Inside our West Side Story Chamber Lunch with Seattle Metro Chamber CEO Joe Nguyen, Downtown Seattle Association CEO Jon Scholes, and West Coast Commercial Realty's Tiffini Connell on the Jumpstart tax, $10B in lost downtown office value, public-safety cameras, and the 24-day countdown to FIFA. Continue Reading
Bellevue City Council directed staff to draft a four-year, no-cap MFTE Catalyst for the HOMA areas, with a two-year look back and an automatic sunset, choosing the most production-forward option to spur housing in a tough construction market. Continue Reading
Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine closed the Chamber's 2025-2026 EBRT season with the agency's revised system plan, the path to close a $35B deficit, a fare-gate pilot at up to 14 stations, a coming fleet replacement order, and Sound Transit's all-hands plan for next month's FIFA World Cup. Continue Reading
May Policy Council heard Challenge Seattle and BCG on the regional economic-development project, the governor's office on permitting and tax competitiveness, Diana's BMC TBD framework update, and approved the Sound Transit Enterprise Initiative letter. Continue Reading
Inside the EKCC Legislative Wrap Up at Bellevue College: a recap of what the 2026 session left behind, with seven Eastside lawmakers and Microsoft on the structural deficit, the tax conversation, public safety, the AI shock, and the new state transmission authority. Continue Reading
The Bellevue Chamber's PLUSH Committee submitted recommendations to City Council on May 4, identifying five frequently departed code provisions as barriers and requesting targeted amendments as part of Downtown Livability 2.0. Continue Reading
Washington's exempt salary threshold hits $80,168 in 2026 and climbs toward $93,000 by 2028, by far the highest in the nation. What employers need to know about the three-part test, the multi-state comparison, and the steps to take now to stay compliant and competitive. Continue Reading
Inside the April PLUSH Committee meeting: opposing the proposed 1,500-unit cap on Bellevue's MFTE catalyst program ahead of the May 5 Council study session, permit timeliness up from 72 to 83 percent in Q1 2026, and the Bel-Red zoning overlay's public-versus-private street debate. Continue Reading
Bellevue City Council unanimously directed staff to finalize a paid on-street parking program in Downtown, Old Bellevue, and Spring District. Dynamic pricing keyed to occupancy data; net revenue reinvested in curb management, transit, and street activations; year-one review committed. Continue Reading
Joe Fain breaks down the March 2026 UI Trust Fund Forecast: Washington's average employer UI tax rate is projected to jump 37% over three years. The driver isn't rising unemployment but a solvency surcharge and changing claimant behavior, and the assumptions may not be conservative enough. Continue Reading
The East King Chambers Coalition heard from US Chamber's Chris Seiler on tariff escalation and HR1 tax provisions, and from the Washington Tax Policy Center on Washington's structural budget gap and new 9.9% income tax. Continue Reading
Inside April's East King Chambers Coalition briefing: the U.S. Chamber on HR1 tax permanency, tariffs, and federal permitting reform; and the Washington Tax Policy Center on Washington's spending-driven tax cycle, SB 6346, and a projected $7B shortfall. Continue Reading
