Monday, May 26

Affordable Housing Providers are Losing Money and Selling Their Buildings. But is Eliminating Eviction Protections the Answer?

As the city council prepares to consider legislation repealing some anti-eviction laws, affordable housing providers offer mixed opinions on whether making it easier to kick out tenants who aren’t paying rent will solve their larger problems, which include not just nonpayment but rising operations costs, empty units, and the need to keep building in order to make their budgets pencil out.

Judge Upholds Burien’s Total Ban on “Camping,” With Appeal Likely

A King County Superior Court judge upheld a Burien law that makes it illegal to fall asleep outdoors, concluding that because it applies to everyone, not just homeless people, it only criminalizes behavior, not the status of being homeless. The plaintiffs, who include three people who were unsheltered in Burien, are likely to appeal.

Seattle Nice: Council Rolls Back Ethics Rules, Tent City’s Temporary Reprieve, and the Debate Over Mandatory Earplug Sales

On this week’s episode of Saettle Nice, we discussed the council’s plans to lower ethical standards for themselves, the city’s decision to allow a long-planned relocation of Tent City to move forward on a temporary basis after Cathy Moore raised objections to the plan, and Dan Strauss’ proposal to require “loud music venues” to sell earplugs, legislation PubliCola covered back in March.

Wednesday, May 28

Pro-LGBTQ Protesters Stuck Outside Barricades As Far-Right “Rattle In Seattle” Took Over City Hall

Far-right Christian activists held a noisy, amplified rock concert/rally at City Hall on Tuesday, antagonizing trans protesters and their allies across a protective barricade maintained by police armed with pepper spray and batons. Although the organizers lacked a permit for their equipment, which included massive speaker stacks and a diesel generator, the city allowed the show to continue long past its supposed end time and provided protection for the anti-trans group and shut down downtown streets for more than seven hours.

Thursday, May 29

New Stalking Allegations Against King County Assessor, County Executive Candidate Wilson

PubliCola exclusively reported that King County Assessor John Arthur Wilson’s former partner obtained a second restraining order against him for stalking and harassment earlier this month, just as Wilson was officially filing to run for King County executive. Contacted by PubliCola, Wilson said there was no restraining order and that he and the woman were still in a relationship, which she said was untrue; the restraining order includes disturbing text exchanges including one in which Wilson told the woman he would “never” leave her alone.

Friday, May 30

Amid Waning Council Support, Cathy Moore Withdraws Bill to Lower Ethics Standards

After weeks of overwhelming public opposition to her proposal to change the city’s ethics code so that council members could vote on legislation even when they have a direct financial conflict of interest, Councilmember Cathy Moore withdrew her bill. PubliCola spoke to councilmembers who expressed serious concerns about the legislation and our reporting indicated that Moore did not have more than 5-4 support for the proposal, at best—not enough to overturn a veto from Mayor Bruce Harrell, who said he opposed the legislation.

Growing Chorus Calls for County Assessor Wilson to Resign After New Stalking, Harassment Allegations

In response to PubliCola’s story about Wilson, local leaders called on the county assessor to resign his position and drop out of the race for county executive. The growing list includes Harrell, four King County Councilmembers (including Wilson’s two electoral opponents), King County Executive Shannon Braddock, and the King County Democrats.

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