Seattle City Council

Final Countdown August 1 primary is on Tuesday. There is still plenty of time to vote. So many tight races in Seattle, especially in District 7. Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis ,@LewisforSeattle) remains one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the city. I reached out to him for an interview on this election story but he never got back to me. Candidate Bob Kettle (@Kettle4Seattle) dissed me as well. Instead I spoke to Olga Sagan (@OlgaSaganWA) and Aaron Marshall(@MarshallFor7) about top priority issues on my beat like homelessness, public safety, and the fentanyl addiction crisis. More importantly, they walked with me through some of the most notorious crime hot spots and open air drug dens in the downtown core. Clearly, they Read More ›

Hot Topics Like so many neighborhoods in #Seattle, the conversations around public safety and homelessness usually dominate candidate forums. Chinatown-ID is no exception. This Asian American community in D2 continues to deal with a disproportionate amount of problems related to these issues. It’s evident what you will get under Councilmember Tammy Morales (@CMTammyMorales, @TammyMoralesSEA.) She’s pretty much doubling down on the same ideology and approach. Tanya Woo (@votetanyawoo) and Margaret Elisabeth (@MargaretForSCC) are the insurgent candidates. Here’s the Q&A on HOMELESSNESS in FULL. *Check out the rest of this thread for other topics. Public Safety Varying viewpoints and takes on this issue. What’s working and what’s not for this neighborhood? Police Accountability Current D2 Councilmember Tammy Morales pledged to defund Read More ›

Heading into last week’s Seattle City Council meeting, everyone in attendance knew the vote on proposed drug legislation would be close. As a result, the council chamber was packed with people waiting to give public comment. In the room and online, public comment was overwhelmingly against the proposed drug bill. The legislation would give city Attorney Ann Davison authority to prosecute for illegal possession and drug use in public spaces. Critics of the ordinance said it would create a new “war on drugs” and disproportionately impact minority communities. Councilmembers Sara Nelson and Alex Pedersen sponsored the bill and brought Deborah Juarez and Dan Strauss onto their side. As expected, the far-left socialist progressive wing of the council voted no on Read More ›

Confronting Harm Reduction Tuesday afternoon, Seattle Councilmember Sara Nelson (@CMSaraNelson ) picked apart “harm reduction” experts during a Public Safety and Human Services Committee meeting. She asked for data and metrics showing the effectiveness of this model in addressing the out of control drug addiction crisis and record fentanyl overdose deaths in King County. The panel made up of activists and academics couldn’t give her a straight answer. Councilmember Lisa Herbold (@Lisa_Herbold) came to their rescue as Nelson’s direct questions brought up a lot of inconvenient truths. But the most stunning response came from Amber Tejada, with the Hepatitis Education Project: “I know it can be a little controversial, but one of the key tenets of harm reduction that I Read More ›

Breaking We knew it would eventually happen! @CMDanStrauss says Ballard Commons Park is re-opening weekend of March 11-12. But it is still unclear what the game plan is to prevent homeless people from setting up again on this #Seattle Parks property. @MayorofSeattle Not so Memorable Moments If you recall, the park’s been closed since December 2021 after the city allowed a massive homeless encampment to take over for months. It was blamed for deaths, fires, shootings, uptick in thefts, and even Hep-A outbreak. #Seattle Fall Through Winter 2021 Numerous fires raged out of control in Ballard Commons Park. Some were accidental, others were intentionally set. Too many to count. #Seattle Fire City During Fall 2021, it seemed like I was Read More ›

Chinatown Fights Back Thursday evening, organizers say more than 1000 people attended PROTEST against @kcexec‘s HOMELESS MEGAPLEX in nearby SODO. #CID residents say elected officials DID NOT consult THEM and STILL trying to RAM this through w/out any public input. Put on Blast #Seattle agencies+public officials who supported or looked the other way on this HOMELESS MEGAPLEX. @kcexec@CMTammyMorales@JoeMcDermottWA@cmkshama@MayorofSeattle@Leo_J_Flor@marcformarc@KC_RHA@SeattleCouncil@KCCouncil Cantonese translation included. Seizing Moment Reps @KCGOP@bethsd showed up to support #Chinatown-ID residents. They say Asian American community is FASTEST growing minority voting bloc in USA and WA. I DID NOT see any Democratic party reps. If HOMELESS MEGAPLEX comes in, watch how many go #GOP#Republican. Problematic for Dems Political strategists know Asian American voting bloc is up for grabs. In the Read More ›

They Need Help Thursday evening, I encountered a 2-month old baby with parents living in Seattle’s Fremont Canal Park encampment. I know there are multiple sides to story. PLEASE send outreach workers. Guidance From King County Regional Homeless Authority “Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness for women with children. One thing she could do right now is call the King County Emergency Family Shelter intake line: 206-245-1026, which would connect her with shelter and services.” Seattle Councilmember Trying to Help So far @CMSaraNelson only elected official to respond: “I reached out to Deputy Mayor Washington and others to get the woman in your video and her son some help.” -Sara Nelson, Position 9/Citywide