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Kevin Nichols

@kevinnichols.org
162 followers 183 following 221 posts

Issaquah City Councilmember. PhD scientist and data nerd who e-bikes to meetings to try and build a more affordable future. Previously: COVID tests, global health, bubble physics. Personal account.

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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 03/10/2026
If you build it, they will come. When you give people good bike infrastructure, they use it. Thrilled to see an overflowing bike valet parking lot at Salmon Days today (thank you city staff).
Overflowing bike valet parking lot at salmon days in Issaquah
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 02/10/2026
Still happy to support any and all polyhedra or other shapes in Issaquah if they reduce costs and get us better transit sooner. #I❤️graphtheory
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 29/09/2026
What could be better than Issaquah's Salmon Days? Free valet *bike parking*! Why swim upstream with 200,000 other visitors? For the first time, you can drop your bike at the Bike Valet, have it watched, and ride home. No parking fees, no trek from a distant lot. Sammy the Salmon approves. Map below!
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 23/09/2026
Another Issaquah resident, on what these initiatives won't do: "These measures won't lower gas prices or keep communities safe from wildfires or historic floods." This is a distraction from the real things we should be fixing, and only divides us. Thank you to everyone who spoke up. #NoHateWAState
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 23/09/2026
Proud of Issaquah. Every speaker at last night's public hearing opposed I-1 (kids' counseling records) and I-638 (girls' sports sex checks). Council voted 7-0 in opposition. One said: "I don't want to have to prove to anyone that I'm a woman because it's none of their business." Vote no on both.
Issaquah residents speak out against I-1 and I-638
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 18/09/2026
We can agree to disagree I guess. I want to see government get better and more efficient with the staff it has. From what I’ve seen consultants are usually a crutch that prevents that.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 18/09/2026
Consultants also rob an institution of the ability to develop internal expertise, and allow bright people who want to flex into new roles or just learn and grow the ability to do so. Thats my primary gripe with them.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 15/09/2026
No new tax data needed. Their table already uses the right tax data per LD from the right source, it's just drawn on the wrong 2022 map. I put the same numbers on the 2024 map. Happy to help @budget-policy.bsky.social if they want any, or they can just take this.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 15/09/2026
Or this version, which replaces the LD number labels (which basically nobody knows) with the number of people in their district estimated to pay the tax as the number shown
Map of the estimated number of resident Millionaires Tax payers in each Washington legislative district, using the current 2024 district boundaries. Each district is shaded from white (0) to dark green (2,700) and labeled with its payer count. The left side shows the whole state. The right side is a close-up of central Puget Sound, with cities, water and freeways labeled.

The highest counts are on the Eastside and in Seattle: 2,660 (Mercer Island, Sammamish), 2,371 (Bellevue, Redmond), 2,004 (Redmond, Kirkland), 1,502 (Capitol Hill, U District) and 1,260 (Ballard, Queen Anne). Next are 788 (Green Lake, Lake City), 692 (Issaquah, Enumclaw) and 576 (Bothell, Woodinville).

Outside those, most districts have a few hundred payers or fewer. That includes Spokane (211 and 143), Tacoma (209), Vancouver (192), Everett (87) and Federal Way (80). Some rural districts are lower still: 52 (Graham, Eatonville), 61 (Longview, Aberdeen) and 71 (Wenatchee, Colville). The Yakima–Pasco and Parkland–Spanaway districts are marked N/A because their samples are too small to release.

Data: WA Department of Revenue, May 2026, via WA State Budget and Policy Center.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 15/09/2026
Fixed the map with correct LD boundaries after the most recent redistricting, and more detail in the Seattle area where most of the people paying this are (I couldn't help myself, too much of a map nerd).
Estimated number of resident Millionaires Tax payers by legislative district. The map is shaded from white (0) to dark green (2,700) and uses the current 2024 district boundaries. The left side shows the whole state. The right side is a close-up of central Puget Sound, with cities, water and freeways labeled.

The dark green districts are all on the Eastside and in Seattle: LD 41 (Mercer Island, Sammamish) 2,660; LD 48 (Bellevue, Redmond) 2,371; LD 45 (Redmond, Kirkland) 2,004; LD 43 (Capitol Hill, U District) 1,502; LD 36 (Ballard, Queen Anne) 1,260. Next are LD 46 (788), LD 5 (692) and LD 1 (576).

Nearly every other district is very pale, with a few hundred payers or fewer. Several have under 100: LD 2 (52), LD 19 (61), LD 7 (71), LD 30 (80) and LD 38 (87). Data for LD 14 and 29 is not released because the sample is too small.

Data: WA Department of Revenue, May 2026, via WA State Budget and Policy Center.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 15/09/2026
Conclusion is of course right, but the map is all wrong and using LD boundaries from before the most recent redistricting. Whoever did this map can download updated map files from geo.wa.gov. Happy to volunteer to help if needed.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 13/09/2026
Issaquah Transit Center (Rt 900) is the big loss with more direct transfers to Seattle via MI. None of the above stop at the transit center.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 12/09/2026
I think there are two things we can plausibly lobby for: 1) don’t have 556 run on Front street. It should run on Newport instead, and 2) transfer at MI, not Bellevue. Sadly I don’t think a direct bus to Seattle for us is in the cards. Now it’s about improving, and that’s what I’m focused on.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 05/09/2026
This calls for some volunteers with a phone to go and record and post. It’s a public meeting. Every word should be recorded and easily accessible. There is no excuse not to do this in 2026.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 30/08/2026
Welcome to Issaquah. Glad you had a good time!
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 22/08/2026
No. I can’t. I think there is just a fundamentally different world view at play here. Even imagining a one year old in distress makes me sad. Being in a position of power to help and doing nothing under some legal pretext is literally unimaginable for me.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 22/08/2026
I find it really interesting that housing is the one area people, on both left and right, will assert that it is outside basic economics principles of supply and demand that are otherwise universally accepted as the predominant driver of price. I’d love to understand why (mostly to argue better).
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 18/08/2026
Know what the actual questions were? Not obvious from link. Always curious about bias in polling and how generalizable this is. We just went through this in our east side suburb. Hundreds of people against networked, AI enhanced ALPRs, but no concerns with speed cameras etc.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 12/08/2026
There's overlap, but it's superficial. "Eastside pro-housing politicians" like me want government out of the way on dumb housing rules. We also want to build infrastructure, transit, and subsidized units, which takes taxes. ST's version of small government is just low taxes. That's not an alliance.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 12/08/2026
And apologies in advance for some of the AI slop in the text; I just care about the numbers, so I'm not going to bother editing or writing this all out, but tell me if you see errors in the data.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 12/08/2026
Enough ballots are in that we can predict not only the winners of the primaries, but also the success rates of the big endorsers. I was curious and looked at Seattle Times, Progressive Voters Guide, The Urbanist, The Stranger, and KC Dems. www.wagraphs.com/Endorsement_...
Endorsement success percentages for KC Dems (90%), Progressive Voters Guide (86%), The Stranger (80%), The Urbanist (71%) and The Seattle Times (47%).
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 12/08/2026
Or just deposits...
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 09/08/2026
Agreed. I like those as well and hope we market the advantages you pointed out as indicated. Intending to say a switch to MI gets us those benefits without the main cons for the bulk of commuters who go to Seattle. Good clarification; thanks.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 09/08/2026
ST's own estimate is +7 to +11 min Issaquah to Seattle: www.soundtransit.org/sites/defaul... Probably low westbound too, given the traffic onto Bellevue Way. I'd rather see a MI transfer, which skips that. Letters to ST and Issaquah council with real new transit times would help make that case.
soundtransit.org
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 04/08/2026
I’d be ok-ish with 554 going away if it connected at Mercer Island. I’d still prefer it just stayed, but MI would at least be HOV the whole way. Connecting at South Bellevue is a big part of why ST estimates the additional 10-15 minutes each way I think.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 01/08/2026
“What’s a Streatery,” asked my 9 y/o. “It means we can have fun in our streets and not get hit by cars,” answered my 12 y/o. 💯
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 27/07/2026
More importantly, Ron will be a voice for housing that we need. Happy to have endorsed him and not even going to worry about the other folks 🙂
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 22/07/2026
Claude, fix this NY Times headline:
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 21/07/2026
That's my perspective on the state's recent actions. My concern is that they are incremental only and didn't address the root architectural problems. Local governments then see that and think, "Oh, they must be ok now." We need to be careful, and always interpret state law as a floor, not a ceiling.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 21/07/2026
Yes, I'm happy with this outcome. I think a discussion around fully local (i.e., not physically accessible outside our city) could have been useful. I'm not sure I would have supported that anyway, but did want to discuss. Without that, an indefinite moratorium is the best outcome.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 21/07/2026
Great! Here's the ordinance as passed if you'd like to pass on directly: issaquah.civicweb.net/FileStorage/...
issaquah.civicweb.net
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 21/07/2026
40% of Issaquah residents are renters. They deserve to know the real cost of housing before signing a lease. If you're a renter who's dealt with surprise fees, we want to hear your story as we draft this.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 21/07/2026
🧾 Rental fees: I was proud to introduce this as a new business item. The price a renter sees should be the price a renter pays, every fee disclosed upfront and itemized at signing. Council voted to add it to the work plan; staff will bring back a draft ordinance in 2027.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 21/07/2026
📸 ALPR: After months of petitions and public comment, council voted unanimously to postpone all further work on license plate reader cameras indefinitely. No city funds can be spent on this technology without a future ordinance and vote of the council.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 21/07/2026
🏠 ADUs: Homeowners can now have a Washington-licensed architect certify their detached ADU plans and skip building plan review entirely. First city in the state to use this new tool. Less permitting time, lower cost, more backyard homes.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 21/07/2026
Big night at Issaquah City Council! 🏠 We passed the first ADU self-certification ordinance in Washington state! 📸 We put an indefinite moratorium on ALPR cameras! 🧾 And we added a rental fee transparency ordinance to our 2027 work plan. A quick thread:
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 21/07/2026
We also voted unanimously to add a rental fee transparency ordinance to our 2027 workplan. Lots of good housing affordability legislation brewing in Issaquah!
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 19/07/2026
Largely agree with you, and very concerned about the risks. Our mayor has a good faith argument for them. I don’t agree with most of it, so I don’t want to paraphrase as I’ll likely get wrong, though you should reach out if you’d like to discuss. He answers emails, and we all do as council too.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 19/07/2026
Good question. I don’t honestly know, though I think we’ve heard very clear feedback from the community about what the *minimum* level of protection they want for all our neighbors from ALPRs is, which is local control. Whether we want these at all is a good next step to discuss.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 18/07/2026
The options presented are state law baseline, a cloud-based system with somewhat stricter safeguards, or full prohibition. The administration recommends the second. I'll be raising the local control option Monday, along with questions about enforcement. Public comment is open, in person or online.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 18/07/2026
At Monday's Issaquah City Council meeting (7/20, 7pm) the administration presents its proposed license plate camera policy. Three options are on the table, but not the one most of the community asked for: locally stored, closed loop data under city control.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 18/07/2026
I think there’s a good argument for a new, well funded, voluntary national service (AmeriCorps^2) as a good use of public funds to give life experience and skills to young people displaced by our new AI overlords. Agree it’s a weird thing to campaign on though given all the fish out there to fry.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 18/07/2026
How fitting if it turns out that the Iran war turns out to be the US’a greatest contribution to fighting climate change this decade.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 18/07/2026
If upfront rental pricing matters to you, a short email helps more than you'd think. Two sentences is plenty. Write the council: citycouncil@issaquahwa.gov Or comment live Monday 7/20, in person or virtually. Renters rarely show up in these conversations. Change that.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 18/07/2026
The price a renter sees should be the price a renter pays. Monday I'm bringing a proposal to Issaquah City Council: every rental fee disclosed in the listing, mandatory vs optional clearly marked, and rent + fees in one honest monthly total before you sign. issaquah.civicweb.net/FileStorage/...
issaquah.civicweb.net
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 14/07/2026
HB 1814 must rise again.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 09/07/2026
Actually, an increase to 3% was in HB 2049 in 2025. Then, according to this writeup, Ferguson came out against it and it was stripped out. Hopefully they take another swing at it, but it doesn't look like a simple case of just nobody lobbying WALeg... washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/04/21/w...
washingtonstatestandard.com
Plan to raise cap on property tax growth collapses in WA Legislature • Washington State Standard
Democrats are ending their bid to raise a limit on property tax growth, one of the most controversial tax ideas they pursued this session.
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 09/07/2026
Claude, fix this headline…
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 08/07/2026
We are capable of building great things and solving the housing shortage, but only if we critically look at failed policies wherever we find them. Though I voted no since I didn't believe this went far enough, I'm still comfortable with it passing as a step in the right direction. Much more to do...
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Kevin Nichols @kevinnichols.org · 07/07/2026
Grid scale battery storage is urgently needed. Cities can either stand in the way, or help make the future better. Across the Eastside, the trend is standing in the way. I’m proud of Issaquah for these amendments to our climate action plan to support the future. Not passed yet but 🤞
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