West Seattle, Washington
11 Sunday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
For the third time in a week, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka sat down this afternoon to talk with a group of West Seattle constituents.
Last Wednesday, it was the District 1 Community Network; last night, it was the Admiral Neighborhood Association; today, it was a group of more than a dozen people, primarily small-business proprietors, gathered by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
Saka heard a lot about public safety and street disorder. But he also got an earful about the effects of a relatively new city law co-sponsored by his D-1 predecessor Lisa Herbold – the App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance that took effect in January, which some restaurateurs say has resulted in delivery costs going up and business going down.
Today’s gathering was part of a small-business-focused “listening tour” that Saka says is spanning the five neighborhoods in D-1; he’s already been to Pioneer Square, SODO, and Georgetown, and will finish the tour in South Park. Today’s West Seattle participants gathered with Saka (who was accompanied by chief of staff Elaine Ikoma Ko and district-relations director Leyla Gheisar) at Realfine Coffee‘s 35th/Kenyon shop.
(WSB photos. Councilmember Saka with Elliott Bay’s Todd Carden, Easy Street’s Matt Vaughan, and in background Realfine’s Julie Mierzwiak)
After some introductory chatting and coffee orders, the group trooped a few doors down to The Westy to hear from Saka, followed by Q&A.
The question is often asked: What are city leaders actually doing to improve public safety? Mayor Bruce Harrell has announced a series of community forums to try to answer that question. The first is tomorrow night (Thursday, March 14), 6-7:30 pm. In-person attendance at the downtown library is already maxed out but it’ll be streamed live via Seattle Channel (with a recording available afterward). The mayor will talk with moderator Enrique Cerna, and a panel discussion featuring other leaders including the city’s three public-safety chiefs – CARE Chief Amy Smith, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, Police Chief Adrian Diaz – will follow. Next month, forums are promised in all five SPD precinct areas, so that means there’ll be one in West Seattle/South Park, though specific dates and locations haven’t yet been announced. The forums are described as “open discussion(s) about community safety challenges, accomplishments, and opportunities.”
(July 2023 framegrab from SDOT traffic camera)
Last July, we reported on a deadly shooting with two scenes, miles apart – it happened near Delridge Library but the victim, 26-year-old Rayshawn Parker, was found in a crashed car at the eastbound West Seattle Bridge’s 4th Avenue exit. Today, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced that two suspects are charged with murdering Mr. Parker — 17-year-old Tacoma resident Lederian N. Thomas and 22-year-old West Seattle resident Derrion M. Lewis, who is already in jail, charged in two other murders that happened in South King County days after this one. The charging documents also appear to solve a non-injury shooting in West Seattle earlier in the day.
The charging papers total 16 pages. Here’s the distillation: Investigators believe the Delridge murder was the result of an “orchestrate(d) … gunfight with rival gang members” at the gas station south of the library, which left behind “over fifty shell casings from three different caliber handguns” while the victim, mortally wounded, sped away in his SUV, crashed at the offramp, and collapsed to the ground. The next morning, a shot-up Chrysler was discovered in Tukwila and impounded; fingerprints found in it traced to Lewis and the vehicle’s owner, a Westwood resident with whom he was believed to be in a relationship at the time. Investigators also say that a week earlier, during a “separate investigation,” Lewis was seen driving the same vehicle to a meeting with his Department of Corrections case officer at the DOC’s office near 35th/Morgan. (Both he and Thomas have records).
The narrative details hours of taunting social-media videos Lewis allegedly recorded leading up to the gas-station shootout, apparently trying to goad rivals – he and Thomas are described as members of a different gang from the victim. And it links Lewis to the non-injury shooting that closed down 35th SW near Findlay hours before the Delridge murder (here’s our coverage of that gunfire incident). Evidence cited in the charges includes ballistics matches, cell-phone records, and social-media posts (primarily Instagram).
The KCPAO says both are in custody, charged with second-degree murder; online records show Lewis has been in jail since last August 1st, but since juvenile-detention records are not available online, we don’t know how long Thomas has been held – he is charged as an adult, though. Both are scheduled for arraignment March 25.
UPDATE: SPD says Thomas was arrested this past Tuesday.
Eight months after we first reported that Westwood Village had a Daiso store on the way, the space is finally sporting signage. We have been passing by every few days or so and noticed the signage this afternoon. Daiso is moving into a combined space (formerly SportClips and Fresh Vitamins) a few doors north of Ross. While the signage simply says “spring” for its projected opening, one WSB reader who’s a frequent customer at another Daiso store in the region says the staff there told him they’re aiming for May. The only other claimed-but-not-open-yet space at WWV is the future Panda Express north of QFC.
With spring now less than a week away, we’re talking today about summer … jobs. We have an announcement from the DubSea Fish Sticks baseball team, which plays home games at nearby Steve Cox Memorial Park:
The DubSea Fish Sticks summer collegiate baseball team is holding a job fair Sunday, March 17, 2024 at Mel Olson Stadium inside King County’s Steve Cox Memorial Park. The job fair will run from 11 am-3 pm.
The team is currently looking to hire 50-60 part-time employees for the months of June and July. High school and college students are welcome to apply with select positions being available to those 14 years of age and older. There are select positions such as the concession manager, beer garden servers and security that do require the applicant to be 21 years of age or older.
The job fair will allow those interested in working for the Fish Sticks to find out more information about each position, apply, and interview on site. For those that are interested but cannot attend the job fair they can apply online at GoFishSticks.com/jobs. Positions that are currently available include mascot performer, concession manager, concessions, ticketing, merchandise, game day operations, beer garden servers, and security. The Fish Sticks also have multiple summer internships in digital marketing, and video production.
The DubSea Fish Sticks’ season begins on Saturday, June 3rd, and runs through August 3rd. They will host 27 different home shows (games) this summer at Mel Olson Stadium (aka The Fryer) at King County’s Steve Cox Memorial Park. The team hosts upward of 40 college players from around the country for the summer; they will play 45 games throughout the Pacific Northwest.
The stadium is at 1321 SW 102nd.
Reported via email:
My 2012 gray Hyundai Accent was stolen from our parking garage last night at Bradford Court I had two steering wheel locks on it. The rear window has a 12 sticker. Police Report: 24-069376. License Plate: AIC4926.
Call 911 if you see it.
Thanks to Joan Mussa for the photo and video of part of the second new dock being placed at West Seattle’s Don Armeni Boat Ramp:
The project website explains in detail why Seattle Parks couldn’t fulfill the initial promise of keeping one dock (float) open at all times, and says there won’t be one available until “late March,” but adds that “boaters can put their boats in without floats during non-working hours.”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A wide-ranging Admiral Neighborhood Association agenda drew about 30 people to Admiral Church last night; the meeting was facilitated by ANA president Joanie Jacobs.
Here’s how it unfolded, in the order in which this all happened:
SEATTLE POLICE: The Southwest-area Community Liaison Officer German Barreto spoke first. Trends from the past month in the Admiral area: Burglaries are up, thefts are up “but not that much,” motor-vehicle thefts have gone down. Eight so far this year. The seven other types of thefts included mail and packages. Assaults included “a dispute between coworkers at McDonald’s.” Eight burglaries included businesses and homes. No catalytic-converter thefts lately, he said in response to a question – “those have been going down.” In Q&A, one attendee asked about number of officers on patrol at any given time. Second watch (11 am-9 pm) is the busiest, he said, with 10 to 12 officers, but overall it fluctuates, and they have to “augment” with other officers on OT to at least hit minimums. He said they “go from call to call to call” because of the staffing levels, rather than having time to proactively patrol. Another Q: What’s the current state of traffic enforcement? Barreto notes that since there’s really no Traffic Unit due to staffing levels, that doesn’t happen much. Q: Are any detectives located in West Seattle? Reply: No, they’re centralized on the other side of the bay, as are the remaining specialty units such as Homicide and Robbery. In response to a question from president Jacobs, Officer Barreto reiterated, don’t EVER bother calling the non-emergency line – whenever you have someting to report, just call 911.
CITY COUNCILMEMBER ROB SAKA: Two months into his term, District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka is making the rounds of community meetings, and this was his first appearance at ANA.
(Photo by Rosalie Miller – Grevillea victoriae bloom, South Seattle College Arboretum)
Here’s what’s happening today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
DINE-OUT BENEFIT FOR SANISLO ELEMENTARY: Dine at Puerto Vallarta (4727 California SW) any time today/tonight and part of the proceeds go to Sanislo Elementary.
TODDLER READING TIME: Wednesdays at 10:30 am at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).
ST. PATRICK’S DAY SHOW: Free show 1 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), “Silver Sounds will present a lively ‘Wearin’ O’ the Green’ celebration, including songs, jokes, a singalong, plus prizes and a mystery raffle.”
FREE TODDLER GYM: 3-5 pm drop-in playspace at the Salvation Army Center in South Delridge (9050 16th SW).
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: Second week with cookie booths at multiple locations this afternoon/evening. Search here for your nearest locations.
FIX-IT WORKSHOP: Repair your broken item instead of replacing it! Weekly event, 5:30-7:30 pm at West Seattle Tool Library (4408 Delridge Way SW, northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center).
FREE GROUP RUN: Meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for the weekly free group run, 6 pm.
TRIVIA x 4: Four places to play tonight. At 6 pm, Locust Cider (2820 Alki SW) offers trivia … Larry’s Tavern (3405 California SW) hosts Wednesday-night trivia starting at 7:30 pm … Quiz Night begins at 8 pm at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW) … and at 8:30 pm, trivia with Phil T at Talarico’s (4718 California SW).
LIVE MUSIC AT THE LOCOL: 6:30 pm. 21+. Rotating performer slate. (7902 35th SW)
POETRYBRIDGE: Celebrate poetry at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), 7 pm.
MUSIC BINGO: Play weekly at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7 pm.
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: Our area’s largest political organization meets tonight at 7 pm, online.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups for West Seattle’s longest-running open mic. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
If you’re planning a presentation, meeting, performance, reading, tour, fundraiser, sale, discussion, etc., and it’s open to the community, please send us info for West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Here’s another West Seattle school fundraiser you can participate in right now – the Fauntleroy Children’s Center annual online auction, continuing through late Sunday night. Here’s the announcement:
The Fauntleroy Schoolhouse has been part of the heartbeat of West Seattle since 1917. In 1977, Fauntleroy Children’s Center was founded to provide local working families with high-quality, affordable child care. FCC is governed by the Fauntleroy Community Service Agency and is a nonprofit organization.
On behalf of Fauntleroy Children’s Center (FCC), which serves over 130 families in our community, we would love for you to participate in our 37th annual auction.
Our online auction catalog is NOW OPEN for bidding! Families, friends, and neighbors are all welcome to bid. Online auction bidding begins March 9th ends at 11:45 pm on March 17th.
The annual auction is a significant opportunity for the FCC community to come together and ensure the school has funding to carry on its mission of being the place children want to be. Our fundraising goal is $40,000 as we try to help with tuition scholarships, teacher continuing-education credits, rainy-day funds for capital improvements, and raise the final dollars needed to break ground on our new playgrounds!
Thank you for contributing to FCC and the work that they do to provide a safe, nurturing, educational, and creative place for our community’s children.
More than 130 items are up for bidding, including a wide variety of certificates and cards to be used at local businesses.
6:01 AM: Good morning! It’s Wednesday, March 13th, and the spring equinox is now less than a week away.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Partly sunny, high in the upper 40s (20 degrees cooler than the projected high for Sunday!). Sunrise will be at 7:25 am, sunset at 7:13 pm.
ROAD-WORK ALERT
Work on the north section of the East Marginal Way project was expected to start this week – let us know if you see it happening!
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro today – Regular schedule; check advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route. Per WSF alerts, “Due to some unplanned bridgework maintenance at the Fauntleroy terminal, single-lane loading and off-loading will be occurring until further notice. This may result in future delays.” Use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Orchard), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low Bridge:
1st Ave. S. Bridge:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander:
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene). Thank you!
Just before 1 am, a 911 caller reported that someone broke into the AT&T store at Jefferson Square by throwing a brick through the glass. Police arrived and confirmed the break-in. The burglar was described over the air as white, male, and wearing a red coat, last seen walking away carrying bags, apparently containing stolen items. No arrest reported so far; police called in SFD to board up the door. If you have any information, the police incident number for reference is 24-069059.
| 58 COMMENTS