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# Cities in Washington will have the legal authority to create shared streets, which feature much lower speed limits and put pedestrians first, under Senate Bill 5595. Governor Bob Ferguson signed the bill into law Saturday. It will go into effect on July 27.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The race for King County Executive is heating up, and King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci says that she has the edge based on her internal polling. King County Council Chair Girmay Zahilay came in a close second in the poll, and King County Assessor John Wilson was a distant third, weighted down by stalking and harassment allegations.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Reviving community court isn’t a simple fix for Seattle’s criminal legal system — pre-filing diversion programs are more effective, cost less money, and avoid the harmful consequences of prosecution. Here's one Seattle City Attorney candidate's plan.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# At a protest Monday, Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck urged Seattle leaders to take on Trump to defend against attacks on federal workers, civil liberties, and constitutional rights. After earlier talks of collaborating with Trump, Mayor Harrell struck a more defiant tone in "State of the City" speech today, but was light on specifics.| The Urbanist - Examining urban policy to improve cities and quality of life.
# Single family zoning will soon be a thing of the past for most Washington cities thanks to passage of statewide “missing middle” housing reform this state legislative session. This monumental success was thanks in large part to lawmaker heroes named below and the far-ranging coalition that coalesced behind the bill. The state legislature took up| The Urbanist - Examining urban policy to improve cities and quality of life.
# A rally Saturday in Lake Forest Park served to highlight the threats to the SR-522 bus rapid transit project, which will connect Shoreline to Bothell. In order to open in 2028 as planned, construction needs to start this year.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Issaquah Rep. Victoria Hunt added long implementation timelines and additional exemptions to Washington's parking reform bill as it passed out of Local Government Committee on Friday. Bill sponsors still tout the policy's significant potential to reduce costs for homebuilding.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# King County Metro is projecting a significant budget shortfall by 2028 if its current spending plan is maintained, thanks to lagging sales tax revenue, increased costs, and ambitious fleet electrification plans.| The Urbanist - Examining urban policy to improve cities and quality of life.
# Last week Seattle City Council heard from some of the groups most vulnerable to the new Trump administration: those representing LGBTQ+, reproductive, immigrant, and workers’ rights. This begins their examination of potential federal impacts on Seattle, which could include power outages and shuttered research programs at the University of Washington.| The Urbanist - Examining urban policy to improve cities and quality of life.
# A Seattle Council committee voted to move forward with Mayor Bruce Harrell's new less lethal weapons bill on Tuesday. Scheduled for a final vote on February 4, this bill is one of the last steps in Seattle exiting the consent decree, but critics are concerned it could impact Seattleites' constitutional rights of free speech and assembly.| The Urbanist - Examining urban policy to improve cities and quality of life.
# Shaun Scott is headed to the Washington State House. Jessica Bateman is headed to the state senate. Alexis Mercedes Rinck won a Seattle City Council seat, and Ryan Mello is the new Pierce County Executive. All were endorsed by The Urbanist.| The Urbanist - Examining urban policy to improve cities and quality of life.
