Melissa Santos

Progressives loom over Seattle moderates in early returns Challengers from the left are leading Harrell, Davison and Nelson in early primary election results.

Three moderate Seattle incumbents, including the mayor, continue to lag behind progressive challengers in the latest vote counts from Tuesday's primary election. www.axios.com/local/seattl... #waelex

Recording reveals Gov. Ferguson knew of concerns about top aide in 2019 Ferguson was briefed six years ago on concerns state auditors raised about longtime adviser Mike Webb.

Gov. Ferguson knew of concerns about top aide Mike Webb years ago, audio confirms. Webb resigned in March amid claims he created a hostile workplace for some women in the governor's office. Webb previously was Ferguson's chief of staff in the WA AG's office. www.axios.com/local/seattl... #waleg

Recording reveals Gov. Ferguson knew of concerns about top aide in 2019 Ferguson was briefed six years ago on concerns state auditors raised about longtime adviser Mike Webb.

Gov. Ferguson knew of concerns about top aide years ago, audio confirms
www.axios.com/local/seattl... #waleg

Washington State Trooper Alleges Misconduct In Unit That Flies Governor - Northwest Public Broadcasting A Washington state trooper has accused a leader in the State Patrol’s aviation unit of ordering staff to illegally delete public records and lying to the Governor’s Office about the availability of pl...

www.nwpb.org/2018/05/03/w...

A state plane that flies him around yeah

Scoop: Ferguson's office was warned about top aide's behavior in 2019 Records show concerns about adviser Mike Webb were raised to Ferguson's staff long before Webb resigned this year.

Story: www.axios.com/local/seattl...

The big picture: State auditors relayed their concerns about Webb's conduct to Shane Esquibel, then a top deputy in Ferguson's attorney general office, in 2019, according to audit documents and an agency spokesperson who confirmed the exchange. Esquibel later became chief operations officer in the governor's office and is now Ferguson's chief of staff.

Our reporting found that the state auditor's office also flagged concerns about Webb's conduct to one of Ferguson's top deputies in the attorney general's office in 2019. That chief deputy, Shane Esquibel, followed Ferguson to the governor's office and is now Ferguson's chief of staff. #waleg

More recently, before Webb resigned earlier this year, at least three female state officials brought concerns about Webb's workplace conduct directly to Ferguson, according to a person with knowledge of the conversations. That person requested anonymity due to concerns about professional blowback. Aho told Axios that the concerns raised by employees to the governor this year "did not involve any complaints or concerns about sexual misconduct or sexual relationships." She wrote in an email that "a conversation with a manager is not an HR complaint," and that "people need to have room to have discussions with managers." "Our leadership is very engaged in ensuring our team feels heard and works together in the best way possible," Aho wrote.

The governor's office acknowledges that multiple female employees took their concerns about Webb's workplace conduct directly to Ferguson earlier this year, before Webb resigned. But the governor's office still says there were no formal or informal HR complaints against Webb. #waleg

Catch up quick: Webb served as Ferguson's chief of staff in the attorney general's office for years before becoming Ferguson's chief strategy officer in the governor's office. Webb resigned in March after multiple state officials raised concerns about his workplace conduct. Still, Webb remains in the governor's inner circle. He told Axios this week he meets with the governor's campaign team "at least once a month" and flew on the governor's plane with him last month, accompanying Ferguson to a meeting in the Tri-Cities.

Mike Webb, one of Bob Ferguson's top aides for years, resigned in March amid claims he created a hostile work environment. But Webb told Axios he flew on the governor's plane last month and meets with the governor's campaign team "at least once a month" to be "a sounding board" for Ferguson. #waleg

Scoop: Ferguson's office was warned about top aide's behavior in 2019 Records show concerns about adviser Mike Webb were raised to Ferguson's staff long before Webb resigned this year.

Scoop: Ferguson's team was told of concerns about top aide years before his resignation
www.axios.com/local/seattl... #waleg

No more shoe removal at Sea-Tac TSA checkpoints Travelers at Seattle's main airport can now skip the shoe shuffle in general security lines.

You can keep your shoes on when you go through general security at Sea-Tac Airport now. (Even if you're not PreCheck). The new policy went into effect Monday, the airport confirmed. www.axios.com/local/seattl...

Nestlé tries to force Seattle coffee brand to drop its name Global giant Nestlé says Seattle Strong is too similar to Seattle's Best, which it bought in 2022.

Nestlé is going after a local cold brew company called Seattle Strong, saying their name is too much like Seattle's Best, which Nestlé bought in 2022.

"They seem to think they own the name Seattle," said the founder of Seattle Strong, which is based in Seattle.

www.axios.com/local/seattl...

Seattle's nude cyclists: A Fremont tradition that rolls on What began as a rebellious stunt in the '90s is now a beloved part of Seattle's summer culture.

The naked cyclists at the Fremont Solstice Parade began as a few nude riders crashing the parade in the early 1990s. Since then, it’s grown into one of Seattle’s signature summer traditions.

About 1,000 riders are expected to lead off the parade this Saturday. www.axios.com/local/seattl...

How gun-buying licenses will work in Washington state The state will require a permit, fingerprinting and live-fire training to buy guns starting in 2027.

Starting in 2027, Washington residents will have to get a permit to buy a gun, which will mean going through live-fire training and getting fingerprinted. www.axios.com/local/seattl... #waleg

Temple Pastries now serves Roman pizza at night in Seattle Crispy Roman-style pizza, cocktails and dessert are now on the menu at Temple Pastries in the evenings.

Do not be fooled by the tiny boxes behind the counter when you order pizza at Temple Pastries new pizza joint, Sacro Bosco. They're giant! Don't order 2 if it's just you and a kid who is meh on fennel --- ie, don't be like me www.axios.com/local/seattl...

Trump administration targets Seattle on sanctuary cities list Seattle is among 500 jurisdictions facing increased pressure over immigration enforcement.

ICYMI: Seattle, King County and Washington landed on the Trump administration's new sanctuary jurisdiction watchlist, as the administration threatens funding for local governments that don't aid federal immigration enforcement. www.axios.com/local/seattl...

Between the lines: Families with multiple kids face steeper costs: day care center tuition for an infant and a toddler averaged $38,256 annually in Washington last year. That's nearly 30% of the median household income for married couples in the state, which Child Care Aware pegged at $145,513.

I actually pay $2,500 a month, or over $29K a year, for infant care in Seattle. That's after moving from another day care where infant care prices hit $3K a month 🙃

And if you have a second kid, well.... good luck. #waleg

The big picture: Washington's child care costs are the fifth highest among U.S. states, according to data released this month by the advocacy group Child Care Aware. Only Massachusetts, California, Maryland, Hawaii and the District of Columbia had higher child care prices last year, the nonprofit said. By the numbers: In 2024, putting an infant in a day care center in Washington cost an average of $21,348 per year, according to Child Care Aware. That's about $8,000 higher than annual in-state tuition and fees at the University of Washington, where costs run about $12,973 for a standard three-quarter academic year.

That UW tuition estimate is based on a standard three quarter academic year (but the infant tuition would still top UW tuition prices even if you added in a summer quarter). 😢

Infant care in Washington state averages more than $21K a year That's more than $8,000 above annual in-state tuition at the University of Washington.

Infant day care prices now average over $21K per year in Washington state. That's over $8K more than in-state tuition and fees at the University of Washington. www.axios.com/local/seattl... #waleg

Why the FBI is investigating Seattle protests Protesters clashed over a conservative rally in a historically LGBTQ+ area — now, the FBI is involved.

The FBI is scrutinizing what happened at dueling Seattle protests over the weekend, while some locals are questioning why the city permitted a Christian group with anti-trans views to hold a rally in the city's historically LGBTQ+ neighborhood. www.axios.com/local/seattl...

DM me or email me if you have thoughts you wouldn't mind sharing for a story. We might compile readers' thoughts on these into a separate article. Email --- melissa(dot)santos(at)axios.com

Digital kiosks with ads, apps could line Seattle streets New kiosks, each 8 feet tall, would offer directions — and run ads — ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

What do you think about dozens of these digital kiosks, which measure 8.25 feet tall by 3.15 feet wide, going up in downtown Seattle? They could be approved by the city council as soon as next month. www.axios.com/local/seattl...

Seattle to Bellevue rail link delayed again The long-awaited light rail between Seattle and Bellevue won't open until early 2026, Sound Transit says.

Light rail from Seattle to Bellevue now won't open until sometime in 2026. (That includes the station by Seattle's Judkins Park, which has been sitting there for months -- years? -- looking fully complete). www.axios.com/local/seattl...

New Washington law limits rent hikes for many tenants Washington is now the third U.S. state with a statewide rent cap law — though it exempts certain units.

^^^ had to try this tweet a second time because I accidentally put the link to the wrong story .Washington also passed a cap on annual rent increases, that applies to many tenants but not all. Gov. Ferguson signed that into law a few weeks ago: www.axios.com/local/seattl... #waleg

Washington state moves to cut barriers to building housing New laws in Washington state ease landmark rules and promote dense housing near transit.

New Washington laws will increase housing density near public transit, cut minimum parking requirements for buildings and make it harder to declare a building a historic landmark (a process groups like @sightline.org say has been used to block housing projects). #waleg www.axios.com/local/seattl...

You have to make $91K to afford rent in the Seattle area The income needed to rent in the Seattle area has gone up 23% over five years, a Zillow report finds.

You now need to make $91K to afford rent in the Seattle metro area, going by the standard that rent should take up no more than 30% of your income. www.axios.com/local/seattl...

Flashback: In 2016, five years before her election in Renton, Rivera was arrested and charged with a gross misdemeanor following an alleged domestic violence incident, in a case that was eventually dismissed, court records show. The charge — malicious mischief in the third-degree domestic violence — stemmed from an incident in which Rivera told a police officer she tore a side mirror off her former romantic partner's car, according to a police report. Rivera's ex said she was inside the stopped car when Rivera began kicking it and ripped off the mirror, the police report says. The prosecutor's office in Redmond, where the case was filed, told Axios it no longer has notes that might help explain why prosecutors dropped the charges.

These allegations come several years after Rivera was arrested and charged with malicious mischief, a gross misdemeanor, following an alleged domestic violence incident. The charges were later dropped. www.axios.com/local/seattl... #waleg #waelex

What they're saying: Renton City Councilmember Kim-Khánh Văn emailed the Renton police chief in December 2022 to report what she described as a yearlong pattern of "bullying and harassment" by Rivera. Separately, four people involved in local politics or community groups — who requested anonymity, citing potential professional consequences — described six instances since 2021 in which they allege Rivera yelled at them while using profanity or acted in a way they found physically aggressive or intimidating. Axios has interviewed witnesses who corroborate three of those accounts, one of which pertains to an interaction from last year. The former executive director of Seattle Pride, Krystal Marx, also told Axios that a Pride employee accused Rivera of harassing behavior in 2022, when Rivera was a Pride board member.

Five people told Axios that Rivera has yelled at them while using profanity or acted in a way they found physically aggressive or intimidating. She also was accused of harassing behavior while on the Seattle Pride board, the former executive director said.

Harassment claims follow rising Washington state Democrat Renton Councilmember Carmen Rivera is accused of verbally harassing colleagues and others.

Renton City Councilmember Carmen Rivera, who holds a leadership role in the Washington State Democrats, has berated and verbally harassed colleagues and others in the past four years, a fellow council member and five others told Axios. www.axios.com/local/seattl... #waleg #waelex

Washington state sees first decline in overdose deaths in years Provisional data shows a 12% drop in overdose deaths statewide and a 22% drop in King County.

For the first time in years, overdose deaths appear to have fallen last year in Washington state, according to preliminary CDC data. www.axios.com/local/seattl... #waleg #seattle