Are You Paying Rental Junk Fees? Plus, Expanded Transit and Time Capsules

How a Civic Assembly Changed Minds on AI. Plus, the WA Lawsuits Over Schools and Housing

A civic assembly of 29 Snohomish County residents [https://www.knkx.org/government/2026-07-07/snohomish-county-tasks-citizens-with-writing-artificial-intelligence-policy-civic-assembly] just spent three weekends wrestling with one of the thorniest questions in local government: how should officials use AI and should they use it at all? Today on the podcast, host Jane C. Hu talks with KNKX reporter Nate Sanford and assembly participant Dhruv Raithatha about what it's actually like to build consensus with strangers. Then contributors Brett Hamil and Chase Hutchinson join for a midweek medley covering Washington's growing [https://www.kuow.org/npr-news/2026-07-13/states-sue-to-stop-paramount-warner-bros-blockbuster-merger] list [https://www.atg.wa.gov/washington-attorney-generals-federal-litigation-tracker] of federal lawsuits [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/wa-leads-lawsuit-to-block-trumps-homelessness-funding-rules/], the Seahawks' new billionaire owners [https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49358800/khosla-family-vinod-neeru-neal-san-francisco-49ers-seattle-seahawks], the Seattle Public Library levy fight [https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/seattle-times-endorsements-wa-primary-2026-prop-no-1-property-tax-levy-for-the-seattle-public-library/], and a new film shooting in the city [https://deadline.com/2026/07/pete-holmes-lewis-black-alfie-williams-friend-thing-1236976004/]next month. Learn more about the  sponsors of this July 15th  episode: Seattle Theatre Group [https://www.stgpresents.org/] And a reminder that we would ALSO love to hear from you in our annual City Cast listener survey: citycast.fm/survey [http://citycast.fm/survey] Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastSeattle on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/citycastseattle/], or email us at seattle@citycast.fm [seattle@citycast.fm]. You can also call or text us at 206-880-3931. For more Seattle news, make sure to sign up [https://seattle.citycast.fm/newsletter] for our morning newsletter, City Cast Seattle. Support City Cast Seattle by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/seattle [https://membership.citycast.fm/seattle] Looking to advertise on City Cast Seattle? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at https://citycast.fm/advertise/citycast.fm/advertise [http://citycast.fm/advertise].

Are You Paying Rental Junk Fees? Plus, Expanded Transit and Time Capsules

Today on City Cast Seattle, Jane C. Hu is joined by regular contributors Hannah Krieg and Ryan Packer to discuss the news that Mayor Katie Wilson is targeting rental junk fees [https://www.theburnerseattle.com/post/here-s-every-fee-landlords-can-still-charge-under-mayor-wilson-s-junk-fee-ban] and what a renter should pay and what they shouldn’t. Then they talk about another of the Mayor’s plans: an increase on sales tax towards transit measures [https://www.theurbanist.org/kettle-proposes-slashing-seattle-transit-measure-halting-city-funded-bus-service-growth/], which would up the 2020 figure of .15% to .3%, raising $138 million a year for transit. The trio discuss what kind of advantages expanded service could offer, especially late nights and weekends. Finally, in honor of the country’s 250th birthday, Jane tells Ryan and Hannah what items Washington lawmakers put into the Semiquincentennial time capsule [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/what-was-representatives-put-in-a-time-capsule-for-2276/], which won’t be opened until 2276. Suffice it to say, Ryan and Hannah have opinions.  Learn more about the  sponsors of this July 14th  episode: Seattle Theatre Group [https://www.stgpresents.org/] pFriem Beer [https://www.pfriembeer.com/] Grand Central Bakery [https://www.grandcentralbakery.com/] Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastSeattle on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/citycastseattle/], or email us at seattle@citycast.fm [seattle@citycast.fm]. You can also call or text us at 206-880-3931. For more Seattle news, make sure to sign up [https://seattle.citycast.fm/newsletter] for our morning newsletter, City Cast Seattle. Support City Cast Seattle by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/seattle [https://membership.citycast.fm/seattle] Looking to advertise on City Cast Seattle? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at https://citycast.fm/advertise/citycast.fm/advertise [http://citycast.fm/advertise].

With August Primaries Approaching: How Do Democracy Vouchers Work? Plus, How To Make Friends In Seattle

Today on the show, host Jane C. Hu sits down with City Cast CEO David Plotz to talk about Democracy Vouchers. With August primaries coming up, it felt like a good time to refocus on one of Seattle’s most iconic political innovations. For the last decade, Seattle has issued $100 in vouchers to every voter to donate to the candidate of their choice in municipal elections. For the August primary this applies to residents of District 5. Jane and David discuss how these Democracy Vouchers work, how many people are participating, and what the impact on local elections has been. Plus, is the “Seattle Freeze” a real thing? Learn more about the sponsor of this July 13th episode: Seattle Theatre Group [https://www.stgpresents.org/] Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastSeattle on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/citycastseattle/], or email us at seattle@citycast.fm [seattle@citycast.fm]. You can also call or text us at 206-880-3931. For more Seattle news, make sure to sign up [https://seattle.citycast.fm/newsletter] for our morning newsletter, City Cast Seattle. Support City Cast Seattle by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/seattle [https://membership.citycast.fm/seattle] Looking to advertise on City Cast Seattle? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise [http://citycast.fm/advertise].

June Sets Record for Zero Homicides, Pro Tips for Ballard Seafood Fest, and a "Life Skills" Class for WA High Schools

Today on the podcast, host Jane C. Hu is joined by contributors Marcus Harrison Green and Chase Hutchinson. The trio talk about the Seattle Police Department declaring last month to be “homicide free” for the first time in decades. Then they get into how Washington’s superintendent has proposed a mandatory “life skills” class for high school seniors and what they wish we’d all learned before graduating. Plus, updates from Harbor Island Studios, our weekend recommendations, and for our City Cast Seattle Neighbors, a crash course in the beauty of cyberdecks.  Learn more about the sponsors of this July 10th episode: pFriem Beer [https://www.pfriembeer.com/] Grand Central Bakery [https://www.grandcentralbakery.com/] Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastSeattle on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/citycastseattle/], or email us at seattle@citycast.fm [seattle@citycast.fm]. You can also call or text us at 206-880-3931. For more Seattle news, make sure to sign up [https://seattle.citycast.fm/newsletter] for our morning newsletter, City Cast Seattle. Support City Cast Seattle by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/seattle [https://membership.citycast.fm/seattle] Looking to advertise on City Cast Seattle? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise [http://citycast.fm/advertise].

Anti-ICE Protest Convictions, FBI Phone Data Grabs, and Is Spokane Beating Seattle on Urbanism?

Today, on the podcast, host Jane C. Hu speaks with two reporters about the federal conspiracy charges brought against three protestors in Spokane [https://www.rangemedia.co/spokane-3-trial-protesters-federal-conspiracy-political-prosecution/], what conspiracy charges actually mean in practice, and what it signals for protesters everywhere. Erin Sellers, a staff reporter at RANGE Media, takes us through the story from the anti-ICE protests last summer to the nine indictments [https://www.rangemedia.co/spokane-9-protests/] and the three protestors who ultimately were found guilty in June. Then Schuyler Mitchell, assistant editor at Mother Jones, explains how the FBI in Seattle secretly extracted data from the phones of at least a dozen of the protesters [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/06/cellebrite-phone-protest-ice-dhs-spokane-fbi-conspiracy-surveillance-privacy/] and what this means for data privacy going forward. Finally, producer Sam J. Leeds joins Jane and Erin to discuss the similarities and differences between Seattle and Spokane and what the two cities can learn from each other.  Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastSeattle on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/citycastseattle/], or email us at seattle@citycast.fm [seattle@citycast.fm]. You can also call or text us at 206-880-3931. For more Seattle news, make sure to sign up [https://seattle.citycast.fm/newsletter] for our morning newsletter, City Cast Seattle. Support City Cast Seattle by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/seattle [https://membership.citycast.fm/seattle] Looking to advertise on City Cast Seattle? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at https://citycast.fm/advertise/citycast.fm/advertise [http://citycast.fm/advertise].