New Report Shows Major Job Losses in Seattle + WA Supreme Court Candidates Clash During Debate

Seattle lost 18,000 jobs between 2024 and 2025, with 70% of those losses concentrated in downtown, according to new analysis highlighted by the Downtown Seattle Association. The findings are raising new questions about Seattle's employment base, downtown economy and ability to compete for jobs and investment. The Downtown Seattle Association says significant losses occurred across multiple industries, including technology, construction and professional services. DSA officials also compared Seattle's employment performance with growing communities elsewhere in the region and across the country. The organization says those comparisons do not prove that differences in taxes, regulations or other government policies caused Seattle's job losses, but argues the city needs a renewed focus on attracting employers, supporting existing businesses and growing its employment base. DSA President and CEO Jon Scholes praised Mayor Katie Wilson's proposed budget for not adding new business taxes while calling for Seattle to become more competitive for jobs and investment. Also in today's Washington in Focus, a decade-long fight between a Grant County farming family and the Washington Department of Ecology reached the Washington State Supreme Court. Ron and Robin Fodé and Fodé Farms are challenging Ecology over water-rights enforcement and more than $688,000 in monetary penalties. During oral arguments, Justice Helen Whitener questioned an attorney for Ecology about the state's statutory requirements concerning voluntary compliance and written information and technical assistance. The Fodés and their attorneys with Pacific Legal Foundation argue Ecology failed to provide technical assistance required under Washington law before moving to penalties. Ecology disputes that argument and says it made extensive efforts to inform Fodé and his landlords of their legal obligations and bring them into compliance. The Washington Supreme Court will issue a ruling at a later date. Finally, Washington voters face an unusually crowded Supreme Court ballot this November, with five of the court's nine positions being contested. Candidates participating in a King County Bar Association debate discussed judicial philosophy, court administration and the proper role of Washington Supreme Court justices. One exchange featured Justice Colleen Melody and challenger Scott Edwards offering sharply different views of the job. Edwards argued voters should focus primarily on a candidate's judicial philosophy and said they are electing a judge rather than a bureaucrat or legislator. Melody disagreed, arguing that administering and advocating for Washington's judicial branch is a significant part of a Supreme Court justice's responsibilities. Today's Washington in Focus examines Seattle's 18,000-job decline, downtown Seattle employment, the city's business climate, the Fodé Farms water-rights case, Washington Department of Ecology and the 2026 Washington Supreme Court elections. Follow The Center Square for continuing coverage of Seattle's economy, Washington jobs, downtown Seattle, Washington businesses, water rights, the Department of Ecology, the Washington Supreme Court and state government. #Seattle #SeattleJobs #DowntownSeattle #SeattleEconomy #WashingtonState #WashingtonSupremeCourt #WaterRights #DepartmentOfEcology #WashingtonElection #WashingtonNews #TheCenterSquare #WashingtonInFocus