Cascadia today: Opposition to WA austerity + limiting Flock cameras + Seattle theater says no to Kennedy Center
Many speak out against Ferguson's austerity budget
Washington State Standard reports on hearings in the Washington state legislature last week over governor Bob Ferguson's proposed budget, which attempts to avoid raising taxes and cut services in order to deal with a $2.3 billion deficit.
The reception wasn't warm. Residents and activists spoke out about $41 million in projected cuts to childcare, with the director of the Children's Campaign Fund noting, "“Child care should never be a discretionary line item as it is the work that makes all the other work possible."
There was also strong opposition to Ferguson's proposal to raid $569 million from the state's carbon fee program and redirect funds clean energy projetcs to the general fund. Last week, I spoke with Guillermo Rogel Jr, political director for Front and Centered, an environmental justice nonprofit, who said the cuts would be detrimental to the health of low income people and people of color statewide.
Andrew Engelson
Rogel noted that Democrats originally "promised that these funds would go to mitigate the causes of climate change, help us reduce pollution, and help us wean off of fossil fuels."
Interested in speaking out against Ferguson's austerity budget? I'll be joining Cascadia Democratic Action in attending the Progressive Revenue Lobby Day in Olympia, which meets on the Capitol steps at noon, Monday, January 26, 2026. To RSVP to attend Cascadia Democratic Action's lobby day, email cascadiademocratic@protonmail.com.
OR and WA move forward on limits to surveillance cameras
Oregon State Standard reports that the chair of the Oregon Senate's judiciary committee, Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) is working on legislation that would place "safeguards and protections” on data collected by police surveillance cameras like those run by Flock. In related news, Investigate West has a detailed investigation into the security of data collected by Flock and other license plate reader cameras in Washington and whether the feds can gain access, as well as state legislation that seeks to limit that access. The Urbanist has more on Sen. Yasmin Trudeau's bill to place limits on license plate readers.
Mayor Katie Wilson issues orders on homelessness, bus lanes
PubliCola reports on two of Seattle mayor Katie Wilson's first executive orders in office: one to speed up production of homeless shelters, and the other to move forward on creating a new bus lane on Denny Way to help speed up the beleaguered Route 8. In other transit news, Sound Transit is moving forward with simulated service on the new Line 2 on the floating bridge over Lake Washington.
A BC ghost town's legacy of asbestos
The Tyee has a detailed feature on the tragic health legacy of asbestos mining in the small British Columbia town of Cassiar, which was abandoned in the 1990s after many of its residents suffered from asbestosis and lung cancer. Health researchers have attempted to track down former residents, but this has proven difficult.
“After the town virtually shut down and the union went away, they had no place to go other than to seek counsel from lawyers, which is not always the best,” – Lee Loftus, activist for affected Cassiar workers
Seattle theater backs out of Kennedy Center performance
KUOW reports that the Seattle Children's Theater will cancel a planned performance of the play "Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story," at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC this spring. Many arts organizations and artists are pulling back from productions at the Kennedy Center after Emperor-wannabe Donald Trump took over the organization and had his name slapped on the front of the building. NPR has a list of artists who've canceled because of Trump's antics, including a production of the musical "Hamilton," a performances by the Martha Graham Dance Company, and one by drummer Chuck Redd, who's being sued by the Kennedy Center for cancelling.
Keep loving and keep fighting! --Andrew
