Seattle has three public safety departments. You probably know about the police and fire department, but the city also manages the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department, Seattle's police alternative program.

Among other work, CARE responds to emergency 911 calls and provides referrals to people in crisis for services including mental health, drug counseling, and housing support.

But long-standing labor issues with Seattle's Police Officers Guild have interrupted CARE's work in the past.

CARE Chief Amy Barden joined David Kroman and Soundside guest host Cat Smith in the studio to talk about how the agency is evolving under Mayor Katie Wilson and its plans to increase its efficacy in the years to come.

Plus: The race for Washington's Third Congressional District is a tight one between incumbent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and her Republican challenger, Sen. Minority Leader John Braun. Soundside spoke to the two candidates in back to back interviews about their race to represent the district.

Guests

• Amy Barden, chief of Seattle's Community Assisted Response and Engagement Department (CARE)
• Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democratic candidate running for reelection in Washington's 3rd district.
• State Sen. John Braun, Republican candidate for Congress against Gluesenkamp Perez

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Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Renton, a heated fight over whether to keep Flock cameras mirrors the national angst people are feeling about surveillance, government, and big tech. These license plate readers are pitting law enforcement and public safety advocates against people concerned about immigration enforcement and government intrusion into privacy and personal liberties.

Today on the show:

• 4 a Better Renton organizer Sheryl Friesz
• Tukwila Police Chief Eric Lund
• Renton City Councilmember James Alberson
• Renton City Councilmember Carmen Rivera

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listeners, it's time to lock in on the races for the Washington Supreme Court. Why? Five out of nine seats are up for grabs, a rare number of seas. We’re expecting some pretty big rulings from the justices in the years to come.

In the last two elections, five out of the six candidates for Washington Supreme Court ran unopposed.

We take a look at some of the court's biggest recent rulings and get to know the candidates.

Plus: Two conversations including critiques of and praise for the state Supreme Court's track record.

Guests

Amy Radil, KUOW reporter

Todd Myers, vice president of research at the Washington Policy Center

Jessica Levin, associate teaching professor and senior director, Center for Civil Rights and Critical Justice at Seattle University School of Law

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle could change its rules about where RVs are allowed to park in the city. The councilmember pushing for this change is hoping it will eventually get people connected to housing.

Yet critics worry this could be difficult to enforce, and potentially create hardship for people living in these vehicles.

Today on the show:

• Dan Strauss, who represents Seattle's District 6
• Neal Lampi, who lived in an RV for years
• Alison Eisinger, executive director for the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness

Plus: David and Libby share their top headlines.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Massive federal cuts to Medicaid are playing out here in King County. 4,000 lawfully present immigrants lost their coverage this month, and over 200,000 more could see their coverage affected soon. King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda joins Soundside to talk about the county’s response to these cuts.

Plus: co-hosts Libby Denkmann and David Kroman break down today’s top headlines, the latest on 12th and Jackson, and your weekend warmup.

Today on the show:

• Teresa Mosqueda, King County Councilmember District 8
• Connor Nash, politics reporter for the South Seattle Emerald

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes.

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fate of the high earners income tax, sometimes called the “Millionaire’s Tax," is in the hands of Washington voters. This year, Democrats in Olympia passed a nearly 10 percent tax on every dollar of household income over $1 million.

Almost immediately after the legislature passed it, the tax was challenged; both in court and with an initiative on this November’s ballot.

The legal battle is ongoing, today, we're focusing on you, the voters. We have two people ready to debate whether voters should repeal the income tax by passing Initiative 645.

Plus: We hear from you about yesterdays segment on eldercare and AI.

Today on the show:

• Rian Watt, executive director of the Economic Opportunity Institute
• Jaime Herrera Beutler, former congresswoman for WA-03

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a crisis in elder care worldwide.

The population of people aged 65 and older is expected to nearly double by 2060 and many countries are facing serious questions about how to support such a huge increase in elderly community members.

In America, nursing homes are both expensive and linked to significant declines in mental health, leading states like Washington to prioritize at-home caretakers.

But at-home care is facing its own crisis, which has the state turning to a new solution: An at-home AI companion called ElliQ.

Earlier this year Washington became the first state to have these devices fully subsidized by Medicaid.

And so far they’ve made it into the hands of more than 50 residents.

Is this a solution to the elder care crisis? Or another sign of an AI dystopia?

Plus: Why one of the biggest immigrant support networks in Washington just laid off half its staff, and David and Libby on their top stories of the day.

Today on the show: tech journalist Jacob Robbins, and KUOW immigration reporter Gustavo Sagrero Alvarez

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.