.” In the first quarter of the year, he elaborated, SPD had 12 more hires and 7 fewer separations than projected, and the department’s already “meeting its goals for the entire year.” (The reduction in number of departures was highlighted again late in the briefing.)
One area isn’t improving, though – increasing the number of women on the force. Applicants and hires are running about 15 percent female, Doss said, so new Chief Shon Barnes has directed that female candidates all get a “second look” to “be sure we’re not missing something.” The department at one point had a declared goal to have a 30 percent female staff by 2030 but is nowhere near that goal.
Other stats shown this morning included the staffing breakdown – the number of officers on “911 response” has held fairly steady, albeit at a level that’s two-thirds of five years ago.
There also were some precinct specific stats, including staffing (no elaboration, but it was mentioned that SPD is currently conducting a “precinct staffing study:):
And also response times, which in general are improving, in part because of a change in categorization of what’s a “Priority 1” call – in some, Doss said, they realized that callers in some categories weren’t necessarily in immediate danger. That meant more calls are “Priority 2,” and those response times are improving too – possibly, briefers said, because the availability of CARE responders means officers can turn some incidents over to them and get back to 911 responses sooner.
The increase in hiring and reduction in separations means that the years of “we have money for more positions than we can fill” are over – now SPD is hiring more than it’s budgeted for, but councilmembers were told SPD does not expect to ask for budget supplementation until later in the year. Right now, they’re still relying on overtime to reach minimum staffing on most if not all shifts, councilmembers were told. But the briefers say right now, the staffing level is on a road to recovery: This year’s hiring could re-fill as many as 70+ of the vacancies left when 300+ officers left in the early 2020s.
Committee chair Councilmember Bob Kettle wrapped up the briefing by saying he feels encouraged but wary of mixed messages to the public since, as noted above, increased hiring pace now won’t mean increased officer numbers on the street for a while. He also said it’s vital to keep up the pace on other things – particularly police reform.
(P.S. If you’ve got questions about Southwest Precinct operations, remember that its Precinct Advisory Council has an open community meeting next Tuesday (June 3) at High Point Neighborhood House (6400 Sylvan Way SW), 6:30 pm.)
See today’s full briefing presentation slide deck, from which the graphics above were pulled, by going here.
Back in February, the City Council‘s public hearing to listen to comments about proposed rezoning was adjourned with a long list of people still waiting to speak. They promised another chance. An all-day public hearing tomorrow (Monday, May 19) brings that chance. In case you’ve missed the mentions in citywide media, here’s how it was announced by the office of Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth, who is leading land-use issues:
The Select Committee for the Comprehensive Plan, chaired by Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth (District 3), will hold its second public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan and associated legislation on Monday, May 19.
The Select Committee will hear public comments on amendments to the interim HB 1110 legislation. Interim HB 1110 legislation is designed to ensure that Seattle meets the June 30 implementation deadline for the state’s Middle Housing bill. When work on this interim legislation is complete, the Select Committee can begin considering Permanent HB 1110 legislation.
This public hearing will be separated into two sessions, with individual registration windows for each session. Session I at 9:30 a.m. is reserved for remote public comment. Session II at 4 p.m. is reserved for in-person commentors. Each speaker will be provided one minute to give their comments. Individuals will only be permitted to comment at one session. The Select Committee may recess if there are no registered speakers present at any time. The Select Committee will recess for lunch between Session I and Session II.
Meeting information
WHO: Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan
WHAT: Public Hearing (two sessions)
WHEN: Monday, May 19
9:30 a.m. for remote public comment
4 p.m. for in-person public comment
WHERE: Council Chamber, City Hall, 600 4th Avenue
How to register
Session I: Registration for remote speakers – 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Session II: Registration for in-person speakers – 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
In-person public comment will be accepted beginning at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers, at City Hall
Speakers must be registered in order to be recognized by the Chair and will be called in the order registered. Registration for each public hearing session will end at the established time.
February 5 Public Hearing Attendees
Members of the public whose registered speaker’s numbers were not called at the February 5 Comprehensive Plan public hearing will be required to re-register for the May 19 public hearing. There will be a separate, clearly marked check-in location for these individuals. City Council staff has been provided with a list of names to work directly with these individuals to ensure their public comment is heard in a timely manner.
Submit Written Comment
You may also submit written public comments to the Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan by email to council@seattle.gov. Written comments should be received by Monday, May 19, 2025, at 5 p.m.
HB 1110 is the bill passed last year by the State Legislature that basically ended single-family zoning, as explained in this city document.
As of tonight, the 
Wednesday night, our area’s largest political organization meets online to decide who to endorse in this year’s elections.
Just announced via news release: District 5 (North Seattle) City Councilmember 
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