The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ended the year by issuing a ruling in the lawsuit by the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe filed against Seattle City Light and the City of Seattle. The Tribe had argued that the Gorge Dam violated federal law, the federal act establishing the Washington Territory, and subsequently …
Continue readingMonth: December 2022
Seattle apartment rents and vacancies
For several years Apartmentlist.com has tracked rent prices in dozens of cities, counties and states across the U.S. They are one of the more credible sources of rental data because of their methodology, which goes beyond just listing prices for available apartments (a small subset of all apartments, but the …
Continue readingKing County auditor report: county agencies stiffing their employees for benefit payments
A new report from the King County Auditor finds that county agencies repeatedly did not make payments in lieu of benefits that were owed to employees. From the executive summary: King County agencies owe payments in lieu of benefits to temporary employees who meet certain criteria, but agencies did not …
Continue readingNew legal challenge to MHA program
Today a Seattle homeowner filed a lawsuit in U.S. District court challenging the constitutionality of Seattle’s MHA program. She alleges that the MHA program requirements are an impact fee that are not proportional to the impact her proposed project would have. I hope you found this article valuable. If you …
Continue readingShip Canal Water Quality Project update — it’s all bad news.
For several years now, King County and the City of Seattle have been jointly working on a project to supplement the “combined water outflow” sewer and storm drain system that during large rainstorms can dump raw sewage into the Ship Canal. The project is required under a consent decree that …
Continue readingSPD Chief Adrian Diaz Appointment Packet
Mayor Harrell has nominated Interim SPD Chief Adrian Diaz as permanent Chief of Police, contingent upon confirmation by the Seattle City Council. Here is the appointment packet that the Mayor’s Office submitted for Diaz. And here is Diaz’s answers to questions submitted by Councilmembers. The Council will hold a hearing …
Continue readingState economic and revenue forecast update
The state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council has released its quarterly forecast update. Here’s the executive summary: I hope you found this article valuable. If you did, please take a moment to make a contribution to support my ongoing work. Thanks!
Continue readingCity of Seattle/KCRHA quarterly report on homeless response
The City of Seattle’s Human Services Department has submitted to the City Council its latest quarterly report on the joint activities of the city and the King County Regional Homeless Authority in responding to unsheltered homelessness in Seattle. The report details the number of referrals to shelter made by members …
Continue readingWashington State Fines and Fees
The National Center for Access to Justice at Fordham Law School has published a “fines and fees justice index” for each of the fifty states assessing the fairness and appropriateness of the fines and fees imposed by the criminal justice system. In the past I’ve written about the disparate impact …
Continue readingSeattle 2024 Comprehensive Plan EIS Scoping Report
Last month the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development released its “scoping report” for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) it must prepare in advance of the city’s 2024 update to its Comprehensive Plan. The scoping report lists the potential significant changes in the Plan (from the current version) that …
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