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Guy Oron

@guyoron.net
3.4K followers 309 following 1.2K posts

Seattle-based writer and journalist. Pronouns: he/they. Subscribe to my newsletter Gossip Guy for free! gossipguy.net

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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 29/09/2026
The Schrödinger paradox: Traffic safety both is and is not public safety
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 29/09/2026
At this point they're basically inventing reasons to be mad at Katie Wilson
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 22/09/2026
Although it looks the ordinance will likely pass, Council President Joy Hollingsworth has introduced a last-minute amendment to clarify that non-pricing related surveillance for loss prevention and criminal enforcement would still be allowed. Privacy advocates are calling for it to be rejected.
Amendment F to CB 121267 - Fair Pricing and Transparency ORD

Sponsor: Councilmember Hollingsworth

Clarifying permissible surveillance

Effect: This amendment adds a new section to clarify that nothing in the bill prevents businesses from using technology for the sole purpose of security, loss prevention, safety, fraud prevention or detection, or compliance with law.

Amend Section 1 of CB 121267 as follows:

Section 1. A new Chapter 7.35 is added to the Seattle Municipal Code as follows:

Chapter 7.35 Fair Pricing and Transparency

7.35.085 Use of surveillance

Nothing in this Chapter 7.35 prohibits the use of technology used solely for security, loss prevention, safety, fraud prevention, fraud detection, or compliance with law, provided that this technology and information collected by or generated from it shall not be used, directly or indirectly, for algorithmic-based price discrimination. The presence or use of such technology does not, by itself, constitute a violation of this Chapter 7.35.
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Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Why pay reporters when you can do whatever the hell this is going to be. www.geekwire.com/2026/former-...
geekwire.com
Former Seattle City Council president launches AI-powered site to track and report on City Hall
Former Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson has launched CivicTide, a website that tracks City Council legislation, publishes policy briefs and opinion pieces, and gives readers tools to contact...
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 18/09/2026
NEW: Seattle is about to ban supermarkets from using your data to set individualized prices and coupons to curb price gouging and discrimination. The big grocer lobby is pissed, and is spamming Seattleites with scary text messages. Read in @thestranger.com: www.thestranger.com/news/seattle...
thestranger.com
Seattle Is Poised to Ban Supermarket Algorithmic Price Discrimination - The Stranger
This coming Tuesday, in an effort to crack down on price gouging and discrimination, the Seattle City Council will vote on a bill prohibiting large grocery store companies from using customer personal...
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Glen Stellmacher @glentalk.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"I'm in a squad that does public corruption, hate crimes, civil rights matters, things like that," she said in the back of the SPD cruiser. www.hardpressed-info.com/seattle-fbi-...
hardpressed-info.com
Seattle FBI Agent Arrested For DUI
One of Seattle's most iconic pubs, home to one of the best fish 'n chips in Washington state, is apparently a favorite final port of call for FBI holiday parties. After drinking one single Rainier ta...
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Our Seattle @ourseattle.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
“As part of the plan, the CARE Department, which operates Seattle’s 911 call center and a team of 40 non-police crisis responders, is being given a bigger role. Wilson’s budget proposal will keep the department’s gun violence director and fund an additional gun violence coordinator.” @guyoron.net
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K.H.I. @sheridesabike.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
“Barden cited internal data suggesting that over the last six weeks, the CARE Department’s responder utilization rate has gone up to 80 percent as cops are diverting more cases. Last year during the same time, the team was only utilizing about 40 percent of its capacity” per CARE spokesperson.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 15/09/2026
NEW: Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has released a new gun violence prevention plan after weeks of criticism from big business. Key components include empowering the City’s recently expanded CARE Department and keeping investments in youth services. @thestranger.com www.thestranger.com/news/mayor-k...
thestranger.com
Mayor Katie Wilson Presents Gun Violence Prevention Plan - The Stranger
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is rolling out a plan to tackle gun violence by better integrating city departments and maintaining services for youth. The announcement comes after weeks of relentless crit...
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Colleen Frakes @colleenfrakes.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I get that people like to clown on Macklemore, but he's quietly done so much good for Seattle. Besides the stuff on his website, he's donated to the music program at my kid's school and sponsors the free summer parks concerts.
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Olraca @olraca.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This segment about public safety is worth a listen and Guy Oron makes an excellent point about the lack of criticism of the Harrell administration, during which gun violence continued to rise in Seattle despite a national downward trend. Seattles #1 public safety issue since 2023 is traffic safety.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 14/09/2026
On @citycastseattle.bsky.social today @bretthamil.bsky.social @samjleeds.bsky.social and I dissect the recent political discourse about public safety and ask if Mayor Katie Wilson is being unfairly criticized as homicide numbers decline from their post-COVID peak: seattle.citycast.fm/podcasts/wha...
seattle.citycast.fm
What Does Public Safety Really Mean? Plus, Community Garden Origin Stories and Goodbye to Spot Saver - City Cast Seattle
For Brett Hamil’s last day as fill-in host, contributor Guy Oron and producer Sam J Leeds join to dig into the real numbers behind Seattle's public...
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South Seattle Emerald @soseaemerald.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
At the Embassy Suites in Pioneer Square, hotel workers, through UNITE HERE Local 8, have been on strike since June 18. It's now the longest hotel strike in Washington history. soseaem.org/3SLw2Et
southseattleemerald.org
The Longest Hotel Worker Strike in WA Is Still Going On in Pioneer Square
At Embassy Suites, hotel workers, through UNITE HERE Local 8, have been on strike since June 18. It's now the longest hotel strike in Washington history.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 03/09/2026
Robin Hunt and I made a zine about the Black Lives Memorial Garden as part of Common Area Maintenance’s pocket neighborhoods collection. You can pick up a physical copy tonight 5:30-7:30pm at King Street Station during the Pioneer Square art walk.
Common area maintenance new zines screenshot Myself holding up the zines
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 03/09/2026
An interesting Seattle political fact: This station was included in ST3 after heavy lobbying from then-newly elected District 5 council member Debora Juarez. It will open just 2 months before she finishes out her last interim term in that very same seat.
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Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
JUST ANNOUNCED: Pinehurst Station at NE 130th Street will open on September 30.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 02/09/2026
SEA and Seattle Public Schools have just reached a tentative agreement, averting a teacher’s strike on the first day of school tomorrow.
Instagram post showing tentative agreement reached
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 01/09/2026
MOHAI workers announced the formation of a union today, with more than 70% of eligible rank-and-file workers signing cards with CWA Local 7800. They are asking for voluntary recognition from the Seattle museum. Some of their core demands include pay equity, transparency and benefits for part-timers.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 29/08/2026
Look at these two charts. Two serious safety issues—homicides and pedestrian traffic deaths—which cause immense heartbreak and loss to Seattle communities. Both have seen concerning trends in the last decade. Are they both taken seriously by local media and policy makers?
Chart shows Seattle homicides spiked during COVID-19 pandemicChart shows Seattle pedestrian fatalities rise after Vision Zero adoption
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DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Seattle Officer Caleb Howard is featured in our 2026 Protest Pack. It's on sale now! Buy it here: tinyurl.com/divestcards26
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CHUM News @chum.news · 29/08/2026
Two youth-focused initiatives on WA’s November ballot have ignited fierce debates over student wellbeing and trans rights at school. How they would impact the youth they claim to protect? A thorough research report by four Fellows from @washingtonbus.org: www.chum.news/rights-on-th...
chum.news
RIGHTS ON THE BALLOT — CHUM NEWS
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 28/08/2026
Tune into @citycastseattle.bsky.social today to hear me, @bretthamil.bsky.social and @janehu.bsky.social chat about the Meta settlement and how Seattle’s police guild contract hamstringing non-police crisis response team: seattle.citycast.fm/podcasts/wil...
seattle.citycast.fm
Will the Meta Settlement Actually Change Anything? Plus, SPD's Restrictions on CARE - City Cast Seattle
Seattle's CARE team was supposed to be the city's answer to unarmed crisis response — but a new Inspector General report reveals it's still being s...
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 28/08/2026
Someone is polling Seattle voters to test out opposition messaging against city council candidate Nilu Jenks. Appears like some of the statements are not just incendiary but also inaccurate...
* Jenks opposes prosecuting public drug use, even people smoking fentanyl on transit, in public parks and playgrounds.

Much more likely to vote for Jenks

Somewhat more likely to vote for Jenks

Somewhat less likely to vote for Jenks

Much less likely to vote for Jenks* Jenks wants to turn off all public safety cameras in parts of the district like Aurora with high crime, open air drug markets, and prostitution.

Much more likely to vote for Jenks

Somewhat more likely to vote for Jenks

Somewhat less likely to vote for Jenks

Much less likely to vote for Jenks
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The Stranger @thestranger.com · 27/08/2026
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson Signs Order on Traffic Safety, But Not Before Rob and Bob on the Council Give Her a Political Headache
thestranger.com
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson Signs Order on Traffic Safety - The Stranger
Last week Seattle politicians spent a whole lot of time talking about public safety, but one actually did something about it. The big news came on Friday when Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson signed an executive order on Vision Zero, the city’s goal to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries to zero by 2030. Numbers have […]
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 27/08/2026
BREAKING: The Seattle Education Association has officially authorized a strike, with 91% voting in favor. Its 6,000 members will join the picket lines starting on Wednesday — delaying the start of the school year — unless the union reaches a last-minute deal with the district.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 27/08/2026
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson signed an order to speed up traffic safety projects. But it couldn’t happen without some drama from Rob Saka, who tried to upstage her with his unfinished bill, and Bob Kettle, who used a poll to (yet again) call for more police cameras. www.thestranger.com/news/seattle...
thestranger.com
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson Signs Order on Traffic Safety - The Stranger
Last week Seattle politicians spent a whole lot of time talking about public safety, but one actually did something about it. The big news came on Friday when Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson signed an exec...
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Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
the AI crash is going to have drastic results
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Nathalie Graham @gramsofgnats.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
great recap on the circus that is city hall and also the significance of Mayor Katie Wilson's Vision Zero executive order from @guyoron.net www.thestranger.com/news/seattle...
thestranger.com
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson Signs Order on Traffic Safety - The Stranger
Last week Seattle politicians spent a whole lot of time talking about public safety, but one actually did something about it. The big news came on Friday when Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson signed an exec...
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 22/08/2026
A man in Spokane attacked a trans man with a hatchet. The man smashed his windows and tore down pride flags in the front before attacking Alexander Wolfe. He said he did it to "save the kids." Wolfe was had to get 3 staples in his skull as a result. www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...
spokesman.com
'I just fought for my life on my front lawn': Transgender man attacked with hatchet at South Hill home
A 25-year-old Spokane man is facing a felony assault charge after police say he damaged a transgender man’s South Hill home and then attacked him with a hatchet, fracturing his skull.
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Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
ICYMI Seattle's interim police chief filed what could have been a career-ending complaint against a detective who spoke at a pro-LGBTQ rally against two right-wing initiatives. Investigators found this likely violated her free speech rights and could open SPD to a lawsuit. A PubliCola exclusive.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 21/08/2026
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson says off the bat that “traffic safety is part of public safety.” Wilson pledges to take action on the Vision Zero goal by 2030 which she admits the city won’t hit. The mayor is signing a new executive order to accelerate traffic safety projects.
Mayor Katie Wilson
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 21/08/2026
Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle held a press briefing this morning (maybe more apt to call it a corporate media copaganda fest) in which he called for an investigation into Katie Wilson and the mayor’s office over its handling of the Seattle Center shooting last month.
Bob Kettle press briefing
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 19/08/2026
NEW: More than 140 immigrants who went on hunger strike at the Northwest Detention Center have ended their strike after securing promises of better food quality, portions and new menus. Read the full story @thestranger.com: www.thestranger.com/news/hunger-...
thestranger.com
Hunger Strike Over Poor Food Quality at NWDC Concludes - The Stranger
After nearly a week, more than 140 immigrants detained in the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) have concluded their hunger strike in protest of inedible food, often served at irregular hours. The act...
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 19/08/2026
INBOX: The Seattle Office of Labor Standards has announced a settlement recovering $4.4 million in back pay and damage from Uber Eats to more than 14,000 gig workers. The department says the company repeatedly failed to follow the city’s minimum payment laws for app-based workers.
Nearly $4.4 Million Returned to Over 14,000 Workers for Uber Eats Violations of the Minimum Payment Ordinance 
The Office’s Second Largest Settlement   
Seattle, WA – (August 18, 2026) Mayor Katie B. Wilson announced The Office of Labor Standards (OLS) second largest settlement with Portier, LLC dba Uber Eats (Uber Eats) for alleged violations of the App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance. Uber Eats agreed to settle the claims for a total of $4,386,682.28 in back pay, interest, liquidated damages, and civil penalties to 14,421 affected workers and $5,982.90 in fines to the City of Seattle.  

Under the Ordinance, OLS alleged Uber Eats failed to consistently provide minimum payments for cancelled orders when required, including when workers went to a pick-up location and reported to Uber Eats that an order needed to be cancelled for cause.  

OLS also claimed that in some instances Uber Eats did not provide workers with the required minimum payments for the time they worked.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 17/08/2026
Seeing the reaction on Bluesky is interesting to me. I would have considered a permanent Friday-Sunday Pike Place closure to be a major urbanist victory
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The Intercept @theintercept.com · 16/08/2026
Somewhere in a sweltering desert, cockroaches scurry around the cell of Carlitos Ricardo Parias. He holds up a plastic bottle, gazing at the worm-like creatures swimming in his water. His other arm is turning purple from a gunshot wound for which he says he hasn’t received proper medical care.
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The Stranger @thestranger.com · 11/08/2026
The Seattle City Council is voting today on a new bill that would make it illegal for landlords to drop undisclosed junk fees on renters. ⁠ ⁠ Guy Oron has the full story online at The Stranger.
thestranger.com
New Bill Would Junk Landlord “Junk” Fees - The Stranger
Tired of your landlord springing extra fees on you at the last minute?  The Seattle City Council will vote Tuesday on a bill that would make it illegal for landlords to charge many spurious “junk” fee...
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 13/08/2026
ICYMI: The Seattle City Council voted unanimously to ban rental junk fees, despite a last-minute effort by Councilmember Bob Kettle to exempt pet rent. It also set aside $300,000 for relocation assistance for internally displaced trans people. @thestranger.com www.thestranger.com/news/seattle...
thestranger.com
Seattle City Council Bans Rental Junk Fees, Funds Assistance for LGBTQ People - The Stranger
At yet another long meeting Tuesday, the Seattle City Council unanimously voted to ban landlords from charging “junk” fees, a highly anticipated reform championed by tenant advocates. The council also...
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Vivian McCall @vivmccall.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
This is awful thing to say, for many reasons, but I'll say this: Coming out as trans is economically devastating to most of the trans people I have met, and if you look at any statistic on the economic standing of trans Americans, you will see they are poor.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 12/08/2026
BREAKING: The Seattle City Council has just voted 8-0 to pass the new ordinance banning landlords from imposing junk fees and requiring up-transparency in rental listings.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 12/08/2026
The council just rejected this amendment in a 7-1 vote, even after Kettle watered it down to apply to only dogs and not cats. This ensures the final legislation will not allow pet rent of any kind, if passed.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 11/08/2026
UPDATE: Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle has introduced a last-minute amendment to the junk fee ordinance which would effectively gut its pet rent provisions by allowing landlords to charge $25/month (plus inflation). Advocates are calling on the council to vote it down at today’s vote.
11. A fee for keeping a pet, provided that:
a. The fee may only be assessed for keeping a cat or a dog;
b. The fee may not exceed $25 per animal per month; this amount shall be
adjusted annually by the percentage amount of change in the housing component of the
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Seattle-Tacoma-
Bellevue Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area as published by the United States
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, rounded up to the nearest whole
number
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 11/08/2026
Something interesting I learned reporting on this story is just how many advantages landlords have. It’s hard to see the rationale for adding on pet rent
Pet rent is arguably a case of quintuple dipping by landlords. They can already charge both a general security deposit and pet deposit on top of monthly rent to pay for potential damages. They also often write off thousands of dollars in taxable income under the expectation of depreciation due to tenant wear-and-tear (despite the fact that property prices have actually massively increased).
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 11/08/2026
NEW: The Seattle City Council will decide tomorrow whether to throw rental junk fees in the trash. It’s the first step in Mayor Katie Wilson’s plan to start to bring housing costs under control. Read in @thestranger.com: www.thestranger.com/news/new-bil...
thestranger.com
New Bill Would Junk Landlord “Junk” Fees - The Stranger
Tired of your landlord springing extra fees on you at the last minute?  The Seattle City Council will vote Tuesday on a bill that would make it illegal for landlords to charge many spurious “junk” fee...
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Through the Static @throughthestatic.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Coalition calls for accountability of Federal Way Police Department following hospital death and crisis call shooting of Black men By Hannah Saunders The Washington Coalition of Police Accountability has written a letter demanding that the Federal Way Police Department (FWPD) undergo some serious…
throughthestatic.org
Coalition calls for accountability of Federal Way Police Department following hospital death and crisis call shooting of Black men
By Hannah Saunders The Washington Coalition of Police Accountability has written a letter demanding that the Federal Way Police Department (FWPD) undergo some serious changes and accountability measures for two reports involving Black men. This comes after FWPD officers killed 27-year-old Leon Davis while in a hospital, and shot 19-year-old Caution Mann while he was experiencing a mental health crisis.
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Puget Sound Labor News Tracker @pnwlabortracker.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Neumos Security Union is raising money for legal fees and an emergency fund here: www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with...
gofundme.com
Donate to Stand With Neumos Security Union, organized by Neumos Security Union
Neumos Security Union (NSU) is an independent, worker-led union, fighting for… Neumos Security Union needs your support for Stand With Neumos Security Union
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 07/08/2026
A related fact: last year Seattle also passed the ban on landlords from using software like RealPage to algorithmically set the price of rent. www.kuow.org/stories/seat...
kuow.org
Seattle landlords banned from using rent-setting software
Seattle landlords will soon no longer be allowed to use rent-setting software like RealPage to suggest and set prices, after the Seattle City Council voted on Tuesday to ban its use.
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 07/08/2026
INBOX: Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck have announced a new bill to ban grocery stores from engaging in algorithmic price gouging. Under the proposal, companies would be barred from using sensitive personal info to set different prices for different customers.
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Crystal Fincher @finchfrii.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refresh refr #waelex
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Guy Oron @guyoron.net · 05/08/2026
Gotta give credit to Kshama Sawant, she mobilizes volunteers like a general. The campaign has canvassers tabling out in the smoke since 7am at every light rail station in the South End.
Canvassers tabling for Kshama Sawant
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