King County Op-ed: Seattle boom an inconvenient truth for Republicans In a dramatic reversal, Republicans responded to the news that Seattle has become one of the nation’s top jobs factories by openly questioning everything they’ve said over the years about job creation and how to grow the economy. “We’re going to send some fact-finding missions into…
King County Conlin: Focus housing for poor in cheaper South Seattle Advocates for low-income housing are outraged by comments made on the Seattle City Council dais Monday, comments they say are thinly veiled suggestions that Seattle “redline” the poor into designated ghettos. Council member Richard Conlin made the case to his colleagues for focusing subsidized housing…
King County No politics, please, we’re immigrants Immigration has transformed the Eastside’s demographics, culture and economy. But what about its politics? Why are its immigrants and other minorities largely absent from elected office? The Eastside’s political leadership includes two notable trailblazers: Hong Kong-born Conrad Lee, a member of Bellevue’s city council since 1994 and its mayor since…
The State Central Washington town rides ups and downs of ‘broken’ immigration system There’s one word that politicians almost always use when they talk about the U.S. immigration system. That word is “broken.” But what does that really mean? Residents of the Okanogan County town of Brewster know. For decades, immigrants have come from Mexico,…
King County The City Attorney’s sneaky-smart plan to kill the Police Guild’s reform lawsuit City Attorney Pete Holmes office filed a motion Monday seeking to bump a lawsuit filed by local police unions, which could stymie Seattle’s efforts at police reform, from superior court to federal district court. The city is working with an independent monitor, Merrick…
The State Green Jobs? State’s first big marijuana grow operation is announced, and here’s the fun part – it’s in a public building Under the brave new world created by Washington’s Initiative 502, it looks like all that campaign talk about green jobs is coming true. Seattle restaurateur Marcus Charles will take over a part of vacant…
King County Tool of the “super-rich”? Conlin asks for $5 donations Seattle City Councilman Richard Conlin is asking supporters for $5 donations to “kick-start” his March fundraising, a day after his firebrand socialist challenger Kshama Sawant labeled Conlin as a tool of the “super-rich” in the pocket of big business. The four-term Councilman does not sound…
King County Seattle Port Commission approves big pay increase Port of Seattle commissioners voted Tuesday to raise their pay by $36,000 a year, becoming the only salaried port commission on the West Coast. No one commented before or after the vote by only three commissioners, one of whom is stepping down Friday. Instead of $500 a…
King County Federal judge approves blueprint for Seattle police reforms A federal judge Tuesday approved a first-year blueprint for reforming the Seattle Police Department, praising the work creating the plan but issuing a blunt warning to the city that he has not been happy with political infighting that cluttered the negotiations. In a stern lecture from the bench,…
King County Police unions sue to block reform plan for Seattle Police Dept. Two Seattle police unions deployed both steel fist and velvet glove Monday, claiming that they support “necessary police reforms” while filing a King County Superior Court suit to block a Monitor’s plan that would reform the training of Seattle’s finest. The suit charges…