Seattle Nice

We process the political earthquake that just hit Seattle: Kshama Sawant's announcement that she won't run for council in 2023. Sawant is moving on to launch a new national worker's movement. The pod debates Sawant's legacy, speculates about the motives behind this big move, and gets into how this might affect the Seattle city council and the 7 council races in 2023.  This epis...

Today we bring you a lively debate on the future of Seattle's past after the city council acted this week on a mid-century modern former bank building on Denny, which is today a Walgreens . In a rare moment of agreement, Erica and Sandeep both think the city needs to find a way to tear down more landmarked buildings like that one to make way for more affordable housing or other uses. Guest Ch...

Now a third Seattle City Council member, Alex Pedersen, has announced he's not running for re-election. That's leading politics buffs to wonder, WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? Tune in for definitive answers to that question, and ratings of Alex Pedersen's record on council so far.  Bonus content:  Some pundits are also asking a counterfactual question this week: Would Seattle be better...

Erica and Sandeep reluctantly rate Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell's first year in office. If you like Seattle Nice and want it to continue, please share it with friends and rate us highly wherever you get your podcasts.      Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com Support the show Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live e...

If Twitter collapses under Elon Musk's ham-handed leadership, would that be a good or bad thing for Seattle politics? If you want to advertise, please contact us realseattlenice@gmail.com @realseattlenice on Twitter If you like Seattle Nice and want it to continue, please share it with friends and rate us highly wherever you get your podcasts.    If you want donate, our Patreon link is here....

Season 2 of Seattle Nice kicks off with the first big announcement of the 2023 elections:  Lisa Herbold's stepping away from Seattle politics.  But why now? Is she worried about winning?  Has it just gotten too mean? Erica and Sandeep discuss.   If you like Seattle Nice and want it to continue, please give the pod 5 stars on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts and consider clicking the li...

Erica and Sandeep paid close attention to Seattle's final budget negotiations so you could just relax, recover from Thanksgiving, watch the World Cup, or whatever - knowing Seattle Nice had you covered.  This week they debate 11th hour council controversies and speculate about next year's city council races.  Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenic...

First,Sandeep gloats about his big team win against MAGA superstar Joe Kent. Then, he and Erica parse the midterm election results. How did Seattle Nice election forecasts compare to your home Magic 8-Ball? Outlook not so good.     Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com Support the show Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, l...

Seers Erica and Sandeep gaze into the Seattle Nice crystal orb to bring us their midterm election forecasts, with some evidence, reasoning and argumentation.   Special thanks to Patreon subscriber David K. for suggesting this episode.   Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com Support the show Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, producti...

In Act I, Sandeep and Erica tackle #poopgate. Seattle council member Kshama Sawant says someone's been throwing bags of human feces on her lawn and accuses police of dragging their feet in the investigation. In Act II, the pod asks: Does council member Dan Strauss need to worry about a proposed new redistricting map ? And what was he thinking when he barred the press from a public event? In A...

Sandeep admits to being "a little buzzed" for this special nighttime taping of Seattle Nice. Nevertheless, he and Erica chew over Mayor Bruce Harrell's proposal to dramatically expand Seattle's Unified Care Team to "address trash and litter, clean up encampments and areas around encampments."  Some of the topics not addressed on this week's podcast:  The Murray /...

Bruce Harrell releases a new budget and the podcast goes berserk.   Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com Support the show Your 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. 

As expected Bruce Harrel named interim Adrian Diaz his new chief of  Seattle police.  We debate the wisdom of the pick and prognosticate what will happen with police reform.  Plus, Erica  blasts a recent Seattle Times column about tipping while Sandeep shrugs.   Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com Support the show Your support on Patreon helps...

Earlier this month Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that he will expand Seattle's park ranger program. That provoked outrage in some circles, with calls on Twitter for the city council to not "criminalize park users!"   This week Erica and Sandeep discuss and debate the backlash and dish about alleged consternation behind the scenes over how to respond.  We dish, please donate:   Send...

This week the pod discusses the politics and policies at Seattle public schools, and debates one of the biggest issues facing the city, possibly ever - leaf blowers.   Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com Support the show Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hitting local journalism and com...

Mayor Bruce Harrell's facing a mini-scandal this week after some controversial comments he made behind closed doors got leaked.  In a meeting with Seattle police. Harrell blasted the city council and King County Regional Homelessness Authority. Harrell isn't denying the comments. He says he's just being his authentic self. Seattle Nice takes a closer look at what Harrell said and th...

This week Seattle Nice takes a closer look at BIG PRIMARY RESULTS and the Seattle city council decision to end a $4 boost to grocery worker pay. Plus, Sandeep and Erica reminisce about the days when they helped made political endorsements at the Stranger.  Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com Support the show Your support on Patreon helps pay f...

Erica and Sandeep bring their personal addiction stories to bear in this episode about the fentanyl overdose emergency.  Earlier in the week, King County passed a bill that declared fentanyl a public health crisis . The bill was sponsored by council member Reagan Dunn, who is also running as a Republican in the August primary to represent the 8th Congressional District.  Erica and Sandeep agree Du...

"Starbucks to close 5 Seattle stores over safety concerns," reported the Seattle Times . Erica is skeptical, calling it "corporate PR," and points to the the company's union-busting efforts in Seattle and around the country.  Sandeep argues the "Twitter left" is getting the story wrong by continuing to downplay the rising crime rate.  This week Seattle Nice also...

Inside dopester Sandeep dishes up some breaking news about a city council plan to put ranked-choice voting on the ballot this fall alongside approval voting. Plus, the jury in the Charleena Lyles inquest "says police followed policy in shooting black woman in crisis," reports Publicola . We discuss the verdict and the larger political context.   If you like Seattle Nice, where respectful...

This week Erica joins from an undisclosed location not far from the U.S. Supreme Court.  Here in Washington State, elected officials have been busy reacting to the court's recent rulings, especially the Dobb's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.  Can Seattle save us from this Supreme Court? How about Governor Inslee?  If you like Seattle Nice, where respectful and heated debate is still en...

Publicola broke the story earlier this week about a new SPD labor contract that tries to tackle an intractable problem - ensuring that the discipline of police who break the rules sticks when that process was fair. It doesn't always happen .  Plus, we learn that Sandeep and Erica are not soccer fans. But they still manage to disagree about the value of a taxpayer-funded stadium that's ju...

On June 1, KUOW and the Seattle Times broke the story that Seattle police stopped investigating adult sexual assaults this year.  Is this a misallocation of police resources or a short-staffing problem? Plus, Erica accuses KEXP's John Richards of boosting the "Seattle Is Dying narrative."   Is she right?   If you like Seattle Nice, where debate is encouraged, please help support the...

Seattle is facing a looming budget deficit and city leaders are now exploring options for how to address it. A task force is being assembled to look at how to raise progressive tax revenue. That’s not so easy in this regressive tax state where a progressive income tax is not allowed.  Are budget cuts also on the table?  What is to be done? If you like Seattle Nice, please help support the pod on P...

If you like Seattle Nice please help support the pod on Patreon. Any monthly level is very welcome, and it will qualify you for upcoming members-only events and special content.   https://patreon.com/seattlenice?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=creatorshare  This week Seattle leaders celebrated how the city handled the removal of a homeless encampment at Woodland Park, whi...