🧐 How close is the ‘millionaire’s tax’?

What’s Happening With Taxing WA’s Rich?

During a speech celebrating the anniversary of the bill creating Seattle’s social housing tax, Mayor Wilson remarked, “You know what? This city is filthy rich.” This comment came on the heels of the news that the tax is slated to bring in more than twice the original estimates for first-year revenue. And 9.9% more of those riches are likely going to be redistributed at the end of this legislative session. [Washington State Standard]

• WA Senate Approves ‘Millionaires Tax’: Democrats in the Senate voted 27-22 in favor of SB 6346, which would tax households earning over a million dollars. The vote took place after a three and a half hour debate. When fully up and running, this income tax is expected to generate $3.4 billion a year from an estimated 21,000 filers. The bill was amended to repeal part of our sales tax, but a proposed amendment for a tax break on baby diapers was not approved. However, if it passes the House, Gov. Ferguson has indicated he’d still like to see more changes before he would sign it. [Washington State Standard]
• Estate Tax 180: Last year, Democrats increased the top estate tax rate for the super-rich to 35% for wealth above $12 million. In response, lawmakers say they have heard the wealthy are moving their legal residences to other states to avoid the estate tax. While that hasn’t shown up yet in tax collections, a bill to undo the estate tax increase and return it to 20% has been quietly fast-tracked in the Senate. [Seattle Times]
• Seattle Really Does Have A Lot of Money: Danny Westneat recently wrote about a pattern in Seattle taxes: whenever a tax on the rich is passed, it wildly overshoots even the most optimistic forecasts on how much money it brings in. Translation? There is far more wealth in Seattle than the researchers have been estimating. This pattern holds for the state capital gains tax on windfall stock profits, which returned triple its first-year projections, Seattle’s first JumpStart tax, which came in 48% higher, and (as mentioned above) Seattle’s social housing tax, which doubled estimates. And despite these taxes, Seattle businesses have, so far, not left for more tax-sheltered havens. [Seattle Times]

27-Year-Old Woman Hit and Killed by Driver in Capitol Hill 🚨

A woman was hit and killed by a driver on Monday night. She was trapped under the front axle of the car after the collision, which occurred at Pine and Bellevue. Contributor Ryan Packer reports this was the first traffic fatality of 2026 in Seattle. In response, some are calling for a corral or mountable curb to be installed at that location to slow drivers. [Capitol Hill Seattle Blog]

Mayor Wilson Delivers First State of the City Address 🎤

A month and a half into her time in office, Mayor Katie Wilson gave her speech at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute in the Central District. She addressed gun violence, homelessness, public safety, and affordability. She shared that she is still listening to input on surveillance before deciding what action to take on CCTV cameras. She also said 6,000 renters have filled out her survey so far and encourages more people to respond before Friday’s deadline. [KING 5]

False Spring Comes to an End With Cold Snap 🥶

Our extremely low snowpack will finally see some snow this week. This week, overnight temperatures are expected to hang out in the high 20s and low 30s. The city itself may see an inconsistent mix of rain and snow through Friday; however, it is unlikely to stick. Now is a good time to share warming shelter information with your unhoused neighbors. [Seattle Times]

Seattleites Keep an Eye on Deportation Flights 🔎

Deportation flights out of King County International Airport - Boeing Field (KCIA) have grown massively over the last year. In January 2026, 620 detainees were flown out of the airport. Last January, that number was 87. A team of volunteers observes and documents the flights, checking for human rights violations. The flight observation team comes from La Resistencia and Tsuru for Solidarity. [South Seattle Emerald]