Latest news with #Proposition1A
Axios
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Meet the 7 people challenging Bruce Harrell for mayor
Seven people are competing to unseat Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, including a progressive activist, a former T-Mobile executive and a resident who has recently experienced homelessness. Why it matters: This year's election will decide whether Harrell — a lawyer who previously served three terms on the city council — will be the latest in Seattle's string of one-term mayors or if he will break that political cycle, which dates back to 2010. During Harrell's first term as mayor, he has focused on efforts to boost police hiring and improve the business climate downtown, among other issues. Flashback: Seattle's last mayor to win two terms was Greg Nickels, who lost his reelection bid in the 2009 primary. Here's a look at the candidates who filed to run against Harrell ahead of last week's deadline to get on the 2025 ballot. Katie Wilson: Wilson is the co-founder and general secretary of the Transit Riders Union, a progressive advocacy organization that pushes for better public transit. She has argued that Harrell has been too focused on removing encampments around the city while failing to provide adequate services and shelter beds, among other criticisms. As of Tuesday, Wilson had raised more than $190,000, the most of any of Harrell's challengers so far, according to campaign finance records. Ry Armstrong: Armstrong, who previously ran for the city council in 2023, is an actor, union representative and leader of Sustainable Seattle. In recent months, Armstrong supported the successful campaign for Proposition 1A, which will enact a new tax to pay for social housing in Seattle. (Harrell supported a no-new-taxes alternative, Proposition 1B). Joe Molloy: Molloy's website says he lives the " daily reality" of homelessness in Seattle, having lost his housing last year. His platform calls for more shelter units and a basic income pilot program. Joe Mallahan: Mallahan ran for mayor in 2009, losing to Mike McGinn. In an endorsement interview this week, the former T-Mobile executive criticized the mayor's management of the police department, saying the agency "needs huge reform." Mallahan also touted his support for social housing as an area of contrast with Harrell. Isaiah Willoughby: Willoughby previously announced a city council campaign in 2023, but withdrew and didn't appear on that year's ballot. He pleaded guilty to arson for setting a fire outside the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct during the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) in 2020. Thaddeus Whelan: Whelan is an Army veteran who rents in North Seattle, a campaign website says. Whelan's platform suggests implementing congestion pricing in Seattle and enacting a tax on unused land, among other changes. Clinton Bliss: Bliss is a medical doctor whose platform focuses on campaign finance reform and rejecting donations from all organizations.
Epoch Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Going Nowhere Fast: California's Costly High-Speed Rail Project
Commentary In 2013, I called California's high-speed rail (HSR) 'the gift that keeps on taking.' Over a decade later, it remains the boondoggle that refuses to die—a zombified infrastructure dream that devours billions while going nowhere fast. Back in 2008, voters passed Proposition 1A under the illusion they'd be boarding a bullet train connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles, with spurs to Sacramento and San Diego. Fast forward to 2025, and what do we have? Not the promised 800 miles of track. Not even the scaled-down 171-mile Merced-to-Bakersfield line. Instead, what's under construction is a lonely 119-mile stretch from Madera to Shafter, not necessarily global transit hubs. This project is a masterclass in cognitive dissonance. It was sold as a green dream and delivered as a fiscal nightmare. Despite repeated reassurances from the latest HSR leadership that 'progress' is being made, costs have spiraled, timelines have vaporized, and the final completion date keeps getting moved further down the tracks. Proponents still cling to the fantasy that HSR will solve everything from climate change to housing sprawl. But let's be honest—this train isn't taking anyone where they want to go, figuratively or literally. Let's do some accounting. The original cost estimate in 2008 was $33 billion for a significant portion of a purported statewide system. Today, we're staring down a price tag north of $100 billion—and climbing. The so-called Initial Operating Segment (IOS), a rail line through the middle of nowhere, is projected to cost $35 billion. So far, $13 billion has been Related Stories 3/28/2025 2/21/2025 And who, exactly, is going to ride this train? A 2023 HSR Authority And it gets worse. Despite years of marketing this project as a climate savior, the emissions story is almost comical. A 2012 UC Berkeley Meanwhile, billions continue to line the pockets of politically connected contractors, unions, and bureaucrats. As ever, follow the money. The winners aren't commuters or taxpayers—they're the consultants who write the reports, the politicians who chase photo-ops, and the unions that pocket project labor agreements while construction drags on for decades. It's the great California grift, gift-wrapped in green rhetoric. The comprehensive route from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim is now estimated to cost up to $128 billion. Take that number and divide by the estimated distance of track to be laid, and the The losers? Thousands of families who lost their homes, farms, and businesses to eminent domain—some without adequate compensation, others still mired in bureaucratic limbo. Their lives were uprooted so a handful of concrete pilings could stand in a field looking like tombs for common sense. And don't forget the financing trickery. The HSR Authority is propped up by California's cap-and-trade program, which funnels roughly $1 billion a year to the project. That's money siphoned from everything touched by carbon pricing—energy bills, gas prices, even food costs. In essence, Californians are paying more for their daily lives to bankroll a train they'll never ride. There's also the 'last-mile' problem that no one in Sacramento seems eager to solve. Let's pretend, for a moment, that HSR actually reaches San Francisco and Los Angeles. Even then, riders would need to cobble together their journey with taxis, subways, rideshares, or rented bicycles just to get to their final destination. That's not transit. That's a scavenger hunt. We were promised a European-style rail marvel. What we got is a taxpayer-funded endurance experiment in how long a state can keep throwing good money after bad while calling it visionary. The truth? California's high-speed rail is not a people train. It's a gravy train. And like all gravy trains, it will keep running as long as there's someone willing to foot the bill. Unfortunately, that someone is you. Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Axios
19-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
When social housing could open in Seattle
Seattle's new social housing developer hopes to have its first property under contract by the end of the year, potentially allowing it to open its first mixed-income public housing building by mid-2026, CEO Roberto Jiménez tells Axios. Why it matters: Voters approved a new tax last month to pay for social housing, a public housing model that caps rent prices at 30% of a tenant's income. It's different from typical affordable housing, largely because the units are open to people making up to 120% of the local median income. Last year, the median income in Seattle for the purpose of affordable housing programs topped $100,000 for a single person. Between the lines: The concept behind social housing is that the higher rents paid by wealthier renters will help subsidize the lower rents paid by lower-income tenants. The model should allow the buildings to sustain themselves over time without ongoing government rental subsidies, said Jiménez, who was appointed CEO of the social housing development authority last year. Flashback: Seattle voters created the social housing development authority by passing I-135 two years ago, but the 2023 ballot measure didn't include taxes to pay for the program. The latest: To get things up and running, the social housing developer plans to use the tax money voters approved last month to help buy or construct its first buildings. Proposition 1A, which voters approved in the Feb. 11 special election, will raise an estimated $50 million per year for social housing. The new 5% payroll tax applies to Seattle companies with workers who make at least $1 million a year. Employers are to pay the 5% tax on the portion of an employee's salary that exceeds $1 million. The fine print: It will take about a year to set up the systems necessary to collect the tax, Julie Johnson, spokesperson for the city finance office, told Axios. For that reason, the city doesn't plan to make the first tax payments due until Jan. 31, 2026, Johnson said. What they're saying: Jiménez told Axios his agency will most likely try to access some of the Proposition 1A revenue before then. That probably will mean requesting advance funding from the city or some type of bridge loan, he said, in order to meet the goal of having an agreement in place to buy a property by the end of the year. Zoom in: The agency is looking at multiple buildings that it could acquire and convert to social housing, Jiménez told Axios. If one of those deals goes through and the building doesn't need major work, Jiménez said he's hopeful it could open by the middle of next year. Buying land and constructing a new building would take longer, he said. What we're watching: Tiffani McCoy with the Proposition 1A campaign told Axios she expects opponents may still file a lawsuit to try to overturn the tax.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Seattle Special Election: Early results showed strong lead for the payroll tax proposition
Supporters of the payroll tax subject to Proposition 1A in Seattle's special election say they are encouraged by early results, showing a 13,124 vote lead after the Tuesday night update. Prop 1A and Prop 1B both relied on a yes or no question in order to be passed. More than 68% of people voted 'yes' and 57.55% supported 1A, the citizen-led petition. Both questions asked voters to fund the social housing developer that was created in a previous election. 1A creates an 'excess compensation' tax of five percent when a business pays someone more than $1 Million. 1B, an alternative supported by the body of Seattle City Council and many in the business community, would fund $10 million a year for the next six years from an existing payroll tax. Supporters of 1A say the new tax's lead represents the 'power of the people.' 'This will help lower rents across the board.' said Areesa Somani, with House Our Neighbors, 'There is no social housing model in Seattle yet, and this will aid us in following in the footsteps of great international cities and creating mixed-income housing for working families who deserve to live in the city they work in.' Supporters of 1B haven't called it quits after Tuesday night's results. Around 19% of the vote had been counted by this posting in an election King County Elections officials expected 33% turnout. The Seattle Metro Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Rachel Smith said she is waiting for all votes to be counted. 'When considering this ballot initiative, we wanted to see social housing done right, and we believe Proposition 1B is the smart move.' 'It establishes the support and accountability of the city's Office of Housing – which has a 40-year track record, and it makes sure the affordable units get funded using public money – while not compromising the agency getting grants, loans, or other financial resources.' Smith continued in a statement. Somani says she expects legal challenges to the measure, assuming the lead holds. See results and learn more about ballot measures here.
Axios
10-02-2025
- Business
- Axios
Seattle special election will decide social housing tax plan
Tuesday is the deadline to return your ballots for Seattle's special election, which will decide whether to enact a new tax to pay for social housing, among other issues. Why it matters: It's your last chance to weigh in on whether the city should increase taxes on businesses to pay for public housing projects. The election will also decide the fate of two Seattle Public Schools levies. How it works: You need to return your ballot to an official ballot drop box by 8pm Tuesday for it to be counted. If you've put it in the mail already, that's fine too — but since mailed ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, election officials say the drop box is your best option at this late date. If you need a new ballot, you can print one here. If you're not registered to vote yet, you can still do so in person Tuesday at a county vote center and cast a ballot before 8pm. Catch up quick: Seattle voters are considering two competing measures to help pay for the city's social housing developer, a public development authority created two years ago with the passage of Initiative 135. One measure, Proposition 1A, would impose a new tax on businesses and would provide about $50 million per year to the new public development authority. The other measure, Proposition 1B, was put forth by the Seattle City Council. It would provide about $10 million per year from existing city funds, with the arrangement set to expire after five years. Voters could also choose to enact neither measure. By the numbers: As of last week, Amazon and Microsoft had each given $100,000 to support the Proposition 1B campaign, which had also received $40,400 from the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission reported. The top donor to the Proposition 1A campaign as of last week was Inatai Foundation, formerly Group Health Foundation, which gave $125,000, per commission records. Go deeper: Seattle voters weigh how to pay for social housing
