West Seattle, Washington
08 Saturday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Another neighborhood organization launched for the new year last night – this time the Morgan Community Association, with its first quarterly hybrid meeting of 2025, held at Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Gatewood and online, facilitated by MoCA president Deb Barker.
CRIME/SAFETY: The meeting began with crime/police information. Southwest Precinct Officer German Barreto, attending online, brought year-end data for the Morgan Junction area: Sexual assaults were up (3 last year, 1 the year before), gunfire unchanged (3 each year), aggravated assaults were down (14 last year from 19 in 2023), robberies were unchanged (10 each year), burglaries were down (62 in 2023, 52 in 2024), motor vehicle thefts were down (185 in 2023 to 120 in 2024). Officer Barreto noted that they’re not able to access “last 30 days” stats any more, just “year to year.” One attendee asked about the recent 35th and Barton gunfire (though outside the Morgan Junction boundaries) – how can people keep the community safer? “Stay vigilant,” advised Officer Barreto. “I will look at people to be sure they see me,” in other words, don’t be oblivious to your surroundings, glued to your phone, etc. Side note, he added that if you have trouble with 911 – or a good experience for that matter – let CARE_info@seattle.gov know, he added. And please do file online reports of even seemingly minor crimes like car break-ins with nothing taken. Question: Have they made any arrests for drug use? He mentioned the operation that targeted the former RV encampment by Westwood Village, with more than half a dozen arrests. Another question: Any progress in solving the High Point shooting death of Sudaysi Ida and preventing more violence? “We are monitoring the area,” and Gun Violence Reduction Unit detectives are too, Barreto said.
A first-time attendee wondered about the point of the briefing. He said that some of the stats were such low rates, it would be interesting to compare to other neighborhoods. (You can do that via SPD’s online dashboard.)
The owner of the Zeeks Pizza/Whisky West building at Fauntleroy/Californis said he’d done a walk with crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite to identify ways to increase safety – and among other things, a streetlight is now working. Meantime, Barreto also mentioned what Satterwhite had told the Fauntleroy Community Association the previous evening (WSB coverage here) – that there are two new officers at the Southwest Precinct.
VEHICLE CHARGING LOT: The project at 42nd/Morgan/Fauntleroy is still a work in progress. Barker said City Light will send a rep to the April meeting for a detailed update, and then read aloud what SCL had told her via email: “Our goal is to be energized by 4th quarter of 2025, The project has faced various challenges” – one supplier went out of business, others had yearlong lead times, contracting delays … but they’re finalizing the plan after some “design changes” and it’s about to go out to bid – find updates online here.
MORGAN JUNCTION PARK ADDITION PROJECT: The excavation hole for the contaminated soil was bigger than originally planned and that required more permit review – a situation which hasn’t changed in 3 months, Barker said, adding that a new planner has been assigned to the project by Parks. Meantime, SDOT has not issued the permit for filling its part of the hole. MoCA board member Michael Brunner observed the project is nearing its 10th anniversary.
MOCA FUND: MoCA attendees voted to approve the group’s request to use $8,000 of $13,750 that it has left over from a $25,000 gift of sorts (explained here) a decade ago. The money would be used to cover the organization’s operational costs, which include Zoom, web hosting, city/state fees, insurance, about $1,400/year total; they also have some expenses for running the Morgan Community Festival each summer. The grant application was approved unanimously.
MORGAN COMMUNITY FESTIVAL: Picking a date for this cozy little festival was the subject of another vote. June 14, 2025, was chosen as the date for the next edition of this one-day festival at Morgan Junction Park and behind the adjacent commercial building (whose owner was in attendance).
SCHOOL FUNDING AND ‘BILLION-DOLLAR BAKE SALE’: Megan from the Gatewood Elementary PTA talked about a statewide advocacy campany they started called the Billion Dollar Bake Sale, with a big advocacy day two weeks from tomorrow. The amount of Seattle Public Schools‘ budget deficit is equal to the amount by which the state is underfunding its special ed – so that might account for the entirety of the local deficit, she noted. Legislators were pollled and ranked education 8th or lower on their priority list – despite “paramount duty” being written into the state Constitution. “We’re trying to get as many bodies down to Olympia as possible on January 30,” gathering at the Tivoli Fountain. They’re already expecting more than 500 people, including students on field trips (Gatewood 5th graders are going, Megan said). She was there earlier in the day for planning. Then there’s “Wealth Tax Wednesday,” trying to put more pressure on Gov. Bob Ferguson to find ways to raise money to fund education, despite his stated disinterest in a wealth tax for that purpose. They’re hoping to get baked goods donated for a real bake-sale component, in-kind donations for stickers and buttons. Slogans like “no more half-baked solutions,” “students deserve a bigger piece of the pie,” etc. Get everybody involved, she urged, “we need tons of people to rally for public education.” Next Thursday Gatewood will have a bake sale during Literacy Night. Megan also talked about the January 28 parental event on social media and “playborhoods,” noted here last night.
‘ONE SEATTLE PLAN’ MEETING AND WHAT’S NEXT: Back on December 12, more than 50 people crowded into the High Point Library meeting room to for MoCA’s unofficial informational meeting about the city’s proposed rezoning/Comprehensive Plan updates. Morgan then sent a letter to the city (see it here) with suggestions and concerns. No responses from city reps yet. Two attendees reminded all that the council is having public meetings (including one earlier Wednesday) and an official public-hearing-only meeting February 5. They noted the city had not reached out to all residents to let them know about this – supposedly the city said it didn’t have money for that but “there’s a 20-year plan they’re making, and they don’t have the money to let everybody know?” Barker said she had organized the informational meeting – as she’s done with other matters – just to help people learn (the meeting was, as we showed in this report, largely Q&A amid a room ringed by posted city maps).
SPINOFF TOPIC – EMERGENCY HUBS: A musing about the California fires and density led to a mention of Seattle’s biggest disaster threat – earthquake – and a reminder about the Emergency Communication Hubs. That’s where you’ll go for info about what’s going on in the aftermath of catastrophe. Know where yours is, at the very least!
(See the map fullscreen here.) Morgan’s hub is at Morgan Junction Park.
REMEMBERING WSB CO-FOUNDER: Barker noted WSB co-founder Patrick Sand‘s arrival at the previous MoCA meeting on what turned out to be the last night of his life, October 16 (arriving a bit early to pick up your editor for the short ride home). She recalled Patrick’s insistence every year that WSB get dibs on sponsoring a Morgan Community Festival act, and his willing to jump into meeting discussion with information if somebody got stumped. In closing, she recalled a memory from the Highland Park Improvement Club‘s group photo before demolition of their fire-ravaged building last summer; from across SW Holden, between cars, he shouted at the participants, “Get closer! Get closer!” That’s what he did, Barker concluded – “brought us closer.”
NEXT MEETING: Third Wednesday in April – so that’s April 16.
Sibling shops Alair and Dylan have reopened at 3270B California SW, proprietor Jennifer Young tells WSB. That’s “the first phase of our remodel,” she explains.
The next phase involves the move of Young’s other shop, Three Little Birds, to 3270 California, next to Alair and Dylan, from its current place in the West Seattle Junction (as we first reported earlier this month). Until all three stores are open together in that building, she says, Alair and Dylan’s “temporary hours” are noon-5:30 pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11 am-5:30 pm Thursdays-Fridays-Saturdays, 11 am-4 pm Sundays, closed Mondays.
(Gatewood pilot/photographer Long Bach Nguyen‘s aerial view of 1/21/2017 Seattle rally’s start in Central District)
Eight years ago, the Saturday after Inauguration Day brought the Womxn’s March on Seattle. This Saturday, People’s March events are scheduled around the country. This time a spinoff is set for the heart of The Junction. Organizers’ full announcement is in our calendar listing. Here’s how they explain the motivation:
We are out there to protest the return of Trump and fascism. Many of us are seniors who want to stand up for our children or grandchildren (or great-grandchildren)! We’ll be carrying protest signs and crossing the intersections at Alaska Junction. We did this in 2016 too. We all march for different reasons, but we march for the same cause: to defend our rights and our future.
The demonstration is expected to start around 10 am Saturday (January 18) at California/Alaska.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Rob Saka has his first 2027 challenger for the City Council’s District 1 seat.
The challenger even has yard signs.
His name’s not on them, though. They’re imploring Councilmember Saka to “Save Curby.”
(Photo from @kidsforcurby on Instagram)
The art on the signs is from editorial cartoonist Brett Hamil. But the idea of putting them on signs and planting them along Delridge was 17-year-old high-school junior Russell McQuarrie‘s.
“Curby” is from a Hamill cartoon published in the South Seattle Emerald back in November, referring to the concrete mid-street hardened median near Delridge/Holly, at the center of a “Delridge Safety Project” for which Saka successfully pushed to add $2 million to the new city budget. Because of a RapidRide stop in the area, it prevents left turns, including into the Refugee and Immigrant Family Center Preschool, at which Saka is a past parent.
And that’s just one of many City Council/city government actions of which McQuarrie disapproves. He lives in South Delridge, explains that his family “has always been politically active,” and says his fury was first ignited by sweeps of encampments near his home. “Homelessness is a failure of the state, and these sweeps are punishing people for the state’s failures.”
But no yard signs about that so far. He has chosen instead to spotlight the battle over “Curby.” Even more than the plan itself, McQuarrie says it’s the timing – $2 million in spending when the city has been dealing with a big budget deficit, as well as big challenges like homelessness. So despite being a self-described “broke high-school student,” he decided to print up about 20 signs, putting half of them out for starters. “Everyone I’ve talked to thinks [the proposed barrier removal] is absurd. … It’s interesting to educate people through art.” A teacher who knew Hamil helped him make contact, McQuarrie says, adding that Hamil gave his permission (and incidentally is now selling “Save Curby” T-shirts online). Some of the signs have disappeared since he put them up in the week before our conversation last Sunday, he says, which is why he initially contacted WSB. (We went looking for them after our conversation and spotted signs near the Delridge Library, near Louisa Boren STEM K-8, and near Delridge/Andover).
What would McQuarrie rather see the $2 million go toward? Social housing, light rail, environmental-justice grants, to name a few. Meantime, he’s already busy with a variety of other activism and advocacy – he says he worked on recently elected citywide Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck‘s campaign, and environmental education with the Duwamish River Community Coalition.
Has he brought his “Curby” concerns directly to Councilmember Saka?
He says he has tried multiple times – including four phone calls that “went to voicemail” – and hasn’t reached him or received a reply yet. He says he tried to talk with Saka while at City Hall recently for Councilmember Rinck’s swearing in, but that he was told to schedule a meeting, and hasn’t been able to do that yet. He has brought it up with Councilmember Rinck, who he says agreed it was “absurd,” while also noting that the budget decisions were made before she joined the council.
Meantime, he plans to print more signs, and is looking toward that 2027 council run, while noting “I could go straight into law school” instead. If you have a question for him, he says he’d be happy to hear from you at kidsforcurby@gmail.com.
As for “Curby” itself? We asked SDOT on Tuesday about the timeline and next steps for planning and constructing the “safety project” expected to involve its removal, since it’s written into this year’s budget. Once we get the answer, we’ll update. (We asked Saka himself about the project in this recent interview.)
(Recent view of ferries on and near Elliott Bay, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
Washington State Ferries‘ annual report for 2024 shows that ridership has risen for the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route, and for the system as a whole. From this week’s announcement:
Washington State Ferries welcomed nearly 500,000 more people aboard last year compared to the year before. Ridership for the year was more than 19.1 million, up 2.6% from 2023.
The lowest number of canceled sailings since 2020 and a big jump in walk-on passengers fueled the rise in annual ridership. The number of walk-ons soared by 224,000, or 5.7%, as tourism and a return to the office for many workers increased substantially. Passengers with vehicles climbed by a more modest 102,000, or 1.1%.
The greatest year-to-year surge came on the Point Defiance/Tahlequah run. Total ridership on the route—vehicles and passengers combined—spiked 5.8%. The Seattle/Bainbridge Island run was the system’s busiest in 2024 with 4.9 million total riders, followed by Edmonds/Kingston with 3.7 million.
From the route-by-route stats:
Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: Total riders rose 2.8%; vehicles increased 1.8%; system-high year-to-year surge in walk-ons of 11.4%.
You can see the full stats report here.
(2023 photo by Paul Weatherman, Summer Fest stage/beer garden area on California north of Oregon)
The West Seattle Junction business district has been nicknamed “Downtown West Seattle.” Its businesses comprise the West Seattle Junction Association, one of more than a dozen such “business improvement associations” around the city, and it’s led by a board. Right now that board has three vacancies, and we learned this week from WSJA executive director Chris Mackay that one of those board spots is open to community members who are not part of the business community. You’d be expected to attend a monthly in-person meeting – fourth Wednesdays, except August and September, noon at Windermere West Seattle (4526 California SW) – and to serve for three years. The WSJA oversees and organizes events from West Seattle Summer Fest, Hometown Holidays, and the Halloween/Fall Festival to Art Walk, Wine Walk, and Book Club, as well as a variety of other programs and services large and small, from flower baskets to flags to cleaning and security services. Want to be part of overseeing all that? Contact Mackay at chris@wsjunction.org – applications are open until February 15, and new members will be elected at the annual membership meeting in late March.
Those are some of the 27 bags of clothing donated to family-shelter provider Mary’s Place this morning by organizers of last night’s Thrift Share event at Chief Sealth International High School. The items that went not only to the shelter but to students and their families resulted from a two-part donation drive at the school, mentioned in our seasonal-giving updates and Holiday Guide. Michelle Riggen-Ransom from the CSIHS PTSA sent the photos and this followup with words of gratitude:
Wanted to give a shout-out to the counselors and staff at Chief Sealth High School, who organized the first Pop-Up Thrift Share at the school last night. The event was open to all students and their families in the Denny and Sealth communities, and over two hundred folks over the course of the evening came through to pick up some new-to-them clothing and shoes. Special thanks to Shanyn Gilio-Tenan for an awesome job coordinating, and to our community members who stepped up with donations to make this such a successful event for our students and their families!
(Texted photo from Monday’s moonrise/sunset – note the pink reflection)
Here’s our list of what’s happening today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: The center is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com for info on where they’re playing today.
STRONG BODIES, STRONG BONES: 2:30 pm yoga class at the Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon).
HPCS FOOD-TRUCK VISIT: First of three events tonight at this venue – every Thursday, 4-8 pm, Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) gets a food-truck visit. Tonight it’s Delfino’s Chicago-Style Pizza.
WINE TASTING WITH CLARK: A regular Thursday feature at HPCS, 5-7:30 pm – details here.
HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: And then, run or walk the neighborhood with the Run Club, leaving from HPCS at 6:30 pm – info here.
WHITE CENTER FOOD BANK OPEN HOUSE: Come learn about the White Center Food Bank – which also serves south West Seattle – and celebrate the Lunar New Year a bit early, with food, music, and art at the WCFB HQ, drop in 5-8 pm. (10016 16th SW)
VISCON CELLARS: The West Seattle winery’s cozy tasting room/wine bar is open 5-9 pm (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor). Stop in for wine by the glass or bottle!
WESTIES RUN CLUB: The 6 pm weekly run departs from Future Primitive on Alki (2536 Alki SW).
WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: Meet at 6 pm at 47th/Fauntleroy – details in our calendar listing.
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Hybrid meeting, online or in-person at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds), 7 pm. Agenda details and attendance info are in our calendar listing; all are welcome.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE SKYLARK: Dxngelo, King Zaae, West of Eden, BnH Deluxe, doors at 6, music at 7, $10 at the door. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
TRIVIA: 7 pm at Burger Planet (9614 14th SW).
DJ NIGHT: The weekend starts early at Revelry Room (4547 California SW), with DJ Wizdumb starting at 8 pm.
Are we missing anything for today/tonight? Also – looking ahead – are you planning an event that should be on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Story and photos by Tracy Burrows
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Wednesday night was a big night for high school wrestling in West Seattle, as four Metro League rivals took to the mats at the Chief Sealth International High School gym. For this mid-season tournament, Chief Sealth and West Seattle each matched up against O’Dea and Nathan Hale high schools. The individual matches were intense and exciting as the teams start the home stretch toward the state tournament in late February.
Chief Sealth started off the evening on a high note, crushing the O’Dea Fighting Irish 53-14. This was a satisfying victory over a team that has given Sealth trouble in the past. West Seattle battled hard against O’Dea but came up short 30-56. Nathan Hale did not field enough wrestlers for the results to be official, but both West Seattle and Sealth handily defeated the Raiders wrestlers.
Sealth coach Maurice Dolberry said his team is peaking just at the right moment. He said the boys’ team has the talent and drive to achieve the school’s best ever showing at the state tournament. Girls’ wrestling is one of the fastest-growing high school sports, and the Sealth girls are poised to do well at State too.
West Seattle coach Shon Sweet said that his team wrestled really well, and he expects to have a handful of wrestlers that make the state tournament. Sweet is working on growing the West Seattle team and says, “Wrestling is for everyone. No matter your size or body type, whether you’re a boy or girl, there’s a place for you on the team.” That spirit of inclusion was fully evident at the tournament, with boys and girls from lightweight to heavyweight cheering each other on from the sidelines.
6:02 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Thursday, January 16, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Again on Wednesday, the predicted sunshine was a no-show; today’s forecast says today will be entirely cloudy with a chance of midday showers, high in the mid-40s. Sunrise/sunset – 7:51 am and 4:47 pm.
ROAD WORK
*The Beach Drive gas-pipeline project has traffic down to one lane (our photo is from Wednesday), alternating with a flagger, just north of the Lincoln Park Way intersection.
TRANSIT
Metro buses – Regular schedule
Water Taxi – As noted, regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – Regular service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Salish as the “bonus boat.”
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Spokane Street Viaduct – This view usually looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:
Low Bridge – Looking west:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
See trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
| 3 COMMENTS