Like I said earlier this week, I’ve been on assignment for the magazine the last few days, so, it’s been a little tricky to snoop around for Fizz.

One thing I did want to highlight from this week is that socialist city council member Kshama Sawant and mayor Ed Murray—traditional rivals at city hall—teamed up on a legislative proposal. The proposal, which would prohibit landlords from raising rents on homes that violate existing code and allow Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections to punish landlords for retaliating against tenants that report problems or fail to give required notice about any rent increase—is substantive. But what struck me about the proposal was that it was the first time the high profile antagonists have teamed up. “This is an issue the mayor and council member agree must be addressed. This is the first ordinance they have introduced together,” Murray spokesman Jason Kelly confirmed.

What. Does. It. Mean?

Maybe nothing. They’re both savvy politicians, and it never hurts to find opportunities to collaborate with your political foe. The proposal landed both Murray and Sawant on the state landlord's PAC shit list, which equals good politics in Seattle. The Rental Housing Association of Washington issued a statement condemning the proposal.

The City already, under current state and city laws, has clear and direct authority to abate problem properties without wading in to any discussion of back-door forms of rent-control.

The bigger story, though, is this: As council dynamics have shifted this year—with super active and super informed new council member Lisa Herbold commandeering the populist agenda and charismatic and brainy new council member Lorena Gonzalez commandeering the social justice agenda, usurping much of Sawant’s role, the city’s once-defining council member isn’t running the table anymore. (Mainly, it seems like Sawant has been all about Bernie this year.)

While aligning with Sawant could be an early sign of Murray slipping into reelection mode (he’s up next year) with a nod toward his left flank, it reads more to me as a sign that Sawant is struggling a little bit after a couple of years of being the go-to lefty on the council and is searching for some footing. (To be fair, the renter protection proposal was originally Sawant’s, but the marvel team up announced in a joint press release that connected the idea to Murray’s HALA agenda was unusual spin from Sawant.)

Having said that, Sawant demonstrated, yet again yesterday, that she’s got the coziest, most authentic populist chops.

Could you imagine any other local politician firing that off without coming across like a man bun?

Meanwhile, Crosscut’s David Kroman outlined the legislation and the Sawant/Murray dynamics earlier this week.

The council is taking up Murray's $290 million housing levy proposal today. Watch for Sawant to get right back to trashing the mayor by calling for a bigger levy by tapping the city's rainy day fund—something she's called for repeatedly and which Murray strongly opposes. It will certainly be interesting to watch how Gonzalez and Herbold play it.