Cascadia today: WA Democrats refuse to tax wealth + forever chemicals in sea otters + Train Dreams, film set in Cascadia

Good morning! In case you missed it, I wrote about the SNAP to Action food drive Cascadia Democratic Action organized and how mutual aid has been an essential part of revolutionary movements for change, whether the abolition of slavery, unionization, the Black Panthers, or opposing fascists during the Spanish Civil War. Give it read if you haven't already!

Harrell's lead narrows in Seattle mayor's race

KUOW reports that the latest batch of counted ballots in the Seattle mayor's race favored Katie Wilson, putting incumbent mayor Bruce Harrell's lead at 52.6% to 46.9%. There are still about 100,000 votes to count. Meanwhile, at the South Seattle Emerald, cartoonist Bret Hamil contemplates election night and why late-voting progressives always bring things down to the wire.

WA Democrats: "fuck off we have no more money"

Well, here we go again. Democratic leaders in the Washington legislature have come to the conclusion that there is no more money for additional programs in the next legislative session and have told Dem legislators they shouldn't make any new funding requests in the 2026 session, Washington State Standard reports.

Sorry for my language but WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?

Washington is under threat from the Trump administration on numerous fronts: potential elimination of health care subsidies, slashed funds to food benefits, elimination of Dept of Education funding, threats of holding back critical transportation funds... the list goes on.

And yet these supposed progressives are suggesting austerity. News flash: we live a region that is home to some of the wealthiest, most profitable corporations in the world. And a tax system that is the second-most regressive in the US.

We can tax that wealth and take care of our people.

Instead, Democrats gave a collective shrug and said there's nothing we can do. This is inexcusable. Thankfully, there are still some leaders in our state who reject austerity, including Alexis Mercedes Rinck, who in a guest editorial for PubliCola, writes that this is not the time for budget cuts, and urges specific, useful increases in funding: in this case, services for homeless youth and counseling services to victims of domestic violence.

If you live in Washington, please contact your legislators and tell them austerity isn't the way forward to push back against Trump.

Seattle schools narrows search for superintendent

KUOW reports that the Seattle School Board has narrowed its search for a new superintendent to lead the district to one candidate: former Lansing, Michigan schools leader Brad Shuldiner. Meanwhile, the Tyee reports that efforts to increase transparency in Vancouver School Board leadership faced a setback as the board refused to end the practice of making some meetings private.

Forever chemicals found in BC sea otters

According to a new study published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, researchers from the University of British Columbia have found surprisingly high levels of "forever chemicals" (PFAS and related products used in fire fighting foam, nonstick pans, and other consumer products) in dead sea otters off the British Columbia coast. PFAS in drinking water has been linked to cancers and other health problems in humans. And of course, the Trump administration has rolled back the EPA's attempts to regulate the chemicals.

Train Dreams: a quietly beautiful film set in Cascadia

The Portland Mercury reviews Train Dreams, a new film set in the early 1920s timber era in Cascadia. Based on a novella by Denis Johnson, Clint Bentley's quiet, intense film follows a man and his family heading west to make a living among loggers of old-growth forests (the movie was filmed near Spokane and in eastern Idaho). The reviewer, Dan Sinacola, writes:

"This film is teeming with life. It should be seen in a theater, preferably in the Pacific Northwest—if you’re lucky."

Thanks for reading! --Andrew