The way things sit today; Ballard will not be getting Link light rail until 2060. But residents will still be expected to continue paying for it. Sure, Dow Constantine claims "it can be built as early as 2042"...but he is assuming residents within the 3 county large Regional Transit Authority Zone are willing to pony up tens of billions more through an ST4 tax package in the works, for what we've already been paying for. This is what happens when there is no accountability for the repeated failures of Sound Transit leadership. Segment by @cbalderastv at KING 5

Today in 1988, Westlake Center held a grand opening party in Seattle. The four-story, 120,000-square-foot retail pavilion and 21-story office tower became the center of retail in the downtown core. Few blocks tell the story of modern Seattle quite like Westlake. Once a bustling crown jewel, it's now a (nearly empty) transit hub in a City that is currently reinventing itself.

Police reports say after he killed Dobbeck, Oneal went across the street toward Seattle Center and out of view of cameras. (SC has no public surveillance cameras, which was also an issue at the Bite of Seattle shooting). (3/3) @komonews

The council is set to vote on the derelict RV parking permit system today at 2pm. Businesses do not appear to be confident in the city to actually enforce the rules, if this is passed. Seattle Council Meeting Link to details> seattle.gov/council/calendar… Link to agenda> seattle.legistar.com/Departm… Segment by @AlejandraG_TV at FOX 13 Seattle

Seattle Councilman and Public Safety Chair Bob Kettle, upon hearing more details from Mayor Katie Wilson's proposed budget: “Mayor Wilson’s budget, with additional details, context, and analysis provided by the departments themselves and City Council Central Staff policy experts, makes it clear that this budget is an ‘Unfund’ budget with respect to public safety. It’s as if the lessons of the ‘Defund’ era half a decade ago have not been learned, and the ‘hard choices’ in the mayor’s budget will undercut our public safety posture. “These decisions, such as the Seattle Fire Department’s overtime cuts or the undermining of the necessary work of the Unified Care Team — which includes substantial outreach and trash mitigation of encampment sites — cover the range of public safety efforts. These decisions share a common thread in being rooted in what can only be described as a ‘wish’ and ‘hope’ strategy to make our city safer. “Our city neighborhoods are in crisis, including but not limited to Little Saigon, North Aurora Avenue, Belltown, and now Uptown/Queen Anne. These neighborhoods deserve a comprehensive public safety approach with a single public safety plan to face the challenges in front of all of us, like gun violence, public drug use, copper wire theft, and more. That means that the city, in turn, needs a strong public safety budget. “Moving forward, I will be working with my colleagues on the council to ensure that these public safety concerns are addressed. And again, I urge the mayor’s team to come up with a viable public safety strategy that addresses the challenges faced by many communities throughout the city. Finally, I strongly urge community members to pay close attention to this budget process. It’s critical that you make your voice heard by contacting the City Council and the Mayor’s Office and testifying at the next public hearing on Nov. 5.” November 5th Hearings Public Hearing at 1pm> seattle.gov/council/calendar… Public Hearing at 5pm> seattle.gov/council/calendar… Link to Kettle's statement> council.seattle.gov/2026/10/… @CMBobKettle @SeattleCouncil

Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program requires most new multifamily and commercial office projects in designated areas to contribute to income‑restricted housing – either by including affordable units or paying a fee. The City’s Office of Housing then distributes those payments to nonprofit/Non‑Governmental Organization (NGO) developers to build affordable homes in Seattle. Created through the 2015 Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) process and the “Grand Bargain,” MHA paired modest increases in development capacity/floor area ratio – often working out to be about one additional floor of height – with new affordability requirements. The goal was to generate affordable housing without slowing overall housing production. MHA has produced meaningful funding, but it also adds substantial cost to new housing. In 2026, residential MHA fees range from roughly $11 to $50 per square foot, often amounting to millions of dollars per project paid by developers. For example, the stalled redevelopment at the Capitol Hill Safeway site would owe over $8.5M in MHA fees when construction begins, an 8% increase in construction costs. It’s important to view MHA within Seattle’s broader affordable housing system. MHA is not the City’s primary funding source for affordable housing. The voter‑approved Housing Levy – described by the city as the “cornerstone” of Seattle’s strategy – now provides $970 million over seven years. Additional funding comes from JumpStart payroll tax revenue, federal and state programs, and other sources. As these have grown, MHA represents only about 7% of the Office of Housing’s total revenue distributed to NGOs. A common understanding in the real estate industry is that affordable housing NGOs spend 10%-15% more to build a similar building than a market-rate private developer would. This is mostly due to regulatory requirements, labor costs, financing, extended timelines, higher developer fees paid to NGOs running the project, and accounting requirements. Seattle’s independent five‑year evaluation found that while removing MHA alone wouldn’t make most infeasible projects viable, MHA costs can prevent projects near the financial feasibility threshold from moving forward. This creates a clear tradeoff: MHA generates affordable‑housing dollars, but it does so by increasing the cost of building new housing at a time when MHA is a relatively small portion of Seattle’s overall affordable‑housing resources. As evidence of MHA’s drag on housing production, several institutional investors – the source of capital for large-scale developments required to begin construction – have said they will not invest in Seattle projects until MHA fees are reduced or removed. The core question is whether MHA’s benefits outweigh any reduction or delay in housing production – and whether placing this cost specifically on new housing remains the most effective strategy for meeting Seattle’s affordability goals. Change Washington is tracking this issue closely. The recently introduced Mandatory Housing Affordability Accelerator Draft Ordinance offers a real opportunity: a council bill designed to increase housing supply by temporarily reducing MHA obligations for eligible projects. This could help unlock stalled development and bring more homes online. More to come soon, including opportunities for you to act before the council votes on this ordinance, which is currently expected to take place on December 15. ChangeWashington.org Link>changewashington.org/seattle…

Sound Transit is encouraging Seattle residents to speak up about the proposed light rail extension to the Ballard neighborhood. Community leaders and Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine will gather at the National Nordic Museum. mynorthwest.com/chokepoints/…

🚨ATTENTION 🚨 There will be a meeting TONIGHT at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, to discuss the delayed and overbudget Ballard Light Rail Extension. Dow Constantine is expected to be there and would love to answer questions about his recent pay raise, $30k bonus, and how he hid killing salmon from the public until after he got paid. Monday 10/19/2026 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. National Nordic Museum 2655 NW Market St, Seattle, WA 98107

"Reports came in of seven shots fired near the intersection of 21st and E Cherry. More calls followed including a report near 17th Ave hearing five shots from the west before watching a vehicle speed away eastbound along E Jefferson. Five to nine shots were also reported near Campbell Place, 24th and Yesler, and along 12th Ave, where a witness reported seeing muzzle flashes from the west."

911 calls track another night of gunfire in the Central District www.​capitolhillseattle.​com/2026/10/911-calls-track-another-night-of-gunfire-in-the-central-district/

"Today’s shocking revelation that the Regional Homelessness Authority overspent $14 million on administration and incurred an additional $2.7 million in interest — more than double the previous estimate of $8 million for unaccounted funds — further confirms that this agency is broken beyond repair and must be shut down." -King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski Link> council.seattle.gov/2026/10/…

Seattle has increasingly asked its largest employers to pick up more of the bill for city government. For residents who want strong public services and believe successful companies should contribute to the communities where they operate, that may sound perfectly reasonable. But a new analysis reported by FOX 13 raises a much more practical question: What happens when Seattle becomes dependent on a small group of businesses, and those businesses decide to put their next jobs somewhere else? Read more at changewashington.org/seattle…

Last week, the homeless outreach group We Heart Seattle hosted a fundraiser turned forum with KIRO Newsradio's Charlie Harger moderating, and a wall was broken. That wall: the arguments between Housing First and Treatment First advocates. Regardless of which side of the wall you fall on; one of the biggest issues has been the lack of civil debate and communication between the two sides, resulting in a stalemate with very real consequences for the folks on the streets. What this forum managed to accomplish was bringing both sides to neutral ground to listen to each other. That was the first key step we needed before we can all work together to make actual progress in the drug and homelessness crisis. Full disclosure...our organization has repeatedly advocated for Treatment First, but; it was still interesting to hear from the other side and get a different perspective. The next step should be forming policy at the city and county levels that use what what we learned here. @KIROCharlie @weheartseattle @skaushik100 @Twolfrecovery @WAPolicyCenter

The Seattle Metro Fall 2026 Poll has been released Some of the more interesting results: Is Seattle's economy getting stronger, weaker, or staying the same? Weaker 68% Stronger 10% How easy or difficult is it to afford Seattle? For middle-class families to afford to live here Difficult 96% Easy 4% For a small business to afford to operate here Difficult 95% Easy 5% How confident are you that the City has an effective plan to... Improve public safety Not Confident 75% Confident 24% Reduce homeless encampments Not Confident 85% Confident 15% Strengthen the local economy and make Seattle a good place to start and grow a business Not Confident 71% Confident 27% Do you agree or disagree? Seattle is losing the positive momentum on public safety and quality of life that we saw during the World Cup this summer Agree 65% Disagree 35% Proposals discussed in Seattle: do you support or oppose... Making the 7-minute response standard for Priority One 911 calls a top priority, reporting when it's missed, and redirecting resources when it's missed by 2+ minutes Support 85% Oppose 15% Requiring the City to show existing spending is producing results before asking residents or employers to pay more in taxes Support 79% Oppose 21% What residents call the city's biggest problems Crime/Drugs/Public safety 39% Homelessness 33% Cost of living/ Affordable housing 27% Worried about the future of downtown Agree 77% Disagree 23% Trust the City to spend tax dollars responsibly Agree 34% Disagree 66% City leaders aren’t doing enough Agree 66% Disagree 33% How safe residents feel downtown Daytime 77% At night 46% Residents' priorities for Seattle 1. Taking care of the basics like filling potholes and maintaining our parks and local transportation infrastructure 92% 2. Continuing to shut down open-air drug markets 86% 3. Helping local businesses deal with public safety concerns 86% Read the full poll results> index.seattlechamber.com/ @SeattleChamber

City Attorney Erika Evans is reinstituting Community Court, and giving people charged with non-violent misdemeanors 90 days to better themselves through "drug treatment, job support, health benefits, and peer services." But Gee Scott brings up a great point: Why does our city focus so heavily on coddling criminals, while allowing struggling, but otherwise law abiding citizens to fall through the cracks? A perfect example of this is parking enforcement. Raise your hand if you've gotten a parking ticket in Seattle ✋(Probably most of you who own a car are raising your hand right now, like I am) But if you park your rundown RV at Woodland Park, smoking fentanyl and meth, dealing drugs, engaging in prostitution, and being a nuisance..... The city will ask you nicely to move and offer you all sorts of assistance, with no obligation to accept it. And the odds of you being charged with a crime for any of this is laughable under the current enforcement rules. It is a fairness issue, and law abiding Seattleites keep getting the short end of the stick. City Attorney Evans is not necessarily wrong for restarting Community Court; but Seattle's track record on holding criminals accountable is so bad, we wonder if this is another attempt to circumvent consequences for people who need them. @GeeUrsulaShow

A man with 44 prior warrants, who attacked a King County Metro bus with a machete, has escaped custody. But the story how he got to that point is utterly ridiculous. After his attack on the bus, he was sent to a mental health treatment center, where he was kicked out and sent back to jail. Then he was given yet another chance at the treatment center, and wouldn't you know it; he was kicked out again. Except this time, he was simply shown the door instead of being put back in jail. Now he has warrant #45 out for his arrest and a violent, mentally disturbed individual who angers easily and has flunked out of treatment twice, is out walking amongst us. @tyrahmajors | @KIRO7Seattle 'Machete attack suspect escapes custody' Article: kiro7.com/news/local/machete…

The Seattle Convention Center and Seattle PD have opened a small "public safety hub" at the center, but there is still one major problem; SPD has not yet been able to staff it at night, when the area fills with drug users and people experiencing crisis. This forward precinct is a genuinely great idea and should be a replicated in other hot spots, such as Belltown and the CID. So why has the mayor not prioritized it, especially since it was even in her gun violence prevention plan? At least these cctv cameras are active. Segment by @heididkirk at KING5

"I've seen [SPD] arrive in time to see [prostitutes] in the act, and they don't even get a ticket. What are [the new prosecutors] going to do if the police are not referring charges to them?" Some unexpected pushback by North Seattle residents on the new prosecutors dedicated to combatting the sex trafficking on Aurora. And he's right. Without enforcement action, there will be nothing to prosecute and the cycle will continue. May we also suggest City Attorney Evans begin enforcing the SOAP zone laws her predecessor got passed? Segment by @TyCunningtonTV at KOMO4

RT @HomicideSeattle:

HAPPENING TODAY: The Seattle City Council will talk numbers as budget discussions get underway. One major focus: Public safety. This morning, we're digging into the major changes that could be coming to the SPD & SFD budgets.