Shows
Seattle NiceIs It Time to Admit the King County Regional Homelessness Authority Is a Bust?The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) launched in 2020 with great fanfare. But now, with up to to a fifth of its staff facing layoffs due to budget shortfalls, it may be facing a slow death by a thousand cuts. In this week’s episode, with David still gallivanting in parts unknown, Erica and Sandeep take a hard look at the current state of KCRHA, and ask a pointed question: What purpose, exactly, does this diminished and largely neutered agency serve? As Erica reported on PubliCola this week, KCRHA's budget proposal could lead to a 21 perc...2025-06-2332 min
Blue City BluesKatie Herzog on What the Decline and Fall of Twitter Means for Blue CitiesIn 2020, when the power of social media – Twitter, in particular – to police the boundaries of acceptable thought in blue cities was at its cultural zenith, journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal launched their boundary-shattering podcast, Blocked and Reported. BARPod, as it’s referred to by its growing legions of fans (us included), is focused on “scour[ing] the internet for its craziest, silliest, most sociopathic content, part of an obsessive and ill-conceived attempt to extract kernels of meaning and humanity from a landscape of endless raging dumpster fires.”A lot of that crazy, silly, sociopathic content involved detailing...2025-06-1857 minSeattle NiceAssessing the Assessor, Urbanism v. Incivility, and Seattle Hates NightlifeWith David away for a second consecutive week, Erica and Sandeep seek out the inimitable Josh Feit, news editor of the Stranger back in the olden (golden) days, to buffer their conversation with convoluted references to 50-year-old Joni Mitchell records. We start with the increasingly off-putting saga of King County Assessor John Arthur Wilson, who remains defiant in the face of a unanimous vote by the King County Council (minus the absent Reagan Dunn) urging him to resign over allegations he stalked his ex-partner during their breakup from hell. We ask: Why did the resignation calls take s...2025-06-1647 minSeattle NiceSpecial Emergency Seattle Nice: The Seattle City Council Is Un-Cathy Moored!After less than 18 months in office, Councilmember Cathy Moore, representing District 5 (North Seattle), announced she will be resigning her position effective July 7. Swinging into immediate action, Erica and Sandeep (David is away, gamboling and gallivanting in distant parts) weigh in on this emergency episode of the podcast with their red hot takes on this surprise bombshell announcement. While Moore ascribes her decision to step down to personal and medical reasons, speculation is rampant that Moore's dissatisfaction with the job and unhappiness with the harsh criticism the Council sometimes faces also played a central role in her decision. R...2025-06-0333 minSeattle NiceTent City Gets a Reprieve, Council Rolls Back Ethics Rules, and Kshama's Back, Baby!A Seattle City Council committee advanced legislation last week that will eliminate a requirement that council members abstain from voting on legislation that presents a financial conflict of interest. Under the new, lower standard, the council will merely have to disclose any financial conflicts before voting—allowing council members, for the first time since the 1980s, to vote in their own financial interest.Sandeep thinks disclosing a conflict of interest before voting should be enough; Erica's with the haters who want more constraints on the council's ability to vote in their own self-interest.The legislation is...2025-05-2638 min
Pacific Time: The "What if...?" of West Coast Independence10 What if Blue Cities Got it Together? With Sandeep Kaushik Blue cities are struggling—and it’s not MAGA’s fault. What if Seattle, San Francisco, and LA became models of good governance? Blue cities helped shape modern America. But they’ve been having a hard time—with homelessness, affordability, public safety, and internal political warfare. In this episode, political consultant and Blue City Blues co-host Sandeep Kaushik joins Greg to unpack why. Together, they ask: What if the West Coast’s most liberal cities actually figured out how to govern effectively?We explore why progressive vs. liberal fights have taken over city halls, why governance is...2025-04-3058 minSeattle NiceD2 Council Race Unpacked, Crosswalks Hacked, and will the Virginia Inn get Axed?Four city council candidates are vying to represent one of Seattle’s most progressive districts, District 2 in SE Seattle, and Erica’s been talking to them. We debate and discuss the issues and the candidates. But the real drama? The potential closure of the Virginia Inn, which has been operating near Pike Place market for 120 years. David pokes fun at Sandeep and Erica's sentimental reminiscences. Nostalgia is a helluva drug, but if you wax nostalgic about the potential closure of a restaurant you love, does your urbanist card get revoked? And just when you thought Seattl...2025-04-2232 minSeattle NiceSound Transit Picks Dow? And Challengers Take on Harrell and DavisonSandeep says Dow Constantine will be the next CEO of Sound Transit. Is Dow the best pick? Was the process a flawed example of cronyism? And why is the transit agency's CEO pay so high? We also discuss progressive activist Katie Wilson entering the Seattle mayor's race against Bruce Harrell. Does she have a shot against Harrell's record and "One Seattle" leadership style? Don't miss our in-depth interview with Katie Wilson where she self-criticized the left on the politics of homelessness in recent years. Plus, former assistant US Attorney Erika Evans is running against Republican Ci...2025-03-1441 minSeattle NiceSODA, SOAP, and SODOSODA Seattle's new drug "stay out zones" are barely being unforced. Erica said this was the predictable result of bad, "performative" policy by council. Sandeep defended the policy but said more enforcement is needed, echoing this comment by City Council President Sara Nelson. She called on Mayor Harrell and other leaders to do more. Will "One Seattle" be put to the test this election year? SoDo Sandeep and Erica were both on Sara Nelson's side about a controversial proposal to add housing in SODO. David felt obligated to challenge their symbolic capitalist ideology a...2025-02-0747 minSeattle NiceAnti-"strip club" petitioners and Seattle's debate about crowd controlSeattle's City Council is considering legislation to remove restrictions on the use of “less lethal” weapons for crowd control. Should SPD be allowed to use "blast balls" on protestors? Erica's been covering it. We take a closer look. In Part Deux we discuss the brewing controversy over a Ballard bar applying for an "adult cabaret" license. A nearby property owner is circulating a petition in protest, calling it a "strip club." Is moralism making a comeback in Seattle? Hear our hot takes and look for Erica's story on Publicola later this week. Plus, Sandeep...2024-12-1339 minSeattle NiceThe good, the bad, and the ugly takes on Tammy Morales quitting Seattle's City CouncilTammy Morales has announced she's quitting the city council in January. She accused some colleagues of treating her very poorly and also told Erica she sees no point in continuing because she can't make any progress whatsoever passing progressive legislation with the current, more centrist council. Is the current council toxic? Is Morales right to quit? Is she abandoning her progressive allies? We take a closer look at these questions, and speculate on the fallout from the move in 2025. As our regular listeners might expect, Erica sides with Morales, Sandeep is less sympathetic, and David qu...2024-12-0531 minSeattle NiceIs Rinck's win scaring Seattle city council centrists?It was a dreary election night for the left, but Seattle progressives celebrated city council candidate Alexis Mercedes Rinck's decisive victory over incumbent Tanya Woo. By Thursday afternoon Rinck's lead had grown to around 16 percentage points. Are voters sending a message to the centrist city council majority, led by Sara Nelson? Erica and Sandeep debate and discuss. Quinn Waller is our editor. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.comHEARTH Protection: Do not let fear make your world smaller. Support the show2024-11-0829 minSeattle NiceIs the Seattle City Council race over?On this deeply troubling election eve, Seattle Nice invites you inside the podcast for a comforting conversation about local politics. First, we take a closer look at the juicy allegations swirling around SPD Chief Sue Rahr's decision to place former Chief Adrian Diaz and his chief of staff on leave. Second, a recent poll finds progressive city council candidate Alexis Mercedes Rinck has a ginormous lead over incumbent Tanya Woo. If accurate (Sandeep's skeptical), what would a big progressive win mean for the council's centrist majority heading into 2025? Third, we discuss council member's R...2024-11-0447 minSeattle NiceWTF is wrong with Seattle Public Schools?With Erica gone this week David and Sandeep take a one-week vacation from city politics to take a closer look at the root causes of the problems facing Seattle Schools, including a controversial push by some district leaders to close up to 21 schools in the face of a nearly $100 million deficit.Said special guest Robert Cruickshank, “This is one of the few issues where Sandeep is not wrong.” Robert is a Seattle parent and progressive activist, who currently leads Washington's Paramount Duty, which advocates for increased school funding.Robert and Sandeep agree that the school dist...2024-10-2550 minSeattle NiceTwo Social Housing Measures Enter. One Measure Leaves.This week Seattle's city council voted to send two competing measures to the ballot to fund affordable housing. Initiative 137, the measure social housing activists support, proposes a new, "excess compensation tax" on big business. Council member Maritza Rivera is backing a new, "alternative" measure that would rely instead on existing JumpStart taxes on big business. Erica says Rivera's alternative would raid the JumpStart tax and effectively kill the social housing concept voters approved last year. See Erica's reporting on the two measures here. Sandeep defends the alternative, saying he's skeptical social housing backers a...2024-09-2130 minSeattle NiceIs Design Review dying in Seattle?The city council is making plans to speed up the process for building in downtown Seattle by exempting certain buildings from design review. Erica and Sandeep agree about the merits of the proposal, while David as devil's advocate tries to insert some skepticism into their urbanist love fest. We also talk about the King County Council's about-face on earlier plans to close the youth jail. Our editor is Quinn Waller.For tickets to the Seattle Nice Position 8 city council debate coming up on October 1st at Town Hall click this link! And i...2024-09-0741 minSeattle NiceWhat should Seattle do about gun violence in schools?Garfield students are back in class today after one of their peers was shot and killed last week. Community members are calling for the city to do more. Erica and Sandeep debate how elected officials should respond. Quinn Waller is our editor. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.comSupport the showYour support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hitting local journalism and commentary you hear weekly on Seattle Nice. 2024-06-1227 minSeattle NiceIs Seattle Ungovernable?David is away this week, and Sandeep and Erica are in charge! Our question for this week: Is Seattle in a state of chaos? The evidence: The Seattle school district is considering potentially devastating cuts. Hundreds showed up at a Seattle City Council meeting to protest a last-minute proposal that could doom the city's largest anti-displacement program. Mayor Bruce Harrell demoted the Seattle Police Department chief amid a swirl of lawsuits and allegations. And the King County Regional Homelessness Authority is about to appoint a leader by default, after all the applicants but one dropped out.2024-06-0137 minSeattle NiceDo you support Seattle Mayor Harrell's new overdose recovery facility plan?On Thursday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a new overdose recovery center. Erica and Sandeep both support the idea but still find room for some lively disagreement. Quinn Waller is our editor. If you want to advertise or book Seattle Nice Live! for your next neighborhood or other event, email us at realseattlenice@gmail.com. If you like this podcast please give us a 5 star review everywhere. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.comSupport the show...2024-05-1223 minSeattle NiceSeattle considers changes to police hiring tests and gig delivery worker paySeattle's Police Department is having a hard time bringing in new recruits, so the city council is considering moving to an easier test for job applicants as one possible fix. Erica says that's the wrong solution and Sandeep disagrees. Plus, the podcast debates a proposal to scale back a pay increase for delivery drivers that was passed by the last, more progressive city council. Our editor is Quinn Waller. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.comSupport the showYour support on Pa...2024-03-3030 minSeattle NiceSeattle's Sizzling Social Housing DebateErica and Sandeep disagree about the merits of a proposed social housing initiative. It proposes to raise $50,000,000 a year through new business taxes to create publicly owned, permanently affordable housing. Is it the right plan to help address Seattle's affordable housing crisis? Our editor is Quinn Waller. Support us on Patreon! Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.comSupport the showYour support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hi...2024-02-1027 minSeattle NiceGay bar raids, voter turnoutgate and a mistrialThis week Erica and Sandeep somehow manage to agree more than they disagree as the pod dives into three stories that appeared in The Stranger. Seattle’s Queer Community Demands Swift Change After Raids of Gay Bars Council President Sara Nelson Opposes Effort to Increase Voter Turnout Mistrial for 'Stop the Sweeps' Protester Charged with Standing on RV for 12 MinutesOur editor is Quinn Waller. Support the showSupport us on Patreon!Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directl...2024-02-0325 minSeattle NiceTanya Woo's controversial Seattle city council appointmentErica throws shade on the council's appointment of CID activist Tanya Woo to an open Seattle city council seat. Sandeep counters. Hilarity ensues. Our editor is Quinn Waller. Support the showSend us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.comSupport the showYour support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hitting local journalism and commentary you hear weekly on Seattle Nice. 2024-01-2731 minSeattle NiceWho is likely to get Seattle's open city council job?We learned this week that 72 people have thrown their hats in the ring to replace former Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, who represented Seattle's at-large Position 8. The Council will pick one of them to serve until voters get their say in the the fall election.Please donate to help keep the podcast going and support our editor, Quinn Waller, here. (patreon.com/seattlenice)Want to advertise your podcast or business? Contact us realseattlenice@gmail.comIf you want to help support Seattle Nice but can't afford to donate. please leave a 5 star review wherever you get your podcasts.If you're still o...2024-01-1337 minSeattle NiceWho really wants Teresa Mosqueda's old job on the Seattle city council?Today on the pod we talk about who is vying to replace exiting council member Teresa Mosqueda, city council appointments, and more! Please donate to help keep the podcast going and support our editor, Quinn Waller, here. (patreon.com/seattlenice)Want to advertise your podcast or business? Contact us realseattlenice@gmail.comIf you want to help support Seattle Nice but can't afford to donate. please leave a 5 star review wherever you get your podcasts.If you're still on X/Twitter find us @realseattlenice.Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly t...2024-01-0943 minSeattle NiceRockin' New Year's Eve special predicting Seattle's futureThis week's pod sails into uncharted waters with some bold predictions about what's likely to happen in Seattle next year. Please donate to help keep the podcast going and support our editor, Quinn Waller, here. (patreon.com/seattlenice)Want to advertise your podcast or business? Contact us realseattlenice@gmail.comIf you want to help support Seattle Nice, please review us wherever you get your podcasts.If you're still on X/Twitter find us @realseattlenice. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.comSupport the sho...2024-01-0137 minSeattle NiceSeattle's Nicest Year in ReviewIn this special holiday edition, we discuss the biggest stories of the year and are haunted by a ghastly question from the podcast's past, "Would Seattle politics be better off without Twitter?" Please donate to help keep the podcast going and support our editor, Quinn Waller, here. (patreon.com/seattlenice)Want to advertise your podcast or business? Contact us realseattlenice@gmail.comIf you want to help support Seattle Nice, please review us wherever you get your podcasts.If you're still on X/Twitter find us @realseattlenice.Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly t...2023-12-1130 min