Cascadia today: OR isn't fixing its roads + west changing wildfire funding + last woolly dog pelt on display in BC
Good morning, friends! Lots of newsworthy things happening this afternoon: Seattle mayor Katie Wilson reveals her proposed city budget, the Seattle city council will vote on whether or not to ban surveillance grocery pricing, and British Columbia premier David Eby is expected to announce whether his ruling New Democratic Party will call a snap election. We'll cover them all tomorrow. Oh and if you want to hear me chat with Jane C. Hu and Ryan Packer at CityCast Seattle about Seattle's new polyamory civil rights bill and Cascadia TRAINS, have a listen!
King county announces modest increase in housing funds
The Urbanist reports that King county executive Girmay Zahilay has announced $19.5 million in new funds for permanent supportive housing and shelter beds, a start on Zahilay's announced goal of 500 new units affordable housing. In related news, PubliCola looks at Seattle city council proposal to put Seattle's Mandatory Affordable Housing (MHA) program on hold in order to spur development of new market rate apartments, which have screeched to a halt because of labor, land, and borrowing costs. Meanwhile, in Berlin, the city's radical left parties are looking like they'll win municipal elections and could serve as a model for Cascadia cities. Their plan is to seize properties from real estate companies that own more than 3,000 units. Those Berlin leftists do not fuck around.
OR isn't fixing its roads & Carney to sell off YVR
Oregon is second in the nation in terms of the gap between road and bridge maintenance needs and what is spent on them, Oregon Capital Chronicle reports. Oregon has some $7 billion in road and bridge repair needs but has only budgeted about $2.8 billion – and it didn't help that voters overwhelming rejected a gas tax this year that the legislature hoped would address the maintenance backlog.
In other transportation news, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, a classic corporate banker-suited centrist, wants to privatize Canada's major airports, including Vancouver. Unions have come out opposed to the selloff, and YVR has been neutral (which is currently run as a not for profit and consistently wins awards including a Skytrax award f0r the best airport in North America this year).
The west is changing how it funds wildfire response
Washington State Standard looks out how western states such as Montana, Idaho, and Washington are revising how they fund wildfire fighting, prevention, and mitigation. They're setting aside reserves, being flexible in worse years, and in Washington, working to dramatically increase funds for prevention, including controlled burns. The piece also finds that federal funding is generally inadequate.
Cascadia independence, combined with transfer of federal land to state and Indigenous control would free up Washington and Oregon to build up state wildfire management reserves. Not having to pay into a bloated $1 trillion military budget and $200 billion army of masked goons and concentration camps would certainly help us address forest management needs here in the Pacific Northwest.
Andrew Engelson
Woolly dog pelt returns to BC
The Narwhal reports on the only surviving woolly dog pelt in the world returning to British Columbia during a touring exhibit on loan from the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Woolly dogs, which were integral to Coast Salish culture, went extinct in the the late 19th century. This pelt is the only one known in existence, and First Nations members, including some from the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) were able to experience it in person before it goes on display at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. Coast Salish people – often women – wove blankets from the wool from these dogs as well as mountain goats.
“It makes me sad — happy that he’s here, but sad they’re non-existent now.” --Musqueam weaver Debra Sparrow
Thanks for reading. Keep loving and keep fighting. --Andy
