Blog | Page 15

According to a 2024 report on housing production from Up For Growth, the metro area encompassing Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue is facing a shortage of 71,060 homes. That amounts to 4.2% of the region’s total housing stock. While the production of new homes is vital to closing the gap between supply and demand, so is the preservation of existing housing, especially affordable housing. A recent op-ed in the Seattle Times called on Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell to suspend the city’s winter eviction moratorium, a law that halts evictions for the nonpayment of rent from December through March every year. The article is authored by Sharon Lee, executive Director of the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), and Emily Thompson, a partner Read More ›

Epic Failure Neighbors and biz owners in Seattle’s Chinatown-ID say Mayor Harrell is ignoring their pleas for help as crime and open-air drug use surge in this predominantly Asian-American community. So they’re mobilizing for a potential class action lawsuit against the city. After I put the city on blast, the Mayor’s office is also ignoring my requests for comment on this unending disaster.

Disastrous Commute Due to crime and open air drug use, King County Metro abruptly shut down two critical bus stops near 12th Ave & Jackson in Seattle’s Little Saigon. Instead of enforcing the law and making arrests, it appears officials are just going for the temporary band-aid approach and inconveniencing Asian American seniors. BTW, the drug dealing and black market of stolen goods just moved down a block.

Drive By The current plan to address the mayhem and crime in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood appears to be regular hose downs of the streets. But it’s not a permanent solution. One neighbor sent me video showing the hoard of drug users who come back after sunset. Mayor Bruce Harrell, what’s the plan for the evening hours?

Breaking Multiple sources say Summit Sierra High School is trying to leave Seattle’s Chinatown-ID neighborhood due to high crime and open-air drug use. Enrollment has plummeted. I first reported on this last year. Nothing has changed.

Tipping Point Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is losing Chinatown-ID. Numerous business owners say Harrell has prioritized the downtown shopping core over this predominantly Asian American neighborhood. Despite warnings from community advocates, most of the open-air drug use, crime, and chaos from 3rd Ave & Pike St has been allowed to move into Little Saigon. Numerous CID biz owners are planning to leave the neighborhood by the end of the year or possibly file a class action lawsuit against the city.

Crime is down in Seattle? Try telling that to these SMALL biz owners who just went off on Mayor Bruce Harrell. Read the horror stories on this thread that are barely being reported by local media. How do entrepreneurs make a living in this city? A lot of these small biz owners are dealing with repeat offenders and drug addicts. Everyone is now acknowledging the downtown shopping core has fewer hoards of drug addicts and crime due to intentional enforcement of laws. But when will the rest of the city like Chinatown-ID get attention? Bottom line, you get what you vote for.

Sad State of Affairs Sad state of affairs in Seattle’s Little Saigon. Puzzi Salon owner Zazl Wu is trying to open his business next month at the corner of 12th Ave & Jackson St. But he’s constantly fending off drug addicts who disrespect the neighborhood. Wu says he’s planning to sue the city.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Redfin Real Estate, the majority of U.S. residents are in favor of caps on rent increases. When presented with the statement, “there should be caps on the amount landlords are allowed to increase rent,” 82% of respondents agreed. This significant majority holds regardless of political party or homeownership, though Democrats and renters were about 7% more likely to favor rent caps than Republicans or homeowners. What are “rent caps”? A more familiar term for the government regulation of rent increases is “rent control.” According to the National Apartment Association (NAA), only seven states, in addition to the District of Columbia, have enacted rent control policies locally or statewide. Interestingly, an online poll from Read More ›