Seattle News, Views, and Brews

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and David Kroman of the Seattle Times discuss the competing social housing funding propositions on Seattle's February ballot, the six finalists for the vacant Council District 2 seat, the lawsuit from Washington State vs. the Trump administration's ban on birthr...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and David Kroman of the Seattle Times discuss the struggle over creating new crowd control policies for the Seattle Police Department, how Seattle is preparing for a new Trump administration, how a new legislative session will impact Seattle and other cities, the 20 candi...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and David Kroman of the Seattle Times discuss some new twists in the City's adoption of the Comprehensive Plan for urban growth, how a soon-to-be-appointed Councilmember might influence that process, confirmation proceedings for a new SPD chief, an new study on race...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and David Kroman of the Seattle Times discuss the process and politics behind selecting an appointee for the soon-to-be-vacant District 2 seat on the City Council, a new plan to incentivize the building of more housing, selecting a new police chief, and more. If you like...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and Erica C. Barnett , publisher of Publicola, discuss the story behind the City's work on a new crowd control policy for the Seattle Police Department, an update on SPD's 30 x 30 project to increase recruitment of women, departures from the Council and SDOT, an...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and Paul Queary , editor and publisher of The Washington Observer, discuss a looming $10-12 billion budget deficit for the state, a growing majority for Democrats in Olympia, and the uncertain future of Initiative 2066, the natural gas measure. If you like this podcast, p...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and independent journalist Kevin Schofield discuss how the Seattle City Council balanced an $8.5B budget with a $250M+ deficit, why the Council rejected a capital gains tax (and why the topic may return next year), and some major changes ahead for Seattle Police. If you l...

Why is King County's longest-serving executive in the modern era not running again? Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and King County Executive Dow Constantine discuss his next career moves, decisions he wishes he would have made 15 years ago when he began as the county's leader, Sound Transit,...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and Councilmember-Elect Alexis Mercedes Rinck discuss her win over incumbent Tanya Woo in the Council's citywide Position 8 race, how her progressive approach will fit with a majority moderate-to-conservative Council, her top priorities for the first 3-6 months on th...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and former Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata discuss the fallout from Donald Trump's historic presidential win, the pitfalls of the Harris campaign, the wave of Democrat support for issues and candidates in Washington, a new face for the Seattle City Council, an...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and Jon Scholes, President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association , discuss a new city ordinance that will waive design review for new development downtown, the DSA's take on the city's mixed economic forecast, the impact of Amazon's 5-days-in-office m...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and guest host Ryan Packer of The Urbanist discuss the latest economic forecast for the City of Seattle, a revised growth plan from Mayor Bruce Harrell, and some big financial challenges for two local transit agencies. If you like this podcast, please support it on Patreo...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and former Seattle City Councilmember Andrew J. Lewis  discuss where the City Council's budget discussions are going, a new power structure for the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, the expansion of 911 alternative reponse in Seattle, and the opening of th...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and former Seattle City Council President Debora Juarez discuss her next move in politics, her thoughts on having six new Councilmembers steer their way through a City budget process, the impact of SOAP/SODA zones, and more. If you like this podcast, please support it on...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and independent journalist Kevin Schofield discuss the financial pressures and political savvy behind the Mayor's recent budget proposal, the uncertain future of the city's 2026 budget, concerns over police no longer reporting to all security alarm calls, and th...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and Erica C. Barnett , founder of Publicola, discuss the tradeoffs in Mayor Bruce Harrell's budget proposal, a new plan for lateral police hires and increased neighborhood surveillance, a new contract between Seattle and the King County Jail, and a major upheaval for...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and guest host Justin Carder of the Capitol Hill Blog discuss the new alternative proposed by the City Council regarding funding for social housing, another housing program from King County (that sounds a lot like social housing), impending elementary school closures, the...

Learn about the latest in Seattle-area public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and guest host Hannah Krieg of the Stranger discuss a highly-charged meeting that appears to be leading to new laws to combat drug use and prostitution, a new agreement between the City of Seattle and the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, another delay i...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and David Kroman of the Seattle Times discuss a legal case finally dropped against former Councilmember Kshama Sawant, problems with a police accountability watchdog group, an investment in back-to-school safety, a major budget question for the Seattle City Council, and a...

This week, it's a patrons-first podcast with an insider's look at last week's Democratic National Convention! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel speaks with guest co-host Scott Greenstone  of KUOW about Scott's reporting at the DNC, the rising significance of Washington State in this year's national elections, and more. If you like this podcast and want to get this patrons-...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and David Kroman of the Seattle Times discuss a disagreement over mental health funding for Seattle schools, the Seattle's push for "exclusion zones" for prostitution or drug crime, a race to the finish to pass legislation for the City Council, a look at su...

It's a patrons-first podcast on the future of Seattle Public Schools! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel talks with Seattle Council PTSA President Samantha Fogg about declining school populations (and funding), school closures planned for the fall of 2025, and school safety, too. If you like this podcast--where you can learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes f...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and David Kroman of the Seattle Times discuss the arrest of Belltown Hellcat driver Miles Hudson, an ultimatum from DoorDash to the City of Seattle, a new agreement with the King County Jail, a push for low-income energy assistance, and a response to one of our show patro...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and David Kroman of the Seattle Times discuss the City's new plan to incarcerate misdemeanor offenders in a jail in Des Moines, an update on public safety from Interim SPD Chief Sue Rahr, the swearing-in of Chief Amy Smith of CARE (Community Assisted Response and Eng...

Learn about the latest in local public affairs in about the time it takes for a coffee break! Brian Callanan of Seattle Channel and David Kroman of the Seattle Times discuss the continuing delay on passing new app-based delivery driver legislation, an update on equitable development projects, concerns about light rail expansion in West Seattle, a drop in the overall crime rate, and the story behin...