Civic – Page 2 of 59

Proposed law would restrict phone usage in Washington public schools

School districts in Washington state would be required to enforce policies that restrict student use of phones under a new bill proposed Monday. The bill aims to combat a “multitude… Read More

Amazon and Seattle: Mayor Bruce Harrell on tech giant’s full return to office, and relationship with city

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is threading the needle with Amazon. In an interview with GeekWire this week, Harrell explained how he’s navigating a delicate balance faced by many city leaders… Read More

Judge denies Uber’s motion to block new Seattle law regulating the driver deactivation process

A federal judge denied Uber’s effort to stop the enforcement of a new Seattle law that establishes labor standards for the driver deactivation process. In a new ruling issued Tuesday,… Read More

Downtown Seattle leader calls Amazon’s return-to-office mandate ‘influential’ as 5-day policy begins

Will other companies follow Amazon’s lead? That’s a key question for the future of downtown Seattle as the tech giant brings workers back to the office five days a week,… Read More

Instacart joins Uber in lawsuit against Seattle over driver deactivation law

Instacart is joining Uber in an attempt to block a new ordinance in Seattle that regulates how companies can deactivate workers who deliver food, shop for groceries, and complete other… Read More

Nick Hanauer, critic of income inequality, calls proposed Washington wealth tax ‘impractical’

Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer was a vocal supporter of implementing Washington’s capital gains tax, which passed in 2021 and funds the state’s public education budget. But Hanauer feels a… Read More

Uber sues Seattle over new law regulating how delivery platforms boot drivers off their apps

Uber is suing the City of Seattle over a new law, set to take effect in January, that regulates how companies can deactivate workers who deliver food, shop for groceries,… Read More

Wealth tax proposal in Washington state reignites debate over taxes and tech talent migration

Follow-up: Nick Hanauer, critic of income inequality, calls proposed Washington wealth tax ‘impractical’ Do taxes that target wealthy residents drive away entrepreneurs and businesses? That’s the question being debated again… Read More

Plans for high-speed train running from Vancouver, B.C., to Portland gets nearly $50M for next phase

The idea of building a high-speed rail line that could carry people from Vancouver, B.C., to Portland, Ore., in roughly two hours has landed nearly $50 million from the U.S.… Read More

Washington governor proposes 1% wealth tax on residents and higher tax rate for some businesses

Follow-up: Wealth tax proposal in Washington state reignites debate over taxes and tech talent migration A wealth tax is back on the table in Washington state. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee… Read More

Washington state getting $57M to boost digital equity initiatives, add zero-emission school buses

A number of grants announced this week by the Washington State Dept. of Commerce and Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office total roughly $57 million and address such things as improved digital… Read More

Washington state creates working group to target CHIPS Act funding, stoke semiconductor industry

A new public-private working group organized by the Washington Department of Commerce will begin meeting this month to help attract federal funding from the CHIPS and Science Act and bolster… Read More

Bellevue real estate brokers bullish about Amazon’s new return-to-office policy as Microsoft moves out

Real estate brokers are excited about Amazon’s new mandate that goes into effect next month, requiring employees in the office five days per week. The policy is “obviously, a huge… Read More

Unknown system outage impacts vehicle licensing offices across Washington state

Update, 4:28 p.m. PT: The issue has been resolved and vehicle licensing offices are up and running again. The problem was related to a server issue that only affected finalizing… Read More

‘Chamber of Connection’ launches in Seattle to help tech transplants and others adjust to their new city

Moving to a new city has its challenges. Moving to Seattle is often viewed as especially difficult, whether it’s because of the weather or the so-called “Seattle Freeze” that allegedly… Read More

Seattle lawmakers deny capital gains tax, broaden use of payroll tax revenue from big businesses

The Seattle City Council Thursday approved more than $8 billion for its latest budget, while rejecting a proposal to create a 2% capital gains excise tax designed to fund housing… Read More

Seattle mayor, who sits on a federal AI panel, says he’ll seek ways to work with Trump administration

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, a member of a key U.S. panel overseeing AI safety and security, is taking a diplomatic approach as the country prepares for a big shift in… Read More

Seattle lawmakers reject capital gains tax proposal ahead of final vote on the city budget

A Seattle City Council committee today narrowly rejected an effort to create a 2% capital gains excise tax on profits over $262,000 made from the sales of stocks and bonds.… Read More

Energy demand, stoked by AI and expanding electrification, is outpacing supply

Washington state — a region once blessed with an overabundance of clean, affordable power thanks to its hydroelectric dams — can no longer make that claim. Energy use is surging… Read More

A proposed capital gains tax in Seattle draws mixed response from tech leaders and city lawmakers

The Seattle City Council on Wednesday debated a newly proposed 2% capital gains tax to support food and housing programs for the city’s low- and middle-income residents. Response so far… Read More

Seattle councilmember proposes 2% capital gains tax to support low-income initiatives

Seattle City Councilmember Cathy Moore is proposing a 2% capital gains excise tax modeled on a Washington state tax. The local tax would be lower than the state’s 7% tax… Read More

Washington state voters reject initiatives that aimed to repeal capital gains tax and climate program

Washington state voters rejected initiatives that would have axed a capital gains tax and a program to reduce carbon emissions. More than 63% of residents voted “no” on Initiative 2109,… Read More

Initiative to repeal Washington’s capital gains tax pits education funding against business concerns

Christine Enslein had a financially successful career at Microsoft — so much so that she has been paying Washington state’s capital gains tax since it came into effect in 2022.… Read More

California governor visits Seattle for rally against ballot measure that aims to undo climate efforts

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee hosted California Gov. Gavin Newsom in Seattle this past weekend in an effort to get out the vote in opposition to Initiative 2117. The ballot measure… Read More

TSA introduces new facial recognition tech at Seattle airport to speed security screening

Facial recognition technology intended to speed the security screening process is being introduced at TSA checkpoints at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The Transportation Security Administration said in a news release this… Read More

Here’s what Tim Walz said at a Seattle fundraiser, according to tech CEO who co-hosted event

Accolade CEO Raj Singh and his wife Jill were among the hosts at a small, private fundraiser Tuesday in Seattle for Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris and VP nominee Tim… Read More

Seattle joins other Washington cities in opposing I-2117, a measure to nix state’s climate program

The City of Seattle today approved a resolution opposing Initiative 2117, a measure on next month’s ballot that would eliminate a statewide program that funds efforts addressing climate change. At… Read More

Seattle residents are increasingly optimistic about city’s future, according to new survey

Seattleites aren’t as pessimistic about their city. That’s one takeaway from a new survey of 700 registered voters, commissioned by the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce and conducted by EMC… Read More

Internal memo: Don’t use AI for police reports, prosecutor tells Seattle-area law enforcement

Citing the potential for AI hallucinations and other unintended errors, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office told Seattle-area law enforcement agencies that it will not accept any police reports produced… Read More

Seattle lawmakers advance plan to use surveillance cameras and new software for police monitoring

The Seattle City Council’s public safety committee approved legislation Tuesday that would add new CCTV cameras and “Real-Time Crime Center” software in a bid to address crime. The full council… Read More