This week the Seattle City Council is hearing an update on how the city has spent the hundreds of millions of dollars of federal COVID relief funding granted to it through the American Rescue Plan Act.
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State Supreme Court ruling on Seattle “hazard pay” for delivery workers
This morning the Washington State Supreme Court issued a messy 67-page ruling on whether a lawsuit challenging the City of Seattle’s COVID-era ordinance mandating additional hazard pay for food-delivery workers can go forward. The lower court had allowed some of the claims to move forward, while dismissing others. The Supreme …
Continue readingSafe Streets sidewalk permit strategy
During the COVID pandemic, the City of Seattle introduced a new, temporary “Safe Streets” permit that allows businesses to take over sidewalk space, and in some instances parking spots, to allow for more outdoor activity. The city is now strategizing on how to make the program permanent, with some modifications. …
Continue readingCity of Seattle ARPA spending quarterly update
The City of Seattle’s budget office has submitted a new quarterly report on how federal ARPA funds have been spent to-date. 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 readingMayor’s Office launches “transparency portal” for city’s federal COVID relief funds spending
When is a “dashboard” not a “dashboard”? Apparently when it’s a “transparency portal.” Mayor Harrell has launched such a thing to elucidate how the city is spending nearly $300 million of COVID relief funding from the federal government. The spending is broken up into five broad categories: housing and homelessness; …
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 readingReport on White House mismanagement of coronavirus pandemic
Lost in last week’s January 6th hearings and the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade was a report published by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic that details the role of Dr. Scott Atlas in rewriting the federal government’s coronavirus strategy — arguably spreading the virus more broadly …
Continue readingCDC mask mandate appeal
In April, a U.S. District Court judge in Florida struck down the Center for Disease Control’s mask mandate. Earlier this week, the U.S. government filed a brief with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to try to overturn the lower court’s ruling. I hope you found this article valuable. If …
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