Viva La Cola!

Founded in January 2009, PubliCola is a blog about Seattle written by journalists who are dedicated to non-partisan, original daily reporting that prioritizes a balanced approach to news. Started by longtime local editor and award-winning reporter Josh Feit, PubliCola is the first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol.

PubliCola was off and running. In June 2009, PubliCola hired another award-winning journalist, super-sourced Seattle city hall reporter Erica C. Barnett.

People were afraid that blogging would change journalism. Instead, we believe journalism can change blogging. Twenty-first century journalism may look and feel different, and yes Erica isn't afraid to get cranky, but we're committed to making sure online news still delivers independent, reliable, even-keeled coverage. And most of all, we're committed to making sure the coverage sparks honest civic debate.

Bringing you cola for the people, PubliCola is named after Publius Valerius PubliCola, the alias for the authors of the Federalist Papers—the original bloggers.

x close
The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

Sneaky

News   April 20, 2009 at 8:47 am Josh Feit

fizz6

1. Sunday’s  front-page Seattle Times story on Mayor Greg Nickels’ weird status (unpopular yet looking unbeatable)  suggested that while voters don’t like the mayor in general, when pressed, they actually like his record. The Seattle Times wrote: 

But when focus-group participants were asked what they wanted done in the city, “they talked about things the mayor is already doing” — like promoting transit-oriented development. 

Things are even weirder than the Times suggests: Nickels office actually led the fight against the transit oriented development bill in Olympia this session.

2. Speaking of Mayor Nickels’ reelection chances. The mayor certainly knows he’s vulnerable. Word is: Team Nickels has turned to heavy-hitting national political consultant Paul Tewes (famous for running Obama’s pivotal Democratic primary campaign in Iowa) to do opposition research on Nickels’ opponents this year.

3. Late on Friday afternoon, a sneaky group of progressive state legislators (Reps. Dave Upthegrove, Jamie Pedersen, Hans Dunshee, Zach Hudgins, Geoff Simpson, and Brendan Williams) voted for a poison pill Republican amendment to repeal I-937, the voter-approved renewable energy initiative. The (maybe brilliant, but high-stakes) strategy according to one member of the group (which gave the amendment the 50+1 it needed to pass)? The Senate will never concur with a bill that blatantly guts the initiative.

Now, the bill will be forced into conference where leadership can reestablish the compromise bill on I-937 (a compromise that environmentalists agreed to earlier this session) without having to deal with pesky amendments that were anathema to progressives, but would be hard to beat on the floor.

4. The AP reported this weekend that the sales tax increase being contemplated by the legislature is not polling well. The numbers (a thorny 50/50 split)  scared off a coalition of healthcare groups that was thinking of running a sales tax referendum to fund healthcare programs.  

Lawmakers in Olympia told the AP they’re still considering the idea themselves.


  • RonK, Seattle

    Tewes is a field geek, not an oppo artist.

  • RonK, Seattle

    Tewes is a field geek, not an oppo artist.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    RonK,

    Right, but Tewes has an expensive shop with an oppo guy named Benjamin Jones.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    RonK,

    Right, but Tewes has an expensive shop with an oppo guy named Benjamin Jones.

  • mason bryant

    Listen, I like y’all’s coverage of state politics, but I’m having a really hard time taking the Seattle Mayor race coverage at all seriously with Sandeep Kaushik (Nickels’ campaign spokesman) on staff.

    When you say something good about him, I wonder if that is Sandeep talking, when you say something bad I wonder if you are just over-compensating.

    You should really quit talking about that race or ask Sandeep to decide which job he really wants.

  • mason bryant

    Listen, I like y’all’s coverage of state politics, but I’m having a really hard time taking the Seattle Mayor race coverage at all seriously with Sandeep Kaushik (Nickels’ campaign spokesman) on staff.

    When you say something good about him, I wonder if that is Sandeep talking, when you say something bad I wonder if you are just over-compensating.

    You should really quit talking about that race or ask Sandeep to decide which job he really wants.

  • J.R.

    “Job” implies payment, Mason, so I can guess which job Sandeep wants.

  • J.R.

    “Job” implies payment, Mason, so I can guess which job Sandeep wants.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    Mason,

    Sorry you’re having trouble taking our coverage of the mayor’s race seriously. But it sounds like you’re going through a lot of belabored steps just to get all worked up about our even-handed coverage.

    I hope you continue to read our coverage of the race, and let the reporting speak for itself.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    Mason,

    Sorry you’re having trouble taking our coverage of the mayor’s race seriously. But it sounds like you’re going through a lot of belabored steps just to get all worked up about our even-handed coverage.

    I hope you continue to read our coverage of the race, and let the reporting speak for itself.

  • eddiew

    re three: 50 is a simple majority in the 98-member state house.

  • eddiew

    re three: 50 is a simple majority in the 98-member state house.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @6,

    I was using “50+1″ generically … as in: more than half—i.e., 50%.
    But I hear ya.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @6,

    I was using “50+1″ generically … as in: more than half—i.e., 50%.
    But I hear ya.

  • Nighthawks

    Can you explain a bit more how the Dem’s voting with the R’s green power bill was a good thing? I think I get it, being it moved the bill, and a post conference bill, I assume, cannot be amended easily, but just checking.

  • Nighthawks

    Can you explain a bit more how the Dem’s voting with the R’s green power bill was a good thing? I think I get it, being it moved the bill, and a post conference bill, I assume, cannot be amended easily, but just checking.