West Seattle, Washington
20 Friday
(1st & 3rd photos from King County Assessor’s Office; 2nd, from Seattle Municipal Archives)
Did you know the site of Beni Hoshi (formerly Yasuko’s) Teriyaki, at the 35th/Fauntleroy entrance to the West Seattle Bridge, is a Seattle City Light-owned site that once housed this substation?
We didn’t, until a bit of research prompted by an online update from City Council President Richard Conlin, revealing that the city is eyeing this spot for possible development. He wrote, in part:
… the City is undertaking a pilot project to identify locations where city-owned properties and buildings would be suitable for joint development agreements. Such joint development could include leveraging multiple city funding sources to achieve community benefits, developing mixed-use urban infill on public parking lots, and identifying public/private development opportunities on public land. This could provide revenue for the City, but, more importantly, better utilize scarce resources of land and buildings, especially in denser urban neighborhoods where infill can be a major asset.
In his update (read it here in its entirety), he goes on to say that as part of the “Sustainable Community Development Pilot Program,” the city will “begin analyzing the feasibility of developments on five pilot sites” around the city. The list in his post included a “West Seattle Substation on Avalon Way.” We couldn’t find any records of a substation, past or present, on Avalon Way, so we asked Councilmember Conlin and his staff for location clarification. His staff is out but he replied – and pointed us to the Beni Hoshi site, which was known as the “Avalon Substation” with a long-ago address on SW Genesee:
County records reveal that City Light actually owns three parcels there, totaling about 17,000 square feet; the Beni Hoshi site is zoned for 65-foot mixed-use development, while two parcels to the east are zoned single-family. While this abuts The Triangle, it is not part of the rezoning the council just approved.
So what kind of possible development might be considered there? No specific proposals at this stage, but Councilmember Conlin’s writeup mentioned past examples of “joint developments” including the Delridge Library/Brandon Court site that includes a city-run Neighborhood Service Center, somewhat ironic since the new city budget is moving the NSC out of there and over to the about-to-be-former Southwest Community Center, and the Delridge NSC space is up for lease, as is the suite of offices formerly occupied in that building by the city’s partner in the project, Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association. Meantime, we’ll keep an eye on this study in the New Year.
2:07 PM: Click the “play” button and you’ll see the live video stream of this afternoon’s Seattle City Council meeting, which has just begun, with two items of particular note on the agenda: West Seattle Triangle rezoning (approved by the council’s Committee on the Built Environment three weeks ago) and the plastic-bag ban. We’ll add updates here if and when the public-comment period at the meeting’s start includes Triangle comments, as well as when the Triangle and bag-ban items come up.
2:22 PM: The public-comment period ended with no one stepping up to the podium to talk about Triangle rezoning, which is a few items away on the agenda. Most of the commenters talked about the plastic-bag ban, including, as seen in our framegrab above, the “Bagmonster Singers,” who serenaded councilmembers with a song to the tune of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
2:31 PM: And here’s the Triangle item, which is actually two items – rezoning/changing development standards, and recommending a parking study for the area. Councilmember Sally Clark opens by saying it all dates back to the closure of the Huling Brothers auto properties (briefly Gee Automotive after Huling) and concern over what would happen to the area with so much vacant land. She hands the microphone to Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who as she said has been closely involved in planning for the area’s future. He says RapidRide (scheduled to start in 2012) also was a spark to get the process going, beginning with an “urban-design framework.” He notes that it included a plan for The Triangle’s “streetscapes,” including the Fauntleroy Way “boulevard” concept (the new city budget includes planning money) and SW Snoqualmie as a “festival” street. And of course, it includes rezoning – “neighborhood commercial” that “encourages pedestrian-friendly development” for much of the heart of The Triangle, which he says will also strengthen the pedestrian connection between The Junction and The Triangle. The latter was not recommended for more height, he explains, so as not to put “more pressure” for sales/development of existing commercial properties – but the Fauntleroy/Alaska/Edmunds area includes more than 2 blocks that will be rezoned to 85 feet (20 feet higher than the current zoning).
2:40 PM: Council President Richard Conlin says “congratulations” and notes the importance of the legislation to West Seattle’s future, before Rasmussen reads the list of Triangle Advisory Committee members and also acknowledges DPD and Council staffers for their work. No comments from other councilmembers. The rezoning/development standards bill (read it here) passes unanimously 9-0, as does the recommendation for a parking study. No other councilmembers comment.
2:45 PM: Now Councilmember Mike O’Brien is explaining the plastic-bag ban. You can still use plastic bags for meat and produce in grocery stores, he notes. For this too, no councilmembers are commenting or asking questions, except for Council President Conlin, who thanks O’Brien, who in turn thanks “partners” for help with the bill (including WSB sponsors PCC Natural Markets and Metropolitan Market). The bill passes unanimously; there’s applause in council chambers.
3:15 PM: The official news releases from council staff: West Seattle Triangle rezoning, here; plastic-bag ban, here. The bag ban takes effect next July 1st.
More awards to report tonight: During last night’s 34th District Democrats holiday party at The Hall at Fauntleroy, the district’s annual awards were presented, and local elected officials were on hand to help honor them. 34th DDs’ webmaster Bill Schrier shared the photo – here’s who’s in it, and what the winners won:
Pictured are, Left to right: Tim Nuse, Chair, Lloyd Hara (King County Assessor), Steven J. Drew (Thurston Co. Assessor), Marcee Stone (E-Board Member of the Year), Joe McDermott (King County Council member), Kari Feeney (Rising Star Award), Les Treall, Jackie Dupras (Cherisse Luxa Lifetime Achievement Award), Steve Butts, Tamsen Spengler (Member of the Year), Lisa Plymate, Tom Rasmussen (Seattle City Council member). Kari, Les, Steve, Tamsen and Lisa are members of the Diversity Committee, which received the outstanding Committee Award.
The text of each winner’s citation can be read here.
For the first time since Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Seattle began, related protests are planned for this area. John sent a note to point out that the protest website says the Seattle action for next Monday’s “West Coast Port Shutdown” protests announces:
… there will be two rallies near the port at 3 pm and 6 pm at the Spokane Street fishing area, just to the east of the Spokane St. bridge, near the intersection of SW Spokane St & SW Manning St. under the West Seattle bridge.
It’s not actually a protest against the port itself, the website says (and as commenters point out, it is not union-endorsed); organizers say it’s meant to show opposition to unionbusting, Governor Gregoire‘s planned budget cuts, and evictions at “Occupy” protests across the country. Preceding the rallies in this area, supporters plan to march from Westlake downtown, starting at 1 pm Monday.
Our partners at the Seattle Times have just made maps breaking out the vote around the region on the two most-discussed statewide initiatives in last month’s elections, liquor privatization (I-1183) and tolling (I-1125). The graphic above is taken from one of the maps published by the Times – green areas supported I-1183 (the darker the green, the stronger the support), red/pink areas did not. See both initiative breakouts here. P.S. The transition to privatized liquor sales gets into high gear this Thursday, when 1183 becomes law and would-be sellers can start applying.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
In three days, West Seattle will have a new representative on the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors.
As she campaigned, Marty McLaren insisted the board needed someone who’s been a teacher, and voters apparently agreed. Though the vote won’t be certified till Tuesday, with McLaren scheduled to be sworn in Wednesday, she is 12,999 votes (eight percentage points) ahead of incumbent Steve Sundquist, who ascended to the board presidency last year. (Her official Facebook page already incorporates her almost-official new title.)
With no chance the results would change, we sat down this week with McLaren, to find out more about the person now charged with representing the peninsula’s interests as the district continues through a time of change on so many fronts – deciding how to deal with brimming schools and dwindling state funding, among other challenges. (The former, aka “capacity management,” is the subject of another community meeting in West Seattle tomorrow night.)
We talked at the Puget Ridge home where McLaren has lived for 17 years. She is not a Seattle native – born in Brooklyn, New York, in fact – but has spent her entire adult life in the Puget Sound area, after her dad’s Navy career moved her family many places, finally landing them at Bangor in Kitsap County. She finished high school in the Highline district just south of Seattle in the early ’60s.
Her introduction to Seattle Public Schools came before her teaching career:
One week from tomorrow, the City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment will again take up the proposal for West Seattle Triangle rezoning – primarily upzoning part of the area to 85-foot height, and a significant part of the Triangle itself to “neighborhood commercial.” The committee was briefed last week (WSB coverage here). Based on that discussion, some changes to the proposal are expected, and we’ll publish an update when they’re available, though it probably won’t be till early next week. The committee meeting is set for 9 am Wednesday, November 30, in City Council chambers downtown.
(We recorded both parts of the governor’s visit on video & will add here in their entirety when uploaded)
2:29 PM: “Speak your mind, and speak up!” South Seattle Community College‘s communications director Candace Oehler exhorted a room full of students just before Governor Chris Gregoire entered a moment ago. She is here to talk about her supplemental budget – which is not a pretty picture for education around the state, including post-secondary. We’ll be covering this as it happens. (Added: Video of what she said in the classroom, unedited, in its entirety:)
“Anything you say to me is important,” the governor herself told them moments afterward. “I can’t tell you how many countless hours I have put in … digesting a state budget as complex as ours during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.” She’s explaining to them first that most of the budget is “off-limits” – $8.7 billion out of $30 billion to solve the budget gap. “There are really only four places in state government where you can cut,” she says, and asks if the students know where. “Higher education” is the first answer. “Social services,” the next. Then, “public safety.” Someone offers “Transportation” – but that’s off-limits, she says. “Health care” finally emerges as the fourth. It’s a shame, she says, since graduation rates are up, schools are full – including ones like SSCC where people can get training — and this is a time when optimally, in a recession, we should be investing in that, she says.
2:37 PM: She also talks about cutting health care – where already there have been cuts, with the Basic Health Plan now at less than half the enrollment of just a few years ago. She then explains that what she calls an “F-minus failure by Congress” hit the state “like a ton of bricks” in August, with “an immediate $1.4 billion shortfall” – and “they’re doing it to us again … but this time we’re a little more resilient.” This comes as positive economic signs have emerged, she says, in fields such as aerospaces, life sciences, and energy, in our state. But small business is struggling, she says, because it relies on consumer confidence – which just isn’t there. “Now we’re waiting to see what’s in Europe – if Greece defaults, Italy defaults, triggering a banking crisis in Europe,” that will be a crisis here, with possibly another $2 billion shortfall.
Now she moves on to what she sees as a budget solution – raising taxes. “Some will tell you this is not the time” to do that, she says, but “I can’t stomach (the budget) cuts.” She says she is upset about the prospect of having to cut school years, and release prisoners early. “I can’t see letting folks out and not supervising them, to include sex predators,” she says. And she says she doesn’t want to cut long-term care. Overall, she says, she’s looked at “185 revenue options,” including “tax loopholes,” while realizing “there’s an argument not to cut, for every one of them.” She said she saw the tax proposal as the only way to “stand up to the problem” – and thinks she might be the first in history to send a bill to the Legislature asking them to “take it to the people.” She notes that the sales tax hasn’t been raised in the state since 1983. State taxes take a lower share of your income than they did back then, and yet, no other levels of government “is doing our job,” she says, talking about how she plans to campaign for the sales-tax increase next spring.
2:47 PM: Now, questions from the students: “How are you telling people in Olympia who might be saying ‘we’re not going to raise taxes’ about the impact on students, and others?” she was asked, beginning her reply “We’ve already cut (more than $10 billion). … We’re in an election year and we’re going to hear a lot of election rhetoric. … (Candidates) will say ‘Surely there’s a better way, another revenue source’ … So what you’re going to hear in the coming weeks is that we need more recreational gaming, gambling, off the (reservations).” Others, she says, will suggest a capital-gains tax. But that will require building an infrastructure at the Department of Revenue, which’ll take a couple of years, she says – “I don’t have the time.” She says basically any counterproposal you can throw at her, she’s thought of. And she slings a few angry words at “the other Washington,” saying “they’re putting partisan politics above the good of the public.”
Next question isn’t clearly audible but brings her to discussing higher education – “It’s (one of the few places in the budget) where there’s a way to raise revenue” – tuition increases. However, she says, that’s not feasible any more – “We can’t make it so that only the affluent can afford to go to college in Washington state.”
Back to the sales tax: “This idea that if you raise it a half-cent you’ll lose all these jobs … Guess which state raised it a penny a year ago? Arizona! They haven’t lost a boatload of jobs.” The governor goes on to say, “We’re unique! … Who’s our #1 trading partner? China! … You’re competing against students sitting in a classroom today in China, and Japan, and Korea. That’s who you’re going to compete with. With all due respect, they’re not cutting their budgets. They’re not cutting education, they’re investing in education. … Cutting the dickens out of education is not in your best interests and not in the state’s.” In response to a question from a student that was more a statement in support, she observed the problem with much of today’s unemployment – even when the economy recovers, many of today’s lost jobs won’t exist any longer, due to automation, efficiencies, and other factors. Hiring right now is depressed for reasons, she says, including – as a student answered her question – a lack of capital, because the banks aren’t making it available. “They’re real jittery about what’s going on in Europe … They’re sitting on no less than $2 trillion in cash.”
3:01 PM: How many would vote for raising more revenue than the $500 million she proposed? asks the governor. Most students in the room raise their hands. “I gotta try … (it’s) my best shot, and I don’t know if I’m gonna win,” she says. Shortly afterward, one student suggests that an income tax would be the solution. She reminds him that voters said no to the “income tax for higher-income individuals” proposal just last year. She also notes, though, that ours is one of only six states without an income tax, and has an “antiquated tax system.” She says ours is a “1935 tax system based on manufacturing.” Now she’s wrapping up: “We’re going to get out of this recession,” she promises. (is going to take media questions in a separate room next – we’re off to that.)
POSTSCRIPT: Community-colleges system chancellor (and former SSCC president) Jill Wakefield was on hand too, seen above with SSCC president Gary Oertli. Will add the video of the governor’s brief meeting with media.
6:16 PM: We’re at Southwest Community Center, awaiting the start of the final stop on the citywide tour for Mayor Mike McGinn‘s “road safety summit” (explained here). Seattle Channel is not livecasting this, a rare occurrence; we’ll publish updates as it goes. The mayor’s just about to step to the podium. We’d estimate the crowd at more than 50.
6:24 PM: The mayor says Councilmember Tom Rasmussen will join the meeting shortly. “What prompted me to put together the road-safety summit is, it’s become clear to me … people feel very strongly about how we use our roads, how we share our roads, how others use the roads … I’ve heard bicyclists complain about drivers, drivers complain about bicyclists” (and so on), he opens. “No matter how you get around,” there are “tragic deaths” on our city’s roads. He tells the story of the Greenwood crash that left a teenage boy injured for life. He says engineering, education, enforcement, and empathy are needed to address the problem. Yes, we can change, he insists, citing the dramatic shift in how smoking in public is treated – 30 years ago, this room might have been full of people smoking, ashtrays on the tables in front of them, and that is now illegal and unheard of. “We CAN change,” he says. But he says, “I don’t have all the answers” – he believes the community does.
6:32 PM: Dr. David Fleming, who runs Seattle-King County Public Health, takes the podium. He says traffic injuries and fatalities are a public-health issue. He says car fatalities have dropped 25 percent in recent years, but bicycle and pedestrian fatalities have stayed about the same. He explains why he uses the term “traffic crashes” versus “traffic accidents” – because crashes are not things about which nothing can be done. (Editor’s note – that’s part of our style guide, too.) “Fundamentally, these deaths are the result of actions that are under our control, and that we can do something about, and that’s why we are here tonight,” Dr. Fleming says. There’s not “one solution,” he cautioned, but instead, a “more robust toolbox” should and could be developed. He adds another “E” to the list above – “expectation,” with everyone engaging in the behaviors that will make a difference. And yet “defensive driving” matters, he says, since you need to anticipate that someone else might not meet your “expectation.”
The end result of efforts to change and improve, he says, could be “safe and vibrant streets.”
6:41 PM: Rick Sheridan, SDOT communications director, now at the podium, explaining what people at tables are being asked to do for the next 15 minutes or so, before reporting back to the full group.
(Our as-it-happened coverage, after the jump)Read More
Governor Gregoire just announced a statewide mini-tour tomorrow to talk about her “supplemental budget” – and one of the stops is here in West Seattle. She’ll be at South Seattle Community College at 2:30 pm tomorrow “to meet with students at South Seattle Community College, discuss potential education cuts in supplemental budget,” according to the announcement. For details on the “supplemental budget,” including a potential sales-tax increase, here’s a story from our partners at the Seattle Times.
Your next two chances to talk directly to city leaders without leaving West Seattle are coming up tomorrow and Monday: As noted here Tuesday, when the West Seattle Farmers’ Market opens at 10 am tomorrow, you’re invited to share cider and conversation with “The Sallys” – Councilmembers Bagshaw and Clark. They’re scheduled to be at the Farmers’ Market till at least 11:30 am.
Then Monday night, Mayor McGinn returns to West Seattle for the final stop on the “Road Safety Summit” tour, 6 pm at Southwest Community Center (2801 SW Thistle) – here’s our original preview. If you can’t be there, you can take this online survey any time before end of day Wednesday.
For those concerned about the big cuts looming in the state budget, Su Docekal sends word of “West Seattle Neighbors Against the Budget Cuts” gathering this Saturday “to do flyering to let people in this neighborhood know about the inhuman cuts that are being proposed for the upcoming special legislative session and about the protests that they can participate in.” The gathering is at noon Saturday at Salvadorean Bakery, 1719 SW Roxbury. She says they are looking ahead to “Occupy the Capitol,” a week of protests planned November 28-December 2. She says the demand will be:
— Oppose all cuts to jobs, services and education!
— Restore services, jobs and benefits by taxing corporations and the rich!
— Pressure the federal government to end U.S. wars and redirect military spending to the states!
If you want to find out more, you can contact Su at sudocekal@comcast.net or 206-953-5601.
Though the plastic-bag fee/tax eventually got bagged, a new City Council move to get plastic bags out of the local waste stream is right around the corner. You’ve probably heard about it already; today we have a sneak peek at the proposal, thanks to a “Determination of Non-Significance” that landed in today’s semiweekly Land Use Information Bulletin. This is expected to be introduced in the City Council next week. The language in today’s notice would ban plastic and require stores to charge at least a nickel per paper bags – that would not be a tax, but would be kept by stores to help defray the cost of those bags. According to a story from the Seattle Times (WSB partner), people in our state city use almost 300 million plastic bags a year.
FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: The proposed bag-ban ordinance (read it here) is scheduled for its official unveiling at a news conference Monday afternoon.
One full week into the vote counting for the 2011 election in Seattle, there’s suddenly another School Board challenger ahead of an incumbent: Sharon Peaslee is leading Peter Maier – by 91 votes (67,385 to 67294). Here’s the latest count, released minutes ago. Previously, West Seattle’s Steve Sundquist had been the only incumbent losing; his share of the vote behind Marty McLaren is now down to 46%, vs. 54% for her. (No other races in our area have changed.)
Two chances this week to talk with City Councilmembers in West Seattle:
DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Sally Bagshaw are on the DNDC meeting agenda tomorrow night (7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW) for a discussion about the “boulevard” concept for Delridge Way SW.
‘THE SALLYS’ AT THE FARMERS’ MARKET: Councilmembers Bagshaw and Sally Clark have been visiting neighborhoods in tandem as “The Sallys,” in community-conversation format, and just announced a West Seattle stop this Sunday: 10-11:30 am at the WS Farmers’ Market (44th/Alaska). The announcement says they “will host a booth and hope Seattleites will stop by to talk about local issues.” Free cider while it lasts. You’re invited to RSVP, though it’s not required (here’s the link).
A new campaign for marriage equality in our state, Washington United for Marriage, officially kicked off today. And the highest-ranking politician residing in West Seattle, King County Executive Dow Constantine, has just issued a statement supporting it:
“Now is the time to take action, to finally recognize the equality and protect the rights of all the people of Washington.
“I will work in whatever capacity I can to see this legislation passed in Olympia, or if necessary at the ballot box, and look forward to the day I can sign marriage certificates for all adult couples in King County.”
The marriage-equality campaign is on Facebook here, and on the web here. There is not a specific proposal yet, but supporters are lobbying legislators, and saying they’ll go to voters if the Legislature doesn’t step up.
(Fauntleroy “boulevard” rendering, from June 2011 West Seattle Triangle open house)
The City Council has just adjourned its second and last meeting for final votes on budget tweaks, prior to the big budget-approval vote scheduled for November 21st. Part of this morning’s action was unanimous approval of $250,000 in “initial planning” money (previously reported here and here) for the “Fauntleroy Way Green Boulevard” concept that’s part of the vision for The Triangle. This does not guarantee eventual funding for the project itself – but it puts the proposal on the city list of potential future projects. In public comment at the start of the meeting, three people spoke in support of the item: Josh Sutton from the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), Brandon Nicholson (local architect/developer representing the West Seattle Junction Association), and Denny Onslow from Harbor Properties, breaking ground soon on Nova in The Triangle, where it opened Link (WSB sponsor) earlier this year.
It’s all but impossible to tell how many ballots are still “out there,” but the ones counted as of 4:30 this afternoon now equal 28 percent of the registered voters in Seattle, 30% of those in the county. No outcome has changed in the races we’re watching, but here are those races, by percentage, after another vote count was released late today:
SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DIST. PROP 1 ($60 car-tab tax):
59% no
41% yes
SEATTLE PROP 1 (Families and Education Levy)
59% yes
41% no
STATE INITIATIVE 1183 (liquor privatization)
60% yes
40% no
STATE INITIATIVE 1125 (tolling)
51% no
49% yes
STATE INITIATIVE 1163 (home care)
67% yes
33% no
See other statewide ballot measures’ results here
SEATTLE SCHOOL BOARD:
Position 1 – Maier* 52%, Peaslee 48%
Position 2 – Carr* 55%, Martin 45%
Position 3 – Martin-Morris* 61%, Buetow 38%
Position 6 – McLaren 51%, Sundquist* 48%
Today Marty McLaren answered our request from last night for an early comment: “The thing I know for sure, if I am elected, is my intention to start visiting WS Schools right away, and figuring out how best to communicate best with parents and staff. That goes for the wider community as well; there are many groups, organizations, and constituencies to connect with. Also, of course, educate myself more thoroughly on our issues…”
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL:
Position 1 – Godden* 53%, Forch 47%
Position 3 – Harrell* 62%, Meacham 37%
Position 5 – Rasmussen* 73%, Pusey 26%
Position 7 – Burgess* 81%, Schraer 18%
Position 9 – Clark* 66%, Ferguson 34%
KING COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 8
McDermott* 67%
Toledo 32%
(At right, the incumbent at 35th/Fauntleroy tonight with a “thank you” sign.)
SEATTLE PORT COMMISSION
Position 2 – Tarleton* 56%, Pope 43%
Position 5 – Bryant* 62%, Willard 37%
(Asterisks denote incumbents.) Next King County results release: Around 4:30 pm Thurssday.
(Sketch from West Seattleites’ 2008 City Council presentation about “boulevard” vision for Fauntleroy Way)
During yesterday’s City Council budget meeting, dozens of decisions were made, while a few more alternatives were proposed. One of them involves the so-called “Fauntleroy Way Green Boulevard” concept, which could eventually transform that arterial, through The Triangle as it comes off the bridge and toward The Junction, into a street with a tree-lined median. As reported here last week, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has proposed earmarking $250,000 in the budget to study and plan for this concept that’s been under consideration for more than three years. Yesterday, Councilmember Mike O’Brien offered an alternative proposal that would instead mark the same amount for as-yet-unspecified neighborhood transportation proposals in the city. Debate ensued; councilmembers including Sally Clark and budget chair Jean Godden voiced support for the “Green Boulevard” study/preps. When the council meets tomorrow, it will vote on which one (if either) goes into their final proposal. (The agenda should be here later; final budget adoption is currently still scheduled for Nov. 21.)
(UPDATED 11:07 PM WITH MORE REACTION)
Tonight’s first and only round of election results from King County is now published. Here are the toplines on major issues/races (including the latest statewide numbers):
SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DIST. PROP 1 ($60 car-tab tax):
60% no
40% yes
Reaction from Councilmember Tom Rasmussen: ““It’s clear that voters support better transit and safer streets, but it’s also apparent that we need more progressive options for how cities fund building our transportation systems. That’s why despite tonight’s setback, this is just the beginning.”
SEATTLE PROP 1 (Families and Education Levy)
59% yes
41% no
From statement by Mayor Mike McGinn: “This Levy is focused on outcomes. We will design programs to achieve clear outcomes and hold service providers accountable, ensuring that the programs we fund are delivering measurable results. We will make our investments based on data, and we will adapt those investments if the data shows something is not working.”
STATE INITIATIVE 1183 (liquor privatization)
60% yes
40% no
Reaction from Gov. Gregoire: ““The voters have spoken. I remain concerned about Initiative 1183’s unintended consequences. This initiative expands the sale of liquor, which can present risks to our public safety. Additionally, we know that Washington has one of the nation’s highest ‘no sales to minors’ compliance rates at 95 percent – compared to the private sector, which has a 76 percent compliance rate. We must closely monitor the implementation of Initiative 1183 and work to avoid any unintended public safety risks.”
STATE INITIATIVE 1125 (tolling)
51% no
49% yes
Reaction from County Executive Dow Constantine (via WSB partner The Seattle Times): “It means that we have once again said to Tim Eyman and his wealthy backers, ‘We are not gonna take it from you any more’.”
STATE INITIATIVE 1163 (home care)
67% yes
33% no
See other statewide ballot measures’ results here
SEATTLE SCHOOL BOARD:
Position 1 – Maier* 52%, Peaslee 48%
Position 2 – Carr* 55%, Martin 45%
Position 3 – Martin-Morris* 61%, Buetow 39%
Position 6 – McLaren 51%, Sundquist* 48%
Reaction from Marty McLaren (via WSB partner The Seattle Times): “I’m thrilled … It seems like the voters have heard the message.”
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL:
Position 1 – Godden* 54%, Forch 46%
Position 3 – Harrell* 62%, Meacham 38%
Position 5 – Rasmussen* 73%, Pusey 27%
Position 7 – Burgess* 81%, Schraer 19%
Position 9 – Clark* 65%, Ferguson 34%
KING COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 8
McDermott* 67%
Toledo 33%
SEATTLE PORT COMMISSION
Position 2 – Tarleton* 56%, Pope 44%
Position 5 – Bryant* 63%, Willard 37%
(Asterisks denote incumbents.) Next King County results release: Around 4:30 pm Wednesday.
If you’re like us, and still in mourning for in-person voting – or, if you’re a classic procrastinator OR extremely busy person – you might still have your ballot sitting around, waiting to be marked/mailed. If so, here’s our reminder: TOMORROW is the deadline to get it postmarked. If you’d rather get it directly into a county dropbox, the only one anywhere near here is downtown (500 4th Avenue, county photo at right); the full list (with maps for each one) is on this county webpage. Your ballot must be in a dropbox by 8 pm tomorrow or else it won’t count. Though this is an “off-year” election, there still is plenty to be decided, including Seattle Transportation Benefit District Prop 1 raising car-tab fees for transportation projects, Seattle Prop 1 aka the “Families and Education Levy,” three statewide initiatives including I-1183 (liquor privatization), I-1125 (tolling), and I-1163 (home health care), five Seattle City Council positions, four Seattle School Board positions, two Seattle Port Commission positions, one King County Council position, and a few more issues/races (see your full sample ballot by filling in the fields on the right side of the County Elections home page – that “sample ballot” will have direct links to all the candidates and measures, if you need to read up on any before voting). The first round of results will go public shortly after 8 tomorrow night, with daily updates after that, till everything’s counted.
This past week, the City Council listened to presentations about possible changes to the mayor’s budget plan for next year. Next week, they start making decisions about possible changes, before finalizing a plan around November 21st. A group of Southwest Community Center users concerned about the mayor’s proposal to change it into a Teen Life Center and Neighborhood Service Center invited councilmembers to visit – and Councilmember Tom Rasmussen accepted their offer, visiting SWCC on Friday afternoon, to talk and tour.
The Family Learning Program is particularly concerned; their program has grown since starting earlier this year at SWCC, and while they have been told they can keep using space there, they told Rasmussen that much of the functional space they use will be taken away by changes to the building that will be necessary to turn it into a Neighborhood Service Center. They believe the city used bad data in deciding that SWCC was underutilized, as it’s had frequent closures in the past few years for upgrades and repairs, some of which aren’t even fully paid off yet, though their availability to the public will be curtailed if these changes are made.
Rasmussen asked if the SWCC supporters had reached out to other councilmembers; yes, they said, but nobody else responded. He suggested they try again, and promised to convey what he had heard. And when asked what else they could do – he suggested offering other money-saving or revenue-raising ideas, to show what could be done to save money instead of changing operations at SWCC.
You can keep an eye on the ongoing council budget process here.
The City Council hasn’t taken its final budget vote yet, but the plan to move West Seattle’s lone Neighborhood Service Center into what is now the Southwest Community Center may already be considered a done deal, if you consider the fact that the space has just been put up for lease. We got the word from real-estate broker Kelsey Diller at City Closers, who sent us the link to the new listing for 5405 Delridge Way SW (see it here, including a photo from inside the NSC), describing it as a followup to this story we published in September, after the budget proposal for community-center changes was announced. Just this afternoon, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen visited SWCC to meet with community members who don’t want it to be changed into an NSC and Teen Life Center (separate story coming up later); the council is supposed to start finalizing budget tweaks next week, with a final vote due two weeks later.
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