Cascadia today: Katie Wilson will be Seattle's mayor + Newport blocks ICE + humpback whales face threats
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Katie Wilson will be Seattle's next mayor
The Urbanist confirms that progressive transit advocate Katie Wilson took a nearly 2,000-vote lead over pro-business incumbent Bruce Harrell with 50.2% of the vote and will become Seattle's next mayor. I'll have more about what her win could meant for the Cascadia bioregion later this week. Wilson's victory is part of a sweep of offices across Washington state by progressive candidates, with Seattle, Redmond and Burien electing left-leaning council members and Tacoma electing a pro-transit, progressive mayor.
Newport forces ICE contractor to back down
If you need any further evidence that Cascadia is ready to push back against the feds and win, look no further than Newport, Oregon. Earlier this week, a vaguely worded proposal from a federal contractor for ICE applied to use land near the municipal airport in the coastal Oregon town of Newport for “federal operations" – most likely a new ICE detention and deportation facility.
Residents last night showed up at a noisy town meeting, and the federal contractor announced it has withdrawn the proposal, Oregon Capital Chronicle reports. The town's residents were especially angry that a Coast Guard helicopter used for ocean rescues had been removed to make way for the project – proving that the feds have no interest in actually protecting the people of Cascadia, but simply consolidating the power of their fascist regime with a masked national police force.
“Maybe somebody thought ‘Oh it’s a small place, it’s rural, they’re probably quiet, we can overpower them. We’ve been underestimated.” --Newport City Councilor Steve Hickman
When Cascadia fights, we win.
Starbucks workers stage national strike
Baristas and other workers at the Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks voted to strike across the US, CNBC reports, starting with about 1,000 baristas walking out at stores in 65 cities. They're fighting for better hours, higher wages and an end to union-busting tactics by the coffee chain. Read more about the union and their fight here. Earlier this year, Starbucks closed its fancy "roastery" in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, which unionized in 2022.
Navy town on Puget Sound suffered during shutdown
KUOW reports that Bremerton, a town on the western shores of Puget Sound and home to several US Navy facilities, was one of the hardest hit cities in Cascadia during the federal shutdown, which a group of spineless centrists Democrats voted to end this week without a deal on health care subsidies. Workers at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Naval Base Kitsap, the article says, were bullied into coming into work for no pay, and meanwhile food banks were heavily stressed in the community.
“There’s really no job in the world where they can not pay you and still force you to show up. And guilt you into it,” --an anonymous Bremerton shipyard worker.
Humpback whales recover but threats remain
The Tyee has a detailed report on British Columbia's captivating humpback whales, which have recovered from the brink of extinction, but now face threats from whale watchers wanting to get a close look at these amazing creatures. A recent study found that humpbacks are several feet shorter than they were in the 1900s – and human impacts and changing climate are the likely culprits.
Thanks for reading! – Andrew
