Author: Joseph Peha (Joseph Peha)

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UP #372 – A Progressive Democrat Joins the Right-Wing ALEC Organization

It’s true. I plopped down my $50 and became a member of ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council), dedicated to the three principles of limited government, free markets and federalism. This is the basis of a right-wing movement in America to repeal existing government legislation that promotes social justice and economic equity, and stop any […]

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UP # 369 –  Why The Call From Some For Rent Control?

Housing affordability in Seattle has become a crisis with the highest rent increases of any major U.S. city in 2012 and 2013.  Seattle is now among the nation’s ten most expensive cities.  More than 45% of Seattle rental households are now considered rent-burdened. A 2015 Washington State Housing Needs Assessment found there are only 34 […]

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Standing Up with Teachers

Today my grandson Noah and I had the honor of joining teachers and supporters from across the City and around the state calling on legislators to live up to their paramount duty and fully fund public education. Too many children have been denied their constitutional rights to education.  The 52,000 students in the Seattle Public […]

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So Much to Do and So Little Time to Do It

There is so much to do, and so little time to do it. I want to find solutions to reduce the need to warehouse the homeless in shelters and truly make homelessness rare, brief and one time with my fellow committee members, with our regional partners, with the Human Services Department and our community based […]

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Signing Off

Seattle View – Signing Off Eight-ish years ago an outstanding advocate for the power of good government (I’m looking at you, Gerry Johnson) said he suspected my role at Seattle City Council would be as the Australian Shepherd, nipping at the heels of other councilmembers to turn the work in particular directions. I like to […]

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UP #365: MINIMUM WAGE IN EFFECT APRIL 1 – NO FOOLIN’

WHAT’S NEW? On Wednesday, April 1, 2015, the City of Seattle’s historic new minimum wage law goes into effect.   All employers will have to pay their employees a minimum of $11 an hour, but those employers with 500 or fewer employees can count tips and medical benefit payments to help them reach the $11 minimum […]

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Anti-Union Policies on the Rise

Yesterday morning, I joined State Labor Council President Jeff Johnson, UNITE HERE Local 8 Union President Erik Van Rossum, and workers at a rally of Space Needle employees seeking long sought-after pay raises. The previous evening I sent this letter to Space Needle President Ron Sevart, urging him not to appeal the recent National Labor […]

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UP #362: We can do something about Global Warming

As the chair of the Council’s Budget Committee I also chair the Seattle City Employees’ Retirement System (SCERS) Board.  At the request of the 350Seattle.org which is fighting global climate change, SCERS asked our investment consultant NEPC (of Boston) to give its recommendation on how the city might divest from fossil fuel stocks, commonly referred […]