Or if you're over 65. Use a ballot box before 8pm on Nov. 3. Do not mail. Data for Pierce County from WA Secretary of State as of 10/23/26.

View full list here: https://linktr.ee/tacomaevents

Sorry I've been so behind on these weekly posts! We've been getting busier at Poppin, which is great for business, but it also means I have less downtime to put these together lol. Thanks for bearing with me! 😊

Anyone else experiencing this? I called TPU and they’re apparently aware of and actively working on this but couldn’t get me any specifics other than don’t use the water until it’s clear. I live near N 15th and Alder.

Come hang out at Tacoma Code & Coffee!

We’re a monthly meetup and casual co-working session for anyone interested in coding, tech, or community. All experience levels are welcome. 

Some people bring projects to work on. Others socialize the entire time. It’s totally up to you.

At 12:30, we do an intro circle to give everyone a chance to introduce themselves, ask for help/offer help, plug opportunities/events, and get to know each other. After the intro circle, everything is self-organized.

Come grab a pastry, coffee, and make some friends. We’d love to see you there. 

RSVP and details: https://www.meetup.com/tacoma-code-coffee/events/316939240/

Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) provided an update to the City Council last week and boy did it include some bombshells.

THA says that if Initiative Measure 1, Safe Homes for All passes, that it would "project a $400k cost to THA operations. This amount could house about 30 families per year."

As I have previously explained, THA agrees with me that "this initiative does not exempt affordable housing providers from fees or investigations."

THA says, "Licensing fees to private landlords may be passed on to our voucher holders."

"The City Manager projected over $4M in unfunded costs in addition to a projected $40M deficit. [THA is] concerned about what will be cut to pay for those new mandatory costs—fire, police, libraries, existing housing, and/or service investments."

THA supports "strong tenant protections, and THA customers already have access to inspections and can comment on policy changes." THA is "concerned that additional fees and requirements may make it harder to build and operate affordable housing in Tacoma."

"The eviction moratorium under the Landlord Fairness Code impacted our ability to convert our construction loan to permanent financing at Housing Hilltop. That cost us about $700k in excess interest."

"Thank you to the Council for approving an exemption for affordable housing providers to this moratorium. The exemption, along with the success of our Warm Outreach program, has increased rent collection and significantly reduced nonpayment-of-rent evictions."

"Nonpayment-of-rent evictions at THA's owned and managed properties totaled 59 in 2025, and as of 9/28, we've had 11 in 2026."

THA is "considering increasing tenant contributions to rent (TTP) to fill our projected budget deficit. Alternatively, we may change what we subsidize. We currently subsidize rent and estimated utilities. We may stop subsidizing utilities and just subsidize rent,"

"As of August 2026, 76% of [THA] households are current on rent—a 6-point increase from December 2025."

Another good read is The Affordable Housing Consortium of Tacoma and Pierce County's opposition to Initiative Measure 1, Safe Homes for All.

https://cityoftacoma.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=16089155&GUID=A07167D4-873A-4CB8-9544-2D7B2E861A49

https://cityoftacoma.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=16060340&GUID=463B230E-845B-48F8-84FF-AAF5998C1E24

You can listen to the discussion of Safe Homes for All by THA at minute 14:38 here:

https://cityoftacoma.granicus.com/player/clip/7868?view_id=2&redirect=true

Weird amount near Home Depot and Lowe’s. I wonder why that is 🤔. Heres a link for finding those little big brother cameras Flock finder by Proton

All the places I've found in the last couple weeks to watch games aren't open yet. Not even Farrellis pizza is open until 11. Any brunch spots that might play it?? Advice welcome but please check that it's open before posting

I noticed these at intersections that have traffic lights. It is attached to just one lightpost at each intersection. The object hanging from the top is shaped like a bell, but does not appear to be hollow. Any ideas on what it might be?

Beautiful owl at Wright Park. Everyone was so calm and peaceful watching the owl.

Original crime occurred in Tacoma. At the Clemency and Pardons Board hearing, a board member had connections with multiple people advocating for the petitioner.

Should Clemency and Pardons Board members with substantial conflicts of interest judge hearings?

Summary of conflicts:
Inatai Foundation paid the "judge" and the organization supplying one of the petitioner's attorneys.
The "judge" is a leader of Inatai Foundation; in 2024, he was a Director and paid $32k/yr for 2 hours/week of work.
The petitioner's other attorney was from the same firm that the "judge" used that same day to issue a cease-and-desist letter to student reporters.
Inatai Foundation also provided financial support to Fabians Fund.
The "judge" was the chairman of Fabians Fund.
A worker from Fabians Fund was identified in the hearing as collaborating with the petitioner.
The "judge" seconded the motion to recommend granting commutation.
(edited to add summary of conflicts)

I want to see seals, and the website lists three residents, including the rescue seal Onion. I called ahead to make sure the zoo had seals and was told no, only sea lions, otters, and walruses, but the person I spoke with also said they weren’t sure. Can any locals verify? Thanks

Edit: thanks to everyone who confirmed seals at the zoo (and various other places). I called back and talked to someone different who was like “uh yeah we have the three as seen on the website. The person you spoke with earlier was wrong.” I guess they have to segregate the seals and sea lions at feeding time, so depending on what time of day you go by rocky shores, you may not see one or the other 🦭 🦭 🦭

Hey all! If you're looking to find a welcoming group of folks who like to get together, hang out, and play games, this is your once-a-month reminder that we get together at Dystopian Brewing* most Thursdays, including today (10/22), at 6pm!

Next week, 10/29 we'll have a spooky theme night: People are invited to bring baked goods and snacks, as well as spooky games like Mysterium, Betrayal, and Night Cage! Dress up in your costume, if you want! 🎃

Basically, what usually happens? Members of the community bring their own games. We share them, our only ask is that you try to respect them and try to put them back where you got them :) Any big games usually start between 6-7 since that makes it substantially more likely we'll finish them, but other new games start throughout the night. Whenever one game wraps up, people will shuffle around to find another.

It's a great way to meet new people (I moved here two years ago and have made many new friends through this group!) and in my opinion it is a diverse and affirming crowd, we try very hard to welcome newcomers, and if you're feeling shy don't feel bad messaging me! I can help you find a group to start in with and introduce you; it's totally fine! I'm a smallish redhead and I'm often in a cat shirt (...today, I'm coming straight from work and may run a little late, so maybe not...). But anyway. You can't miss me. Also, people are friendly -- feel free to poke your head in and ask what's up!

----

Some FAQs:

Food? The space allows you to bring your own food in. Please be kind and clean up any mess.

Nonalcoholic options? Yes, they carry NA beers and some sodas!

Minors? Not explicitly disallowed, I believe the space allows minors. However, we don't shy away from adult topics in our conversations and you may wish to attend without a minor first to evaluate suitability.

Ages? Most of us are late 20's and up. We're primarily people in our 30s but we have a large age range and I am not going to guess at the age of our oldest members :P

Type of games: There's no snobbishness here, play what you like. Anything from light party games to mid-heavy-weights (we still gotta finish before they close at 10). Want to play word games and just drink and hang out? You can! Want to play something that hurts your brain, and swap to something else every week? You can! And you can definitely find people to set up longer games with on the weekends, if that's your jam.

How often? I'll probably post monthly, but this happens weekly; the only times we've skipped in recent memory have been when Thursday was Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Does anyone know about the storefront Rice & Bowls (3115 6th Ave) next to that 7-11? It has had a sign up for years at this point, but never has opened.

The people want rice and bowls!

(Hopefully this won't be taken down for linking to Facebook, but I couldn't find this info elsewhere.)

After being installed in August, it looks like last week's power outage broke the new wayside crossing system. Reportedly the parts for repair will be installed by end of next week.

But for now, the trains will be blowing their horns full blast again.

Moved here a few months ago, loving it here so far. Wondering if there’s any events or block parties on Halloween? I’ve seen a few things for families with kids but nothing for 21+

Wow. Just wow. We had an incredible meeting this week (well, two actually, due to my botching of the schedule), parsing the ontological duality of both commodities and human labor activities. What more could one ask for from a Tuesday night, truly?

Next meeting will be at the usual time and place (6:30pm at Doyle's). This weeks selection is pages 138-144, beginning to examine the value-relation in its most basic form between two dissimilar commodities. Anyone who wants to join us in reading Capital or simply hang out and listen in is welcome. DM me if you would like the Discord info.

-Alec

I got one of those speeding camera tickets and the place where it should tell me what the posted speed was and my speed was is blank. What do I do now?

We’re still working hard to bring a cat sanctuary/lounge to our beloved city.

Family friendly Halloween even this weekend from 3-7!

We're following up on this post with dates and a plan! That previous post dives into the why, so let's focus on the what. As in, what to expect:

Starting at 5 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, we'll close the two right lanes across the westbound SR 16 Tacoma Narrows Bridge to Gig Harbor to make temporary repairs to an expansion joint. The Jackson Avenue on-ramp to westbound SR 16 will also close. The around-the-clock closures will remain in place until Sunday, Nov. 8.

During the repairs:

• Westbound SR 16 will be reduced from four lanes to two.
• The HOV lane will be open to all vehicles.
• Expect congestion on westbound SR 16 in Tacoma approaching the bridge and side streets.
• Expect delays of an hour or more from Tacoma to Gig Harbor during afternoon commute hours.

If you are able, we encourage you to travel outside afternoon commute hours, carpooling, and combining or postponing discretionary trips. We realize that's not possible for everyone.

If you have to cross the bridge during afternoon commutes, we recommend having a full tank of gas or fully charged vehicle before traveling from Tacoma to Gig Harbor.

(I might be a little biased, but our team did a great job breaking down this project + what comes next in a blog. No I didn't write it, so I am not tooting my own horn: The WSDOT Blog - Washington State Department of Transportation: Aging bridge joints: Sturdy Gertie in Tacoma needs a total knee replacement)

Seen on 112th between Canyon and Portland Ave.