King County is set to get a new elected executive for the first time in more than 15 years.

Why it matters: More than a quarter of Washington state residents — about 2.3 million people — live in King County, which is the 12th most populous county in the nation, per recent census data.

• The King County executive oversees an annual budget of more than $10 billion that pays for transit service, courts, sheriff's deputies, affordable housing, public health programs, elections and more.

Zoom in: The job will be open this fall because current King County Executive Dow Constantine, who has held the position since 2009, announced he won't seek reelection.

State of play: Three candidates have announced they're running to replace Constantine.

• King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, a former Bellevue mayor elected to the county council in 2015;
• King County Assessor John Wilson, who was previously chief of staff to former King County Executive Ron Sims;
• And King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, a lawyer who was elected to the county council in 2019.

Follow the money: As part of their strategy to close a projected $150 million budget gap, all three candidates told Axios the county would need to look closely at whether government dollars are being spent effectively.

• Balducci and Zahilay said they also would lobby the Legislature to give counties more options to raise progressive tax revenue, an approach that Wilson questioned.

What they're saying: Zahilay, who was born in Sudan to parents who were Ethiopian refugees, highlighted his recent initiative to build more affordable housing and said he'll keep working to end gun violence in King County, where he's lived since he was 3.

• Balducci, a former director of the King County jail system, pointed to her work to extend light rail to the Eastside and build a permanent men's shelter in Bellevue as evidence that she can build coalitions and "get really big things done."
• Wilson, a former journalist, touted his work as county assessor to help expand property tax exemptions for senior citizens and said he'd lobby the state Legislature to provide more tax relief for homeowners.

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The candidates have different ideas and priorities for tackling the region's ongoing homelessness challenge.

Why it matters: Washington had the third highest number of people experiencing homelessness among U.S. states last year, a recent federal report found, with more than half of those people living in King County.

Zoom in: Wilson told Axios that he would seek to dismantle the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, which he has criticized as ineffective and unaccountable.

• The authority was formed in 2019 to help coordinate the region's homelessness services.

What they're saying: "I think we're probably at a point where we need to face the reality and scrap it and start over," Wilson told Axios.

• Balducci said the principle the authority was founded on — "that homelessness is a regional problem" — is "absolutely correct."
• But she said the agency needs to set benchmarks for success and show that it can deliver those results.

Zahilay said he agrees the authority hasn't achieved its mission.

• But he said getting rid of it would mean going back to a system in which individual cities provide homelessness services that are "disparate and disconnected and fractured."

On housing and encampments

🥗 Seattle's renowned vegan chef Makini Howell has closed Plum Bistro and Plum Chopped to focus on her next chapter: launching her new tofu company, Makini's. (Eater Seattle)

🏘️ Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson introduced legislation to rezone land in SODO where a sports arena was previously proposed. The plan could allow for up to 1,000 units of workforce housing. (KOMO)

☕️Starbucks says it will no longer allow people to hang out there or use the bathroom without buying anything. (Axios)

People are lining up for bags of hot bagels at University Village now that Hey Bagel has opened its first store there.

Why it matters: While previously you could only sample Hey Bagel through pre-ordered pickups, the new location that opened Jan. 6 lets you wander in and get some of Seattle's best bagels seven days a week.

Zoom in: I stopped by on Sunday and picked up a baker's dozen bagels and three vats of cream cheese, which included scallion and lox-flavored schmears.

• It's easy to wander to a nearby table or bench and enjoy these bagels exactly as Hey Bagel founder Andrew Rubinstein says they're intended — untoasted and unsliced, eaten instead by tearing off pieces and dipping them in cream cheese.

What to expect: The bagels have ample blistering on the outside, with an ideal crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside texture.

Stop by: Hours are 8am-6pm daily.

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Who doesn't need a little extra pawsitivity right now?

Driving the news: Seattle Humane has opened its doors to 39 dogs and 18 cats from overcrowded Los Angeles shelters, creating room for pets separated from their owners during the California wildfires.

Why it matters: With LA shelters overwhelmed, these pets — already in the system before the fires — faced slim adoption chances.

• By transferring them to Seattle Humane, the animals get a better shot at finding their forever homes, while LA shelters can focus on reuniting displaced pets with their families, according to Seattle Humane.

What's next: Some of these adorable newcomers are already available for adoption.

Tell an animal lover