In the wake of the passage of I-502, the City Council is considering setting limits on where marijuana-related activity can take place in Seattle. Legislation to set zoning limits was discussed on June 24 at the Full Council, and eventually held under July 22. Four committee meetings were held to review the legislation, beginning on [...]
Month: June 2013
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Guess what landed on my porch last night?
After working for three years to reduce the distribution of unwanted yellow pages phone books in Seattle, guess what was left on my porch yesterday? A re-usable bag with two phone books in it. Whoops! In April, the City signed a Statement of Shared Principles with the yellow pages industry, signaling their good-faith effort to […]
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More encampments? Really?
Yesterday in the Housing, Human Services, Heath and Culture Committee, Councilmembers Nick Licata, Mike O’Brien, and I voted to pass Council Bill 117791 out of committee. This bill clarifies who can operate these sites. The City will be out of the business of operating encampments, allowing non-profits or a private party experienced with running shelters […]
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Seattle City Council Introduction and Referral Calendar, July 1, 2013
Seattle City Council Introduction and Referral Calendar July 1, 2013 BY CONLIN 1. C.B. 117817 AN ORDINANCE related to the regulation of watercraft noise on Seattle waterways; amending by adding a section to 25.08.485 of the Seattle Municipal Code to authorize the Seattle Police Department to regulate noise from audio systems. Committee referral: [...]
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U.S. Senate Passes Immigration Bill
Our country’s current immigration system is deeply broken. The U.S. Senate took a step today to make it better, passing a historic immigration reform bill by a vote of 68-32. (You can read the New York Times’ summary of the...
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MARRIAGE EQUALITY ENDORSED BY NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
The Supreme Court was the big story on Wednesday, striking down DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act. However, on the same morning the Board of the National League of Cities (NLC) took a major stride towards equality by approving “A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING THE FREEDOM TO MARRY AND FEDERAL NON-DISCRIMINATION FOR GAY AND LESBIAN COUPLES”, after […]
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Council President Clark’s statement on Supreme Court ruling to strike down DOMA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/26/2013
Council President Sally J. Clark
Council President Clark's statement on Supreme Court ruling to strike down DOMA
SEATTLE - City Council President Sally J. Clark issued the following statement on today's Supreme Court decision:
"I'm elated that the highest court in the land has recognized that the relationships of lesbian and gay people are equal under the law. It's been a long, hard fight, and we've prevailed.
This is a great day and comes just before Seattle's Pride weekend, an opportunity to celebrate and honor the many, many people who have worked decades to see this day."
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PUBLIC FINANCING OF CAMPAIGNS PROPOSAL GOES TO BALLOT
On Monday, June 24, the City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance sending a proposal for public financing of campaigns to the November ballot. If adopted by the voters, the proposal would authorize the Council to authorize a small property tax increment (about $4 per household) in order to provide the opportunity for candidates to secure [...]
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A People’s Theatre Joint!
Check out "Nights at the Neptune: A People’s Theatre Joint," featuring 8 art projects running through September 17.
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Seattle City Council Votes on Bill to Restore Publicly Financed Elections in Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/24/2013
Council President Sally J. Clark
Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
Councilmember Tim Burgess
Councilmember Richard Conlin
Councilmember Jean Godden
Councilmember Bruce Harrell
Councilmember Nick Licata
Councilmember Mike O'Brien
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
Seattle City Council Votes on Bill to Restore
Publicly Financed Elections in Seattle
Proposal to be sent to voters in November
Seattle - City Council voted on legislation today to restore public financing for local elections. Seattle was the first municipality in the country to introduce public financing, also called "voter-owned elections," in 1979, but has not had an operating program since 1992. The proposal will now be sent to Seattle voters on the November ballot.
Public financing is a system in which qualifying campaigns are funded in part with public dollars in order to increase the number of candidates running for office and increase the role of small donors in the electoral process. The Council's public financing proposal would only apply to City Council races and would be instituted in the 2015 elections.
"I'm looking forward to the robust debate about the role of money in politics in the months ahead," said Councilmember Mike O'Brien.
To opt into the program, candidates must first qualify by collecting contributions of $10 or more from at least 600 Seattle residents. Once qualified, donations up to $50 would be matched six-to-one on the first $35,000 raised. Candidates who fully utilize the matching system would receive $210,000 in public funds throughout the entire campaign, split between the primary and general elections. Voters would be asked to approve a 6-year, $9 million property tax levy to finance the program, which would cost an estimated $2 million per year, or about $5.76 for a home valued at $350,000. Candidates would have the option to run for office without participating in the public financing program.
In December 2012, Councilmembers Sally J. Clark, Nick Licata, Mike O'Brien and Tom Rasmussen sent a letter to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) asking the body to recommend a public financing model that meets three goals: (1) increases electoral competitiveness, (2) reduces financial barriers to entry for candidates and (3) increases the role and emphasis of small donors in the electoral process. In March, the SEEC delivered its recommendations to Council for consideration, over which the City Council's Public Campaign Finance Committee has been deliberating since April.
Seattle had partial public financing of campaigns in 1979 and 1981, and from 1987-1991. In 1992, state Initiative 134 passed, prohibiting public financing. In 2008 the State legislature adopted legislation allowing local jurisdictions to establish programs to publicly finance campaigns, if approved by a public vote, and the funding is derived from local sources only.