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Massive Turnout Massive turnout for King County Metro bus driver Shawn Yim who was stabbed to death by a knife wielding homeless maniac in Seattle. Friends remembered the Korean American this evening as a great family man, colleague, and fantasy football player. Yim was known to close friends as the “Yimmer.” Suspect Arrested Cops arrested 53-year-old Richard Sitzlack for Yim’s murder.

With Christmas coming, I’m taking a timeout from my usual columnizing to send greetings to Tony, a homeless man in Colorado. He is 67 years old and may be sleeping in a North Face sleeping bag within an abandoned 144-square-foot wooden structure adjacent to a cemetery. (His summer bed has been a picnic bench about a third of a mile from a Safeway/Starbucks.) Tony was born in Japan to a military dad. His family subsequently moved to Florida and then Arvada, a northwest suburb of Denver with a population that’s soared from 50,000 in 1970 to 124,000 now. When Tony was 16, he had some issues with his parents “just because I’m me,” and they sent him to a foster Read More ›

Exclusive Animal abuse, sex trafficking, and open-air drug use are overwhelming a Seattle apartment complex for the homeless. After months of mounting complaints, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority is being blamed for creating this chaotic situation. Homeless Resident Punched Dog This is the same Capitol Hill apartment complex that made news last month after a homeless resident was caught on camera punching a dog. Residents Moved from Burien Encampment Back in October, I first told you about this problematic drug encampment being moved from Burien into this Seattle apartment complex. Seattle councilmember Joy Hollingsworth says KCRHA failed to notify the community. Housing First is Failing Discovery Institute’s data shows “Housing First” is failing. But politicians deeply aligned with the Read More ›

New It’s that time of year again where we look at the performance and salaries at the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. With the street crisis worse than ever in the Seattle area, is any of this compensation justified? Hey @elonmusk, take a look. Join Us If you believe our journalism and research made a difference this year, please consider a donation and join our team. Donate | Fix Homelessness Last Year’s KCRHA Salary Report Here is our KCRHA salary report from last year. Caitlyn McKenney’s Report on KCRHA’s “Partnership for Zero” My colleague @CaitlynMcKenney also authored this report on KCRHA’s failed “Partnership for Zero” initiative that aimed to dramatically reduce street homelessness. Instead, the agency blew through $10M. Report: Read More ›

Where Is All the Money Going? King County homelessness authority CEO’s salary is $290,000 — that’s more than the Seattle median income and average tech salary COMBINED. Taxpayer funded. Meanwhile, Seattle’s homelessness crisis is third worst in the nation. Let’s take a look. KCRHA Employee Salaries The King County Regional Homelessness Authority has been embroiled in controversy since its start in 2022. Former CEO Marc Dones made $247,200. Hired this year, new CEO Kelly Kinnison is being paid $290,000. Kinnison is not the only one making $200k+. More Salaries King County Regional Homelessness Authority Salaries: CEO Kelly Kinnison – $290,000 CPO Irene Agustin – $205,000 CFO James Rouse – $285,000 Prior to the leadership change:Interim CEO Darell Powell – $285,000 Read More ›

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?