Cascadia today: Seattle bans junk fees, assists trans people + OR wildfire season worst ever + BC book industry struggles
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 people relocating to Seattle from states that have passed anti-trans legislation. The Urbanist has more on the junk fee bill, sponsored by CM Dionne Foster, which eliminates pet rent, fees for things like holding packages or cleaning common rooms – as well as requiring landlords to include all extra fees in apartment price listings.
Through the Static reports on the $300,000 emergency trans funding package, which will go to trusted organization providing things like temporary housing, food assistance, job search, and other services to trans refugees from hostile states. Activists noted this was a bare minimum in assistance, and well short of what these organizations could have received had mayor Wilson declared a civil state of emergency.
Yesterday at Cascadia Journal I wrote about how our region is becoming a haven for trans people – up to 260,000 trans individuals in the US have moved away from states that have passed more than 600 anti-trans bills, and many have come to Portland and Seattle. Since 2025, states such as Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and Kansas have passed restrictive anti-trans legislation and Idaho this year passed a harsh public restroom bill in Idaho that punishes people for choosing the restroom of their choice with up to five years in prison.
Andrew Engelson
OR in the midst of most severe wildfire season ever
It's only August 12, and more acres of Oregon have burned during this wildfire season than any other in its history, OPB reports. The Grasshopper fire near Mount Hood grew to 77,000 building and threatened hundreds of buildings, including the historic Timberline lodge. The Grass Fire in southeast OR and western Idaho has burned 550,000 acres, making it one of the largest wildfires in the state's history.
Want to help? The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, which has been hit hard by wildfires, has a donation fund. Or donate to the Oregon Community Fund's disaster response fund. Want to help those affected by Spokane's devastating wildfires? The City of Spokane has a good list of organizations that are helping out.
Mark Carney could make orcas extinct
The Tyee reports on an alarming call to action by wildlife biologists with the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, which says that Canadian prime minister Mark Carney's proposal to fast track west coast projects – including a new oil pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia – could result in the "willful extinction" of BC's southern resident orcas.
“That’s the real danger. Once the species is gone, it’s gone forever. You’re not going to bring it back if it goes extinct.” --David Green, wildlife biologist
BC's publishing industry in on the brink
Also at the Tyee, there's a great feature on the status of British Columbia's independent book publishing industry, which is facing troubled times after the Canadian government slashed grants to indie publishers. BC has Canada's second-largest English language book market, but only about 5% of those titles are from Canadian presses. Longtime indie publishers such as Arsenal Pulp and Talonbooks are forging ahead, and trying to get creative in capturing readers' attention. For more on British Columbia's 40 independent publishers, check out this list.
Please buy and read books from local authors and publishers!
Thanks, and keep loving and keep fighting. --Andy
