The Other Washington

American national politics is screwed, but in the other Washington, we're electing badass, progressive women with fresh ideas. In our first ever live taping of The Other Washington podcast—and Season 3 Finale!—we interviewed newly sworn-in Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, and State Senator Manka Dhingra. All are women and first-time candidates and politicians. Listen as the whole Civic Ventures crew asks them about their experiences on the campaign trail, what policies they're excited to fight for, and how Washington state can continue to be a progressive beacon to the rest of the country. We talk with each individually and then for the first time ever all three sit down together and discuss the importance of this political moment. There's never been a better time to get involved in local politics. Join The Other Washington and Town Hall Seattle at Ballard’s Hale’s Ales Palladium for a night of political banter and dare we say…optimism! This episode of The Other Washington is brought to you by The Evergrey — the daily Seattle newsletter for people who want to make the most of their city. Sign up at theevergrey.com/theotherwashington This episode is also brought to you by Town Hall Seattle — check out their upcoming events at https://townhallseattle.org/event-calendar/

In the Seattle region, we're grappling with too much growth and not enough housing—and we're not alone. Across the US, cities are trying to deal with this complex problem—with mixed results. Everyone agrees that something must be done about affordable housing, but the disagreements begin when we propose solutions. Is the market our saving grace? Or should the government simply create more public housing? Stephanie and Goldy explore this issue by speaking with a range of experts. Our guests include Charles Mudede, a politics, culture and economics writer; Dan Bertolet, a senior researcher at Sightline Institute; Gabe Grant, a principal at Spectrum; Laurie Inouye, Board Chair of the Tenants Union of Washington; Paul Purcell, President at Beacon Development Group; and Villette Nolon, Executive Director at Imagine Housing. This episode of The Other Washington is brought to you by The Evergrey — the daily Seattle newsletter for people who want to make the most of their city. Check out TheEvergrey.com

The Democratic Party suffered catastrophic losses in 2016, in part, because they failed to offer real economic solutions for average Americans. As progressives move forward, they're examining some bold new policies, including a universal basic income and a federally guaranteed jobs plan. Both policies provide more agency and offer more choice to the American worker—but they're implemented in drastically different ways. Oftentimes, these two policy ideas are portrayed as mutually exclusive. But is that a false choice? We speak with basic income advocate Scott Santens; Darrick Hamilton, an associate professor of economics and urban policy at The New School; Rakeen Mabud, Program Director of the Roosevelt Institute’s 21st Century Economy and Economic Inclusion programs; and Misha Werschkul, the Executive Director of the Washington State Budget & Policy Center. This episode of The Other Washington is brought to you by The Evergrey — the daily Seattle newsletter for people who want to make the most of their city. Sign up at theevergrey.com.

We rarely include police shootings in the ongoing discussion about America's gun violence epidemic. Power dynamics and racial biases often create false choices that further isolate police shootings from the broader conversation. Stephanie and Dujie discuss the divide between community and police in interviews with Seattle Police Department Lieutenant Adrian Diaz, former King County Sheriff and current principal of Washington's Police Academy Sue Rahr, criminal justice reform activist Nikkita Oliver, and Community Passageways founder Dominique Davis. We wrap up the episode with De-escalate Washington campaign manager Riall Johnson, who offers a way out of this mess through one of our very favorite things -- collective action. Pitch in to support the campaign: http://www.deescalatewa.org/ This episode of The Other Washington is brought to you by The Evergrey — the daily Seattle newsletter for people who want to make the most of their city. Sign up at theevergrey.com/theotherwashington

We all know that big money matters in politics, but do you realize that moneyed interests have also shaped the way we perceive the economy? Cass and Dujie talk with historians and journalists to discover the various strategies elites have employed to justify their disproportionate levels of wealth. Two self-identified elites, venture capitalist Nick Hanauer and author/activist Eric Liu, explain why citizens shouldn’t feel helpless in this moment of inequality. And they discuss the irony of using their power and to limit the influence of elites. This episode of The Other Washington is brought to you by The Evergrey — the daily Seattle newsletter for people who want to make the most of their city. Sign up at theevergrey.com

Climate change is a huge problem on a global scale, which makes it difficult to imagine the personal consequences. That's why the team at Civic Action narrowed their focus to Washington state, in order to really understand what climate change means for our own backyard. Annie and Cass talk to farmers, professors, and a member of the Swinomish tribe to learn the negative (and, yes, some positive) effects of climate change on the region. This episode of The Other Washington is brought to you by The Evergrey — the daily Seattle newsletter for people who want to make the most of their city. Sign up at theevergrey.com/theotherwashington

Season 3 of The Other Washington applies Seattle's outside-the-Beltway sensibility toward the huge political questions facing our nation, and our communities, today. From climate change to police violence to affordable housing and more, our team of troublemakers explores the biggest, most complicated issues of our time in search of unorthodox solutions. To help us, we talk with venture capitalist Nick Hanauer, Seattle mayoral candidate Nikkitta Oliver, and a wide array of professors, journalists, and policy experts. This new season of The Other Washington will be our most ambitious yet. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out! http://apple.co/2x

With Trumpcare dead (for now), we sit down with Rep. Pramila Jayapal to talk about the state of politics in Washington DC. We ask her about what it's like to be in the belly of the beast and how progressives are combatting the current administration with actual policy positions (or lack thereof).

Homelessness is the worst, most extreme side effect of the historic economic inequality we face today. It’s a local and regional problem nearly everywhere, and it’s totally preventable. In this episode, we look at homelessness through the eyes of those experiencing it and those on the front line. Then we hear about solutions at city-, county- and state-level. Special thanks to Paul Lambros and the residents of Plymouth Housing for showing us around. Interviews: King County Executive Dow Constantine, Wash. State Rep. Nicole Macri (43-D), and Nick Hanauer.

It’s been three years since Seattle started down the road to an “insane” $15 minimum wage. So The Other Washington decided to check-in on how this labor regulation is affecting the larger economy. Two new studies, one from Berkeley and one from the University of Washington, reached very different conclusions and so we compare and contrast their findings. Ultimately, the studies don’t change this simple fact: Seattle’s economy is booming and the minimum wage hasn’t stopped the city from achieving a startling 2.6 percent unemployment rate---an all-time low. Guests include ice cream virtuoso Molly Moon and venture capitalist Nick Hanauer.

The Senate race for Washington State's 45th district is a big deal over here in the other Washington. If Democratic candidate Manka Dhingra wins, Democrats will regain control of the WA state legislature, laying the groundwork for a progressive future. Goldy and company ask Dhingra about the campaign, what issues she's focusing on, and how she differs from her opponent.

Ever since America lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, Democrats have struggled to bring young people to the ballot box. When more young folks vote, progressive causes and candidates win. So how do we encourage them to be full participants in democracy? Special guest star Toby Crittenden, until recently the executive director of political access organization the Washington Bus, explains how to win the hearts and minds of young voters. Political engagement is a lot more difficult than just slapping on a Rock the Vote t-shirt: turns out, Crittenden explains, "you can't fake the funk."

Given this week's tragic shooting, we are re-airing last season's episode on gun responsibility. Unfortunately, much of what we talked about a year ago is still relevant today. So join us for a deep dive into the forefront of the gun responsibility movement and explore how Washington became the first state to pass universal background checks by popular vote.

The 2016 election made it clear that Democrats still lack a coherent economic message. Why can’t progressives offer a better explanation for how an economy works? To get some answers, Goldy interviewed the new DNC Chair, Tom Perez, while he was visiting Seattle last week. Nestled up in a hotel lobby, Perez provided a very compelling explanation for the party’s economic woes. With that conversation in mind, the Civic Ventures team discusses the Democratic Party’s many messaging opportunities in the years to come.

Donald Trump has unveiled his budget, and boy are we livid (particularly Goldy.) Tax cuts for the rich, increased military spending, and a weakened social safety...it's a trickle-down monstrosity through and through. In today's show, we talk with Nick Hanauer (a really rich guy who would benefit from this budget) about the moral and economic depravity of this budget. And Cass tries in vain to find one good policy in it.

Can we really separate social issues, like health care, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, and crime from economic issues, like poverty and wages? In today's show, we talk to Dr. Marieka M. Klawitter, of the UW Evans School, about the need to link our societal woes directly to our economic policy. Links for today's show: Abortion is an Economic Issue https://medium.com/@mshannabrooks/abortion-is-an-economic-issue-732bf83c5762 Good Immigration Policy is good Economic Policy https://civicskunk.works/good-immigration-policy-is-good-economic-policy-eaf0db420c34 Why Paid Sick Leave is Feminist as Hell http://everydayfeminism.com/2016/11/paid-sick-leave-is-feminist/

In the age of on-demand everything and apps so easy that both toddlers and Goldy can make them work, why do we still force people to take time off work, figure out a ride, and wait in line to vote? The simple answer: Because a lot of people don't want poor folks to do it. Investigative journalist Greg Palast talks to us about the income-based suppression of voting and how it impacts the larger economy. Plus, we talk about how Washington and Oregon are doing it right (hint: VOTE. BY. MAIL.) Find Greg Palast online: http://www.gregpalast.com/ Read our Medium publication here: civicskunk.works Follow us on Twitter: @civicventures

A whole lot of folks have opinions about "sanctuary cities"—what they are, what policies should be enforced, and what the role of immigrants may be in this much-touted melting pot. But what does it actually mean? We talk to Dujie, our colleague (who's currently in deportation hearings here in Welcoming Washington), and then Goldy makes Hanna jealous by interviewing AG BOB FERGUSON!

While Trump tries to figure out how to package trickle-down taxes in a new, fancy way, we in the Other Washington have been trying to undo our very own upside-down mess. Yeah, we're pretty sure Paul Ryan would be head-over-heels with our tax structure (if he weren't so busy assuming we're all a bunch of crooked lefties). Thanks to Misha Werschkul for joining us on the pod today! You can find out more about the work that she's doing with the Washington Budget and Policy Center below. Links for more info: All In for Washington and their work on this important subject: http://www.allinforwa.org/washingtonians-talk-awkwardly-about-taxes The Washington Budget and Policy Center: http://budgetandpolicy.org/ Our blog: https://civicskunk.works/

We're back—for real this time! The team kicks off Season 2 with an interview with Thomas Frank, author of Listen Liberal and Pity the Billionaire. You've heard a million reasons why the left are losing and what can be done, but until you've heard Frank's, well, Frank criticism, you really haven't heard the whole story. Ok, listen, liberally!