Tag Archives: olympia

Washington now has a 10% cap on rent increases — Governor signs ‘stabilization’ bill co-sponsored by 43rd District Rep. Macri

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Macri

Seattle socialist firebrand city councilmember Kshama Sawant fought for years for rent control in the city before one final defeat as she left office in 2023. Wednesday, Governor Bob Ferguson signed into law a new statewide cap on rent hikes that limits landlords to annual increases of no more than 7% plus inflation, or 10% — whichever is less.

43rd District Rep. Nicole Macri co-sponsored the milestone rent stabilization legislation,

“The challenge of affordable housing has only increased, despite years of legislative work to expand supply and subsidies provided during and after the pandemic,” Macri said in a statement upon the signing. Continue reading →

When will Capitol Hill-grown magic mushrooms be legal in Seattle?

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A wavy cap found on Capitol Hill (Image: CHS)

A home-grown culture of psilocybe cubensis (golden teachers). (Image: Colby Bariel)

By Colby Bariel/UW News Lab

A Capitol Hill expert has taught hundreds of people, from grandmothers to neuroscientists how to cultivate magic mushrooms guiding many into the world of psychedelics.

With years of teaching experience, they cover the responsible use of entheogens, contemporary psychedelic theory, and their therapeutic applications.

“Psychedelics are meaning-making chemicals,” the expert tells CHS. “Magic mushrooms are therapeutic, not medicinal.”

Their work is facilitated by a 2021 Seattle City Council decree decriminalizing the noncommercial cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms and several other entheogens. This decision has allowed Seattle residents to engage in home-mycology and explore the spiritual, religious, and therapeutic experiences offered by psychedelics.

But Seattle is not yet safe for psychonauts. And the shadows of the Trump administration have darkened the situation to the point where recent progress here is being slowed and rolled back.

While personal psilocybin cultivation is decriminalized, its use remains illegal. In February, a man on First Hill was busted for what police said was a “drug lab” with thousands of dollars worth of magic mushrooms set up inside a First Hill apartment unit.

Organizations like REACH (Responsible Entheogen Access & Community Healing Coalition) Washington are advocating for state-level entheogen decriminalization.

Oregon is already a step ahead. Continue reading →

Toxic politics? ‘Supportive housing’ project targeted by Capitol Hill mayoral candidate in line for state cleanup

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The Capitol Hill business owner turned candidate for mayor fighting a Belmont Ave supportive housing project from the Downtown Emergency Service Center has already cast herself as a Republican.

Now we’ll see if Rachael Savage is also an environmentalist.

Washington’s Department of Ecology may be wandering into a neighborhood hornet’s nest as it begins the public process on the Stewart House Cleanup Site under its affordable housing grant program.

The DESC and the department are entering into an agreement on a state funded cleanup of the site where decades of waste from oil furnaces has accumulated. Continue reading →

‘Home, health, and hope’: Longtime 43rd District leader and housing advocate Chopp dies — UPDATE

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Chopp at the 2014 debut of 12th Ave Arts

Democratic State Rep. Frank Chopp who helped lead the 43rd District including Capitol Hill for three decades from 1995 to 2025 has died.

Chopp was 71.

“The 43rd District Democrats are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our former Representative, Frank Chopp,” the 43rd District Democrats group said in a statement. “Frank served the 43rd and the people of our State with honor for 30 years, and played a critical role in the betterment of our community.”

Remembered for his help funding the development of affordable buildings across the region, Chopp was a focused housing champion.

“The best approach is to build equity, to own it,” Chopp told CHS as he mounted one of his reelection battles in 2014. “The key is to capture any public land that is available for affordable buildings.”

Lika many of his later races, the 2014 election was an easy win for Chopp as he easily defeated an inexperienced Socialist Alternative candidate. Two years prior, he handily dispatched the protege’s mentor Kshama Sawant. Sawant would turn her political focus to Seattle. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill’s state senator pisses off right wing social media — by explaining Washington law

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Pedersen (Image: senatedemocrats.wa.gov )

Capitol Hill’s state Sen. Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle) is finding out that simply telling some people about the rule of law in 2025 is enough to set off controversy.

The veteran Washington lawmaker, lawyer, and Capitol Hill resident has gone viral across right-wing social media this week for his answer to Fox News explaining a 40-year-old state law.

“If it’s about their mental health care, we’ve drawn a line I think at age 13 in the statute and say that kids over 13 have the complete right to make their own decisions about their mental health care,” Pedersen said, according to a report featuring a full transcript of the interview. “Parents don’t have a right to have notice, they don’t have a right to have consent about that.”

“Kids over 13 have the complete right to make their own decisions about their mental health care. Parents don’t have a right to have notice, they don’t have a right to have consent about that,” is the clip Fox aired and that spread across social media. Continue reading →

Garfield PTSA issues ‘action alert’ for education bills in face of state’s looming budget deficit

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Screenshot

As state lawmakers begin their session in Olympia trying to batten down the spending hatches in the face of Washington’s coming multibillion dollar budget deficits, the Garfield High School PTSA is sharing a roster of actions to take to speak up for school funding in the coming weeks, months, and years of possible cutbacks.

The recommendations comes after a briefing at the group’s recent meeting with State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen (D-43rd District).

“If you are interested in fairly and adequately funded public schools, and seeing that Seattle gets the resources needed for all our students (and helping fill the giant SPS budget deficit), then the current bills up for debate starting tomorrow are worth raising your voice,” the group says. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill’s Pedersen is new Majority Leader in the Washington State Senate

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Capitol Hill’s Sen. Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle) will be the new Majority Leader in the Washington State Senate.

State Democrats elected Pedersen to the post Monday. Pedersen joined the Senate representing the 43rd District including Capitol Hill in 2013. He was first elected to the State House of Representatives in 2006.

Pedersen is set to lead a Democratic caucus that is positioned to gain another seat from November’s election. Continue reading →

$1.4B Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project moving forward with order to identify ‘cost reduction opportunities’

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Design concept for a new bridge over Portage Bay

An early rendering of the Roanoke Lid concept

Washington is moving forward with the 520 Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project even as it is still scrambling for the best way to pay for it.

WSDOT announced it awarded a contract for the job to Skanska on March 11th.

CHS reported in November on the $1.375 billion price proposal from Skanska for the contract — a bid 70% higher than the state’s estimate. An agreement with Skanska extended the window to accept the bid, giving Washington legislators “more time to address the funding gap” during its just-wrapped budget process, WSDOT says.

The new plan? Move forward with the $1.375 billion bid but find a way to cut costs and close the gap. WSDOT says legislators have ordered it to seek “cost reduction opportunities.” That could mean new, scaled back designs for the planned lid and new bridge. Continue reading →

‘Strippers’s Bill of Rights’ includes rollback of state’s lewd conduct liquor rules used to target Capitol Hill gay bars

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You will be even more free to enjoy your happy hour mozzarella sticks at The Cuff however you want to. Washington state legislators have responded to outcry from Capitol Hill queer nightlife venues, including changes to liquor board “lewd conduct” rules as they passed a so-called “Strippers’ Bill of Rights.”

The Stranger has details of the bill including labor protections for dancers that includes a major change for Washington that “effectively allows strip clubs to sell alcohol.” The legislation also repeals the lewd conduct code that critics said was being used to target gay bars.

The bill still must pass through the senate. Governor Jay Inslee, who has said he supported the decision to suspend the liquor board rules until changes could be made, must then sign the legislation. Continue reading →

43rd District Town Hall: affordable housing, strengthening public healthcare, and pushback on the liquor board

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Chopp

The group of legislators representing Capitol Hill in Olympia say their work in 2024 is focused on increasing the supply of affordable housing, strengthening public healthcare, and taking on an issue of civil rights that has caused outcry in the city’s queer-friendly queer communities.

Sen. Jamie Pedersen, Rep. Nicole Macri, and Rep. Frank Chopp gathered Saturday for the 2024 43rd District Town Hall at First Baptist Church to answer community questions and discuss the most important legislative issues they’re pursuing.

The current legislative session has reached the halfway point as the state’s lawmakers meet for only a 60-day period in even years under Washington’s two-year budget system.

Chopp has long-held a focus on addressing housing concerns and cited the Home and Hope Program, which acquired 30 major sites in King County that created 7,000 homes as an example of progress.

The Housing Trust Fund supports the financing of thousands of low-income housing units across the state. The Apple Health and Homes Program allows individuals who are experiencing chronic homelessness who also live with a medical condition to have housing as part of their medical treatment.

“70% percent of the chronically homeless have a serious medical condition, a mental illness, substance use disorder, a major physical disability,” Chopp said. Continue reading →