Rent in Seattle has spiked  20% since 2021 , and landlords have found a clever way to raise the rent without raising the rent . In April 2025 Cornell & Associates switched tenants from paying a flat rate utility bill of $50 to up to $429 through Ratio Utility Billing System (RUBS). One year later, Metropolitan Management charged a single tenant  over $700 for the first RUBS bill . RUBS is more than a creepy acronym. RUBS is a price-setting tool that landlords use to drive up

The University of Washington removed Dr. Aria Fani  from his position as the director of the university’s Middle East Center  (MEC). While UW admin won’t publicly admit it, Fani believes he was removed because he offered critical analysis of the ongoing US-Israel attacks on Iran, analysis based on the research and expertise the university literally hired him to share with their students. The incident is just one of many cases of universities suppressing criticism of Israel, i

Union airport workers rallied at the Seattle-Tacoma International airport Wednesday afternoon to demand that the Port Commission act to guarantee quality health care for all airport workers, protect workers from federal targeting, and remove barriers for workers to exercise their right to free speech rights at the airport.  Ironically, before the chanting even began, Port of Seattle Police Department (PSPD) kicked the union workers out of the airport and demanded they leave t

About a month after her underdog election victory, Mayor Katie Wilson spoke  to her truest base, the Transit Riders Union (TRU), a grassroots organization dedicated to building political power for working and poor people which Wilson co-founded in 2011. She told them, “I expect you all to hold me accountable. I’m a politician just like all the other politicians now, so don’t go easy on me.” TRU is holding up their end of the bargain. Over the weekend, TRU published a letter  

Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine told The Burner he and the board of Sound Transit are “committed” to delivering light rail to Ballard despite considering alternatives that stop short of the vision voters approved in 2016. But don’t hold your breath — Sound Transit does not have a specific plan or timeline for how to get trains to Ballard. Advocates are still sending letters to the board to make sure they follow through. Earlier this month, Sound Transit reviewed three “ill

Seattle officials and community members want to rename César Chávez Park to honor labor organizer Dolores Huerta after she came forward, levying a long-hidden accusation that he raped her. The name change feels like a slam dunk: Seattle still gets to acknowledge the important work of the National Farm Workers Association , but also send a message of support to survivors of sexual abuse. However, the Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) naming policy appears to stand in the way,

After pressure from her progressive base to shut down the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) surveillance infrastructure, Mayor Katie Wilson agreed to turn off exactly one camera in the entire system — one positioned near a health facility, to protect patient privacy. In a press conference Thursday, Wilson announced she will not yet meet demands from her own campaign staff and volunteers to dismantle Seattle’s surveillance state, but she will “pause” part of a recently approve

Mayor Katie Wilson is in trouble with supporters from the very grassroots movement that pulled off her seemingly impossible win last November. Volunteers and staffers from Wilson’s campaign are gathering signatures for a letter to the Mayor’s office demanding she hold true to the anti-surviellence stance she took in the election and dismantle Seattle’s surveillance state: “This includes stopping the rollout of additional surveillance initiatives, canceling expansion contracts

Both chambers in the Washington State Legislature have now approved the historic “millionaires tax,” which would levy a 9.9% tax on income over $1 million. While highlight reels of the marathon floor debate in the House and the two floor votes in the Senate will show Republicans flailing around, arguing that a small income tax will surely  bring about economic apocalypse, 11 Democrats also quietly opposed their caucus’s flagship policy of the session. Reps. Dan Bronoske (D-La

When our progressive revenue advocacy coalition, Tech4Taxes , sat down with key lawmakers during the legislative interim, we weren't just there to talk policy; we were there to witness a high-stakes trade. Behind closed doors, the "not-so-secret" secret of the Millionaire’s Tax was laid bare: This bill wasn't born from a sudden burst of progressive conscience. It was a carefully balanced proposal from corporations. In those meetings, it became clear that the corporate lobby h