Local Government
Local Government
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
View MoreLake City loses grocery, pharmacy as District 5 voters pick new voice
Lake City has lost its Fred Meyer, Walgreens and Bartell Drugs, leaving the North Seattle neighborhood without a supermarket or pharmacy as residents prepare to choose between Nilu Jenks and Julie Kang in the Nov. 3 District 5 special election.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle challenges ruling that froze neighborhood upzones
Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans has filed a court challenge to a state growth board ruling that froze the city's Centers and Corridors upzone legislation, keeping denser housing near transit off limits through at least fall 2027.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle police seek fake Uber driver who took woman to Kent
Seattle police are searching for a man who impersonated an Uber driver and picked up a 25-year-old woman outside a Pioneer Square bar on Oct. 10, driving her to Kent before she escaped at a red light.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle council passes RV permit program in 6-3 vote
The Seattle City Council voted 6-3 on Oct. 20 to pass a six-bill RV permit program that bans overnight parking for unpermitted RVs citywide, with enforcement starting next summer, while advocates warn the $8.5 million program could leave some vehicle residents without shelter.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle Arts Commission opposes mayor's $1.5M tax diversion
Seattle's Arts Commission formally opposes Mayor Wilson's plan to permanently divert $1.5 million in Admission Tax revenue from arts funding to Parks and Seattle Center, arguing the move bypasses the municipal code's funding framework and reverses a prior council decision.
Local Government
View MoreRinck proposes $8M for Seattle domestic violence services
Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck proposes adding $8 million to Seattle's 2027-2028 budget for gender-based violence services as federal VOCA funding has dropped 76% and the City Attorney's Office faces a 1,700-case backlog.
Local Government
View MoreCapitol Hill video shows apparent federal arrest at City Market
Video posted Monday morning appears to show federal agents detaining someone in the City Market parking lot on Capitol Hill, the second such incident in the neighborhood since August as reported immigration arrests across Seattle have more than doubled this year.
Local Government
View MoreBallard Link cost-saving process draws fire before Oct. 12 deadline
Sound Transit extended the deadline for outside cost-saving ideas on the Ballard Link Extension to Oct. 12, but transit advocates say the process is too narrow to explore cheaper alternatives to the planned deep-bore tunnel.
Local Government
View MoreBallard Link forum Oct. 19 tackles possible 2060 delay
Sound Transit and Councilmember Dan Strauss will host a community forum on the Ballard Link Extension on Oct. 19 at the National Nordic Museum, where residents can ask questions about the project's potential delay to 2060.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle pays SPD employees $13 million too much
A manual calculation error at SPD sent more than $13 million in excess retroactive pay to about 900 employees, and the city must now negotiate with the police union to get the money back.
Local Government
View MoreSPD expands surveillance to 1,320 cameras without council vote
Seattle police expanded their Real Time Crime Center to 1,320 cameras, far more than previously disclosed, and launched a private-camera registration program without public announcement or City Council approval, prompting the inspector general to flag missing policies on retention and access.
Local Government
View More11,000 Washington immigrants lose Apple Health as H.R. 1 hits
About 11,000 Washington immigrants lost Apple Health coverage Thursday as federal Medicaid changes under H.R. 1 took effect, with Harborview Medical Center projecting $120 million in losses and HealthPoint clinics scrambling to reach 1,600 affected King County patients before the deadline.
Local Government
View MoreFerguson creates 23-member Washington Space Council
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order creating a 23-member Washington Space Council to keep the state competitive in a $4 billion space industry, announcing the body at the Museum of Flight as Seattle Space Week kicked off.
Local Government
View MoreSPD puts officer on leave over Chinese AI glasses video
SPD Officer Adam Sun is on administrative leave after using Chinese-made Rokid AI smart glasses to film inside police facilities for a promotional video, prompting a department-wide ban on personal recording devices and an Office of Police Accountability investigation.
Local Government
View MorePinehurst Station opens as Seattle's last new stop until 2031
Sound Transit's $240 million Pinehurst Station opens for service Wednesday, five years ahead of schedule, but a $34.5 billion funding gap means no new Seattle light rail stations until at least 2031 and leaves the Ballard extension without a completion date.
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