Thanks for reading Cascadia Journal, your feisty, opinionated news source for the Pacific Northwest. Do you enjoy this roundup of news, environmental reporting, and arts coverage from across Cascadia? Appreciate my reporting on the Cascadia bioregion's pushback on Trump's fascism? Want so see more reporting on
Seattle passes junk fee ban + $300K trans assistance The Seattle city council was busy yesterday, unanimously passing mayor Katie Wilson's rental junk fee ban as well also unanimously approving a $300,000 addition to the supplemental budget (introduced by council member Alexis Mercedes Rinck) that would assist trans
Cascadia features
Seattle and Portland have become safe havens from places passing restrictive anti-trans laws.
Seattle and Portland have become safe havens from places passing restrictive anti-trans laws.
Cascadia – Oregon and Washington together – paid $51.5 billion more in taxes than were returned back to our region in funding in 2025.
After a talk last night in Seattle by Bank of North Dakota CEO Don Morgan, I came away even more convinced that Oregon and Washington should make creating public state banks a high legislative priority.
The Trump regime is systematically destroying protections for Oregon and Washington's forests and moving to triple logging of public lands in Cascadia.
ICE is desperate to push forward its deportation effort and please their fascist little president.
Responding to a recent call for independence by a new group called Cascadia Democratic Action, I have three critical questions. Is it practical? Is it the best way to serve the common good? Could it undermine broader progressive efforts? I attempt answers here.
Observations on news, politics, and the arts in the Pacific Northwest.
Vote on Seattle rental junk fee ban today The Seattle city council will vote this afternoon on a proposed ban on, junk rental fees, including charges for things like pet rent, fees for in-unit appliances, cleaning of common areas, and other excessive fees. It would also require landlords to
Thanks again to all who donated in Cascadia Democratic Action's bottled water and N-95 mask drive. Wash Masks mutual aid is coordinating with Latinos en Seattle to ensure masks are getting to people who need them in the Spokane area, and they sent along this message to
In case you missed it, I was on the CityCast Seattle podcast last week talking about how our region could benefit from a state bank: more funds for affordable housing and low-cost student loans, more certainty about disaster relief, and keeping money in Cascadia instead of with mega banks.
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Mix of centrists and progressives win in WA primary Yesterday was election day in Washington, and the results didn't show one particular trend but rather a mix of centrists and progressives prevailing, and Trump-backed right wingers winning where you'd expect. OPB reports on the most
Suspect arrested for arson in Spokane wildfire As wildfires continue to burn uncontained in and around Spokane, the AP reports that a 37-year-old man in custody on suspicion of first-degree arson for the Old Trail Fire, one of the largest of a complex of fires that have
Thanks to all who turned out for Cascadia Democratic Action's water bottle and N-95 mask drive in Seattle this weekend. We raised more than $100 and received donations of more than 1,000 masks – which we'll be working on distributing in the next week as
If you haven't read it yet, please check out yesterday's feature article, in which I look at the balance of federal taxes paid versus funds and services returned to Cascadia. The data seems to show that Washington and Oregon combined paid $51 billion more in federal
Cascadia – Oregon and Washington together – paid $51.5 billion more in taxes than were returned back to our region in funding in 2025.
Can I ask you a favor? As wildfires burn across Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia and air quality drops across the region, the organization I'm working with on Cascadia autonomy, Cascadia Democratic Action, is conducting a drive for bottled water and N-95 masks for people who don&
Want to help our neighbors without shelter cope with high temperatures and wildfire smoke? Cascadia Democratic Action is organizing a water bottle and N-95 mask drive this Saturday, Aug 1 from noon to 4 pm at Cal Anderson park in Seattle. Donate bulk bottled water, N-95 masks, or
Measure to pay Portland cops with climate funds falling short Willamette Week reports that due to a large number of invalid signatures, a Portland ballot measure that would re-direct 25% of the Portland Clean Energy Fund to hiring 400 more cops is on pace to not have enough signatures
