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Editor's note: This is part one of a three-part deep dive into Seattle's contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild. Go here to read part two, and here for part three.

Seattle's latest contract with its rank-and-file police union continues to block accountability measures the City Council approved nearly a decade ago.

The big picture: The new contract, which runs through 2027, awards big raises to officers, but doesn't implement several long-promised reforms intended to boost civilian oversight and ensure timely police discipline.

Catch up quick: Seattle passed an ordinance setting new police accountability standards in 2017.

"That law addressed essential reforms that had long been needed — it was to be the floor, not the ceiling," Anne Levinson, a former judge and independent police accountability official who co-wrote the measure, told Axios.

But many of the 2017 reforms aren't included in the latest contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild, which was negotiated by former Mayor Bruce Harrell's administration and approved by the City Council in December.

Flashback: The deal came together last year amid a push by city leaders to add hundreds more police officers.

The Seattle Police Officers Guild didn't respond to multiple requests for comment.

Here are some of the most significant accountability provisions the new contract leaves out.

Under the contract, most types of officer misconduct can still go unpunished if a complaint isn't made within four years of an incident.

The 2017 ordinance removed that deadline for cases involving dishonesty or excessive force, while setting a five-year limit for most other misconduct. But those changes were never incorporated into the contract.

The new agreement lifts the four-year deadline only in limited circumstances, including if there are criminal allegations or if an officer personally conceals evidence.

In most other cases, discipline can still be barred after four years — including if someone else hides evidence of an officer's misconduct.

The contract limits civilian oversight in several ways the 2017 law sought to prevent.

It caps the number of civilian investigators the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) can hire and bars civilians from serving as the sole lead investigators on serious police misconduct cases.

It also prevents OPA from subpoenaing evidence not held by the city — such as private security videos, bank records and personal text messages — that could be critical in misconduct investigations.

That subpoena authority is already available to other city agencies, including the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission and the Office of Human Rights.

OPA's limited subpoena power is the contract's "most glaring failure," Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka said in a news release explaining his opposition to the deal.

"Without this critical tool, misconduct investigations can't be completed, trust erodes, and institutions are shielded instead of people," Saka said.

Arbitrators can still overturn police discipline

The 2017 accountability law routed police disciplinary appeals to a public civil service commission. The law barred appeals to private arbitrators, which studies have found often overturn discipline imposed by police chiefs.

Yet the current police contract "continues to rely heavily on arbitration to resolve disciplinary decisions," Jazmyn Clark of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington told Axios.

That means an officer can be fired for misconduct and later reinstated after a private arbitration proceeding — a process that can drag on for years.

The system sends a message that "discipline is negotiable even for serious violations," Clark said.

Higher bar for proving serious misconduct

Before the 2017 law, Seattle's police contract made it harder to discipline officers for lying than for other types of misconduct.

The 2017 ordinance eliminated that discrepancy, requiring the same burden of proof in all misconduct cases.

But that work was undone by the following year's police contract, which introduced what it called an "elevated standard of review" for cases that could end in an officer's firing.

That higher standard — which the latest contract retains — makes serious misconduct harder to prove and discipline easier to overturn on appeal, Levinson said.

"That ultimately feels like the largest barrier to accountability," Taryn Darling, policy director for Seattle's Community Police Commission, told Axios.

The other side: City Councilmember Bob Kettle, who chairs the council's Public Safety Committee, said the Seattle Police Department is "severely understaffed," making the contract's salary increases necessary to attract new recruits.

He said the contract makes progress on some accountability issues, including clarifying misconduct investigation timelines, and also allows the city to expand its 911 alternative response program.

"We will continue that march forward on accountability," Kettle said when urging a yes vote on the contract in December.

What's next: Because the city and the guild couldn't agree on changes to the disciplinary appeals process, that dispute will go to public interest arbitration for a binding ruling.

Seattle police contract leaves accountability gaps

A new Seattle police union deal boosts pay but leaves out long-promised oversight reforms.

Illustration of a police badge casting a large, cracked shadow on a wall. 

Editor&#x27;s note: This is part one of a three-part deep dive into Seattle&#x27;s contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Go here to read part two" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/25/seattle-police-starting-salary-ranking-us-cities-cost-of-living-contract-raises" data-vars-content-id="0770709f-d967-48ff-86f4-89bc3646fbb0" data-vars-headline="Seattle police contract leaves accountability gaps" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/25/seattle-police-starting-salary-ranking-us-cities-cost-of-living-contract-raises" target="_self">Go here to read part two</a>, and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="here for part three" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/25/seattle-police-guild-contract-care-program-restrictions-encampments-drug-calls" data-vars-content-id="0770709f-d967-48ff-86f4-89bc3646fbb0" data-vars-headline="Seattle police contract leaves accountability gaps" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/25/seattle-police-guild-contract-care-program-restrictions-encampments-drug-calls" target="_self">here for part three</a>.Seattle&#x27;s latest contract with its rank-and-file <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="police union" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/01/07/seattle-police-guild-leadership-change-mike-solan-exits-2026" data-vars-content-id="0770709f-d967-48ff-86f4-89bc3646fbb0" data-vars-headline="Seattle police contract leaves accountability gaps" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/01/07/seattle-police-guild-leadership-change-mike-solan-exits-2026" target="_self">police union</a> continues to block accountability measures the City Council approved nearly a decade ago.The big picture: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new contract" data-vars-click-url="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27760610-spog-2024-27-contract-documents/" data-vars-content-id="0770709f-d967-48ff-86f4-89bc3646fbb0" data-vars-headline="Seattle police contract leaves accountability gaps" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27760610-spog-2024-27-contract-documents/" target="_blank">new contract</a>, which runs through 2027, awards big raises to officers, but doesn&#x27;t implement several long-promised reforms intended to boost civilian oversight and ensure timely police discipline.

News

Politics

Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a new tax on high earners into law Monday, ending Washington's run as one of the few states without an income tax on the books.

Why it matters: The tax, which won't be imposed for nearly two years, is likely to face legal and political challenges, even as supporters say it will make the state's tax code fairer.

Zoom in: Starting in 2028, Senate Bill 6346 will impose a 9.9% tax on annual income over $1 million.

The new law, which supporters call a "millionaires tax," is expected to raise more than $3 billion per year. 

About 20,000 households will pay the tax, according to legislative estimates.

The $1 million threshold will rise over time with inflation.

What they're saying: Ferguson said the tax will affect less than 0.5% of Washington residents, while helping pay for "key programs that make Washington state great," such as education and health care initiatives.

"If you are fortunate enough to earn $900,000 in a year, you will not be taxed under this legislation," Ferguson said Monday, shortly before signing the tax bill into law.

Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle) called the measure the "most substantial progressive tax reform in our state's history."

"We've asked working families for far too long to shoulder far too much of the tax burden for the things that we all care about, and we have not asked enough of our wealthiest neighbors," Pedersen, the bill's prime sponsor, said during the bill signing ceremony.

What's inside: The measure includes tax breaks for small businesses and expands a sales-tax rebate for low- to middle-income families.

It will also eliminate the sales tax on diapers, over-the-counter drugs, and personal hygiene products like shampoo and deodorant.

5% of the revenue will go into a dedicated fund for child care programs.

Yes, but: Opponents — including many Republican lawmakers — say the measure doesn't go far enough to reduce taxes for everyday people.

They also argue the income tax is unconstitutional. Past state court rulings have treated income as property, which the state constitution says must be taxed uniformly. 

Critics warn the tax will eventually be expanded to apply to people earning less than $1 million a year.

An "income tax on anyone is bound to become an income tax on everyone," Senate Republican Leader John Braun wrote in a blog post this month.

What's next: Opponents are expected to try to repeal the tax via a citizen ballot measure — and to challenge the law in court.

Go deeper: Washington's new income tax faces hurdles

Washington's new income tax faces hurdles

Ferguson signs Washington income tax targeting millionaires

The 9.9% tax on income over $1M starts in 2028 and is expected to face a court challenge.

Photo illustration of Bob Ferguson with lines radiating from him.

Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new tax" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/11/washington-income-tax-millionaires-clears-house" data-vars-content-id="097d3f7d-40d1-443a-ae66-8c858596a5c2" data-vars-headline="Ferguson signs Washington income tax targeting millionaires" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/11/washington-income-tax-millionaires-clears-house" target="_self">new tax</a> on high earners into law Monday, ending Washington&#x27;s run as one of the few states without an income tax on the books.Why it matters: The tax, which won&#x27;t be imposed for nearly two years, is likely to face <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="legal and political" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/12/washington-income-tax-clears-legislature-faces-challenges" data-vars-content-id="097d3f7d-40d1-443a-ae66-8c858596a5c2" data-vars-headline="Ferguson signs Washington income tax targeting millionaires" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/12/washington-income-tax-clears-legislature-faces-challenges" target="_self">legal and political</a> challenges, even as supporters say it will make the state&#x27;s tax code fairer.

The NBA's Board of Governors voted Wednesday to explore potentially adding professional basketball teams in Las Vegas and Seattle.

Why it matters: Seattle has been without an NBA team since the SuperSonics left in 2008 — and Vegas has never had an NBA franchise.

Wednesday's vote doesn't guarantee NBA teams will come to the two cities. But it is a "major step toward expansion," The Athletic reports, and lets the league move forward with exploring potential bids and buyers.

ESPN reports that a bidding process could generate offers in the range of $7-$10 billion for each team.

What they're saying: "Today's vote reflects our Board's interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

"We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties."

The Sonics relocated to Oklahoma City 18 years ago, becoming the Thunder.

What's next: The NBA Board of Governors would have to take another vote to formally add the two teams. 

Should the teams get the green light, the league is aiming for 2028-29 to be their first regular season, USA Today reports.

National

NBA votes to explore adding teams in Seattle and Las Vegas

The NBA's latest move advances Seattle's bid to land a team for the first time since 2008.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 10: A Seattle Sonics fan holds a sign before the Rain City Showcase in a preseason NBA game between the LA Clippers and the Utah Jazz at Climate Pledge Arena on October 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

We appear to be getting closer to this wish coming true. Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images

The NBA&#x27;s Board of Governors voted Wednesday to explore potentially adding professional basketball teams in Las Vegas and Seattle.Why it matters: Seattle has been without an NBA team since the SuperSonics left in 2008 — and Vegas has never had an NBA franchise.

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Sports

Light rail over Lake Washington will become a reality on Saturday, nearly 18 years after Puget Sound voters first approved it.

Why it matters: The completion of Sound Transit's East Link extension will connect Bellevue to Seattle, creating a roughly 60-mile network stretching from the Eastside to Lynnwood to Federal Way.

Zoom in: The new 7-mile connection traveling along Interstate 90 marks the world's first light rail line over a floating bridge, according to Sound Transit.

The agency previously opened an Eastside-only segment of the line, which runs from Redmond to South Bellevue.

The new addition means people will be able to ride Sound Transit's Line 2 all the way from Redmond to Lynwood without switching trains.

Riders coming from the Eastside will also be able to transfer once they reach the International District/Chinatown station, allowing them to board a Line 1 train south to Federal Way and the airport.

New stations in Seattle's Judkins Park neighborhood and Mercer Island will provide new transit access for nearby residents.

What they're saying: Saturday's opening will be "the culmination of decades of work," Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine told reporters Thursday. He called it "the biggest opening in the history of Sound Transit."

King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci — a former Bellevue mayor —  recalls that her child was about 3 years old when Bellevue officials took their first major vote on the light rail project.

"That kid is now 20," she told Axios Thursday.

Inside a train carriage, looking through a large window at a sunny waterway. A yellow DHL delivery van drives on a concrete road beside the water, under a blue sky with white clouds.

A view of Lake Washington from a Line 2 train during a Thursday test run. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios

By the numbers: Sound Transit predicts 50,000 people will ride the completed East Link Connection daily — up from roughly 10,000 who typically ride the shorter line between Bellevue and Redmond on a given day.

Trains will arrive every 8-15 minutes from Judkins Park to Redmond, with service running from 5am to midnight.

Between the International District/Chinatown and Lynnwood stations,  trains will come every four minutes during peak times, since both Line 1 and 2 share those stops.

Traveling from Redmond to Seattle will take about 40 minutes, while trips from South Bellevue to Seattle will take about 20 minutes.

What's next: A ribbon cutting for the new East Link opening will begin at 9am Saturday at Sam Smith Park, near the Judkins Park station.

Service along the new stretch will begin shortly after 10am. Celebrations will take place at multiple stations through 2pm.

Train platform with gray benches, glass storefronts, EXIT signs, and a man walking along a yellow tactile strip beside tracks; orange cone and yellow posts under a blue sky.

The new station at Judkins Park. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios

Light rail opens from Seattle to Bellevue this weekend

New East Link service connects Seattle and Bellevue across I-90 after nearly two decades of waiting.

Aerial view of two parallel bridges over a calm body of water. A blue and white passenger train travels on the near bridge while cars line the far roadway, with distant hills under a clear blue sky.

A train crosses over Lake Washington on the new Sound Transit connection. Photo: Courtesy of Sound Transit

A Sound Transit train alongside a platform at the South Bellevue station.

Light rail over Lake Washington will <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="become a reality" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/01/23/seattle-bellevue-light-rail-opening-east-link-delay-i90" data-vars-content-id="53bfc036-f358-4011-a0bd-37a617905162" data-vars-headline="Light rail opens from Seattle to Bellevue this weekend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/01/23/seattle-bellevue-light-rail-opening-east-link-delay-i90" target="_self">become a reality</a> on Saturday, nearly 18 years after Puget Sound voters first approved it.Why it matters: The completion of Sound Transit&#x27;s East Link extension will connect Bellevue to Seattle, creating a roughly <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="60-mile" data-vars-click-url="https://www.soundtransit.org/get-to-know-us/news-events/news-releases/crosslake-connection-opens-march-28" data-vars-content-id="53bfc036-f358-4011-a0bd-37a617905162" data-vars-headline="Light rail opens from Seattle to Bellevue this weekend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.soundtransit.org/get-to-know-us/news-events/news-releases/crosslake-connection-opens-march-28" target="_blank">60-mile</a> network stretching from the Eastside to Lynnwood to Federal Way.

Editor's note: This is part three of a three-part deep dive into Seattle's contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild. Go here to read part one, and here for part two.

Seattle's new police guild contract allows the city to grow its civilian crisis response teams — but sharply limits when and where they can operate.

Why it matters: The limits blunt one of Seattle's main alternatives to traditional policing, even as the city works to grow the program.

Zoom in: The new contract prevents the city's Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) teams from responding on their own to many 911 calls involving drug use, mental health issues or homelessness — some of the very issues they're designed to address.

Allowing civilian teams to handle many of those calls instead of armed officers became a central part of Seattle's push to reform public safety after the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

What they're saying: "It's five years later, and it's not right that we're still not able to dispatch this alternate response to appropriate calls," CARE department chief Amy Barden told Axios after the contract's approval in December.

The Seattle Police Officers Guild didn't respond to requests for comment.

Catch up quick: The city's new contract with the guild lifts a cap on CARE responders, allowing the city to move ahead with plans to double the number from 24 to 48.

It also lets the civilian CARE teams handle some 911 calls — such as welfare checks — without police, rather than always being dispatched alongside officers.

Yes, but: The contract restricts when and where CARE teams can respond independently.

They cannot respond alone to incidents at homeless encampments — defined as four or more tents — or to scenes with visible drug paraphernalia.

They're also restricted to public spaces and barred from entering private homes or businesses.

Even privately owned, open-air spaces like grocery store parking lots are off limits, Barden said.

The teams can handle some mental health calls, such as a person yelling delusional statements in public that aren't directed at anyone. But they cannot respond to situations like someone yelling in the middle of the street in traffic or throwing objects on the sidewalk.

In some cases, a person in crisis who is naked in public may also fall outside CARE's scope under the contract.

"It basically says CARE can't go to emergencies," Barden said, calling the limits "completely arbitrary."

The restrictions also limit the CARE teams' ability to proactively help people on the street — outreach they used to do without receiving a 911 call.

"We can no longer do that, because legally, if we approach someone and then we see foil on the ground, we're supposed to call law enforcement," Barden said, referring to signs of possible drug use.

"There's actually a disincentive for them to do core work that they've been doing."

Stunning stat: Of the roughly 2,400 calls that come into Seattle's 911 center each day, Barden estimates CARE can currently respond on its own to about 10–20.

Seattle's 24 existing CARE responders are now operating at just 28% of their capacity, she said.

The other side: When voting yes on the guild contract in December, City Councilmember Dan Strauss said expanding CARE was a key reason he supported the deal.

City Councilmember Bob Kettle, who chairs the council's public safety committee, previously called the agreement crucial to advancing the city's public safety reforms, specifically with CARE.

He didn't respond to requests for comment from Axios.

What's next: With CARE teams limited in the calls they can handle, Barden said she's looking at additional ways to deploy them — such as by helping people exiting Harborview Medical Center and the King County Jail.

Seattle police contract undercuts civilian response teams

The limits blunt one of Seattle's main alternatives to traditional policing.

Photo illustration of a Seattle Care Team cruiser with lines radiating from it.

Photo illustration: Axios Visuals; Photo: City of Seattle

Editor&#x27;s note: This is part three of a three-part deep dive into Seattle&#x27;s contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Go here to read part one" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/25/seattle-police-union-contract-accountability-reforms-opa-oversight-discipline" data-vars-content-id="5fff6967-23ec-43d0-91de-75aa4c69f03a" data-vars-headline="Seattle police contract undercuts civilian response teams" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/25/seattle-police-union-contract-accountability-reforms-opa-oversight-discipline" target="_self">Go here to read part one</a>, and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="here for part two" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/25/seattle-police-starting-salary-ranking-us-cities-cost-of-living-contract-raises" data-vars-content-id="5fff6967-23ec-43d0-91de-75aa4c69f03a" data-vars-headline="Seattle police contract undercuts civilian response teams" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/03/25/seattle-police-starting-salary-ranking-us-cities-cost-of-living-contract-raises" target="_self">here for part two</a>.Seattle&#x27;s new police guild contract allows the city to grow its civilian <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="crisis response teams" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/12/17/civilian-911-response-teams-expand" data-vars-content-id="5fff6967-23ec-43d0-91de-75aa4c69f03a" data-vars-headline="Seattle police contract undercuts civilian response teams" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/12/17/civilian-911-response-teams-expand" target="_self">crisis response teams</a> — but sharply limits when and where they can operate.Why it matters: The limits blunt one of Seattle&#x27;s main alternatives to traditional policing, even as the city works to grow the program.

Melissa Santos

Featured stories

Ferguson signs Washington income tax targeting millionaires

Light rail opens from Seattle to Bellevue this weekend

NBA votes to explore adding teams in Seattle and Las Vegas

Seattle police contract leaves accountability gaps

Seattle police contract undercuts civilian response teams