West Seattle Bridge: May 8 update Emergency Response Plan On Monday, May 4th SDOT announced an emergency response plan developed with a multi-agency task force in the event that the West Seattle Bridge becomes unstable. The plan would entail evacuation of areas near the bridge in the event it becomes necessary. SDOT says “there are […]

Limited by Gov’s Proclamation and citing OPMA ‘concerns,’ Select Budget Committee Meetings for May cancelled during coronavirus emergency Council President M. Lorena González issued the following statement with regard to Governor Jay Inslee’s Proclamation 20-28 and the City Council’s consideration of Council Bills 119772, 119773 and 119774, regarding a tax on corporate payroll: “In recent […]

Today the City Council approved Council Bill 119784, introduced by Council Lorena Gonzalez to provide residential renters facing financial hardship with an additional defense against eviction for 6 months after the Mayor’s eviction moratorium ends. The Mayor extended her moratorium — which is a stronger outright prohibition on evictions — to June 4, to align […]

Legislation adds eviction defense for tenants in court proceedings Council President M. Lorena González (Position 9, Citywide) and her Council colleagues unanimously passed legislation that will create an additional defense for renters in eviction proceedings for six months following the end of the City’s moratorium on evictions and the immediate COVID-19 crisis.  Currently, the City […]

West Seattle Bridge: May 1 Update Contractor Hired for Bridge Stabilization SDOT announced they have hired a contractor, Kraemer North America, to carry out stabilization work needed for the West Seattle Bridge. Cracks have continued to grow on the bridge, albeit at a slower rate than when traffic was on the bridge. For this reason, […]

City Hall and Coronavirus Updates Friends and Neighbors, It’s been a busy two weeks since our last update. In addition to plenty of activity at City Hall and in District 4, Governor Inslee announced today he is extending Washington’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order to May 31st and outlined a four-phase plan for reopening the economy.  For more information, […]

April 22, 2020 presentation by City Budget Office (CBO) regarding budget deficit : CLICK HERE. The CBO currently estimates an ongoing budget deficit of approximately $300 million (out of our $1.7 billion General Fund and related accounts). The city government’s emergency funds are only $125 million. Cost savings such as rolling back pay raises for […]

Yesterday, in response to Ben Lomond Tenants’ Collective’s serious proposal for how to protect neighbors financially impacted by Covid19, the Co-President of Cornell & Associates, Bart Flora, said to the Seattle Times, “I don’t see why they think we’re different than anyone else. We don’t have some magic pot of money.”  What  a shockingly insulting […]

Council President M. Lorena González issued the following statement after Council passage of the Mayor’s Emergency Order (Resolution 31945), which places a 15 percent cap on app-based delivery and pick-up commission fees charged to restaurants. In an effort to aid restaurants, which are already struggling due to the COVID-19 economic crisis, the executive order aims […]

‘Work of gov’t goes on, thanks to efforts of impressive group of task force members’, says Lewis Councilmember Andrew J. Lewis (District 7 – Pioneer Square to Magnolia) was appointed chair of the newly-formed nine-member working group tasked with producing a set of recommendations for enhancing the role of the Auditor’s office.  Joining him on […]