Episodes
Is Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson Still an Urbanist?
Just as urbanists thought they had a deal to jumpstart stalled housing construction, it fell apart. We unpack the rise and fall of a proposed temporary break on Seattle's Mandatory Housing Affordability program, which taxes new development to fund affordable housing. Tho...
World Cup Glow, Homeless Surge: Seattle's Unsheltered Population Up 21%
While Seattle celebrates hosting the World Cup, the city's unsheltered count just jumped 21 percent. What explains the increase? Can we trust the numbers? And why are we seeing shelter capacity shrink right when it’s needed most? Also: Mayor Katie Wilson's "zero-toleranc...
Has King County's Human Services Department Fixed the Problems Flagged in that "Damning" Audit?
Last August, an alarming, high-profile audit of King County’s Department of Community and Human Services’ spending on “high-risk” youth program providers found widespread problems and indications of potential fraud. So now, 10 months later, has DCHS been able to clean up...
Mayor Wants to Double Down on Seattle Transit Sales Tax
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Seattle Nice, which takes up Mayor Katie Wilson’s proposal to double the current transit sales tax. It’s a familiar Seattle policy dilemma: how do we pay for the reliable public transit we need without relying on regressive taxe...
Are Falling Seattle Home Prices Good News? Redfin's Chief Economist Has Answers.
Daryl Fairweather, Chief Economist at Redfin and author of Hate the Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work, joins us to explain why the housing market is doing something it almost never does here: cooling off. In this episode we break down the recent headlin...
How Badly Did Sound Transit Just Screw Seattle?
On the latest episode, we cut through the fig leafs and happy talk from Sound Transit officials to lay bare the hardball political realities underlying their decision to kill the long-promised light line extension to Ballard, which has been left unfunded and postponed in...
Is Sound Transit Ignoring a Plan that Could Save Ballard Light Rail?
Sound Transit is facing a $35 billion budget gap and the long-promised light rail extension to Ballard is at severe risk of being cut. Scott Kubly, former Director of Seattle's Department of Transportation, joins us to unpack how the region landed in this mess and shares...
Communication Breakdown: Council Blows Up at Mayoral Aides in Seattle
This week we take a closer look at the escalating tensions between Mayor Katie Wilson’s office and the Seattle City Council. What began as a push from the Mayor’s Office to approve shelter expansion legislation devolved into a "Game of Thrones meets game of sad trombones...
Mayoral “Gaffes,” Tiny Houses, Massive Drama
We tackle three major topics in Seattle politics this week, starting with scrutiny of Mayor Katie Wilson's recent so-called "gaffes," including her comment about wealthy people leaving due to a new state income tax. Second, the discussion turns to the damning audit of th...
Alarming Audit, Missing Millions: Is the End Nigh for KCRHA?
Some lawmakers are calling for the dissolution of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) following a damning forensic audit. The audit, or “forensic evaluation,” revealed years of abysmal accounting practices and that the agency could not account for mil...
Will Dialing Back Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) “Unf—k” Seattle Housing?
This week, we’re diving deep into Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program. Joining the conversation are consultant Natalie Quick and former Seattle COO Marco Lowe, who break down how this “pay a fee or include affordable units" policy is affecting housing...
