👋🏻 Goodbye to pet rent

City Council Passes Suite of New Legislation

The Seattle City Council has been busy. They passed three pieces of legislation in the last week, which include a ban to stop landlords from charging “junk fees,” creating a ‘do-not-call’ list to stop predatory home buying schemes, and approving funding for organizations supporting trans people relocating to Seattle. Let’s break each of those down:

• No more pet rent: If you’ve ever looked at your darling pet and told them “you’ve never had to pay rent in your life,” this ban might be a welcome relief. On Tuesday, the City Council passed legislation banning “junk fees” like pet rent, charges for package delivery, and maintenance of common areas as well as requiring landlords to disclose all fees still allowed in a rent price breakdown. The ban passed unanimously among the council members who voted. Councilmember Maritza Rivera recused herself because she is a landlord. Banning the fees could reduce total monthly rental cost by 10% to 30%. [KUOW]
• $300k to support trans and queer refugees: Since May, LGBTQIA+ organizations have been calling on the city to provide more resources to the rising numbers of internally displaced trans people fleeing states with hostile laws (830 anti-trans bills were introduced in 2025 and 62 passed across the country). Though the city has so far declined to declare a civil emergency, which would unlock further resources, they did vote unanimously to pass an amendment allocating $300,000 from the JumpStart Fund to Seattle’s Human Services Department to “support a funding process for LGBTQ community organizations.” The funds will help local organizations provide services like emergency shelter/housing, employment assistance, food insecurity services, and more. [Seattle Gay News]
• A do-not-call list with a fine: If you’ve ever received an unwanted “sell me your house” text, call, email, or mailer, now there’s something you can do about it. Last week, City Council approved an ordinance creating a do-not-call registry to let homeowners block unsolicited pitches from people trying to buy their homes. Solicitors who contact people on the registry will be fined $1,000 for a first violation and $2,000 for additional violations within a year. Chukundi Salisbury Sr., the executive director of Black Legacy Homeowners, testified, saying Black homeowners receive frequent lowball purchase offers, creating both anxiety and pressure to sell. Lowball offers can contribute to displacement and the loss of generational wealth. [AXIOS Seattle]
• Want more information? Tune in to today’s podcast: A Seattle-Filmed Movie, Little Saigon Wants a Comeback, and City Council Bans Junk Fees

📋 Recall petition filed against Mayor Wilson: Two married Seattle residents, Melinda Jacobson and Dale Osterud, filed a recall claiming Mayor Katie Wilson is “derelict in her duties for public safety of the city of Seattle.” A Superior Court judge would have to decide if the petition can move forward, and then they’d have to collect nearly 70,000 signatures to get on the ballot. Experts told KUOW the charges filed against her show little evidence of breaking specific laws or codes and therefore are likely to be blocked by the court. [KUOW]

🛻 Councilmember Strauss wants RV residents to get permits: City Councilmember Dan Strauss has introduced legislation that would prohibit people from parking RVs on all Seattle streets for more than two hours without a permit. This includes industrial areas where they can currently park overnight. To be eligible for a permit, people would have to be counted in a one-time “census.” Advocates say the proposal has many punitive and logistical issues. [PubliCola]

🏔️ Scientists define a new type of heat wave: Those unusually hot spells in spring and early summer are now called “snow eaters.” Yikes. They’re defined by temperatures that stay above freezing for about three to five days in a row. They can roughly double the snowmelt rate, causing flooding and making water resources a challenge to manage. They’re becoming more widespread and happening earlier in the year, too. [Grist]

🚨 Police officers accused of misconduct are still being hired: In 2021, a Washington law went into effect that strengthened the state’s ability to investigate officers fired for misconduct and revoke their certifications. But law enforcement agencies have kept hiring those officers anyway. One officer remained certified after another state revoked his certification for a felony conviction. Another was repeatedly accused of misconduct but still earned a promotion to police chief. [Investigate West]