Tessera

A recent Economist article on America's aging suburbs got me thinking about how demographics is housing policy, and housing policy is demographics. I pulled the age profiles for Issaquah and a few neighbors and grouped them by how similar they are. They've made very different housing choices.

Violin plots showing age and sex distribution for Redmond, Seattle, Issaquah, Bothell, and Sammamish.

Kelly Jiang@kellyjiang.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Excellent thoughts from my fellow CM @kellyjiang.bsky.social on how doing nothing is as deliberate a choice, with frequently harmful consequences, as actually building things. We should analyze inaction with the same intensity we analyze action, or perhaps just rightsize all our processes…

Doing nothing is a choice. Inaction means choosing to continue down a path of certain environmental harms - more tailpipe emissions, more tire particulates, more deforestation. Let's make better choices. cascadianabundance.substack.com/p/doing-noth...

Sound Transit and WSF are proud to announce a new intermodal pilot at Mount Baker Station. The 1 Line now offers direct cross-Sound service. This vessel has already logged more on-time sailings this year than the Walla Walla.

Ryan Packer@typewriteralley.bsky.social · 2mo ago

“One More Lane Will Fix It” - Mixed Media, Anonymous Mercer Island Artist, 2026.

Holy shit. (From Reddit)

Glad to see Pride celebrated in Issaquah today, with all our councilmembers joining as always. Pride is worth living all year long, but a lot of what backs it up locally isn't a flag, it's the everyday work: housing, youth support, transit, services for seniors. That's what I'll keep showing up for.

Kirk Hovenkotter @kirkhovenkotter.com · 2mo ago

Two stories are going around about Sound Transit and fare gates. One: gates barely matter for revenue. Two: shame on ST for being $10B+ in the hole and still not having them. The reality is more nuanced, and ST actually did its own study on exactly this: www.liveableissaquah.org/archive/Soun... 1/6🧵

liveableissaquah.org

The past 8 months showed this region wants light rail more than ever. That was obvious from our townhalls, the marches, & the region wide advocacy we haven’t seen since the vote in 2016. The last thing this region wants is for us to stop building.

Westneat calls ST “good, arguably great,” cites 73% ridership growth, then concludes we should stop. You don’t quit a project at the exact moment it proves it works. He wrote the case FOR building and reached the opposite verdict. #BuildTheDamnTrains www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Maybe the light rail system we’ve got is good enough

Light rail is finally cooking in the Seattle area. It coincides with an existential crisis over building expansion lines for the future. At what point do we say "it's good," and stop?

seattletimes.com

On a train ride from Seattle to San Francisco for Christmas break a year and a half ago, I remade all the Wikipedia maps for the #WAleg legislative districts, because the old ones kinda sucked, and I’m a maps nerd that is good at python. It’s always fun seeing them pop up in random places.

Ryan Packer@typewriteralley.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Proud to be a part of a city government that is pushing towards lower costs system wide, so we can #buildthedamntrains from Ballard to Issaquah, and all points spine wide.

The Issaquah City Council just unanimously approved a resolution expressing a commitment to "supporting and streamlining permitting" for the future Sound Transit 4 Line. The resolution includes specific language around potential self-permitting in Issaquah for Sound Transit.

Section 2. Potential Regulatory Changes. The City will work with Sound Transit
to explore the need for Land Use Code (LUC) and other technical code amendments that, if
adopted, would accomplish the following objectives:
a) Provide greater certainty and predictability for the City, Sound Transit and the public
with respect to land use code requirements and processes;
b) Streamline permitting timelines and costs, including an exploration of self-permitting for
Sound Transit’s 4 Line Project in Issaquah;
c) Allow for the City Council, through negotiation a development agreement, to establish a
comprehensive and consolidated permit process for the 4 Line Project in Issaquah;

"Vaccines protect the body. Stories protect the mind." Proud to see my mom Janice's story shared widely, including in the Seattle Times today. She survived polio in 1953. Her twin brother didn't. We forget these diseases only because of the successes of vaccines. www.seattletimes.com/opinion/the-...

The need for heard (not a typo) immunity | Opinion

Confidence in vaccine effectiveness is slipping, in part because the stories that once served to build public trust are no longer being heard.

seattletimes.com

“Ballard extension was struck by a budget. The project remains in critical condition.” We should call out transit reporting for using passive voice to describe cuts. People have agency. Advocates push. Electeds vote. How we talk about it shapes how we think about it. komonews.com/news/local/s...

Sound Transit plans to close $34.5B shortfall over 2 decades, reshaping light rail future

Sound Transit officials on Thursday outlined how they plan to address a projected $34.5 billion funding shortfall over the next two decades.The funding gap coul

komonews.com

Light rail forecast: If we do a good job in Issaquah as elected leaders, the next generation of Ballard lacrosse players playing in Issaquah will be taking light rail all the way from Ballard, after we’ve helped figure out how to cut costs, speed permitting, and #buildthedamntrians everywhere

Thank you to King County Executive Girmay Zahilay for joining the 5th LD Dems Fundraiser last night. My favorite quote, "I am committed to advancing the line out to Issaquah," followed shortly by " #buildthedamntrains " Go Issaquah Light Rail!

Update: After strong community engagement, Council voted 5-2 last night to put Issaquah's #Flock / ALPR grant discussion back on our May agenda, now on 5/11. As CM Walsh put it, the motion's goal was "a date certain and public transparency": www.youtube.com/watch?v=xASo...

Issaquah City Council Meeting April 20, 2026

YouTube video by City of Issaquah

youtube.com

I worry about increasing authoritarianism in the US. Seeing Hungary, which arguably went further down that path than we have, successfully hold an election to reverse that is inspiring. Let’s hope for a peaceful transfer of power and a return to democratic norms. Looking forward to midterms here…

Update: Flock/ALPR camera meetings previously planned for May/June have been postponed. If you want to stay informed about new dates, email me at kevin.nichols@issaquahwa.gov or our City Clerk to join a notification list. Public feedback is always welcome, even before meetings are scheduled as well.

City Council –
The Mayor has asked that the Congressional Community Appropriations Grant & Automated License Plate Reader Cameras topic currently scheduled for the May 19 SSP and June 15 Council meeting be shifted to later in the year. An exact date is uncertain as we are awaiting confirmation of any deadlines for accepting the congressional grant.
If there are community inquiries on a meeting date for Flock/ALPR cameras, the Clerk's office is happy to add individuals to a notification list. We will then alert those folks of any public meetings on the topic once meeting dates are set.

Longing for the day when most public transit alerts about “Issaquah” aren’t for the Washington State ferry system’s wonderfully named ferry, the good ship Issaquah.

Proud of this. The Issaquah Highlands Council reversed its support for Issaquah's proposed Flock camera purchase. A year ago, many of us, myself included, didn't fully understand the risks. New info came to light, and they owned it. Great leadership example. issaquahhighlands.com/statement-fr...

Statement from Highlands Council Regarding May 2025 Letter of Support

issaquahhighlands.com

To nerd out on Sound Transit, read the Policy Opportunity Register from their retreat. It's full of good stuff! These won't close a $34.5B gap alone (cities need to show up with more), but read it if you care about getting trains built 🚃 www.soundtransit.org/st_sharepoin...

soundtransit.org

Our op-ed in the Seattle Times lays out how we can #BuildTheDamnTrains and deliver all voter approved lines. We want cities to lead the way offering solutions to deliver rail projects. Here’s what that means to Mayor Mullet, CM @kellyjiang.bsky.social and me: www.seattletimes.com/opinion/want...

Want Sound Transit to expand faster and for less money? Here's how | Op-Ed

Issaquah city officials make their case for how to offer solutions to help ST deliver rail projects faster.

seattletimes.com