Renton is considering whether to keep Flock cameras. The clock is ticking.

In Renton, a heated fight over whether to keep Flock cameras mirrors the national angst people are feeling about surveillance, government, and big tech. These license plate readers are pitting law enforcement and public safety advocates against people concerned about immigration enforcement and gov…

Close races in Northwest states show interesting fault lines in the electorate

Washington has two neighboring states with very close races on very issues that show interesting fault lines in the electorate. In deep blue Oregon, Democratic Governor Tina Kotek is in an extremely tight race with her Republican opponent, Christine Drazan.  And in deep red Idaho, a proposition to …

WA state Supreme Court races are usually sleepy affairs. Not this year.

Listeners, it's time to lock in on the races for the Washington Supreme Court. Why? Five out of nine seats are up for grabs, a rare number of seas. We’re expecting some pretty big rulings from the justices in the years to come.   In the last two elections, five out of the six candidates for Washin…

The push, and pushback, to getting RVs off of Seattle's streets

Seattle could change the rules for parking RVs in the city. The councilmember pushing for this change is hoping it will eventually get them off the streets and people connected to housing.    Yet critics worry this could create hardship for Seattleites who live in these vehicles.  Plus: co-hosts …

Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda on King County’s response to Medicaid cuts

Massive federal cuts to Medicaid are playing out here in King County. 4,000 lawfully present immigrants lost their coverage this month, and over 200,000 more could see their coverage affected soon. King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda joins Soundside to talk about the county’s response to thes…

The debate over WA's millionaires tax

The fate of the high earners income tax, sometimes called the “Millionaire’s Tax," is in the hands of Washington voters. This year, Democrats in Olympia passed a nearly 10 percent tax on every dollar of household income over $1 million.  Almost immediately after the legislature passed it, the tax …

Are robot companions the future of elder care? Or a sign of the oncoming AI apocalypse?

There is a crisis in elder care worldwide.  The population of people aged 65 and older is expected to nearly double by 2060 and many countries are facing serious questions about how to support such a huge increase in elderly community members.  In America, nursing homes are both expensive and lin…

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson talks homelessness policy, the budget, and public safety

Every month Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson sits down with Soundside to discuss the latest news and answer your questions. This month: the budget, public safety, and homelessness policy. Plus: Libby and David break down the latest on the Washington State Ferry cancellations Today on the show: Seattle …

WA Senate Debate: Two Democrats vie to represent Seattle's northern suburbs

This election season, State Sen. Jesse Salomon is defending his seat against a challenger who believes he's not progressive enough, Rep. Cindy Ryu. Legislative District 32, which they both represent now, is a safe seat for Democrats. LD 32 includes Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood and also…

New school year, new fights over free speech at the UW

The University of Washington's Board of Regents almost voted on a change to the school's Student Conduct Code in early September, which led to a wave of pushback from students and faculty who read it as an effort to crackdown on certain kinds of protests. The school delayed that original vote and e…