Cascadia Journal

A ballot proposal to divert Portland climate funds to hire more police gets second push An initiative to divert Portland’s climate funds to hire more police officers was shot down last week after a judge ruled the original petition lacked clear language. Now those same backers say they r...

Climate funds should fund clean energy projects and subsidies to families who want to install heat pumps, not hiring a bunch of fucking cops. www.opb.org/article/2026...

Former Seattle Council Candidate Ron Davis Challenges Longtime Legislator Gerry Pollet » The Urbanist # Taking on an incumbent who has been in office since 2011, Ron Davis is eyeing tax changes, housing reforms, and a more robust state response to federal overreach as major planks of his platform.

"If our tax rate was about like Minnesota, we would literally have enough money to fully fund education, have universal childcare, cover the deficit, end homelessness, and probably put another $500 million a year into transportation — sustainable transportation." www.theurbanist.org/2026/03/05/s...

Thanks! Seems fairly clear based on the Desautel precedent, but we'll see how it goes.

Could a tribal lawsuit erode colonial borders? The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation is a tribal nation located in north central Washington state composed of 12 Indigenous bands, including the ščəl'ámxəxʷ (Chelan), sx̌ʷýʔłpx (Col...

The Federated Tribes of the Colville have filed a lawsuit against the British Columbia government, claiming the right of the Sinixt tribe to be consulted in decision-making as a First Nation. It's a fascinating #Cascadia cross-border case: #Cascadia. www.cascadia-journal.com/could-a-trib...

Cascadia today: Will Dems blink on millionaires' tax? Oly passes protections for poly people + BC inland rainforest at risk Are Dems wavering on WA millionaires' tax? Washington legislative Democrats in the state house are up to their usual risk-averse behavior – yesterday they failed to move forward a proposed 9.9% tax o...

Are WA Dems wavering on millionaires' tax? Olympia passes protections for polyam people, a rare inland rainforest in BC is threatened by logging, and a series of plays in Seattle explore Asian stereotypes. It's your #Cascadia news roundup! www.cascadia-journal.com/cascadia-tod...

Polyamory rights bills on the horizon in Olympia, Portland & Seattle💘 Cascadia has always been at the forefront of protecting the rights of individuals to live their sexuality authentically. Seattle was one of the first cities in the US to expand protections for employm...

I reported on this bill a couple weeks ago. A bill is also moving forward in Portland, and Seattle is expected to introduce a measure later this year: www.cascadia-journal.com/polyamory-ri...

Olympia adds civil protections for ‘polyamorous, non-monogamous or other non-traditional family or relationship structures’ - The Daily Chronicle The City of Olympia updated its municipal code last week to explicitly prohibit discrimination and to add “family or relationship structure” as a protected category.  The code updates …

Some good news: Olympia became the first city in #Cascadia to prohibit discrimination of people who identify as #polyamorous, non-monogamous, or who are in non-mainstream family structures: www.chronline.com/stories/olym...?

Cascadia today: Ferguson says millionaires' tax can wait + a literal fake news site in BC + fixing stuff in Seattle Good morning! If you appreciate this feisty email newsletter, please tell a friend! And please consider becoming a paid subscriber in March. I'm trying to reach a goal of 100 paid members by the end o...

Good morning! WA gov Ferguson says millionaires tax can wait, an AI-generated local news site in a Vancouver suburb is full of literally fake news, and a mending circle in Seattle fixes stuff. It's your daily roundup of news from across #Cascadia: www.cascadia-journal.com/cascadia-tod...

Let @governorferguson.bsky.social know you want the tax to start this year! No more excuses, no more delays; tax the super rich!

Online contact form governor.wa.gov/contacting-g...

Call
360-902-4111
TTY/TDD call 711 or
1-800-833-6384

Council passed Mosqueda’s emergency ban on Detention Centers. King County’s land and resources should be used to support the health, safety, and well-being of our communities - not to build systems that isolate, intimidate and harm the very people who make our region strong. Detention facilities are being used to disappear our friends, family, and community members into inhumane conditions, often without due process - and they also carry serious consequences for the health and safety of surrounding neighborhoods. When our neighbors are afraid to seek medical care, shop for groceries, or send their children to school, they bear the immediate harm - and our communities lose the trust, connection, and stability that allow us all to thrive.

KCC just passed my moratorium on new detention centers. Thank you to council colleagues who co-sponsored and supported the legislation. Full press release here: kingcounty.gov/dept/council...

As City and County Consider Banning New ICE Facilities, Local Jails Are Exempted from Seattle's Ban - PubliCola By Erica C. Barnett City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck’s proposed legislation to bar new detention centers in Seattle, originally introduced…

As City and County Consider Banning New ICE Facilities, Local Jails Are Exempted from Seattle's Ban
The city council sponsor faced internal pushback on language that also barred new jails, while King County's legislation prohibits new jails and federal detention centers for a year.

Gov. Ferguson and many legislators don't seem to get that we are actually in a crisis here, and that we can't wait until 2030 for new revenue, or 2031, or 2032. Take some risks, Bob.

Ah the Washington legislature, where all good bills go to die...

Join La Resistencia today at 6pm outside the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) to hear about what is going on inside NWDC, continue being in solidarity with Steven, and hold ICE/GEO accountable for their actions!

#AbolishICE #AbolishGEOGROUP #ChingaLaMigra #ShutdownNWDC #FreeThemALL

Cascadia today: BC won't switch clocks anymore + WA sheriff gave data to ICE + poetry by Seattle's E. Briskin Good morning, friends. Trump's Iran war exploded across the wider Middle East as the US state department urged USAmericans to leave 14 countries. A new CNN poll found that nearly 60% of people in the ...

BC will adopt permanent daylight savings time, time is running out for bills in WA & OR legislatures, a WA sheriff illegally gave data to ICE, and a poem by Seattle's E. Briskin. It's your daily dish of news & culture from #Cascadia: www.cascadia-journal.com/cascadia-tod...

What's hilarious about this is that California, which is the tech and AI capital of the country, has a state income tax, the highest rate of which is 12.3% (vs 9.9% in the WA proposal), and the tax is on all income, not just income over $1 million. Yet somehow Silicon Valley is doing just fine.

A flyer telling Seattle residents to speak up for a bill banning detention centers in Seattle and encouraging public testimony at 2 pm March 3.

ACTION ALERT: testify or email comments in support of CB 121174 banning new detention centers in Seattle at a city council hearing 2 pm Tuesday March 3. More info here: www.seattle.gov/council/meet...

Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement The period of the year from spring to fall, when clocks in most parts of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time, is called daylight saving time, and its beginning and ending dates and times are set by federal law. The human ...

Gotcha. Yeah, I'd support an evidence-based decision, sounds like permanent standard has the support of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

What's the reason they give for permanent DST?

Either way, let's please just end the switch.

Hey Oregon, Washington and Idaho: time to make this #Cascadia -wide!

Cascadia today: Seattle and Portland protest Iran war + wild pigs in OR eradicated + reforming Portland's art tax Good morning, friends! In the month of March, I have a goal to reach 100 paid subscriptions. If you appreciate this daily round-up of news, environmental reporting, and arts coverage – plus feisty com...

Good morning! #Cascadia protested the new war in Iran, Dems eliminated a corporate exemption from proposed WA millionaires' tax, OR feral pigs are eradicated, and more news from across the bioregion: www.cascadia-journal.com/cascadia-tod...

Why I no longer think of myself as American It's been a gradual process, but I now identify as a resident of Cascadia rather than a resident of the United States. Rethinking one's identity and loyalties can be a difficult but clarifying proces...

Seems relevant.
www.cascadia-journal.com/why-i-no-lon...

The vast majority of people in #Cascadia don't want this.

Callers to Washington state hotline press 2 for Spanish and get accented AI English instead Callers to Washington state’s driver’s license agency who select automated service in Spanish have instead been hearing an AI voice speaking English with a strong Spanish accent.

What a fucking embarrassment. STOP USING AI. And has the director of DOL been fired yet? I'll wait. apnews.com/article/wash...

Rep Scott understands that taxing the wealthy doesn't have to include a laundry list of exceptions. This is great news.

The idea of spending political capital is lost on them.

To be clear, if Donald Trump cancels or significantly impedes the mid-term elections, @cascadiademocratic.bsky.social will start the process of filing a referendum on separation in Oregon and Washington.

Cascadia today: helping immigrants pay legal fees + no timed entry to see Tahoma + an exhibit of Coast Salish weaving Good morning! If you haven't read it yet, I looked at the state of the Cascadia bioregion this week. TLDR: Our economy is strong, transit use is on the rise but we face two serious threats: climate ch...

Cities and counties in #Cascadia move to help immigrants with legal fees, the national park that encompasses Tahoma will end its timed-entry reservation system, and Seattle's Burke museum has an exhibit of Coast Salish wool weaving: www.cascadia-journal.com/cascadia-tod...