Seattle Council’s public safety priorities in 2026: Office of Emergency Management assessment, public drug use, SPD hiring, and reining in ICE

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A table comparing OEM spending across four cities — SF totals are much higher due to that city’s organization of its 911 call center and EMS resources under its office

Seattle City Council’s public safety committee chair Bob Kettle will lay out his city legislative priorities for the year Tuesday morning in a meeting that will also begin a process to assess Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management.

Seattle spends about a third per capita on its office responsible for “planning and mitigation, disaster response, and recovery” than a similar city like Denver and only a quarter of what Portland budgets for it office, according to a presentation (PDF) for Tuesday’s meeting. Continue reading →

Race for King County Council District 2 seat takes shape with Saldaña and Hasegawa

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The field is taking shape for the 2026 run to represent portions of Capitol Hill, Eastlake, the Central District, South Seattle, plus the U District, Laurelhurst, Ravenna, Tukwila, and Skyway on the King County Council.

This week, Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa announced her campaign for the council’s District 2 seat formerly held by newly elected King County Executive Girmay Zahilay.

“I’m running to make King County more affordable and livable for working families,” Hasegawa said in her campaign announcement. “That means expanding access to childcare, lowering transportation costs, protecting housing stability, and making sure public systems actually work for the people who rely on them. I’ve spent my career delivering results, and I’m ready to do that work on the County Council.” Continue reading →

Seattle City Light says ‘vandalism’ to blame for Friday’s Capitol Hill power outage

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There is a new menace threatening the Capitol Hill power grid around Broadway and John — people.

Seattle City Light tells CHS that Friday’s underground electrical vault fire that caused a power outage to around 450 customers including area businesses and residential buildings was caused by “vandalism resulting in damage to primary and secondary underground cables.”

It took Seattle City Light several hours to make repairs and restore service.

The public utility is asking for your help keeping an eye on things. Continue reading →

Seattle Fire crews mistakenly sent to Capitol Hill’s 13th Ave in response to two-alarm apartment building fire on Beacon Hill

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(Image: Seattle Fire)

A two-alarm apartment fire in Beacon Hill is the latest reminder to be as clear as possible with your street directionals and cross streets when calling 911 in Seattle.

Seattle Fire says its response to a major fire on Beacon Hill Sunday morning was delayed when crews were dispatched to Capitol Hill after a 911 call “reporting a fire in an apartment building in the 1700 block of 13th Ave.”

SFD says the first crews reported no fire in the area as they arrived near 13th and E Olive St. Sunday at 12:01 PM, three minutes after the initial call.

The fire department says a second 911 call came in at 12:03 PM reporting the fire was on Beacon Hill in the 17000 block of 13th Ave South — more than two miles away. Continue reading →

Global cycling brand Rapha is closing its Capitol Hill ‘clubhouse’

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London-based global cycling sportswear brand Rapha is closing its Seattle “clubhouse,” a mixed retail and cafe concept it introduced nearly ten years ago on this E Pine block of Capitol Hill after its redevelopment

The company said the Seattle shutdown will be joined by clubhouse closures in Boulder, Chicago, Miami, and Manchester, United Kingdom  “before the end of March 2026.”

The closures come as Rapha is suffering global revenue loss of a reported $23 million annually. It will continue to operate 20 or so clubhouses in cities including New York, Los Angeles, and Portland as well as opening new sites including Shanghai.

The company says the closures will begin as early as this month. Continue reading →

2026’s start at Garfield High School includes ‘Reclaiming the Village’ forum plus construction plans for classroom technology and school safety upgrades

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Meanwhile, the class of ’27 came up big time in the school’s winter sock drive (Image: @garfieldhsptsa)

The community around Garfield High School is continuing work to improve campus public safety and address social and economic challenges.

Over the weekend, city officials including Seattle City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth joined attendees at the latest “Reclaiming the Village” gathering at Garfield. Organizers say they hope the events will grow into an ongoing series of forums to support Black families and students in Seattle’s Central District.

Garfield Principal Tarance Hart launched the forums as the school has tried to address community needs, public safety, and gun violence following the deadly 2024 shooting of 17-year-old student Amarr Murphy-Paine in the school’s parking lot. Continue reading →

Seattle Fire rescues driver after low-speed crash into home — from above — on hilly E Union

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(Image: CHS)

A perplexing automobile crash scene brought a huge Seattle Fire response to the hills of E Union Sunday afternoon.

Seattle Fire rushed to the intersection of 31st and Union around 1 PM Sunday to a report that a car had crashed into the upper level of a home, leaving the car’s occupant trapped inside.

The dramatic 911 call soon revealed a slower-speed event. Continue reading →

Sunday in Cal Anderson: ‘ICE OUT FOR GOOD’ demonstration — UPDATE: Pictures and Mayor Wilson

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UPDATE: We’ve added some images from the day. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay were among speakers at the afternoon rally (Images: CHS)

Groups that organized to bring together a Seattle Waterfront vigil and march this week to mark the killing of Renee Nicole Good are planning another rally Sunday in Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park.

The “ICE Out For Good” event is planned to begin at 11 AM on the north end of the park with groups including local organizers Seattle Indivisible and Defund Musk joining what is expected to be a day of nationwide protests over the deadly shooting and the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Continue reading →

These Central Seattle school kids are getting a soft addition to their blacktop playground

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(Image: Seattle Public Schools)

Part of life for many Pacific Northwest kids — especially in densely populated areas around Capitol Hill — are affordable and long-lasting hard-top paved elementary school playgrounds. Seattle Public Schools has budgeted to change that for one corner of a neighborhood school’s campus.

Plans are afoot for a $416,000 project to install synthetic turf on a large rectangle of the Leschi Elementary School campus, according to city permits. The new turf area will be installed where the school’s futsal court is currently marked. Continue reading →

This week in CHS history | Goodbye to the Broadway bike bollards, Hollingsworth launches campaign, 2021 COVID-19 vaccination rollout

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A Broadway bollard in happier times (Image: SDOT)

Here are the top stories from this week in CHS history:

2025

 

Belmont-Boylston ‘double house’ considered as landmark in preparation for Historic Seattle sale


Continue reading →