City Council passes tax on Seattle’s wealthiest residents
Seattle lawmakers unanimously approved a plan to tax income that is over $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for joint filers. The measure would levy a 2.25 percent tax on all income that is above that threshold, bringing in an estimated $140 million each year. It is designed to reduce the burden of more regressive measures such as property and sales taxes. Mayor Ed Murray is expected to sign the tax into law next week. The measure will almost certainly be challenged in court as Washington law prohibits local jurisdictions from levying income taxes. [GeekWire, KING 5]
It’s officially outdoor movie season
The weather gods appear to be rewarding Seattleites for sticking it out during six months of damp darkness that amounted to the wettest winter on record. Today marks 28 rainless, mostly sunny days in Seattle — and if winter taught us anything, it’s that we need to enjoy the nice weather while we can. Why not take your favorite rainy day pastime outside and enjoy one of the many outdoor movies that will be hosted around Seattle all summer long? Check out this comprehensive guide to find a flick near you. [Curbed]
Everyone loves throwing shade at Seattle
.@KennedyNation: "Seattle used to be one of the most beautiful & livable cities in the world, but it has devolved into a Socialist hellhole" pic.twitter.com/B9nbwNKvfp
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) July 12, 2017
Seattle is no longer a dark, hidden corner of the country that the rest of Americans rarely associate with little more than Starbucks and Kurt Cobain. Our wonky city is getting a reputation for its hyper-progressive values and love of the alternative. Here’s how a satirical Clickhole story about Seattleites forming one, big polyamorous couple characterizes it: “It soon became clear that between their book groups, Catan tournaments, Kelsie’s aerial silk classes, kink meet-ups, burner parties, and Adam’s job at Microsoft, the couple’s vectors for expansion were virtually limitless.” Fox’s Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery was a little more … er … earnest with her portrait of Seattle. In her words, the city “has devolved into a socialist hellhole … where freedom died along with every good singer from the ’90s.” Ouch. [Clickhole, Fox Business]
Ballots are out, endorsements are in for Seattle’s mayoral race
The ballots for Seattle’s Aug. 1 primary have been mailed out and endorsements for mayor are flying. The Stranger and The Urbanist back Cary Moon. Seattle Weekly went for Nikkita Oliver, who also has endorsements from several council members. The Seattle Times and the Seattle Metro Chamber’s political organization are behind Jenny Durkan. Mike McGinn won support from The Sierra Club. Seattle Transit Blog is backing Jessyn Farrell. Various labor groups are supporting Bob Hasegawa, Farrell, and Durkan. Several candidates showed off their hidden talents this week at the offbeat forum Candidate Survivor — which featured everything from rapping to vaping through a flute. Still undecided? Crosscut has an interactive voters guide here. [The Stranger, KING 5, Crosscut]
Washington named top U.S. state for doing business
Washington state won top honors in CNBC’s annual ranking of America’s top states for business, based on criteria like “workforce,” “technology & innovation,” and “access to capital.” The state’s economy grew by 3.7 percent in 2016, more than double the national rate and we have the highest concentration of STEM workers in the nation. Despite earning first place on the list, researchers found Washington’s education, infrastructure, and cost of doing business to be lacking, proving that “despite Washington’s strong competitive position, it is not immune to the polarization gripping the rest of the country.” [CNBC]
KOMO thrust into national spotlight over corporate parent’s conservative play
Sinclaire Broadcast Group — which own’s Seattle’s KOMO and 169 other local news stations nationwide — is mandating that its affiliates air conservative-leaning segments. Crosscut’s David Kroman first reported on Sinclaire’s influence in March and comedian John Oliver highlighted the corporation and KOMO on his show “Last Week Tonight.” Oliver and other reporters have praised KOMO for trying to bury the segments in time slots with low viewership. This week, Sinclaire told KOMO that it will be required to run additional segments with the company’s senior political analyst, a former member of the Trump administration. Sinclaire is asking KOMO and other stations to run the segments at least three times a week during the nightly news. [Crosscut]
Anti-tax advocate launches initiative to curb car tab fees at $30
Initiative champion and conservative activist Tim Eyman is going after Sound Transit 3 again, this time collecting signatures for a plan that would cap annual registration fees for certain vehicles at $30. Eyman told KOMO that “voters are having a lot of buyers’ remorse” over approving a $54 billion public transit expansion plan funded through car registration fees. Eyman needs 260,000 signatures by the end of the year to get his initiative in front of state lawmakers. If he doesn’t, it will go before voters in the November 2018 election. [KOMO]