Sound Transit has published its draft 2021 Annual Report, and its Transit Development Plan for 2022 through 2027. The report details the substantial drop-off in ridership in both 2020 and 2021. While Link light-rail ridership is starting to pick up again, other ST services continued to drop off last year …
Continue readingMonth: July 2022
Bosa development agreement for Civic Square
With the news from developer Bosa this morning that it is delaying construction on its construction project in the apparently cursed “pit from hell” lot across the street from City Hall, here is the purchase and development agreement that Bosa signed with the City of Seattle in 2017 to buy …
Continue readingCity ordinances to respond to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade
The Seattle City Council has introduced a trio of bills to address the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. The first bill mandates that the Seattle Police Department and City Attorney’s Office shall not cooperate with another jurisdiction’s law enforcement agency investigating or prosecuting abortion-related …
Continue readingMayor proposes to end hazard pay for grocery workers
Mayor Harrell has sent the City Council a proposed ordinance that would end the mandated COVID-related “hazard pay” for grocery workers. Under the bill’s terms, the hazard pay mandate would end on the effective date of the ordinance, typically 30 days after the Mayor signs it into law. Employers would …
Continue readingCity proposed updates to “Safe Start” outdoor permit program for businesses
This week the City Council will hear an update from SDOT on what it intends to propose for a revised version of its “Safe Start” permit program allowing business to put dining, vending, merchandise, and other activities outside their storefront. This presentation summarizes the proposed changes. I hope you found …
Continue readingEthics and Elections Commission proposes reforms to democracy voucher program
The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, which oversees the Democracy Voucher program, is considering two rules changes for the program in an effort to curb what it considers a “corrosive” practice: paying outside companies to harvest democracy vouchers. The DV harvesters leverage the existence of a simple form that one …
Continue readingNomination of Jessyn Farrell as permanent Director of the Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Back in February, Mayor Harrell nominated Jessyn Farrell as Interim Director of the Officer of Sustainability and the Environment (OSE). Harrell has now nominated her for the permanent position. Farrell previously served as a state legislator for the 46th District. She has also held executive positions in local advocacy groups …
Continue readingOpen Primaries letter to Seattle City Council
Yesterday the Seattle City Council formally approved sending its own proposal for voting reform, ranked-choice voting, to the November ballot as an alternative to Initiative 134, approval voting. But earlier in the day, the Council received a letter from a voting-rights advocacy group, Open Primaries, laying out an argument as …
Continue readingSeattle Metropolitan Parks District “cycle 2” plan
Seattle’s voter-approved Metropolitan Parks District levies taxes to directly supplement the city’s parks system budget. Currently on the table is a proposal to roughly double the levy amount for “cycle 2,” the next six years. Next week the nine City Council members, who collectively comprise the Parks District board, will …
Continue readingCity Council memo on “approval” and “ranked choice” voting
The Seattle City Council has scheduled a special meeting for 2:00pm on July 14th to take possible action on Initiative 134. Its options do not include enacting it directly into law at this point, not preventing it from appearing on the November ballot, but it will consider whether it wishes …
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