Emerald City Wire
Local news serving Northwest Seattle
Emerald City Wire
Local news serving Northwest Seattle
Local Government
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
View MoreUber Eats owes $4.4M to 14,000 Seattle drivers after repeat pay violations
Seattle's Office of Labor Standards secured a $4.4 million settlement from Uber Eats for underpaying 14,421 delivery workers on cancelled orders, marking the agency's second-largest enforcement action and the second multimillion-dollar penalty against the company in 13 months.
Local Government
View MoreCink wins Boeing Classic; Couples ties for 4th at home
Stewart Cink birdied the first playoff hole to win the Boeing Classic at Snoqualmie Ridge on Sunday, Aug. 16, while Seattle native Fred Couples tied for fourth in his 14th appearance at his hometown event.
Local Government
View MoreRivera proposes gun violence strategy 3 weeks after Seattle Center shooting
Councilmember Maritza Rivera introduced a resolution Aug. 17 committing Seattle to a focused-deterrence gun violence strategy through the National Network for Safe Communities, three weeks after the Bite of Seattle mass shooting killed three in Lower Queen Anne.
Local Government
View MoreNew Denny Way bus lane goes in Aug. 22 as Route 40 wraps in Ballard
SDOT crews will paint a new eastbound bus-only lane on Denny Way overnight Aug. 22-23, completing the bus reliability project for the Route 8, while Route 40 punch-list work wraps up in Ballard and Fremont.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle expands emergency utility bill help to $105K earners
Starting in January 2027, Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light will raise emergency bill assistance income limits to 80% of Area Median Income, qualifying roughly 10,000 more households for credits of up to $1,074 on water, sewer and garbage bills and $960 on electricity.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle bans pet rent, package fees in new renter protection law
The Seattle City Council passed CB 121254 on Aug. 11, banning pet rent, package fees and other add-on charges that inflate monthly housing costs by 10-30%, with new disclosure rules and enforcement penalties taking effect July 1, 2027.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle RV permit plan could concentrate vehicles in Ballard, Interbay
Seattle's six-bill RV permit program could concentrate permitted vehicles in Ballard-Interbay industrial zones, council members warned at an Aug. 11 briefing, with formal introduction set for Aug. 18 and a committee vote expected Sept. 22.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle pays $534,000 for gig workers protected under law
Seattle's Office of Labor Standards awarded $534,000 in two-year contracts to Fair Work Center Collaborative and Growing Contigo to educate app-based delivery workers about their rights under the city's PayUp minimum-payment and deactivation-protection laws, funded by licensing fees paid by DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart.
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Local Government
View MoreSolar program and Boundary Dam license amendment head to council
Seattle's Parks and City Light Committee voted Aug. 5 to advance two ordinances: one updating City Light's Community Solar and Voluntary Green Power programs, and another authorizing an amendment to the Boundary Hydroelectric Project's federal license that governs roughly a third of the city's power supply.
Local Government
View MoreKettle threatens to block midyear budget over surveillance camera pause
District 7 Councilmember Bob Kettle threatened to vote against Seattle's $94.5 million midyear budget supplemental at the Aug. 5 committee meeting unless $250,000 in unspent surveillance camera funds stays earmarked for cameras, putting universal school lunches, retroactive police wages and other spending at risk.
Local Government
View MoreStage 2 burn ban shuts down 2 beach fires
A Stage 2 Burn Ban took effect across Seattle and King County on Friday, Aug. 7, banning all outdoor recreational fires including the popular fire pits at Golden Gardens in Ballard and Alki Beach in West Seattle; violations can result in misdemeanor charges.
Local Government
View More555 Seattle families receive average $499/month childcare boost
Seattle's DEEL notified 555 families on Wednesday, Aug. 5, that their Child Care Assistance Program subsidies are increasing by an average of $499 per month, with infant families receiving up to $754 monthly, as the first concrete dollars flow from the $1.3 billion FEPP Levy.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle rental 'junk fee' ban clears committee
Seattle's rental "junk fee" ban cleared a council committee unanimously on Aug. 3 and heads to a full council vote Aug. 11, promising to eliminate mandatory add-on charges that the mayor's office says inflate renter costs by 10% to 30%.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle's interim police chief formally introduced five days after Seattle Center shooting
Mayor Katie Wilson formally introduced Andre Sayles as Seattle's interim police chief at City Hall on Friday, July 31, five days after the Bite of Seattle mass shooting and one day after Chief Shon Barnes resigned over the department's communication failures.
Local Government
View MoreSeattle water rates rising 4.3% annually starting April 2027, adding to recent electricity hikes
Seattle's Governance and Utilities Committee advanced a 4.3% annual water rate increase for 2027-2029, heard an AI audit showing permit review times cut by 46 days, and held a public hearing on extending COVID-era design review exemptions — all directly affecting Queen Anne, Ballard, and Magnolia households.
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