Category: News Releases

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is facing significant challenges.  In the last few months, police officers have been murdered in Seattle and other nearby cities.  There have been several recent actions by SPD officers that have raised questions about the City’s accountability system, including abusive activities towards suspects and the death of John Williams, a [...]

  While 2010-2011 was a cold winter, the City did not have as significant a negative experience with snow removal as Seattle experienced in 2008-2009, when City resources were challenged by almost three weeks of snowfall and cold temperatures.  Now that spring is finally appearing, it would be easy to let the issue lie dormant [...]

On Monday, March 28, the City Council unanimously approved placing renewal of the Families and Education Levy on the November ballot.  After extensive review and discussion of the recommendations of the citizen committee that developed the new levy proposal, the Council agreed to propose a levy at the level recommended by the advisory group. The [...]

Growing up my mom would take my sister and me to see Dr. Whittemore for regular check-ups.  The office he started is still there on N.W. Lovejoy Street in Portland. He could hear the pneumonia in my chest over the phone in the night when I was five. I was a lucky kid. Looking back [...]

On Monday, March 28, the Council adopted Resolution 31283, postponing a decision on a North Highline annexation vote until early 2012.  I had recommended sponsoring a vote in the neighborhood in 2011, as has been requested by a number of people in North Highline, but the majority of the Council believed that there are too [...]

Dan in my office emailed me this: “A nameless man left a voicemail for you at 2:34 a.m., asking you to please grant a permit for Hempfest.  If you were able to do this, you’d be a ‘world hero,’ Sally.” On the one hand, he’s connecting with his elected representative on an issue important to [...]

This month GM Nameplate, Seattle’s largest manufacturing employer, announced that it will keep its headquarters and primary manufacturing location along 15th Avenue West between Queen Anne and Magnolia.  This is good news for Seattle, as it keeps 500 jobs in the City. Despite its name, GM Nameplate is not affiliated with the General Motors Corporation.  [...]

Events in Wisconsin and other states threaten the rights of hard-working public employees.  On Monday, March 7 the Seattle City Council unanimously approved Resolution 31271 supporting the right of public employees to collective bargaining (essentially, the right to join and be represented by labor unions)*.  The resolution also declared March 8 as “Public Employee Appreciation [...]

As we move into the fourth year of implementation of Seattle’s Local Food Action Initiative (Resolution 31019), I plan to work on the following actions in 2011: Develop additional opportunities for expanding economic activity, marketing, and jobs in the local food economy including exploring how best to support Puget Sound Fresh. Increase connections between the [...]