While you were obsessing over the State of the Union or Deflategate, Washington state politics moved forward. Here’s what you may have missed: 1. Seattle City Councilmembers Nick Licata and Tom Rasmussen to retire 2. Truth Needle: GOP leader is right, Inslee polluter list tags UW, WSU 3. On Muslim Lobby Day, Muslim residents march through…

Longtime Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata, an ardent progressive who led the council’s ultra-liberal wing for many years, is bowing out. In office since 1998, Licata won’t seek re-election this year, he announced Wednesday at City Hall, saying he wants to continue to work against inequality not only in Seattle but in other cities. “I’ve been lucky to have…

Update | 12:45 p.m., Nov. 6: Ksahama Sawant’s Twitter account has deleted the tweet referenced below, but you can view it through a screen shot. Click on the shot for a bigger image.     Update | 11:35 p.m. Albert Shen said he feels “great about the campaign” despite finishing far behind Mike O’Brien in Tuesday’s election. In an email,…

The City Council and Mayor Mike McGinn agree, Seattle needs to get more benefits when it creates wealth for property owners through upzones allowing taller buildings. The questions now are “how much” and “when”? The consensus for increased benefits emerged after a council consultant’s report said the city could seek more benefits, such as affordable housing, and developers…

OLYMPIA — State Senate Republicans, who have already proposed repealing the state’s never-implemented family-leave requirement, are now targeting Seattle’s sick-leave law. The law, which took effect in September, requires businesses with at least five employees operating in Seattle to provide paid sick leave to workers. Seattle is one of three major cities in the United States to have the…

Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata was named to The Nation magazine’s 2012 Progressive Honor Roll this week, along with other luminaries of the left, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow. The magazine has called out progressives for the past decade and this year named Licata “Best Local Politician.” The Nation cited Licata’s…