Eight years ago Seattle Police Detective Kim Bogucki received a stack of essays from Renata, an inmate at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW at Purdy). With these essays as a foundation, Kim and Renata created the If Project, a program with a mission of preventing future crime, supporting former inmates in re-entry, and […]
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April 8, 2016January 6, 2023Councilmember Herbold
Utility Billing System Delays, Neighborhood Street Fund Deadline, and Preservation: the Missing Piece of our Housing Strategy
Delays for the New Utility Billing System The New Customer Information System (NCIS) is a joint Seattle City Light (SCL) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) project to replace the Consolidated Customer Service System (CCSS) – the existing SCL and SPU billing system. The CCSS supports billing and customer processes for both utilities, but fails to […]
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October 15, 2015January 6, 2023Councilmember Licata
UP #382 – A Proposal for New Tenant Protection Legislation
Early yesterday, on October 14, 2015, I joined Councilmember Sawant in announcing our new proposal for protecting tenants facing rent increases. Our current law (Seattle Municipal Code 7.24.030) was a result of legislation passed 17 years ago, which I sponsored. It contains a range of protections for tenants. It requires landlords to give a minimum […]
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September 21, 2015January 6, 2023Councilmember Licata
Urban Politics #381: Council passes resolution in support of lifting state ban on limiting rent increases
The City Council did the right thing by passing a resolution (8-1, Okamoto) in support of local control of rent regulation, and asking the state legislature to lift the ban on cities limiting rent increases. The Council also requested that the Office of Intergovernmental Relations incorporate this position into the City’s forthcoming 2016 State Legislative […]
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September 16, 2015January 6, 2023Councilmember Licata
UP #378 Resolution to Lift State Ban on Limiting Rent Increases
I want to thank the 43rd Legislative District Democrats for voting unanimously last night to pass a resolution in support of legislation Councilmember Sawant and I are sponsoring to ask the state legislature to repeal or modify the state prohibition on restricting rent increases. I give a special thanks to Colin Maloney for submitting the […]
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September 16, 2015January 6, 2023Councilmember Licata
UP #378 Resolution to Lift State Ban on Limiting Rent Increases
I want to thank the 43rd Legislative District Democrats for voting unanimously last night to pass a resolution in support of legislation Councilmember Sawant and I are sponsoring to ask the state legislature to repeal or modify the state prohibition on restricting rent increases. I give a special thanks to Colin Maloney for submitting the […]
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July 28, 2015January 6, 2023Councilmember Okamoto
Rent Control is Not the Answer (Just Look at SF)
Originally posted at http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/rental-control-is-not-the-answer-just-look-at-sf/ Rent control is not the answer to Seattle’s housing crisis. But as housing demand outpaces housing supply, renters are bearing the resulting brunt of rent increases. Understandably, for renters who want to halt these rising costs, rent control sounds like an appealing idea. Some politicians are seizing upon the heated emotions […]
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June 8, 2015January 6, 2023Councilmember Okamoto
Seattle Deserves a Complete Housing Solution
Seattle is the fastest growing big city in the U.S., and Seattle’s infrastructure is bursting at the seams. Skyrocketing housing prices are squeezing low-income Seattleites — often people of color, immigrants, and refugees — out of Seattle. Efforts to improve the problem have been under way for some time. For example, subsidies help low-income renters […]
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June 5, 2015January 6, 2023Councilmember Licata
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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April 15, 2015January 6, 2023Councilmember Licata
Town Hall about Rising Rents with Councilmember Sawant
Next week, on Thursday, 4/23, at 6:00 pm in City Council Chambers, Councilmember Kshama Sawant and I are co-hosting a Town Hall to discuss the impacts of rising rents on Seattle residents and what we can do about it. I hope that you can join us. Sponsoring organizations include the Community Housing Caucus, the Church […]