day : 30/01/2023 10 results

(November 2022 photo via Twitter, by @i8ipod)

Two bills to keep boats further away from endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales are making their way through the State Legislature, with West Seattle legislators among the co-sponsors. The bills both seek to keep boats further away from the endangered orcas, as recommended by a state report noted here last month. The State Senate version, SB 5371 – with co-sponsors including 34th District Sen. Joe Nguyen of West Seattle – got a hearing today in Olympia, before the Senate Water, Natural Resources, and Parks Committee. Here’s video via TVW (when you click “play” it’ll start with the orca bill, an hour in):

Among those testifying was West Seattleite Donna Sandstrom, executive director of The Whale Trail and member of Governor Inslee’s task force on orcas. Here’s part of what she told the senators:

We fully support this bill, which builds on the progress the State has made, and extends it based on the science we now know. A 1,000 yard setback will make it easier for orcas, especially females, to find and catch their prey. This matters not just for individual health, but because when orcas catch a salmon they share it. Mothers share food with their offspring. Older males share food with their mothers. Vessel noise and disturbance makes all of that harder.

There are seven calves under five years old in the population, and five of those are female, including Tahlequah’s newest calf. The future of the population is already here. Their ability to survive and thrive into adulthood depends on the actions that we take today. One perimeter for all boaters will be easier to communicate, comply with and enforce. Apps like Whale Alert can help boaters know when southern residents are near, and how far away is 1,000 yards.

Please advance this bill and give J, K and L pods the space they need to eat, so they have a chance to go on. It’s as simple, and as necessary, as that. Future generations may not know our names, but if we get this right there there will still be southern residents to watch, and be awed by. On the long road to recover the whales, this is the next step, and Washington State is leading the way.

The House version of the bill, HB 1145 – with co-sponsors including 34th District State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon of West Seattle – is in the House Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources, and Parks Committee, with no hearing scheduled yet. “This is the first step on the journey from bill to law,” Sandstrom tells WSB. “We will need everyone’s help to ensure it passes this session. Here’s how people can support: Contact your legislators and let them know you support these bills. Contact by phone, email, or comment directly on the bill.” West Seattle legislators are Sen. Nguyen, Rep. Fitzgibbon, and newly elected Rep. Emily Alvarado.

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ELECTION 2023: County Council might decide Tuesday on whether to send $1.25 billion behavioral-health levy to voters (update: they will)

January 30, 2023 10:07 pm

| 46 COMMENTS

| Health | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

ORIGINAL MONDAY REPORT: Another special election will be ahead in April if the King County Council votes Tuesday – or shortly thereafter – to send a $1.25 billion behavioral-health levy to voters. The meeting preview says the measure would create a nine-year property tax levy to fund “four key goals,” listed as follows:

*Create five new regional crisis care centers: Distributed geographically across the county, the centers would provide walk-in access and the potential for short-term stays to help people stabilize, depending on needs, with one center specifically serving youth.

*Preserve and restore the dramatic loss of residential treatment beds: In 2018, 355 beds providing community-based residential care for people with mental health residential needs existed in King County. Today, only 244 of these beds are available.

*Grow the behavioral health workforce pipeline: The proposal would create career pathways through apprenticeship programming and access to higher education, credentialing, training, and wrap-around supports. It would also invest in equitable wages for the workforce at crisis care centers.

*Provide immediate services while centers are being constructed: The proposal would also use initial proceeds to quickly create mobile or site-based crisis behavioral health services that can operate until the first crisis care centers open. This bridge strategy would complement recent state and federally-funded-mobile crisis teams.

The need for these services has expanded greatly in recent years, according to sponsors. They elaborate in the full text of the proposal going before county councilmembers at 1 pm Tuesday, which you can read here (page 50). If passed as written, the levy would cost the owner of a median-priced King County home – $694,000 in 2021 valuations – $10 a month in 2024. You can comment to the council before or during the hybrid (online and in-person downtown) meeting; the agenda explains how.

TUESDAY AFTERNOON: Per a statement from the County Executive’s Office, the county council did indeed approve sending the levy to voters in April.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Theft-turned-robbery at Y; three reader reports

January 30, 2023 8:55 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Four reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

(Reader photo via text)

THEFT-TURNED-ROBBERY: Thanks for the tips/questions about police at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) in The Triangle around 5:30 pm. Officers were gone by the time we got there, but this was dispatched as a theft-turned-robbery – dispatch told officers that someone was trying to steal from lockers, and when confronted, pulled a knife and made threats. Description given over police radio: Unknown (race) male, 30s, 5’10”, medium to heavy build, black backpack, black sweatpants, dark Jordans (shoes) with orange highlights. No injuries, the Y staff told us. SPD incident # is 23-028726.

Three more reader reports received today (in addition to the two published this morning):

HOME/CAR BREAK-IN ATTEMPT: The report and security video are from Chaucey:

Last night (Jan-29-23) at 11:30 pm, a man approached our home on Roxbury (between Roxbury Lanes and 35th) and attempted to break in through our front door. He then proceeded to attempt to break into my car through the passenger side door. This was bold as we have a flood light pointed toward the front of our house, a full security system and have a working streetlight directly in front of our home.

We captured this event on camera, but unfortunately the motion detection only kicked in to catch him from the backside; however, what we did get is clear and may have a few distinguishing features that may be identifiable to the broader community. I have attached a video and am hoping that you can post it with this incident report, in the hopes that someone may be able to identify this person and at the very least so others can be aware and on the lookout for this person attempting to break in on their property.

CONSTRUCTION SITE BREAK-IN: From Scott:

We are the owners of a lot on the corner of 60th Ave SW and SW Charlestown St, where we are slowly building a new house (started in spring/summer of 2021). We were (burglarized) several times in the first 18 months but (not) since we had our windows and doors installed in late fall 2022.

My son and I had brought a large spool of copper wire on site for wiring the panels and subpanels on Sunday 1/22, but didn’t end up getting to that work and left the spool in the garage. On Wednesday early morning, my neighbor confronted someone leaving our house with a bicycle with saddlebags.

They eventually realized Saturday that “the spool for our wire had been taken apart, and the wire was missing, along with other things that we’ve been figuring out are gone over the weekend. I put the full list of what was missing in the police report … if anyone has information about who was coming and going from our lot, sure would be nice to either get some stuff back or at least not get (burglarized) again any time soon.” SPD incident # is 23-901796.

CAR VANDALISM/PROWL ATTEMPT: From management at City Watch Apartments in The Junction:

The (above) individual followed behind someone to get into our garage this morning and broke out a window of a car parked here at CW between 8:45-9 am. He was startled when someone approached close to him after he shattered the window and left in a hurry. Fairly clear images of the suspect and his car. Looks to be early to mid-40’s, goatee, balding with eye glasses, Caucasian with a tan coat and baggy pants. The vehicle looks like an older-model Toyota Tercel with rear L back door severely damaged with a broken rear qtr window that has a white cloth covering it up. We can’t make out the license plate.

SPD incident # is 23-028454.

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FOLLOWUP: Conversation and celebration Friday as next step in rebuilding Highland Park Improvement Club

January 30, 2023 6:33 pm

| Comments Off on FOLLOWUP: Conversation and celebration Friday as next step in rebuilding Highland Park Improvement Club

| Fun stuff to do | Highland Park | How to help | West Seattle news

(Inside HPIC, shortly after 2021 fire)

As mentioned in our coverage of last week’s HPAC meeting, Highland Park Improvement Club is set to take the next step in its plan to rebuild after the fire that ravaged its building – with a special Corner Bar event this Friday. We just received the announcement and community invitation:

Come meet your neighbors and enjoy a beverage this Friday night as we roll out our plans to rebuild a community space that’s been central to our neighborhood for more than 100 years: the Highland Park Improvement Club!

In 2021, the Highland Park Improvement Club (HPIC) building was tragically destroyed in a fire. Once home to monthly gatherings, live music, a community garden, regular yoga classes, and more – HPIC is no longer the bustling center of neighborhood activity it once was. Now the burned building sits vacant on the corner of 12th and Holden in West Seattle, deemed unsafe for use after the blaze.

This is not the future anyone wants to see for this rare gem that has played such a vital role in connecting and supporting the surrounding communities, like it did when community leaders used it as a food insecurity resource during the pandemic. To keep HPIC alive, the executive board and trustees have been hard at work for the last year creating a vision for the future to make sure it can be sustainably restored – including working with architects, designers, contractors, donors, volunteers and more to bring this space back to life.

Now – it’s crunch time. We’re about a third of the way there on fundraising, but we need more help to cross the finish line and raise about two million dollars this year. That’s where you come in! Join us for a fun night of community conversation about how to restore this wonderful place and make it even better than before!

Who: You!
What: Corner Bar
When: February 3, 2023, 6 pm-10 pm
Where: Highland Park Corner Store- 7789 Highland Park Way SW
Why: To build community support around the REBUILDING TOGETHER fundraising Campaign. Help us reach our capital fundraising goal of 3.4 million dollars by Q3 2023!

Our goal is demolition and groundbreaking in the fall, hoping to open in late 2024. Board members for the Rebuilding Together campaign will be on site to talk more about HPIC’s Nine-Month Fundraising Sprint at Friday’s event. Hope to see you at the Highland Park Corner Store on Friday, February 3rd for fun, music, and the kind of community enthusiasm we need to keep HPIC’s future alive!

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UPDATE: Police pursuit from Beacon Hill to North Delridge ends with crash, arrest

January 30, 2023 3:35 pm

| 43 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

3:35 PM: A police pursuit that started outside West Seattle just ended with a crash and arrest in North Delridge. We don’t have details on the original incident yet but the car is described as stolen and police quickly arrested the person who ran from it after the crash near 26th/Alaska. If you’re seeing the Guardian One helicopter, they were arriving to assist just as the suspect headed into West Seattle.

4:13 PM: We got to the scene just as the car, a Kia Soul (as a commenter noted), was about to be towed off to the SPD evidence-processing facility. Still awaiting further details on the original incident, but robbery detectives are among those reported to be interested.

4:38 PM: According to archived police-radio audio, the car first came to officers’ attention on Beacon Hill as a stolen vehicle associated with an armed-robbery suspect, and they followed/pursued it as the driver continued this way and got off the bridge at the Delridge exit. A neighbor just texted this photo of the arrest:

The audio (and a commenter) clarifies that while the arrest was at 26th SW/SW Alaska, the crash was at 26th/Oregon.

ADDED TUESDAY AFTERNOON: The police summary has a bit more information:

Officers located a stolen Kia Sol believed to have been involved in an armed robbery and a carjacking the day before. A pursuit was authorized by a patrol supervisor. The suspect vehicle fled, and officers pursued it into West Seattle. The vehicle struck a curb and became disabled, at which time the driver fled on foot. Officers captured the suspect a short distance away and took him into custody without incident. The vehicle was taken to the [processing room] pending a search warrant and evidence collection. The suspect was booked into [juvenile detention].

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FOLLOWUP: Here’s how ‘free rides’ were used during West Seattle low-bridge closure, and what to do with unused points

January 30, 2023 1:53 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news

After last week’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting, we reported on SDOT’s numbers for “free rides” offered through the Transit GO app during the last of the three weeks that the West Seattle low bridge was closed to street/path use. We also asked SDOT for a breakdown between Metro and Water Taxi usage; today we got that info from SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson:

*900 single-ride bus tickets (including about 100 reduced-fare tickets)

*70 day-pass bus tickets (including about 15 reduced-fare tickets)

*450 Water Taxi tickets (including about 40 senior-fare tickets)

If you have unused points, here’s what happens to those, and another app-related note:

Any points already earned through the “LOWBRIDGE23” code won’t expire but will become inactive after 6 months of inactivity on the Transit GO app rewards tab. At the end of each month, if your status remains inactive, 300 points will be deducted from your account and returned to the provider.

All other rewards campaigns within the Transit GO app are still available to you if you’re interested in more ways to earn rides – information is available in the app for your use as well as on the King County Metro Transit GO web page. We again appreciate the support of the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure for helping fund these transit trips during the low bridge closure and for the collaboration of our partners at King County Metro.

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ELECTION 2023: Online-voting time for a position that’s not on your ballot

January 30, 2023 12:01 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Environment | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

By now, you’ve likely received your ballot for the February 14th special election deciding the fate of Seattle Initiative 135. It’s also time to vote on something that’s NOT on that ballot: A position on the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors. This is a countywide (except for five small cities) position, but two of the three candidates are from West Seattle. This voting is happening online for the fourth year, so the only reminder you’ve received is a postcard that probably arrived last week. Here’s what it’s all about:

The KCD Board of Supervisors oversees a roughly $8 million dollar budget paid by residents of King County through rates and charges.

KCD is a special purpose district committed to helping people engage in stewardship and conservation of natural resources, serving over two million people in 34 cities and unincorporated King County (excluding the cities of Enumclaw, Federal Way, Milton, Pacific, and Skykomish that are not member jurisdictions). KCD assists private residents with forestry management, streamside and shoreline enhancement, farm conservation planning, and other environmental efforts. It works with cities and community organizations to support community gardens, urban forest canopy, and local food systems. KCD is funded primarily by a per-parcel rates and charges fee paid by residents of the district.

An all-volunteer, five-member Board of Supervisors is responsible for overseeing KCD operations, budget, and setting policy. Voters elect three supervisors and the Washington State Conservation Commission appoints two supervisors. Supervisors serve three-year terms.

The candidates are April Brown, Csenka Favorini-Csorba, and incumbent Chris L. Porter. Favorini-Csorba and Porter both live in West Seattle. Go here to find information about the candidates (including the video recording of a forum. held last week) plus a link for voting, as well as how to contact King CD if you need a paper ballot instead. Deadline to vote is 8 pm February 14th,

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From playing to planning, what’s up for the rest of your West Seattle Monday

January 30, 2023 10:35 am

| Comments Off on From playing to planning, what’s up for the rest of your West Seattle Monday

| West Seattle news

(Luna/Anchor Park and the Olympic Mountains’ ‘The Brothers,’ photographed Sunday by James Bratsanos)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s today’s highlight list!

MONDAY MOVIE: 1 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), “Terry’s Greatest Movies You’ve Never Heard Of,” today featuring “Dead Ringer.” Free popcorn! Advance registration required – our calendar listing explains how.

CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: 2 pm, councilmembers preview the week ahead (here’s the agenda). You can watch online or on cable via Seattle Channel.

FREE INDOOR PLAYSPACE: Second week for the new free Toddler Gym weekday afternoons at the Salvation Army Center (9050 16th SW), ages 2-6, begins today, 3:30-5 pm.

LOOK INTO THE FUTURE: The city presents an online meeting at 6 pm about the Comprehensive Plan Update. Here’s the short explanation:

he updated Seattle Comprehensive Plan will guide City decisions about where we locate housing and jobs, and where and how we invest in transportation, utilities, parks, and other public assets. Our goal is to make the city more equitable, livable, sustainable, and resilient for today’s communities and future residents.

Our Plan will address challenges new and old: racial equity, housing costs, access to economic opportunity and education, climate change, and more.

You’re welcome to join the meeting, which will include a presentation and Q/A. The link is on this city webpage (right under “What’s Happening Now”).

CRAFTING AND CREATIVITY NIGHT: 6-10 pm at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), explained here.

MEDITATION: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation event at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.

PLAY TRIVIA! Three scheduled options tonight for trivia players – 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW); 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7:30 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)

Have a West Seattle/White Center event to list on our calendar ? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen Subaru; dumped-likely-stolen tools

January 30, 2023 9:45 am

| 1 COMMENT

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two reader reports this morning:

STOLEN SUBARU: From Scott:

Sometime after sundown last night and before 6 am this morning, my old Subaru was stolen. The plate is / was CCL0595. The car was parked at the 2100 block of 42nd SW. SPD incident # 23-028214.

DUMPED-LIKELY-STOLEN TOOLS: From Anita:

Found tools at the bus stop at 35th & Henderson Shell station.

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Monday morning

January 30, 2023 6:02 am

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Monday morning

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:02 AM: Good morning! It’s a new week – Monday, January 30th.

WEATHER

Increasing clouds through the day, high in the upper 30s. (Sunday’s high was 40, nine degrees below normal for that date.)

TODAY’S TRANSIT STATUS

–Metro is on its regular schedule but still running with fewer buses and fewer drivers – keep watching notification channels such as @kcmetroalerts for trip cancellations and route suspensions.

-Regular schedule for the West Seattle Water Taxi.

–Washington State Ferries‘ Triangle Route remains on a two-boat schedule – check here for alerts/updates.

SPOTLIGHT CAMERAS

Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also up at Delridge/Oregon, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Henderson.

High Bridge – the camera at the top:

High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):

Low Bridge – open again:

1st Ave. S. Bridge – the south route:

Highway 99: – the northbound side at Lander.

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page … Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.

If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do it safely) – 206-293-6302.

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