city council

Big Tech’s battle with Seattle is just getting started — and it could have implications nationwide

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 11, 2019November 11, 2019 at 11:44 am 2 Comments

Bernie Sanders reveled in Amazon’s defeat. Elizabeth Warren issued a warning about Jeff Bezos. And that was all before the week even began. Over the weekend, it became clear that… Read More

Amazon’s $1.45M fails to upend Seattle City Council, but tech giant wins small victories

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 5, 2019November 6, 2019 at 12:15 pm 7 Comments

A heavily-funded campaign to elect a more business-friendly Seattle City Council saw some success in early election results released Tuesday evening. But the effort, spearheaded by Seattle tech giant Amazon,… Read More

Seattle’s upcoming election is inundated with tech money — and it’s not just Amazon

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 2, 2019November 2, 2019 at 10:35 am1 Comment

The tech industry is taking an unprecedented interest in Seattle’s upcoming election, spending big and turning the national spotlight on local politics. Amazon’s headline-grabbing $1 million contribution last month is… Read More

Activists and politicians protest Amazon spending on Seattle elections: ‘The country is watching’

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 24, 2019October 24, 2019 at 3:20 pm 7 Comments

Amazon built its iconic “biospheres” as a gathering space for its 50,000 employees and an anchor to the Seattle neighborhood that the tech giant has called home for two decades.… Read More

Bernie Sanders slams Amazon over hometown political spending as Seattle elections become a national issue

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 21, 2019October 21, 2019 at 1:23 pm 5 Comments

Sen. Bernie Sanders became the latest federal lawmaker to zero in on local Seattle elections Monday morning, slamming Amazon’s hometown political contributions as “out-of-control corporate greed.” Over the weekend, Sen.… Read More

Warren denounces Amazon for ‘trying to tilt the Seattle City Council elections’ with $1.45M

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 19, 2019October 20, 2019 at 7:08 am 2 Comments

It’s unusual for an east coast senator and presidential candidate to wade into local politics in a city on the other side of the country. But that’s what happened Saturday… Read More

Podcast

Will Amazon’s $1.45M bid to shake up Seattle politics backfire, or work exactly as planned?

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 19, 2019October 19, 2019 at 7:23 am 3 Comments

Amazon took a million-dollar gamble this week, betting a last-minute cash infusion will help elect a new Seattle City Council despite the inevitable backlash to the contribution. It’s a risky… Read More

Seattle officials and activists protest at Amazon HQ over $1.45M effort to ‘buy our City Council’

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 17, 2019October 17, 2019 at 12:04 pm 16 Comments

On a rainy Seattle Thursday, a group of politicians and activists huddled under a bright orange canopy that matched the Amazon-branded skyscraper above to protest the tech giant’s record spending… Read More

Seattle progressives fired up over Amazon’s $1.45M spending on local elections

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 at 3:44 pm 5 Comments

Amazon’s $1 million political contribution announced Tuesday — on top of $450,000 the company previously spent on elections in its hometown — struck a nerve with Seattle progressives worried about the impact… Read More

Amazon gives $1M to group seeking to upend Seattle City Council in upcoming election

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 15, 2019October 15, 2019 at 5:23 pm 6 Comments

Amazon is dramatically increasing its financial commitment to reshape politics in its hometown, in a move that signals a big shift for the tech giant. Amazon is spending an additional… Read More

Do tech workers vote? New survey shows they do — and these are the top issues on their minds

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 at 10:20 am 3 Comments

Tech workers in progressive cities such as Seattle and San Francisco have a bad rap when it comes to civic engagement. As a Seattle Google engineer with political ambitions once… Read More

Washington tech industry works to influence critical Seattle election as top trade group endorses candidates for first time

by Monica Nickelsburg on July 10, 2019July 11, 2019 at 8:00 am1 Comment

In tech hubs across the country, the technology industry is taking a more active role in politics. It’s certainly true in Washington D.C., where many tech titans’ public policy teams… Read More

Amazon quietly works to reshape politics in its hometown after going to battle with Seattle officials

by Monica Nickelsburg on June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 at 11:43 am 3 Comments

For the first two decades of its life, Amazon avoided the political limelight. But over the past year, the Seattle tech giant has started raising its voice on a wide… Read More

Which candidates do you align with? Seattle startup vet provides answers with new matchmaking site

by Monica Nickelsburg on June 12, 2019June 13, 2019 at 10:36 am 6 Comments

“You can’t really Google, ‘Which candidates most align with me on transit and zoning tradeoffs?’ So said Steve Murch, a veteran Seattle entrepreneur who has spent the past few weeks… Read More

Why this early Amazon investor is backing an effort to shake up the Seattle City Council

by Monica Nickelsburg on May 29, 2019May 30, 2019 at 8:40 am 4 Comments

One of the biggest names in Seattle tech is a founding member of a new political action committee that wants to see fresh faces on the City Council this fall.… Read More

Seattle mayor forming council of tech leaders seeking solutions to the region’s growing pains

by Monica Nickelsburg on August 2, 2018August 2, 2018 at 1:44 pm 5 Comments

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is tapping problem solvers in the tech industry to develop solutions to some of the city’s greatest challenges. She plans to sign an executive order creating… Read More

Video

TLDR Editor’s Picks: How Tech is Changing Seattle

by Starla Sampaco on July 2, 2018July 5, 2018 at 10:44 amComment

This week on TLDR, we’re looking back at some of the top stories of 2018 so far. Today’s topic: Tech companies and workers are changing changes in cities around the… Read More

Video

Seattle repeals head tax 7-2 in dramatic reversal that leaves city divided over homeless crisis

by Monica Nickelsburg on June 12, 2018June 13, 2018 at 8:13 am 27 Comments

Seattle’s new per-employee tax on large businesses to fund affordable housing is officially dead, bringing an end to one of the most polarizing debates in city history. The City Council… Read More

Is Amazon serious about slowing its Seattle growth? Tech and community leaders weigh in

by Monica Nickelsburg on May 3, 2018May 3, 2018 at 10:16 am 8 Comments

There are two ways to read Amazon’s surprise announcement that it will pause construction on one big Seattle office tower and reconsider moving into another until the City Council votes… Read More

Amazon suspends construction in Seattle while the city considers a new tax on its biggest businesses

by Monica Nickelsburg on May 2, 2018October 17, 2018 at 2:21 pm 23 Comments

Amazon is pausing construction on a new office tower at its Seattle headquarters and may put one of its biggest future office spaces back on the market in response to… Read More

Slice of Pittsburgh life: Pizza, politics, and renewal on the menu with activist chef Sonja Finn

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 15, 2018February 15, 2018 at 9:56 am 3 Comments

PITTSBURGH — Sonja Finn doesn’t think we should be fighting over one slice of the pie. That maxim dictates just about everything Finn does. It’s why tipping is verboten at… Read More

Seattle leader wants to double head tax because it’s still a fraction of Amazon’s $5B HQ2 plans

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 8, 2017November 8, 2017 at 4:10 pm 7 Comments

Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant thinks that if Amazon plans to build a $5 billion second corporate headquarters, it can afford to pay more taxes in its hometown. She said… Read More

Seattle considers employee head tax for the city’s top-grossing companies

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 13, 2017October 13, 2017 at 8:50 am1 Comment

Two Seattle councilmembers want the city’s highest-grossing businesses to pay for a new program to curb homelessness. The H.O.M.E.S — Housing, Outreach, and Mass-Entry Shelter — program would increase the… Read More

Seattle plans to tax Airbnb operators $10/night and limit short-term rentals to 2 properties per host

by Monica Nickelsburg on September 13, 2017September 13, 2017 at 10:36 am 13 Comments

The Seattle City Council has released a new set of regulations designed to prevent property owners from operating Airbnbs and other short-term rentals as if they were hotels — part… Read More

Seattle investor questions city plan to spend up to $250K defending income tax on the rich

by Monica Nickelsburg on August 24, 2017August 24, 2017 at 4:52 pm 10 Comments

Matt McIlwain believes Seattle is wasting resources defending an income tax ordinance passed by the City Council in July. The Madrona Venture Group managing director, who is leading a legal… Read More

Former U.S. attorney Jenny Durkan takes big lead in Seattle mayoral primary

by Monica Nickelsburg on August 1, 2017August 1, 2017 at 11:28 pmComment

In Seattle’s mayoral race, former U.S. attorney Jenny Durkan looks highly likely to advance based on early results of Tuesday’s primary. She is leading by more than 15 percentage points… Read More

WTIA assesses Seattle mayoral and City Council candidates based on tech issues for first time

by Monica Nickelsburg on July 18, 2017July 19, 2017 at 3:00 pm 9 Comments

Today, the Washington Technology Industry Association unveiled a voter guide to help members of the Seattle tech community decide who to vote for in the upcoming mayoral and City Council… Read More

Seattle income tax set for City Council vote following committee approval

by Monica Nickelsburg on July 5, 2017July 5, 2017 at 10:45 am 17 Comments

A Seattle City Council committee unanimously approved a plan to implement an income tax on the city’s wealthiest residents Wednesday. With the approval from the Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods, and Finance… Read More

Seattle City Council unveils plan to tax the city’s wealthiest residents

by Monica Nickelsburg on June 13, 2017June 13, 2017 at 8:59 am 10 Comments

The Seattle City Council released a proposal Tuesday to place a 2 percent income tax on the wealthy, which could have big repercussions for the tech industry’s highest earners. The… Read More

This Week in Seattle: Beer, pot, music, and a city-wide income tax

by Monica Nickelsburg on May 6, 2017May 6, 2017 at 2:24 pm 3 Comments

Seattle takes first steps toward an income tax The Seattle City Council unanimously approved a motion that establishes a timeline to begin consideration of an income tax bill by May 31, with… Read More