Last year, my visionary architect friend Rex Hohlbein and his architect daughter Jenn LaFreniere left their jobs and created the Block Project. Thanks to their vision, Seattle homeowners are now saying, “YES in my backyard!” to solve homelessness. The BLOCK Project is more than your typical low income housing effort to move people out of […]
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August 7, 2017January 6, 2023Councilmember Bagshaw
Seattle Must Do More to Help Former Prisoners Get Housing
We all need a second chance at some point in our lives. Many of us have done something in our past we regret. That said, our mistakes should not define us, especially when we’ve paid the price for what we’ve done. Council Member Herbold has been championing in her Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development and […]
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May 11, 2017January 6, 2023Councilmember Bagshaw
Homelessness – Addressing the Immediate Crisis and the Path Forward
I frequently meet with neighborhoods to talk about what we are doing to end homelessness. This post — albeit lengthy — offers updates you can share with your neighbors. If you read this to the end and follow the hyperlinks, you may be surprised at how much is really happening and the scope of the efforts to […]
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April 14, 2017January 6, 2023Councilmember Herbold
NCIS Update from the City Auditor; Pothole Palooza; SPD Use of Force Report; Campbell Building Designated Historic Landmark; The LGBTQ Commission Needs YOU!; Save the Date
NCIS Update from the City Auditor I wrote a blog post about the New Customer Information System (NCIS) a little over a year ago. NCIS is a joint Seattle City Light (SCL) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) project to replace the Consolidated Customer Service System (CCSS) – the old SCL and SPU billing system. The old system supported billing […]
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March 24, 2017January 6, 2023Councilmember Herbold
Downtown/South Lake Union MHA; South Park Crime and Public Safety Survey; Harbor Ave SW and SW Spokane Street intersection improvements; Chief Sealth High School Walkway Improvements
Downtown and South Lake Union MHA On Tuesday, 3/21/2017, the Planning, Land Use and Zoning Committee discussed eight amendments to the proposed South Lake Union (SLU) and Downtown Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) legislation. The amendments ranged from a. providing a carrot to developers not covered by MHA (because their projects are already through the design process) to voluntarily […]
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February 3, 2017January 6, 2023Councilmember Herbold
Housing Affordability Update // Crescent-Hamm Landmark // Youth and Family Justice Center // Responding to the President’s Executive Order
Update on the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) Timeline I wanted to make sure that you heard from me first that the office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) is amending the schedule for release of the draft EIS for the proposed citywide MHA zoning changes and now it is anticipated to come out in May. […]
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January 27, 2017January 6, 2023Councilmember Herbold
Socially Responsible Banking Legislation / Seattle Public Utilities Strategic Business Plan Meeting Announcements / Onyx Arts Exhibit at King Street Station / Myers Way Homeless Encampment Community Meeting /
Socially Responsible Banking Legislation I’ve received around 1400 e-mails, and hundreds of phone calls, regarding socially responsible banking legislation before a City Council committee next week. Here’s the reply I’ve been sending out: Thank you for writing to me about Council Bill 118833, strengthening Seattle’s socially responsible banking laws, and encouraging the Mayor and Director […]
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January 20, 2017January 6, 2023Councilmember Herbold
Womxn’s March Tomorrow, Pronto/Bike Share Ending in Seattle; Reminder: Alaska Junction MHA/HALA meeting January 26; In the Cold Poetry Reading January 26; Annexation Briefing; Mayor’s Executive Order on Encampments; In-District Office Hours January 27
Womxn’s March Tomorrow Please join me at the Womxn’s March on Seattle tomorrow, January 21st. All people are invited to join in solidarity with the march taking place in Washington D.C. as well as in 200 events planned in 46 states and 30 countries. Are you wondering about the “x” in the title “Womxn’s March?” […]
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January 12, 2017January 6, 2023Councilmember Herbold
Federal Judge OKs Moving Forward on Police Accountability Legislation; Tenants’ Rights Workshop in District 1; Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs)
Federal judge OKs moving forward on police accountability legislation Late last week a federal judge ruled that Seattle can proceed with police accountability legislation. This legislation has been developed to comply with the requirements of the 2012 Consent Decree with the US Department of Justice to reform policing in Seattle. Federal Judge James Robart is […]
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January 6, 2017January 6, 2023Councilmember Herbold
MHA Citywide Proposal and Future Legislative Process; Arts and Music Commissions presentation on arts space affordability; Sound Transit Busker pilot program survey; Democracy Vouchers; Seattle United for Immigrant and Refugee Families
MHA – Citywide Proposal and Future Legislative Process The broad public conversation of the Executive’s initial (my emphasis added) proposal to implement the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program approved by the Council in last year’s MHA framework legislation began in Fall 2016. Last year’s framework legislation laid out how all developers would have to contribute […]