PubliCola

Wilson Says Expanding Police Surveillance System Will Help Make Seattle “The Safest Big City in the Country”

By Erica C. Barnett Mayor Katie Wilson announced she’ll proceed with an expansion of police surveillance in the Central ...
PubliCola

Long-Awaited Report Recommends Limits on Real Time Crime Center, Including Warrants for Investigators to Search Surveillance Footage

By Erica C. Barnett The NYU Policing Project released its long-awaited privacy and civil-liberties audit of the Seattle ...
PubliColaOpinion

Great Seattle: Two Notes on the Election, One National and One Local

By Josh Feit A Democratic Majority > Stephen Miller’s Promotion If you’re outraged that Trump promoted Stephen Miller to ...
PubliCola

Councilmember Saka Says He’ll Provide Crucial Vote for Mayor Wilson’s Veto of Legislation to Ban RVs From Seattle

Sponsor Dan Strauss said the mayor’s veto shows she’s “disingenuous” and can’t be trusted. By Erica C. Barnett Mayor ...
PubliColaOpinion

Council Budget Proposal Uses One-Time Funding, Dips Into Reserves to Pile On New Spending and Reverse Mayor’s Cuts

Budget chair Strauss balked at requiring the council to pass a budget that’s balanced long-term. “I’m concerned with how much ...
PubliCola

Council Majority Supports Fiscal Accountability for the Mayor, But Not for Themselves

By Erica C. Barnett A five-member majority of the Seattle City Council declined to sponsor a proposal from Councilmember ...
publicola

KCRHA CEO Sought to Shield Records From Public Disclosure, Emails Suggest

King County Regional Homelessness Authority CEO Kelly Kinnison sought to exempt many of her emails from public disclosure last year, emails obtained through a Seattle records request and provided to ...
publicola

SPD Chief Barnes Hires Two Harrell Staffers to Executive Positions, Saka Hires Ex-Cop Who Ran for Council

1. On Monday, Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes announced permanent replacements for the two civilian command staff members he fired late last year, along with a newly created position of deputy chief ...
publicola

Mayor’s Press Secretary Departs, Budget for Police Salary Hikes Tops $80 Million

1. Sage Wilson, Mayor Katie Wilson’s press secretary, is leaving the mayor’s office after less than seven months on the job, after deciding he’d be more effective as an advocate for progressive causes ...
publicola

Mayor Katie Wilson at Six Months In: “Incredibly Proud of What We’re Accomplishing”

PubliCola sat down this week with Mayor Katie Wilson to talk about how her agenda is going at six months in, what she’s learned from the setbacks and conflicts she’s encountered (like early, ...
publicola

Rachel Smith: The Chamber’s Recovery Agenda (And Why We Aren’t Endorsing Candidates This Year)

Global pandemic. Racial reckoning. Economic recession. Capital insurrection. Massive joblessness. Vaccine shortage. Unprecedented times. This is the backdrop of the moment when I optimistically ...
publicola

Audit Reveals Widespread Ethical Concerns About the City Department that Oversees Construction, Permitting, and Landlord-Tenant Law

Earlier this year, the Seattle city auditor released a report that raised serious concerns about ethics and culture at the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, which issues building and ...